My Brother From Another Universe

1: Parallel Universes

I'm so excited to try out my latest invention which I've just finished working on and modifying. I've been working on it for the past eight months and now it's finally done, I can't wait to test run it and see how well it works. No one thinks I can pull this off, not even my parents and especially not my sister, Austin. She's just twelve minutes older than me but acts like she's twelve years older than me. They all think I'm wasting my time but I'm gonna show them, I'm gonna show them all.

"You still on this shit?" Austin asks as she comes into my room. Here we go.

"She's a full grown invention now, so address her with some respect okay," I say, raising my voice. How dare she call my invention a 'shit'.

"Why don't you just give it a break? You've been on that thing for months."

"Did Thomas Edison give it a break when he invented the first light bulb after so many failed attempts?"

"Dinner's ready, weirdo," She deadpans and leaves.

I sigh. I'm not going down for dinner till I turn this baby on and prove Austin and everyone else who never believed in me wrong. This invention of mine has the ability to transport objects and people between parallel universes. The first of its kind and it would be even more iconic if it works perfectly.

I place a marble next to the invention, I will use it to do a test run before I can try it out on larger objects and actual people. I push a green button, turning on the invention then pull the two large levers on it, making it spark and releasing bright diffuse rays of light for a whole sixty seconds. I shield my eyes from the bright lights and when the disco show is over, I check for the marble.

It's gone.

It works!

My invention actually works!

I do a happy dance and pat myself on the back. Can't wait to show the world what I made. Now, to bring the marble back from whatever universe it's in.

I push the yellow reverse button and pull the levers back up. The diffuse rays of light put up another bright show, making me turn away. After sixty seconds I check again for the marble but it's not there. Doesn't it work when on reverse?

Before I can worry any further there is a loud thud in my bathroom. I grab a hammer and walk slowly to my bathroom. As I step closer, a tall boy about my age with good form and long dark hair walks out of the bathroom and glances at me and my hammer.

"Where am I?" He looks around like he just found himself on Mars.

"Who are you?" I ask, confused. Firstly, as to what he's doing here and secondly, as to how one's hair can look so fricking good. I would have to ask him later what products he uses on his hair if he turns out not to be dangerous.

"Travis," He replies casually. He doesn't seem scared of me, or my hammer. "And who are you?" he asks back.

"Avan," I try to sound as casual as he did. "Where are you from?" I ask again but before he can reply, realization hits me and my eyes widen in shock and excitement.

"You must be from a parallel universe!" I blurt.

"If this is a parallel universe then what in the world am I doing here? One second I'm at the park picking up a stray marble and the next, I'm in a parallel universe?"

"Did you just say you were picking up a marble?"

"Yes, but that's not the point."

"That marble you picked up from your universe was the object I used to test my invention. Perhaps you got teleported here because of the contact you had with the marble when I tried to bring it back," I explain to him.