Numbered

Rules of Rebellion

"Hurray for high blood sugar and low self esteem!"

That was the last thing my twin, Cassie, had said before she was shot in the head by her father. My father. Thats how her watch said she would die. Her friends were sent copies of But it wasn't fair, she was only 18! She wasn't one of the ones the Council considers brave because she didn't look at her watch until she was 17. That is when they made all of us look at the watch.

The Council are the only ones who have access to how we die. Peachy. My watch shouldn't have told me, and my mother worries about me for that, because I refuse to tell her when and how I will die. The rules are, if you try to evade your death then you will be tortured to death, which is a worse fate then actually dying regularly. My gym shoes clapped against the limestone sidewalk, and I looked at my watch for love once more. 10 days. that's all it takes. 10 days to discover who I love.

I bump into a guy who has dark hair that falls into his eyes and brown eyes, that look trusting. His papers fly everywhere and land softly on the asphalt road beside us.

"I'm so sorry!" I flinch as I knell down to scavenge the papers, but some flew away, flapping in the wind.

"Eh it's okay, I didn't like those papers anyway. I'm Carter. What's your name?"

"Leah."

I glanced at his papers. Drawings. Some of birds, houses, even dragons, but most of the pictures were of a girl. She is quite pretty and I understand why Carter would draw her.

"Wow. Carter your drawings are amazing, but who is the girl?"

"She was my soulmate. But she... died. They sent her to one of the other states but I know that they killed her."

"Carter... how do you know?"

"I saw them. I saw them break her neck then throw her into a raft that they pushed away. They killed her. They're going to kill all of us."