Out of Dimension

Kylie Patel ran a hand over her damp face as she ran through the dead of night. Whether her face was drenched from the rain or her own tears, I couldn't tell you. But she was certainly not in the best of spirits that particular night. She had left her cruel orphanage for a new start, a better chance at life.

She thought about the warden, how she despised her tyrannical ways and her malevolent demeanour, her fellow orphans, too downsized by their personal sorrow that they barely even talked to each other, let alone become friends. She was suddenly broken from her train of thought as she tripped over a cobblestone lying on the pavement. 'Should've watched where I was going', were her last thoughts, as darkness devoured her.

At Owen Arcade Road, the next morning, a small crowd was gathering. A young girl was lying on the pavement. No one knew who she was or where she came from and soon enough, the mystery of she got there became nothing short of an urban legend…

 

Kylie snapped awake. It was almost 10 AM if her intuition didn't fail her. Her head was spinning but she managed to get up and dust herself off. She inhaled deeply and started walking, thinking about her new life- right before she slammed onto someone.

'Should've watched where I was going.', the boy thought, as he looked up at the person he had run into. She was about sixteen, his age and seemed to be a female dead-ringer of himself. She even wore the exact same clothes and backpack as him. He got up and dusted himself off- just to see the girl previously standing before him giving him a roundhouse kick. He instantly dodged and blocked it.

'Thank the heavens for Karate.', he thought.

Kylie was shocked. This boy seemed to be a martial arts expert and dressed and looked just like her. "What is your name?", she asked. The boy breathed a sigh of relief. He would rather talk than fight with this beautiful stranger.

"Real clever of you to give me a roundhouse and then ask me my name.",he said, caustically.

Kylie gritted her teeth, "Just answer the question, signor sarcastic.".

The boy held up his hands in surrender, "I'm Kyle Patel, a pleasure to meet you signora.".

Kylie's worst fears had been realized. It had been in the news a few days back that a portal a group of college students was working on, had gone haywire and now the inter-dimensional walls were breaking down, making it possible to walk to the next dimension. So in this dimension, she was a boy and a sarcastic one too. The sight of Kyle's hand waving in front of her broke her from her thoughts.

"Earth to Kylie. Snap out of it!"Kyle said.

"Hold on a second, how did you know my name?",Kylie asked, astonished.

"Well, you do wear a backpack with your name on it..", he grinned. "What are you, five?"

 

"Hold up! Where are we even going? I barely know you!"Kyle cried. "I am you, Kyle. I'm from an alternate dimension because a scientific experiment went faulty. We are going to the research center.", she said.

"Okay, that's a lot to take in, but I'm coming along only because you're me.", he grumbled.

At the research center, they were given a few watchful stares, but most people ignored them. Kylie quickly made for the reception.

"Can you please tell me where I can find the inter-dimensional portal?".

The receptionist didn't take her eyes off the computer screen, "Go straight, it's the third door on your left".

"Thank you.", Kylie said, before dragging Kyle along to the portal room.

"Well, I guess this is where we will be saying goodbye, huh?",Kyle smiled.

"Yeah", Kylie rubbed her neck, "It was fun, though".

"Without a doubt", he said, "but I still don't understand how you knew that the portal in this dimension would work.".

"It was a hunch, really. I figured that everything in this dimension would be the exact opposite of my own", Kylie said, as she activated the portal.

"Oh", Kyle said, "Well, you better get going. Adios ".

"Yeah you too, mi amigo " she said as she stepped through the portal.

 

Mind afresh, Kylie returned to her orphanage. She worked hard at school, passed with distinction and got into a good college. She got a doctorate in Physics and started her own research center. After fixing the malfunctioning portal in the old research center, she built her own. 

Soon enough, she walked through the portal herself, just to catch the sight of her old friend standing there, gleaming at her from the other end..

* *

The constant portal jumps came at a cost, though. It affected the space-time continuum and the portals started to malfunction after a few years.

When people and objects started to pop up at random, the government had to intervene. This left them no choice but to shut down the research centre and demolish the portals. Dimension travellers and scientists like Kylie and I lost the memories of their exploits and now depend on our written accounts.

But even those feel like either an out-of-body experience or some sort of sci-fi fantasy.

After Kylie read the account I wrote out for her she couldn't sleep for days and started to shut everyone out. She went into rehab but nothing and no one could comfort her.

I, personally, started getting anxiety attacks and I realized that with each attack I started to lose my memory. Not just the memories of my cross-dimension travels but now I can't even remember the names of my friends or my family members. I think I'm starting to forget who I am as a person.

 

So I started reading this passage again. Who is Kylie? The name sounds oddly familiar. I hope she's okay? I found a picture with her name on it but can't recognize her.

 

The weirdest thing happened today. I looked in the mirror and I couldnt recognise myself? Lol.

 

Why am I writing this? I had a point to make but I seem to have forgot-10. Eyelids feel heavy. Head hurt. nothing makes sense

 * *

Daily Mail. 

12/02/2035

Physicist Found Dead.

Sara James, a 28 year old scientist was found dead at her house in Owen Arcade Road, on Thursday morning. The police, responding to a call made by her neighbour, Karl, found her body on the floor of her room. When questioned by the police, it appeared the neighbour had brought some coffee for her when he found her lying on the floor, 'eyes wide, her face twisted into an eerie grin'. "She then whispered some gibberish and her body grew limp. I checked her pulse, she was gone", he stated. The police searched her house and found no books or personal device of any kind.

They contacted her neighbour again but received no response. Suspecting foul play, the police searched the neighbour's house and found that his real name was Kyle Patel. The investigation is still underway but the police believe that it is going to turn out like many of the cold cases involving the scientists of the K. P. Research Center.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of the scientists or documents of any kind related to their research, please do not hesitate to report to your nearest police station. Any kind of insight will be duly rewarded.

* *

 

Kyle closed the laptop. He ran a hand through his thick black hair. 

The last few weeks had been exhausting, to say the least. He had lost Kylie, the only person he could call family, to dementia. His best friend, Sara, had passed away.

And to top it all, he had to lie to the police and promptly leave his apartment and go into hiding.

The guilt was eating through his mind, nibbling away at his sanity. It was all his fault; Kylie wouldn't have made a second portal if she hadn't met him. She even gave him a device that could help him jump dimensions. It had malfunctioned and had left Kyle stuck in her dimension. Now he had no idea how to fix it.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when a searing pain crept up his hand. When he turned to look at it, his eyes widened with shock as he watched his entire left arm disappear. 

Then everything went black.

* *