Cady goes back to new Clairmont and sees Ed there for the first time. She talks to Taft, Bonnie, and Liberty. She writes Mirren's slogans on her hands: "Be a Little" and "Kinder" (220). 

Cady goes to Edgartown with Granddad, who buys her a book of fairy tales. She asks him about Ed, and we get the impression Granddad has finally accepted Ed into the family. Cady goes to Cuddledown and cleans up all the debris. She makes a drawing of Gat, Mirren, and Johnny and places it on the refrigerator.

The final version of the fairy tale is what really happened. Three princesses had four children, and three died. But there were survivors—three girls and two boys. After a difficult time of suffering, the family was renewed: "They made a beautiful family. Still" (224). Cady now realizes that she did something wrong by getting her friends to set the fire, but she also forgives herself. She concludes her story with the words "I endure" (225).