Special thanks to Ithildaeforever for the trailer! This book is also currently under editing. Don't mind the * markings. They're for my benefit.

Chapter I

JOEY PRESSED DOWN REPEATEDLY on her best friend's chest, water seeping between her fingers from his drenched clothing. She felt numb to the explosions and blaring of guns that filled her surroundings because the only thought running through her mind was to make David start breathing again. Tears blurred her vision and dripped from her lashes onto his face as her hope faded. "Come on, David!" Bending forward, she pressed her lips against his and blew air into his lungs before she pulled away and continued her compressions.

"You can't do this to me! Not after everything we've been through, everything you've put me through! Not after all we've survived!" Her bottom lip quivered and she whimpered, "David, I need you." Her heart burst in anguish as David still showed no signs of life, and his blood quickly pooled below his back.

Fighting with her mind, she ceased her repetitive actions. It was time to let him go. Laying her forehead against his, she broke out in an uncontrollable sob and whispered in his ear, "I was supposed to save you."

A loud boom rang out and her head sprang upward as bricks off a nearby building smashed to pieces a foot away from her. The act brought her back to the reality of war, and she flinched as several more shots were fire. Her heart lurched as bodies dropped all around. There was no time for weeping, but she had to face the hard truth. They had lost. Agcorp was smarter, more equipped, and had long planned how to handle an uprising.

"Joey!" Someone knelt down in front of her on the other side of David, but his face was shadowed leaving the man a mystery. "I'm sorry he's gone, but we have to move or we're going to die beside him."

Ignoring the mysterious man, Joey ran her fingers through her best friend's mangled hair then settled her head on his chest. She had tried so hard to protect him from the dangers of the Domes and from Claire's plan, but in the end ... she had lost him anyway.

BOLTING UPRIGHT WITH A panicked scream, Joey's eyes frantically darted around, panting as her heart beat wildly against her breasts. Giving her eyes a second to adjust to the dark surroundings, she noticed her familiar belongings and realized she was in the comfort of her own bedroom. Her body tensed as she balled the damp fitted-sheets in her fists, and she felt the presence of sweat on her brow and soaking through her clothes. Her whole body shook, but she was safe. Though, these days, safe was a loose term.

She relaxed back against her pillows, feeling the soft fabric on her mattress, and she let out a deep breath as she calmed her rapid pulse. It was just a dream. These were the same repetitive words she told herself night after night, and for a while they helped, but now she knew that was all they were. Words. That statement was never true, a dream was never just a dream.

She took in slow and deep breaths, shivering as the images of her dream rose to the forefront of her mind. The same dream that had plagued her for several years. Every dream, no matter what it was, had come true within the next twenty-four hours, but for some reason, this dream wasn't like all the others. This one had a tendency to repeat itself like a broken record, and after having dreamt the same nightmare for three years, it had started to lose its frightening potency. It wasn't until she met the boy in her dream, David, at the beginning of summer that the true fear returned.

Resting her hands on top of her chest, she stared up at her bedroom ceiling. This dream, or ... vision—as she liked to call them—still felt distant. Like it was going to be haunting her for the next several years to come, but that meant that there was still time. Time to find a way to stop it. Even if she'd never been able to stop one before.

She jumped, her heart lurching into her throat, startled as her alarm clock went off. She reached over and smashed the button, squinting to read the red digital numbers. Six o'clock exactly. Placing her cheek again her pillow, she released a long sigh before rolling over to her back. She dropped her hands back to her chest and let out another puff of air, wishing this day could be permanently postponed.

She had been dreading it since the beginning of summer when her family first moved to Walser. It was the mandatory meeting before the first day of school. Every school she'd attended so far had been a nightmare, and here in Walser—Agcorp's main hub—it was bound to be the worse one yet.

She pushed off her covers and crawled out from the warmth of her bed. Sitting on the edge, she looked down at her clothes to find she was wearing the same gray sweatpants and tie-dye shirt she had on yesterday. She balled her hands, angry at herself, because she had never intended on falling asleep, but three days seemed to be her max. Her new clothes for today sat on the metal desk chair where she'd set them out the night before. Snatching them up, she pulled on her light pink shirt, black jeans, and carried her neon pink and green sneakers to the door.

