During the Second Civil War, a new U.S. political party called the Family Protection Movement established The Divide, which separates Normal people from those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Seventeen-year old Serenity Blackwater lives in the normal Midwestern town of Mapleville, but she is not normal. She hacks into an illegal gay chat room and meets Dawn, a lesbian who lives in a gay community less than a mile away. Serenity discovers normal people can bribe their way inside the walls and decides to go, both to meet Dawn and check out what may be her future home. Dawn is even more beautiful than Serenity hoped, and the two soon become a couple. But Serenity only has a few months before she must take the Normal Verification Test, and then she’ll be separated from her family forever. So she joins the Human Equality Organization, an underground group working to end The Divide. Dawn thinks the rebellion is too dangerous, and since Dawn’s ex-girlfriend Malaki is also a member, Serenity doesn’t tell Dawn about her involvement. Serenity reveals to the HEO that her parents are leading a campaign to organize attacks on all Gay Communities. With her help, the HEO creates Project Jericho, in which all Gay Communities walls will implode at once. But after too many delays, and when Dawn discovers Serenity has been spending more time with Malaki than her, Serenity knows she has to start the revolution herself. She heads to D.C. to contact a group of senators secretly against The Divide ... or straight into a trap set by the Family Protection Movement.

Uprising

“You’re never here anymore,” Mom said at breakfast. “Why were you out so late last night?”


“After I got off work, Z and I looked up colleges online at her house.” My muscles ached, and I hadn’t slept very well.


Mom sighed. “You’ve still got your senior year of high school to think about, honey.”


“And you’re not an adult yet, so you need to let us know if you’ll be out late,” Dad added. “Things are really busy at work, but we’d like to have you home more.”


Guilt stabbed my chest. “I’ll spend this weekend with you, I promise.”


Then they both left for their jobs, and I faced a day without school or work. I got on a bus and rode to Mapleville’s Pre-Owned Vehicle Dealership. I’d had a vehicle license for a year, and enough money in the bank to buy almost anything I wanted, but I’d never felt it necessary until now.


Chapter 25