The House at the End of the World

Libby drives the boat to the mainland and worries about her future, alone without Sarah and possibly marked as the daughter of the scientists from Ringrock. She asks Katie about her life and the four urns that she is taking with her; Katie summarizes the story of Avi and her daughters. Libby is struck by the universal humanity of Katie’s story, especially as Katie ends by telling Libby that she intends to keep fighting evil and believing that what she does matters.

Katie wonders if they will escape the radiation from the blast radius. She is surprised when Libby asks if she can stay with her after all this is over. Libby has no close or safe family, and she’s worried that the government might come after her for what she knows instead of taking responsibility for their mistakes. Katie admits that Libby has a point and that humanity is guided by lies and a lack of empathy. She thinks that they will both have to change their identities when they’ve reached safety and feels grateful that Avi has left her with what she needs to do that.