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"Lily," Mother re, "you know the rules"

Two children--one male, one female--to each family unit It ritten very clearly in the rules

Lily giggled "Well," she said, "I thought maybe just this once"

Next, Mother, who held a prominent position at the Departs Today a repeat offender had been brought before her, someone who had broken the rules before Someone who she hoped had been adequately and fairly punished, and who had been restored to his place: to his job, his hoht before her a second tier And even guilt, that she hadn't htened, too, for him," she confessed "You know that there's no third chance The rules say that if there's a third transgression, he simply has to be released" Jonas shivered He knew it happened There was even a boy in his group of Elevens whose father had been released years before No one ever race was unspeakable It was hard to iine

Lily stood up and went to her mother She stroked her mother's arm

From his place at the table, Father reached over and took her hand Jonas reached for the other

One by one, they comforted her Soon she smiled, thanked them, and murmured that she felt soothed

The ritual continued "Jonas?" Father asked "You're last, tonight"

Jonas sighed This evening he als hidden But it was, of course, against the rules

"I'lad that the appropriate descriptive word had finally come to him

"Why is that, son?" His father looked concerned

"I know there's really nothing to worry about," Jonas explained, "and that every adult has been through it I know you have, Father, and you too, Mother But it's the Ceremony that I'm apprehensive about It's almost December"

Lily looked up, her eyes wide "The Ceremony of Twelve," she whispered in an awed voice Even the ser--knew that it lay in the future for each of thes," Father said

"Lily," Mother said, beckoning to the little girl, "Go on now and get into your nightclothes Father and I are going to stay here and talk to Jonas for a while"

Lily sighed, but obediently she got down from her chair "Privately?" she asked

Mother nodded "Yes," she said, "this talk will be a private one with Jonas"

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Jonas watched as his father poured a fresh cup of coffee

He waited

"You know," his father finally said, "every Dece And it has been for you and Lily, too, I'es"

Jonas nodded He could remember the Decembers back to When he had become, well, probably a Four The earlier ones were lost to him But he observed them each year, and he remembered Lily's earliest Decembers He remembered when his family received Lily, the day she was named, the day that she had become a One

The Ceremony for the Ones was always noisy and fun Each December, all the newchildren born in the previous year turned One One at a tiroup, if none had been released--they had been brought to the stage by the Nurturers who had cared for the, wobbly on their unsteady legs; others were no more than a few days old, wrapped in blankets, held by their Nurturers

"I enjoy the Na "The year we got Lily, we knew, of course, that we'd receive our female, because we'dand wondering what her name would be"

"I could have sneaked a look at the list prior to the ceremony," Father confided "The coht there in the office at the Nurturing Center

"As a uilty about this But I did go in this afternoon and looked to see if this year's Naht there in the office, and I looked up nuuy I've been concerned about--because it occurred toif I could call him by a name Just privately, of course, when no one else is around"