A List of Cages

Adam narrates this chapter while Julian has a session with Dr. Whitlock. During Adam's time as Dr. Whitlock's aide, Adam reveals the backstory of Julian's parents' death, and how Julian came to live with Adam's mother as a foster child. Julian and his parents were on their way to pick up Julian from school to take him out of town when they died in an accident. (The details of the accident are not disclosed.) Adam tells how on the day of the accident, after Julian found out about his parents' death, he "didn't make a sound, not during dinner. Not when we watched TV. Not when Mom tucked him into […] bed" (61). However, Julian woke up in the middle of that same night crying and convulsing, telling Adam that he needed his Dad right then because Julian had a headache, and his dad could "fix it" (62). Adam tries to make Julian feel better by simulating how Julian's dad ran his fingertips across Julian's forehead, but Julian continues to cry and asks where his parents went. Julian tells Adam that he understands that his parents have died, but he wants to know where they went. "'They disappeared,'" Julian says.

Since Julian doesn’t have any blood relatives, Julian did not leave at the usual two-week mark like other foster children at Adam’s house; instead, he stayed for many months. Adam says he'd "suffer" through all of Julian's favorite Disney and Nickelodeon channels while Julian endured Adam’s superhero movies (63). Adam observed that when Julian came to his house as a foster child, his "eyes were like glass, something reflective instead of animated," not like the old Julian that Adam remembered when he was in fifth grade. Adam recalls how Julian continued to grieve his parents' death, but Julian had lighter moments, too, such as when he wore his old joke glasses or added an epilogue to his favorite Elian Mariner stories.

The first section of this chapter is narrated by Julian. The narration begins when Adam is taking Julian to Dr. Whitlock's office. Julian is carrying a plastic, electronic doll that cries all the time, which the Child Development teacher gave each student as a class project. Julian says that although his parents said they were very happy when they took him home as a baby from the hospital, the project was supposed to teach students "'that having a baby is terrible'" (64). When Adam asks Julian if anything interesting happened today, Julian replies that he got a speaking part in the school play. The narration ends when Adam calls Julian secretive because Julian won't tell Adam where he eats lunch; this is because Julian eats lunch the secret attic in the theatre.

 Adam narrates the second section while he's at lunch in the school cafeteria. His friends Charlie, Allison (Charlie's girlfriend), Camila, and Emerald play a game, "which is basically Truth or Dare without the option to choose the truth" (67). Camila takes a pair of underwear out of her purse and makes Adam put them on and insists he wear them in front of the class next school period. The time and scene changes and Adam is going to his fifth period class after lunch, and he trips in the hallway. He tries to get up, but his ankle hurts. The "motherly" Allison thinks Adam should go to the school nurse, but Camila insists that Adam finish the dare; however, Adam can't walk (69). Charlie assesses the situation and is convinced Adam really can't walk, so Charlie carries Adam piggy-back style, and they go to the school nurse. In the nurse's office, Allison explains Adam has sprained his ankle. The nurse doesn't believe Adam is really hurt, and she won't even let him sit down in a wheelchair. Furthermore, she writes him up for refusing to follow instructions when she tells him to leave because he has fallen down accidentally.