Chapter Seven
She Made Me a Believer
Lucretia didn’t come that evening. I didn’t expect her to. After all, I’d only just sent the letter. Sneaking out at night wasn’t easy to do for all of us. Not everyone is an expert at bending the rules like I am. She’d come, though. Of that I was confident. And she did, the night after.
I’d been sitting on a fallen tree, gazing up at the sky through the leaves when I heard her footsteps approaching. Even walking through the forest, her steps seemed as confident as ever. A smile formed on my lips and when she came into view, the moonlight washed over her. I’m positive she was glowing. Literally glowing.
My jaw dropped at the sight. It made her all the more beautiful, the way it hugged her curves and her dark hair seemed to have strands of glitter mixed in amongst her curls. Pure magic. That should have been my first tip off. I didn’t believe in magic, though.
“Nice night,” I said.
She walked over to join me on the log. I noticed then she wasn’t in a dress. Instead, she had on plain dark pants and a loose white shirt. The look fit her so much better, and she pulled off life-sized doll well. “Agreed, perfect for a stroll. You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, and if I’m being honest, I always want to see you.”
She laughed, pulling her hair away from her face. “I have that effect on men often.”
“So, I’m not the only one you have late night rendezvous with?” I pouted. “Ouch.”
“No, you are.” She didn’t smile, though. “Most of my motivation to see you stemmed from learning that your father declined our invitation. I wanted to know more…to know why. It seems odd since most of the town is excited for the event.”
I rolled my eyes. “He thinks that the method you obtained your position in Becker is suspicious. Something about how you’ve sold your souls to the devil, and how he will not give up his integrity in order to do so.”
Silence followed and I wondered if perhaps I’d insulted her.
“He’s not completely wrong,” she said at last. Her tone was cool and difficult to read. Could she be mad? Sad? Indifferent? A mix of all of the above?
I proceeded with caution. “Which part? The selling your soul or buying your home by questionable means? If it’s the latter, I want you to know that it won’t change my opinion of you. The Purchases were horrible human beings. The town is better off now that they’re gone.”
“I figured that is why we’ve had such a warm welcome.” That got a small smile from her, but it didn’t last long. “Both of those things are partially true. Though, I wouldn’t go so far as to say we’ve sold our souls and certainly not to Satan.” She glanced at me. “How much can I trust you?”
I gazed into her eyes. “We don’t know each other well, so I’m not sure how to answer that question. That being said, I like to think of myself as an honest person who can keep a secret. I certainly have plenty of them.”
“Is that so?”
“Most are things I overhear,” I clarified. “The fact I haven’t told anyone those things should mean something.”
She held my gaze for a moment longer before looking up at the sky. Her legs swung casually and her feet tapped gently against the log. “Do you believe in other worlds?”
“Planets? Of course.”
“Not planets, not exactly. Where I’m from, there are those who believe in alternate universes. Other versions of the world we live in.” Her voice was so quiet I almost didn’t hear her. “I am from another place…another time.”
I blinked, startled. “What?”
For my version of Earth, science hadn’t come up with theories about the multiverse yet. Even now, it’s still considered a “crazy” theory that no one takes seriously.
Naturally, I only felt confused. Way above my head.
My response probably came across as flippant. Lucretia stood. “Forget I said anything.”
“Please don’t go.” I climbed off the log to grab her hand. When our skin touched, again, I couldn’t deny the sparks. “Explain, because I want to understand this.”
“This might be a lot to take in. Are you sure?”
Am I sure? A loaded question. My last out. Saying no would have changed the course of history. How could anyone say no, though?
I held her gaze with my own. “Tell me.”
Lucretia did falter. Our connection in that moment was by far the most intimate one I’d ever experienced. In her eyes, I saw every fear, every hope, and every possibility. “They say that for every choice we make, there is another version of ourselves that makes the one we didn’t pick. One of us went right instead of left. One of us said yes instead of no.”
“So, a version of myself has walked away from this conversation rather than listened to what you had to say?” I teased.
“Yes.” Such a big statement. Said so matter of factly too.
I smiled then. “Glad in this world I’m smart.”
Chapter Eight
Interlude Two
The way Lucretia explained the multiverse was so perfect. Too bad Trevor didn’t have that same way with words.
“Wait, so then how many universes are there?” Delia asked. “And how do they all coexist at the same time? It doesn’t make any sense!”
“You’re overthinking it,” Trevor mumbled.
Was she, though?
The answers to her questions were simple. There are an infinite amount of parallel universes. They coexist because the universe is ever expanding and mind bogglingly huge. It isn’t so much that the theory is difficult to understand as it is too wild to believe. Certain versions of the world handle the revelation better than others.
Delia gazed down, so sadly. “Maybe I am.”
“None
