Jenna and Austin Markus's Not So Average Adventures

I Might Meet One of Them

"My brother?" I ask. Shit. He's my brother, which means that he doesn't exist where I'm from, but some version of me exists where he's from. I feel like I've just colossally screwed up the space-time continuum. "I thought they killed you weeks ago, but here are. With a little amnesia I guess but-" I cut him off.
"Listen, Austin? Right?" He nods. "They did kill me. Probably. The me from your world at least. Look at where we are, do you know how we got here?" He shakes his head. "Okay, we're here because of this thing." I point at the watch. "It lets me travel between dimensions, or parallel universes, or other earths. Whatever you want to call them, and basically the me in your world is dead, and the you in my world was never born." I stop.

The look on his face is what they call priceless. He looks at me, appalled. "You're lying." He says. I should have known that would happen. "I'm not." I say, "I don't expect you to believe me, and I'm just fine with leaving you here. So really it's your choice. Whatever you do we're both stuck here for... Eleven hours, fifty seven minutes, and fourty seconds, so it's not like you don't have time. In the mean time, I'm going to explore." I say. And head for the door. Austin follows me. "I'm coming." He says. "Weather you know me or not, to me you're still my little sister, and I'm still coming with you." I give him a brisk nod. I don't show it on my face, but after traveling alone for three years I think that a companion will do me good. Even if that companion is my other dimensional disbelieving older brother.

At the top of the stairs we find ourselves in what looks like a shops back room, when we're out of there I notice that the door is marked 'Staff Only'. "Run." I say, having no clue what this pace is I usually assume running is the best option. We manage to get out with nothing but a few surprised glances. Outside the world looks mostly normal. Better than the apocalypse I was just in, I mean. All the buildings were bright colours in shades of red and yellow, there were a few video screens with adds playing on top of buildings. Only on the tops I noticed. None of the buildings are under three stories tall, including the one we'd just left. We are definitely in the city.

People walked along, dressed in colours as bright as the buildings. I guess the only thing separating this world from the others is it's loud fashion sense. Austin's ripped, dirty, dark clothing stood out, as did my dark leather jacket and back jeans combo. Even the side of the road food stands have colours so bright they make my eyes sting. I look over at Austin, who's still in awe of everything, and I say "if anyone asks we're from Canada." The look he gives me implies that he has no clue what Canada is, but he nods anyways.

"So," I say to him, "we've got eleven hours and fifty three minutes. Lets go explore." I grab his hand and we move slowly. I think he's too shocked to say anything. I wasn't surprised. The world that he knew was dark, and dead, and dog eat dog. Here everything is whole, and bright. "Let's get you some new clothes." I say to him. He moves towards the nearest man, I grab his shoulder and pull him back. "Here we buy clothes." I say. "We have to hope they use some sort of DNA scanners, and that we exist here." He smiles and says;
"And that we're rich." I smile back.
"Now you're getting the hang of it."

We arrive at a store with clothes on display out front, which I tend to assume means that that's what they sell there. Austin and I walk in, and he looks around in awe. I guess he's not used to undamaged buildings. At first he just wanders aimlessly around the store with me in step behind him, then he finally says; "so I just pick something and wear it?"
"No, you pick something, see if it fits, then buy it, then wear it." I said. It's an odd set of steps to describe to someone like that, but I guess coming from an apocalyptic earth really warps your sense of normal. He simply grabs a shirt and some pants, holds them up to his body, shrugs, and looks at me. "You pay over there." I answer his unspoken question while pointing at a desk where a bored looking clerk in a bright red t-shirt sits.