Not every day in Emily’s life was filled with self-actualization, complex thoughts on quantum mechanics, or schoolyard fights. Most days, in fact, were quite relaxed, giving Emily the space to explore the world around her. By now, the flashes of memory, instincts, and skills that once felt so foreign had become second nature. She might not have fully understood why she knew certain things, but by this point it didn’t matter; they were simply a part of her and she had grown to unconsciously accept them - or at least more readily.

  Emily spent many an afternoon with her father, Thomas, bonding over retro video games in the living room. The sounds of 8-bit music and beeps filled the air as Emily’s fingers deftly navigated the controller.

  “Woah - you’re really good at this, Em!” Thomas laughed as his on-screen character lost another life. “How did you learn to play like this?”

  Emily smiled, feeling a sense of pride. She shrugged and replied casually, her mind momentarily curious about where she’d picked up some of these skills and expressions. “I guess I’ve just got a knack for it… though I should probably keep any “extra” vocabulary to myself”, she mused with a quiet if not mischievous grin.

  —

  In quieter moments, Emily often surrounded herself with books. She found herself in a peculiar position—while she intuitively embraced the simplicity and joy of childhood, her mind frequently craved a deeper challenge. Without fully understanding why, she yearned for something beyond the usual stories, finding herself drawn to encyclopedias, history books, and complex topics that sparked an almost instinctual curiosity and she discovered a sense of liberation in learning just for the pleasure of it.

  It was unsurprising that she thus developed a voracious appetite for knowledge, devouring encyclopedias, geography, literature, history, fiction and comic books with the same enthusiasm a nine year old would reserve for a fairy tale. Children’s books were a mild curiosity - the bright illustrations and charming narratives were intriguing in their own right but they did not engage her curiosity in the face of so much more substantial information being available in her father’s office library.

  One evening, Sarah walked into Emily’s room to find her deeply engrossed in an astronomy book discussing the complexities of black holes.

  'Emily, are you really understanding all this?' Sarah asked, slightly bemused as she glanced at the book. ‘Or do you just like fancy pictures?’ she added teasingly.

  Emily looked up, her eyes sparkling with excitement. 'Yeah, it's incredible! Did you know black holes can warp spacetime around them!'

  Sarah smiled, both surprised and rather proud. 'Well well - you might just be the youngest astrophysics enthusiast I know.'"

  —

  Emily’s friendships were blossoming, especially with her two best friends, Lucy and Lily. Though they often engaged in what one in that time would consider typical “girl” activities, Emily found herself naturally drawn to things outside the usual interests of her peers. Building Lego sets, informal games of catch, and even fiddling with her dad’s tools held a strange appeal for her.

  She couldn’t fully explain why these activities were so enjoyable; they just felt right, like something she’d always liked. Lucy and Lily sometimes teased her about her enthusiasm for what they called “boy stuff,” but joined in nonetheless, embracing their friend’s unique interests.

  The intense periods of fun and games could sometimes have unexpected consequences. One sunny afternoon, after playing catch outside for what felt like hours, Emily returned home and noticed an odd sting on her arms. She glanced down at her reddened skin, surprised. Her mother frequently insisted that she apply sunscreen before going out to play, but Emily had ignored the sage advice that day and was now experiencing her very first sunburn. She gingerly poked at her reddened skin and yelped loudly at the unexpected pain, immediately wailing for Sarah with all the volume her voice could muster.

  Sarah sighed, fetching some aloe vera. “Oof that looks like a nasty sunburn -I’ve told you before sweetie, you need to wear sunscreen when you play outside!”

  As Sarah applied the gel, Emily winced as she thought to herself “Should I tell her I just didn’t think it was that big a deal? Ah, drop it, Emily.” Reluctantly she mumbled “You’re right, Mom. I should have remembered; I’ll be careful next time”. Despite the discomfort, her curiosity piqued. “It’s the ultraviolet rays, right? UV-B, I think?”

  “Exactly,” Sarah responded, pausing and looking at Emily clearly impressed for a moment. “Sunscreen acts as a barrier against those harmful rays.”

  Emily nodded, a mix of thoughtfulness and irritation crossing her face. “Great….” she muttered with some irritation. “Guess I’ll learn to douse myself in sunscreen like I’m gearing up to meet the sun itself!”

  —

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Sometimes, Emily experienced a strange sense of déjà vu, as though certain things felt familiar yet different in ways she couldn’t explain. She often flipped through her father’s newspapers and magazines, intrigued by the quirks and hidden facets of the world around her.

  One day, she read an article about a man named “Michael Gates,” an influential tech figure. She read and re-read the name, feeling an odd tug in the back of her mind, as though another name—Bill, perhaps—might fit just as well.

  People spoke excitedly about a new technology called the internet, though it wasn’t woven into daily life just yet. For reasons she couldn’t quite place, Emily could easily imagine a world where everyone had it, seamlessly integrated into the fabric of their lives.

