The Way Between The Worlds

Reflection

NOTE: This story jumps between three different characters in a disorienting way, which I did intentionally (for a reason that I can't say without revealing spoilers). However, in hindsight, I realize that this might also be off-putting to some readers. If you are not dissuaded, you will begin to see a pattern to the transitions (and the reason for them), and I promise you that, by the end, everything will come together and make sense. Anyway, let me know what you think! Is the way I tell this story interesting and mysterious, or just confusing?

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She saw something luminous dart past, just outside the car window. Amelia slammed on the brakes. She squinted out through the window, but there was nothing there now. She saw only the quiet neighborhood street, the glow of the sunset fading beyond the trees and rooftops.

The ache behind her eyes was getting worse, Amelia realized. Maybe she was just seeing things. With a sigh, she continued driving along the street, then finally pulled into the parking lot in front of her apartment complex. Once she had parked the car, Amelia sank back in her seat, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her hands to her temples.

She stepped out into the warm evening air. The chirping of crickets rose from the lawn in front of the row of apartments. A moment later, Amelia heard her neighbor's front door swing open. She blinked as a man in his mid-twenties—just a little older than her—stepped outside. Once he saw her, he froze.

She swallowed. "Scott," Amelia murmured, before continuing toward her own apartment.

"Amelia," Scott called after her. "I, uh... I've been wondering how your physics research has been going," She turned, and saw him fidgeting, scratching at the back of his head. "It must suck to have to take classes over the summer. The weather's been so nice lately."

"It would suck more to have to wait until after fall semester to graduate." Amelia hesitated, "Scott... you do realize that it's over between us, right?"

His shoulders sagged a little. "Yeah, that is what you said you wanted, isn't it. I guess it was kind of silly... two people falling in love just because they were neighbors. What were we thinking?"

"Look... Scott, I'm kind of getting a headache right now, so now isn't a good time for this discussion."

"Okay, gees," Scott muttered. He turned toward his car, which was parked in the lot next to hers, but then he glanced back at her, "I hope you feel better soon."

A moment later, Amelia nearly gasped. Again, she thought she saw something dart past, between her and Scott. The pale, serpentine thing undulated through the air as if it were swimming, but it disappeared around the corner of the apartments before she could blink.

She realized that Scott was giving her a funny look. "Is something wrong?"

"Did you see that thing fly past just now?"

"No... what thing?"

Amelia rubbed her eyes. "I've been staring at physics equations and Feynman diagrams all day. I thought I saw something, but my eyes must be playing tricks on me." Finally, she turned and headed inside.

Amelia shuffled into her bathroom, then opened her medicine cabinet and swallowed a couple of Ibuprofen tablets. She glanced at the bathtub, A hot shower would sure feel nice right about now.

Twenty minutes later—twice as long as she usually took—she pushed aside the shower curtain and wrapped herself in a towel. The throbbing pressure behind her eyes was starting to subside. Amelia squinted into the mirror behind the bathroom sink, which was fogged with condensation from the steamy air. Behind the fog, her reflection seemed murky and distant.

Then, she jumped in fright.

In the blurry reflection, she saw the white serpentine thing flit past just behind her. It turned and darted into view again, then its movement slowed as it coiled back around, drifting lazily through the air. Amelia held perfectly still, too afraid to move as she watched the apparition nearly brush against her shoulders. Its pale, worm-like body was easily as long as she was tall. Jutting, rib-like fins protruded above and below, tapering toward the creature's tail. The serpent hovered over her shoulder for a moment, and Amelia saw five luminous eyes arranged in a V pattern above its stubby, mouthless snout.

Amelia's stomach quivered as she stared into the mirror. She drew in a breath, then turned around—but the creature was gone. She glanced back into the mirror, but the apparition had vanished from the reflection as well.

I'm going crazy, Amelia thought. Then, she shook her head, No. It must be a migraine aura or something. Stress causes migraine headaches, and people sometimes see things when they have migraines, don't they? She sighed, I've just been working too hard.

Once more, Amelia looked into the fogged mirror, then reached up to wipe away the condensation. But then, she hesitated. With her finger, she began to trace out a crude Feynman diagram—little more than a few lines and squiggles—depicting one of the particle interactions she had been studying that day. Next to it, she traced another, then a third. Finally, below them, she drew something that looked like a combination of all three diagrams. To her, the strange shape looked like some sort of magic rune.