I stared blankly at the sky. Three moons? I blinked, looked down, and then looked up again, making sure I wasn't drunk. That would explain a lot of my day. Unfortunately, since nothing else in my vision appeared in triples, I was forced to admit I was looking at three actual moons.

"What the hell!?" I yelled out. Janus followed my gaze to the sky. "Oh, that would be strange to see, given Earth only has one moon."

"Yes! One! Earth has exactly one moon, not three! Why am I seeing – did you drug me or something?!" I was quickly becoming hysterical. Normally I'd be a lot more level-headed about this, but this day had been a constant of highly strung emotions, and seeing the impossible was quickly pushing me over the edge.

"That's what I'm telling you. You're not on Earth any more. That's why I had to get you at a point where you wouldn't be missed when you left." Janus smirked at me. "That's also why it was funny that you would suggest running away. Even if you managed to get away from Iburn, finding Earth by yourself would be impossible."

Suddenly, Janus didn't seem so crazy any more. Sure, the portal and the clean-up could be explained away by some tech and a healthy dose of insanity, but three moons was pretty solid proof that something wasn't normal.

~Hold on. Who's to say he isn't just using something else to make you see what he wants you to see?~

Janus seemed to guess my thoughts as I stared at him, and spread his hands. "Look, if you keep doubting everything I say, neither of us is going to get anywhere any time soon. Accept that for now this is real and hear me out, okay?"

I considered for a moment, torn between curiosity and suspicion, then nodded. After all, if he could make me see anything this realistic, then I was screwed anyway.

Climbing back in the window, I took my previous seat, took a deep breath, then crossed my arms and scowled at Janus. He remained by the window, leaning against the wall as he resumed talking. "Despite how it looks, Iburn isn't actually sitting on a planet. It's a personal dimension I created. Do you know the multiverse theory?"

I shook my head. It sounded familiar, but it was probably mentioned at a science gala I infiltrated or something.

"In essence, every choice that a person makes results in two universes: one universe where you made the choice, and one where you didn't. Given the number of people alive just on Earth, you can imagine how many universes have sprung up over time. However, the interference of a god can alter the universe's design. Actions, such as saving a person who was supposed to die, mean that person can go on to make new choices, creating new universes, but erasing the ones that should have been there." Janus moved back to his chair. "This is another reason why you can't go back to Earth, particularly if you do this job. You'll rearrange reality, more so if you're capable of wielding divine power."

I took a second to absorb that information. "So you're saying Earth is off-limits...forever?"

Janus nodded.

~So I'm effectively dead to everyone back home. Laura's gonna be heartbroken, and poor Beth. Sorry cutie, I won't be making it to your birthday after all.~

"How did you find me? And how did you know I was going to die? I might have survived," I said to him. Despite the astronomically low chance of that, it was still a chance.

"I told you the person I needed had pretty high requirements, right? Good thief, potential for divine body, won't be missed from the timeline? Those criteria are satisfied maybe once every 50 or hundred years, and we certainly weren't going to let a chance slip by. We did a search through time that covered the entire planet – we essentially had to look through every human alive for centuries." Janus sighed, rubbing his temple with two fingers. "In the dimension we picked you up from, your death was a fact, you didn't show up anywhere later. We even checked your body in a dimension that was different by one choice."

"What if that one choice affected me?" I protested, determined to hang onto my sliver of hope.

Janus sighed. "Trying to find a dimension that differs by one choice is a massive pain in the butt. The reality's so similar it takes a huge amount of work to shift towards the one you're looking for. Do you really think, with so much energy invested, we didn't make sure it was one that wouldn't affect the outcome?"

I looked down at my lap. Now that I wasn't so resigned to my death, it became a lot more difficult to keep my feelings bottled up. I'd managed to hold it down on the ship though, and I sure as hell wasn't about to let Janus see me bawling.

Just as the silence was about to get awkward, Janus stood up. "You probably need some time to adjust," he said quickly. "After all, you did just go through a life-and-death experience, and I understand that this-" he indicated the room in general "can be a bit difficult to accept."

~Isn’t that the understatement of the year.~

Janus moved to open the office door and leaned out. He started quietly speaking to someone, while I was caught up in the memory of a little girl running across a sandpit. I was startled out of my memory by a hand on my shoulder, and looked up to see a woman with platinum hair smiling down at me. Unlike Janus' suspicious mouth, this smile was warm and reassuringly, almost motherly.

"Hello. I’m Elli," she said. "I'm told you might want a room? Would you like to come with me?"

~That's a beautiful voice.~ I thought as I nodded. The woman extended a hand, which I took as I stood. Janus murmured something about details the next day, but I was wholly focused on the woman in front of me. She was ethereally perfect in body, exuding gracefulness and poise just by walking. She looked back at me as we walked along, and I was sucked into the perfection of her face, a staggering standard of beauty that would humble women around the world. Her expression only served to improve her looks; while a neutral expression might have made her face overwhelming and thus less attractive, her current look of warmth and open friendliness was quickly crafting her into the most desirable woman I’d ever encountered.

~If I’m not careful, I might even fall for this woman~ I suddenly thought. ~Could she be the goddess of beauty?~

The woman laughed merrily, while I looked at her, confused. Still smiling, she spoke up again. “I appreciate the compliment, but I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you on that front. A goddess of beauty radiates far more than I possibly could.”

My eyes widened. Had she read my mind? After walking down a flight of stairs and a couple of corridors, we stopped in front of a pair of dark wood doors. The woman reached for the doorknob and opened the door to expose a luxurious room, worthy of any of the five-star hotels I had visited on Earth.

I moved to enter, then stopped just inside the door, taking in the details. “If you need anything tonight, just open the door and call me, and I’ll hear you,” came Elli’s warm tone. After a moment, she began to close the door.

“Why me?” I said in a small voice. I hadn’t even fully meant to ask, the question slipping out of my lips. The door halted, and silence reigned for a few seconds. Elli’s tone, when it came, had tones of sadness and apology. “Because we need you.”

I turned to look into the beautiful woman’s eyes. “We need you,” she repeated, “and however much he might defend himself by saying he asked first, it doesn’t change the fact that we essentially kidnapped you. For that, I am truly sorry.” Elli’s face turned remorseful, triggering a sudden need to comfort her in me.

“No, it’s fine! You saved me from dying!”

“Sometimes, dying is the easier choice.” Elli’s eyes flashed with a hint of sadness and pain, before her expression reset to a smile. “But, you’re here now, and like I said before, just call and I’ll hear.” She pulled the door closed, and I faintly heard footsteps walking away.

I sat down by the large armchair and tried to process the events from the day. As much as I’d previously tried to live life to the fullest, without fear of death, when it actually came for me I was terrified and regretful.

~Maybe Elli was right. It would be easier to be dead than here, knowing it’s possible to go back but not allowed.~

Moonlight streamed through the window, and I stared out to see the three moons. Before I realised, tears were making silent tracks down my face.

~I want more time.~

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Author's Note:

I had some difficulty writing this, due to the need for a good, quick introduction to the world (or universe, in this case), balanced with accurately and believably displaying how my MC feels. Feel free to leave any good (and friendly) thoughts on her interactions in the comments. :)