Norah grabbed the first two socks her scrabbling hands touched, one green, the other pink. She knew their original partners were long gone. But now, she kind of liked the dynamic duo she’d inadvertently created. She wriggled her toes in approval before hopping up from her bed.

 

Tess would already be on the patio – 8am sharp, like her text said. Norah took her time making coffee and then pushed the sliding door open. Her sister sat rigid in the shade, red hair scraped back in a bun.

 

“Well, I’m here” said Norah, collapsing into a chair. “And let me guess – you’re mad about the space travel thing?”

 

Tess narrowed her almond eyes. “You blinked out of existence while we were discussing the chore chart yesterday. I still haven’t filled out who’s on trash duty, but that’s not the point.” She pointed accusingly at Norah’s wrist. “That watch needs to go.”

 

“My WorldWalkr isn’t the problem, your chore chart is. Plus, I only went to Pashant. It’s fine, it’s like a starter planet.”

 

“Do you hear yourself? You can’t even match your socks right, but you think you can handle trips to an alien planet, lightyears away, through wormholes made by a watch.”

 

Norah leaned forward. Tess sometimes made having fun near-impossible, but she could be swayed.

 

“You should come with me, T. You’d love it. Pashant is this vast red desert under a lilac sky. And in that sky, a twin planet hangs, with golden rings reaching up and around it forever.”

 

Tess squinted up at the patio awning. “It’s irresponsible. There haven’t been any tests on what WorldWalkr travel does to your body.”

 

“Uh, how about it releases serotonin? And dopamine. But God forbid I have any fun when the chore chart is waiting.”

 

Tess shook her head. “Speaking of, we need to get that sorted, now. We have brunch with the girls at Spoon later. Maybe you can WorldWalkr there but I’m planning to cycle.”

 

“Spoon isn’t one of the pre-programmed destina – whatever. Fine. I’ll take trash duty.”

 

Tess made a note on her phone and then stuck out her hand. “Now, give me the watch. Mom and dad want me to make sure you really stop before their next visit.”

 

Norah sighed. “Of course.” She moved her hand to the strap. “Let me just…” She slammed her hand onto the watch face and disappeared exactly as Tess’s lips formed a perfect O.

 

* * *

 

Storming down the silver-paved streets of Pashant, Norah considered what could have possibly gone wrong to make her sister such a type-A stickler. Data analytics, true crime podcasts, and worrying made up like 99% of her personality.

 

Well, not Norah. She considered the huge metal spheres that lined the desert planet’s streets; shops selling sand-resistant suits and cafes serving Auht, a spirit made from tough cacti. Beyond, the twin planet, IO, filled the lilac horizon with its golden rings. Tess would love the color composition.

 

Auht time. Norah entered the spherical cafe, scattered with low seats and Pasha people playing board games.

 

They were tall with amber eyes and silver skin. Each had a semicircle of red sand-paste adorning their forehead, which they marked with their finger every morning. A ritual of recognition between themselves and their desert home.

 

Norah settled into a low seat and smiled as the Pasha waiter came over. She’d spoken with him at length last night.

 

“Earth girl, you’re back,” he said, his words a series of hisses. The WorldWalkr projected a translation into Norah’s ear. “You were asking about IO, yesterday, right?”

 

“Yeah! I still can’t believe my WorldWalkr doesn’t have it programmed as a destination.”

 

“Well, my IO-er friend called me earlier. I told him you were curious about his planet.”

 

He pulled out a pane of glass and tapped it twice. An image of a blue orb flickered to life.

 

“Inla,” said the waiter. “I have that WorldWalkr alien here for you! The one who wouldn’t stop bothering me with questions.” He handed the glass over with a wink and wandered to the next table.

 

“Lovely to meet you!” Norah said. “Can we switch to video? I’d love to see your planet.”

 

“We are on video.”

 

“I only see a blue orb.”

 

“Then you see me. I don’t have a traditional body, anymore.”

 

“Oh, uh… I’m sorry.”

 

A static laugh. “For what? On IO, our bodies are in machines and our minds are spread across infinite simulations, living billions of lives. We uploaded ourselves aeons ago.”

 

“You did this on purpose?”

 

“Of course. We used to have flesh bodies. But over the years, our civilization grew beyond IO’s capacity. So, we uploaded our minds to an eco-friendly computer system. Imagine our delight when scans showed, millions of years after our upload, that life was evolving on our old moon!”

 

“Pashant?”

 

“Yes! Intelligent life! We gave them a few more million years to evolve and then offered to upload them, too. But, poor primitive things, their attachment to the desert is unprecedented.”

 

“They don’t want to be uploaded?”

 

“Sadly, no.”

 

“But you guys call each other and like, hang out?”

 

“Well, we are twin planets, after all. They learn from our simulations, and we love their company. We were getting quite bored before they evolved if I’m honest. Just the same millions of consciousnesses, trapped in a computer for eternity. And the Pasha get it, you know?”

 

“I’m not sure I do.”

 

“Well, we come from the same little cluster of planets. There’s... an understanding that can’t be replicated in simulations. Family.”

 

“Right…” Norah shifted uncomfortably. “Hey, Inla, I’m sorry but I’m going to have to let you go.”

 

“Very well. Visit again soon. I should like to hear about your planet.”

 

“I will,” she said and tapped the pane to end the call.

 

She gazed at the Pasha around her, fighting her feelings from Inla’s speech. Then, she sighed and set her WorldWalkr back to Earth.

 

She might just make brunch, after all.