Keely Samuels has acne. That's the first thing she heard about herself when she entered high school and she will never ever forget it.
Fast forward a few years and you soon find out that she has turned her life around. She has boys surrounding her, trying to chat her up for a moment, dreaming of staring at those brown eyes from up close and taking in the smell of vanilla that is always there, engulfing her as if there's a giant sign plopped onto her forehead, saying 'I shower in perfume every morning', which might as well be the plain truth.
But Keely, as popular as she is, has a secret that she can never ever talk about. She's living illegally undercover in Pretorium. What's worse about it? That untold truth prevents her from existing the way she did before, so everything she has built for herself crumbles beneath her feet.
You may ask what the meaning of Pretorium is, so let me explain. Me, Keely Samuels, who was just talking about herself in third person because of how dramatic it sounded.
Pretorium is well, simply put, where people with nine lives live. Yeah, you heard me right. Humans have evolved incredibly in the last two thousand years and we are now stronger, healthier and have...nine lives.
So, naturally, the people in Pretorium are usually the richest and the most privileged of them all. They drive fancy cars, buy expensive designer clothes and have their children attend the prestigious private schools that are safely tucked behind the borders hence are out of danger. Or are they?
Even without ignoring the natural anxiety that is programmed inside the people by being born in this questionable society, I have to admit that this place is as safe as it can get. There are hardly any crimes thanks to the strict security that is patrolling the streets 365 days a year.
Now, the next question you may ask is why the heck is it so heavily guarded in here? What are we exactly trying to protect?
And the answer is rather simple, as it's something everybody has always feared and always will: death.
You see, once you lose one of your nine lives, you get moved to the city next door that is called Haptorium which is where most subjects with eight lives are located, excluding the strange cases of wealthy people who aren't Pretorians.
Sadly enough, the quality of life there is way lower than the one in the higher rank as there aren't as many resources for the population and while the majority still manages to live a somewhat joyous life, they are trapped in a place far less luxurious than the latter, essentially getting deprived of the possibilities that they used to have.
Well, I guess you already hopped onto the idea, that after people with eight lives, there are those with seven so I'll just quickly run through all the names.
Number Seven is Axerium, which contains the largest group of them all, calculated at around 35% of the population in our country named Prehalia.
Number six is Nevarium, that consists of only around 20% of our population and which is strangely peaceful and crime-free for the most part despite the weak security or the lack of one altogether.
Then we have Merrnium, Kartium, Cealium, Beerium and lastly Traum which is the lowest of them all, considered absolute hell hole, populated by the nastiest junk of our society that leads to its existence being ignored by most people.
Nobody who has their mind set straight wants to go to Traum, as it equals to surrendering even the last bits of hapiness you might have left.
Ironically, me, Keely Samuels is one of the so called Rats that belong in Traum but I live a life that's nowhere the misery that I should be in right now.
Why?
Well that's the secret I'll unveil. So follow me on this journey that will not only teach me how to be stronger and braver, but will also show me the true values that a person should have, while still keeping a close eye on the never ending societal and personal prejudices.
Will I survive the chase is a question that you'll have to find the answer to in the next pages.
I'm Keelian Samuels and I am here to tell you my story: the good and the bad in everything that my fragmented life has to offer.
So, settle in and enjoy the ride.