September 8th, 1985
Alex stood in front of the mirror, studying himself from head to toe. It was his first day at a new school. He wanted to say he wasn't nervous—but that would've been a lie.
He took a slow breath in, then exhaled through his nose. You've handled worse, he told himself.
Without giving himself time to hesitate, he grabbed his backpack and stepped out of his room. The smell of toast and coffee drifted up from downstairs, mixing with the low hum of morning conversation.
"You finally got everything you need?" his mother asked as he entered the kitchen, rummaging through her purse for her keys.
"Yes, I'm all set," Alex replied, adjusting the straps on his backpack.
"Here."
Duke appeared beside him and shoved a packed lunch lightly against his chest. "Don't forget your lunch."
He ruffled Alex's hair roughly before stepping away.
"Ah—thanks," Alex muttered, fixing his hair and slipping the wrapped lunch into his bag.
He glanced toward the staircase just as his father came down, dressed casually in safety boots, grey work pants, a black T-shirt, and a grey jacket.
"Everyone ready to leave?" Oliver asked, glancing around.
"Just waiting for the girls to come down," Martha answered before leaning up to kiss him.
Duke and Alex recoiled in exaggerated disgust.
"Girls! Get down here, it's time to go!" Martha shouted toward the second floor.
"Coming!" came the hurried reply, followed by the sound of quick footsteps.
"Oh, Thomas called," Martha added, turning back to Oliver. "He found an apartment property in good condition. He wants us to check it out sometime."
"That's good," Oliver replied thoughtfully.
Ashley and Jennifer finally came down the stairs—wearing nearly identical outfits, the only difference being the color of their jackets. Both wore matching expressions of irritation.
"You two matching?" Oliver asked with a teasing smile.
"Not now, Dad," they answered in unison, voices slightly raised.
Oliver blinked, clearly confused. Alex, Duke, and Martha exchanged amused looks, shaking their heads.
"Okay…" Oliver said cautiously before turning back to his wife. "I'll call Thomas when I get to work and schedule a time to view the property."
"Meow."
Everyone turned at the sound.
Stuart padded into the hallway and immediately wound herself around Alex's legs, clearly expecting to be included in the morning routine.
Alex scooped her up and gently scratched behind her ears. She purred loudly against his chest.
"That reminds me," Alex said, glancing at his parents. "Can we get another cat? Or maybe even a dog—to keep Stuart company during the day?"
Martha paused.
It wasn't a bad idea.
She still remembered how Stuart had gone missing several times during Alex's coma. How the cat had cried and searched their old apartment for him before disappearing entirely for four months. The memory still tugged at her heart.
It had been proof enough that animals felt more than people gave them credit for.
"That's actually not a bad idea," Martha admitted softly. "We can talk more about it when we get back, okay?"
Alex smiled. "Okay."
He carried Stuart into the kitchen and gently set her down.
"What do you think?" Martha asked her husband quietly.
"I think it's a great idea," Oliver said. "Especially after what happened last time."
Duke, Jennifer, and Ashley visibly perked up at the suggestion—something their parents definitely noticed.
"Alright, calm down," Martha laughed. "It's time to go."
She ushered everyone toward the door as Alex returned from the kitchen. Oliver waited until everyone stepped outside before locking up behind them.
Moments later, the family split between vehicles.
Alex climbed into his father's car since his new school was on the same route as Oliver's job site. Martha loaded the others into her car, heading in the opposite direction.
As the engine started and the house grew smaller in the rearview mirror, Alex rested his head lightly against the window.
He just hoped it would go better than the last time.
The drive felt shorter than it should have.
Oliver kept the radio low, some soft rock song playing beneath the steady hum of the engine. The morning air carried that crisp early-September bite, not quite autumn yet—but close.
"You'll do fine," Oliver said without looking over. Not forced. Not dramatic. Just certain.
Alex nodded.
"I know."
And this time… he meant it.
The school came into view a few minutes later.
It wasn't enormous, but to Alex it might as well have been castle. A wide brick building with long rows of rectangular windows. A faded sign out front read:
Riverside Elementary School
Kids flooded the sidewalks and front lawn. Backpacks hung low on shoulders. Some carried metal lunchboxes with cartoon characters printed on them. A few boys wore denim jackets covered in stitched patches. High socks. Bright sneakers. One kid even had a Walkman clipped to his belt, foam headphones resting over his ears like he owned the world.
