BREATHE

In a barren land once known as England, a glimmering, glass pod homes the survivors of the Switch, the period when oxygen levels plunged and the green world withered. A state lottery meant the lucky few won safety inside the pod, while the rest suffocated in the thin air.

Life has moved on and the pod is home. The poor, auxiliary class live their lives quietly. With no money to pay the oxygen tax they aren’t able to run, dance or get out of breath, while the rich Premiums are healthy and strong and govern with a sense of birthright.

The Ministry rule with an iron cosh: those who challenge their order are labeled terrorists and get thrown out the back door and left to smother.
In the outlands a few mysterious drifters live in the ruins dragging along fridge-sized oxygen generators. And there are whispers of a resistance who worship trees and survive god-knows-how.

Sixteen year old Alina fights for freedom. But when a routine mission goes wrong and Alina must flee the pod, she finds herself at the mercy of two seemingly ordinary teenage friends on a weekend trip to the outlands.

ALINA, 16 – tough, heartbroken, and committed to the struggle - she will do anything at all to save the trees.

QUINN, 16 – a privileged Premium with Ministry connections - his closest friend is an auxiliary, but where will his loyalties lie when he’s tested?

BEA, 15 – kind, intuitive, and smart - Quinn holds her heart in his hands but he’s too clueless to see what’s right in front of him.

They have two days of oxygen in their tanks. What happens on the third day?

Category: Young Adult