However, they do not appear to possess a conscience or individual personalities. The children display eerie psychic powers that can result in violent and deadly consequences whenever they experience pain or provocation. The children soon "pair off" like mates, except for David, whose intended mate was the stillborn girl. As a result of this loss, David is the outcast of the group, walking in the back of the group by himself. Although he resembles the other children and retains some degree of psychic powers, David has the ability to show human compassion. He and his mother, Jill McGowan, the local school principal, share a brief conversation about this, and David begins to understand his situation. The children's leader is Mara, the daughter of the local physician, Dr. Alan Chaffee and his wife, Barbara. As a baby, Mara used her powers to force her mother to burn her arm in boiling water and commit suicide by jumping off a cliff. Her mate is Robert.