Chapter 3

Christian felt like he was standing in a massive control room, his body light as a feather.

"I died, didn't I? Where is this?" he muttered, staring at the countless tiny pixel-like blocks floating around him, curiosity burning in his chest.

His gaze swept over the pixels until a familiar scene suddenly snapped into focus.

"This is…?" He moved closer to the image he recognized and froze. "Isn't this the scene of my suicide?"

The sight before him left him utterly stunned. He couldn't understand why the moment he'd killed himself would appear here. If this was his suicide scene, then what were all the others?

Christian turned to look at the surrounding images. There were countless scenes, each playing out a different life. The endings were all the same—death—but the paths were wildly different.

In some, he died young. In others, he lived to old age. Some lives were full of hardship and wandering, while others were peaceful and wealthy.

"So these are all the paths I could've taken and all the tracks created by different choices? So life is basically one big switch case statement? Different choices lead to different outcomes?" he murmured in surprise.

He fell silent, staring at the multitude of scenes in front of him, his heart filled with complicated emotions. "If I had another chance at life, I definitely wouldn't choose to be reunited with the Ashwoods anymore."

He didn't know if it was his overwhelming regret or something else, but suddenly, all the screens in front of him shattered at once. A massive vortex appeared out of nowhere, sucking him in before he could react. His body spun violently with the whirlpool, his mind roaring as everything went black.

…

"Ow…" Christian opened his eyes groggily, the pain in his backside snapping him fully awake. He looked around and was hit with a wave of strange familiarity.

"Isn't this the orphanage? How am I back here?" He rubbed his sore butt and stood up, carefully taking in his surroundings. "Yeah, this is definitely the orphanage I grew up in."

Once he confirmed where he was, excitement surged through him. "So, I've been reborn?"

He glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall. It was July 8th, 2015.

"This is three years ago? Right after the magnet school entrance exam results came out? Heh, perfect timing. If I remember right, there are still ten days before the Ashwoods show up to do charity here. Since I've already decided I'm not having anything to do with them in this life, I just have to avoid them," he thought, mind racing.

In his previous life, it was because George and Jennifer had come to the orphanage for a charity event that everything had changed. They'd noticed how much Christian resembled Jennifer, leading to the paternity test and the whole acknowledgment and reunion.

This time, as long as they never laid eyes on him, none of that would happen.

"The question is, how do I avoid them? Even if I dodge them now, there's always a chance we'll cross paths again someday as long as I stay in Janverton. I might as well leave the city entirely. But where would I even go? And what about my school enrollment?" Christian sat on his bed, starting to plan his next move.

Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind—Roger Lane.

Roger had also grown up in this orphanage. Now, he was working in Kellington, a neighboring city. He still came back during the holidays, always bringing bags of snacks for the other kids.

"I might as well go to Kellington. As for my enrollment, I'll just take my entrance exam scores and gamble on getting into Kellington Prime High School. With my first-place score in Janverton, maybe I can convince them to take me in. I'll just have to be a little more thick-skinned. All that matters is that I can get in," Christian thought.

He was a man of action. Once he made up his mind, he grabbed his phone from the bed and scrolled to Roger's number.

The call connected.

"Chris, what's up? Why'd you suddenly think of calling me?" Roger's teasing voice came through the receiver.

"Roger, I want to go to Kellington for high school, and maybe find a part-time job for the summer, too. Do you have any connections over there?" Christian asked.

"Huh? Why do you suddenly wanna come to Kellington? Isn't Janverton Centuro High School better than anything we've got here?" Roger was puzzled.

"Ugh, Janverton's cost of living is insane. Everything's so expensive. High school's gonna cost way more than middle school, so I have no choice but to go to Kellington," Christian replied casually, coming up with a simple excuse.

"Fair enough. Back in the day, 50 dollars could get you a whole outfit plus a pair of shoes in Janverton. Now, you're lucky if it covers a single shirt. But what about your enrollment? Transferring student records sounds like a lot of trouble," Roger said.

"I don't think it'll be that bad. I'm the city's top scorer on the magnet school entrance exams, after all. I'll just go straight to the principal of Kellington Prime High School with my score. Maybe he'll help me sort out the enrollment," Christian said, only half joking.

"Alright, then. As long as you have a plan. Leave the job issue to me. I'm on really good terms with the owner of the restaurant where I work, and the head chef's a decent guy, too. I'll explain your situation to them—they should be willing to take you on," Roger said.

"Great, it's a deal then. I'll probably head out tomorrow."

