My name is Anit Posibe, I'm 10 years old, and I live in a small town in Russia. My life isn't that bad. My parents love me dearly, and my classmates are kind and friendly. However, I find life uninteresting. I don't know why, but almost nothing excites me. That's why my goal in life is to find something—anything—that will captivate me and make me love it with all my heart.
Right now, I'm walking to school through the gray, overcast streets of my town. Spring has arrived, and the school year is coming to an end. That means I can't afford to be late, but the walk to school takes quite a while.
As I stood at the traffic light, waiting for the green signal to appear in 20 seconds, a girl my age stepped up beside me. She was wearing the same school uniform: a white shirt and a black skirt. Her hair was black, and her eyes were blue. She looked a lot like me—except I'm a boy, and I wear pants instead of a skirt. Also, she didn't have a backpack.
— Damn, I'm late!
Without waiting for the green light, she darted off into the distance. Cars honked at her as she ran.
Ten minutes later, I was approaching the school gates. I always arrive very early, right when the school opens. I have a small phobia—of being late. I fear it so much that I arrive long before any scheduled meeting. I don't know why.
As I got closer to the gates, I saw that same girl standing nearby, as if she was waiting for someone.
I walked past her, nearly passing by completely, when suddenly, she exclaimed with excitement:
— There you are! I've been looking for you, Anit… or whatever your name is.
— What?
I answered, utterly bewildered.
— Come on, I'll explain everything!
She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the park across the road.
---
— Are you insane?!
I yelled at her for dragging me away. I was shocked that she knew who I was. In truth, I was terrified. It was still very early, and there was no one around.
— Don't worry, everything's fine.
She spoke breathlessly. I wanted to run, but something held me back.
— Listen. My name is Anita, and I am you.
After saying those insane words, she pulled a golden, mechanical pocket watch with a chain from her skirt pocket.
— I know that technology in your reality is a mess, but you guys do know about alternate universes, right?
"What…" That was the only thought in my mind. Scientists had indeed recently discovered alternate universes, but the information was vague—nothing about teleportation devices.
— So, I'm the alternate version of Anit from the original universe, where he's a girl. And I need your…
— Wait! Can you at least explain something?! I don't understand a thing!
Overwhelmed by the flood of information, I yelled at her without thinking. I immediately felt ashamed.
— Ugh, fine. Looks like you really don't know much… I'll start from the beginning. There is a universe, and it has alternate versions—about 25 of them. They are classified by orders. The first order consists of universes where personalities are swapped—for example, a world where everyone's personality is the complete opposite, or where everyone is kind, or where everyone is evil. There are other orders too, but that's not important right now. I come from a version where everyone has swapped genders. Now do you get it?
I was in shock, but my mind slowly processed it.
— So why are you here?
— I need your help. I need to find our original.
…What?
— Wait, our original? You mean I'm not…
— Oh, poor thing, you didn't know? You're in an alternate universe where personalities are reversed.
What… So that means… I'm not real?
— I know it's hard to accept, but there's no time for that. Let's go. We're heading to the original universe.
Still overwhelmed and struggling to grasp what was happening, I barely resisted when she grabbed my hand and pressed a button on her watch.
---
My vision blurred, and I collapsed onto a gravel path in the park. I vomited, my head throbbed, and my muscles ached so badly that for a moment, I forgot I wasn't real.
— Yeah, it's an unpleasant side effect. But hey, we're in another reality now.
She was crouched on the ground like me, but unlike me, she hadn't thrown up. We stayed like that for about a minute until the pain subsided.
— Alright, let's go. Show me your house.
— Wait, why are you always in such a hurry?
— Ugh, what now? You're annoying.
— Explain what you need from me!
— It's simple. You take me to your house—I need to meet the original.
— Then go yourself! You're just a copy too!
— No, you don't get it. I've been searching for a week, but because I'm just a version of him, I can't find his house. In my universe, gender swaps have led to cultural changes, which altered locations too. But in your world, only personalities changed, so your house should be in the same place. Got it? Good. Lead the way.
— Uh… okay…
I started walking toward my house, still not fully understanding everything. It was too complex, too sudden. But I decided to go with the flow. It was interesting—finally, something interested me.
When we reached my house—well, more like sprinted there since Anita kept rushing me—it looked just like it always had. Even though we were in a city, my house was a simple wooden cottage, surrounded by larger buildings. This area had old wooden houses, but it wasn't quite a private sector—wealthy people didn't live here.
On the way, I noticed something different. The streets were dirtier. Trash was everywhere. Cars sped by recklessly. Buildings were covered in graffiti. The melting snow hadn't been cleared. It was unsettling—this really was another reality. But at least my house was the same… though the greenhouses with tomatoes and cucumbers were missing.
— Is this it?
— Yeah, this is my house.
— I see. The cultural differences must be huge. In my world, this area is abandoned. I've never been here before.
— By the way, I forgot to ask—why do you need the ori…
— Shh. He's coming.
A boy stepped out of the house, looking just like me, but with unnaturally dark hair and casual clothes instead of a school uniform.
— Ugh, Dad, leave me alone already.
We were hiding behind the fence, so he didn't see us. As he walked out without closing the gate—
— Hey, you!
Anita called out to him. The boy turned around, startled.
— My name is Anita. I'm your female version, and I'm here to kill you!
— WHAT?!
Both he and I shouted in unison.
Anita pulled off her thigh-high socks, which transformed into Japanese-style swords, and lunged at him. But he didn't hesitate—he pulled out a folding knife from his pocket, flipped it open, and started defending himself. I collapsed in shock.
Sparks flew as they clashed. They were both skilled fighters.
— Why do you want to kill me? Can't accept that you're just a copy?
— No. I just want to be the only true version. You don't deserve to exist!
They kept fighting as they exchanged those chilling words. My chest tightened. I wasn't used to such violence.
Then, Anita's pocket watch fell to the ground. I grabbed it and pressed the first button I could find.
Suddenly, agony unlike anything I'd felt before consumed me. I coughed up blood, barely able to move. The pain was so unbearable that I lost control of my body—I wet myself before everything went black.
My parents had already left for work. No one would save me.
I was going to die here, without ever finding something worth living for.