“Oh, look!” Lily squealed in delight. “Isn’t he cute? Look, how tiny he is! And he has funny eyes like yours, Jonas! Maybe he had the same Birthmother as you.” Jonas glared at her. He didn’t like it that she had mentioned his eyes. Almost every citizen in the community had dark eyes. His parents did, and Lily did, and so did all of his group members and friends. But there were a few exceptions: Jonas himself, and female Five who he had noticed had the different, lighter eyes. No one mentioned such things; it was not a rule, but was considered rude to call attention to things that were unsettling or different about individuals. Lily, he decided, would have to learn that soon, or she would be called in for chastisement because of her insensitive chatter. “I think newchildren are so cute,” Lily sighed, “I hope I get assigned to be a Birthmother.” “Lily!” Mother spoke very sharper. “Don’t say that. There’s very little honor in that Assignment.”

“But I heard the Birthmothers get wonderful food, and they have very gentle exercise periods, and most of the time they just play games and amuse themselves while they’re waiting. I think I’d like that,” Lily said. “Three years, three births and that’s all. And the birth mothers never even get to see newchildren. After that, they are Laborers for the rest of their adult lives, until the day that they enter the House of the Old. Is that what you want, Lily? Three lazy years, and then hard physical labor until you are old? ”Well, no, I guess not,“ Lily acknowledged reluctantly. Jonas thought about an incident that had happened during the recreation period, when he had been playing with Asher. Jonas had casually picked up an apple from the basket where the snacks were kept, and had thrown it to his friend. Asher had thrown it back, and they had begun a simple game of catch. There had been nothing special about it.l But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece of fruit had – well, this was the part that he couldn’t adequately understand –the apple had changed. Just for an instant. It had changed in mid-air, he remembered. It had happened four times.