Dystopian YA

Sixteen-year-old Adelaide’s existence is defined by her role: she’s a Forsaken, and as such must always serve the Cherished.

Her remote village in the rainforest was founded on the utopian ideals of Erich Schwartz and is still ruled by this charismatic, yet cruel man.  The strict lines separating the society blur for Adelaide when her assigned Cherished and best friend Felix confesses he loves her, despite the consequences. The Forsaken are forbidden to love, and the punishment for disobedience is death.

Adelaide shouldn’t return Felix’s affections, but his admission stirs feelings she didn’t think were possible.  When she considers exploring these new emotions, her soul soars only to come crashing down with the reality of her situation. But to shut off the possibility of having real love in her life feels like it’s own kind of death and Adelaide doesn’t know if she can let it go.

Matters become increasingly difficult as Adelaide is sent to tend to an imprisoned outsider – a boy recently found wandering close to the village’s heavily guarded borders. With each word this strange boy speaks about the outside world, a spark of rebellion grows in Adelaide’s heart – perhaps there is life outside of the slavery and self-loathing she was born into.  As Adelaide starts to see the full extent of Erich’s cruelty – violent abuse of prisoners and even unethical experiments conducted on the both Forsaken and Cherished – her desperation for salvation grows.

When the imprisoned outsider plants the idea of escape into her mind, Adelaide must decide if autonomy is worth losing the life she’s always known – and leaving behind the boy who has her heart.

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Sample:

The dungeon doesn’t appear any different than before – not in any overt way that is.

Same musty smell. 

Same chill that seems to amplify with each step southward.

No, it hasn’t really changed, but there’s something intangible here. Sinister.

A shiver runs the length of my spine causing the tray of food in my hands to vibrate.

 Breathe, Adelaide. Breathe.

Despite a deep intake of air, my nerves don’t improve and the tray begins to quiver even more violently.

I’m being stupid.  The whispers floating back and forth between the villagers all day are morphing into shouts in my head – that’s all it is.

After all, Prisoner Nine is just like every other person locked away down here.  Dangerous and awful, but nothing I haven’t experienced before.

Even as the words form in my brain, I know they aren’t true.  Nine is different. Very different.  

A word whistles by my ears, as if a breeze invades the stale air.

Outsider.

I crunch up my face, squeezing my eyes shut. My heart rate begins to pick up speed again. Get a grip Adelaide!

No one knows how the Outsider found us, let alone survived the open jungle alone.  We’re hidden far from the Outside’s influence and no soul has entered our borders since Himmelreich’s founding years ago – well before I was born.  He’s a mystery indeed.

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