Habitat, page 22
part #1 of The End Series
I looked at the mass of papers, folders, and books in my lap. Dataports were the keepers of our information. These hand-written documents were absolute truth hidden from our keepers in the Habitat. I looked at the book lying beneath tear-stained folders. Alex Bauer was written on the cover in black ink. This was my father’s journal. He had meant for me to have this information. I held the key to the truth, and the power to do with it what I chose. This predicament reminded me of the sword fixed within a stone from an ancient story read to me as a child. Like King Arthur’s sword, this information was power, waiting to be seized and wielded by me. I imagined my mother’s voice coming off the gentle breeze rippling the water of the lake before me. A warrior only takes up his sword when he is ready to fight. I could throw everything into the lake now and live my life as invisibly as possible, or I could read this information and take up the fight. I had to choose between being the lion or the lamb, so I opened my father’s journal and read.
CHAPTER 24
She was perfect, and I loved her from the first moment she spoke. After she told me her feelings, I knew we must try to make a life together. Our love was a crime hated and punishable by death. Together, we lived in absolute secrecy. She never spoke about us, not even to her only relative. Had she told another human, she would have been institutionalized. Had I told another Atum, we would have been killed. By necessity, I returned to Nurahatum to complete final preparations for my assignment on Earth. When I left for the return to Earth, I said goodbye to my home planet for the last time, and I did not care. My life was now with my darling Sofίa—Sofίa Ana Castillo.
After arriving back to Earth in June, we traveled to the coast and there on a deserted beach at sunset held our own marriage ceremony. We danced in a misty, light rain and tossed pebbles into the water just as my parents and grandparents before me. We devoted our lives to each other, and for the next amazing year lived together while she helped me with my work. Until Sofίa entered my life, I had never known the joy of true happiness. When she told me we were expecting a child, a whirlwind of conflicting emotions besieged me. I was overjoyed and miserable. If discovered, a Human-Atum baby would be killed. Our society struggled with that controversial issue in the past, and it remained a sensitive topic.
We did not know what lay ahead for us. I didn’t know what to expect for a mixed-species child. As the pregnancy progressed, Sofίa’s health declined. Brave and determined, nothing could prevent her from bringing our baby into the world. Our adorable little girl was born seven and a half months later. The birth weakened Sofίa, and I had no way of saving her.
We lay in bed, the three of us, with you sleeping peacefully. I read softly to your mother from her favorite Jane Austen novel as she gently stroked your hair. She smiled and said our romance had been greater than anything ever written.
On a bleak, rainy day, your mother became quiet. In the stillness of a random moment, she turned to me with an air of serene acceptance. Her last words were, “Protect our darling Ellis; she will change this world.”
—Dr. Alex Bauer
Private Journal
July 31, 2052
THE ROAD
ELLIS CLOSED HER father’s journal and looked out upon the wilderness. The rising sun chased away the shadows on the yellow woods beyond the water.
“I am the lion,” she whispered.
The End
EPILOGUE
B_am,
I am w_iti_g this to tell yo_ impo_ta_t facts. I ca__ot _isk seei_g yo_ __til the chaos has q_ieted.
Alex Ba_e_ a_d I we_e i_ love. We we_e o_ each othe_’s compatible mates list. We chose to co_ple befo_e he was assig_ed to leave fo_ his missio_ o_ Ea_th. While the_e, he fell i_ love with someo_e else. He e_ded o__ _elatio_ship, a_d I was c__shed. Yo__ fathe_, of co__se, was o_ my list, b_t I chose Alex ove_ him. Afte_ Alex left fo_ the last time, yo__ fathe_, agai_, asked me to ma__y him. We we_e happy, a_d whe_ we had yo_, o__ lives we_e complete. I _eve_ _eg_etted ma__yi_g yo__ fathe_.
Whe_ the Habitat p_oject was i_itiated o_ Ea_th, we fo__d o__selves livi_g a_d wo_ki_g i_side Ho_izo_. Alex was si_gle, a_d I was _ot f_ee. Afte_ yo__ fathe_ died, I was f_ee, b_t Alex had ma__ied.
Five yea_s ago, we _ealized we still had feeli_gs fo_ each othe_. I’m ashamed to admit this, b_t yo_ dese_ve the t__th; we bega_ a_ affai_. He was mise_able with his wife, a_d she was with him. Please do _ot be a_g_y with me. Sometimes, life is __fai_, a_d we m_st make choices that a_e ofte_ diffic_lt. This was my choice. Alex a_d I we_e ve_y happy togethe_. Yo_ ca_’t de_y the hea_t. I thi_k yo_ a_e i_ a positio_ to __de_sta_d how we felt.
_ow, I m_st tell yo_ c_itical i_fo_matio_ fo_ yo__ safety. The last thi_g yo__ fathe_ told me befo_e he died will be diffic_lt fo_ yo_ to believe. The_e was _o wa_ o_ Ea_th. The At_m c_eated this lie to j_stify claimi_g the pla_et fo_ themselves. H_ma_s we_e eithe_ ha_vested o_ exte_mi_ated. They did _ot ca_se The E_d. We did.
___! I love yo_.
—Dr. Claire Adler
Deleted Dataport File Fragment
August 2052
HABITAT
READING GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
What other books did Habitat remind you of?
At the beginning of the book is a quote about sweet ignorance. What does it mean to you?
What feelings did Habitat evoke for you?
What songs does this book make you think of?
Discuss examples of foreshadowing within the book. Did those passages lead you to imagine eventual outcomes for the storyline?
Why do you think Ellis’s mother acts as she does?
