"I've known Nick for as long as he's been psychic, which is actually not as long as Howie or A.J. has known him. Most psychic tendancies don't emerge until puberty. Nick was a little early but not drastically so. It was a full moon sometime around his thirteenth birthday. Maybe a little before, maybe a little after. I forget," she shrugged, playing with her ponytail.
"Anyway, he just exploded. I was reading a book and suddenly there was this electricity in the air. The book ended up across the room. I believe our first communication consisted of the words "What the fuck was that?" If his first act had been telekinetic, I think either his school or his house would have ended up in flames." Kevin winced and she frowned.
"Like most kids, especially the ones who emerge spectacularly, he was pretty scared of himself for a few weeks. Scratch that, he was terrified of what was going on. He didn't know how to set up any mental defenses, or how to keep himself from doing any telekninesis... He collapsed in school the first day." Howie reached for A.J. as the two of them relived another time Nick had collapsed, and wondered.
"Luckily that made my job that much easier. I was still in high school but I had a free period every day, so I was free to drop in and coach him while he was home, 'sick'. At first he only accepted my help because it was the fastest way to shut out the voices and feelings that were driving him insane. I scared him. You all know Nick's imagination though. Eventually, the idea of other psychics fascinated him."
"When I taught him how to hook into the Net, basically the psychic version of the world wide web, a whole new world opened up for him. Suddenly there were people who didn't dismiss him because he was too young, and encouraged his talents instead of ridiculing him. The amount of power he wielded got him some respect, and he soon figured out that control would get him more... so he studied."
"As a kid he was always hungry for acceptance, and he got it in spades from psychics, who are pretty tolerant of each other, and know the value of emotional support. Plus, being in on rescues and work, he got to feel pretty good about himself. By jumping in with both feet he cut himself off even more from the 'real world', but he didn't seem to mind the way a lot of teens do. At the time he didn't really have that many people to hide from."
"I didn't have the most wonderful childhood myself, so our talks soon turned to more than just psychic matters. We've got a lot in common and we became friends, despite the age difference, which seemed like a big thing to him at the time."
"In the middle of all this, the opportunity for the group came along. He talked about it endlessly, telling me what he knew about A.J. and Howie. When he decided to join, I began hearing stories of getting teased, and about this older guy who was picking on him." Lina grinned a little, "You should probably blame me for some of his pranks. We spent hours dreaming them up."
"He thought about telling you all. At first it was a shining secret, a weapon in the prank wars, and something that made him special. The kind of thing he could smile secretly over. Eventually he started to trust you all, feel like part of the family. He finally had friends he didn't have to hide. Every so often he'd have to lie fast and creatively to you. It broke his heart when you all sympathised over him not even looking old enough to get into clubs, volunteered to stay behind and always asked how his night had been."
"A couple of times he nearly did break down and tell Brian. But every time he was going to, things came up." She sighed, staring off into space. "Nick's strongest talent is being able to connect psychics with non-psychics, so he's involved in a lot of mediations, family counseling, that sort of thing. He's heard it all. Husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, parents and children who rejected the psychic in their family. For someone who doesn't trust easily, having the idea that there are no guarantees reinforced every week didn't make him want to try."
"He trusted you with so much, more than almost anyone, and loved you all a lot. Enough that he didn't want to know, didn't want to put you to the test, until he had to." Her voice was breaking, and A.J. could see the tears in her eyes. He was sure there was more to the story, at least for her, but kept quiet. "But it's not a test. It's an all or nothing gamble now. He wants your love and acceptance so badly, if you can't give it to him, he might never wake up. You've got so much power over him right now. He feels everything you think or feel about him, the negative things louder than the rest. He's always been good at beating himself up..." Lina broke down sobbing. A.J. moved to her, hugging her sympathetically. As she cried he heard her whisper, "Why?"