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"I felt very angry this afternoon," Lily announced "My Childcare group was at the play area, and we had a visiting group of Sevens, and they didn't obey the rules at all One of theht to the front of the line for the slide, even though the rest of us were all waiting I felt so angry at him I made my hand into a fist, like this" She held up a clenched fist and the rest of the faesture

"Why do you think the visitors didn't obey the rules?" Mother asked

Lily considered, and shook her head "I don't know They acted likelike"

"Anihed

"That's right," Lily said, laughing too "Like animals" Neither child knehat the word meant, exactly, but it was often used to describe someone uneducated or clumsy, someone who didn't fit in

"Where were the visitors from?" Father asked

Lily frowned, trying to remember "Our leader told us, when he uess I wasn't paying attention It was from another community They had to leave very early, and they had their midday meal on the bus"

Mother nodded "Do you think it's possible that their rules may be different? And so they simply didn't knohat your play area rules were?"

Lily shrugged, and nodded "I suppose"

"You've visited other coroup has, often"

Lily nodded again "When ere Sixes, ent and shared a whole school day with a group of Sixes in their community"

"How did you feel when you were there?"

Lily frowned "I felt strange Because their roup hadn't learned yet, so we felt stupid"

Father was listening with interest "I', Lily," he said, "about the boy who didn't obey the rules today Do you think it's possible that he felt strange and stupid, being in a new place with rules that he didn't know about?"

Lily pondered that "Yes," she said, finally "I feel a little sorry for hih I don't even know him I feel sorry for anyone who is in a place where he feels strange and stupid"

"How do you feel now, Lily?" Father asked "Still angry?"

"I guess not," Lily decided "I guess I feel a little sorry for hirinned

Jonas shtforward, fairly siuessed that his own had been, too, when he was a Seven

He listened politely, though not very attentively, while his father took his turn, describing a feeling of worry that he'd had that day at work: a concern about one of the newchildren asn't doing well Jonas's father's title was Nurturer He and the other Nurturers were responsible for all the physical and e its earliest life It was a very important job, Jonas knew, but it wasn't one that interested him much

"What gender is it?" Lily asked

"Male," Father said "He's a sweet littleas fast as he should, and he doesn't sleep soundly We have hi, but the co him"

"Oh, no," Mother murmured sympathetically "I kno sad that must make you feel"

Jonas and Lily both nodded sympathetically as well Release of newchildren was always sad, because they hadn't had a chance to enjoy life within the co

There were only two occasions of release which were not punishment Release of the elderly, which was a time of celebration for a life well and fully lived; and release of a newchild, which always brought a sense of what-could-we-have-done This was especially troubling for the Nurturers, like Father, who felt they had failed somehow But it happened very rarely

"Well," Father said, "I' I ht, if you don't ht-crew Nurturers are like I think this little guy needs so extra"

"Of course," Mother said, and Jonas and Lily nodded They had heard Father coht-crew nurturing, assigned to those who lacked the interest or skills or insight for the more vital jobs of the daytiht crew had not even been given spouses because they lacked, somehow, the essential capacity to connect to others, which was required for the creation of a family unit

"Maybe we could even keep hi to look innocent The look was fake, Jonas knew; they all knew