"Children of nowadays, ehh… small girl like that don get boyfriend," people whispered, judgment leaking from every word.
The canteen sat just outside the school compound, surrounded by shops and small restaurants — meaning there were adults everywhere. And when Julie yelled at Miracle… everyone heard.
Julie stood frozen, disbelief swallowing her whole — stunned that a single moment could turn into something so devastating.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the sand as tears streamed down her cheeks. "No… it can't be… I didn't mean to…" she sobbed, her voice shaking, fragile.
"Julie… Julie!" Gift grabbed her hand urgently. "Let's go back inside — break time is almost over." She gently pulled her away, leading her back toward the school building.
After school, they all went home — but that night was anything but peaceful for Kevin and Julie.
The two dreamers had now experienced firsthand what it meant to change fate… and the consequences were terrifying.
They lay separately in their beds, staring blankly at their ceilings. Disbelief. Regret. Fear of the unknown. Etched into their hearts — unforgettable and inescapable.
Though hundreds of kilometers apart in different corners of Nigeria, as their consciousness slowly slipped toward sleep… the same thought crossed both their minds:
Can I really change the future?
---
Morning came.
Sunlight spilled warmly across the compound. Children ran around, giggling and chasing each other — it was Saturday, a free day without school or homework.
But not for Kevin.
He sat on a bench in the corridor, panting heavily as sweat drenched his clothes. Instead of playing like any normal kid after morning chores, he chose to exercise.
"I guess… that's a wrap for today," he said between breaths.
This was a second chance to fix everything — and he was determined to become the perfect man for his beloved Julie, even though he still wasn't sure she truly existed. Step one was training — building the ideal body — for her.
(This is the first step to achieving my goals. Next is finances — I need a way to gain wealth quickly and efficiently.)
He stared up at the white ceiling. The house was a storey building, completely painted white — which was why the entire area knew it as The White House.
It still felt unreal that he was here again — reliving childhood… or should he call it a future he had somehow witnessed in a dream?
(Ugh… this whole thing is messing with my mind…)
He clutched his head, desperately trying to make sense of his new reality.
"Come to think of it… yesterday, Nazy, she—" he paused, remembering the humiliation he got from his supposed future best friend.
Is her child self supposed to hate me… or did I approach too early? Should I apologize?
He shook his head immediately. "Nah! That'll only make it worse."
"Ugh… I screwed up big time, I should have just let things happen natur—"
But he didn't get to finish.
Flashes of strange scenes exploded through his mind.
"What is thi— Arrgh!" he screamed.
Pain surged from everywhere and nowhere. His eyes bulged as if ripping from their sockets.
He gasped for air as the visions forced themselves into his mind — wild, uncontrollable.
"Nazy…" he muttered weakly as the pain faded little by little. "Why… what happened… to yo—"
He collapsed before he could finish, hitting the ground hard — his mind overwhelmed beyond its limit.
---
Back in Ibadan — Julie's house
Saturday afternoons were usually Julie's favorite — a peaceful break from school, teachers, and morning chaos. She had swept the house, rinsed plates, and helped her mother with laundry. Now she finally had time to breathe.
She sat outside on the front step of their house, chin resting on her knees, watching the compound lazily.
Children ran barefoot across the dusty yard — kicking a plastic ball, laughing, shouting… the usual weekend noise.
But Julie wasn't really watching.
Her mind replayed yesterday again and again.
Why did I shout?
Why did I act like I was her mother?
I only wanted to protect her…
Her chest tightened. Miracle's wounded eyes haunted her. That last sentence — "Stay away from me."
It echoed in her mind like a bruise that refused to fade.
Julie shut her eyes, fighting rising tears.
Suddenly, a shout pulled her attention to the children.
"Give me the ball!" "Taa! Who made you captain?" "Touch me again and I'll beat you!"
A small argument — the kind that usually dies within seconds.
Julie wasn't interested… until something impossible happened.
A shock went through her.
The irritation of one child — sharp and defensive — pierced her chest like it belonged to her. The embarrassment of another — hot and burning — flushed across her cheeks. Someone else felt overlooked, invisible… loneliness so real it almost made her choke.
None of those emotions were hers — but she felt them anyway.
Her back straightened. Her fingers clenched her skirt. Her heartbeat raced.
"What… is happening…" she whispered.
She tried to look away, breathe slowly… but the emotions only got louder.
The lone girl felt tired of always being ignored.
One boy hated losing because losing meant getting mocked at home.
Another wasn't angry — he was hurt because someone had broken the only toy his brother left before traveling.
And the smallest boy was terrified — he was always terrified — of being hit again.
The emotions layered on each other, overwhelming, deafening.
Julie covered her ears — even though the noise was inside her, not outside.
"Please… stop…" she trembled. "These aren't my feelings…"
Then — as quickly as it started — the fight dissolved.
One boy angrily kicked the ball away.
Another grumbled and walked off.
The girl wiped her eyes before anyone noticed.
The rest scattered.
Peace returned to the compound.
But Julie remained still.
Breathing hard. Eyes wide. Heart pounding.
Something heavy lingered in her chest — like she had opened a door she was never meant to open.
She didn't understand it — not yet — but she knew one thing:
What she felt wasn't normal.
It wasn't imagination.
It was real.
— To Be Continued