Our Missing Hearts: Part 1, Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis

On Monday, Bird tells Ethan he has forgotten his lunch. They are already in the elevator, so rather than be late for work, Ethan sends Bird to retrieve it alone. In actuality, Bird is planning to skip school and catch a bus to Manhattan to search for Margaret. Spontaneously hugging his father before letting him go, Bird considers telling Ethan the truth, but he knows his father would not allow Bird to endanger himself. He watches from the apartment as Ethan disappears across the courtyard, and he thinks of how sad it is to leave behind no trace of one’s existence.

In a brief flashback, Bird remembers how he didn’t even look up when Margaret said goodbye for the last time, a fact that still haunts him. In the present, Bird leaves Ethan a short note and his mother’s letter before departing for the bus terminal, where he purchases a ticket at the machine. To his surprise, no one pays any attention to him: it’s as if everyone around him is also trying to remain unobserved, contrary to PACT’s directive to watch one another. Bird boards the bus and departs for New York.

After Margaret left, Bird convinced himself that if he stayed awake long enough, she would come back. This fairytale logic made sense to him, as all his mother’s stories required the hero to complete a test or endure an ordeal. But the problem was that Bird kept failing. As a result, Bird stopped believing in the logic of that story. Now, on a quest to find his mother, he decides to give the story another chance. He is sure that whatever spell has been keeping her from him will soon be broken.

The bus drops Bird off in Chinatown. He notes that the signs bear redacted Chinese characters, and every storefront displays an American flag. The people speak English or else are silent, seeming poised for danger. As Bird walks uptown, the scenery changes, though the dilapidated infrastructure still shows evidence of the Crisis. People are more talkative, and businesses advertise rather than trying to avoid attracting attention; nevertheless, every shop window contains some PACT-approved sign. As he nears his Park Avenue destination, the neighborhood becomes obviously wealthier, and it seems impossible this same street leads to Chinatown.

Across the street, Bird sees a woman who he thinks is Margaret, conjured from his imaginings. The woman is East Asian but does not actually resemble Bird’s mother. As she sees Bird, she smiles—but just then, a white man brutally punches her in the face. Bird watches as passersby ignore the woman’s cries as the man continues to beat her. When the man notices Bird watching, Bird flees. He thinks of how fairytales also contain evil, and he hides for a while before heading to Park Avenue, feeling more conspicuous than before.

The address from Margaret’s note leads him to a single-family townhouse on Park Avenue. Bird imagines it as a castle full of mysteries. An older white man answers the door. When Bird says that he is there to see the Duchess (Domi), the man leads Bird inside. Bird tells the man his name, and the man leads him upstairs to a sumptuous living room. Bird thinks fleetingly of Ethan arriving home to find him gone. Then, a young woman with blond hair—the Duchess—arrives. She asks why Bird thinks Margaret is here. He replies that she sent him a message. More accurately, Bird wants his mother to have wanted him to come.

Domi makes it clear that she does not trust Bird. Scrutinizing him, she asks who knows he came here. Bird, in his head, compares the Duchess to a dragon. Domi tells Bird to wait, then she leaves. Once she is gone, Bird thinks of Ethan worrying at home. When the Duchess returns, she asks Bird personal questions that seem designed to verify his identity. Having passed this test, Domi says she will take Bird to see Margaret. She leads him to an underground garage where her driver is waiting to take them through the city. They drive for a long time before pulling up outside a street of old brownstones.

Domi gives Bird very specific instructions for entering a house a few blocks away. Once again, he feels like he is in a story where the rules are inscrutable but must be obeyed. Nevertheless, Bird follows the Duchess’s directions to a seemingly deserted brownstone, entering quietly through the back garden. He types a passcode into the door and shuts it behind himself, waiting in complete darkness. Bird hears footsteps, and suddenly a light illuminates Margaret, who embraces him with shock and delight.