Traces on the Water

He grew up in an ordinary family without a father, in a world where that was normal—because there were twice as few men as women. People were divided into gifted psimagi and common folk without a gift. But even if your gift awakens, your life won’t be easy: people like you are taken to the boarding school for the gifted, separating you from your parents for many long years. So what are you supposed to do?