It Started on the Bus

The Start of it all

Holly had been riding the same bus for nearly four years. Everyday she would board it, sit in a seat, and let it bring her to work. Then, she would ride it back home. The same people would always ride the bus. Everyday. Every night. One day, however, a new passenger boarded the bus. A stranger Holly had never seen. And Holly knew everyone. He had dark brown messy hair, and his light brown eyes were bright and bold, filled with knowledge and creativity. He constantly looked tired, yet hopeful. And he was cute. So, Holly decided to go talk to him. What harm could it do? They could exchange numbers, or they could not. They could be friends or lovers. Or they could not. Anything could happen, really. But she wasn't expecting this.

Plopping down next to the boy on the bus, Holly began "Hey, I'm Holly!" she smiled and stuck her hand out. The man stared at her, mouth slightly agape, not moving.

Ok. . .this was weird. She slowly retracted her hand back. And sat quietly. After a few moments, however, the man spoke.

"You. . .you shouldn't be able to see me." the man said, confusion but intrigue clear in his voice.

"What?" Holly looked at him, incredulous.

"You shouldn't be able to see me." he said again, clearer this time."

Holly laughed. "I'm not sure I understand."

He stood up. "Come with me." he held out his hand, as the bus slowed to a stop. Not Holly's stop.

Holly said nothing. What was he doing? What was he talking about? She couldn't just go with this random man out into the streets. And yet. . .

"Ok." She took his hand and he sprinted off the bus with her. What was she doing? There was no time for her to process the thought, however, as no sooner then she stepped out of the bus she felt herself blacking out.

Holly woke with a start as the mysterious man who had whisked her from the bus shooker her shoulders. She sat up suddenly. "What the HELL!" she looked around at her surroundings. She was on the floor of a dirty room with tools and benches and grease and- things that didn't know quite what they were, just that she didn't understand them.

The man was now working quickly with something at a workbench.

"Dude. What am I doing here? What did you do?" she was trying to remain calm, but her voice was slightly elevated and sharp as fear rose in her throat.

"Try to calm down, Holly. We are in The Center. Specifically my workshop."

Questions were whirling through Holly's mind. The Middle? Who was this guy? Why was she so dizzy? What was the glowing substance over in the corner. And what on Earth was that infernal sucking noise?

Unable to process what was happening, she stood up. There was a window. When she looked out it, what she saw horrified her. Outside the window was a bright pastel colored sea of-something. In the center of it-wherever that was; she couldn't really tell and she was getting dizzier just looking at it- was a turquoise tinted see through cube.

"I demand to know what is going on!" she shouted.

He whipped around. "Have you ever heard of the multiverse theory?" he asked.

"I- we- we're in a parralell universe?" Holly was getting more and more shocked by the second.

"No." he was sounding impatient. Well it wasn't her fault she had never been taken from the bus and brought to nauseating room in a nauseating-place. "We're in the center of it." he put something in a satchel and grabbed Holly's arm again. He dragged her out the door while quickly trying to explain. "There is an infinite amount of parralell universes, and we are in the heart of it. The only known way to travel between the universes. The Center.