Uninvited

Uninvited Plot Summary

Introduction

The blood test arrived on a Tuesday morning, changing seventeen-year-old Davy Hamilton's life forever. One moment she was a gifted musician bound for Juilliard, beloved by teachers and dating the school's golden boy. The next, she was branded with the kill gene—HTS positive, a carrier of Homicidal Tendency Syndrome. In this near-future America, genetic testing has become the ultimate judge and jury, determining who walks free and who gets marked as a future killer. The Wainwright Agency's vans cruise suburban streets, collecting carriers like Davy for processing. Some disappear into detention camps behind barbed wire. Others, the lucky few, receive invitations to specialized training facilities where they might earn a chance at redemption. But in a world that sees monsters in DNA sequences, the line between salvation and damnation grows thinner with each passing day. Davy's journey from privileged teenager to something darker begins with a simple swab of saliva and ends in a place where survival demands embracing the very nature society fears most.

Chapter 1: The Gilded Cage Shattered: When DNA Destroys Dreams

The Hamilton family's pristine world crumbles in minutes. Davy returns from Everton Academy to find her parents' faces etched with horror, her headmaster Mr. Grayson wringing his hands in their living room. A stranger—Agent Pollock from the Wainwright Agency—sits like death incarnate, clutching papers that spell out her genetic doom. HTS positive. The kill gene. Her father Patrick waves his checkbook desperately, offering bribes that bounce off Pollock's cold indifference. Money can't buy back innocence once science strips it away. Davy's acceptance letter to Juilliard becomes meaningless paper. Her carefully planned future—concerts, acclaim, a life of artistic triumph—evaporates like morning mist. The girl who once played Chopin at age three now faces a world that sees her as a weapon waiting to detonate. That evening, her boyfriend Zac arrives with flowers and promises of eternal love. But when Davy reveals her test results, his devotion crumbles. The boy who claimed he'd love her forever can't even meet her eyes. He mumbles excuses and flees, leaving her standing on the porch where they'd shared countless kisses. Her best friend Tori's calls stop coming. Classmates who once sought her attention now cross hallways to avoid her. The kill gene is contagious only in fear. Even her parents treat her differently. Her mother's forced smiles can't mask the terror in her eyes. Her father stops coming home for dinner. Only her brother Mitchell stands by her, angry and helpless, promising fights he can't win. Davy realizes with crushing clarity that the girl she was—the musician, the scholar, the beloved daughter—has died. What remains is something new, something feared, something marked.

Chapter 2: Marked and Monitored: Life Among the Carriers

Everton Academy's marble halls become forbidden territory. Davy finds herself exiled to Keller High School, shuffled into a basement classroom the students call "the Cage." Chain-link fencing separates her from normal students, as if her presence might contaminate their futures. Seven carriers huddle together in this metal pen, watched by Mr. Brockman, a leering guard who treats them like dangerous animals. Her new classmates wear their alienation differently. Gil, a scrawny computer genius, maintains nervous optimism despite his orange carrier badge. Coco carves geometric patterns into her desk, her silence speaking volumes about survival strategies. Nathan and Brian, the bullies, establish pecking orders through violence and intimidation. Each morning brings fresh humiliations—separate bathrooms, bagged lunches, escorts through empty hallways. The worst arrives last. Sean O'Rourke enters the Cage like a storm front, his neck bearing the circular H tattoo of the imprinted. Unlike the others, he radiates dangerous calm, his pale eyes missing nothing. He's been marked not just as a carrier but as one who's already acted on violent impulses. The other boys defer to him instinctively, recognizing predator hierarchy. Davy fears him and finds herself drawn to him in equal measure. Brockman's predatory attention shifts between the girls, offering protection for compliance. His suggestions make Davy's skin crawl, but she watches Coco disappear with him into storage closets. Survival takes many forms in the Cage. When Brockman corners Davy in a bathroom, pressing his authority like a blade against her throat, Sean appears. No words pass between the boys, but Brockman retreats. Protection arrives from the most dangerous source of all.

