“Today is New Ycar’s Day. A new year indeed! A very different year it may turn out to be. But you've all sat still for long enough. Today is a time for rejoicing. Starting to- morrow there will be special study sessions. You will all have the opportunity of studying the evidence and discussing it among yourselves and with us. We will, of course, make no important decisions without a consensus.”

The Warden then stood. “In half an hour we will meet for the celebration banquet, after which there will be the dance that all you young people have been waiting for.”

“I wonder what evidence they have of someone out there,” Charity said as they walked towards the dormitory.

Ruth bit her lip. What would the girls think when they found that it had begun with her? She forced herself to smile. “Well, now we're full members of the community we'll have a chance to find out. It's very exciting, isn't it?”

But Charity didn't answer. They had just reached the door of the dormitory. “Oh, look.”

There on each bed lay their new uniforms, each in the appropriate new colour.

“And I must say,” said Angela generously. “That you look quite nice in that shade of mauve, Ruth. It makes your eyes look green instead of that funny muddy shade.”

Then Charity said, “Don't forget, Angela, that we've decided to ask Ruth to share the room with Faith and us.”

It really is the best day of my whole life, thought Ruth, as she smoothed down her unruly hair.

Outside?

IN KINDERGARTEN and Grade One jigsaw puzzles were used as part of Esper training, five children working together to complete a puzzle by pooling their mental resources. The next six months' work was like the putting together of such a giant jigsaw. The pieces came to Ruth randomly, many making no sense at all; yet, at the end of six months a picture of Outside must emerge.

A paper from Archives. Yellowed, worn at the folds, it was a picture of folded mountain ranges washed in with a grey- brown colour, the whole criss-crossed with wriggling red lines and networked with fine black ones. Like a random kind of Web, Ruth thought.

“What exactly is it?”

“A road map of this region, from the Days of Oil. Ruth, I want you to look at this map and think about it. Tell us, if you can, where your dreams come from.”

“I can't. Not possibly. How should I know? It's only a piece of paper. From behind the eastern mountains. That's all I can tell you.” Ruth's voice went up and she could feel her muscles tighten nervously. She could tell from the Initiator's face just how much she wanted an answer.

“Hey now, don't stiffen up like that.” The Initiator's voice was gentle. “Just relax. Breathe slowly.” Skilful fingers kneaded her shoulder muscles. She felt her stomach muscles unknot and her eyelids droop.