《Culture Shock》 Nick Cole
All good storytelling starts with a beginning. The beginning sets the scene, the characters, and eventually it lands with a hook. A simple concept. The beginning is crucial for the pace of the story. It can¡¯t jump too far forward, nor can it start too far back. This story, the day before, should suffice. A slice of life before my life turned upside down. Rays of sunshine inched their way through my closed blinds. The sun¡¯s warmth kissed my fuzzy cheeks. I could use an extra five minutes of sleep, maybe ten. My mind booted like an old computer. So much for sleeping in. My name is Nick Cole. My parents call me a natural genius, but I don¡¯t see it. I attend Bosley University as a mechanical engineering major. If I¡¯m being honest with myself. I¡¯m not sure I want to stay here anymore. I tried not to think about it too hard. I rolled on my back to face the ceiling of my small dorm room. Thoughts of regret seeped in as I tried to shut my brain off. The door slammed against the cheaply made wall and cracked it. Before I had any time to react, my dorm mate jumped from the foot of my bed and landed on top of me. Chris Benjamin, my best friend. We have been friends since birth, like our parents before. They joked we could never live without each other. Chris had the tendency to be shy. Tall and chubby, he stood out against most at the college. Still dressing like it was the nineties, with his spiked blonde hair and new balance shoes. He chose computer science as his major¡­ I hate when my parents are right. ¡°Get off me, you big goof.¡± I exclaimed. I shoved Chris to the floor, and with a thud, he fell flat on his face. ¡°Good morning to you too, asshole.¡± said Chris as he stood up. ¡°Do you know what today is?¡± I paused, thinking of everything it could be. I knew there was something. What was it? Maybe exams, or a new movie premiered? Wait. It was my birthday. How did I forget my birthday? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you forgot your own birthday?¡± Chris asked. ¡°No, I was just¡­ testing you,¡± I said, albeit nervously. ¡°You passed.¡± I could tell by Chris¡¯s face he wasn¡¯t buying it. I knew him. He was plotting something. I hate surprises. ¡°Well, shall we go to breakfast?¡± asked Chris. ¡°Yeah, give me a sec. I¡¯ll meet you down there.¡± Nick replied. I threw off my covers and stretched to get the blood flowing. I opened the blinds to let light in. It took my eyes time to adjust. I saw Chris taking our shortcut we made. It¡¯s the fastest way to arrive at the cafeteria. That¡¯s what mattered. More time to eat food. I walked to my dresser and perused my clothing options. I threw something on that was practical. T-shirt and jeans. For where I was going, I didn¡¯t need to dress fancy. Also, putting in effort for people I won''t see again didn¡¯t sound pleasing. After dressing myself, I made the quick trek to the cafeteria. I made a beeline to the cereal station. After making a bowl, I searched for my friend. Chris was sitting alone in the back corner with a stack of pancakes drowning in syrup. ¡®A little less calorie intake would do you good, buddy,¡¯ I thought. I situated myself across the table from my best friend. He ate and scrolled through tumblr and I paid him no mind. The feeling of being watched washed over me while I ate my breakfast. There was Chris, watching in horror as I scarfed down my food. ¡°Cereal again?¡± Chris asked. ¡°It¡¯s Lucky Charms, the breakfast of champions. Do you want some?¡± I scooped up a spoon full and moved my hand towards his mouth making airplane noises. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want your Lucky Charms.¡± Chris laughed. ¡°You eat cereal every day. They have pancakes today, you know.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. Cereal is fast and easy. Besides, I prefer waffles.¡± ¡°Waffles?¡± Chris looked back at the line for pancakes. ¡°Wait here, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Not sure where he thought I was going, but I waited for his return. It didn¡¯t take him long before waddled back to the table. I was dying of anticipation as to what he had to show me. He sat a leaning tower of waffles in front of me. I was stunned, to say the least. ¡°Happy birthday. Enjoy!¡± Chris said. ¡°Thanks, buddy.¡± I said. I didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°What are we doing tonight for your birthday? It¡¯s Friday after all.¡± stated Chris. This Friday concluded our second year at Bosley Mountain College. I planned to take Fridays off from classes so Chris and I could travel home early and celebrate. ¡°If we leave by noon, we could arrive by three or four?