Fractured Worlds (Worlds Away #1)

Brela Chapter 3: The Decision

What the heck was with that lady? I asked myself as Yuki and I walked through the rapidly filling streets. It had been two hours since the crazy woman had showed up with her insane request, leaving me ten hours to decide whether I was going to join her or not.

It was absolutely absurd; how could the multiverse actually exist? And the way she described it, that made even less sense. How could people go from one world to another? And without consequences?

You saw her do it, I reminded myself. On second thought, I guess the fractures— is that what she called them? —are the consequences.

The more I thought about it and ran the conversation over in my head, the less and less it made sense, not like it had made much sense before.

With no better option, I started from the top.

Could the multiverse really exist? Could what she said be true? Could there be an organisation out there protecting the worlds' barriers? What did she call it? Meh-pa?

Either way, her story was crazy enough that it could be true. There is no way to prove or disprove the existence of a multiverse yet. Granted, her sudden disappearing act was pretty strong evidence. Maybe she isn't as crazy as I initially thought.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as I walked. Everything had happened so fast, leaving my head spinning and thoughts racing to catch up. The amount of information dumped on me in a span of a few minutes did not help my decision-making abilities. There was too much to think about and debate. But there was something about the stranger's story that made sense; I couldn't place it.

How did she even find me? And how did she know my name? Obviously, she has been watching me for some time. Not like that's unsettling at all.

How did I get pulled into this one?

An unease settled over me as the hairs on the back of my neck rose. Someone was watching me; I was sure of that. Yuki, sensing my agitation, picked up her pace. I followed my dog's lead. With every step, the urge to get home grew. I couldn't be sure, but my gut told me someone was following me.

As casually as I could, I glanced at the passing store window. Using the reflection, I checked my surroundings. Besides a blond-haired lady and black-haired man, who seemed to be only interested in each other, there were two teens playfully bugging each other, their laughing expressions telling me that they weren't the ones. I highly doubted the couple were the ones who had caused my paranoia.

As I turned my attention from the window, I immediately collided with a solid form. I spun around, turning to face the man I had run into.

"I'm so sorry," I apologised. Something drew my gaze back to the couple behind the man. The blond-haired lady's attention shifted to us.

"It's okay, it happens," the man shrugged, offering a reassuring smile, his blue eyes crinkling softly. I watched him as he continued on his way. The couple exchanged a hushed word as the man passed, their eyes following him.

For whatever reason, I was shaken. Why had these encounters affected me so badly? I must have been put on edge by the woman's multiverse story. There was nothing spooky or scary about the incident. A crazy lady telling me about some ludicrous story was no reason to be feeling anxious.

Still not able to lose the feeling of being followed, I quickened my pace and continued to my apartment. I ran up the steps of the building, taking the stairs two at a time. With shaky hands, I reached for the door. Before my hand could touch the warm metal, Yuki's leash was ripped from my grasp. The nylon bit into my skin as she bolted.