Sophea Arrington took out her cigarettes, put one in his mouth and lit it. She inhaled the smoke and then slowly let it out. She turned her green eyes down and looked at her only friend in the entire world lying on the ground, high as fuck. "You should stop smoking joints", Sophea said, taking a drag from her cigarette. "You should stop smoking cigarettes", her friend, Jackson Miller, replied without opening his eyes or moving. "Cigarettes are cheaper", Sophea said and gently poked Jackson with her leg. "Pot is healthier", Jackson said and sat up, looking at Sophea. Sophea crossed her ams. "Cigarettes are legal, Jax." Jackson corssed his arms. "And they give you cancer, Rhea." Sophea shrugged her shoulders and said, "I'm here for good time, not long time." Jackson laughed and Sophea grinned at him. She sat down next to Jackson and then they just chilled on the beach and watched how the sun slowly disappeared. It wasn't romantic or anything, they were just friends. Technically they were each other's only friends. Jackson's friends all grew up and moved on while Jackson stayed where he was, smoking pot and working in a shitty job with a shitty salary. Sophea was a lone wolf too, but unlike Jackson, she was by choice. If you'd ask Sophea who she related to, she would answer Jessica Jones. That lone wolf superheroine from Marvel universe who only had like one close friend and that was her sister. Like Jessica Jones, also Sophea didn't like people and chose to avoid them until finally she realised she had no one anymore. Sophea just didn't trust people. How Sophea, the misanthrope, and Jackson, the pot-head, became friends was beyond both of them but neither complained. They never said it out loud but both of them were happy that they were friends. "Jax?" "Huh?" "We should go", Sophea said. "It will rain soon." "Are you made of sugar?" Jackson asked. "No, but I don't fancy getting my clothes wet either", Sophea replied and stood up. She held out her hand to Jackson who eyed it for a moment before finally taking it. Sophea pulled Jackson up easily because Jackson was thin. He might be almost head taller than Sophea but he was very skinny. And it doesn't take much to be taller than Sophea because she is 160 cm tall. Or short. They started walking away from the beach and back to Sophea's car. It was blue Volkswagen Passat and it was very dear to Sophea. It didn't work that well and it was dirty and old but it was a car and it was Sophea's own. They sat inside the car and Sophea turned it on. She started driving and then she parked in the car park and they got out of the car. It started raining when they were walking towards the block of flats where Jackson's apartment was. It was on the third floor and since the old building didn't have an elevator, they used the stairs. "You have cleaned a bit", Sophea commented when they stepped inside the apartment. "Did the neighbours complain about the smell or are you just generally going insane?" "Neighbours complained", Jackson said. "Seriously?" "Yeah." Sophea smirked and sat down on the couch. "Bring me a beer." "Why so bossy?" "I really need a beer", Sophea said. "I had a long day." Jackson walked to the fridge and took out two beers. He gave the other one to Sophea and sat down on the couch next to Sophea. They opened the beers and started drinking in silence. By the time when they were both drunk out of their minds, Sophea was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch and Jackson was lying on the couch, laughing at something that Sophea had said. "So, how did it go with the old guy, anyway?" Jackson asked. "Old guy? He's not that much older, he's only twenty-eight!" Sophea laughed. "Old guy he is", Jackson said. "Calm down, Yoda. I'm twenty-two, I can date someone that's twenty-eight." Jackson turned to look at Sophea. "Well, how'd it go with him?" "We slept together", Sophea said. "And right after that he told me he's married." "What the fuck?!" Jackson yelled. "And his wife is pregnant", Sophea added. "What a fucking dick!" Jackson said. "You deserve better, Rhea." "Men suck", Sophea sighed. "No offense." "Non taken", Jackson replies. "Hey, what's the time?" Sophea digs her phone out of her pocket and shows the screen to Jackson. First Jackson just looked at it but then he furrowed his eyebrows and he took the phone in his hand and showed it to Sophea. "Why do you have a text message from Matty saying 'can we see earlier tomorrow? I can't wait'?" Sophea pressed her lips together and snatched her phone back. She didn't reply, instead she pushed the phone back into her pocket. Jackson sat up and looked furious. "Rhea? The