My name is Violet Mercer. When I was about 4, I watched my parents die. A few weeks later, I was branded and shipped off with a bunch of other kids to my new fate, to train and learn for 10 years until I was sold to someone else as a slave. Brutal beginning? Yeah. But it's the truth. See, here's the thing. A few years back--maybe a little under 50--we humans did something stupid. It was part of an experiment called G42 by some genetics company that was trying to speed up evolution. What did they do? Well, they altered specific genetic strands to see if they could create a sort of super-human. Their answer? Yes. But there was a flaw in their plan. These new 'evolved' humans, or 'evos', were everything they could have hoped for--strong, and fast, and smart. Practically immortal, too, so what was the problem? They were born without emotions. Maybe this doesn't sound too bad to you, but our emotions? They're what make us human. What happened next was kinda inevitable: the Evos took over. There are two strands of DNA--get one, and your set for life. Get the other, good luck living to see past your sweet sixteen. And if you are one of the crazy (or brave, depending on who you ask) people who dares to bring a child into this world, you could give them the best, longest life ever, or doom them to an early death after a suckish life. So, yeah. Our world is screwed up. And we can't go to G42 for a solution, because as soon as the Evos realized the possibilities, they slaughtered everyone who might know something and blew up the facility. Now, dear reader, are you beginning to understand the use of emotions? This is my story. I still don't know how it ends, whether it was all for better or worse. But you're here. So go ahead and read. Maybe we'll both learn a little something. Welcome to my life. I hope you survive in this new world. By Earthstone #567 in Teen Fic on 6/17/2016

I want to be more than what they say I am. "We were told that in the early days of implementing the Motherhood project there were protests. ... but when I look at my own mother, I can't help but feel that some of them were relieved. They just handed over their kid, like a pair of car keys, and told the State to make sure it didn't get scratched." In seventeen year old Cameron Bree's world, parents are not allowed to raise their children for fear they'll do it wrong. To further ensure these children grow up to be model citizens, the State conducts regular personality tests to determine if they are innately good or innately evil. But what does it mean when you can cheat the test? Credit and thank you to the following artists for their free stock images which were used in the cover: http://buzillo-stock.deviantart.com/ http://keepwaiting.deviantart.com/ http://misssouls-stock.deviantart.com/