She stepped out of her room, put her shoes down beside the door, and shuffled across the hall to the tiny bathroom she shared with her mom and older brother. There, she brushed her teeth and her waist-length brown hair before pulling it back into a ponytail. Sighing, she stared at herself in the mirror. If only looking nice made for a better day. She swiftly slipped on her sneakers before stomping through the living room towards the kitchen to eat breakfast with Mom and Jamie, who she found chugging a glass of milk.

Sliding into her place at the kitchen table, she watched Mom place a bowl on the table in front of her. She was wearing her dazzling red blouse and freshly pressed black pants—one of the only two nice outfits she had for work.

"How did you sleep last night?" Mom asked her as she reached for Joey's favorite cereal from the cabinet.

"I slept ... okay," she shrugged and grabbed for the milk, sliding the glass bottle closer.

"That doesn't sound very convincing." Mom handed her the box and sat down in the metal poorly-padded chair beside her. "Anything you need to talk about?"

Joey gave an uneasy grin as she poured the cereal and milk into her bowl and shoveled in a mouthful to avoid answering.

Jamie snorted and ran a hand through his uncombed brown hair. "Come on, Joey," he mocked. "You're going to be seventeen next week." His hand plopped back down on the table, his spoon vibrating against his bowl. "You really still need to be babied over sleep?"

"Jamie, hush!" Mom shot him a stern look, and Jamie rolled his eyes.

Joey glared at him angrily, before her eyes ventured to the prominent scar on his forehead and she remembered just exactly what it was that had torn them apart. Even though she was only ten at the time, she could still recall the look in her mothers eyes when the doctor had told her that Jamie had lost a vast amount of memory, and come to find out, he didn't remember anything about Joey's ability. He used to be her refuge, the one she could turn to and who would listen all those long nights of being terrified by what she'd seen or would see. He had been the one to comfort her and fully try to understand. Not to dismiss the fact that her dad used to be as equally supportive, but that bond she had with her big brother was special. Jamie would've done everything in his power to protect her from Agcorp, but now he pawned her off on anyone he could.

Joey let out a long sigh through her nose. If it wasn't for that brick that someone had chucked from the crowd, Jamie would still be that loving brother, and it was hard not to let her anger for the man who threw the brick consume her. She felt a familiar surge of energy in her palms, and she flushed, instantly losing her anger.

"What are you staring at?" Jamie's shouted, breaking her daze.

Joey frowned, finally averting her gaze. "Nothing," she replied, slurping down another bite of cereal. Keeping her secret to herself was the only way to protect herself from Jamie, from Mom ever finding out that the nightmares still remained, or from the trials she would face being thrown in the Domes, and ultimately ... her death.

"You sure you're alright?" Joey glanced up at her mom as Mom lowered her spoon from her mouth, crunching loudly on her cereal, and gazed at her concerned. "You know you don't have to keep anything from me. I'm always here to talk if you need it." Her voice was low and tender, but Joey knew it was only a lure to get her to talk. Mom was under too much stress to be sweet these days. Most of the time whenever she spoke, she was often frazzled and irritated.

Joey gave a fake smile, hoping her family would just leave her alone. "I'm fine, Mom."

Mom sat up straight, her fists smacking the metal table causing everyones spoons to rattle, and her voice rose. "You ended up in the hospital last week, Joey!" Joey shriveled up, her head ducking between her shoulders. She lowered her eyes to the tile, and felt her mothers soft hand graze the top of her head. "So, I'm sorry if I just want to make sure my baby girl's okay. A hospital trip like that ..." Her voice lowered until it was barely a whisper. "It's dangerous."

A lump formed at the back of her throat. She knew what her mother was implying even if Jamie didn't. A trip to the hospital meant her risking other people finding out what she was, but thankfully, the Slums hospital was so ran down that they had no clean needles at the time of her arrival. If anyone ever found out about her special ability and the Toxicoma in her blood, they would have no choice but to hand her over to Agcorp by law.

Swallowing, she pushed the conversation aside as she spooned in more Frosted Flakes. "I'm fine," she said, chewing. Once she had swallowed, she looked her mom in the eye and nodded. "Honestly. I got enough sleep."

