Cora Carpenter lives in an America where over 90% of the popular vote went to one presidential candidate. New policies pervade the American culture such as the Better Homes Better Future Act where all pregnant couples must pass an IQ test with 90 or higher and scores are tattooed on the infants skull for record keeping. Anything lower and the child is given to a more suitable home. Or the Volunteer Tax because if someone has time to dedicate to the less fortunate, then they must of course have extra income to spare. The best part, everyone agrees to these laws because if not one phone call is all it takes for someone to disappear.

But what if persuasion isn't a learned skill but a gift embedded into a person by ancient beings? And what if these ancient beings are at war with each other?

This story has been completed.