Bartered Innocence: A Dystopian Romance

Ten-year-old Amber grew up with Collection Day clouding her childhood just as every other labor class child. Nothing prepared her for what it actually meant to be sold to the royals. As she watches the other girls’ punishments, alarms sound, giving her the cover to run. But where can she hide? Is there any hope for freedom now that she belongs to the servant class?

Ten-year-old Prince Steel doesn’t want to take part in his first Collection Day gala. The last thing he needs is to pick a friend from a group of girls. They can’t even throw balls right or climb trees. While hiding from the festivities, he finds a playmate who is also running from the celebration. A girl. A girl who is brave enough to run away with him on the roof.

Neither understands what it means when Prince Steel picks her at the gala as his chosen playmate. Will the bonds they form as children withstand the strain of what they really are to each other as they grow into their roles?

*This story contains dark themes