Mom smiled, but her lips quivered as tears unexpectedly formed in the corners of her eyes. "Alright." She leaned forward giving Joey a quick kiss on the top of her head. "Just don't draw attention to yourself." She whispered so softly Joey wasn't even sure if Jamie could've heard. Mom grabbed her purse off the counter and rummaged through it. A thud sounded from upstairs and the ceiling's lights flickered for a brief moment. Mom huffed. "I swear, if I have to live one more day in this dump ..." She growled as she slammed her purse back down on the counter. "Come on! Where is it?"

"Uh, Mom." Joey's eyes darted up towards Jamie, who was holding a plastic light blue card with a neon green strip that ran diagonal through the center. "This what you're looking for?"

Mom sighed in relief. "Thank you!" She threw her purse strap over her head around her shoulder and snatched the card from Jamie. She paused and eyed him. "Do I even want to know what you were doing with my keycard?"

Jamie leaned back in his chair. "Probably not."

Mom rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for this." She marched through the door frame into their living room and towards the apartment door, her heels thumping against the dirty gray carpet. Joey watched from the half wall separating the kitchen from the living room. "I'm going to be late if I don't hurry. You kids better eat fast. David's going to swing by and show you where the schools tram station is."

"Yeah, that's not happening." Jamie leaned forward in his chair and piled in the rest of his cereal. "I found the stop yesterday," he said through a mouth full.

"How'd you get past the Agcorp soldiers?" Joey asked, furrowing her brow. "They usually have the schools tram blocked off."

Jamie smirked. "We're in the Slums, Joey. The lowest of the low. Agcorp's got better things to guard and look out for then a couple kids sneaking around the lower levels." He stood, his wobbly metal chair screeching, and grabbed his backpack off the back of the chair. "David can show you to the tram station. No way I'd be caught dead arriving with my little sister and her boyfriend in front of the guys." Joey's cheeks grew hot as she shot him a glare.

Mom frowned, but she didn't tell him no. "Wait for Joey, please. I don't like her walking alone out there with Agcorp's men."

Jaime snickered. "Why? Afraid she's gonna be picked up for something?" He glared back at Joey. "And I thought you were the good child."

Mom glanced at her watch and let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm going to be late." She blew them kisses as she waved bye. "I love you! You know how the lab is. I don't know what time I'll be home so help yourself to dinner."

"Bye, Mom," they said in unison.

"Bye, sweeties." Mom quickly opened the door and scurried out, the sound of her shoes still able to be heard as she stomped down the hall towards the elevator.

Jamie turned his gaze towards Joey before heading for the door. "Mom told you to wait!" Joey screamed.

"You better hurry, slowpoke!" he taunted. "You really wanna find out what Agcorp has in store for those who miss the mandatory briefing?" The door swung open and he let it slam behind him, causing some pictures on the walls to shake.

Gulping, she downed her milk, quickly wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin, and grabbed hers and Jamie's bowls placing them roughly in the sink. She then grabbed her dark purple backpack that laid wrapped around the back of her chair and headed for the door.

Swiftly closing the door behind her, she swiped her keycard against the card reader, locking the door. She shoved it into her back pocket and dashed towards the elevator where she smashed the down button, and wiggled her legs back and forth impatiently—being on the fifteen floor had its downsides, but it was the cheapest they could afford. Finally, the elevator arrived and she ran inside before hitting the button for the ground level. As the elevator slowed to a stop, she yanked out a blue mask—much like the ones seen in hospitals—that would cover her mouth and nose from a side pocket in her backpack and threw it on.

She then bolted for the front door and shoved it open searching for David in a panic, allowing her brother's words to get to her. She squinted and peered through the dark overcasting that was always present in the Slums. She couldn't find a soul. Not even her mom or brother, who she was sure couldn't be too far ahead. The air quality down here was terrible, making everything brown and hazy, and she didn't even remember what sunlight felt like. Any hint of sun had been sucked away by the fumes from cars on the upper levels. No matter which city she moved to—and it had been a lot throughout the past six years—her mom always picked the lowest grade of housing she could to stay low on Agcorp's radar, and that often came with the deepest part of town hidden beneath tall structures.

