Chapter 25: 'Chapter 1' Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

On November 30, 2203, in Colony Two, a city gripped by a pandemic that would eventually kill 5 percent of its residents, Gaspery and his sister Zoey are walking rapidly through the streets to evade a lockdown-enforcement patrol. Zoey pulls Gaspery into a doorway of a closed restaurant, and they hide in the shadows, listening to sirens. Zoey immediately confronts Gaspery about breaking the most important protocol of the Time Institute: he warned Olive Llewellyn about her future, an act that could have catastrophic consequences for the timeline. Gaspery explains that he couldn't not warn her, but Zoey is not satisfied with that answer. She reveals that she has done a preliminary analysis and found that his decision had no recognizable effect on the Time Institute. This means he wasn't immediately lost in time, and his travel privileges haven't been revoked yet—but only because the Institute has invested five years of training in him and still considers him useful for the ongoing investigation. Zoey advises him to remove the tracker from his arm and not return to the Institute. She tells him she has to go, but she promises to try to visit him in this time. Gaspery, desperate for guidance, asks Zoey what she would do if she were in his position. She initially says it's hard for her to imagine things that aren't real, but when he presses her, she suggests she might try to solve the anomaly. She then sends him a new destination via his device, noting that they only know the day and the place, not the time, so he will have to wait in a forest. She enters another code and blinks out, leaving Gaspery alone in the doorway. He closes his eyes, considers the course of the investigation to avoid thinking about his sister or what awaits him if he returns to his own time, and then enters the codes into his device and departs.

Key Events

Gaspery and Zoey hide from a lockdown patrol in a doorway of a closed restaurant in Colony Two.
Zoey confronts Gaspery about breaking the most important protocol by warning Olive Llewellyn.
Zoey reveals that a preliminary analysis shows no effect on the Time Institute, meaning Gaspery is not lost in time, but his travel privileges remain only because of his training.
Zoey advises Gaspery to remove his tracker and not return to the Institute.
Gaspery asks Zoey what she would do in his position; she suggests solving the anomaly.
Zoey sends Gaspery new coordinates for a destination where only the day and place are known, requiring him to wait in a forest.
Zoey leaves, and Gaspery enters the codes into his device and departs.

Character Development

This chapter deepens the relationship between Gaspery and Zoey, revealing the emotional weight of their bond. Gaspery's decision to warn Olive Llewellyn stems from a deep moral conviction, but it also places him in a precarious position. His guilt is palpable, especially when he realizes that Zoey is his only person—their parents are gone, and she has never married, with no friends or romantic interests ever mentioned. This realization triggers a