The Touchstone Trilogy by Andrea K. Höst Page B

useful way to avoid having to keep talking, though it's running low on batteries again.  Nenna's friends recorded all the song ring tones, and made me promise to translate the lyrics, which I guess would be a good language exercise.  They seemed to like the two Gwen Stefani songs, and Mr Brightside .  Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson weirded them out, but the one they liked best was that closing theme to the Portal game – Still Alive – and so I guess they have a thing about syrupy-sweet sounding music.  That it's a psychotic, murderous computer totally contradicting itself is not something that's going to translate.
    After a while the two guys had a match on the Psychic Showdown thing and that's where it stopped just being embarrassing and got messed up.
    By this time, thanks to Nenna's patient and devoted explanations of all things Setari, I knew a bit more about psychic powers.  Everyone has a connection to the Ena, which seems to be some kind of psychic dimension (or world of dreams, or something).  The connection manifests as telekinesis or pyrokinesis, etcetera: there's a couple of dozen known psychic talents.  The original Muinans were really strong in their connection to the Ena, more so than most of the people on Tare are now.  Tairo players are strong, but the most powerful psychics are in the Setari, where gifted children are pushed to extremes to increase their abilities.
    However, with the interface and 'circuitry' in certain rooms, even weak psychics can be boosted to use whatever talents they have.  The two guys were 'projectors', I guess you'd call it, and they were able to make illusions.  Not very clear ones, but it was fun to watch.
    Strays are thought to be fairly strongly connected to the Ena, so before we were due to go home Nenna had me try out a couple of things – image projection and trying to float – which involved me standing in the centre of the room thinking really hard about doing those things and nothing happening.  I didn't have to worry about accidentally burning or blowing things up since the room had a filter that meant it only enhanced certain kinds of actions, and to be honest I was glad nothing happened because it would have been weird to suddenly be psychic.
    Nenna's ability is teleportation, though she's not strong enough to move more than a foot or so even when boosted.  But it was amazing watching her flicker from one spot to another: it made her into more than just a talkative kid.  Something magic.
    If she puts all her effort into it Nenna can take a passenger, and she offered to 'jump' me.  And that was a really bad idea.
    We jumped to a nearby atrium and fell two floors.  I've a broken collarbone and lots of bruises.  Nenna's much worse.  She hurt her back, and even with advanced nanotech medicine she's going to be in hospital a long while.
    She didn't die.  I'm so glad.  So incredibly – I couldn't have stood it.  Because, you see, it was me.  They're not sure why, but they think that something about me made Nenna's jump go wrong.
    So I'm on the way back to the KOTIS island.  Not with Sa Lents this time, but a grim greensuit escort.  It was an accident, but I feel so awful.  I hurt her.
    Sunday, January 6
    Back to the Lab
    Endless medical scans.  Apparently they'd already tested me for potential psychic powers, but the only sign they could find was the possibility of being a projector (perhaps the least useful ability in a world where everyone is their own home movie theatre).  When they finally sent me off to get some sleep – back in my old room – I can't.
    Part of that's because I'm sore.  They use nanites to glue broken bones back together, but it still needs to heal properly, and I have to lie on my back not to pressure my collarbone.  The pain meds wore off too quick.
    More tests tomorrow.  They haven't been able to find any reason at all for Nenna's jump to have gone strange. 
    Monday, January 7
    Turn it up to 11
    Today they moved on