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

I realized I was sobbing and sat down, fists clenched to my face. A few people turned around, but they smiled and faced forward again quickly, probably thinking I was just caught up in the emotion of the music. Even Grandma Blackwater didn’t realize anything was wrong.


I dug my knuckles into my eyes and bawled. This was all too much to handle.


Arms wrapped around me, and I knew Z was there.


I shook my head and hugged her, trying to choke back the tears. My fingers clawed her back and I loosened my hold. I had to keep it together.


“Whatever it is, it’s okay,” Z said. “You and Adam can make it right with God.”


My shoulders slumped; she had no idea. I pulled away and looked into her eyes.


“I want to…I want to tell you something,” I whispered.


Chapter 26