Is the exit out of this labyrinth worth dying for? (pages 139-160)

When the Eagle comes in at about eight in the morning, Miles is first afraid of getting caught for their prank. However, the Colonel and him are only invited to come to the gym. In there, the Eagle asks for everyone's presence. When Miles is protesting that they should wait for Alaska, as she is not in there yet, the Eagle begins to cry. He tells the students that Alaska Young was part of an car accident in the last night. She had no chances to stay alive.
Miles first refuses to believe in Alaska's death. Step-by-step he realises that he is never going to see Alaska's face again, never going to feel her lips on his. Like the Colonel he feels guilty for letting her drive drunk and upset. The Colonel ask himself how she could have been so stupid. He complains about why she never could think something through till the end. The school charters buses to Alaska’s fuel but even there Miles does not get the chance to see her again, as the casket is closed.
The Eagle gives the two of them the chance to take all the stuff which Alaska's aunt who is soon coming to take her things back home should better not find in her niece's room. During their investigation Miles an Chip also find the “The general in his Labyrinth”. In it there are new entries.
Has Alaska Young killed herself?

I think this an interesting and not that easy question to find an answer to question. Alaska has added to Jeff Longwell's questions, “How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!”, the words “Straight and fast.”
If you look back on how she died with these words on your mind, it becomes possible that Alaska wanted to hit the police car. The police has said that she did not even tried to find direction. Normally you would try to find a reason now why she could have wanted to die, but with Alaska it is different. During the whole story she never had any reason. She needed no reason to be moody and needed one either to flirt with miles or even make out with him. This is what Miles is afraid of two, when he has the same idea. He answers this question with no, as he could not suffer the thought that Alaska left him hurt, after she made out with him the night before.
However, as Alaska has never been a person who cares much for anyone other than herself I guess it is at least possible that she killed herself, you consider that she had no home to go back to and no one who trusts her unconditionally.

(written by Marc)

Letter

Dear Mum and Dad,

How are?
Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?
Mine was very nice, even I had - and still have - a lot of work to do.
The Colonel invited Alaska and me to his house and we celebrated Thanksgiving together with his Mum Dolores.
I missed our family traditions and of course your great meal with the cranberry sauce - but Dolores is a good cook, too.
I was toghether with you in my thoughts and now I´m really looking forward celebrating Christmas with you, even I have also got a lot to study - as I already said at the beginning of my letter.
So, afternoon lessons will start in a few minutes and I don´´t want to be late.

See you Christmas,

yours Miles



Marlene

Comment p.99-end of before-part

At these next pages in the book Miles is seeing his parents for the first time again. He´s celebrating Christmas there and getting "grown-up-gifts". Even he has got a lot to study, his parents love seeing him and his Mum actually cries as he leaves again. After it Miles knows that he has a real family.
At Culver Creek Alaska and the Colonel are planning a preprank, but Miles is never invited and this is a torture for him. But when they are fulfilling the prank, he takes part, too.
He had to set fires with Takumi beeing the "fox" and run, to keep the Eagle away from the Culver Creek rooms.
Afterwards the whole clique is meeting, smoking and rapping. They´re also playing "best-and-worst-day" and I think it´s interesting for the reader to get more and more background information - especially on Alaska.
the last pages of the before-part depict a little party of Alaska, the Colonel and Miles celebrating their "Barnnight"- success. This time Miles is kissing Alaska,but then she phones with Jack and suddenly gets hysteric.
She wants to leave the campus and the Colonel and Miles let her drive off.

Marlene

A letter to the parents ...

Monday, 29th November


Dear Mum and Dad,

As you know that I am not good at holding small talks, I hope you do not hold the briefness of my letter to you against me. I hope you spent some great days in London. I celebrated Thanks Giving with my roommate. He came back to campus to invite me to have dinner with his family, because his Mum could not suffer the thought that a teenager celebrates Thanks Giving's evening in a school learning – which would not have been that bad either. However, I get her to know as an excellent cook. She is almost as good as you Mum, maybe even better.
Nevertheless I am looking forward to come back home over Christmas. I really miss you two. However, to make sure that you will not be disappointed with me, I am going to tell you right now that I probably have to learn most of the time, as the day after my comeback to Culver Creec our final exams start.
I guess I have to go to bed now. Tomorrow will be hard – much to learn.

Your Son Miles


(von Marc)