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

“Hey,” he sighed, reaching out to touch my shoulder.


I turned toward him, my eyes slipping shut. I could almost pretend this was one of the dreams that kept me occupied all night long. “Hmm?”


Softly, so softly I almost didn’t hear, he murmured, “I need to tell you something.”


His words were mere breath against my cheek. “About the pills.”


Before he said anything else, I felt my confession rushing out. “I haven’t taken the blue ones in over a week. Last night, I stopped taking the white one, too. I heard them scan my tag when I went into my bedroom this morning. They scanned me in my own house! In my own room!”


Chapter 29