Extinction Of All Children
Book: One
By: L.J. Epps
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Dark Fantasy
Publisher: L.J. Epps
Date of Publication: 06/03/2016
ISBN: 978-0-9971913-3-2
ASIN: B01GM2YTHE
Number of pages: 250
Word Count: 79,826
Cover Artist: Damonza.com
Tagline: What would you do if you were the last eighteen-year-old in the territory? Join Emma on a wild ride and find out how she survives this fate.
Book Description:
The futuristic world of Craigluy has been divided into three territories and three economic classes. A large wall separates the territories, so the poor cannot mingle with the rich.
Since President Esther, the ruler over all of Craigluy, believes the poor do not have adequate means to take care of children, they are no longer allowed to procreate. Pregnant mothers are imprisoned until their babies are born, then the infants are taken away.
Emma Whisperer is the last child to survive. She is the last child born in lower-class Territory L before the law was instituted in the year 2080. She is the last eighteen-year-old.
Emma struggles to understand why she was spared while others weren’t. She doesn’t like the laws and believes they should be repealed. Her family doesn’t agree with her; they discourage her rebellious streak. Yet, she helps them to cover up their own family rebellion. She helps them to hide a big secret, a secret that could be both disastrous and deadly for members of their family.
As she meets new people along the way, Emma learns who she can and cannot trust. And, in the end, she makes a gut-wrenching decision that may be disastrous for everyone.
She finds herself in danger for doing what she feels is right.
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My brain checks
back in on the conversation. My mother is still going on about her day.
“I was able to
pick up some fruit from the market. The apples and pears were fresh. We can
have them for dessert on Sunday, along with the whipped cream Emma picked up.”
She puts on a fake smile. “They don’t always have it, since it is only for
special occasions. Thanks for going back to the store to get it. I forgot it
when I was there earlier. I hope you didn’t have a hard time finding it.”
“It is fine,
Mother,” I say, softly.
Sundays are
special in Territory L. It is the day families are supposed to stay in and
enjoy each other’s company. The day we get to eat chicken or fish, instead of
beans and soup. It is the day we play old board games and read old books. Pears
and apples are what my mother considers dessert. Maybe this Sunday will be even
more special because we’re going to have whipped cream on our fruit. We never
had it before. I guess whipped cream will make it look more desirable. So,
while Territory U has pie and cake, we’ll have fruit with whipped cream
topping.
“Is there any
more milk?” Theodore asks.
“I had your
sister pick some up on her way back.”
“Yes, T,” I say,
chiming in. I always call him T, for short. “There is a fresh carton in the
fridge. Try not to drink it all. It has to last for at least the next week.”
I watch as he
narrows his eyes in my direction, then he stands with his glass in hand and
goes to the kitchen. He is such a child, sometimes I can’t even tell he is
nineteen.
“So, how was
your day, Emma?” My father turns to me. He just put a spoonful of beans in his
mouth. He clears his throat and continues. “I mean, before you ran that
errand.”
Every time
someone talks about the errand, I cringe. It is as if a knife has been put
through my stomach because we have such a hard time even saying what the errand
is. And the whole thing leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I try to forget about
the errand, for now, and dwell on his question—how my day was.
“If you’re
asking me if I found a job yet, I haven’t.” I take a sip of water. “There is
not much to do around here.”
“There is, if
you want to be cashier at the market or a salesperson at the clothing store.”
“Those aren’t
real jobs. Sorry,” I add, glancing over at him.
He has always
said it didn’t matter what the job is because any job, even if it isn’t
glamorous, should be respected. Judging by the slant in his eyebrows that makes
the lines in his forehead crease, he didn’t take kindly to what I just said.
“What I meant to
say,” I continue, “is I want to go to college and be a doctor like you, Dad, or
a teacher like Mom was. It is not fair—”
“We can’t keep
having this discussion every night,” Mother cuts in, her voice curt. “I know it
is disappointing that there are no colleges and no continued education for you.
And I also know you don’t want any of the jobs the territory has to offer—”
“But that is the
way it is, and you have to deal with it,” says Father, cutting her off.
“I’m not hungry
anymore.” I push my plate aside.
I know it is
foolish because around here you don’t always know where your next meal is
coming from, but I can’t stomach the same conversation along with the same dry
food every night.
“May I be
excused?” I lower my head.
“Yes, Emma. You
may.” My mother’s tone is soft. “And Em, things will get better,” she says with
sad eyes.
She always says
that. I think, more for herself than for me. But things never get better. They
always stay the same, or get worse.
L.J. Epps is a lover of all things related to books: fiction and nonfiction novels, as well as biographies and autobiographies. She has also been known to sit and read comic books from cover to cover, several times over.
Over the last few years, L.J. has written several manuscripts; her mission is to publish all of them. She enjoys writing fiction in several genres, including contemporary romance and women’s fiction, as well as young adult dystopian, science fiction and fantasy. She loves to write because it immerses her into another world that is not her own.
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