My courted touched the left side of my head and paled. “Your telepathy woke! Ejis nae, do we have anyone who can safely train an Earthan with new telepathy?”

Ryee ran in. “I can do this! Molly, follow me. Binneas, you may come also, to my Outer Circle.”

This was kind of like when Sunasch taught me, but more things came together. I felt Ryee’s headache. Like poor Goes, once they have several head injuries, or bad poisonings, they have bad headaches. He felt bad that I noticed!

We walked in a beautiful garden Pas showed Ryee, in Ye~ of Zhea~. Ryee saw it once, at my age. The pull of gravity four times Ye~’s shocked him, when they visited there. That’s twice Earth’s. He assured me that all the worlds of Alb, even MarKu and Zhea~, now had gravity half Earth’s. His home, Ye~, is half Earth’s, and so is Alb Seer where Fhiah, Ben’s home, is, and that’s where Rainbow Unwell Colony was.

We saw the major cities of all 25 colonies. So much fun, to see all these very different places, but they all had jewel-like buildings in most of their cities, even Veheirea Gtu Pei, where houses look like fanciful animals. But the main buildings are always clear, rainbow colors, and only Ye~ has nine with nine sides. Like Ye~ Prov on Zhea~, which we also saw. The rest have seven-sided buildings like flat jewels that people can work in and have offices in!

“Ye~ is very pretty. I’m sorry I agreed to MarKu so fast.”

“Molly, where you live is only important to you. We will all enjoy your skills.” He introduced me to each Zheien king, and Ben and I had so much fun! And, I remembered more of the fine control Ry’nao taught me when he gave me the Diplomatic Link. I had it, and Ryee refreshed my memory of how to take tiny bits of energy from people in it, and how to warn people away if it was too much. He worried a lot that it would be too much for someone my age!

“You got it at 12.”

“Ea, but I am Zheien. It was and is a burden, as well as a vital part of me. I can only imagine how it is for you, as an Earthan.”

I laughed. “Well, I can only imagine how it is for you, as a Zheien!” I pictured myself as a Zheien maiden, but skating on that volcanic lake in Fhiah, like Kerjie did when she married Theapet!

Eap gasped and came in. “You saw a wife for me, Molly?”

I giggled. Stopped laughing when I waved her up.

Her mother was crying. “Kerjie, you can’t tell them!”

“But, Mama, they have services for homeless people like us! We can get food--”

“Yeah, an’ the government’ll be telling us what to do, too! Medicaid took Mama’s house, and that’s why we’re on the street!” They were in a tent.

“Uh, hi! Listen, you can come here!”

They saw our holo and looked scared. Kerjie had that memory stare. Her mama saw. “What did you do to my daughter?”

We tried to explain things. Did I look like that, when I saw my future? Eap convinced her that Kerjie was all right.

Kerjie looked at her. “You didn’t see it? Mama, you died, but I went offplanet. Is Joeap okay, Eap?”

He smiled. “Joeap is well. He joined a DS team just lastweek and they are on this ship. Please, come to us! I can help you get your things, and your house.”

They agreed. I wanted to watch, but school. Yeah. I felt like my telepathy was up to par.

Pas took my hand. “Ne try to heal. Your temptation will be great. If you see one with needs, call on me.”

“I will. Don’t worry, Pas.” His red-gold eyes had tears in ‘em. Healers do worry.

I felt something, and a green portal left Cev and Sara! She was in a karate pose! I ran up there.

“Hi, Sara!”

“Do I know you?” She studied me.

“Well, we had nursing together at GSU last year!”

Her face got red. “Oh, Molly! Yes, I remember you. I failed the first test.”

I hugged her. “That really doesn’t matter. You’re a good person, Sara!”

Then Cevit Ion looked to the side. “I am most sorry, but my ba needs me. Asha, would you answer this lady’s questions for a few minutes? I will return for you, Miss Ionic.”

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“Okay.” He went into Cev’s room.

Sara frowned. My back’s probably got rust--

I waved and white light flashed! Then I gave her a green cube. “Now you can run hygiene whenever you need it! Oh, my, you hurt all over! Sit here.” Another wave, and a padded lavender bench the color of her lavender dress sat there. Sara joined me on it.

The outside edge of Sara’s hand had blood and rust on scrapes. I hummed just a little healing. “How’d you do that?”

“Zheien healing! Asha, here, is a Zheien, but he’s a diplomat. He can help you with paying your bills.”

“Bills?” She looked up at him. Yellow skin like a banana! Huge blue eyes that turned dark.

“Do you need help to pay your bills? Wish you to stay here, on this ship?” Do they know I’m homeless? I just turned 18 and left.

I turned her head towards me. “Let me put my fingers across your forehead. Don’t worry, I won’t read your mind. Didn’t Cev tell you anything?”

