Read Twisting Topeka for Free Online Page B

Turia? Turia?” A voice
called to me. It was my voice, yet I hadn’t spoken out
loud.
    I looked up and focused in on eyes
that were only too familiar. A hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me
to my feet.
    “ Freaky. Absolutely,
freaky. We do look exactly alike,” said the familiar
voice.
    It was true. It was me standing in
front of me. Same height. Same brown hair. Same brown eyes; my nose
and my chin. It was unbelievable. I started to talk but was
interrupted rather quickly.
    “ Okay, I am sure you don’t
know what to say. I get it. I am just going to come out and say it.
My name is Turia Shepherd Nation. I was born February 17, 2030, in
Topeka, KS. And, I am you. Well, I mean, the other you. I live in
an alternative universe. Yes, parallels worlds are real. And, in my
world, time travel exists. We haven’t perfected it yet. But, it has
been around for a while.”
    It was strange how much I was
following what she was saying. I mean this situation was bizarre;
but at the same time, I felt in my bones that she was telling the
truth. There was something so genuine and confident about the other
me. She brought me a sense of relief and peace. I couldn’t help but
trust her.
    “ Okay, how do you know
about this world? Have you been here before?” I asked.
    I was a little surprised that it was
my first question, as though I were blindly accepting the time
travel theory as law. Why was I so calm?
    “ Right, okay,” the other
Turia continued. “Yes, I have been here before. Actually, a few
times. I read about it in the books in this area. I can’t always
stay long. I mean, with time travel there is a one goes, one comes
rule. Meaning I can’t stay in a world unless someone switches
places with me. The someone has to be my other–or you. Bad things
happen to the people who don’t follow the one goes, one comes rule.
Let’s just say it gets ugly.”
    “ So, there just happens to
be a hole between our worlds in this building?”
    “ It is a leak more than a
hole, and it is in this book, not the entire building. A time leak
isn’t supposed to happen, but they do from time to time. Generally,
my government finds the holes and fixes them. Mainly because they
don’t want an unexpected traveler crossing over. Again, it is the
whole one goes, one comes rule. But, here we are a few months
later, meeting for the first time. It almost seems like fate,
right?”
    “ Months! You have been
traveling back and forth for months?”
    “ Well, really it has been
weeks. When I first stepped over it was September 9th. I believe it
was your first day here. I was drawn to you, or I sensed you were
close. I was curious. Who you were, what you did, you know,
everything. I wasn’t sure if we should meet, but I just couldn’t
help it. I can feel this connection to you. It is strange, but it’s
like we are twins or sisters. I just had to meet you.”
    I thought back over the last few weeks
trying to remember anything unusual. She said she was drawn to me.
For once in a long time, I felt important or unique. She was
everything I wanted to be--A real Nation with rebellion in her
blood!
    “ I want to help you out.
How about we trade places for a few weeks? Maybe I can help you
change your status around here. I am good at standing out, but
fitting in. And you, well, you get to experience life in another
world. My world is so different. Science, technology, life, love –
it is alive and thriving. Anyone has the freedom to do whatever
they want. You don’t have the government setting a life for you
before you are even 18. You don’t have the pressure of trying to
socialize with people like Lysa. I think it would be good for you
to see things from a different perspective.”
    Her perfect words struck me at an
imperfect time. My mind was made up the second I met the other me.
Honestly, I don’t think I ever considered saying no to her
offer.
    So, the truth is easy to guess now: I
am writing all of this down from the alternative world. I took