Chapter 2: Oh look who is here
While brushing his teeth, everything came rushing to him. Aric’s memories overlapped, and he soon realized what year it was: 2007. He was in Class 8. (Indian school systems are a bit different. Class 8, for most, is around the age of 13-14. Class 10 is the last year where a student has to study all general subjects. After Class 10 comes Class 11 and 12, also known as +2, where a student has to choose a stream: Science, Arts, or Economics. After Class 12 comes university, which is almost the same as other universities globally.)
He had been reincarnated to his younger self. It would be at least 6 to 7 years again before everything would go awry, but until then, he would have time.
"Calm down. Not only do you have time, but you also need to understand the reason why you were reincarnated. There must be an explanation. There has to be something," Aric thought. Without those chaotic thoughts, he went to shower and prepare for the day.
As he came out of the shower, breakfast was ready for him to eat before heading out. Aric had tears in his eyes as he saw the homemade food and witnessed his mother being so bubbly and energetic again.
He couldn’t help but go and hug her.
"What’s wrong with you?" Avni asked, surprised by her son’s embrace. She sensed a mix of sadness and happiness from him. For some reason, Avni felt her son was very different that day. Normally, if she scolded him like other days, he would be annoyed and throw a tantrum, but today he was exceptionally silent and hadn’t spoken until now.
"Nothing... I’m just happy to see the food again that you cooked so early in the morning. Thank you," Aric said with a wide grin.
"Is there something wrong with you today?" Avni asked, touching his forehead to check for a fever or some other ailment.
"No, Mom, I’m fine. Everything is fine. Just thank you," Aric replied as he sat at the table to eat. The reason for his reincarnation could wait; for now, he needed to enjoy his time. It was these moments that he had missed over the years, so he wanted to cherish them.
His mom had prepared a wonderful breakfast, so he was quite happy. As he ate, he saw his father enter the home. His father had gone early in the morning to check and water the farm produce. This season, his father was growing mushrooms, so he was keeping a close eye on everything.
Seeing his father young again almost brought tears to his eyes. He wanted to leave his food and hug his father, but he stopped himself. He had been acting weird since morning, he needed to get a hold of himself.