S. is dreaming of Sola. In the dream, he and Sola are sitting on a sofa in a large room. On a table in front of them are dozens of sets of fake teeth. They are not normal devices; each one is complex and frightening. S. realizes that neither he nor Sola have teeth, and that they must try on all of the fake sets until they find ones that fit. However, S. and Sola sit in silence doing nothing. They are afraid of how they will look with the fake teeth. They sit there, unable to communicate, “waiting for something to change.”

S. wakes up and hears activity on the deck up above. It seems as though the ship is coming to a stop.

S.’s dream seems to reflect Straka’s anxiety. He desperately wants to be able to communicate to FXC, but is ashamed of how he will appear to her. Straka and FXC spent there whole lives in silence, unable to express their feelings for one another, and desperately waiting for the circumstances to change.

Jen writes that she doesn’t want to let this happen to her and Eric. She writes that they cannot just passively sit around, waiting to find out if they really have a connection. She wants to know if their relationship is more than just their Straka project.

Jen wonders again what her relationship with Eric really is. Is it a fling? Or can they make it more than that? She writes that she has learned that “wanting isn’t enough.” It is interesting to see here how Jen has changed over the course of this novel. Studying Straka and FXC has made Jen realize that she cannot just hope and dream, but that she must actively pursue what she wants and what she loves.

Eric agrees. He writes that when they go to the park they won’t discuss Straka or the S or Moody. He wants them to focus on one another.