In the world of genetic mutation, Gypsy's talent of knowing a person's age of death is considered a failure. Her peers, the other Cavies, have powers that range from curdling a blood still in the vein to being able to overhear a conversation taking place three miles away, but when they're taken from the sanctuary where they grew up and forced into the real world, Gypsy, with her all-but-invisible gift, is the one with the advantage.
The only one who's safe, if the world finds out what they can do.
When the Cavies are attacked and inoculated with an unidentified virus, that illusion is shattered. Whatever was attached to the virus causes their abilities to change. Grow. In some cases, to escape their control.
Gypsy dreamed of normal high school, normal friends, a normal life, for years. Instead, the Cavies are sucked under a sea of government intrigue, weaponized genetic mutation, and crushing secrets that will reframe everything they've ever been told about how their "talents" came to be in the first place.
When they find out one of their own has been appropriated by the government, mistreated and forced to run dangerous missions, their desire for information becomes a pressing need. With only a series of guesses about their origins, the path to the truth becomes quickly littered with friends, enemies, and in the end, the Cavies ability to trust anyone at all.
When a deadly disease ravages the town of Holmsley, Frankie and her friends find themselves trapped inside a military-blockaded quarantine zone.
*****
A story that was first published in 2014 and feels more relevant than ever.
Fifteen-year-old Frankie and her friends must find their way out of quarantine if they want to survive. As the body count rises, Frankie realizes that this is no ordinary quarantine and no one is coming to help. Once infected, the sick become crazed and violent, while fear turns other survivors to savages. And who or what are the mysterious figures Frankie keeps seeing around town? It seems she'll have to unravel the dark truth behind it all if she wants to get out alive...
Content and/or trigger warning: This story describes disease outbreaks and contains scenes of violence, which may be triggering for some readers.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]