«The next morning, Alex stood at her kitchen counter, stirring her coffee. Today was Saturday; she started work later on Saturdays so she could sleep in a bit.

»Mr. Snuggles brushed up against her leg, then jumped up onto the kitchen counter, demanding attention. Alex smoothed down the fur along his spine absently, still a bit foggy with sleep. The smell of coffee and morning Paris air filled her apartment, the warm breeze coming in through her open kitchen window.

«As Alex stirred her coffee, she watched the shapes form in the foamy layer on the surface. She put her spoon down and blew on the surface of the warm, brown liquid…

»And was suddenly somewhere else, someone else, different yet the same.

«It was only for a moment, but she saw brown cabin walls, a giant, ancient looking book, herbs scattered across the work table, and a cup filled with warm water and floating leaves and flower petals.

»Then Alex was herself again.

«What keeps happening to me? She wondered. She was seriously considering seeing a doctor, but what would they say? That she was hallucinating? That she was mentally ill or going insane? That she needed to be locked up?

»Hello?

«That wasn’t one of Alex’s thoughts. It had come from her mind, a voice like her own yet somehow unfamiliar, but it wasn’t her internal voice. This was something else. Or someone else.

»Can you hear me? The voice asked.

«Yes, I can hear you, Alex thought back. Who or what are you? And how are you doing this?

»I’m Drina, the voice replied. It resembled Alex’s own voice, but sounded younger and slightly different, like how one’s voice sounds different on a recording. Are you the one I’ve seen? The vision I got yesterday?

«Which one? I’ve had a few strange hallucinations. You’ll have to be more specific.

»You mean there are others? I’ve only seen you.

«Tell me what you saw.

»Rain. A thunderstorm, like the one I’d been watching. But instead of in the woods, it was in a rooftop. And instead of my dragon laying on me, it was a boy.

«Yes, that was me. I saw your thunderstorm, the one in the woods. There was a dragon on my chest.

»That’s Mr. Snuggles. He’s grumpy. And lazy.

«My pet cat is named Mr. Snuggles

»I doubt that’s a coincidence. I just don’t know what these visions mean, or why we keep getting them.

«What about the others? Can you contact them? Alex thought of the other visions she’d seen yesterday. A lake with a house nearby, and she’d been kissing a boy who’d looked like Evander but younger and skinnier. A palace that resembled Hogwarts in Harry Potter, but white marble instead of wood and stone. She wondered who those people were, what their lives were like. Why was she seeing them, but not this other girl? What was the connection between all this?

»No, I haven’t seen them or their worlds before, Drina replied. That’s how I contacted you. I remembered what I saw before and tried to connect to it again. With a little help from herb magik.

«Magic? Never mind. How is this all connected? And did you say “worlds?”

»Technically, I didn’t say anything. But yes, “worlds.” Maybe that’s it. Maybe we’re all part of different worlds, different universes, that are all connected. We can see each other because we’re connected in some way.

«How?

»I don’t know yet. But I’ll look into it. Last night, after that first vision, I glimpsed into the future. There’s change coming. Big change. Maybe this is the start.

«You can glimpse into the future?

»Sometimes, and not very much. Only bits and pieces. It’s very hard work. Anyway, go about your daily life. Act like everything is normal. And don’t say anything about this to anyone. Not even that boyfriend of yours.

«How did you know he was my boyfriend?

»I guessed. Unless guys are always lying on your chest?

«Good point. How do I contact you again if I need to.

»You don’t. I’ll reach you.

«And with that, Drina’s voice was gone.

»After her mental conversation with Drina, Alex had gone to work and pretended everything was normal, as Drina had instructed. Alex and Evander had had lunch at her café, then she’d gotten back to work.

«After work, Alex had told him she had some work to finish up at home, and he’d agreed to come over for dinner.

»Alex unlocked the door to her apartment, set her keys on the foyer table, and took off her jacket. Mr. Snuggles came over to greet her, twining himself around her legs. She scooped up the cat and kissed his head.

«Everything in Alex’s apartment looked the same, but she felt like something was different, out of place. Something had changed while she was gone. Suddenly, she heard a noise coming from her bedroom. Mr. Snuggles jumped out of Alex’s arms and walked over to sniff the door. Then he sat down outside it, licking his paw.

»Alex walked over to her bedroom and hesitantly opened the door. In the middle of her room was a girl. She was thumbing through a book on Alex’s nightstand but looked up when Alex opened the door.

«”Took you long enough to get here. I was wondering when you’d be home.”

“Who are you and what are you doing in my bedroom. No, what are you doing in my house?”

»Alex looked the girl over. She looked about fifteen, with warm brown curls that past her shoulders and coffee-brown eyes. She had a smattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose, which was small and made her face look younger. The girl looked like a younger version of Alex, one who spent a lot more time outside in the sun.

«”Our conversation this morning? Remember? Or did you act like nothing was wrong a little too well?”

»”Wait, you’re the girl I was talking to? Drina?”

«”Well, thinking to, really,” the girl replied. She wore a brown tunic and a flowy green skirt. A brown leather belt rested around her waist, covered with pockets and pouches. “But yes, I’m Drina.”