Sweeping her head from left to right, the strong stench of stale urine flooded her nostrils and she quickly slapped a hand over her nose; not even the mask could keep that smell out. She was used to the stench by now, but the first whiff of the day was always the hardest. Garbage piled in the streets and along the sidewalks, and a streetlamp nearby flickered giving her barely enough light.

She covered her ears as a tram raced by above, no doubt taking the first tram full of kids to the mandatory class today. She hated these briefings. There were no normal classes. Nothing to do except listen to the usual talk given by the teachers, not even in the school building. The whole idea behind the briefing felt like it was solely meant to frighten the students. Each years talk was only getting scarier with Ignisha continuing to spread, and the stricter enforcement of rules by Agcorp.

Another tram raced by a little further up, and she lowered her hands away from her ears as it passed out of ear shot. Looking right, she noticed David sprinting down the incline towards her apartment.

"Hey, David!" she yelled, giving him a quick wave, and she ran to meet him.

"Hey, Joey!" David slowed as he reached her, placing his hands on his knees, and panted—his mask blew in and out with his heavy breaths. After catching his breath, he stood up straight and ran his fingers through his stiffly-gelled brown hair. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was running late. Ella wanted to go jogging this morning. She's been trying to get me into her routine." He lowered his voice to a whisper, "But between you and me, I have no desire to start jogging."

She held in a chuckle and looked around. "Where is she, by the way? I thought she walked with you to the station?"

He rolled his eyes. "She asked if Dad would take her. Something about 'not wanting to be around to watch us make googly eyes at each other' ... Or something like that." He crossed his arms. "I don't know why she thinks we're together or something. We only met three months ago."

She snorted and returned the eye roll. "My brother thinks the same thing. Guess people just aren't allowed to be friendly anymore without falling for each other." She couldn't see under his mask, but from the way he looked away and how red his ears got, she was almost positive he was blushing. In the past six years she had moved eleven times, and David was the first friend she had made within that length of time. Sure she had developed a little crush for the boy, but she knew nothing would ever become of it. Not because she didn't want it to, but because she knew how dangerous she was ... and she never wanted to see David hurt.

"So," he cleared his throat as he turned and began his walk. "How are you this morning?"

She grinned at him though he couldn't see through her mask. "I'm pretty good." Her grin vanished as she averted her gaze and stared at the cracked, dry dirt road.

A small poke of his elbow hit her arm. "You look exhausted." His gentle voice filtered through her ears drawing her away from her thoughts, and she shoved her hands into her jean pockets.

She replied with a shrug, "Yeah. I mean, I'm a little tired I guess." She fingered at some lint in her pocket. "I slept for, like, three hours last night." She wasn't sure why, but strangely, David made her feel like she could be open and truthful. Like she didn't have to hide from him behind the wall she'd built towards others.

David twirled around, walking backwards up the small hill, and delivered a skeptical glare. "I don't mean to pry, but you sure this doesn't have anything to do with your hospital visit last week?"

Her heart felt like it skipped a beat as the color in her face drained and her head perked up. "How did you know about that? Are people talking about it?"

She could tell David grinned by the lift of his ears. "No, nothing like that. Your mom called mine. She was just concerned and asked for some prayers." He rubbed the back of his head. "I ... kinda overheard a little of their conversation. Phones down here don't keep much privacy."

Joey cleared her throat and held her head high, pretending like it wasn't a big deal. "Well, it was nothing, and I'm fine now."

"Joey, you pretty much boycott sleep."

She shot him a glare. "How much is a little in your book?"

He shoved his hands into his brown jacket pockets. "Look, I know I don't know much about you, but if I started seizing because I refused to sleep then I wouldn't be saying it was nothing." He stopped and gazed intently at her, his eyes giving off a gentle and caring vibe. "If I wasn't sleeping, I would say it was because I was afraid of something." His voice lowered to barely above a whisper. "You can talk to me, Joey. I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to."

Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, but she swallowed and looked up to keep the tears at bay. She cared about David's safety too much to drag him into her mess. Quickening her pace to avoid eye contact, she complained, "As you said. You don't know me, and I don't know you. So keep your nose outta things that don't pertain to you."

"Alright, I'm sorry," he apologized, his voice coming across confused by her anger. "I didn't know it was so secretive."