old guy's name's Matty, am I right? Why is he still texting you? You did tell him to go fuck himself, right?" Sophea didn't reply and she avoided eye contact. Jackson groaned. "For fucks sake, Sophea! You are got to be kidding me!" "Don't you dare to judge me!" Sophea yelled. "You have one night stands with literally anyone, why can't I?" "I never mess up other's relationships! You're about to be friends with benefits with a married man! Who's wife is pregnant! Even I see how wrong that is!" Jackson rants. "Don't moralize me, asshole! I'm not the only one to blame here", Sophea said and stood up. Jackson stood up too and put his beer on the table. "True, but you could've ended it when he told you that he is married! You are too good to be the other girl. You deserve better!" Jackson said, looking at Sophea. "Don't tell me what I deserve or what I am", Sophea hissed. "But you're better than this!" Sophea narrowed her eyes and turned to leave. "Whatever, I'm out." She walked to the door, put her shoes on and pulled on his leather jacket. Jackson followed her and grabbed her arm. "You can't drive, you are drunk." Sophea pulled her arm free and stumbled a little. "Fuck off, Jax." And then Sophea left. She left Jackson alone by the door and walked away, down the stairs and sat inside the car, her hair already wet from the rain even though the walking distance from the door to the car wasn't that long. She drove away in the dark and headed towards her home. Despite the fact that she was drunk, she drove really good. She stayed on her own lane. And fortunately there wasn't much other cars since it was almost 3:00 AM. When she reached the small bridge she suddenly saw through the rain a dog standing in the middle of the bridge. Sophea hits the breaks but it looked like the car won't stop in time so Sophea, not realising how bad idea it was, turned the wheel and then the car flied off the bridge and hit the water. The car started to sink fast and fill with water. Sophea lies on the driver's seat, unconscious and completely unaware that she was running out of time.
Light peered through Sophea's eyelids and woke her up. She opened her eyes and sat up, wincing in pain as her headache announced its existenting. Sophea rubbed her temples and suddenly last night came back to her mind. She looked around in panic but to her surprise, she was in her own bed. She furrowed her eyebrows and patted her body throughout and came to a conclusion that she was alive and that she must have dreamed everything. Slowly she got out of her bed because she really needed to pee and her cat needed to be fed. She went to the bathroom and wondered where her cat, Bobtail, was. She walks out of the bathroom and then she sees her cat lying on the rug. Only it wasn't a cat. It was a chinese crested dog. "What the fuck...", Sophea muttered. "You're not Bobtail." As soon as she said 'Bobtail', the dog stood up and started wiggling its tail. Sophea took a step back and rubbed her eyes. She had no idea what was going. All she knew was that she was still wearing yesterday's clothes which were still wet from the rain, she had had a fight with Jackson, she had drove home, went to bed and dreamed that she drove off a bridge. And now she has a killer hangover and someone's dog is in her house. She looked around in the small apartment and saw something that made her wrinkle her nose and then furrow eyebrows in confusion. Her drapes had changed colour. They had been dark green but now they were bright yellow. And then she started noticing more details in the apartment. How her laptop was gone. How there was pictures on the wall. The more she looked the more the apartment started looking like someone else's. "I need to get out", Sophea said and left the apartment, patting her pockets to make sure the keys were in them. She walked out of the building and looked around, confused. Even though everything seemed the same as before, something was off. All the buildings seemed older, but at the same time everything looked so much brighter. The sun on the sky was brighter, the colours literally hurt Sophea's eyes because they were so bright. "Weird", Sophea muttered and then she started noticing what kind of clothes people had on. Bright colours. Bright colours everywhere. Sophea stuck out like a sore thumb with his hoodie and black leather jacket. She had no idea what was going on. She walked to the store and waited in line until she got to the cashier and then she tried to buy cigarettes, but the cashier just stared at her and said, "What did you say?" "Cigarettes?" Sophea said, unsure what was wrong with the cashier. "Honey, I have