  Overall, it seemed as though technology was just a bit behind where she instinctively expected it to be. Even though CDs were around, people still seemed to prefer cassette tapes and vinyl records, as if they weren’t ready to let go of analog just yet. Pagers and payphones were the norm for staying in touch; mobile phones hadn’t made much of an impact, and she wondered vaguely if they ever would.

  Even something as minor as road signs piqued her curiosity. Staring at signs marked in kilometers, with other unfamiliar metric units, she had the odd feeling that in another time and place, miles and the imperial system had once been the rule of the land.

  She shrugged these moments off, but little perceived differences in her world often drew her attention, even if just for a fleeting spell.

  —

  However, she was aware that in the background, there was a part of her that was contemplative - almost hoping and praying that this slower pace of life would not disappear, that people would continue to remain as close as they were.

  In her dreams, she sometimes saw images of a universe that was similar to hers but yet different - one which was technologically more advanced, faster paced, more mercurial and less forgiving governed by demands and pressures that were relentless and oftentimes cruel.

  In one such dream, Emily found herself watching people who seemed glued to flat, glowing devices in their hands. They held the screens close, unable to tear their gaze away even as they physically bumped into others around them.

  “They’re called smartphones,” a voice beside her murmured, carrying a mixture of sadness, longing, and awe. Emily started and turned to her right, where a shadowy figure knelt beside her, observing the memories with her. For brief moments, the figure’s features flickered into clarity—a shirt, sneakers, brown moppy hair—before fading back into a silhouette. Even in the hazy dreamscape, she felt she knew this figure, that she was safe around him.

  “These devices were like miniature computers that fit in the palm of your hand,” he continued wistfully. “They could make calls, send emails, buy things, take videos, watch movies, and so much more... It felt like something out of a sci-fi movie.”

  He paused, watching the scenes unfold before them. “This was just one of many examples of how much further technology advanced in my universe than yours,” he added solemnly. “But I fear that progress came at a human cost... Instead of uniting us, it divided us, driving us apart and pushing us to the brink.”

  Emily turned back to the memories. The people in her dream appeared weighed down, drawn constantly into screens that buzzed with notifications, comparisons, endless streams of information. She sensed their exhaustion, their despondency—the feeling of never being able to truly rest.

  “We became cogs in a relentless, unstoppable machine,” the shadow continued, as if sensing her thoughts. “A machine too big, too complicated for us to understand or escape.”

  The figure grew pensive. “In my world, power was held by oligopolies and massive corporations,” he said, and she felt a flash of anger in his words, brief but intense. “The constant push to stay on the hamster wheel caused so much unnecessary stress, so much suffering.”

  Emily felt the shadow’s emotions as the images shifted: people struggling as the gap between rich and poor grew ever wider; powerful corporations influencing politicians and eroding the social contract; the environment degrading in the face of a constant, toxic culture that glorified hustle above all else.

  “Did this unforgiving, winner-take-all world... lead to your health failing?” Emily whispered, almost to herself. “Were you afraid of falling through the cracks, of losing everything because your body struggled to keep up with it all?” She glanced at the shadow, sensing his surprise—and perhaps a touch of gratitude.

  “Your world seems kinder, Emily,” he replied softly. “I hope, with everything in me, that what happened in my universe won’t happen here.”

  As the dream began to fade, Emily looked up at him. “Who are you?” she asked, the words slipping from her before she could stop them.

  The shadow chuckled, his voice warm. “You already know the answer to that,” he said, “but in time, it will come to you naturally—when you’re ready. When we’re both ready.” With a final, contented sigh, he stood up. “You may not remember me...not yet. But one day, I look forward to seeing you again.”

  –

  Emily woke up slowly, feeling as though she’d glimpsed something just beyond her reach. The dream was already fading, slipping from her mind like mist in the morning light, but fragments lingered—images of glowing screens, people moving with a kind of sadness in their eyes, a quiet voice that felt like it belonged to someone she’d always known.

  For a moment, she lay still sensing that something had changed, that this particular dream had left her with more than just impressions. She was aware that somehow - she couldn't explain why - she knew more now—not just about her world, but about the way things worked in it, about people and their struggles. While a strange, thrilling sensation that left her buzzing - she was also unsettled. Her thoughts seemed clearer than before, her mind somehow sharper. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she sensed that the ideas and knowledge within her were beyond what one would expect a child to know.

  That perhaps she was a genius filled her with a mix of excitement and trepidation, but every fiber of her being told her to tread carefully. “I’m not the same as everyone else but…maybe it’s best to keep this to myself” she decided as she hopped off her bed. Whatever was happening to her, a voice seemed to encourage her to keep it private - for now. The memories, faint as they were, felt like secrets she was only just beginning to understand - waiting for the right moment to let them unfold and reveal themselves.