1st 1/5 of novel

In the story so far the main character Elliot has recapped on his past experiences and they have been pretty grim. Elliot has had a pretty miserable life he gets bullied at school on a regularly basis, and just when his dad gets his new business up and running he gets attacked. This brutal attack causes his father to become a "vegetable". These random attacks are becoming more common and there done for stupid reasons like the small amount of money in your pocket. My favourite character so far is Elliot because I feel sorry for him being bullied at school and then coming home to a bad house with an upset mom and mentally deficient father. The one part that is confusing me is that the "Guardians" control the kids out side the school walls. I don't know if its true or if its a rumor or a scary legend.