A Step to Nowhere by Natasha A. Salnikova Page A

you somewhere.”
    I shook my head again, without looking at her, even though I could see with my side view that the girl was studying me.
    “Your face is so familiar.”
    I had glasses on; who could she see in me? What did she need from me? Didn’t she notice that I wasn’t hot to talk to her? Maybe it was normal in this world to not answer a stranger’s questions. Maybe it was normal to be annoying. I wanted to talk back, but I was silent. And I was smiling.
    “I saw you yesterday, I’m sure of it.”
    Smile and be quiet. Maybe she will think you’re nuts and leave you alone. Seriously, leave me alone.
    “I think we have even talked.”
    “I don’t know you,” I hissed. Be quiet! “Sorry.”
    The bus stopped, I jumped from the seat and ran to the exit, pushing the guy in my way. I apologized without stopping and flew onto the street.
    I stopped, gasping for air and looking around. We hadn’t gone too far and this part of the town differed from the previous one only in absence of the screen. Here, I saw much less advertising. I tried to think what area of my town it would be, but couldn’t guess. The place was strange, but at the same time familiar. Like the same scenery in a different time of the year.
    Where should I go? Should I wait for another bus, hoping there would be no nosy ladies? Jesus, what an annoying bitch she was. She had to figure out the location of our non-existent meeting. What if everyone in this world was like that? It didn’t matter. I had to get to Park Street and no strangers, thank you very much.
    I turned to the bus that was driving away from the station. I had to wait for the next one and try to look natural. Don’t panic, blah, blah.
    I froze in horror. The girl who had been sitting beside me didn’t stay on the bus as I’d assumed. She was standing close to me, by the two men in green, talking to them. All three of them were looking in my direction.
    Okay. Great. She’s complaining about me, judging by the look of things, to the local police. That’s just great! What a bitch! What should I do now?
    Turning away from them, I moved along the road. I tried not to hurry and to pretend that nothing was going on. I was just a regular citizen of Planet One, leave me alone. What did she want from me? Who did she think I was? What if I looked like some criminal? I could look like someone without being a mirror copy. I didn’t take off my glasses on the bus, which was probably suspicious. Oh, Jesus. What if she had thought I was a criminal? Now they would catch me, find out who I was and return me to the corporation. People there would be happy to cook me in the microwave like a turkey.
    “Excuse me! Excuse me, lady in the gray suit!”
    He’s talking to me.
    I increased the pace. There was a road to the right, a forest of houses to the left.
    What should I do? I’ve never run from anyone and this is another planet!
    “Lady in the gray suit!” The voice was louder and closer. “We need to check your identification code. Stop, please!”
    Yeah, right. That’s gonna happen. To the left and through the river of cars, or to the right and to the buildings? People passed me; they walked toward me, but didn’t look at me. As if I was a ghost in some supernatural movie. But I saw their eyes. They were scared. Like they would turn to stones after looking at me.
    “Miss!”
    I heard the pounding of feet behind me. I looked back at them. One of the men in green ran after me, the other one talked into some black thing that looked like a portable radio. The girl put her hand to her forehead as a sunshield and watched me.
    Why did she do it? Why? Was she an honored citizen of her county? Did they get rewards for spotting the criminals? What?
    To the buildings.
    I didn’t wait for the man in green to catch up with me. I dashed to the gray box-shaped buildings, knocking down pedestrians on my way. No one screamed at me for that; they didn’t call me names. Like nothing had happened. I would