¡± I said. We sat at the table for another hour chatting before I cleaned up my mess. Chris followed my lead and cleaned up as well. We continued to discuss our plans as we walked back to the dorm. I helped Chris pack his things, and he helped me. We somehow fit all our luggage we needed for a summer break into my truck. It¡¯s not a big truck mind you, it had two doors and one bench seat. A long bed to hold our luggage is all we need. I made sure everything was secured while Chris handled the tunes with his portable music player. I did a pre-trip of the truck. Checked the oil, the brakes, and made sure everything was in working order. After three hours of driving, we finally arrived at my home. Of course, my parents were already outside waiting for us. I don¡¯t bring it up, but my parents are rich. They started their own business with the inheritance they received from their respective sides of the family. After gaining profit, they merged with Chris¡¯s parents. The Cole and Benjamin Company. My father, Andrew Cole, walked up to the driver¡¯s side window as I rolled it down. ¡°Nice drive?¡± he asked. My father was a tall, handsome man with slicked back black hair. He always wore a suit even when he wasn¡¯t working, though it made him look fancy. My mom, Alyssa, is short compared to my father. Some would say she had a radiant type of beauty with her long, layered blonde hair. Back in 2000, my mother had a photo shoot taken for the cover of People¡¯s Choice when the family business had taken off. She even appeared on a few late night television shows such as Opera. ¡°Yeah. Ran into some traffic but, nice drive.¡± I replied. Chris fell out of the passenger side and rolled onto the grass. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°LAND!¡± Chris cried out. Chris had a fear of riding in a car, understandable after what happened. After the terrible death of his parents by a drunk driver, he swore off vehicles. I thought we had gotten past his fear. I helped him to muster up the courage to ride in a car. ¡°I thought we were past this?¡± I asked, knowing full well he wasn¡¯t. ¡°Are you kidding me?! Did you not see the size of that rock?¡± Chris dramatically cried out. ¡°What happened?¡± my parents simultaneously asked. ¡°Oh, it was nothing. Just a little road hazard.¡± I said. It wasn¡¯t a big deal. Just a truck kicking a small rock into Chris¡¯s side of the vehicle. Spooked him a bit, but I calmed him down, eventually. After unloading and visiting with my parents, I made my way upstairs to my room. Something caught my eye and was drawn to my dresser. My graduation cap, sitting alone collecting dust. As I picked it up, all the memories of high school flooded into my mind. Vibrant memories of all the girls I fooled around with, but none of them made me truly happy. I always felt like something was missing. The jumping from one girl to the next was a defense mechanism. I tossed my belongings down on the bed, then laid down next to it. Memories floated to the surface of my thoughts, especially ones from my childhood, and I pondered them for a while. I stared at the stubborn glow in the dark stars that still clung to the ceiling. ¡°Penny for your thoughts?¡± Chris asked. Chris leaned against the open door. The man had impeccable timing. ¡°Remember that time I broke up with the football player and cheerleader because you weren¡¯t invited to that party?.¡± I asked. Chris blushed, knowing that I was speaking of the first time he had gotten together with his girlfriend ¡°Y-y-yes.¡± There it was, my shy best friend. He was too shy to admit what he had done. ¡°The night you sealed the deal?¡± ¡°We should probably get ready. It¡¯s almost six.¡± So close. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I said. I changed into a more appropriate attire. A suit I ordered a month ago. Nothing fancy, a classic James Bond look. Chris took another shower and dressed as close to me as he could. He could never pull off the amount of clout I had. I headed downstairs with Chris around six thirty. My father paid me one hundred dollars while patting my back. ¡°Have fun, and a word of advice¡­ don¡¯t wake up next to a dead hooker.¡± he told me with a straight face. ¡°Thank¡­ you.¡± I replied. I was very confused. It didn¡¯t take me long to drive to the restaurant. I¡¯m going to save you the details. I could see my friends gathering at the front, waiting for us to arrive. That¡¯s when the troubles began. Two of my exes were also attending. Jessica Cruz and Paris Hamada. Jessica was about five feet nine inches. She was one of the tallest white girls I had ever dated. She weighed roughly hundred and twenty pounds. Long blonde hair that fell to her shoulders, and she was wearing a tan tank top with a plaid skirt. Her eyes, a hazelnut green with thin drawn eyebrows. Jessica nonchalantly walked up to me and kissed me right on the mouth. The moment seemed to last much longer than it actually did, and I felt old emotions stirring for her. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was going through her mind. We did not break up mutually. Back in freshman year, we dated for about a month before I left her for another girl. Unfortunately, that girl was here tonight as well. Jessica¡¯s ex-best friend. Paris Hamada was stunning, as always. Her long black hair swept past her shoulders. Teal blue eyes that darted from person to person. Her outfit left nothing to the imagination. She definitely did that on purpose¡­ well played. I led my group of friends into the fancy restaurant and was met with an edge of scrutiny. I could feel the host¡¯s gaze, judging us, a group of children that walked into his establishment. ¡°Can I¡­ help you?¡± The host asked. I can¡¯t lie. I was vaguely creeped out by this man. ¡°Cole, party of 7.¡± The receptionist looked down the list to check the reservations. Once he found them, he whistled over one hostess and asked her to seat them. ¡°You seem busy tonight.¡± I said. I was unnerved by the receptionist. He got under my skin and into my head. ¡°You have no idea. It¡¯s been nonstop customers all day.¡± groaned the waitress, stopping at their table. The waitress was quick to take our order. I ordered two pitchers of beer for the table to start our night off. Everyone knew what they wanted, and the food came out quicker than I expected. After a few glasses, Chris stood up and prepared for a toast. ¡°To my good friend, my brother, Nick Cole¡­ May the night be filled with adventure and girls. You deserve the best in life. Happy birthday.¡± My friends cheered and grabbed another glass of beer. Two hours passed filled with fun; fun I will always cherish. Paris and Jessica put their differences aside and carried me out of the restaurant. I may have had too many drinks that night. It¡¯s hard to remember exactly what happened after. What I¡¯m about to tell you was the start of it all. I mumbled some incoherent nonsense to Paris, which made her smile. The girls began arguing over which one of them was going to take me home. They were interrupted by a man running down the sidewalk. I caught a glimpse of the person. He looked like he was running away from someone or something. The stranger looked genuinely scared. The stranger ran to me and held my hand. ¡°They found me. I don¡¯t know how. My position is compromised. Nick¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± The man slipped a ring into my hand as he backed away. He bolted down the ally way and disappeared into the shadows. ¡°Did you know that man?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°No.¡± I said with certainty. At this point, I was beginning to sober up. After a long, ironic argument with Jessica, we decided it was best that Paris took me and Chris home. Paris helped me get into the passenger side while Jessica helped Chris get into the back seat. Chris was pretty hammered and fell asleep as soon as he got into the truck, which turned out to be a good thing. Paris drove my truck back to my place. By the time we got home, I felt sober enough to have a decent conversation without slurring words. I helped Paris drag Chris into his bedroom, which proved to be a draining task in itself. ¡°So do we undress him or just leave him like this?¡± Paris asked, catching her breath. ¡°I¡¯m sure he can survive one night sleeping in his clothes.¡± Paris tried to keep her laugh in order to be quiet but ended up snickering. I missed her laugh. I could always make her laugh, even when I wasn¡¯t trying to be funny. Once we got my friend situated in his bed, I chauffeured Paris to the guest room downstairs. It was late, and I didn¡¯t feel comfortable letting her walk home. Besides, I had a feeling she wanted to tell me something. ¡°Wait here for a sec.¡± I said. I traversed the dark hallway to find some blankets and pillows in the forgotten closet. When I returned, I saw Paris looking at a photo of us when we went to the beach house two summers ago. ¡°I remember this picture,¡± she said wistfully. ¡°It was probably the most fun I had that year.¡± Paris gently placed the frame back down on the nightstand and turned back to me. She caught me off guard, even when I was preparing for it. I couldn¡¯t do it anymore. The truth had to be said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I had to break your heart that year. The truth is, I got nervous. I actually may have fallen in love with you¡­ and I¡­¡± What I didn¡¯t see coming was the slap. It stung, but all I could think about was that I deserved it. ¡°Then why even go out with me if you were just going to break up with me, anyway?