Scythe

In her gleaning journal, Scythe Curie offers the history of her world. In 2042, "computational power became infinite" and "the cloud" became "the Thunderhead." Schooling suddenly became less interesting, as people knew everything, and humans conquered death. People switched to the Chinese calendar method of naming years for animals and the year of this writing is the Year of the Ocelot. The exact history is in the Thunderhead if anyone wants to look.

In January, Citra receives an invitation to the opera in the mail. Receiving it by mail is the oddest part, as nobody but eccentric people sends mail anymore. At the opera, an usher takes Citra to one of the box seats, which are for the elite. In the box is a boy (Rowan) in an ill-fitting suit. Rowan thanks Citra for the invite and Citra laughs, showing him her identical invitation. Rowan doesn't laugh. The two watch the show, which is an opera from the Age of Mortality. It makes little sense to them, as war and murder no longer exist. During intermission, Citra and Rowan try to figure out who invited them. They have little in common, but when Scythe Faraday steps into the box, Citra is convinced he's going to glean them. Instead, he sits down with them.

Rowan thinks back to how things changed after Kohl Whitlock was gleaned. After being beaten regularly for weeks, Rowan told the student body that the scythe was his uncle and will let Rowan choose the next student to be gleaned. Students ignored Rowan after that and Rowan even asked to change schools. He was thrilled to get the opera invitation until Faraday showed up. After the opera, Faraday gives Rowan and Citra a card and tells him to meet him at the address in the morning. The address is for the Museum of World Art. Though they arrive before opening, the security guard lets them guests in.

Faraday leads them through galleries of old masters' paintings and finally, Rowan asks why they're here. Faraday asks what they've learned and then, how it would be different if they were in the post-mortality galleries. Rowan suggests that that art in those galleries is less troubled. Faraday suggests it's uninspired, which Citra says is just an opinion, and Faraday encourages them to look for the emotion in the next gallery. It's filled with huge paintings that move Rowan. Faraday takes them to a diner next and as he talks about world population, he pulls out a ring like the one he wears. Citra shrinks back as Faraday says that he's been given a ring so he can take an apprentice. Both Citra and Rowan try to refuse, but Faraday sternly says that he wants both of them to train, but only one will become a scythe.

When Citra tells her parents later, she's shocked when her mom asks Citra if she'll accept. Citra's mom says she'll support Citra in whatever she wants, but points out that scythes lead comfortable lives. Remembering that the families of scythes get immunity from gleaning, Citra realizes this is about Ben. She goes to bed thinking about how she expected her life to go and wonders if she could find purpose in gleaning. Rowan's decision is easier to make; he doesn't want anyone else to have the responsibility, and the art in the Age of Mortality galleries was moving for him.