She seemed to be sitting in a far larger room, with thou- sands and thousands of people. The colours around her were harsh, crimson, white and brown, and the feelings that washed over her were as inharmonious as the colours. In place of the central dais was a white cube of stone. Ruth saw, as if from a long way off, a brown-dad woman clutch the side of the white stone and then sink slowly to the floor, leaving on the stone a stain of crimson blood ...

“Ouch!” Ruth jumped. Charity was pinching her arm.

“Good grief! What a moment to go to sleep!”

“I wasn't ... I don't think I was…” Ruth looked around in a daze, at the soft colours and happy faces. “Oh, I'm so glad I live here, Charity. Aren't you?”

“Where else could one live? You are strange.”

As the youngest boy in Eight D returned to his place the Protector once more stood. “Let us now link hands with our neighbours and concentrate on completing the Web and strengthening the Great Pattern that is our reason for being.”

Charity's hand was warm and moist in Ruth's icy one. She felt Grace clutch her other hand and realised that they were just as afraid of spoiling the pattern as she was. Out of her own unsureness she let comfort flow into them. The comfort flowed back. She began to feel warm. Her muscles relaxed. Her busy brain slowed. She no longer felt the weight of her body against the seat.

There was a sense of timelessness, and in this No-Time Ruth felt herself leave her body and hover beneath the ceiling of the great room. Below her she could see a gold light grow and strengthen. It flowed from the centre where the four sat, hands linked, in four great rays out to the corners of the room. Connecting these powerful lines were circles of bright gold that flowed around each circle of seats.

Ruth watched this energy shimmer and strengthen until a sudden anxious thought flashed into her mind. What am I doing up here? I'm supposed to be down there, concentrating with the others. At once she fell rapidly towards the ground. She had an instant's impression of a row of quiet blind faces. With a sudden shock she saw her own face. Then she was back inside her body.

“Welcome,” a voice spoke in her head. “I am Luke, the last of the Innovators before you. I welcome you to the Web.”

Then other voices followed Luke's, until Ruth had received the greetings of every member of the community. She knew them and loved them and in turn reached out shyly to greet the members of her Own class.