Vacation to a parallel universe

Perplexed, Emily stood at the entrance to the portal . She had sensed the vacation would be different from the others immediately she stepped into the shining wall that was an opening to another universe. She had always wanted to have an experience of a parallel universe and here she was about to experience one firsthand.

It was the final year in Ricardo high School. The travel agency, "Shuttle" promised the graduating students a unique adventure. Emily, who had always been fascinated with the concept of a parallel universe, couldn't stop blushing waiting to experience a world that was parallel to hers. The man who had taken them to this trip had informed them the universe they're about visiting was a bit similar to theirs but distinct in the aspect of culture, history, and reality.

As She emerged from the portal, she was welcomed by an atmosphere that looked strange and familiar at the same time. Even though things in this new place looked a bit different, there were so many things in common.
"Hey, I'm Stephanie" a young looking lady said, drawing Emily's attention back to where she was. She stretched her hands to Emily for a handshake. "Come let's walk around" she offered. She took Emily through the city that was built with bricks from ice and the city was made of ancient and modern infrastructures. Emily marveled as she saw creatures of different species roam the street both beautiful and ugly.

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"A lot of things look strange right?" Stephanie asked Emily who was carried away by the beauty she beheld.
"Come let me take you to the city square called Mars, it's more like the universe you come from but has a different history. The ancient civilization had developed here in a different way"
They walked through a narrow path surrounded with shrubs leading to the city square. Emily asked questions as they journey through seeing how similar the universe was with hers.
"Do you ever go to the other world?" Emily asked. Even though Stephanie looked like a human, one could easily recognize she was not from their planet judging by the structure of her face which was round and her ears a bit longer.
"We do. But at night in fear of what humans could do to us" she pointed at a machine that has the shape of a rocket "That's our travel ship to your world".

As the days passed, Emily grew more and more attached to Stephanie who was happy to have found a female friend. She introduced Emily to so many secrets of their universe and taught her how to communicate with the creatures. Soon Emily learned the basis and made friends with the inhabitants who were warm and welcoming. Stephanie wished Emily could stay longer, but the vacation was only for a few days.
"Write me your address" Stephanie handed her a slate, "I'll visit you when next I come to your universe"

As the portal closed behind her, Emily found herself back to her universe. She knew she would always carry the memories of Stephanie and the adventure with her. She stared at the sky wondering if the people of Mars were looking at the same stars. She unfolds her hands and admires the gem Stephanie had given to her. She smiled knowing she had experienced something truly special - a vacation to a parallel universe that will forever stay in her forever.

This is in response to the dreemport and scholar collaboration contest.