Why is this chapter longer/more detailed than the others? Because, once upon a time this story was a collab and when I was waiting on the other person to write their chapter I had a lot of fun writing stuff for Julian. So I basically just took all of that and put it here.

IDK when the next chapter will be out.

After the next chapter, the focus will be back on Emily and the perspectives won't switch around so much.

I'm probably biting off more than I can chew with this story and... And all of the other stories I started, and the stories I plan on starting, but here I am.

Enjoy!


Chapter 4

"My name is Julian Carver, and for as long as I can remember, my destiny has been to open a door into the multiverse. My parents lost their lives trying, but I'm going to succeed."

Julian was just going to get English out of the way. As long as he kept his scholarship he didn't care about English class. It was at 8 in the morning and screamed tedium, the subject had never interested him, and the back of the class called to him. He slumped down in his seat, pulled out his neat little bag of pens and pencils, and grabbed his sketchbook. He was very nearly done with the process. A little more work, a little more time, and the multiverse would be open to him. One jump and he'd be able to fine-tune it. One jump and the doors to every imaginable innovation would be unlocked. That was the only thing he cared about in the back of Ms. Larson's English class, until, one minute before class started, she came in. She looked flustered and overwhelmed on the first day of college as she slumped into a seat in the back row and frantically dug around in her bag. He watched the shorter blond girl develop a look of horror and turn to him like she'd found a dead rat in her bag. He was very interested to see how this would play out.

"Do you have a pencil?" She asked, seeming nervous like he was going to yell at her for her audacity to ask for a pencil. He thought it was hilarious, this meek, almost repentant request for a pencil, and he just barely held back a laugh.

"Of course. Keep it for the rest of the day." He wanted to set her mind at ease, make sure she knew it wasn't life or death, "I'm Julian."

"Emily." She took the pencil and burrowed back into her safe little world. He paid attention when the teacher took attendance, noting her last name. Emily Allen. He held onto it, not exactly knowing why, and watched her descend into her light blue hoodie jacket.

Her name kept popping into his head, the dozens of times he saw her a week, just walking across campus. She was usually with a friend, a boyfriend maybe, they were almost always listening to music, he watched her nodding her head to a song in a way that caught his attention. Her name in his mind sounded like music and he nodded along to it. When he looked her up he found out so much. He found out about her tragedy, her legacy, and the light and laughter she showed when she did videos with her YouTuber brother. A light she somewhat smothered in her day to day life. He saw a spark in her. He was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame.

He came up with reasons just to talk to her, to draw her a little more out of her hoodie. He asked her questions about classwork and enjoyed watching her thought process as she explained the homework. It was clear Emily had a way with words the way Julian had a way with the multiverse. While he came up with ways to see her spark, he cracked down on the multiverse, getting closer and closer to opening the door.

"You know what you should do?" Deke Master's opinion mattered very little to Julian. His roommate was alright, he seemed trustworthy enough, but an elementary education major wasn't about to understand a massive breakthrough like this. Julian ignored Deke, but Deke kept going, a little concerned for Julian.

"You should ask out the girl you mention in your sleep." Julian felt a little uncomfortable that Deke knew about Emily.

"Instead of trying to kill yourself entering a multiverse that may not exist."

"In another universe, there might be a Julian who asks out a girl instead of changing the world. In this universe, I plan to do both." Deke sighed.

"Look, I know you're some sort of genius, but this just seems insanely dangerous. I don't think you should do this, and I don't want to be a part of it."

"Don't worry. I don't need much from you. I just need someone on the other end of the phone when I open the door. If I contact you through this device it means I've reached a parallel universe and that I can communicate from that universe to this one. You should be more excited than you are! Do you realize what a breakthrough that is?"

"Do you realize you could die?"

"I fear no death," Julian retorted.

"I do. I fear a lot of death." Julian inhaled exasperated. His family had been willing to stake their lives on the multiverse and had lost them. He clearly understood the risks.