¡± She asked. I saw the hate, the pain. She wanted answers. Answers I could give, but was I ready? ¡°I thought the point of dating was finding a person you like and having a happy relationship with them! I loved you, and you just got up and left me for another girl¡­ just like you did to Jessica.¡± I deserve every bit of this. I had not been a good person. I jumped from one girl to the next without ever thinking of their feelings. Why would I? I didn¡¯t have to be friends with them after. ¡°That hurt me deeply. You know how long I cried for? Do you even know what you almost made me do? Do you?¡± I couldn¡¯t bring myself to look at her. I knew that if I caught a glimpse of her, she would be crying. I couldn¡¯t bear to see her cry. ¡°LOOK AT ME GOD DAMN IT!¡± Paris yelled. My stomach turned. I froze, not knowing what to do. If I turned to see her, I would break down too. I had never felt like this before. This feeling of rock bottom. I didn¡¯t want to be this person anymore, and it scared me that it took this argument to realize this. Nick turned and faced her. He watched her mascara as it ran further down her cheeks. It was obvious that she was really upset. The sight alone made Nick start tearing up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I regret that decision every day of my life. I still love you. If I could heal your heart, I would, I would take the pain and throw it...¡± I blurted. Another slap across my face. I looked straight into Paris¡¯ eyes and saw that I made things worse. ¡°Then why the fuck did you leave me? Why didn¡¯t you stay with me?¡± she asked. ¡°Love was something I didn¡¯t know how to process. The feeling scared me and I did what I knew how to do.¡± I adverted my eyes. ¡°I ran.¡± I walked out and headed to my room, leaving Pairs with more questions than answers. I sat down on my bed and reflected on what I said. I told the truth. I still loved her, even after all the girls that I went out with. In the end, I always thought of Paris and that always drove me to the point of breaking up with whatever girl I was with that week. A slow knock came from my door¡¯s direction. I snapped my head over and saw Paris in her Pajamas. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked, bowing my head in shame. Paris shook her head and sat down next to me. She reached forward to cup my cheeks, gently tilting my head towards her. She gingerly touched her lips on mine. I didn¡¯t resist. This felt right. I reached behind Paris¡¯ back and curled my fingers at the hem of her shirt. Paris pulled my shirt over my head before unzipping my pants and sliding them off. I stopped her. ¡°What are we doing?¡± ¡°What we should have done a long time ago.¡± She said as she continued. I kissed her chest patiently as I unhooked her bra and let the straps slip down her shoulders. Paris slipped off her bottoms. I flipped her onto her back, taking off the last bits of clothing, adding to the overgrowing pile on the floor. We embraced each other for the first time, sealing the deal that we were back together. This was right. She was the missing piece. Chapter 2 - The Dream I''ve had several dreams that played out over the course of a month. It was about a girl who had everything. A princess in a thriving kingdom. She had a loving family with a brother who supported her in anything she did. Her long time boyfriend proposed to her and there was peace in the realm. She was happy and life was good. That good life soon ended. Her fiance was ordered to go to war at the best of the king. The supporting brother became distant and constantly argued with her. The kingdom she loved now in shambles as the realm fell to the acts of war. She fell victim to her thoughts and depression took her. She lashed out at her family and friends, putting distance between everyone she loved. Her misguided hate led her to making a choice that would change her life forever. The girl left the kingdom on a search for herself. She met several companions on the way, who would help her through her self destruction. The girl still hurt, a piece of her heart missing that will never fill. She was offered a potion that would heal her sorrow and make her better. She accepted and drank the potion, only to be betrayed as she fell into a pit. Before she hit the ground, I woke up in a cold sweat. Her emotions stayed with me for a short while after. The night after sleeping with Paris led to a different dream. A dream that made the other ones make sense. The classroom