»”How did you get here?” Alex asked. “Didn’t we establish that you might’ve been in a different world entirely?”

«”Yes. That’s a good question, actually. And the answer is: I don’t know. A little while after our lovely conversation, the mirror above my work table started glowing and swirling. It got all foggy and whirlpooly, and when I touched it, it sucked me through. I ended up in your bedroom, looking up at a similar mirror.”

»”So maybe that’s the connection? A weird portal mirror thing?”

«”I highly doubt it. I don’t think ‘a weird portal mirror thing’ would allow us to see visions of each other and connect us so that we can communicate telepathically across dimensions,” Drina said, using air quotes. “Also, how would it explain the other visions you’ve been having? Do those people have similar ‘weird portal mirror things,’ too? Also, we weren’t anywhere near the mirrors when we had the visions. Therefore, I don’t think they’re connected.”

»”Well, how else would you explain your sudden teleportation? Especially if it really was across dimensions?”

«”Circumstance,” Drina replied matter-of-factly. “Fate. Destiny. Call it what you like. But the universe wanted to bring us together, for some reason, and that was the only way it could think to do it.”

»”Really. Fate. The universe. That’s really what you think this is? An arbitrary concept people use to explain how random things happen to them so that it doesn’t seem so random? To make them feel special? Because that’s all fate is. Therefore, it cannot be ‘fate’ that brought us together. There has to be a logical explanation.” Alex started pacing, thinking how it was possible for a girl, possibly from a different dimension, to suddenly appear in her bedroom through a magic mirror portal.

«”I don’t know, but I would trust the universe if I were you. It doesn’t like being insulted.”

»”Yeah, and what’s gonna happen if I insult the universe?” Alex asked mockingly.

«”The universe will repay you in kind,” Drina warned.

»”So karma. Another made up concept I don’t believe in.”

«”Say what you want, but I will not associate with your negative energy. By the way, do you have something I can wear? I think it would benefit me to blend in with this dimension,” Drina said, looking down at her rustic tunic and skirt.

»”I might have some old clothes you can borrow. They might be a little big, though.”

«”I’ll manage.”

»Alex went into her closet to dig out some of the bins filled with her old, too-small clothes. Drina wandered out of Alex’s room and began exploring her apartment. Mr. Snuggles strolled over to her and sniffed her boots. Satisfied by whatever he smelled, he nuzzled Drina’s leg and began purring, demanding petting and cuddles.

«”Your cat is vibrating,” Drina called to Alex. “I think it might explode.”

»”That means he likes you,” Alex replied, digging in a bin of her old clothes.

«”What, if he explodes? That doesn’t seem good. I don’t think I want him to like me.” Drina shooed the cat away with her foot. Mr. Snuggles simply leaped onto the couch in the living room and began licking himself.

»”He’s not going to explode,” Alex said, coming out of her room with a stack of clothes. “Here, these might fit you.” She handed Drina a pleated, plaid skirt, a collared white shirt, and a beige knit sweater. “You can keep your boots on. I don’t think I have any shoes that will fit you.”

«”Thanks,” Drina said, then went into Alex’s room to change.

»When she came back out, she was wearing Alex’s old outfit. The shirt and sweater hung and bit loose on her, and the skirt was bunched at the waist by the tightness of her belt. Drina had kept her leather belt on, the pouches sticking out like sore thumbs.

«”Yeah, it’s a little big,” Drina commented.

»”Sorry, it’s the smallest I’ve got,” Alex said.

«”It’s fine. Thank you.”

»”No problem. Now, let’s try to figure out how you got here.”

«Drina sat down at Alex’s small kitchen table and licked her feet up. Alex walked over and pushed Drina’s feet off her table.

»”We have to eat on that, you know,” she said as she got a wet rag to wipe the fresh dirt from Drina’s boots off the table.

«”I’ve got nothing,” Drina said after a bit, ignoring Alex’s comment. “No idea how I got here.”

»”There must be some clue. I mean, why here, why now? Is it because we made contact?” Alex washed off the rag and hung it over the sink.

«”Like I said, maybe the universe just wants me here. I saw something big was going to happen, something that would change our lives forever. Maybe this is it.”

»”Well, it certainly is life changing,” Alex admitted. At that moment, Evander walked through the front door.

«”Hey. I brought croissants,” he said, coming over to peck Alex on the cheek. “Some chocolat and some regular.” He set the box on the table and seemed to notice Drina for the first time. “Who’s this?”

»”That’s… my cousin,” Alex replied hesitantly. “From America.”

«”What’s an America?” Drina whispered to Alex as Evander picked up Mr. Snuggles.

»”Nice to meet you…?” Evander trailed off questioningly.

«”Drina.” She shook Evander’s outstretched hand.

»”Well, Drina, welcome to Paris. What state are you from?”

«”Uuummm…” Drina looked at Alex, visibly confused.

»”Virginia. She’s from Virginia,” Alex replied hastily. “You know, some small town farm in the middle of nowhere. This big city stuff is pretty new to her.”

«”Ah,” Evander said, nodding in understanding. “Must be pretty overwhelming.”

»”Oh, it’s overwhelming, all right,” Drina muttered.

«”So,” Evander said, “shall we get dinner started?”