Sixteen year old Aine lives in the Colony, and his whole life was decided before he was born. In two years he will marry the girl next door, Brin, who was assigned as his Other at birth. Then he will be given a position in the Colony's workforce that best suits his talents. Each night he takes four pills, like everyone else in the Colony, and he knows the pills keep them safe and their world in order. Everything is fine. Perfect, in fact. Until Aine accidentally drops one of his pills. Terrified, he tries to hide the mistake, but when he dreams for the first time in his life, he discovers all he's been missing. What scares him more than not taking the pill, though, is how alive his dreams make him feel. Because it isn't Brin he dreams of but his best friend Kyer. Another boy. Suddenly Aine's world turns upside down, and he doesn't know what to think or who to trust. All he knows for sure is he's falling in love with Kyer, which is forbidden by the Colony's Code, and he will do anything to protect their budding relationship. Even if it means defying the Overseer and leaving the Colony behind.

The Colony Book 1: Rebellion

After a moment, I glanced at Brin. The frown on her face told me my question bothered her more than I had thought it would. “I just wondered,” I said, sounding lame.


“Are you having trouble with them again?” she asked. “I thought they straightened that out.”


“They did.” I shrugged, using the movement to inch away from her a bit. “It just got me thinking, that’s all.”


“About what? The pills?” She shook her head. “They keep us safe, Aine. You know that.”


I know that’s what they want us to think.But I didn’t say that out loud. Instead, I just shrugged again.


Brin caught my arm before I could move too far away. “You aretaking them, right?”


“Of course,” I said, a little too quickly. My gaze flickered up to the monitor again.


Chapter 27