"Happy birthday to you~~"
"Happy birthday to you~"
"Happy birthday, dear Will~"
"Happy... birthday... to... you..."
"Happy 3rd birthday, Will!"
I smiled as we finished singing HappyBirthday to my cousin, but despite the festive atmosphere, I'm not that fond of parties.
'Sigh, I need some space.' I thought as I glanced up at the woman holding my hand.
My new mother.
"Mommy, can you please let me go? I want to play," I said, trying to sound as sweet and innocent as possible while pouting.
My mother glanced down at me as her lips bore a little conforting smile. "Sure, sweetie, just be careful, Don't go with strangers."
I nodded and gave her a big smile "Yes mom! I promise."
Satisfied with my answer she let go of my tiny hand, and I dashed through the crowd of guests and out into the backyard. There, I made my way to the hideout my cousin and I had created—or rather, the one I had made when my parents left me here to take care of their works and errands.
I entered the hideout and plopped down onto one of the bean bags. With a lazy sigh, I stretched out and settled into a comfortable position. I closed my eyes and let my thoughts drift to the peculiar circumstances of my new life.
Can you believe it? Reincarnation is a real thing!
All I wanted after my death was to reunite with the heavenly library, but it seemed that this God had other plans for me. Although I never directly met this God, it was clear that they were one of those deities who decided to add an anomaly to see how the world would react.
Would this world harm the anomaly, or would it let them be?
Well, at least I got lucky being born into a family that enjoys reading. With that advantage, I can ask for books and consume knowledge like never before.
In my previous life, I worked tirelessly just to scrape together enough money for my siblings. All I wanted was to be a librarian, not a fast-food worker. But did that happen? No. Instead, I found myself overworking because two of my siblings got cancer. My health deteriorated from overworking, and eventually, I ended up six feet under, never having had a chance to visit a library.
But this time, things will be different. In this life, I have a loving family, a mountain of books to read, and no siblings to worry about. To top it off, it seems like this world is incredibly advance in gene modification. Almost a week ago some researchers created a lifeform.
According to my dad.
I've come up with a couple of theories.
Either this world will face an incurable virus, but that seems unlikely, or this world is normal because I'm just overthinking things. Yeah, that has to be it.
As I let my thoughts drift me off to sleep, the background noise coming from the house was comforting.
[-----------------------------------]
When I awoke, I found myself back in my bedroom, which meant my parents had taken me home. I sighed, sitting up and listening to my mother's cooking downstairs. I looked at the photos of us three on the bedside table. They brought a smile to my face, and thoughts of my new family filled my mind.
You know, my past life didn't have a tragic orphan backstory. Family life was somewhat normal. I had a supportive father who gradually became stricter, not due to conflicts, but because I was the eldest. My affectionate yet overbearing mother constantly nagged me about getting married and having children.
So, I can say that my previous existence was decent. I wasn't particularly longing for a family when I was reborn, but the Sanchez family was a warm and welcome change.
Lillia Sanchez, my new mother, is both loving and strict, much like my previous mother but with less intensity. As for my new father, Richard Sanchez, he spends most of his time out in the fields working with plants. He mentioned in a call that he had secured permission to be home today, so he should be downstairs.
I glanced at the wall clock. It was almost seven in the morning.
'Sigh, I should probably head downstairs before my mother comes up here to drag me out.'
I reluctantly got up and made my way downstairs. As I approached the kitchen, the rich aroma of breakfast wafted through the air. I saw my mother bustling about, preparing plates of food—one for me, one for her, and one for my father. My father with a visible frown was reading a newspaper about a facility that had been shut down or something.
"Oh! Jess, I was just about to call you. Let's eat," my mother said, her face lighting up with a smile. She seemed genuinely pleased to see me come down on my own.
I greeted them both with a "Good morning" and took my seat at the table.
My father, who was seated next to my mother, gave me a hug and a kiss on my forehead before heading upstairs to sleep. After filling our stomachs, my mother began her daily chores around the house. I noticed she seemed a bit heavier lately and was frequently holding her stomach. I recognized those signs but couldn't quite place them.
Seeing her struggle to bend dover I decided to help her, before head to the mini library my father had recently set up under the stairs.
Today, I planned to read a book about hotwiring cars and another one that held a special memory for me is the first book my parents ever bought me, *The Velveteen Rabbit*.
I settled into my reading nook, eager to dive into the world of books and knowledge once again.
Hours passed as a knock at the door disrupted my reading.
"Yes?" I said.
"It's lunch time, honey." Said my mother, her voice ever so sweet.
"Yes, mother." I replied as I packed up my books and went out of my library and went to the kitchen there. I saw my mother preparing for lunch.
"Let me help you." I said and started helping, not giving her a chance to say no.
"Thank you, Jess." She said as she smiled.
My father went down a few minutes later after we had prepared the plate and utensils.
[----------------------------------------]
Humming happily while skipping steps outside of our home as I went to the nearest playground around our block and started 'playing' as some adults say, but the truth is that I'm exercising.
'Hmm, occupied. ' I thought as I saw the playground that is normally empty of kids at a time like this is now full of them.
Climbing, hanging from the monkey bars, is what I did. Then we played tag and almost no one can catch except the older kids. After that I did some pull-ups, which I manage manage to do.
The sun begins to set as my body and clothes is littered with sand, sweat, and dirt.
I headed back home.
[-----------------------------------------]
As I walked down the sidewalk, the sun slowly sinking behind some houses, painting the sky orange. My shirt stuck to my back from sweat, and there was sand in my socks. My arms and legs were sore, but I didn't really mind. I felt good. Tired, but good.
I saw two kids riding bikes on the other side of the road. One of them almost crashed into a mailbox and started laughing like crazy. The other one just shook their head and kept pedaling. I watched them for a second, then looked away. I never got to do stuff like that in my old life.
A man sat on a plastic chair outside his house, shirt off, beer in hand. His belly stuck out and he looked half-asleep. His dog barked once at me, then laid back down. The man didn't even look at me. Just stared into space like nothing mattered anymore.
Up ahead, I saw a woman standing in her driveway, talking on her phone. She kept looking behind her like she was scared someone would find out. Then she laughed softly and whispered something, smiling. Her husband was a few feet away, fixing their car. He looked tired, wiping his face with a dirty rag.
She didn't look at him once.
I looked away.
Across the street, a teenager sat on the steps of a rundown house. He had earphones in and was smoking something. He looked at me, nodded, then looked away again. I didn't nod back. He looked older than he was supposed to be. Tired eyes, blank face. Probably an emo.
Farther down, I heard a baby crying from an open window. A woman's voice yelled something. Then a loud thump. Then silence.
Not my problem.
I kept walking.
Everything looked normal.
Well, it wasn't.
People smile, laugh, wave. But something's always off. Like everyone's hiding behind a mask.
Even kids.
Even me.
I turned the corner and saw our house. The porch light flicked on. My stomach growled. I could already smell dinner.
I stepped up the porch, opened the door, and went inside.
It was warm.
It was home.
Then I heard it—music, soft and old, coming from the living room. Not the kind of music people blast at parties. Just something calm. Something sweet.
I peeked around the corner and saw them.
My parents.
They were dancing.
My father had one hand around my mom's waist, the other holding her hand. My mom rested her head on his shoulder, smiling with her eyes closed. They moved slowly, gently, following the rhythm of the music like they had done this a hundred times before.
I stood there, quiet.
Watching.
For a moment, everything felt still.
No loud cars.
No crying kids.
No fake smiles.
Just them.
Just peace.
And I realized something.
Life… might not be perfect.
But right now?
I'll take it.