Note: Chapters 1 through 3 were written weeks before the rest, so the tone is a little different. If you can get through those three chapters, the story gets easier to read.

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The basis of the story is how everybody dies by age 30 from an aggressive form of cancer that’s now in our DNA. It was caused by all the pollutants, contaminants, and general apathy that plagues our society these days. It is resistant to chemotherapy and all other methods that have worked in the past.

There are hormones in the drinking water, causing puberty to be complete before girls are 10, and because of the shortened life expectancy, most have their first child before they are 14. (Now, okay, in the story there are going to be rules outlined so I’m not writing a book about pedophiles knocking up 12 year olds or anything. Any kind of graphic points will be tastefully avoided because, good heavens, that could get bad.)

Births are done at home, and knowledge is passed from mother to daughter on safe birth practices. There are no medical professionals, because there is no time to become one. Some individuals dedicate their short lives to learning and studying medical treatments in case of emergency, though, but these are few and far between because most people are focused on procreating. I will be making sure I have great birth stories in here, because … well, natural birth is awesome.

The cancer research that is being done has to be a group effort by those assigned to the task. Those people marry (or get together, rather) within the group, and their offspring are taught from the beginning so they can carry on the research. The couples within this group rarely have more than one child because they’re so busy teaching the first one that they couldn’t have a second one.

Possible cures have taken the form of small interference RNA inserted into stem cells which are injected. The longest this cure has staved off death has been 50 days. It did give the individual an extra 50 days, which meant there was hope.

The cancer starts in the lungs. It could begin at 22, it could begin at 26, but whenever it starts, the most you have is 1000 days.