Chapter 3: The Imprint of Shame: Branded as a Killer

The van comes without warning. Agent Pollock appears at Keller High like an executioner, his clipboard bearing witness statements from her former friends. At Carlton's party, Davy had slapped Zac—her ex-boyfriend's entitled demand for sexual gratitude finally breaking her restraint. Tori, her former best friend, signed papers declaring her dangerous. The testimony paints her as a monster in disguise, violence simmering beneath perfect grades and musical talent. The imprinting facility strips away her last shred of dignity. Leather restraints bite into her wrists and ankles as technician Andersen prepares his instruments. The collar locks around her throat like a medieval torture device, its metal teeth promising permanent transformation. When the tattooing needles pierce her flesh, agony explodes through every nerve. The ink burns its way into her skin, marking her as society's most feared enemy. Andersen works with clinical detachment, his hands steady as he brands her neck with the circled H. Each needle strike drives home her new reality—she belongs to the monsters now. Her parents' horror when she returns home cuts deeper than the physical pain. Her father won't meet her eyes. Her mother flinches at her touch. Even Mitchell, her loyal brother, stares at the mark with barely concealed revulsion. The imprint changes everything and nothing. She's still the same girl who played violin at charity galas and aced calculus exams. But now that truth lives beneath a layer of ink that screams "killer" to every passerby. The world sees the mark and makes its judgment. Davy Hamilton, promising young woman, has died. What remains is carrier #4432, a number in the Wainwright Agency's files.

Chapter 4: Mount Haven's Promise: Training the Condemned

Agent Stiles arrives like a dark angel offering redemption. Mount Haven, she explains, represents salvation for exceptional carriers—those whose talents might serve the state despite their genetic flaws. Davy's musical gifts and academic achievements have earned her a reprieve from the detention camps that swallow most carriers. She'll join forty-nine others in specialized training, learning to channel their violent natures into useful skills. The converted mental institution squats among New Mexico mountains like a fortress of last hopes. Commander Harris greets the new arrivals with military precision, his shaved head gleaming under spotlights. His welcoming speech makes their situation crystal clear—succeed or disappear into camps where conditions grow worse each day. The lucky few must prove themselves worthy of continued existence. Mount Haven's routine grinds away weakness with mechanical efficiency. Pre-dawn runs through mountain trails, combat training that leaves bodies broken and spirits harder. Davy struggles to keep pace with carriers who embrace violence as naturally as breathing. Her privileged upbringing becomes a liability in a world that respects only strength and cunning. Each day brings new humiliations as stronger students establish dominance through brutality. Sean and Gil provide islands of familiarity in the ocean of hostility. Their friendship becomes a lifeline as Mount Haven's true nature reveals itself. This isn't rehabilitation—it's weaponization. The staff doesn't seek to cure violent tendencies but to harness them. They're training assassins and soldiers, tools for a government that fears its own citizens. The only question is whether Davy can survive long enough to become something useful or if she'll break first under the relentless pressure.

Chapter 5: Blood on Innocent Hands: The Making of a Monster

The night exercise begins as a manhunt through dark woods. Teams of carriers stalk a "volunteer"—actually an escaped detention camp prisoner whose repeated attempts at freedom have exhausted official patience. Davy's team captures their quarry through teamwork and cunning, her tactical thinking earning reluctant respect from male teammates who initially dismissed her as weak. Victory turns to horror when Commander Harris produces his sidearm. The reward for success, he announces, will be the honor of executing their captive. Davy stares at the trembling man—hollow-eyed, defeated, already broken by months of brutality in camps designed to destroy the human spirit. His whispered prayers cut through the night air like accusations. Every instinct screams against pulling the trigger on an innocent whose only crime was carrying the wrong genes. When she refuses, Harris calmly places his gun against Sean's temple. The message couldn't be clearer—kill the prisoner or watch someone she cares about die instead. The boy who's protected her, who's shown her kindness in a world gone mad, will pay the price for her moral stance. The choice becomes no choice at all. Her finger tightens on the trigger as Harris counts down to Sean's execution. The gunshot echoes across the compound like thunder, drowning out her scream of anguish. The body drops with finality that haunts her dreams. Davy has become what the DNA test predicted—a killer. The music that once filled her head falls silent, replaced by the memory of brown eyes going glassy and empty. Mount Haven's true lesson becomes clear: everyone breaks eventually. The only question is how much of your soul survives the transformation.

