Knowledge is Power - Prologue

Braken Haven was quiet. He never made a spectacle of himself - in fact, he avoided it, just like almost everyone else. He was one of those kids that just melted into the crowd, never to be seen or heard from again. Unless you were watching out for him, like I always did. If you caught him at the right time, his brown eyes had this light about them. It was warm, and inviting even if it wasn't very bright. Rarer even was his smile - which just radiated hope - but you couldn't really blame him. Smiles all around were really rare.
Cera Minor stood out. Her laugh echoed through the the halls of our school, bringing noise and color to our monochromatic world. She had this effect on people, like even if you had just experienced the worst day of your life you couldn't be around her without smiling just a little. Her blue eyes had a kind of crazy glare in them, like she was fighting against all odds, which was often accompanied by a maniacal grin - like she knew she had a chance.
They lived in the time of The Knowers. They were the governing head of the era. It wasn't based on election though - to even be considered you had to have the gift. The gifted people have the choice of a single subject to know every single detail about. Some of them decided they'd like to use their gift to gain power, and eventually they found ways to control other people's gifts. These 'Knowers' governed the country, lending their professional advice in any situation.
Advice being the operative term here. In the beginning they were good, dedicated to helping the people. The people idolized them, turning to them for help with the smallest problems. Their reputation grew rapidly, along with their power. Before we knew it, they made the laws, and had their own militia, the Elite, to enforce them. The change was so precise, so perfect, that no one saw it coming.
Their plots came to the surface, and the people panicked. The Knowers had completely over-powered their country, and no one could do anything about it, because they knew everything. When someone, anyone, showed sign of having the 'gift,' the Elite appeared instantly, whisking them away. Their families and friends didn't even hear about them until one day seven weeks later, when they would maybe appear as a new council member, cold-faced and hard-hearted. When asked for memories from their past, they all had the same reply: "In my past, I was ignorant, not knowing what to do with myself. No memory of then could be of any relevance now."
Signs of a Knower are easy enough to pick out. When the gift kicks in, you find yourself answering any question asked that reaches your ears, whether you knew the answer or not. Unlimited knowledge was yours - until the Elite came for you, that is. No one knew what they did to the people they took, the only thing they could do was hope that they would see them again - not everyone showed up on the council. People prayed, hoped, even begged to see their dearly departed, until the seven weeks had passed. That was when the mourning begun, because then you knew they were gone for good.
It wasn't like this was something rare either. People disappeared every week, I can't think of anyone who hadn't been effected by their rule. Tears were so regular now that you were lucky to be comforted. I will always remember the day my sister was taken. My world seemed like it was going to implode, because my parents were never really there for me - my sister was. I relied on her to keep my head on straight, she had the answers for everything. Before long, though, I had stopped crying. I realized that there was no point, all I wanted to know was what happened to her. Over time, I didn't think about it as much, the memory of her being dragged away would hit me every now and then, but I did my best to ignore it.
I never knew my father. All my mother could ever bring herself to tell me was that the Elite came to the hospital, as I was being born. According to her, he put up a fight, pleading to see his son just once. They incapacitated him with a few precise punches and carried him out. I was kicking and screaming minutes later. I love my mother, but a boy without a father is as lost as a second grader at the ACT. My hatred of the Knower's Council took deep and immediate root from the beginning. I've tried to make my mother tell me if he was on the council, but her eyes close in pain and she shakes her head. Anyone, anyone at all, who does that to my mother, deserves to pay the ultimate price. I had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that I was the one to make them pay. The only question is: What is the price?