Forward: Good and Bad

14 year old Kennedy Hoss lives with her older sister Hannibal in the run-down society of Musket, Missouri. A disease has taken the lives or many including their parents, and now people must live on "batteries"- life-saving devices implanted in their bodies that make them stronger. When Hannibal suddenly goes missing, Kennedy feels trapped knowing that there is no way for her to get help. In a whirlwind of bravery, Kennedy finds the strength to fight for her rights until the fence around Musket comes down once and for all. ---Prologue--------------------------------------- I twist this way and that in front of the mirror so that I can get a good look at my forearm. The doctors had explained to me that I'd be farsighted for a few hours after the procedure, meaning it was luckily temporary but extremely annoying. I hold my left arm out still, then make a fist and move it forward and backward. As my skin moves, I see the edges of a rectangular shape just beneath the skin on my wrist. Then I hear a small beeping sound and my veins light up red. I wrap a thick black Velcro bracelet around the battery so that it can charge. I look up at my own face in the mirror and examine my skin. The color is beginning to drain back, and I rub my pink cheeks with much gratitude. Today is the one month anniversary of me being plague-free. I was tired of being so weak. After I had gotten it, my muscles had shrunken and became weaker, and every time I moved my bones and joints would make cracking and popping sounds. I shuddered at the memory. Unfortunately my mom and had been too sick to save, but my older sister Hannibal and I had been able to undergo treatment, and with the help of our new batteries, we were completely mobilized again. © 2013, Diana Bail. Except as provided by the Copyright Act [October 6, 2013] no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.