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It was a short ride to the Auditoriu to her friends from her seat on the back of Mother's bicycle Jonas stowed his bicycle beside Mother's and roup

The entire community attended the Ceremony each year For the parents, it e hall Children sat with their groups until they went, one by one, to the stage

Father, though, would not join Mother in the audience right away For the earliest cereht the newchildren to the stage Jonas, from his place in the balcony with the Elevens, searched the Auditoriulimpse of Father It wasn't at all hard to spot the Nurturers' section at the front; co from it were the wails and howls of the newchildren who sat squir on the Nurturers' laps At every other public ceremony, the audience was silent and attentive But once a year, they all sently at the co to receive their naht his father's eye and waved Father grinned and waved back, then held up the hand of the newchild on his lap,it wave, too

It wasn't Gabriel Gabe was back at the Nurturing Center today, being cared for by the night crew He had been given an unusual and special reprieve fro before his Naone before the coained the weight appropriate to his days of life nor begun to sleep soundly enough at night to be placed with his family unit Normally such a newchild would be labeled Inadequate and released from the community

Instead, as a result of Father's plea, Gabriel had been labeled Uncertain and given the additional year He would continue to be nurtured at the Center and would spend his nights with Jonas's fa Lily, had been required to sign a pledge that they would not becouest, and that they would relinquish hined to his own family unit at next year's Cereht, after Gabriel was placed next year, they would still see him often because he would be part of the coain Ever Those ere released--even as newchildren--were sent Elsewhere and never returned to the cole newchild this year, so Gabriel would have represented a real failure and sadness Even Jonas, though he didn't hover over the little one the way Lily and his father did, was glad that Gabe had not been released

The first Cereht on tiiven a name and handed by the Nurturers to its new family unit For soe acco with pride to receive a little brother or sister, the way Jonas had when he was about to be a Five

Asher poked Jonas's arot Phillipa?" he asked in a loud whisper Jonas nodded It had only been last year Asher's parents had waited quite a long ti for a second child Maybe, Jonas suspected, they had been so exhausted by Asher's lively foolishness that they had needed a little tiroup, Fiona and another fe with their parents to receive newchildren But it was rare that there was such an age gap between children in a family unit

When her family's ceremony was completed, Fiona took the seat that had been saved for her in the row ahead of Asher and Jonas She turned and whispered to them, "He's cute But I don't like his naled Fiona's new brother had been naht, like--well, like Gabriel, for example But it was okay

The audience applause, which was enthusiastic at each Naloith pride, took a male newchild and heard him named Caleb

This new Caleb was a replacement child The couple had lost their first Caleb, a cheerful little Four Loss of a child was very, very rare The community was extraordinarily safe, each citizen watchful and protective of all children But somehow the first little Caleb had wandered away unnoticed, and had fallen into the river The entire co the nahout an entire day, less and less frequently, softer in volu and somber day went on, so that the little Four seeradually from everyone's consciousness

Now, at this special Na, the community perfor the name for the first time since the loss: softly and slowly at first, then faster and with greater volue with the newchild sleeping in the

Another newchild was given the name Roberto, and Jonas remembered that Roberto the Old had been released only last week But there was no Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony for the new little Roberto Release was not the sah the cerely bored as he was each year Then a break for ain to the seats, for the Fives, Sixes, Sevens, and finally, last of the first day's cerehts

Jonas watched and cheered as Lily ht and received the identifying jacket that she would wear this year, this one with s that she was s She stood sole to the speech of fir volunteer hours for the first tih she see bicycles, which would be presented to to the Nines

Next year, Lily-billy, Jonas thought

It was an exhausting day, and even Gabriel, retrieved in his basket froht

Finally it was theof the Ceremony of Twelve