Reverse Universe

ǝǝɹɥʇ

Turns out the girl and boy live on a ranch, a place Laeci has only dreamed of by the window in her crowded apartment in the bustling city. There's a nice white farmhouse, though like the others it is upside down. In this world, cows oink, pigs moo, sheep cock-a-doodle-do, and chickens baa. It's kind of creepy-when Laeci expects a cow, she finds a pig mooing. She's glad to finally get in the house, a cool breath of air welcoming her.

The inside is rather simple-a couch(upside down), two chairs(also upside down) and a fireplace(not upside down and crackling a merry fire). When Laeci wonders how the room is so cool, yet the fireplace is lit, she finds her answer. The fire emits cool air, not warm. It's rather pleasant as it feels like a huge fan blowing right in her face.

"Papa isn't home yet." The girl is still whispering, even in the safety of her house. To Laeci, she asks, "Would you like something to drink?"

Laeci nods. "Lemonade, if you have any?"

Laeci must be going insane. Seriously, why did she just accept a drink from a stranger? The girl nods at the boy, and he goes into the kitchen, Laeci guesses, to get the drinks.

"I don't even know your name," Laeci says while her brother is in the kitchen.

"It's Madelyn. My brother is Luke," she answers.

"Your brother doesn't talk much," Laeci comments.

"Yeah, he's a bit shy, but that works out okay, because I do all the talking for him," Madelyn replies.

Luke walks in with a tray baring four lemonades, complete with a rim of sugar crystals, like a fancy cocktail. Madelyn reaches forwards and grabs a glass, sighing as she takes a sip. "I miss legit lemonade."

Seeing Laeci's confused look, she explains. "There are no such thing as edible lemons here-all of them are poisonous. There is, however, poison ivy berry juice, but it just doesn't taste the same. And yes, this is poison ivy berry juice," she says, holding up her glass.

"Why would you make juice from poison ivy berries!?" Laeci asks, the once refreshing zing of lemonade(or is it?) turning into a bitter aftertaste.

Madelyn laughs. "If you haven't noticed, everything is reversed. Poisonous things are no longer harmful; and non-poisonous things become poisonous. So this," she holds up her glass,"is safe to drink."

Laeci just now thinks of a question she should of, but hasn't, thought of before. "How come you know so much? You talk like you aren't from here."

For once, Madelyn looks sad. "We were from your world. Earth, right?"

When Laeci nods, Madelyn continues. "We were from Texas, just Luke and Papa and me. Papa worked for this technology research company, as a janitor, and they had opened up a portal to teleport-well they thought so, anyway. We were poor and they were offering this huge amount of money if Papa would go and test it. Luke and I were really excited, because it was teleporting, so we begged to come to work with him that day. Papa stepped in, and suddenly there was wind that blew everywhere that smashed everything in the room. It killed everyone else, but not Luke and me. We got sucked up into the portal, and turns out it lead to here."

"So you're trying to get home," Laeci concludes.

"Yes," Luke finally speaks,"We've tried to blend in with the others, dress in a similar fashion, buy a ranch, learn the language, even dye our hair. But if one thing slips, we're doomed."

"Why?" Laeci asks.

"The government doesn't want people from the Reverse Universe," Madelyn answers,"they think it's a danger to society."

"They know?"

"Yes, they found out years before we came here, and blocked all known entrances. The one created by the company Papa worked for had found a loophole-"

"A loophole?" Laeci interrupts.

"Yes, a loophole. It's the name for the invisible pathways between the universes that are impossible to find."

"But you're here now," Luke cuts in," so somehow you got here. So however you came here, we can go home that way."

Although Luke speaks in such a distant and dark tone, Laeci can hear the excitement in it. Suddenly, the front door opens and in strolls a man who looks forty-ish. Laeci can tell his hair used to be brown, but now it's dyed mint green with lavender streaks. One look at him and Laeci knows that this must be Madelyn and Luke's Papa.

"Grandma! Grandpa! Home I'm!" He shouts, as if he was a little kid.

Madelyn goes and meets him by the door. "We found someone!"

His face instantly morphs from a little kid's to a more mature face. "Madelyn, we could get caught for speaking like that!"

"Come meet her!" Madelyn says, completely ignoring his words.

His eyes come to meet Laeci's. "Finally, I was getting tired of acting like a little kid all the time."

"What?" Laeci is totally confused by this. (But really, she's getting confused very often, so you would expect her to be used to the feeling.)

"You do know that everything is reversed, right? So when people are born, they are aged and wrinkly. They get younger as they age. Oh, and Samuel Smith, nice to meet you." He says the latter so nonchalantly, as if the first part wasn't weird at all.

"My name is Laeci, nice to meet you, Mr. Smith," Laeci says, trying not to look grossed out.

"Please, call me Papa Sam."

But before Laeci can say anything else, Laeci hears bangs on the door. "UP OPEN! QUEEN THE OF BEHALF ON INSPECTION GOVERNMENT!"

Papa Sam, Madelyn, and Luke's eyes widen in unison. Papa Sam is the first to react, grabbing Madelyn, Luke, and Laeci and whispering,"Go upstairs, to the escape room, and lock the door!"

Before Laeci can process what is going on, Madelyn and Luke have already started running up the stairs. All Laeci can do is follow them up the steep, winding stairs.

***
I do hope you're enjoying the story so far.

When people are speaking backwards, read from the last word to the first for each quotation.

This story is for Target's OnceUponNow contest. If you enjoyed, please vote on the prologue, starting June 14.
Thanks!

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