Elly spent the rest of the morning in strange lessons like 'technology' (she thought this was studying antiques), geography which was studying different bits of the earth, and music when the young Earthlings made horrible noises called 'singing'. She was glad when the lessons were over.

The shrill bell rang again and Sandeep took her to the school canteen for lunch. All the food was very odd. She ate a triangle of something bizarre called 'pizza' and drank a horrible drink which they called 'cola'. They sat at a table in the canteen. In the corner the television was on. The news came on but Elly didn't understand much of it, then the weather forecast. She watched it intensely. The weather man was reporting strange stormy activity over all the continents of the world, from Africa to Asia.

A voice in her head said, 'Elly, this is the time.'
She stood up and went outside the school building. She walked out into the large green open space away from the buildings and the trees. She stood in the centre of the field, waiting.

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