1 Prologue

In the year 2054, there was an outbreak of an illness that hit so quickly that no one had a chance to prepare for it. Billions of people died within weeks. To this day no one is sure what caused the illness, where it came from, and if it is truly gone. Countries fell and chaos ensued.

Over the next fifty years, some groups slowly became powerful and took over the fallen countries. North America was taken over by the group named The Chosen. The Chosen was a group of people who were immune to the illness who used that to their advantage. They used it to take complete control of the continent. Everything from what was Canada to the tip of what was Mexico was theirs.

Throughout the years many more would die from starvation as well as the lawlessness that was rampant until the Chosen took over. Towns and even cities were reduced to mere villages where survivors of the illness would try to group in hopes of surviving the chaos that was the world.

Over the years of control, the Chosen learned that there were more males than females left in the territory that they were in control of. The leaders began to come up with a plan to make sure that the strongest male lines and those that were worthy of it, we're able to have a mate to continue the population with. The old laws of marriage were no longer of any use, thus the annual reaping would take place.

All females once they reach the age of eighteen would be sent by their village to the reaping held in the capital. All males who were deemed worthy would be sent at the age of twenty to take a mate. The rules were simple and there was no room for argument. The men chose and the women went with whoever chose them.

All men are watched, graded, and observed their entire young life. The leaders of the regions report to the Chosen in who is of the highest quality to be able to go to the reaping and chose a mate. The higher the score the higher your standing in the order of choosing.

The women went through examinations to determine what if any faults they had. Whether it was illness, promiscuity, or even low intellect all of these were to be listed when the woman was placed up for reaping. Virgins were the most wanted since there haven't been any in the reaping for the last twenty years. Most women chose to give themselves to someone of their choosing before the reaping so that they at least got to control who they shared that with. The rights of the women were stripped when it came to the reaping, so most took the only control that they could get and gave away the one thing that they had to the person of their choosing.

The Chosen leaders were always the first to pick during the reaping. Over the last five years, the new leader of the Chosen has yet to take a mate. Many believe that it is because he is a tyrant and could care less about having one woman to warm his bed. Others think that it is because there hasn't been anyone worthy of him to be up for reaping. The fact remains that the twenty-five-year-old leader has yet to show his face to the people and he has yet to pick a mate.