doors bursted open, spilling first second graders onto the playground. The swarm of kids circled the grounds, searching for their favorite objects to play with. Groups soon formed after, and everyone had a playing partner or several. Recess was in session for all, except for one. A seven-year-old girl in her tan capris and pink tank top with an unzipped black hoodie. Mystical eyes, like the color of the deep blue sea, gazed at the children and their fun. Jealousy sunk in as she had no one to play with. With her being a transfer late in the school year, her ability to make friends had been sabotaged. Her light brown hair swayed in the slight breeze. Light up shoes blinked with every step she takes, capturing her attention. Lights danced in pretty patterns as she giggled to herself, jumping in place. It¡¯s the small things in life that could make you happy. ¡°Watch out.¡± A distant voice shouted. It was no use. The colorful lights entrenched her. Colorful lights faded to black as she laid on the ground, motionless. She woke to the swarming children watching her, laughing at the child who endured a dodgeball to the face. She cried while the kids made jokes on her behalf. In her despair, a boy with bleach blonde hair squatted down towards her. His boyish charm shined brightly in her hour of need. Hand stretched out, he waited for her to grab on. She, of course, accepted his offer and stood side by side while the rest of the kids lost interest. The boy wiped the tears from her face, comforting her. The least he could do for such a precious girl. ¡°Sorry, mate. It kind of got away from me.¡± said the boy. The blonde child wore a full grin like a badge of honor. He held the dodgeball tight with one arm, not daring to let go. The girl studied the strange boy, not sure what to think of him. ¡®Maybe he could be a friend,¡¯ she thought. ¡°It¡¯s okay. My fault, really.¡± She wore her shyness like a weapon. Her mother once said, ¡°Some boys like shy girls, use it to your advantage.¡± She never understood what she meant until today. ¡°Name¡¯s Connor Hamada. Nice to meet cha miss¡­¡± He trailed off, fishing for her name. The little girl giggled, twirling her foot. ¡°Stollie. Nichole Stollie.¡± She looked up from the ground to see the boy in front of her shifting between him and a girl she did not recognize. Sound around her muted as the scenery went still. ¡°Nick, it¡¯s time to wake up,¡± said Connor. The boy spoke, but with a voice she¡¯s never heard before. His eyes shifted between soft baby blue and teal. ¡°Paris?¡± Her jaw moved on its own. She was speaking, but different from her own, deeper like a man¡¯s. Nichole took a step back from Connor. The boy stood frozen like a picture. Slightly simmering, glitching between the girl she didn¡¯t know and the boy she just met. Wavy lines blinked in and out, showing a familiar yet strange arm. Two streams of memories seeping into each other, fighting for control. Memories flooded back to her, or rather me, as the sky blackened and the world fell apart. Slow at first, but gradually the ground shattered like glass and sucked me in a hidden vortex. That¡¯s when I broke free. I found myself falling like the girl in my previous dream. As I fell, I thought about the children on the playground, how that was remarkably similar to how I first met Paris. A stray ball knocked me out in the playground and she was there when I woke up. I remember all the children laughing at me, but she stood by my side regardless of what the children called her. It¡¯s a memory I¡¯ve forgotten, locked away in a vault. My life up to this point played before me as I fell, but then my reality fell apart. It mixed what I knew about the world with things I didn¡¯t know, but in time, I would come to understand. I remembered world events, but I also remember new ones that I¡¯m sure never happened. The movies played out memories I knew weren¡¯t mine. I kept falling, with no end in sight. I don¡¯t know how long I fell, but I eventually stopped. Not with a thud or a splat. I just stopped. There was no visible ground, and I floated in this space I found myself in. My heart beat faster and faster as the paranoia settled in. This couldn¡¯t be right. Where was I? If this was a dream, I was lucid. I tried to wake myself up from pinching to full on punching myself in the face. I would not recommend that part. Not a single light illuminated in the void. Pure black nothingness. I searched for anything, anyone. Hours? Days? I didn¡¯t know anymore. I yelled in my exhausted state. It was the only thing I could do to let out my frustrations. Then a white light flashed across my vision. I brought my hand up to cover my eyes while they adjusted to the change in brightness. A white ball of mist floated in front of me. It gave off a bright glow that lit what I couldn¡¯t see, or maybe it was showing me things I needed to see. ¡°Hello?