Noelle was wondering. Noelle always wondered, whether she was at school, or at home, or anywhere. She daydreamed all day. She wondered what they were doing. Were they walking home from school like she was? Were they walking to school? Were they in school? Were they asleep? Were they eating? What would they be eating, if they were? The people Noelle referred to as ‘they’ are the people on Earth, in the solar system, in the Milky Way, in Universe 1.2. Noelle mainly wondered about them— she knew enough about Universe 1.1 to get by. But Universe 1.2 really caught her attention. Was it really a universe if there are multiple? That’s what they called it. But they didn’t know that they were called Universe 1.2. They didn’t know there was a Universe 1.1, or 1.3, or 1.4, or any of the other universes. Noelle wondered what her friends were doing. Their homes were much closer to the school than hers, and they were probably home by now. Ina was probably pestering her older brother. Blossom was most likely reading. Did people in Universe 1.2 do things like that? Everyone in Noelle’s astronomy class knew about Universe 1.2. Everyone in Universe 1.1 who got an education in universes— namely, everyone between the ages four and three hundred twenty-six— knew. Maybe some forgot, the knowledge left in a corner of the mind, but they knew. Meanwhile, no one from Universe 1.2 knew about Universe 1.1. How come? Universe 1.1 had always tried to get the attention of Universe 1.2, but they never heard, saw, touched, or smelled Noelle’s world. Maybe fate had decided that Universe 1.1 and Universe 1.2 would never be in contact. Maybe fate had decided that Universe 1.2 would never know about Universe 1.1. Universe 1.2 had no idea about any of the universes at all. All of this ran through Noelle’s mind as she walked home from school. Noelle continued to wonder.