Overpopulation has taken its toll and resources are scarce. People with disabilities are labeled as “unnecessary” as scientists attempt to lower the world’s population. The human race is approaching its demise. The world is confined.

Senior Kailey Cheng learned about the potential dangers of overpopulation during freshman year biology class. Since then, she has written and self-published a novel, “The Confined World,” which recently released on Amazon and CreateSpace. The book centers around a group of rebels, the Liberators. These rebels rise against the unjust government and Organization for Better Humanity, an institution with the intention to lower the human population.

“The book is about an evil man, who is big in science,” Cheng said. “The population is growing rapidly, and resources are becoming scarce. The scientist comes up with a plan to kill off the disabled people, second siblings and the mentally ill. The [story] is about a group of rebels, the majority of them being disabled people, rising up.”

Cheng has been working for two years in order to get her novel in pristine shape. However, she did not complete this journey alone and has received help and feedback from close friends and family, including senior Ellen Wray.

“Kailey used to send me a chapter at a time, every few weeks. I would always read it and give her feedback,” Wray said. “Toward the end of junior year, the updates started becoming more frequent, so we started to talk more about it. During the summer when she finished the novel, I helped her design the cover.”

Cheng’s younger sister, freshman Julia, has also actively assisted her throughout the writing process.

“I didn’t expect Kailey to be such a good writer,” Julia said. “She ended up being really good, and the book has an important message. She worked hard to finish this book, and would stay up late in the basement to work on it. I am so proud of her.”

Recently, Cheng’s yearbook adviser Mary Kay Downes, with whom she has worked for the past three years, heard about the novel.

“When I found out about Kailey’s book, I immediately got on Amazon to order a copy,” Downes said. “This has been a long journey for her, as far as I understand. She is possibly one of the most modest people I have ever known.”

Although Cheng’s passion made the process a hobby instead of a chore, her work on the book came in spurts of productivity throughout the past two years.

“There were times where I would have these big writing sprees, and I would write all of these words at once, but there were also weeks where I would not write anything,” Cheng said.

Now that Cheng is a published author, she looks forward to continuing to explore her passion for the written word.

“No matter how many hours you spend on a passion, the self-fulfillment you get from devoting time to that fuels everything else,” Downes said. “It is when you do not have a passion that you can get overloaded, because there is no place for the soul to find solace.”

“The Confined World” is available for purchase on Amazon or CreateSpace for $16.