- In the now: Nikki wakes up from a nightmare about being swallowed by the ground as she tries to walk toward Jack. Being able to dream again sure is swell… or something like that.
- Nikki hears a voice outside her door, so she goes to investigate. She overhears her dad talking to her (dead) mother about how much he misses her and how he's not sure what to do about Nikki.
- Jack shows up to volunteer in the soup kitchen. When Mary comes through the line, she asks Jack if he forgave Nikki for leaving; she also says she has a theory about anchors. Huh?
- Jack is disturbed since Mary was talking to him and Nikki as though she actually knew them.
- Then Jack notices Nikki's mark, which is growing. She still doesn't tell him that she'll be forced to go to the Tunnels soon, though, and when he presses her about the tattoo's meaning, she flees.
- Cole is hanging out at Nikki's car. He guesses that Jack is with her—he says he tasted Jules's pain from a distance, and assumed what it meant.
- Jack runs out and protectively holds Nikki. Cole marks a snarky comment about how they seem to have made up nicely; then he leaves.
- Mary shows up and tells them not to let Cole drive them apart. Huh? How does she know who he is? Then she spooks and hops on a bus.
- Jack identifies the bus and they drive to try to catch it. At the next stop they hop on, then they corner Mary and ask about how she knows Cole.
- Mary says that Nikki wasn't a daughter, and that's why Cole wanted her—it was an experiment.
- According to Mary, she was raised to be a Forfeit, to not have any attachments. This is what the Daughters of Persephone do: They raise their daughters to be chosen for the Feed.
- But the Forfeits from the Daughters never survive, which is why Cole chose Nikki, a normal girl.
- Nikki asks Mary if her daughter was a Forfeit, and in answer, Mary reveals the dark mark on her neck. So wait… Mary was a Forfeit just like Nikki? But why is she so old?
- Nikki puts the puzzle pieces together: Mary was Meredith, the girl from school who was dating Maxwell. Mary freaks out and starts crying, so Nikki and Jack have to scram.
- As they exit, Mary calls down to remember Orpheus, because he was strong—and she throws her silver bracelet at Nikki.