Rebel

Prologue: Before my life went down hill

Now my law-breaking career started at birth. My parents were Lessers who wanted to keep their children. So they gave my twin brother to the doctors instead of me and then they shoved me in the baby bag and took me home. One of the rules on our islands is that Lessers have to give their children up to be raised on the regular island and so they don't die till they're 12. No idea how my parents got away with taking me home. 

So there I was, the youngest on the island of Gladiolus, being taken care of by the many moms who never got to see their children grow up. There was a party for when I took my first steps. My best friend was a 15-year-old by the name of Juniper. 

 I grew up a happy child, but all that ended when I was 4. It was a nightmare. People were screaming and yelling when I was taken away. I still remember what happened. They came to the door and asked for my parents. My mom tried to hide me. It didn't work. They found me and told me that I was going home. I yelled. I think I punched one of them. In the end, they got me and I was dressed in my too-big white dress with a bag of my things with me. In the bag were my favorite book, a four-leaf clover necklace, and a picture of the lesser island on my 3rd birthday. Those were the only things I owned.

The people who had taken me from my family gave me to a woman in a green dress. I didn't say anything when she introduced herself as Mrs. Ginger. I didn't say anything when she took me to the big building with the iron gates. I didn't say anything as we climbed the stairs to my new room, and I definitely didn't say anything when she introduced my new roommates to me.

I took the last bed available in that small room. Over the years some of the girls moved out because they got adopted, normally by a young Regular couple whose child had gotten a bad number. But once you reach a certain age you're stuck. No one wants to adopt an 11-year-old. That's where the story starts. On the 23rd of April, when everyone is asleep. Everyone except the girl from the Lesser island.

Of course, I was awake. It was the day before my birthday or as I thought, the day before I got to go home. Unlike lots of little girls and boys in the orphanage, I didn't want to be regular. I wanted to go home. So with that in mind, I stayed awake, staring out the window. Waiting till I get my number. But of course, the universe hates me.

"Clove!" My bunkmate Lavender yelled, jumping on me.

"Go away Lav!" I stuck my hand out, flailing till I found my mark. Lavenders face. See Lavender was also 12. She had gotten her number last week and we threw a party between us and our other 2 friends. She had gotten a high number of course but not high enough to be a Golden. She had these honey-brown eyes that looked like they had flecks of gold in them and long blonde hair that she always tied into two loose braids. She never thought of herself as pretty but I knew plenty of people who disagreed, me included.

"What's your number silly!" Lavender laughed smacking me with a pillow. I smiled, Lav always could make people smile. I didn't have that talent, and I didn't need it. I was Clover, the girl who just wanted to leave. I was the girl who didn't have a pretty flower name like everyone else. I was the girl with two different sized eyes and freckles all over her face. I was the girl who everyone avoided.

Lav struck again and this time she hit my face.

"Lavi-ompf!" The pillow tasted like a pillow, as you would expect. Soon I decided I wanted in on the pillow action and armed myself with a pillow of my own. The entire room was filled with the laughter and happy screams of girls. In the whirlwind of pillows and laughter, we forgot all about my number. I wish it could have stayed like that just a bit longer. But all good things must come to an end and my little good thing ended with Ms. Bloom coming through the door with the lady with the clipboard.