"Look. If I die, hopefully, someone else picks up the research, and I don't ask Emily out."

"Do you really want your life to conclude at 19 years old?"

"Of course not. But I know what I'm doing."

"Sure, whatever."

"So," Julian handed over the little comm device, which fit into the palm of your hand, "keep a hold of this, and when the time comes," he tapped the circled date on the calendar, "listen." He had no way of knowing if Deke would take him seriously, but he had to hope his message would get through.

Friday morning mid-September. Today was the day that everything was going to change. Today was the day that he was going to dive into the multiverse. He was ready. He'd never been more ready for anything in his life. He had been preparing for this his entire life, had seen what got sacrificed for the cause. He knew that this is what his parents would have wanted, and he knew he wanted it just as badly. He went to his classes as if the world wasn't about to be changed forever. He had run the numbers a thousand times and had never been more sure of anything in his entire life.

He was less sure when he saw Emily in class. In a brief moment of insanity, he considered asking her out. Instead, he said good morning. He asked her if she had weekend plans. She did not. He couldn't imagine the look on her face if he told her his weekend plans. The thought made him smile. He knew that until he was sure about the multiverse that he couldn't ask Emily out. He was risking his life. He couldn't risk this possible relationship as well by acting too soon.

Classes ended and he headed to the science building, where he had his machine set up within minutes, nanotech clicking into place. It was beautiful and sleek. He turned on shuffle on his phone, Imagine Dragons' Yesterday started playing, and he began to put things into place. He made sure he had the comm. device and that everything was running as it should. He was about to make the jump when he was interrupted by a very interesting intruder.

The first thing that stood out was of course the six arms. The second thing was that it was her. Her figure, the way she disappeared under that hood, a familiar splotch of acne on her chin, no doubt it was her. Plus, the way she looked at him, he knew she recognized him.

"It's not supposed to happen like this… There was never supposed to be an audience…" Now he was studying his machine. This was less than ideal, but it was time to make the jump. He picked up the remote. This would take him into a new world.

"Easy, no audience, just a concerned ally. Step away from the machine. I can tell it isn't safe." He laughed and looked at her, a little sad, knowing this could be the last time he saw her. That was difficult to come to terms with, but his path was set. He had been going to bring his backpack, everything else was coming with him, the comm. device and the remote, and the machine would fold into the remote so he could get home. But now he decided to leave the backpack. Let her trace the clues back to his purpose.

"Breakthroughs are never safe, Emily." He whispered that last part, knowing that this would change their relationship forever. But it would change everything forever, and he'd been preparing for this his entire life. He hit the button and disappeared.

Julian was standing in front of a mirror. Well, he stood in front of a mirror with a different sense of fashion than him. This version of him didn't wear long-sleeve button-downs, he wore a punny t-shirt and jeans. His hair, their hair, was here disheveled like he'd been tugging on it. The two stared at each other, gaping at the realization that they were face to face with one of many multiversal Julians. Julian let out a laugh, it worked, it worked, here he was standing in front of 2lian. He was thrilled. He almost whooped out loud.

"You're me," 2lian observed.

"Yes!" Julian whooped.

"You're me who managed to make the jump." 2lian continued, still very clearly overwhelmed.

"Did you not?"

"No, my jump got…. Hijacked. I can't exactly go into it. But I'm trying again. After all, you're here now. We need to get to work." 2lian picked up a screwdriver and ran his fingers through sloppy brown hair. Julian took a step back.

"Hold on, hold on. I just got here, I'd like to make a call." Julian was still feeling great, I like walking on air.

"A call?" 2lian asked.

"You don't have a comm. device? For multiversal communication?"

"No, no one to call."

"What about Deke?"

"Who's Deke?"

"My roommate." He was beginning to remember that there were more differences than hair care and shirt choice in the multiverse.

"Welcome to the multiverse, you're in New York." Julian then had to completely readjust his preconceived notions.

"I have a lot to learn, then."

"Yeah, so do I."