You got it right for once, Sam.
We are all good.
CHAPTER 33ELI
Hello girls,
I know I said the last letter was my final one, but I just couldn’t help myself. Believe it or not, I’ve grown rather fond of writing these letters to you. It’s been cathartic for me. My days are drawing to a close and, as I write these words, none of you have any idea of what’s going on with me. That’s okay. That’s how I want things. I’ve accepted that this is how my life will end.
In Brazil, there’s a species of ant where it is common practice for a few members of the colony to sacrifice themselves in order to ensure the rest are safe. At sunset, these ants will stay outside in order to seal up the nest, pushing sand over the entrance hole until it becomes invisible to the outside world. Of course, then the problem is that there’s no way for them to get back in. After dusk, the ants are blown away by the wind or die from exposure to the cold.
Researchers aren’t sure why these ants choose to do this job, but some think that they might be older workers who are approaching death anyway—that they’re more dispensable than their younger nest mates.
I’m no hero for sure, but I feel like this final act before my death may just help to seal up our own nest, so to speak. Someone needs to patch the hole in our family and, since I haven’t done anything to help in the past, it’s only fitting that I should make an attempt now.
I also told you the story about the ants because it shows that insects are far more complex than most people believe them to be. They’re capable of love for the greater good, in a sense. Certainly, a sense of honor and duty. Perhaps they’re more like us than we think.
RaeLynn, Jackie, Rebecka, and Katherine: It’s been my greatest honor to call you my daughters and granddaughters. I truly mean that.
Be well my dears. Enjoy each day as if it were your last, because you just never know if it is.
Love always,
Elijah
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As any writer will tell you, getting a book from first draft to publishing-ready form is far from a solitary achievement. Yes, we, writers, give birth to the book idea and get it on paper, but it often takes a whole team of people to help bring the story to life.
So with that in mind, I owe much thanks to my critique partners and beta readers who were the first to offer invaluable feedback for this story: Summer Nicholson, Justine Manzano, Maddie Dorminy, Jelsa Mepsey, Melissa Poettcker, Wendy Cross, Anne Stubert, and Jude Bayton.
Many thanks to PitchWars mentor Carrie Allen, who, along with her co-mentor, Sabrina Lotfi, requested this book in 2019. Even though they ultimately didn’t pick me, Carrie read my entire manuscript and her incredibly thoughtful feedback helped me to make this book better.
Every writer needs a tribe, and I’m so thankful for mine: the writers I’ve met through local critique groups who have given constructive feedback on each of the books I’ve written, including this one. So thank you to Shirley Hall, Jeff South, Deniece Adsit, Layton Isaacs, Dan Gamble, Jude Bayton, Steve Moore, and Mary Miller (who told me, “This is the one!”).
Thank you to the Pitch2Pub ladies for their continual support and encouragement. It is truly an honor to be a part of such a talented group.
In my former life, I was a middle school teacher, and I’m grateful for the students who shared my enthusiasm for reading and books (most notably The Giver and the Twilight series). These kids helped to plant a seed which would lead me to start writing books for young adults, and even though they’re all grown now, I hope at least a few of them will read this one.
I must also thank the all-around-amazing Brenda Drake, founder of PitchWars and #pitmad, whom I first met at a writing conference in Oklahoma City. I religiously participated in these contests for five years until I finally found my match, and now I will be forever grateful to my editor, Britny Brooks-Perilli at Running Press Kids, for favoriting my pitch and proving that yes, Twitter pitch contest dreams can come true.
Thank you to my wonderful and wise agent, Janna Bonikowski, whose advice has helped me successfully navigate this thing called publishing. And thank you to the rest of my awesome team at Running Press Kids: my book designer, Marissa Raybuck; my production editor, Amber Morris; and my cover illustrator, Monica Garwood.
Thank you to my husband, Mike, and my two lovely kids for supporting my writing journey, and to my long-time best friend, Summer, who helped me work through plot problems on numerous occasions and always referred to K. J. and Becka as if they were real people and not just characters in my head.
Last but certainly not least, thanks to YOU, dear reader, for reading this book. You’re the one I wrote it for, after all.
