I barely concentrated on my Traders lesson. "Here is how you put items into the Areon Net. You will understand when you get telepathy next year." Class 7 is for people who get telepathy. They had yellow classrooms. We were not allowed to see them when we came into the long halls. Class 1-6 had large rooms. Class 5 had toys. Class 6 is boring because there are just our seats and Teacher. I see the same people year to year because our deciplex is 9 and 9 is divided into ten classes by age. Our school is very big. Class 6 is part of Hall 9 and that is part of Floor 9 but we port, so all floors are the same, Teacher says.

We are learning trading rules so we don't disgrace our families. I'm just bored. All these rules! But then we went to our interest groups. I liked Progs. Sims can't teach that so an information scientist comes to teach. This week is Madame Apfelbaum. Davon, Roch and I are her students. We walked in and sat on our chairs.

Madame Apfelbaum has brown hair and eyes. The Kochs were in this class but she sent them to Traders. "Hallo, Children!"

"Hallo, Madame Apfelbaum!"

"Today I will teach you logicals. Sometimes it is useful to substitute a letter for a number we do not know. In an equation, this is a logical. It is like a variable." At first, I didn't understand the difference, but she showed me with her mind and I did. Her telepathy didn't hurt me like Vatti's. He doesn't mean to hurt me.

We wrote a few lines of code to move an apple on a plate. After the lesson, she wrote a prog to cut it and float three pieces of it to us. I love apples. But I modified her prog to make smaller pieces and put the waste in our school waste bin.

"Oh, Aronna, you are good with progs! I think you learned some things from your sister."

"Maia teaches me and she teaches Adia, too!" Of course, I didn't understand the last prog she taught Adia. I don't need containments—well, I used a containment to cut my apple pieces so maybe I do need them.

Too soon, our school day ended. Tomorrow will be lessons all the day. I wished to go back to the Spaceport!

But, I walked home and people on my walk didn't talk to children. Why? If I tried, neighbors just said, "Be a good girl and hurry home. Your parents are waiting."

The Koch twins followed me. "You're hiding something. I'll tell your father!"

I ran a little ways. They can't come as far as our house without--

"Aronna Rayaline! You are wasting precious nitrogen!" A snaky arm grabbed me. It hurt!

This was an ED. I never had one talk to me! It looked like a cube with lights that had hoods on top, three to a side. Gray. Even the lights were gray. "I will be good!"

"Remember it. Slow your breathing." It recited a lot of rules. People stared at me. I didn't see the Kochs, and that made me calm fast. When I breathed slow enough, it let go.

I rubbed my arm and pulled my sleeve down. Felt a drop. I walked straight home and didn't stop to walk in parks as I usually did. If I am late, rains will come and Vatti will fuss that I had to use a brella. Energy inspectors. I passed the empty market. Why is there only market days? Next year I can make trade and go to the market. What would I buy there? A dahsee! Thoughts of that yummy pastry made me happy. On my 8th birthday, Vatti will buy me one. Sometimes if I was very unhappy, Adia got me one. But they are a week's salary. If I were rich, I would eat one every morning!

Soon I reached the front door of 9 and counted 8 over. Our deciplex is also 9. I pressed my hand on the plate. Last year I had to stand on my toes to reach it. This year, I can just reach up. Our red flowers by the door had two buds as big as my head today. Soon they will bloom.

The door slid open. Maia waited with a cookie. "Hallo, Aronna! How was your trip to the Spaceport?"

I showed her the men and that ship. She frowned. "Do not think of this. Be calm."

"I was calm. None of us said anything while the TS Inspector—"

"Do not speak of this. We can get trouble. Eat your cookie. What did you learn today?"

As I ate, I thought of what I learned with Madame Apfelbaum.

"What did you learn in Traders? If you want to work as an info scientist like me, you must also be good in Traders."

"Why? I just want to write progs for my mining sim!"

"Because all of us must know trading. Adia is better at it than I, because she learns from Vonn and he is very good at it. She teaches me a lot."

"But, she is a scientist and learns progs from you!"

"Everyone must trade for their support. Adia gives trade to Mutti for her materials, and we both give Vatti trade for his. She makes enough trade from her journal holos to buy her materials and support us! So trading is important."

"Trading has too many rules!" I ate my cookie.

But Maia showed me her trades. I wish she taught me Traders instead of Teacher. Teacher pinches me if I don't pay attention. I kept my sleeves down so Maia would not see my arm. Then I went to my room to study.

Under my sleeve, my arm was blue! I pulled it down. As I studied, I noticed a smell like dahsee. But it came from my closet. I opened the door to it.

That furry animal was there! "Hi! Don't let them see you, or I will have trouble!" I hugged him and closed the door. What will I feed him? I already ate my cookie! But maybe he has food in the hangar, if he can go back.

My parents came to see my progs. And my grammar from yesterday. "Why did you do no grammar today?" Vatti frowned as he sat on my bed.

"We went to the Spaceport!" When I showed him memories, I showed him the green ship, not the gray one.

"Oh, that is a Zheien ship! They are much more efficient than Elshar designs. We do not see many of them here. It must be from Ye~."

"Our purple moon? I would love to see a purple place!"

"Do not speak of travel or we will get trouble." Vatti looked worried.

Mutti frowned at him. "You will cause more trouble, speaking of Otherworlders!"

"Mari, we live in a city that builds ships. Our spaceport has more traffic with Otherworlders than Areonians. Our children must know they exist. I warn them not to speak of it."

"Children will speak. It is better not to fill their heads with forbiddens." She sighed and hugged us.

"It is better that they know, and do not set off an ED. There is a refit coming."

"Another? Do not tell Adia—oh, she comes! Smile, all of you."

My sister came to my door. "Hallo, Aronna, Maia, Papa and Mama." She looked tired.

"How goes your work, Zucker?"

"Oh, Papa, I wasted many materials today! My experiment is kaput!"

"Ah, but you must keep trying. Perhaps you choose another catalyst to explore?"

"Papa, Vonn said I am close to my solution with ANW. I did find another isotope of amiritkaln today."

Vatti's eyebrows raised. "Another one? Is there a use for it?"

"Vonn traded all, so there must be. The Yeff trade for large quantities—"

"Do not speak of Yeff, Adia. Speak of other subjects—"

"But their research helps ours! Tanda used one of their journal holos—"

"We will have trouble." Vatti frowned and Adia went quiet. "Do not use their research."

"Vonn does."

"I will speak with him, tomorrow. None of you should use Otherworlder research. Our department uses Eicken research, and progress happens."

Why do they talk like this? I watched them, but Adia smiled at me.

"How goes your mining sim?"

I waved it up and showed her a prog to make helmets on my holoworkers. She liked it.

Vatti sighed. "You should work on your mineral production. Here on the ore side, much accumulates."

"It is more efficient to process a lot at a time. I use less energy if the bins are full. And I get more ore if workers have helmets. If one goes to a healer, they do not work hard." That did not make sense to me, but they moved faster with the helmets."

"It takes more energy to provide helmets."

"Only when I give one to a new worker. Look at my graph. Adia made it."

Vatti saw it and nodded. "Then, you do consider how much energy used. That is good thinking, Aronna."

Then I felt happy again! Vatti does not often approve of anything I do.

I finished my work and went to bed. In the dark I felt a furry, round body push against my front. I hugged him. Tomorrow I will save half my cookie for him.