The First to Die at the End

Dalma would hope to have as good of an End Day as Valentino’s if Death-Cast were to call.

Dr. Emeterio tells the Youngs that the surgery was a success. Dalma hopes that Orion will have a long and healthy life. She will never take time for granted. Dayana thanks the doctor, who says she wishes she could’ve saved Valentino and Orion. The Youngs pray for Scarlett and Valentino.

Dalma calls Scarlett, and she feels like a Death-Cast employee.

Dalma delivers the news to Scarlett, and she feels so alone. Scarlett finds some comfort in Orion receiving Valentino’s heart. Dalma asks if she will still come to New York, and Scarlett says it’ll be lonely. However, Dalma tells her, “We don’t know each other, but Orion and Valentino showed me that doesn’t matter. If you come out here, you will never be alone. My family is your family” (526). Scarlett trusts her.

She thinks that she will need a fresh start, and it will help her imagine a new future. She’ll never forget Valentino, and he’ll always live in her heart.

Gloria is at the police station. She is surprised that Frankie did not receive a call from Death-Cast, as she signed him up for it without him knowing.

She is terrified that the police will take Paz away, though Rolando reminds her that Frankie has a documented history of abuse. She still worries about Paz’s well-being.

When she is greeted by a police officer by her married name, she corrects him to use her maiden name, Medina. She will never take another man’s name, wanting to define herself. The officer asks to speak with Paz. She tells Paz that they want to talk to him and that he shouldn’t lie.

When Paz disappears with the police officer, she cries. However, she is focused on what’s coming next.

On August 3, 2010, Orion begins to believe that he will live since Death-Cast still has not called. He is still in the hospital but is making good progress.

He has learned that Frankie is dead and that Paz killed him. He also knows that Death-Cast scored perfectly on those they called on the first day, but they missed 12 Deckers. People still seem to trust Death-Cast.

Orion thinks that the service is good and that End Days can be incredible.

Death-Cast does not call Dalma on August 3. However, she has decided what app she wants to create. She wants to create an app to make sure Deckers never die alone. It would involve allowing Deckers to create a profile and then working to make it so that Deckers can invite people to spend the day with them, or they can pair up with other Deckers.

Orion thinks it’s a good idea, and Dalma hopes that he will one day be willing to help someone again on their End Day. She has also decided to call it “the Last Friend app” (534).

Orion thinks that the Last Friend app will allow for amazing connections, but it will also be hard for the last friend since they might witness a person die. However, the scars they carry might not be all bad. His own on his chest reminds him that he “was more than Valentino’s Last Friend” (535).

When Dr. Emeterio comes by, Orion asks to know when Valentino died. It was at 9:11 p.m., two numbers that continue to haunt Orion.

The same day, Scarlett comes to visit, having finally made it to New York. He asks when she arrived, but she thanks him for being with Valentino on his last day. She asks him to go through Valentino’s End Day with her. He had hoped to do it with Valentino, but instead, Orion thinks he can honor Valentino by doing it with Scarlett.

It is August 6, 2010, and Joaquin Rosa did not receive a call from Death-Cast. He has already seen how his company is changing the world. Airlines are adjusting their practices, as are police officers, scientists, and the military. It will eventually expand beyond the United States. He is amazed that doctors are updating their practices, especially after learning about Valentino.

Some people are still skeptical, especially after the attacks at Times Square, which critics are saying was staged by Death-Cast. However, Joaquin can’t do anything about protests.

Joaquin has not been able to spend time with his family, but he is amazed by the work his company is doing. He understands that Deckers’ lives can change on their End Day.

On August 7, 2010, Death-Cast does not call Orion, and at 11:17 a.m., Orion is finally at home. It is his first night in his room since he slept with Valentino. Dalma and Scarlett are going to stay with him. Scarlett also gives him a photo album of his photos of Valentino.

Even though he wants to be alone for now, Orion lets Dalma and Scarlett in. They have something for him—a video from Valentino that he recorded for Orion. Scarlett says the one that he recorded for her has helped her grieve. She only discovered the message for Orion the night before, and Orion at first wishes that she’d given it to him sooner, but they all know that he couldn’t have died before seeing it. They would’ve known because of Death-Cast, which they all agree has changed the world.

Orion wants to watch it now, so Dalma sets up his laptop. He plugs in a flash drive with the message and clicks on the file.

Valentino greets him, saying that there are things he needs to tell Orion in case he doesn’t get a chance to, and Orion thinks about how he ended up needing to plan in advance since death came so unexpectedly.

Valentino says that he could have never known Orion, and that would’ve been worse than having so little time together. He tells Orion to find good in the days that feel terrible. He wants Orion to live like they did on his End Day every day and not to be afraid of falling in love again. Finally, he thanks Orion for telling him about grief and how he can keep existing until he can finally live again.

He closes by saying that the heart they share is “[theirs]” and that he loves Orion.

Orion is grateful to hear Valentino say that he loves him. He knows now that he’s not just a novel but “a work in progress” (549). He wants to live a life that he can write about. He feels like it is a beginning and intends to listen to Valentino.

He holds the photos of them together to his heart.