--" He shook his head, suddenly, to clear it. He felt tilted. He
looked and he saw that everything was straight, but still he felt
tilted. He tried to right himself, and down he went. On his stomach he
lay, his legs twisted under him a little. Foolishly, he tried to get up.
He couldn't.

"There's that." The girl laughed. "Suggestion without the need for
hypnotism."

Smith stood up, said, "I see what you mean."

"Think so?"

It began to rain. A brisk wind came up abruptly, and off in the distance
Smith heard the roar of thunder. It came closer. Still closer. Like in a
straight line. Smith watched the lightnings prance.

"We'd better get back to the school!" he cried. He didn't think she
could hear his voice above the thunder. He started to shout again, but
lightning crackled before his eyes. Between him and the girl. Something
rumbled, and Smith started to fall. They had been blasted off the crag,
and now they hurtled down through the sheets of hot rain....

"Feel yourself," the girl told him. The huge crimson sun still sat on
the horizon. The air was hot and warm and Smith was dry.

"Suggestion," she smiled again. "Most of us have it to some degree, but
we of Bortinot have it still more. Still think you should be a
dominant?"

"Well--" The girl's face swam before his eyes. Lovely. Smith took a step
forward, reached out and placed his big hands on her shoulders.

"Well what?" She was smiling.

"What's your name?"

"Geria."

His lips were big and hers were little, if full. He quivered as he
kissed her. "I love you, Geria."

"I know it," she said.

* * * * *

"The reason I went outside to watch the sea," Smith said, "was because I
didn't know how to get to room 4027. I didn't want to ask anyone, not
after--"

"That makes sense. I'll take you, Smith. I'm just down the hall from
you, anyway."

"Thank you, Geria." Smith wondered how he knew her name was Geria. Nice
name. "What happened after I thought there was a storm, Geria?" Smith
suppressed a smile.

"Oh, nothing much. I just planted another suggestion in your mind. For
now you've forgotten, but you will remember. Shall we go?"

They walked back down the path from the top of the crag, and soon Smith
saw other students in groups of two and three. Ahead was the long low
school, a dull rectangle of metal perhaps two miles long and half as
wide. With Geria, Smith entered through one of the hundreds of doorways
and foll