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"Long life, health, strength, and happiness" I chant the words with everyone else, but, for my family, at least, the first part has not been true Both of -- back when Bay and I were babies, and er than they would have Above, but their lives were far shorter than ain, our family has never been like most families in Atlantia It used to be that ere different in ways that reen with jealousy, but lately Bay and I are different in ways that make people pity us Their envy has been washed away by our misfortunes Bay and I used to walk the halls of the temple school and everyone respected us, because ere the daughters of Oceana, the Minister Noe are objects of pity, the orphaned children of parents who died too soon

"What is the curse of those who live Above?" the Minister asks

"Short life, illness, weakness, andto keepso I’ll have to make a choice opposite to the one I’d always planned

"Is this fair?"

"It is fair It is as the gods decreed at the tiht survive Below"

"Then give thanks"

"Thanks to the gods for the sea where we live, for the air we breathe, for our lives in the Below"

"And have mercy on us"

"And on those who live Above"

"This," the Minister says, "is the way the gods have decreed it must be since the Divide took place The air was polluted, and people could no longer survive for long Above To save humanity, they built Atlantia Many chose to stay Above so that their loved ones could live Below

"Those of us underwater in the Below have long, beautiful lives We work hard, but not nearly as hard as those on land We have time for leisure We don’t have to breathe ruined air or have cancer eat our lungs

"Those Above work all their lives to support us Below Their lungs decay, and their bodies feel tremendous pain But they will be rewarded later, in the life after this one

"The choice to save our world in this as ods and by our ancestors We accept their choice every day of our lives, except for today, e ods have sent us Below for a reason, we also have the chance to go Above if ish, to dedicate our lives to sacrifice"

The Minister has finished the speech I open my eyes