no time for your jokes", the cashier said. "We all know cigarettes are illegal." Sophea chuckled and got weird looks from people around her. "You're kidding right? What, pot is now legal and cigarettes not?" "No, they are both illegal. A girl of your age must know that all intoxicants are illegal", the cashier said. "Move, I have another customers." "What the...", Sophea muttered and walked away from the cashier and to the newspapers. She took one and checked the date. It was Saturday, June 23th. Nothing weird there. But something was going on. Sophea wanted to find out what but she had no idea. She walked back to the store and tried to find alcohol but it was nowhere to be found. The store really didn't sell any alcohol. Sophea walked out of the store and ran back to her apartment's car park. Her car was there and she jumped in and drove to Jackson's apartment. She didn't care about the last night's fight, she needed her only friend because something strange was going on. She walked the stairs up and knocked on the door. She heard footsteps and then the door opened. Sophea stared at Jackson in a shock. The man had bright coloured clothes on, he had shorter hair, he had showered and he had a little sexy stubble. He had more muscles and he looked confused at the sight of Sophea. "Can I help you?" "What the fuck happened to you?" Sophea asked and stepped inside the apartment before Jackson could stop her. "You look... like you have your life together! Minus the clothes." "I'm sorry, but who are you?" Sophea stopped and turned to look at Jackson, shocked. "What? You don't know me?" "Should I know you?" Jackson asked, still holding the door open. "I think you should leave." "Jax, it's me! Sophea? Rhea?" Sophea said, spreading his arms. "Surely you know me, right?" When Jackson just shook his head and pointed at the open door, Sophea realised she was seriously in trouble. She also realised that she needed Jackson and she had to make Jackson believe that they knew each other. "I bet the old you would be so shocked to find out that I actually know your birthday but I know your birthday. Is that enough to prove that we are friends and you just don't remember me for some reason?" Sophea said and looked at Jackson. "It proves nothing, you could just be a stalker", Jackson said. "Do I need to call the police or will you leave on your own?" "I know that your father left you and your mum because of another man, your mum and little sister were killed in a car accident and you have a birth mark on your left butt cheek and it's shaped like a dog's head", Sophea panic talked without breathing. She stopped talking and took a deep breath and looked at Jackson with pleading eyes. "Please, believe me. Something weird is going on and I need you. You're all I have." It is silent for a moment until Jackson said, "I believe you." Sophea started crying and wrapped her arms around Jackson. He hesitated for a moment before he hugs her back. "So", he said once Sophea lets go of him. "What is going on and why I don't remember you?" Sophea told everything to Jackson from smoking at the beach to the moment she had knocked on Jackson's door. She told her everything, leavign nothing out and he listened carefully and didn't interrupt, not even once. When Sophea was done with the story, Jackson was quiet for a long time before speaking. "So you're saying that before you woke up this morning, you lived in a world where cigarettes and alcohol are legal, pot is illegal and adultery isn't punished by death?" Jackson asked. "What the hell, Jax? Of course you're not punished by death if you cheat on your wife or husband! That is absurd!" Sophea yelled. "Tell me something that is totally normal in here, something that has always been a thing." "Anna Kendrick is hot." "Normal, next." "We pay for internet." "What? That is not normal. Internet is free, you can use youtube and everything for free", Sophea said. "What, no! You have to pay for everything. Youtube, twitter, facebook...You have to pay for them all", Jackson said. They sit in silence for a moment. "Shit, what is going on?" Sophea asked. "I might have an idea", Jackson said and thought for a moment before adding, "and I think I know someone who might be able to help." They didn't waste any time leaving the apartment. They took Sophea's car and drove to the center of city, parked the car and then Jackson lead Sophea to a side alley, walked to a door that is so well disguised that Sophea didn't even realise it was there until Jackson knocked on it. A voice came from behind the door, asking: "Password?" "God sleeps at 3 AM", Jackson answers and the door swung