Anomaly/Anomaly Detection: Ella’s ability to perceive other conscious beings like Rosie within the simulation. They appear as “thousands of lights scattered across the world, glowing as translucent yellow and orange dots in her mind’s eye”.
Body Switching/Possession: The ability of Ella and others with simulation abilities to instantaneously transfer their consciousness from one person’s body to another within the simulation. Ella first switches into Steve’s body and later into Brenda’s.
Consortium: The off site facility outside the simulation where the simulation controls are housed. It contains computer stations and thousands of Pods and is the place where efforts are centralized to free those trapped in simulations.
Five percented out: A term used to describe a former programmer who oversaw the simulation and successfully found a way to exit it.
Hardened Air/Force Field: One of Ella’s primary simulation abilities, which allows her to create an invisible, protective barrier of “hardened force field” around herself or expel it in a powerful burst to attack others.
NPC (Non-Player Character): A term used to denote a digital self within the simulation that cannot be taken over by those with simulation abilities.
Pod: A light gray container connected by a network of wires, which houses the physical body of a person whose consciousness is inside the simulation. The occupant is motionless, eyes closed, and supported by breathing apparatuses.
Rosie: Ella’s friend who became trapped in the Simulation – 1990 for almost four weeks before Ella entered.
Simulation: An artificial environment.
Simulation Abilities: Special powers or skills a person has that translate into the virtual environment.
The Order: A large, organized group of people (in the thousands) within the simulation who hunt people with simulation abilities like Ella and Rosie, seeking a way to exit the simulation through their bodies.
Visions (in the sky): Translucent, immense figures, including gods, prehistoric beasts (like a pterodactyl or a dragon ), and mythical creatures that appear in the sky. These apparitions are believed to reflect the collective beliefs or mythology of the people in that specific geographic area.
