Across Nature's Circle

2: Pace

"Who is that?" Matera asked, peeking through the blinds of the front window. We all jumped up from the couch to look, too.

"I have no idea," Patera said.

"They didn't tell you anything?" my sister, Aldima, asked Matera.

"No," she answered.

We all stared at the moving truck until the family got out a while later.

"We should go introduce ourselves," Matera said and let go of the blinds she was holding open to go to the door. All of us quickly followed.

"Welcome to Nature's Circle," Matera said.

"Thank you," said the lady whom I assume to be the matera of their family. "We are the Ricardly family. I'm Wisla, this is my husband, Kimlei. These are my kids, Zyra, who is 15, and Tad, who is 12," she said, giving the typical Clada introduction.

"We are the Daggard family. I'm Dylia, my husband, Ebrude, my kids are Pace, who is also 15, and Aldima who is 13," Matera said, echoing Dunina Ricardly's introduction.

There was an awkward silence as we waited for Matera and Dunina Ricardly to size each other up.

"You must be getting ready to upgrade your knowledge, Tad," Patera said, trying to break the silence and tension.

"Yes," he said and stood up straighter. "My Day of Birth is about three months away, so my second Knowledge Ceremony is coming up."

The Knowledge Ceremony is something everyone has when they get the next level of knowledge installed in their chips. The first knowledge installation comes when the chip is first inserted hours after birth, but that goes along with the Celebration of Birth. The first Knowledge Ceremony comes at the age of three. Then eight, 13, 18, 20, and in 10-year intervals after that, until you die. In order for us to know what is necessary as life goes on, we can only access the information when the chip decides we're ready for it.

"Do you need help unpacking?" Matera asked when the conversation died once more.

"Yes, thank you," Dunina Ricardly said, obviously relieved that she had some help.

Matera and Aldima started toward the back of the truck to join Dunina Ricardly and her daughter while Patera and I struck up a conversation with Tad and his patera.

I only half listened to the conversation, as I was busy watching Zyra move some stuff from her family's truck. There wasn't much to move as most of the things each family had belonged to Government.

"Shall we all get something to eat?" Patera suggested when the girls finished unloading.

"Yes. Where can we. . ." Dunina Ricardly trailed off, as she didn't know much about the life of people in Nature's Circle.

"Ponatima is the best restaurant in all of Clada. Just go into your teleporter and select "restaurants", then select Ponatima. We will meet you there!" Patera said with a bright smile and we left for our own teleporter. Seconds later we were all in the restaurant.

"Welcome to Ponatima," the monitor on the greeting desk said. "Please scan your chips under the scanner, place your order, and proceed to your table."

We did as the monitor instructed. When we got to our table that was lit up with our names and, as usual, the adults started with pleasant small talk while all of the kids sat in awkward silence.

"So I'm assuming Dunina Ricardly was a Deliverer," I said, trying to spark up a conversation. If we were going to live around each other, we have to at least make an effort to know each other.

"Yes," Zyra said after it became obvious her brother wasn't going to answer. "Our patera was a Writer before he married my matera. What about your parents?"

"Our Patera was born into a Government family, and passed the Test of Loyalty. Our Matera got promoted, from a Writer because Government was so impressed with her. She met our Patera there, and the rest is history."

The Test of Loyalty is a test that the children of parents who worked in Government have to take to prove their loyalty to Government. If they fail, they are demoted down to Servants where they blend in so much they are never heard from again.

"I've always hoped to meet my Partner in some special way," Aldima said with a dreamy look in her eye.

"Most Partners meet through their work," Tad said matter-of-factly.

"I know, but there are other possible ways," she said, slightly more resigned.

Just when it seemed like someone would have to make another last-ditch attempt at a lame conversation, our food came.

"So this is what pizza is," Zyra said. Aldima and I looked at each other, silently asking the other if she was serious.

"We've only seen it on the television when Government advises us to gain points so we can live this life," Tad said. I guess that made sense. Aldima and I were just so used to living like this it was hard to imagine that the lower classes don't experience the same things.

"Join hands," Zyra said, and we all did as she told so we could start the Praise of Clada.

"We thank Founders for this food," we all said in unison. "We thank them for their courage and generosity when saving us mortal souls. We owe our lives to Founders and Government. Hail Clada. Lurben lave clav murken."

The Praise of Clada is done by everyone before each meal and is our Pledge of Service. We thank Founders for all they have done for us and we renew our pledge to our country. The words at the end mean "I live, I love, I hail, I serve." It is the motto of Clada in the old language of the Founders, and is printed everywhere, including our flag.

"Praise the Founders! This is delicious!" Zyra exclaimed and Tad nodded in agreement. Aldima and I couldn't help but laugh at her. "What?" she asked when she caught us laughing.

"Nothing. It's just amusing that you are so fascinated by pizza," I said with a smile.

"So," Aldima said, breaking the gaze Zyra and I were sharing, "what was it like being in a Delivery family?"

"I imagine it is going to be an adjustment having Government pay for everything."

"Not for me," Tad piped up.

Government generously pays for all of our expenses until the time we reach our 13th Day of Birth when we start paying with our Life Points. Then, when we turn 21, we start paying with Work Points. Unless your mother works for Government that is, when Government pays for all of the family's expenses. Government is fantastic in that way.

"Even though it's only been two years, I'm still used to worrying about Life Points," Zyra said.

"Be careful," Aldima warned. "Your allotted amount of mistakes still applies in this level of society."

"Luckily I don't have any mistakes," Zyra said with an air of importance.

"Goody Two-Shoes," Tad whispered.

"Excuse me," Zyra said, clearly offended. "I'm just very appreciative of everything Government and the Founders have done for us, and I don't want to come across as ungrateful by breaking the rules carefully laid out for our own protection."

Tad lifted his hands up in surrender and turned back to his last bite of pizza. Zyra finished hers in a huff as Aldima and I exchanged glances of amusement.

"Ready to go, children?" Matera asked from the parents' table.

"Yes," Aldima answered for all of us, and we all got up to leave.

"Thank you so much for everything you have done this evening," Dunina Ricardly said just before she stepped into a teleporter. Her family echoed her thank you and they all disappeared from the restaurant moments later.

"I like them," Patera said.

"Me too," I said, unsure why I couldn't shake the image of Zyra out of my head.