- Dicey and her siblings wake up the next morning and take all their clothes and food out of the car. They head to the mall to use the bathroom and to eat the last of their sandwiches outside.
- Everyone changes clothes and eats while Dicey takes a look at the map. She guesses it will take them two or three days to walk to Bridgeport—they don't have much food or money, but she figures they can spend a few dollars a day and get there in one piece. Way to think positive, Dicey.
- Dicey lets all the kids in on her plan, but Sammy is less than thrilled; he wants to stay and wait for Momma to come back. Good luck with that, Sammy.
- James wonders why they just don't take the bus, and the answer is not enough money. Guess they shouldn't have had that food court meal last night… So, walking it is.
- But Sammy refuses to go. Dicey tells him they have to go and he still won't give in, so finally, Maybeth reminds him that Momma told them all to listen to Dicey and he reluctantly agrees.
- Dicey packs some clothes and the map in a paper bag and they start walking down the highway. It's hot outside and the kids aren't covering much ground. The four siblings walk for a while and then rest; at lunchtime, Dicey buys them apples and a dozen doughnuts at a supermarket.
- James tries to make the walking a game—they're all soldiers marching along—but while they sing songs, too, it's still tiring.
- They stop to rest in front of an old house and think about their home back in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Some folks might have called it a shack, but Dicey liked it because it was right on the water.
- When the woman who owns the house shoos the kids away, Sammy refuses to go and Dicey is forced to carry him.
- After walking for a few more hours, Dicey buys them all dinner at a grocery store. It ends up costing almost $3.00, but they are really hungry.
- The kids manage to find an abandoned house by a beach and they cook food and play there.
- Dicey takes a look at the map to see how far they've gone. They should be halfway to Bridgeport by now, right? Alas, she realizes they've only made it about ten miles—and at this rate, it'll take them almost two weeks to get to Aunt Cilla's.
- Dicey starts to panic. This is not going well, and they're going to run out of food and money.
- But what else can they do? They have to manage somehow; they have to keep going.
- The four kids sleep on the covered porch of the abandoned house and Dicey thinks about Sammy. He used to be so happy as a baby, but now he's changed. They've all changed, though, haven't they?