"I really don't understand why you won't just go down to Commonwealth. Takes like, half an hour." I stared at my bowl of noodles, unwilling to meet Cass' gaze. She was right, of course – when was she ever not? – but somehow I just couldn't bring myself to go.

 

"I've been busy with uni apps," I mumbled. "I'm thinking about that business course mom sent-" Cass laughed. "Don't give me that," she said, pointing her chopsticks at me, the tips dangerously close to my nose. "Is this about what your conductor said?" I slapped her hand away. "It's not about that. Music was never a serious option anyway."

 

"Soph... I've heard you play. You're really good!" Her voice softened. "And even if you don't make a career out of it, it makes you happy."

 

I gave a sharp laugh. "And what's that worth? All people care about are holidays and buying cool stuff. What do both have in common? Money." I saw Cass' eyes narrow. "Ok, ok," I said, trying to avoid an argument, "I'll fix the violin tomorrow." Not the first time you've said that. I quickly stood, seeking sanctuary in my room. "Sorry, I'm not hungry," I said. Cass sighed, and there was silence as I wrapped the leftovers in foil. As I left the room, Cass called out to me.

 

"Soph... tomorrow's always there, until it's not."

 

I fled to my bed, trying not to let the tears fall.

~

I blinked. The walls of my bedroom were inexplicably gone; I was on a winding bridge under an iridescent sky. It looked like the refraction off a soap bubble, and it shimmered, glowed, and contorted unnaturally. Peering over the side of the bridge, I saw sky instead of water, an endless polychromatic slurry. I'm dreaming. I noticed a structure in the distance, at the end of the path.

 

I shrugged. Might as well take a look.

 

As I got closer, it resolved into a huge colonial building, complete with stone columns guarding a grand entryway. It looked like the old Supreme Court in Singapore spliced with sheer impossibility – several bridges merged with it at angles that defied gravity. I paused at the doorway, suddenly anxious. "Don't hesitate at the threshold," a voice of pure silk said from within, "that's dreadfully mundane".

 

The words belonged to a handsome man, dressed formally with a satin dinner jacket. He seemed amused at my hesitancy. I looked past him and saw a dining area full of... not-people. At one table a giant frog was sitting across from a lady with a scorpion's tail. It was waving lazily in the air as she laughed coquettishly.

 

"Come, sit with me," the red man said. A man with cat's eyes guided us to a table. "Not that it matters, but what is this place?" I asked. The red man chuckled. "Sophia, where are your manners? I'm Kalessin." He sat back in the chair. "And I very much think this matters," he said, twirling his finger to indicate our surroundings.

 

"I'm dreaming, aren't I? None of it is real," I said. "Yes," he smirked, "but that doesn't mean it isn't real. The Waypoint lets people from different realities meet and... exchange. A trading place, if you will."

 

"Now, I'm in the business of experiences. So, what can I do for you?"

 

What is he talking about? Kal tutted in annoyance at my blank stare. "My dear, everyone is here for one reason." He waved his hand, gesturing at others seated nearby. "All desire happiness with one will. Someone else might offer you a fleeting fix – tea leaves that feel like heroin, cigarettes that remove anxiety."

 

"But I offer metamorphosis. I trade in lives... and if you're unsatisfied with yours, I can get you a new one. For a price."

 

Involuntarily, I thought about Cass. Tomorrow's always there, until it's not. My eyes stung a little. "Say I agree," I said sardonically, "Care to show me you're not all talk?" He smiled. "Close your eyes."

 

 

I opened my eyes. The vision... it was so real. Kal had also imparted on me the price – he wanted my untapped potential, my free will. In exchange for... paradise. "So?" Kal grinned. "You could live in a world where you can call your friends with a thought, or see the rings of Saturn." I thought about mechanical appendages and the bastardisation of music. I wondered if I could even play the violin with metallic fingers. "No dice," I said, "not looking to become a walking smartphone." I saw a brief flicker of surprise, before his face smoothed over.

 

"Not keen to discover who you are in that world, I see. Let's try this then."

 

 

"You could have a world with unclaimed frontiers, with jungles and tundras to discover. Not to your taste? I could make you a world's Magellan, exploring the seas." He sat back. "How many people can claim they wake and are excited to face the day? You could be one of the few who can." I shook my head slowly. It was enticing, but I thought about how lonely it'd be. Cass and my parents... I'd be leaving them behind. "My soul's worth a little more than that," I said, trying to sound resolute.

 

"Your soul... how quaint". Kal smiled again, but an iciness creep into his eyes. He bristled beneath his benign exterior – but he was a perennial salesman.

 

"You know," he said, voice dropping into a seductive murmur, "What I offered takes you far from home. I can't decide for your family – you being here is entirely by the whims of fate, but I can offer you... this."

 

 

"No deal," I whispered. Kal frowned. "I'm offering worldwide acclaim... for your craft! And stepping out of your sister's shadow can't hurt."

 

"It's perfect," I replied, "but it wouldn't be real."

 

He sighed. "I can't say I'm not disappointed. But it is respectable to forge your own path". He stood to leave, left a hand outstretched in quaint courtesy. I grasped it on reflex, but as I looked up-

 

 

I snatched my hand back, ice etching its way around my heart. The grim visage I had seen was nowhere to be found – he once again appeared purely mortal. "Be well... Sophia," Kalessin said in his curious lilting voice, a faint smile about him.

 

He left without looking back. 

~

I woke to sunlight streaming through my window. Ordinary light, not the shifting colours of the Waypoint. I sighed in relief. "Soph! I'm going down to Queenstown for lunch, see you tonight-" "Wait! I wanna come, but can we stop by Commonwealth?"

 

I barely heard Cass agree in pleasant surprise, as I scooped up my violin case and rushed for the door.