Opening
Frances stops spiraling and turns outward. With Raine’s blunt support and her mum’s mischievous ingenuity, she tracks down Carys—now “February”—in London, uncovers the full scope of Carol’s abuse, and finds the courage to demand help for Aled. These chapters transform grief into action and set the story hurtling toward confrontation and repair.
What Happens
Chapter 76: SILVER-HAIRED GIRL
At school, Frances Janvier drifts through the day until Raine Sengupta, newly silver-haired and mercilessly observant, calls her a “damp biscuit.” Expecting Cambridge angst, Raine instead gets the whole truth: Frances’s secret Universe City collaboration with Aled Last, her accidental outing of him, and the silence that followed; [Carol Last]’s(/books/radio-silence/carol-last) cruelty; and the realization that the missing twin, Carys Last, inspired February Friday. Frances admits everything—except the non-consensual kiss with Carys years ago.
Raine listens, then refuses to let Frances stay stuck. Borrowing her mum’s “Big Scheme of Things” philosophy, she cuts through the guilt and insists Frances act. In the grand scheme, there’s one clear task: find Carys. The conversation pivots Frances from paralysis to purpose, powered by Platonic Friendship and Love.
Chapter 77: FILOFAX
Deciding to find Carys terrifies Frances, but doing nothing feels worse. Raine arrives with a chaotic plan: steal Carol’s pink Filofax—she’s a parent governor; surely Carys’s address is inside. Frances balks at theft and at the likelihood of failure.
Then Frances's Mum overhears and grins: “Let me deal with this.” She schedules a meeting with the head at the exact time of Carol’s governor appointment, intercepts Carol in the corridor, and plays the overly keen parent who wants to write her MP about homework. Could she borrow the Filofax to copy Carol’s address—she’s in a rush? Carol, keen to appear friendly, hands it over. Frances’s Mum saunters home with the prize. Mission accomplished.
Chapter 78: LONDON'S BURNING
Frances and Raine flip through the Filofax—no “Carys Last.” On a hunch, Frances checks F. There it is: “February.”
On Friday, Frances rides the train to London in clothes that feel like her. The townhouse is tidy and warm; a pink-haired woman at the door says no “Carys” lives there. “February?” The woman brightens—“Feb” is at the National Theatre, where she guides tours and runs kids’ workshops. Stunned that Carys has built a creative, steady life, Frances heads to the South Bank. In the gift shop, she says Carys’s name. Carys turns, face utterly blank as recognition lands. Their reunion sits squarely inside Identity and Authenticity: both girls have changed, and Carys has chosen who she is.
Chapter 79: GOLDEN CHILD
Carys—February—looks transformed: peroxide blonde, sharp makeup, poised and older than eighteen. In the theatre bar, she says she knew someone would find her eventually, just not Frances. She coolly deduces Carol found her London address by opening a letter she’d sent Aled, and she’s disgusted but unsurprised.
Frances tells everything: Universe City, the outing, and Carol’s escalating cruelty—down to having Aled’s dog put down. Carys answers with the truth of their home life: Abusive Family Dynamics rooted in The Pressure of Academia and the Education System. Because school never came easily, Carol stripped Carys’s joys one by one and isolated her for “failure,” while Aled—the “golden child”—was spared. Resentment festered. When Frances explains that Universe City’s February Friday is Aled’s way of writing to her, Carys reels; she had no idea. February is her middle name, now reclaimed as her whole identity.
Chapter 80: FAMILY
As they talk, Frances sees how adult Carys has become. When Frances finally asks her to contact Aled, Carys hardens. “Family means nothing,” she says. Aled is probably thriving at university, she insists; she’s left all that behind.
Frances doesn’t back down. Aled never wanted university. The last time she spoke to him, he sounded like he wanted to die. “I’m scared… that he’s going to disappear. Just like you did.” The honesty lands. Carys recognizes the guilt and the truth, and after a breath, agrees to help. The moment seals Frances’s Coming of Age: she speaks the hard truth and wins real change.
Character Development
Frances steps into agency, Carys reveals the cost of survival, and the adults’ choices cast long shadows. Each character’s decisions push the plot toward an inevitable reckoning.
- Frances: Moves from frozen guilt to decisive action—confesses, plans, travels, confronts—until her honest plea shifts Carys.
- Carys/February: Appears self-possessed and remade, but her detachment masks deep trauma; her bond with Aled still lives under the armor.
- Raine: Acts as catalyst—direct, practical, unflinching—who reframes Frances’s crisis and keeps her moving.
- Frances’s Mum: Emerges as a stealth hero whose crafty empathy (and social engineering) supplies the “map” the teens need.
- Carol: Offstage but omnipresent; through Carys’s testimony, her systematic, image-obsessed control becomes undeniable.
- Aled: Absent yet central; his silence, suffering, and coded messages through Universe City drive every choice.
Themes & Symbols
The chapters braid abuse, identity, and friendship into a rescue mission that doubles as self-creation.
- Abusive family systems fracture trust, language, and even names. Carol’s control—grading worth by performance, policing privacy, and weaponizing isolation—makes “family” feel unsafe. Carys’s “family means nothing” is both self-protection and indictment.
- Identity and authenticity come from choosing, not inheriting. Carys’s adoption of “February” and her theatre life are acts of authorship; Frances dressing like herself before the trip primes her to act bravely.
- Finding your voice and pursuing passion (Finding Your Voice and Pursuing Passion) operates on two tracks: Frances’s moral voice saves a friend, and Carys’s creative work signals a life built beyond grades and fear.
- Platonic love powers the plot. Raine’s tough care reroutes Frances’s trajectory, and Frances’s loyal terror for Aled cuts through Carys’s defenses.
- The Pink Filofax: A symbol of Carol’s curated respectability—neat, useful, and full of secrets. In Frances’s Mum’s hands, it becomes a tool of liberation and a subversion of Carol’s control.
Key Quotes
“You look like a damp biscuit.”
- Raine’s bluntness names Frances’s collapse and, crucially, jolts her forward. The line sets their dynamic: honesty as care.
“The Big Scheme of Things.”
- Borrowed wisdom reframes the crisis. By zooming out, Raine helps Frances identify the one meaningful action—find Carys—and discard everything else.
“Let me deal with this.”
- Frances’s Mum steps from background to player. The line launches her playful, strategic theft, showing adult complicity can also work for good.
“Family means nothing.”
- Carys’s hard-won creed protects her from further harm. It exposes the damage Carol inflicts and the distance Carys needs to survive—until Frances reaches her through Aled.
“I’m scared… that he’s going to disappear. Just like you did.”
- Frances’s most vulnerable truth pierces Carys’s armor. It’s not logic but love—and it catalyzes action.
Why This Matters and Section Significance
These chapters break the stalemate: Frances claims agency, obtains the “map” (the Filofax), ventures to a new realm (London), and confronts the gatekeeper (Carys). The quest structure externalizes her internal growth, turning passive remorse into courageous advocacy.
Reintroducing Carys fills in the Last family’s missing history, reframes Aled’s distress, and clarifies what must be confronted: Carol’s worldview and its fallout. By persuading Carys to help, Frances not only rescues a friend but also proves who she is becoming—someone who tells the truth, acts on it, and changes outcomes. The story now aims squarely at reunion, reckoning, and repair.