The day proceeded with the usual rhythm of elementary school language arts followed by mathematics, then social studies before lunch. Throughout the morning, Lysander found his attention occasionally drifting to Gabrielle, who sat in the far corner of the classroom. She participated only when directly called upon, her answers intelligent but brief, as if speaking each word cost her something valuable.
In his first life, had he ever noticed her ever? Had he ever considered the quiet struggles of classmates who existed on the social margins? The realization that he likely hadn't only reinforced his determination to live this second chance with greater awareness and empathy.
When the lunch bell rang, students rushed toward the cafeteria with predictable enthusiasm. Lysander gathered his things more slowly, noticing that Gabrielle remained at her desk, removing a brown paper bag from her backpack.
"Aren't you going to the cafeteria?" he asked before he could overthink the interaction.
She looked up, surprise evident in her expression likely at being directly addressed. "I eat here," she replied softly. "It's quieter."
The implication was clear the chaotic social landscape of the cafeteria was territory too hazardous to navigate for someone already targeted by peers.
Lysander hesitated. He had planned to meet Marco in the cafeteria as usual, but something about Gabrielle's solitude tugged at him. "Mind if I join you?"
Her eyes widened slightly, a flicker of suspicion crossing her features before she gave a small shrug. "If you want."
"I'll be right back," he said, then headed to the cafeteria to quickly collect his lunch tray and explain the change of plans to Marco.
His friend was predictably confused. "You're eating in the classroom? With Gabrielle?" Marco's expression suggested Lysander had announced plans to have lunch on the moon.
"Yeah, just today," Lysander replied casually.
Marco looked past him toward the lunch line where the boys from the bus were gathering. "Watch out for David and his friends ok. They've been picking on her since third grade, and they don't like anyone getting in their way."
Lysander nodded, filing away the name. "Noted. Save me a seat tomorrow ok?"
When he returned to the classroom, Gabrielle was carefully unwrapping a sandwich, her movements precise and deliberate. Ms. Gonzalez had stepped out, leaving them alone in the unusually quiet space.
"You didn't have to come back you know," Gabrielle said as he set his tray on the desk beside hers. "I'm used to being by myself don't feel sorry."
"im not, sometimes company is nice," Lysander replied, opening his milk carton. Then, aiming for casual conversation: "That was a pretty thick book you were reading on the bus. