Ella Grey lives in a world without color. Literally.
Long ago the leaders of her world, Liath, decided to make the world safer and more equal by destroying all color and creativity. Music, art, dance, and most importantly, color has been abolished to make room for more important things such as Cleaners, Caretakers, Leaders, and Creaters.
At 16 the new generation of children reach adulthood by being assigned to their new lifelong profession. There they will live their life, be assigned a mate, have two children (one male and one female), and eventually die.
There is no rebellion or resistance. There is no imagination.
As Ella approaches her Assignment Day, suddenly, everything changes. There is speak of rebellion; of a resistance force that is everything that Liath isn't.
Will Ella make the decision to joing the resistance? Or will she choose to live her life, oblivious to the changing world around her?
Ella is falling apart trying to live a "perfect" high school life. Then she meets Ren, who can see past her scars. Suddenly perfection isn't her only option.
*****
Ella Volkov is a gifted music student, but she's depressed and starting to crack under the pressure of high school. Her overbearing father won't even let her choose what instrument she plays. Then she finds herself alone at a party with Ren, her best friend's crush. She'd always thought he was rude, but after that night he's all Ella can think about. Now she's trapped. If Ella dates Ren, it will ruin her friendship with Jenny. But if she stays true to Jenny, she's losing the one person who can see past her scars. It's up to Ella to decide if she will forge her own path, or stay in the "perfect" box designed for her...
Content and/or Trigger Warning: depression, anxiety, self-harm, violence, sexual assault.
[[word count: 50,000-100,000 words]]