Give examples of symbolism found in the book and discuss what you believe each means.
Discuss your ideas about the mysteries surrounding Ana.
Who is your favorite character? Your least favorite? Why?
Discuss Glairn as a character. Why do you believe she relentlessly pursues Bram, who seems uninterested in a relationship?
Does Horizon represent a utopian or dystopian society?
Discuss the cryptic letter written by Dr. Adler to Bram.
Share a favorite quote from Habitat. Discuss your choice.
Control and choice are central themes in Habitat. How well could you have tolerated living in Horizon?
Imagine humans knew they lived in the Habitat. How might life differ for the Horizon 5000 and their descendants?
Discuss the poem from Chapter 15. Why do you think the author chose to include it?
Colors play a role in Habitat. Discuss examples of colors mentioned throughout the book. What does each symbolize?
Make a list of characters you believe are Atum and discuss your choices.
In the Atum culture, mates are chosen for each person. Give support as to why this practice would be positive or negative.
Several dreams are in Habitat. Discuss why you think the author included them and what their meanings might be.
In Horizon, people earn credit for work and volunteering. Discuss Horizon’s Give and Take system.
What do you see in the future for the characters? For the Habitat?
Ana’s mother is last seen in chapter 19. How much do you think she knows about the Habitat and the secrets about Ana and Ellis?
Deception is a theme throughout Habitat. Think about the different situations when characters resort to lying. What are their motivations? Do you agree with their reasoning?
In the Atum culture, people can choose to change their physical appearance by taking pills. What changes would you make? What does this say about positive and negative self-image?
Chapter 18 details Final Release. Discuss your opinion. Do you believe this will be Mr. Hap’s fate? Debate the ethics of Release. How does the security department use Arranged Release in Chapter 11?
Why does Ellis care about her placement after she learns the truth about Horizon?
Do you agree with the Adolescent Human Study found in Chapter 9? How do you believe adolescents might be different, growing up in Horizon?
Chapter 13 explains that Earth’s leaders knew of the Atum’s existence. Quite simply, what do you believe? Is it possible that intelligent life exists elsewhere? Why or why not?
Discuss the revelations from the Chapter 24 journal entry. What will this mean for Ellis?
How might have the story have ended if Ellis and Bram hadn’t met?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In my case, it takes a village to write a book.
I give loving thanks to the following people.
Thanks to my daughter, Liz, for so many reasons. I found your letter written inside my Christmas present. I love you.
Christmas 2015
Ma,
I hope this journal inspires you to dive into your own imagination and write something extraordinary. You taught me to love words and how to get lost in the pages of a good book. I can’t think of a better gift you’ve given me than to cherish a classic, Jane Austen novel.
I’m not sure if you’ll use this journal or just sit it on your desk, but I know somewhere in your mind is a masterpiece waiting to be written.
I hope you find it.
I love you,
Liz
With loving appreciation to my amazing husband, Vin, for not filing a missing persons report when I was in self-imposed office confinement for days at a time. All of those alien documentaries we’ve watched and discussed have been instrumental for creating this story. You are the love of my life.
Thank you seems insufficient appreciation for my Mom, Jo, my number one fan in everything I do (including the humiliating gymnastics exposition of ‘78). Thank you for your encouragement and hours of reading a genre outside of your romance comfort zone. Yes, people really love science fiction, and I love you.
To my brother, the most creative writer in the family, thank you for your guidance and for sharing with me the love of reading. I aspire to your ability to make people gasp aloud when they reach that aha! part of a story.
Thank you to my sister for always being interested in my project and for helping me with the dilemma du jour. You are much appreciated. As the technical writer of the family, I won’t tell you how many missing commas my editor corrected.
I’d like to thank my editor, Sam Wright, three hundred and seventy-nine times, but instead will settle for 379. (My pride wouldn’t allow me to include the number of capitalized The’s you gently persuaded me were a pain to read.) Your brilliant work caught the most glaring and minute of errors. Thank you from The Bottom of My Heart…yeah, that is painful to read.
Many thanks to Ranka Stevic for the gorgeous cover design. You are a genius, and I am so proud to have one of your creations! You captured exactly what I’d pictured in my head minus the crayon scribbles, crooked lines, and stick people.
To Roseanna White. Thank you for the amazing interior design of Habitat. What a horrible, complicated mess you were given! Thank you for waving your magic wand and creating loveliness.
Thank you to my school colleagues—my second family. Without your constant support, love, kindness, and tolerance of my antics, work wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. You are a lifeline.
For my current students, thank you for helping to choose a book cover and for fussing at me to ‘hurry up and finish it.’ Your enthusiasm and encouragement mean the world to me. |
For all of my students past, present, and future—life’s possibilities are endless; never stop dreaming.
TO THE READER
If you are reading this, and I hope you are, thank you so very much. I hope you’ve enjoyed Habitat. In fact, I hope you enjoyed it so much you convinced someone else to buy it. Actually, I hope you enjoyed Habitat so much that you convinced someone else to buy it and eagerly await book number two in the series, New Earth. Okay—scratch that—I hope you enjoyed Habitat so much that you convinced someone else to buy it, you eagerly await book number two in the series, New Earth, and you are smiling right now. May you always have a reason to smile.
In loving memory of my dad,
Fred Lewis,
whose hilarious yarns continue to be spun.
The HABITAT will never be the same
new enemy new danger
NEW REASON TO SURVIVE
NEW EARTH
The End Series, Book 2
available 2020
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Table of Contents
Poem
The End
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
EPILOGUE
Reading Group Discussion Guide
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To the reader
Freda Lewis-Lombardo, Habitat
