- Xander and Cassia go to the game center for their free recreation time that night, where she watches admiringly as he shows off in games of skill.
- A Society Official interrupts and asks to speak to Cassia outside—turns out she knows about the issue with Cassia's microcard.
- Cassia goes with full disclosure and admits she knows the boy whose face she saw. We finally find out who it is—a guy named Ky Markham.
- The Official tells her someone must have played a cruel joke. Ky is an Aberration, due to an Infraction his father committed, so he can never be Matched. Cassia promises to keep this a secret and only tell her grandfather.
- Back inside the game center, someone has lost their tablets, and everyone freezes while the Officials search.
- Flashback time: Cassia remembers when Xander lost his tablets in the swimming pool when they were younger. He eventually found them at the bottom, but an unknown kid almost drowned trying to help him.
- We learn what the blue tablets are—they provide enough nutrients to survive for several days. And the green tablets are able to calm someone down who needs calming. Anxiety meds? No one gets more than one of each per week.
- Back to present day. Cassia sees Ky—he was also the Unknown Pool Kid—and she gets so distracted she steps on the missing tablet box, crushing the tablets inside.