Girls wore oversized sweaters, leggings, scrunchies, and colorful plastic bangles that clicked together when they moved. Feathered bangs. Side ponytails. Neon windbreakers that practically glowed under the morning sun.
Everything felt loud.
Not just the sound—but the movement. The color. The energy.
Oliver parked along the curb.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
"You want me to walk you in?" his father asked.
Alex shook his head. He tightened his grip on his backpack straps.
"I can do it."
Oliver studied him for half a second—measuring, not doubting. Then he nodded.
"Alright. I'll pick you up at three."
Alex opened the door and stepped out.
The noise hit him first.
Laughter. Sneakers squeaking against pavement. The metallic slam of lockers from inside the building. Teachers calling out greetings.
He stood there for just a moment longer than necessary taking everything in.
Last year—before the accident—this would've overwhelmed him. The noise. The unpredictability. The way everything moved too fast.
Back then, words sometimes felt slippery in his mouth. Thoughts tangled together before he could get them out properly. Kids had noticed. Kids always noticed.
But that was before. Before the accident. Before waking up different.
Before his mind stopped feeling like a maze.
He inhaled slowly.
Then stepped forward.
Inside, the hallway smelled faintly of floor polish and pencil shavings.
Rows of beige lockers lined the walls. They weren't tall like high school ones—just small square compartments stacked in columns. A few were already plastered with stickers: Pac-Man, Transformers, baseball team logos.
A teacher stood near the entrance holding a clipboard.
She wore a floral blouse tucked into a long skirt and oversized glasses with thick brown frames.
"Good morning!" she called warmly. "Class lists are posted by homeroom numbers. Find your name and head to your classroom."
Alex approached the bulletin board.
The paper trembled slightly under his fingers—not from fear, just awareness.
He scanned the list.
Not slowly. His eyes moving down the column.
Williams, Alex — Room 12. Mrs. Donnelly.
He turned toward Room 12.
The classroom door was open.
Inside, desks were arranged in neat rows. Each desk had a name tag taped to the top. Construction paper apples decorated the walls. There was a chalkboard at the front with Welcome Back! written in looping white letters.
Mrs. Donnelly stood near her desk, greeting students as they entered.
She looked to be in her early forties, with short curled hair and kind eyes that crinkled when she smiled.
"And you must be new," she said gently when Alex stepped inside. " Wow, you have very pretty eyes what's your name? "
"Thank you, ma'am. I'm Alexander Williams but everyone just call me Alex. " His voice came out steady.
She quickly checked her list to confirm he was in her class. " Ok, there it is. Alexander Williams. Welcome to Riverside."
"Thank you."
A few kids glanced up at him.
Not cruel.
Just curious.
New kid.
He walked between the desks, aware of their eyes. A boy with freckles gave him a small nod. A girl with bright pink scrunchie hairbands whispered something to her friend.
He found his seat—third row from the front, near the window.
He sat down carefully.
The chair scraped lightly against the tile.
Around him, conversations buzzed.
"My cousin got a Nintendo—"
"My dad says the Mets are gonna take it this year—"
"I watched Knight Rider last night—"
Ordinary kid stuff.
Alex folded his hands on his desk and stared at the chalkboard for a moment.
He remembered sitting in a different classroom years ago.
Remembered not understanding why letters sometimes blurred together.
Remembered the frustration.
The embarrassment.
The way other kids learned faster.
Now the words on the board were crisp.
Each letter perfect.
Each thought in his head sharp and organized.
It felt like someone had cleaned a foggy window inside his mind.
Mrs. Donnelly clapped her hands lightly.
"Alright, class, let's settle down."
Chairs shifted. Voices lowered.
Alex straightened in his seat.
"Before we begin," she said, smiling, "we have a new student joining us today. Alex, would you like to stand and tell everyone a little about yourself?"
The room turned toward him.
Thirty faces.
Waiting.
A year ago, this moment would've frozen him.
Now—
He stood.
"My name's Alex. I just moved here with my family. I like reading... and building thanks. And I'm looking forward to being here." Simple honest.
Mrs. Donnelly beamed. "We're glad to have you."
A few kids nodded. The freckled boy gave him a quick thumbs up.
Alex sat back down slowly with a smile. Hopefully I find a few exceptional kids here for the game studio. Alex thought to himself whether it was possible find and bring kids around to help out here at school didn't really matter at the moment.
Since Zelda and long since hit the shelves and the first check was about to his parents bank account. It would be the right time to find a couple of individuals to join the studio to speed up game development.
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