Prologue
Olivia
A year ago, my sister and Governor Ellis's son were supposed to be getting married. Instead, I attended her funeral alone. My parents refused to go, as suicide is considered the most heinous crime in our nation. Since that day, I've barely spoken to them. I know they reported me to the authorities that day. How else would they have known that a seventeen-year-old girl was hiding in the bushes near the mass grave?
I endured days of questioning about my loyalty to the nation, about my intentions in committing such a crime, and finally, I was forced to swallow a series of pills described to me as a mind-washing agent. I didn't flinch; I obeyed.
That's what I always do; I go with the flow, I try not to make waves. When my sister tearfully told me she was going to be forced into marriage, I knew she was just like me. We cried together, then I suggested we run away. She shook her head and said the only way out was to die.
And she did it. I never would have believed she'd actually go through with it, yet I didn't blame her. My sadness didn't turn to anger then. And it still doesn't today, as my parents stand in front of me, after they proudly announced that I'm going to take my sister's place.
By marrying Gabriel Ellis.
