The Chrysalids

When Petra is six years old, she amazes David and the other telepaths when she sends out a forceful message that compels David and Rosalind to come to her aid. She is about to drown, and David dives in just in time to save her. He carries her ashore, and he and Rosalind are astounded to find that Petra can not only communicate as they can, but she can also command people to do things. A few men who noticed Rosalind running inquire how they knew to save Petra, but Rosalind manages to trick them with a lie. That night, David dreams of Petra being slaughtered by their father. When he consults the other children, they agree that Petra likely did not know what happened, and they should not burden her with the truth yet.

David recalls a particularly terrible season for crops and animal births, during which 30 fields were burned, and many more people were concealing birth “defects” and being charged. David runs into an old farmer named Jacob, who complains that all his crops are bad. He goes on to say that it is God’s punishment for softening harsher laws designed to keep Deviations out of the world.