Age 0: You were born, and your parents named you Nell.
Age 1: You were born in Rock City, a city in the Federation's far north. Here, snow and ice covered the ground for one-third of every year. You were the youngest child in the family, sixth in line, with three elder brothers and two elder sisters.
Age 2: Your mother was a gentle woman with flaxen hair. She was not frail; in order to support you and your siblings, she worked three jobs a day. She was only home late at night, and Fifth Sister, who was two years older than you, took care of you.
Whenever Mother came home late at night, she would carefully stroke your forehead with her rough hands and sing you lullabies.
Age 3: You first formed an impression of Father.
Father was a miner. He worked at a mine outside the city and only had the chance to take the mine shuttle home on his monthly days off. But he did not always come home, because the shuttle fare was not cheap.
You rarely saw him. He would often hug you, lift you up, and spin you around as though you were flying. Through his loose synthetic-cotton jacket, you could feel that his hands were as hard as stone.
Age 4: You met Eldest Brother. He was twelve years older than you. He attended middle school for a year before becoming a restaurant apprentice, then later went to work at a furniture factory. He now lived in the factory dormitory and rarely came home. He loved to knead your cheeks and make funny faces to amuse you.
Age 5: You could already move nimbly around the house and help your siblings with some of the chores. You were not very good at washing