The short man scolded me for dropping the pad. He placed it back in my hands and explained the process. This was our work station

I knew the mountains and Rose knew children. We were instructed to write a story for the children demonstrating one useful skill in the mountains. It should be very simple, the man said, but interesting. If the story was good enough, it would be used by the Child Keepers to train the young men.

The pad in my hands was connected to every computer on the planet. It would know each of us. If we wished to write a story, we only needed to write that instruction on the pad. It would accommodate our wishes.

It was an odd morning. Rose and I finally decided to write a story about finding food in the mountains. The Warriors in our story hunted and trapped their dinner. We described how to kill and prepare it. It was very thorough.

Unlike me, Rose knew how children learned. She had to assume the children here learned the same way. She made the story interesting, yet to the point.

The lunch bell rang and I was surprised. The morning had passed quickly and we had a good draft of the story worked out. It had been ages since I had felt constructive and even longer for Rose. She beamed at our accomplishment .

“You must teach me to read and write," she whispered as we walked toward the hall the other girls were heading to. "I could be more helpful if I knew how to make the characters.”

Fuji had been quiet and introspective while we worked. She watched us, but did not actively take part. I knew she saw no purpose in what we were doing. Unless her owners took an interest, she would maintain her disinterest.

The short man stopped us before we reached the hall the rest of the girls were heading into. My kneeling place was by the entrance to the compound. He directed me there.

I knelt silently and saw the Administrators’ feet pass me by. These men were dressed finely, I could tell just looking at their lower half. Their pants flowed like they were made of silk. Their shoes were the softest appearing leather.

These were gentlemen. They were negotiators and mediators. Unlike my rough Warriors these men understood the world and moved freely through the many layers of secrecy. I imagined they could probably be quite dangerous in their own way.

It was such a relief to see boots stop in front of me.

“Come, Ciara," Evan said and I rose to follow him.

As per our normal routine he sauntered out the wall and into the forest. I followed him. Unlike the Warriors who ignored us when we did this, an Administrator stopped him. The man demanded to know why Evan was walking me into the woods.

I could hear the smile in Evan's voice. He told the man to have Lunch, but didn't elaborate further. A moment passed before Evan turned away from the man and we walked into the forest.

This side of the forest was wetter. Evan guided me where to step so I didn't put my feet in puddles. I followed his near silent footfalls through the woods.

“Evan-" I started to say and he cut me off with a sharp noise.

We continued to walk, but I didn't attempt to speak again. It was really just as well. Evan walked briskly, but carefully. Following his footsteps exactly took a lot of concentration.

We went into a nice, dry clearing and Evan sat my kneeling place on a fat rock. He motioned and I sat. The brush behind Evan was thick. He leaned on a tree across from my spot and handed me the bowl.

I took a bite and he watched me carefully. Feeling slightly unnerved at his attention, I raised the second bite slowly toward my lips. Evan moved quickly and leaned over. He sucked the bit from my fingers, chewing as he straightened up.

For a moment I was too startled to move. Evan just grinned at me. It was odd behavior, but I got the hint.

So he wanted me to feed him, I could handle that. I took a bite for myself and then offered a bite to him. He'd lean down and take it obediently with his lips. It was a funny way to eat.