As one door closes, another opens. That's what Alana and Milo discovered as the rustic door closed behind them, vanishing into thin air and leaving them stranded in their new environment. Neither was brave enough to turn around, this day only raising more questions than answers. But knowing they couldn't hide in their little bubble for long, Milo took the plunge, turning around.
He paused, having now found themselves in what looked to be an old underground station. The brickwork, hanging lights, and faded posters all looked like a Victorian-style London station. Dust-laden gas lamps, their glow long extinguished, line the platform, casting eerie shadows upon cracked tiles worn smooth by the passage of countless footsteps. Alana wasn't long after to take in the views. Stepping forward, however, she stopped, moving her foot over cracked concrete outlining a faded yellow line. "Where are we? This, this shouldn't be possible."
"I don't know what to believe anymore," Milo admitted, running his hand over an old wartime poster. It was mostly torn, with very little to be made out, but the word infinity was clear enough. "Maybe this is some kind of prank?"
"A prank? You've got to be kidding me."
"Well, what do you suppose this is? It can only be some high-budget game show. There's probably hidden cameras everywhere."
"How do you explain the magic door... Or the other me?"
Milo couldn't think of an excuse for that one. Remaining silent, he shrugged his shoulders and continued to explore the abandoned train station. Each platform they visited was just as barren and empty. There were no trains, passengers, or any sign of life. The station seemed to go on forever.
Each new platform bled into the next, all looking almost identical; the two might have believed that if it wasn't for the slight differences in the posters. Alana came to a halt, exhausted, as she inspected the railway map for the current platform. She had kept a note of each one, none making sense. "Milo, come here a second. Check out this map."
Milo pivoted back around, meeting with Alana confused. "What about it?"
"They're meant to be different stations. But these are not stations. Cheerleading, Student President, Main lead, Sports Captain, drop out. All of these are titles, roles..."
Milo continued to stare, mumbling. "Alana, the map is blank; what are you talking about?"
Alana was taken back, turning to Milo before returning to the map. She could see the titles crystal clear; she knew she could. "Stop playing games with me, Milo; look, it's there for all to see!"
Milo continued staring at the map, not having the heart to tell Alana otherwise; scratching his head, he shrugged. "I'm not messing with you; I really can't see anything."
"No way. I've seen these maps all through the different stations; each shows a group of titles: Student Council President, Cheerleader... I think these are the different roles I could have taken. The other Alana... The, well, she was a cheerleader. I wanted to be a cheerleader."
"So what, they're the roles you've always wanted to be?"
Shaking her head at this remark, Alana crossed her arms. "No, I've never wanted to be Sports Captain, and I definitely don't want to be a school dropout. My parents would murder me if I did that."
"There's Nothing wrong with being a school dropout," Milo insisted, turning away and looking ahead. I feel like we're getting nowhere fast. What are we even looking for? I haven't seen a single door since arriving here."
The two continued to walk as Alana reached into her pocket and took out the train ticket, an idea coming to mind. "We're looking for our train; what platform does your ticket say?"
