This is a summary of Book One of "Built to Live". Everything is still a work in progress, so please bear with me if my writing is a little sloppy. *** In a region ruled by a ruthless military dictatorship and haunted by nightly attacks from deadly creatures known as Vermin, a young Marionette, Madgie, longs for freedom beyond her suffocating confines of her existence. Desperate to break free from her routine, she and her friends secretly explore an abandoned toy warehouse, unaware that her curiosity will unravel a series of life-altering events. Inside, Madgie stumbles upon an injured stranger being hunted by the Son of Mictlan and discovers a mysterious obsidian key capable of opening portals to unknown realms. Now entangled in a deadly cat-and-mouse chase, she is pursued by the prince who will stop at nothing to reclaim the key that belongs to his royal family. As if being hunted weren't enough, her own people turn against her when her strange secret is exposed, suspecting her of being one of the feared Vermin. Fearing she'll be forcibly "restored" by her society, she faces the terrifying consequences of her actions. However, a second chance arrives when the compassionate son of the region's leader offers her an opportunity to join a group of flawed Marionettes, undergoing a safer and more humane process of reintegration into society. But the key still remains in her possession, and the prince will stop at nothing to retrieve it. As their lives collide, she must navigate the thin line between survival and trust. Will the Son of Mictlan punish her for the chaos she's caused, or will an unexpected bond between them change not only her fate--but his as well?

PUBLISHING PAPERBACK (after writing the final draft, I wrote this 2 years ago.) "I see through those silent lies of yours, Liv." 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫, the girl who's known to be mute in school. No one knows why though, and she doesn't want anyone to know either. Only her best friend and this certain boy want to know why. She's so scared, and shattered, but maybe she can be saved before it's too late. 𝐀𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧 who's well known and seems to be an asshole, but really he's a sweetheart. He's taken notice of Olivia many times before, not in a stalker way, but only recently gets the courage to try and make his way into her life. They both have secrets they hide, things they both relate to and have gone through. That may be how Adrian catches onto Olivia fairly quickly. But, she tries her hardest to keep him away, even though they both know they're drawn to each other. Will she ever let him in or not? Of course she will, that's how these stories go.