Joey shot him a quick glance from the corner of her eye before returning her attention to the path ahead. She shivered, wishing she had grabbed a jacket on the way out as the brisk autumn air was starting to bring a chill to her skin. She hadn't realized how cold it was supposed to be today, but more than likely, it wasn't as cold on the upper levels of Walser where the sun shone. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she let out a slow sigh and eyed David as he trudged through the dirt beside her. "I'm sorry," she said lowly, "I shouldn't have snapped. I'm just kinda nervous about today. I've been to nine new schools in the past six years, and they just keep getting scarier the more this disease spreads."

David snorted. "I know what you mean, but Agcorp's doing everything in their power to keep us safe."

Her eyes narrowed into slits and she looked towards her sneakers, but David wouldn't have been able to see as her ponytail fell over her shoulder covering her face. "Safe. They think this is safe?" She turned and eyed him. "Putting fear into peoples minds isn't helping anyone feel safe."

David shrugged. "You think they're just supposed to sugar coat everything that's going on? There's a virus out there that's already wiped out half the world's population in the past twelve years." He glanced around as if looking to see if anyone else was listening. "I'm a little surprised they haven't been more strict."

She rolled her eyes. "How much more strict could they get?"

"Well," he began, "they could shut places down, make us wear our masks inside instead of just outside in groups ... Whatever they say goes. That's just the way it is."

"Agcorp overthrew the President and Government and took over the world," Joey argued. "Sorry, I'm not as trusting in this corporation as you are." She looked up, her shoulders slumping. "I would rather be free out in the camps then live my life under their rule."

"Hard to live a free life if you're dead," David sneered. "You wouldn't last an hour out in the camps. No one would. That's why the cities were built."

She crossed her arms pulling them tight against her chest as another breeze blew by, rustling her hair. As much as she wanted him to be wrong, he wasn't. Living under Agcorp's reign was frightening and dangerous, but living outside in the camps would be suicide. She could only think of one story where someone made it out of the camps alive and into the city. Ignisha had complete control over everything outside the walls, and just because she had a special ability didn't mean her Toxicoma made her immune to the disease. Glancing off to the side, she decided to stay quiet instead of continuing to argue.

After walking a few more blocks, they finally reached the schools tram station. Joey gulped and started to shake as she eyed several soldiers lining the station. Every soldier wore a deep shade of red suits from head to toe and a helmet with black mesh covered their faces so no one could see their identity, but the most terrifying thing about their uniforms were the guns they all carried with both hands. Staring at the barrel of the gun, she knew they weren't loaded with real bullets, but rather shells filled with enough electricity to knock you out cold. She had seen them used only a handful of times in her lifetime, and the thought of one day tasting their shock sent a chill up her spine. She stood close to David, like glue on paper, as she walked past Agcorp's soldiers.

Stepping onto the platform, there were probably thirteen kids waiting in line for the next tram that should be arriving at any minute. Joey glanced around and noticed her brother hanging with some older boys he said he'd met a few days ago. Squinting, she noticed Jamie's head turn in her direction, and she quickly twirled around. She didn't want to draw his attention, afraid of what kind of scene would unfold. She stayed quiet, standing directly behind David's back, and eyed the soldiers that surrounded them from the corners of her eyes.

She prayed the tram would arrive soon, but she knew the security would only get worse the closer they got to where the meeting for today would be held. Anxiety coursed through her veins at the irrational fear of feeling like one of the soldiers would grab her and drag her away. She sucked in slow breaths as she tried to calm her rapid heartbeat, but it didn't help. Nausea formed in the pit of her stomach and she felt like she would chuck up her cereal.

She looked around, trying to draw her mind away from the soldiers, and arched a brow. "Where are the others?" she whispered, though she didn't know why. It just felt right in a tense situation.

"Oh," David began with a wave of his hand, "they'll be on the tram. They each get on at several different stations since they're in the upper levels of the city." He stood on his tip-toes. "And Ella's right up front with her age group."

Joey looked down at her shoes once again. She had forgotten the others were Middle and Lower Class residents, and the rules of the city were you could travel downward to visit the other levels, but could never travel higher then your current ranking—which would explain how the others could come to the Slums any time they wanted, but how she and David had never seen the upper levels.