Chapter 6: Breaking Free: Love and Survival Beyond the Walls

The aftermath of murder changes everything. Davy's horror wars against Sean's gentle comfort as he tends her wounds—both physical and spiritual. Their desperate kiss in her locked room tastes of salt tears and shared trauma. But intimacy brings new dangers in a place where affection becomes weaponized. The staff will use their connection against them both, forcing impossible choices between self-preservation and protecting those they love. Jackson and his pack of genuine psychopaths circle like wolves sensing weakness. Their attack in the woods proves that not all carriers are victims of genetic prejudice—some truly deserve the marks they bear. When Jackson's blade opens her lip and Sean's retaliation leaves the sadist broken and bloody, Davy realizes Mount Haven's graduation requirements. Only the strongest, most ruthless will survive to serve the state. The weak feed the strong until nothing remains but apex predators. Sean's escape plan offers desperate hope—an underground network smuggling carriers to safety beyond America's borders. The details matter less than the chance to flee before Mount Haven completes their transformation into government weapons. Davy's privileged background argues for patience, for earning their trust and eventual freedom. But that path requires becoming the monster they want her to be. The midnight escape unfolds like a fever dream. They scale walls and slip through shadows while guards patrol in their mechanical routines. Gil's technical skills open electronic locks while Sabine—quiet, overlooked Sabine—proves her own capacity for violence by crushing their pursuer's skull with a thrown rock. At the border, a stranger's truck idles in darkness, promising passage to a life beyond genetic destiny. As they cross into Mexico, Davy leaves behind everything she once was, carrying only Sean's love and the terrible knowledge of what she's capable of when cornered.

Summary

Davy Hamilton's journey from concert halls to killing fields reveals the ultimate cost of genetic prejudice. The girl who once played Chopin with innocent fingers learned to pull triggers when survival demanded it. Mount Haven's machinery of violence transforms victims into perpetrators, ensuring that society's prophecies become self-fulfilling. Even escape carries its price—she remains marked by ink and deed, forever changed by a world that demanded she become the monster it feared. Yet in Sean's arms and Gil's loyalty, hope persists beyond the reach of genetic determinism. Their love story unfolds against humanity's darkest impulses, proving that connection survives even when civilization fails. The kill gene may predict capacity for violence, but it cannot dictate the human heart's ability to choose compassion over cruelty, sacrifice over selfishness. In fleeing America's genetic dystopia, they carry forward the possibility that DNA need not define destiny—that some truths transcend the cold logic of double helixes and statistical probabilities.

About Author

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Sophie Jordan

Jordan explores the intersections of historical romance and contemporary fiction with a focus on emotional depth and character-driven narratives. Her early experiences in Texas hill country, where she spun tales of dragons and princesses, laid the groundwork for a rich storytelling career. This passion for narrative extended into her academic pursuits, where she studied English and History, refining her skills. After a brief foray into law school, she found greater fulfillment in teaching English, which further deepened her appreciation for storytelling. Her transition from educator to bestselling author was marked by determination and the support of family and friends, enabling her to overcome numerous rejections before publishing her first book.\n\nHer writing is known for its "sexy, racy, and simmering with heart-pounding sensuality," as described by Library Journal. Jordan has published over 50 novels, showcasing versatility across genres including paranormal romance, historical settings, and young adult literature. Notable works include the "Firelight Trilogy," which features young adult paranormal themes, and "The Rogue Files," a historical romance series. Meanwhile, her pen name, Sharie Kohler, extends her reach into paranormal romance. Readers are drawn to her ability to create immersive worlds where romance is infused with both emotional intensity and fantastical elements.\n\nFor readers seeking captivating narratives, Jordan's books offer a compelling escape into worlds where romance and adventure intertwine. Her narratives are not only entertaining but also provide insights into human emotions and relationships. With her ability to write across genres, Sophie Jordan caters to a diverse audience, enriching the literary landscape with her dynamic storytelling. Residing in Houston, she continues to engage readers with her vivid imagination, fueled by caffeine and a love for happy endings, while her works remain a testament to her skill as a prolific author.

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