¡± I asked. My curiosity had the better of me. I waved my hand through the mist with no regard for my safety. The cool touch of air wrapped around my hand like a wet blanket. It hovered for a short while, then dissipated. The room darkened before lighting up again as it reformed a few feet away from me. I called out again. This time, I received an answer. ¡°Eli?¡± It asked. It spoke in a soft feminine voice. Pulsing with each pronunciation. I wondered whether I should follow it. ¡°This is the weirdest dream.¡± I muttered under my breath. I stayed with the floating ball rather than be left in the dark. It continued traveling in its current direction, illuminating objects from my past, but it also illuminated ones I wasn¡¯t familiar with. It was strange. These things I was seeing, they looked like modern technology but were twisted in a way that it could be something new. Phones that could project the caller like a hologram or a vehicle that floated instead of rolled. I froze as I watched the mist change shape. It was beautiful, almost hypnotizing. The ball shifted into different shapes and sizes and eventually landed in a vaguely humanoid shape. Bright light surrounding the new form dimmed. Into the dark, we both went. A snap echoed through the darkness. An overhead light appeared, and the shadows faded into a living room. My living room. At least I thought it was, but furniture had different shades of color and the pictures on the wall were different. There stood a young girl, naked, in the middle of the room. My eyes widened, not sure what to say or do. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± she said. She seemed unfazed for a woman standing in a room naked with a man. I wasn¡¯t afraid, far from it. I was more curious why this girl materialized in front of me. This girl spoke with a distinct accent. I¡¯ve always enjoyed a girl with an accent. Pairs has a slight accent. She denies it, but I know it¡¯s there. I wanted to ask this girl so many questions, yet I uttered out the most obvious. ¡°You¡¯re naked,¡± I said. ¡°Bloody hell! This is so embarrassing. Hold on a tic.¡± The girl turned around and muttered to herself. Clothes gradually materialized on her in the same white misty substance she appeared in. A gray sweatshirt and sweatpants engulfed the person standing in front of me. She looked herself over twice, to make sure she wasn¡¯t forgetting anything again. The girl smiled at me as she sat down on her legs as they bowed out. ¡°You¡¯re cuter in person. My brother was right; you look more like him.¡± She studied me with her eyes. I could feel her looking over every inch of me. This was incredibly awkward. ¡°Strange how one small action can lead to multiple paths to different outcomes. You were an only child which led to your parents naming you¡­¡± I held a finger to her lips. Her eyes widened in response. ¡°Blimey! There I go trailing off again.¡± she cleared her throat before she continued. ¡°My name is Nichole Stollie. I¡¯m you, essentially, from a parallel universe.¡± Nick Cole. Nichole. The universe is a jester and I¡¯m its King. Then again, she was saying certain actions lead to the potential of many universes and in that case¡­ I am the fool. I let out a sigh of exhaustion. This dream was making no sense. ¡®I conjured a cute British girl in front of me and then I turned around and made her me. What kind of sick, twisted thoughts am I having?¡¯ I thought to myself. ¡°We were afraid this might happen. My brother coined the phrase ¡®culture shock¡¯ to describe what you are feeling. When you go from one universe to the next, you brain can¡¯t handle the extra information.¡± Culture shock was the least of my worries and I understand how I might have looked. I couldn¡¯t care less about parallel universes. To wake up is what I wanted. I wanted to kiss Paris on the forehead and tell her good morning. Maybe even make her breakfast. I pushed these thoughts aside, and I asked the question that might lead to a key out of this dream. ¡°Okay, other me. Say this is true. Say you are me from another universe. Why me, of all people?¡± She lowered her head, not saying a word. I leaned in closer, trying to get a look at her face. Her facial expressions changed rapidly from concerning to angry. She looked conflicted about what she wanted to say. ¡®My subconscious is going through it.¡¯ I thought. ¡°Listen.