THE MOMENT
"Alternate Earths?" Beau chuckled with a warm smile, and shook his head at Victoria. The two connected through an app and met for coffee, but Victoria asked what he knew about alternate Earths once they were comfortable. She was a pale woman with long violet hair and wearing a white leather duster with a matching white cowboy hat. "Got a little cooked with the flare, huh?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Victoria asked. "What flare?"
"Oh, wait. Did you?" Beau paused, and his expression softened. His eyes looked through her with a heavy dose of sadness. Was that pity? "Well, it's good to see you out here trying to live a normal life," he said. "I'll get you caught up with reality. Over a year ago, the Earth was hit with a massive solar flare. It knocked out a chunk of power from across the world, and people were so busy they didn't notice right away. But, over time it became clear that something had happened. Many people on Earth...," he subtly raised his hand off the wooden table between them to gesture at her. "...seemed to break with reality. They remember things that never happened. Even people who never existed. Does that sound familiar? Do you think that might be happening to you?" he asked.
"Wow...," Victoria giggled, but she shook her head. "No. That's not it at all, but it does answer my question. Thank you."
"Huh?" Beau was as confused as he expected her to be. "People are remembering things that didn't happen. And, you asked me if I knew anything about alternate Earths... I don't see how that answered anything?"
"I've got a neat Ability," Victoria smiled, leaned closer over the table, and pointed at her eyes. Golden stars glowed for a moment, dominating her violet pupils before they faded. "I can see people's auras, and I noticed a lot of people weren't from this Earth. I assumed the multiverse was common knowledge here," she said.
"You can see they're not from here? What does that mean? How did they get here?"
"It means, they're remembering things from their own Earth that never happened here," she said. "It was probably the solar flare," she nodded. "The multiverse is surprisingly tight-knit, and any huge burst of energy can cause strange happenings." If he hadn't seen her eyes glow, he might've still believed she was brain-fried.
"Anyway, thanks," she smiled as she stood up. "This is a great opportunity for my company." Beau stood up after her, and he was surprised.
"You're... leaving?" he asked. "Wait, this wasn't a date?"
"It wasn't," Victoria shook her head with a smile. "I represent a multi-versal corporation named Sharp Development. And, this Earth has a bunch of new clients we can assist. There's all this goodwill just lying around, waiting to be recognized."