Suddenly, the men are gone, and Jen’s father reopens the closet, but holds a piece of paper in front of Luke that says “don’t talk.” Jen’s father also writes that the house is bugged with listening devices. Luke is sure they’re going to kill him, and he wishes he could say goodbye to his family one more time. Suddenly, the men throw open the closet in which Luke his hiding, and he covers himself with a blanket. The men insist on seeing the computer, and Jen’s father continues to berate them, even threatening to sue. Luke’s head swims, and he wonders if Jen’s father double-crossed her. Jen’s father says that he was posing as Jen all along and that he was given a medal for his service in disposing of forty Shadow Children. The men say they were alerted when someone posted in Jen’s secret chatroom, and Jen’s father says that he was the one to post that message, as part of a sting operation. Luke is amazed that Jen’s father can confront them so boldly when he had been harboring a third child. Strange men break down the door of the house, and Jen’s father confronts them. Suddenly, there is a pounding at the door, and Jen’s father shoves Luke into a closet.
Jen’s father also says that it probably isn’t necessary to enforce the Population Law anymore, but it’s become a point of pride for the Government, and particularly for a man called General Sherwood, who is one of the highest-ranked members of the government. Nobody loses their farms, but nobody is able to live comfortably either. Jen’s father tells Luke that the Government wants people to live on the edge of survival. When Luke points out that the Barons got more, Jen’s father admits that this is correct, and it was a conscious choice on the part of the Government. The famines really did happen, and people were willing to accept anything in order to get food. Jen’s father explains that the truth is complicated. Jen’s father dismisses both of these types of literature as propaganda. Jen’s father asks Luke what he knows, and Luke tells him about the reading materials that Jen gave him - both the official government sources and the documents from the rebels. Luke calms down, and Jen’s father explains that he uses his job to try to sabotage the Population Police. Jen’s father puts up his hands and tells Luke that he’s on his side.
Luke ends up grabbing the gun, and he points it at Jen’s father. Panicked by the mention of the Population Police, Luke charges at Jen’s father and tries to wrestle his gun away. Jen’s father says he can get Luke a fake ID that will allow him to live a normal life he can do this because he works for the Population Police. They’ll start searching every house nearby. Jen’s father calms down and tells Luke that when he logged into the chat room, a notification was sent to the Population Police. She probably knew that the rally was hopeless, but she was still determined to try. Jen’s father starts to cry, and Luke remembers how Jen visited the night before she left. Luke protests that Jen said there would be so many Shadow Children that the police would be overwhelmed, and Jen’s father replies that she had too much faith in the courage of her fellow hidden children. Jen’s father explains that the police gunned down all forty children who attended the rally. Jen’s father explains that he was allowed to view her body, but he had to pretend he didn’t know her. Luke explains that he was too afraid to go to the rally, but couldn’t stop Jen. He explains how he noticed signs around the house that suggested the presence of another third child and made contact with her. Luke explains that he’s a friend of Jen and that he’s a third child too.
Luke turns around and realizes that this is Jen’s father. Guns have been outlawed by the Government, so it’s surprising that the man has one. Suddenly, a voice behind him informs Luke that he has a gun, and asks who he is. He logs on to the chat room and asks where she is, but there’s no reply. He wanders through the house looking for Jen, but he can find no sign of her.
#HADDIX AMONG THE HIDDEN MOVIE WINDOWS#
He breaks one of the windows in order to get in, and he manages to turn off the alarm the way that Jen showed him.
A week and a half after the rally, Luke makes the dangerous decision to go over to Jen’s house.
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