After a week of planning, I managed my way through the lab and sneaked through the security doors using my mom's ID. 

Now I'm here in the room where the supposed "Parallax Project" is in and my whole body freezes as I see the holographic picture of the Earth, spinning along with another one: the parallel universe. It is placed on the other side of the glass window, caged in with three other observatory rooms. 

I walk towards a panel filled with buttons; the buttons sitting there, glaring at me and urging me to press them. 

"I managed to make it work!" I overheard my father say a week ago to my mother, both thinking that I was asleep in my room. 

"Hon, don't joke with me about Parallax." My mother said and this brought my curiosity. I creeped out of bed and went closer to my bedroom door, listening carefully on their conversation. 

It was always about some "Parallax project" but I never really knew what that was about. But after hearing their discussion, I couldn't help but see it for myself. 

Looking at the sequencing of the buttons I wrote down from that night, I pressed on a few and nothing happened on the two spinning Earths. I stare at the buttons again, thinking of what my father said but nothing comes to mind. What did I do wrong?!

A loud pounding on the door breaks me from my thoughts and my heart jumps out of my chest as the thundering voice of my father calls my name. "Vivian Princeton, unlock this door and come out!" 

I look back at the two Earths, my heart stopping in my chest. 

They're moving closer to each other.

"Vivian!" My father calls again, but I ignore him and look back at the panel. I curse under my breath as I press buttons and try a sequencing that my father had taught me with other projects, hoping that somehow they will work. 

Alarm bell blares throughout that lab, sending my whole mind to explode with sequences and equations, wondering how to stop the two Earths to collide, causing an error to the universe.

A deep hum silences every sound and then a rumble shakes the lab. I scream in terror, but no sound comes out of my mouth; my knees give in to my weight as I sit on the floor with my knees pulled to my chest, trying to breathe properly. 

Darkness slowly consumes the lab and I feel like every part of me is being ripped apart. Soon enough, darkness surrounds me and I can't hear anything but the rapid beating of my heart. 

Before I could blink, darkness had consumed me.