Welcome welcome to day three of our The Ones We're Meant to Find readalong! We're almost halfway there, my friends!
Today we're tackling chapters 10-13. I think this is the longest section we have for the entire readalong so buckle in! Don't read my chapter summaries until you're finished chapter 13. Can't catch up today? No worries! Go at your own pace and come back to discuss when you're finished!
To the summaries!
Chapter 10:
Flashback six months prior. Celia convinces Kasey to go down to stratus 0 to view the sea, and eventually convinces her to rent a boat (Hubert!) and go out on the sea itself. Once afloat and away from the eco-city, Celia and Kay take a dip.
Back in present time Kasey and Actinium were able to see that Celia swam in the sea many times, and those times were not safe. She was very sick and had a prognosis of one month to live without intervention. Actinium breaks a mug in his hand, creating a wound which gives them an excuse to go to the hospel that treated Celia and see the doctor that discharged her.
The doctor informs her that given their current technology, there wasn’t a cure for what Celia had, so he gave her the option of going into stasis for 80 years. Kasey believes that Celia chose death instead.
A megaquake starts on earth, unrest also starts in the eco-city. Kasey gives Actinium the coordinates to the island where they found Celia’s boat.
Chapter 11:
Cee gives the boy a tour of the island. The next day she leaves him to sleep, telling U-me to stay to watch over him. Cee heads to harvest some trees for the new raft she’s making to once again try to escape the island, and when she returns finds the boy has cleaned the house.
The boy leaves the house after a hurtful exchange, and Cee waits into the night for him to return, realizing that after three years alone, she is glad for human connection after just two days.
Chapter 12:
Kasey and Actinium go to the island, and it’s not at all abandoned, in fact several people live there. Kasey and Celia used to come visit them. At first, Kasey is shocked that no one is wearing protective equipment, but it is revealed that Actinium is also no stranger to the island, and in fact, he created a protective filter around the island to make it safe. It is protected from the megaquake and aftermath that’s happening around the rest of the world.
As everyone watches the news with her father giving a news conference saying...basically nothing useful, Kasey flees the house.
Cee has another sleepwalking episode, which she claims is “beach yoga” when the boy asks her what happened.
To Cee’s dismay, the boy follows her on her log cutting mission for the day, but eventually they come to a system that works. In no time at all Cee only needs three more logs for her raft. She sets off on the final day alone, determined to leave the boy behind. However, when she hears her name being called she comes to the pond and descends inside. She starts experiencing memories and color, but is interrupted by the boy pulling her from the water. He claims she was under for three minutes, but Cee is annoyed and overwhelmed because she can see in color again. On the way back to the house, Cee slips on the cliff and the rope unties as she falls.
Well that is quite the....cliffhanger! (See what I did there?) Color me intrigued!
Questions:
1. Do you think the plan that Meridian mentioned she and Kasey created may come into play to help the world now that a megaquake has occured? What do you think it is?
2. Who do you think Actinium really is now that we know he’s a brilliant scientist/coder/hacker?
3. Why do you think the pond was showing Cee memories, and who do you think they brought back her ability to see color?
4. Do you think the shield Actinium made for the island has anything to do with why Cee wasn’t able to leave the first time she tried?
