“Colonel Stimel,” Lawten said. “Are you ready with the facts?”
A man seated in the front row stood and approached the enforcer, who was still standing at the front of the room. Colonel Stimel was the enforcer Mason had seen the day he’d barged into Lawten’s office.
“Ready for the Safe Lands, Mr. Task Director General,” Colonel Stimel said.
“You may proceed,” Lawten said.
“Mr. Task Director General, Ancients of the Safe Lands, ladies and gentlemen of the audience, the defendants have been charged, and their charges read thusly: removal of SimTag identifiers from their bodies, theft of government property, trespassing, kidnapping of Safe Lands nationals, possession of illegal firearms, assault on Safe Lands officers, and war crimes against the Safe Lands. You, the Ancients, have read the evidence against them. I encourage you to see that they are guilty as charged.”
“Thank you, Colonel Stimel. Does the Guild have any questions at this time?” Lawten asked.
“Are the accused infected with the thin plague?” a scratchy voice asked from the right-hand side of the room. One of the hooded people.
“Yes.” Lawten looked down his nose at Mason, and his beady eyes seemed to rake Mason’s courage into shreds. “Both outsiders ignored my warnings and contracted the virus from Safe Lands nationals.”
“He’s lying!” Mason yelled. “I don’t have it!”
The enforcer behind him pulled his stunner and pressed it against Mason’s back. “None of that, now.”
“Another outburst and you are to stun him, officer,” Lawten told the enforcer.
“Yes, sir,” the enforcer said.
Mason shot a quick look at Omar. He had supposed these hooded people wouldn’t liberate someone clean, that they’d rather lock him in the donation room until he turned forty. But Lawten wanted payback for Mason’s rescuing Ciddah. That was what this whole trial must be about, that and it was Omar’s third X.
So Mason smiled at Lawten, imagining Ciddah and her parents sitting with Levi and Jemma over a nice meal, caring for Baby Promise, Lawten’s son.
Lawten looked away from Mason around the room at the hooded people. “Any other questions?”
No one spoke.
“Very well. The evidence has been presented,” Lawten said. “This Guild will vote. All in favor of liberation?”
A chorus of “Aye” made Mason jump.
“All opposed?”
Silence.
“The Safe Lands Guild finds the defendants guilty of all charges. It is the judgment of this Guild that both men be liberated without delay.”
“Well, this should be fun,” Omar said.
Fun wasn’t the word Mason would have chosen, but at least, for them, the mystery of liberation would finally be solved.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Levi thinks Safe Lands “flakers” are the enemy and that the outsiders should stay out of the Safe Lands business, focusing instead on rescuing their children and getting out of the Safe Lands. What do you think of his perspective? Is he right or wrong?
2. The owl is a symbol of freedom for Omar, who desperately wants to be free. What are some ways Omar has sabotaged his desire for freedom?
3. In chapter 7, Zane tells Omar, “What you do doesn’t matter as much as who you are. But you have to decide who you are. Who you want to be. And no one can decide that for you.” What do you think of this statement? Do you agree? Disagree? Either way, have you thought about who you are? Is that who you want to be?
4. Guilt is a recurring theme in this story. Which characters suffer from guilt? Why?
5. Compare the lives of Mason and Ciddah. How are they alike? How are they different? Is their love real or is it merely infatuation?
6. Omar and Shaylinn both want to do something to help the people of the Safe Lands. What does each of them choose? What are the strengths and weaknesses of their plans? What do their plans have in common?
7. While marriage and families don’t exist in the Safe Lands, there are exceptions. What are lifers and what are Naturals? How are they similar and different from one another?
8. Omar believes the lie that he is worthless. Do you believe a lie about yourself? If so, what is it?
9. In chapter 25, Shaylinn comforts herself with a quote from C. S. Lewis: “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” What do you think this means?
10. Mimics are rampant in the Safe Lands. And as Zane told Omar, people mimic more than fashions. Where do you see mimics in our world today? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such behavior?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Huge thanks go to Larry and Crystal Nielsen and Michael and Lindsay Vernor for helping me with the science in this book, and to Jason Joyner for helping me with the doctor scenes. Thanks also to Shannon Dittemore and Chris Kolmorgen for reading this book at the last-minute speed of light. And as always, big hugs and thank yous to my team: agent Amanda Luedeke, editors Jacque Alberta and Jeff Gerke, marketers Sara Merritt and Marcus Drenth, the whole team at Zondervan, author support Kara Christensen, Andy and Angie Lusco, Stephanie Morrill, Melanie Dickerson, Nicole O’Dell, and Go Teen Writers. And to Brad, Luke and Kaitlyn Williamson for all your love and support.
About the Author
JILL WILLIAMSON is a novelist, dreamer, and believer. Growing up in Alaska led to love books, and in 2010 her first novel, By Darkness Hid, won the Christy Award. She loves working with teenagers and gives writing workshops at libraries, schools, camps, and churches. Jill lives in Oregon with her husband and two children. Visit Jill online at www.jillwilliamson.com.
Books by Jill Williamson
Replication
The Safe Lands series
Captives
The Blood of Kings series
By Darkness Hid
To Darkness Fled
From Darkness Won
The Mission League series
The New Recruit
Chokepoint
Project Gemini
Nonfiction
Go Teen Writers: How to Turn Your First Draft into a Published Book
BLINK
Outcasts
Copyright © 2013 by Jill Williamson
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EPub Edition © NOVEMBER 2013 ISBN: 9780310724254
Requests for information should be addressed to:
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Williamson, Jill.
Outcasts / Jill Williamson.
pages cm. — (Safe Lands ; book 2)
Summary: “The remnant from Glenrock is now living as rebels within the Safe Lands, looking for a way to find purpose in their lives. When a young rebel is murdered and his death points to a rebel leader, it’s hard to know who to trust”— Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-310-72424-7
[1. Government, Resistance to—Fiction. 2. Science fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.W67195Ou 2013
[Fic]—dc23 2013033153
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