Worlds Away

chapter three

I'm not sure what to expect as we walk out into the new, yet old looking, neighbourhood. Whatever I see now has some sort of change to it compared to the last time I saw it. The change that stands out the most is the night, which somehow seemed to turn back it's clock, as I was now standing in the twilight with the sky a gradient of colours instead of the former pitch-black, star-filled sky.

"Why does everything look so different?" I ask Alice, expecting the strange girl to know the answer to the tremendously strange situation we're in.

"Because we're in a different place." She replies and before I can respond, she gravely points to the window of the house we're standing outside of. I know not to ask any more questions right now and instead, look towards where she's pointing to find my answer.

I step over the broken-down fence and tip toe towards the ground level window of the house. The paint all over is peeling and the front lawn is full of dead grass and plantations. Whoever lives here clearly doesn't take care of their residence and hasn't done so in years, that is, if there is anyone living here at all. The only proof of life in this vicinity is the faint glow of light coming from the living room.

As I move closer to the window, I peer in to see a messy room with clothes and other miscellaneous items haphazardly placed around the room. In the midst of it, I notice the side profile of an elderly woman, her black- fading to white- hair tied up into a bun. In her wrinkly hand is a glass of what appears to be a drink from the various alcoholic bottles beside her on the table.

Her television is on and she seems to be grumbling at something playing on the T.V. She turns towards my side to refill her glass and my eyes widen in shock. The old lady sitting on the couch has the exact same features as me. It almost feels as if I'm looking at my future self. Suddenly, I hear footsteps approaching on the road beside me and I quickly duck behind a pile of boxes.

There's a patterned knock on the door and I can hear the old lady grumpily yelling out, asking who it is.

"It's Alec." The owner of the footsteps replies loudly and I freeze in shock.

Alec?

I dare to peep over the boxes to catch a glimpse of the elderly man ahead of me. He's got almost the same features as Alec, from my class. Fading brown hair, tanned complexion but a slightly stunted height. Standing beside him is another elderly woman, whose arm is linked around his with a basket in her other hand. That must be his wife. Even though I turned Alec down, I irrationally feel a slight sting when I see him here, married to another woman. If it is, at all, him.

"Like what you see?" Alice asks, crouching next to me. I jump in surprise, I completely forgot about her.

"No, I don't understand what's happening and this is really, really weird. Why does that woman look like me?! Are we in the future?" I ask, panicked.

"That's because it is you. Except, in a parallel universe, not the future." When she sees confusion still plastered all over my face, she proceeds to explain herself more, "In simple words, we're looking at another version of you, that exists in a parallel universe. A reality that co-exists with that of our own. We are part of a multiverse Alyssa, that contains an infinite number of universes, each with a different version of ourselves. Get it?"

"I think so..." I trail off, trying to process all the new information. "So what you're trying to say is, I exist in different universes and that I have many other current lives that I don't know about?" I ask uncertainly.

"Great, you're getting the gist of it!" Alice replies happily, "Except that it applies to all human beings, not just you. Now come on, we have many more Alyssa's to spy on."