open. "Jackson", the man on the doorway said and eyed Sophea who was standing half way behind Jackson. "Who is your friend?" "She's the reason I'm here", Jackson said. "We need to see Raymond." The man eyed them for a moment before standing aside and allowing them to walk in. He pulled the door close and locked it after Jackson and Sophea stepped inside. The man started walking and they followed him. "I thought you were done with us", the man said. "But here you are." "I'm not after pot or alcohol", Jackson replied. "I'm here to see Raymond because my friend needs help." "Not so sure Raymond wants to see you", the man replied. He stopped in front of a door and knocked it. A quiet "what?" could be heard coming from behind the door and the man opened the door and motioned Jackson and Sophea to step inside. They saw a man sitting behind a desk and scrolling through papers, a cigarette between his lips. Sophea gasped and inhaled the smoke in the room deeply. "Shit, can I have one too?" she whispered but Jackson hussed her. Raymond looked up and narrowed his eyes. "Jackson. I really need to change the password." "Raymond, this is not about me. It's about Sophea", Jackson said. "She needs help." "She is pretty. What's her problem?" Raymond said. "She--" "--can speak for herself", Sophea said and walked closer to Raymond. "I'm going to tell you something and there's a good chance that you won't believe me, but I'm gonna give it a shot anyhow." Raymond eyed Sophea from head to toe, grinned and said, "Try me." Sophea proceed to tell Raymond the same thing she told Jackson and when she was finished she looked at Raymond and waited for his reaction. "I believe you." "I knew you wouldn't--Wait, what?" Sophea looked at Raymond, confused. "I believe you", Raymond said. "You know why?" "Why?" Sophea asked. "Because I knew your story the second I saw you", Raymond said. "Your clothes, your hair, even the way you walk told me that you are not from here." "How would you know that?" "Because I'm not from here either", Raymond said. "How old are you, Sophea?" "I'm twenty-two", Sophea replied. "Why?" "Then you were six-years-old when the same thing happened to me, on the same bridge. I ended up here which I think is a parallel universe. I visited the bridge and guess what? It has high fences here, you can't drive your car off that bridge." "So you lived in the same city as me? And now we are in another universe where everything is horribly wrong and too bright and fake?" Sophea asked. "Basically. I have no idea how to get back to our world, I tried to jump from the bridge to the water but it didn't work. I tried to do it at 3 AM which was the time I drove my car off the bridge in our world, but it didn't work either." "Wait", Sophea said. "You crashed at 3 AM too?" "Really, you too?" Raymond asked and Sophea nodded. "Wow. I have thought that maybe I died when I crashed and ended up here and in order to get back I have to die in the same place again, but now I wonder if I need to die at 3 AM at the same place." "That's dark", Jackson commented but got ignored. "Jump off the bridge at 3AM and drown...That's how we get back to home?" Sophea asked, not really knowing what to think or do, so she took a cigarette from Raymond's table and lit it. "We can't know for sure and even though I purposely drove off that bridge back then, I no longer have desire to end my life", Raymond said. Sophea looked at Jackson who looked cute and lost with his eyes widened and hair a mess from him pulling it in stress. She turned her eyes back to Raymond. "So we will never know", she said. "Don't worry, you can live with me. I will teach you every rule and you will fit in once you cut your hair and change your clothes and--", Jackson rambled but Sophea interrupted him. "No!" she said. "I don't want to fit in. I don't want to live without alcohol or cigarettes just because the system says they are bad. I want to live my life and not just obey and crawl." It's silent. Sophea realised that she had been probably too harsh but he had panicked. She didn't dare to try her luck and kill herself in order to get home when there was no guarantees that she would wake up back at home in her world. "You can stay with me", Raymond offers. "We are out-law crew and you can't get closer to your old life than this." Sophea wondered it for a moment but she knew she had made her decision a long time ago. "Okay. I'm in." "What about me?" Jackson said. "You know the password", Raymond said and then he stood up, took a vodka bottle from underneath his desk and handed the bottle to Sophea. "Welcome to the family." Sophea grinned and took the bottle.