Prologue

The end of September was an incredibly cool and foggy time on the marshes. I watched as the children ran and slipped up the hills as their feet were sliding into the thick damp mud. It was the year of my sixteenth birthday, yet I was still considered a "child" in this society's eyes. As I look back, I can remember seeing my friend Jillian running up the rotten hill towards me, with the marsh grasses tangling around her ankles, imprisoning her slightly, only to trip her and cause her falling onto knees. As I ran towards her, we both noticed the children playing Ring Around The Rosy while jumping in and out of open graves. It was an old past time of ours, yet we were now sixteen we were both too old to do so. However, we were also too young to do much else. Which is why we spent most of those days planning ways to create havoc. On that foggy September day, we devised an absolutely brilliant plan, which ultimately lead to both of our downfalls.