The parents nod. According to the data, were missing an older sibling, the second in command, Official Lei, says in her gentle voice.

Three Officials walk up to the door of a little house at sunset.

The house looks like all of the others on the street: two shutters on each of its three forward-facing windows, five steps up to the door, and one small, spiky bush planted to the right of the path.

The oldest of the Officials, a man with gray hair, raises his hand to knock.

One. Two. Three. The Officials stand close enough to the glass that I can see the circle-shaped insignia sewn on the right pocket of the youngest Officials uniform.

In the past, the Official Ceremony was a big occasion at City Hall.

The Society held a formal dinner and you could bring your parents and your Match with you.

But the Official Ceremony isnt one of the three big ceremoniesWelcoming Day, the Match Banquet, and the Final Celebrationand so its not what it used to be.

The Society has started to cut corners where they can, and they assume Officials are loyal enough not to complain about their ceremony losing some of its trimmings.

I stood there with four others, all of us in new white uniforms.

The head Official pinned the insignia on my pocket: the red circle representing the Medical Department.

And then, with our voices echoing under the dome of the mostly empty Hall, we all committed to the Society and pledged to achieve our Society-designated potential.

That was all. I didnt care that the ceremony wasnt anything special.

A girl wearing a violet dress hurries along the sidewalk behind us.

Her parents follow behind, all three of them heading toward the nearest air-train stop.

It hasnt even been a year since I walked up the stairs of City Hall with Cassia.

She looks tired, even on what should be one of the happiest days of her life.

The Society doesnt talk about it much, but things are harder in the Border Provinces.

The resources seem to start in Central and then bleed outward.

Everything here in Camas Province is kind of dirty and worn out.

After the door closes behind us, the mother holds out the baby for us to see.

Welcoming Day celebrations are always held a week after the babys birth.

The babys eyes are closed, but we know from our data that the color is deep blue.

His hair: brown. We also know that he arrived on his due date and that under the tightly wrapped blanket he has ten fingers and ten toes.

His voice has exactly the right balance of benevolence and authority.

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