"Got it. Call me when your train gets in. I'll come pick you up."

After hanging up, Christian immediately started packing. He didn't own much—just a few sets of worn clothes and a heap of books. He'd always been a top student, and he had a stubborn attachment to books. If he stacked everything he'd read from childhood up until now, it would be twice his height.

Of course, there was no way to bring everything. He picked out the most important ones—high school math, physics, and chemistry prep books, along with his entrance exam results. The rest, he left behind for the other kids at the orphanage. There were tons of notes in there, and he hoped they'd be useful. They'd be his parting gift for them.

Once he finished packing, he headed for the director's office. Calling it an office was generous—it was really just a slightly bigger bedroom with a desk squeezed in it so it could double as a workspace.

The director's name was Imelda Wade, but all the kids in the orphanage called her "Mama".

When Christian stepped in, he saw Imelda sorting through documents at the desk. He glanced at them and saw they were mostly donation records from people in the community and the orphanage's income and expenses.

Imelda smiled when she saw him. "Chris, what brings you here?"

Christian hesitated for a moment, then decided to lie. "Mama, Roger found me a summer job in Kellington. The pay's pretty good, so I'm planning to go over there for the summer."

Imelda fell quiet for a bit. "If you just want a summer job, I can help you find something here in Janverton. You don't need to go that far."

"I already promised Roger I'd be there. It'd be wrong to bail on him. Besides, I really miss him, too. I'm only going for the summer. Once high school starts, I'll be back," Christian said, clinging to her arm and turning on the charm.

"It's not that I'm forbidding you from going. It's that you're only 15—I don't feel comfortable letting you travel that far on your own. How about you give me ten days or so? I'll go over there and check things out myself? Once I'm sure everything's safe, then you can go…" Imelda suggested.

"It'll be fine, Mama. Don't you trust Roger? He'll pick me up at the train station when I get there. Look, why don't you take a break first? I'll help you organize these documents," Christian said, gently guiding her toward the bed.

"Oh, you. I'm telling you right now that I won't agree to this," she grumbled and sighed, pretending to be angry.

Christian didn't argue. He'd already expected this reaction. Out of all the kids in the orphanage, Imelda cared about him the most, pretty much treating him like he was her own son.

He'd always lived up to that love. From grade school onward, he'd consistently been at the top of his classes.

He sat down at the desk and looked over the documents again. They were just ledgers and accounting records; nothing complicated for him.

In about half an hour, he had everything sorted, cleanly itemized, and entered onto a proper table. The numbers were neat and easy to read at a glance.

At some point, exhaustion caught up to Imelda. She drifted off to sleep on the bed, soft snores rising and falling in the quiet room.

Christian looked at her sleeping face, then quietly gathered the papers into a folder. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a photo lying on the desk.

It was a group photo taken a year ago of all the children in the orphanage and a group of volunteers. In it, he was grinning brightly, his eyes sparkling with happiness. Looking at his own face in the photo made him feel like he was looking straight at his mother, Jennifer.

He hesitated for a moment, then picked up the photo and slipped it into his things. If he truly wanted to avoid the Ashwoods this time, then he couldn't leave behind any trace of himself there.

Back in his dorm room, Christian pulled out a pen and paper and began to write a letter. The content was simple—where he was going, that he was safe, and that Imelda shouldn't worry. Since she wouldn't let him leave, the only option he had left was to go without saying goodbye.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Christian slung his bag over his shoulder and slipped out toward the train station without alerting anyone. He left the letter on his bed in plain sight. Imelda would see it the moment she walked into the room.

At the station, after buying his ticket, Christian called Roger.

Roger sounded half-asleep on the other end of the line when he picked up. "Chris, you bought your ticket already?"

"Yeah, just got it. The train leaves at 7:40 am. It should get to Kellington in about an hour. Don't forget to come get me," Christian reminded him.

"Alrighty. I'll get up now. I'll be at the station by 8:40 am on the dot," Roger replied.

After hanging up, Christian found a seat in the waiting hall and sat down quietly to wait for boarding.

Now that he thought about it, this was actually his first time riding a train in this life. After all, he was still young, only 15. He was already over five feet tall, but his face was still soft with youth. Naturally, he drew a few curious glances, sitting alone in the crowded hall.

He didn't care. Even though he had only lived to 18 in his previous life, everything he'd gone through had forced him to grow up fast.

The combination of his boyish face and calm, steady eyes made the people who noticed him think the same thing—that he was a kid who seemed mature beyond his years.