Queen of Both Worlds

Chapter Two:The Other Side

I couldn't move. My legs felt glued to the pavement as the other me stepped closer, her movements slow, deliberate. The smile on her face never faltered, and the further she advanced, the colder the air around me became. I shivered, wrapping my arms tighter around myself, trying to shake off the strange feeling crawling up my spine.

This can't be real.

"You're not supposed to be here," she said, her voice smooth, like honey mixed with something bitter. "Not yet."

I swallowed hard, my mouth dry. "Who are you?"

The question came out sharper than I intended, but I couldn't control it. Fear was bubbling inside me, threatening to spill over. She was me—same face, same voice, even the same outfit, but there was something off about her. It wasn't just the eyes. It was the way she carried herself, as though she belonged in this eerie, silent version of my childhood neighborhood.

She stopped a few feet away, looking at me with mild amusement. "You're asking the wrong question, Beyoncé."

"What do you mean?" I shot back, my voice shaking.

She took a deep breath, almost as if she were savoring the air. "The question isn't who I am. The question is, why are you here?"

I frowned, glancing around at the deserted street again. This couldn't be real. I had been on stage just moments ago, feeling the adrenaline, the energy of thousands of fans screaming my name. And now, here I was, standing in the middle of my old neighborhood, facing a version of myself that didn't seem entirely... human.

None of this made sense.

"I don't know why I'm here," I finally admitted, my voice softer now. "I don't understand any of this."

Her smile faded, replaced by a look of pity. "It's not your fault. This wasn't supposed to happen yet." She glanced up at the sky, her expression darkening. "You fell through. Something pulled you here, too soon."

"Too soon for what?" I pressed, my frustration rising. "What is this place?"

The other me tilted her head, her eyes scanning the street before they flicked back to mine. "This is home," she said, but there was an edge to her voice now. "At least, it used to be."

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, she turned on her heel and started walking down the street, her pace slow and steady. Something inside me screamed to stay put, to not follow, but curiosity—or maybe desperation—pushed me forward. I jogged to catch up, my steps echoing in the eerie silence.

"Where are you going?" I called after her.

She didn't stop. "You'll see."

The further we walked, the more familiar the surroundings became. There was the corner store I used to visit after school. There was the park where I played as a little girl. But it was all wrong. The swings were rusted, the grass overgrown, the sky an unnatural shade of gray. It was as if this place had been abandoned for years, frozen in time, a decayed version of the memories I held so close.

We stopped in front of a house. My house. The one I grew up in, with its faded yellow paint and the big oak tree in the front yard that my dad had built a swing on when I was little. I hadn't seen it in years, but here it was, untouched, like a relic from another life.

My doppelgänger stood at the gate, her hand resting on the peeling wood. She didn't look at me as she spoke. "This was where it all started."

"What started?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Her eyes finally met mine, and there was a sadness in them now, a weight I hadn't noticed before. "Your other life."

I stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest. "What do you mean?"

She sighed, looking down at the cracked pavement beneath her feet. "This world isn't real, not for you. It's a reflection—a shadow of something that could've been. But you don't belong here. Not yet."

I took a step closer, my mind racing. "What are you saying? That this is some kind of... alternate reality?"

"Something like that," she replied softly. "It's complicated. You were never supposed to see this place. Not until your time came." Her gaze darkened. "But something went wrong. You've crossed over too soon."

I shook my head, trying to process her words. "Crossed over from where? From what?"

"From the life you know," she said, her tone matter-of-fact. "The life you're living now—your fame, your music, everything. It's only one version of your story. There are others. And this one... this world, was never meant for you. Not yet."

I stared at her, disbelief coursing through me. "That's impossible."

"Is it?" she countered, her gaze piercing mine. "Haven't you ever felt it? That pull, deep inside, like you were living someone else's life? Like something was missing?"

I blinked, a chill running down my spine. I had felt that before—late at night, after the lights had dimmed and the noise of the world had faded. That strange, hollow feeling, like I was chasing something I couldn't name. But I'd always brushed it off. Everyone felt that way sometimes, didn't they?

I swallowed hard, my voice barely a whisper. "What happens now?"

She stepped back from the gate, her face unreadable. "Now, you need to go back. Before it's too late."

"Go back?" I echoed. "How?"

She gave me a small, sad smile. "That's the part that's up to you."

Before I could ask what she meant, the world around me started to blur again, the edges of my vision darkening. I reached out, but the other me was already fading, her figure dissolving into the mist.

"Wait!" I called out, but my voice sounded distant, muffled.

The last thing I saw was her smile, soft and knowing.

Then everything went black.

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Thoughts ?

Why do you think Beyoncé was pulled into this alternate reality, and what might have caused her to "cross over too soon?