THE MOMENT
It was impossible to ignore. But, it seemed like Julius was the only one who felt that way. He stood downtown on a cool, breezy evening. The weather was welcoming and there were at least two dozen patrons moving in and out of the shops and chatting while they walked. And not a single one of them cared about the two-story red brick building he was staring at. He probably wouldn't have paid any attention to it either if it wasn't for the fact that it wasn't there this morning.
Julius was a creature of habit, and he passed the same route twice a day every day. Even on his days off, all the fun was on the other side of town where he worked anyway. He'd lived there for years, treading the same path to and from the rest of his life. But the restaurant wasn't there when he passed in the morning. And, it wasn't even there as he passed it in the evening. However, it did seem to magically appear as soon as he decided he was hungry. The moment he decided he wanted some Chinese food, he turned, and there was the brick restaurant with red neon: "Donna Chang's".
He'd always felt different. Special somehow. He sat with the feeling sometimes, but never managed to identify why. Something in the back of his mind felt 'off'. But now, he had the first inkling that there was more to it. Had he made the restaurant appear? Instead of charging in for the answers, he waited a few minutes. No one entered, and no one left. People walked by like they couldn't see it, or didn't care about the sudden appearance. After another couple of minutes, he decided to just go in. The worst that could happen was that it didn't exist, and he was delusional.
"Hey, welcome," A waitress with a red blouse and black skirt smiled and approached him. Her nametag read: 'Britt'. "Have a seat anywhere," she gestured at the empty lobby with a smile.
"Are you open?" Julius asked. Britt smirked.
"I appreciate you asking, but you walked in through an unlocked door. And, I said 'Welcome'," she added with a laugh. Once he had an answer, Julius moved to one of the booths to sit down. "To be fair, we're not fully open to the public yet, so it's a valid question. Mrs. Chang hasn't decided if we're going to stay here yet or not," she added as she gave him a menu.
"But wait.. I'm the public?" he asked.
"If you couldn't come in, you wouldn't have seen the place," she said. He was going to try and get a feel for the place first before bringing it up. But, she did it for him.
"Wait, you know!? You weren't here this morning, right!?"
"That's right," she nodded. "That's why Donna doesn't know if we're staying yet, she's out getting a feel for the people here." Everything she said seemed to answer Julius' questions with different questions.
"What do you mean 'the people here'? Why is it I could see the restaurant?" he asked.
"Oh," Britt tilted her head at him. "You mean, you don't know about the multiverse?" she asked.
"There's really a multiverse?" Julius asked. He'd seen enough movies to be familiar with the concept.
"Oh wow, I just assumed you knew. Okay, well then an extra special welcome," she smiled. "Order anything you want, on the house. As long as you don't mind some company while you eat, you've got a lot to learn."
"Who?" he hoped and assumed it wasn't her. He couldn't say anyone ever attempted to pick him up, but his day was already far from standard. She looked too young for him, possibly in her early 20s, while he was pushing 50.
"Not sure yet, I'll see who's available. Someone to fill in everything you're missing about the multiverse."
"Oh okay..., well I won't turn down free food," he chuckled. "But, can I ask why me? How could you possibly assume I knew about the multiverse? We've never met, have we?"
"No, we've never met," she nodded. "By the time Mundo's done with you, you'll know the full details. But, I can see your aura," she said. As she explained that, golden stars glowed in her eyes for a moment. "And, I can see you're not from here."
"Wait, you keep saying, 'here', and we're talking about multiverses...," he asked, feeling hopeful. "Are you saying... I'm not from this universe?"
"You've got a lot to learn," Britt nodded. "But yes, you're not from this universe."
"I KNEW IT!" he was so excited he had to stand up to cheer. Britt took a step back to let him enjoy the moment.
"So.. did you know, or not?" she asked playfully. He was mildly embarrassed and sat down again quickly.
"My whole life, I had a feeling I didn't belong on this planet. Like, there was something I was missing. I felt that I was supposed to be something special," he grinned. "And, now I know I am. I'm an alien from another planet," he grinned. It was a strange thing to say out loud, but he knew she would understand. Except, she laughed.
"No, you're not," she shook her head. "Not sure how you ended up here, but I'm sure Mundo will help you figure it out."
"But... I'm not from this planet? You said I was from a different universe," Julius replied.
"Those are both true," Britt nodded. "You're from a planet that's different than this one, in another universe. But, that planet is still Earth, and you're still human."