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

I wasn’t the only one to get the message about the Oversight Center. Brin waited for me at the platform, almost giddy with excitement. “Can you believe it?” she asked, hopping up and down. Somewhere in her jumps, she managed to plant a quick kiss on my cheek. “Maybe we’ll get to meet the Overseer! This is soexciting!”


“I thought you wanted to work in the Birthing Center,” I pointed out.


Playfully, she slapped my arm. “Yes, but how many people have actually seen the heart of the Colony at work? Even if I don’t pass the test, it’s still something I’ve always wanted to learn more about.”


I shoved my hands into my pockets so she couldn’t take one of them. Instead, she threaded her arm through mine and gripped my elbow tight. “None of the other years have ever gone,” I said, cautious. That was what the Monitor told me, wasn’t it? “They’re only letting us in because one of us will be working there whether we want to or not.”


“Why wouldn’t you want to?” Brin asked.


Chapter 38