A blaring sound suddenly rang through the station sending Joey's heart leaping through her throat, and her head snapped towards the dark tunnel.

"Speaking of the tram ..." came David's voice. At that moment, the tram pulled up beside the curb with a screech. The doors opened and everyone piled inside orderly; an announcement played over the speakers but Joey couldn't make out a word of the muffled voice.

Joey scanned the students on the tram along with the dozen Agcorp soldiers who were asking for their keycards. She froze, her eyes widening, as one of the soldiers stepped in front of her, and the world around her went silent at the sudden urge to faint. The soldier spoke and held out his hand, but Joey didn't move. When an elbow poked her ribcage, she jumped and her head jerked to the side as David withdrew his keycard and handed it to the solider. The solider held out his palm a couple inches above the card and a blue light scanned it from left to right. Without saying another word, he handed the card back to David.

Joey swallowed before retrieving her keycard from her back jean pocket and with a shaking hand she gave it to the solider. He quickly scanned her card as he had done David's before giving it back and walking away to another row of teens.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, but remained frozen. "It's alright." David's soft voice floated through the air. "You got this." Letting out a long breath of air, smelling milk through her trapped breath, she calmed down knowing David was there to help.

Her eyes traveled to the small group sitting at the back of the tram and she followed David who was in a hurry to join them. She plopped down in one of the double seats and sank down.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" David asked, taking the seat beside her.

She set a hand on her queasy stomach. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that." She looked down at the hand resting on the plastic blue seat to see she had yet to put her keycard away. She hadn't been on a tram in ages because she was rarely allowed to leave the apartment.

David patted her shoulder, and she smiled uneasily knowing he could see her distress even if he couldn't see her face. She leaned back in her seat, her bottom sliding on the blue plastic, and slipped her card into her back pocket before sitting straight up. Twisting her neck around, she waved. "Hey, Alex!"

He stared down at his phone—and from the transparent screen, she could see the game he played—but she didn't miss his cheekbones rise from a smile underneath his mask that was lowered below his nose. "Hey," he finally said.

Alex's sister, Jenny, sat across from him on the other side of the aisle with Kathleen, their cousin, at her side. Both were sharing a pair of those new wireless earphones, and a music video seemed to be playing on the see-through screen—though, it was beating so loudly Joey could hear the bass and lyrics without earphones.

She was mesmerized by the objects the Knights held. The only phones here in the Slums were meant for the whole household, and they certainly didn't look like that. They were boxy and couldn't be used for anything except calls. Not to mention they weren't transportable with the long wire keeping them glued to the holster on the wall.

The tram pulled away as the final kid step aboard, and Joey surveyed the other faces. She found Ella up ahead hanging with some girls who looked closer to her age, but she couldn't find the missing member of their small group. Turning back around to face David, she asked, "Where's Heather?"

David got comfy in his seat and sighed. "Oh, you know. Just enjoying one of the perks of being in the highest class of the city." She gave him a puzzled look, and he continued, "The rich kids are allowed to be dropped off by a parent."

Joey stiffened as a solider made his way towards her. "Mask above your nose," he demanded as he walked by towards the empty space at the back.

Alex huffed, but complied. "I can't breathe under here," he whispered with annoyance.

The tram jerked as it pulled away from the station, and Joey gripped the edge of her seat as she gritted her teeth. Averting her gaze, she stared out the window across the aisle and fell silent. Her heart was finally beginning to settle at the realization that Agcorp had nothing on her, and she had no reason to think they were just waiting to attack.

Turning her head, she watched from her window as the tram raced past levels of the city. She went from being in the lowest of the low, to now being in the middle level in a matter of seconds. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped as she pressed a hand against the window gaping at the cars zooming overhead through the sky. She had heard that Walser was one of the few cities with cars, as David had just affirmed it, but she had never seen one before. People in the Slums barely make enough money to survive.

A bright layer of sunlight broke through the tops of the tall buildings and shone over the level through the tram window. She squinted but continued to stare in awe. She had all but forgotten the feel of it's warm rays on her skin. In a flash, the outside world disappeared as they traveled through a tunnel.