¡± Her eyes locked with mine. A shiver crawled down my spine as her gaze looked through me. Her lovely smile dropped and her eyes full of life grazed over. She closed her eyes for a second to compose herself before continuing. ¡°This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. And I¡¯m truly sorry for what we did.¡± ¡°What wasn¡¯t supposed to happen?¡± I asked. I was worried about what I was about to tell myself. This felt like some life-changing moment that could lead me to unlocking an inner perspective about myself. A moment of silence fell between the two of us. I bounced my leg, waiting for her to continue. ¡°One of our operatives on your side got spooked by something. They activated their ring for an extraction. The machine we used to travel between worlds expected a certain DNA sequence and when it extracted you¡­ well, it didn¡¯t know how to handle the information. It shut down mid transfer.¡± This was no inner perspective. This felt real. I was still skeptical about the whole idea of parallel world travel. It was hard to keep denying the possibility of all this. I remember the strange man the night of my birthday. He gave me his ring and told me he was compromised. Still intoxicated, I slipped the ring on my finger, thinking nothing of it. I should have never put the ring on. ¡°I don¡¯t feel dead.¡± I said. Nichole averted her eyes and sighed heavily. ¡°Without getting into too much detail, the first version of the machine was deemed inhumane by our government. We did it twice, and it caused some unforeseen consequences. The subjects were never the same after.¡± She was being very forthcoming with her information, which I liked. Although I could tell she was clearly still hiding something. The dots were there and easy enough to connect, but I wanted to hear her side of the story first. ¡°Before we shut the project down, the government wanted to send me over to your side. It connected to you, but it failed to send me.¡± ¡°Who was he?¡± I asked. ¡°The man who gave me the ring.¡± She gasped at my question. Her head hung low, and she held back her tears, but her will wasn¡¯t strong enough for the flood gates I opened. ¡°He was a good friend of mine.¡± She trailed off. Tears rolled down her cheek. ¡°Sorry. That¡¯s not entirely accurate. He was more than a friend. Conrad Hamada was my fiance.¡± I didn¡¯t believe it. I didn¡¯t want to believe it. There was no way. ¡°Conrad is dead. He died as a child because of health problems.¡± ¡°In your world, yes. In my world, he grew up and had a normal childhood. I first met Conrad¡­¡± ¡°In preschool.¡± We both said in unison. She blinked at me. I could see the confusion on her face. ¡°I see. We share a core memory. That explains why we are compatible.¡± she said. Nichole explained how she met Conrad, and it put things into perspective for me. The choices I¡¯ve made to become this person and the thought of Paris growing up with a brother, it¡­ I can¡¯t lie, it scared me. I retold my side of the story and about how I met Paris and what my life was like with her. We sat and talked for hours about how our lives were so similar and how we chose different outcomes to situations. I was genuinely having a good time, but something in the back of my head put a stop to it all. ¡°Why am I here?¡± I asked. Nichole stopped mid laugh, and the silence returned. I watched the tears stream down her face. She fiddled with her hands, not sure how to continue. ¡°I was hoping this would last a little longer before I had to break the news.¡± She stood up and paced back and forth. ¡°This world that we find ourselves in is the in-between. My memories and your memories are one. When the machine turned off mid transfer, you were stuck here, along with me.¡± I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. All the memories I didn¡¯t recognize while falling were hers. ¡®If I saw her¡¯s, did she mine?¡¯ I asked myself. The weight of the situation hit me all at once, and my composure broke. I was pissed, but I didn¡¯t want to show it. ¡°You know how to fix it, right?¡± I asked her. ¡°Yes, but...¡± ¡°Good.¡± I cut her off. I didn¡¯t want to hear any more excuses. She messed up and caused me to be stuck in this In-between. I could have cared less at the time. I just wanted to go home, wake up in my bed with my girlfriend. I should have listened to her and her warning. ¡°When we¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, Nichole.¡± ¡°Right. Cheers.¡± She smiled and gave a bow in my direction. A bright light flashed before us, and I felt lighter. I could feel myself falling again. I held my eyes tight as I tried to endure the feeling. A warmth crawled over my skin and I felt lightheaded. I fell faster and the intensity finally wore me down. I saw my vision slowly blacken as I gave into passing out.