Mary Elise listened intently as Claudia explained everything she had learned about this timeline. Mary Elise felt as if her head was spinning as she learned of long dead mothers, alternate timelines, and teenage doppelgängers. “So let me get this straight,” she sighed. “Katie’s long dead mother is alive, she’s 16, and she’s friends with 16 year old versions of ourselves. Claudia are you high?”
“Mary you know damn well I don’t do drugs,” Claudia frowned. “I’m telling the truth, that’s whats going on here. We’re in another timeline, how else do you explain teenage you over there.”
Mary Elise turned to see her teenage self glumly watching them. Unfortunately she couldn’t explain it, as insane as it sounded she would need to believe Claudia for the time being. “Okay let’s say I believe you why in the hell would you come here?”
“Umm curiousity,” Claudia replied meekly, blushing bright red.
“Brilliant idea Claud,” Mary Elise said flatly. “You really put a lot of thought into this one.”
“Shut up,” Claudia groaned, “look dumb idea I get it but we’re here now. Let’s, take a look around. I for one am curious to meet Katie’s mom. Besides maybe we can run into some of the others, aren’t you curious to see teenage me?”
Mary Elise could only sigh, Claudia seems pretty intent on an adventure. Smirking she couldn’t help but be reminded of the girl she knew back in grade school. Claudia was the one who would want to explore the creepy abandoned house or the dark part of the woods just for kicks. Often times it was Mary who would have to be the voice of reason in those situations; nothing is harder than being 8 years old and having to be the voice of reason. Shaking her head and sighing Mary Elise grinned at her friend, she wasn’t going to talk Claudia out of something this time. “Why not,” she smirked. “Now do you have any idea how to get there?”
“To Kellies house no but they do.”
Mary Elise saw Claudia motion towards the two teens anxiously looking at them. “Okay,” she sighed. As she approached the two teens she gave them a stern gaze. “Can you two take us to Kellie house or are you going to try something funny?”
“No tricks,” Karen said quickly, shooting a glance at her friend. “I promise we’ll get you two there.”
“Okay,” Mary Elise said. “Teen me and I are going to walk together while you stay with Claudia Okay?”
Karen nodded in agreement as they began to walk. Quickly enough Mary Elise and her teen self found themselves dragging behind Claudia and Karen. As they did Mary glanced at the sullen teen. It amazed her that this girl was her, yet not her. The teen seemed sullen and withdrawn dressing in dark colors. Thinking back to her teenage days she remembered being much sunnier than this girl and dressing in much more colorful clothes. Now it was Mary’s curiousity that was peaked, why was the girl like this?
“So,” Mary Elise started. “Care to tell me about yourself?”
The teen glared sideways at her more adult self. “Not really,” she huffed. “Not much to tell.” Mary Elise frowned, narrowing her eyes at the sullen teen. “So in your whole life nothing happened,” she said flatly. “Nothing interesting happens to you ever. You just wake up, go to school, and go to bed. Sounds pretty boring.”
“My life’s not boring,” the teen Mary countered. “And why do you Care what my life is like?”
“Because Mary,” the adult said. “In another timeline I am you. Aren’t you curious what I’m like and why we seem really different?”
Teen Mary shrugged as she lowered her eyes to the ground. She suspected that the difference between the two was the fact that this Mary’s father was alive while hers was dead. Kellie had shown her a fragment of her destroyed timeline, one that showed her father alive and well. Still, she did not want to share this information with a stranger, even if this stranger was technically her. “I guess were just different,” she whispered.
“Well we have time before we get to where we’re going,” Mary Elise said. “How about we get to know each other a little better.” Teen Mary shrugged in agreement, it couldn’t cause too much damage to talk with her older self.
Over the next 20 minutes the two auburn haired girls shared stories about their lives. In both cases the girls were quite surprised that they did indeed have quite a bit in common. Both girls were admitted comic book geeks who enjoyed the quiet. Amazingly the two also had similar interest in reading habits, enjoying stories of science and history over the usual fair that their peers enjoyed. The teen Mary had a penchant for gothic horror and poetry that the older Mary admitted she liked but was not as interested in. As the two entered Katie’s neighborhood the adult Mary Elise found herself amazed at how similar and different the two of them were.
“I gotta say Mary I’m surprised how much we have in common,” the adult said with a smile. The teen smiled, brushing a stray hair from her eyes. “Yeah kind of surprises me too, never would of 5ought we had similar tastes.”
Mary Elise could only smile as she gazed around the neighborhood. It was fascinating how similar not only her and her teen self were but the world as well. Glancing around she could see that everything looked so similar to the timeline she resides in. The homes were the same, the cars were the same, even the streets. The only true difference between her world and this one was the people and as Mary watched one of the homes it became crystal clear just how different this world was.
As the group passed the Turner house Mary Elise gazed at it in wonder. She had recently been there after Lynne’s arrival and before she returned to Dartmouth. Everything about this home reminded her of the one she knew. Shockingly though she saw the front door thrown open as two 10 year old girls raced down the front stairs. As Mary Elise looked closely she could see that it was this worlds versions of Gloria and Jackie.
“Hurry up Jason,” Gloria called. “Mom said the movie starts at 1 and me and Jackie don’t want to miss it.” Mary Elise gawked as she saw a 16 year old Jason Turner emerge from the home, locking the door behind him as he raced to catch up with the energetic kids. Mary Elise wanted to now ask her teenage self about Jason and his family when she saw the look on the teen girls face.
“No way!!”
Teen Mary jumped in surprise as she looked towards the adult her. She had been watching Jason as he exited her house and began daydreaming about him. When she had heard the other Mary’s voice it had startled her. “What,” she exclaimed, trying to compose herself.
“You have a crush,” Adult Mary said quietly. “On Jason Turner.”
Mary Elise felt her face flush as she tried to avert eye contact from her adult doppelgänger, had it been on obvious that she like Jason? Quickly the teen now tried to cover for herself. “What no,” she said quickly. “Besides he’s dating Lisa O’ .”
Mary Elise gave the teen a confused look, that didn’t make any sense to her. “Wait how can Lisa being dating a teen? Isn’t she’s Katies aunt.”
“No Lisa is Katie’s twin sister.”
Mary Elise’s jaw dropped as she looked at her teenage self. Lisa was a teen in this timeline! How much different were things than where she was from. As Mary Elise now tried to sort this bit of information out she could see her teenage self point to a house a little ways away. “Anyway that’s where Kellie lives,” she said.
Mary Elise nodded as she began walking towards the home, turning she noticed the teen stop short. “Hey you coming?”
“I probably shouldn’t,” teen Mary mumbled. Mary Elise smiled as she took the teens hand. “Cmon Mary,” she grinned. “Kind of want you to introduce us. Besides, still have a lot of questions to ask you.” The teen Mary smiled as she now began walking with her adult self.