“There wasn’t time! That guy was gonna hurt this lady, so I hit him!”

Asha gasped. “You had perils! Molly, see her quickly!”

But, she got the memory-sharing stare. I hated to leave, but Ben and I have to get going. It was like this in Rainbow! A couple minutes to say hi, leaving so much unsaid. I wanted to ask, how did you get into a fight in the Krispy Kreme parking lot? I took Ben’s hand a little harder than I meant. And hoped his going to school with me wouldn’t make him sick. Distraction’s good. Yeah. I smiled, then he smiled.

Ben and I ported behind that shopping center across the street from my high school. “Race ya!” Ben waved up our bikes, and I forgot my plans to roller blade. Maybe his feet can’t handle roller blading. I love both!

We rode our bikes fast. Ben easily pulled ahead, but it challenged me—then we had to slow it down for traffic. I felt braver with progs to keep us from getting hurt. Just have to remember that these cars don’t.

Oh, it was fun to share this part of my Earthan life with Ben! Cried a lot over boys who never knew I was sweet on ‘em, when they found girlfriends. Or, boys who did dishonorable things and laughed at me, or my friends. Poor Angel was always a target, and I wondered if that was part of her stomach problems.

But, reality hit. “Pirad says I have to share memories to a cylinder to get clones, so I’ll have to do that when we get out of school. Ben, there will be bullies after you, because you’re with me.”

He’s not due at the UN until after 3. They’re rotating diplomats so more of ‘em get experience talking about the Treaty. The UN makes appointments.

He laughed. “Let them watch for me, if one tries to touch you! I shall protect you, Molly.”

It felt so odd, to be doing normal things, but with my courted! I noticed a lot more about people, neighbors I knew. Mr. Bruce went out to his car, and Mrs. Bruce, and Deb. They all had explanations on their minds. Mr. Bruce is quitting his job, and Mrs. Bruce, hers. They’ll have to train their replacements. Deb still has patients for her OB rotation. One’s in labor right now!

Greg had research to do, which will have a breakthrough today! He’s excited. They got in Deb’s car and headed to the Marietta Transit Center to park, as usual. Oh, that’s his new cloned brother, and he’s Elshar!

Ben giggled. “I am eager to start school so I can attend class with you, Molly!”

When we locked our bikes, people who knew me stared. Auel Petty’s in 10th with me, but it’s her normal grade. “Who’s your friend, Know-Nud?”

I grabbed her arm and sent healing into where she broke it when I was in 4th grade. The ulna gave a loud crack! Now her arm’s straight. In 4th grade, I splinted it but she had to have surgery and her surgeon did her best. That arm healed crooked and she blamed me. My 7th grade year at Marietta Middle passed miserably, and she still got me trouble this year.

She screamed and four boys came running! Then, she felt her arm. “What did you do?”

“What I’ve been wanting to do since 4th grade. Let’s go in!”

I never saw Auel Petty speechless! Ben held out his arm and we left them.

We found a seat at the crowded tables. “Molly, who’s your friend?” Kell sat by me. Kell, our star basketball player until he hurt his knee before Christmas. He never said two words to me. Two years ahead of us. Oh, I wanted to heal him but I introduced him to Ben. Later.

Ben and I headed up to the office. Lineas and Keea were already there.

The secretary, Ms. Lind, smiled big. “Welcome to Marietta High, Binneas! Your parents filled out everything online, so now you need to see Ms. Johannessen. She’ll give you your schedule.”

I didn’t feel good about leaving, but the bell rang, so I went to homeroom.

First Period was biology, with Mr. Boswell. In that other future I sent too much energy through his hands and made his arthritis worse. When he handed me my test paper, I grabbed it and this time, healed it. Pas helped me through the Diplomatic Link. He startled. Dropped the papers! I grabbed his other hand and healed that.

“What’s that white light?”

But, as people scrambled to pick up the fallen papers, he smiled at me. “Young lady, that’s quite a talent you have! How did you straighten out my hands?” He flexed ‘em with a huge smile. No crooked fingers, now!

Ry’nao smiled. You may tell him. Because of SETI news, the world will know of us soon.

“It’s called Zheien Healing. You use telepathy to speed up the body’s natural healing processes. I got telepathy because a friend gave me this.” I waved on a short-sleeved hot pink T-shirt and everyone gasped. Carefully, I peeled up the sleeve and showed him my white aandat.

He touched it. “How much of that is on you?”

“It covers what a T-shirt and shorts would cover.” I put the edge of my hand on my leg at mid-thigh.

“That’s amazing! Anyone with that--” he poked my arm, “—can do healing?”

“If they are trained by a healer who’s skilled, yes.”

“Who did you train with?”