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

Keeping his arm in mine, Kyer led the way to the other students. “So what exactly did she want to talk about?” he asked, his voice low.


I turned to him so no one would overhear. “She asked me point-blank if I was taking my pills.”


“What’d you say?” Kyer asked, eyes wide.


My shrug settled him closer to me. “I told her yeah. Of course. Aren’t you?”


Confusion crossed his face. “Wait, you told me—”


“She didn’t ask whichpills,” I pointed out. We were nearing our class so I stopped, not yet willing to become part of the crowd. I wanted to keep Kyer to myself for as long as I could. “I’m taking some of them. Just not all. So I didn’t reallylie.”


“But you didn’t reallytell the truth,” Kyer pointed out.


“Well,” I said, searching for something to say, “neither are you.”


Kyer gave me a wry grin. “Yeah, but no one’s asked me.”


Chapter 44