Jessie waits on the steps of the capitol building for reporters. She feels deflated and hopeless until people near her begin discussing her mysterious news conference. They are reporters trying to figure out who scheduled the conference and what it will reveal about Clifton. When one of the reporters, Bob, gets her attention, Jessies admits she called the conference. She tries explaining the situation at Clifton, but they refuse to believe her because of her age. Eventually, the more Jessie explains, the more they begin to believe and document her story with a camera. They ask her to prove that she’s from Clifton by reciting the presidents and states, which Jessie does. However, as soon as she finishes, she collapses from diphtheria herself.

Jessie wakes in the hospital with Katie recovering in the bed next to her. She learns that the people in charge of Clifton have been arrested and that most of the children are also in the hospital recovering. Andrew and Hannah, who now know the truth about Clifton, visit Jessie and reveal that two children died. They tell her about how Clifton was shut down. When the board of health tried to get inside the village, Mr.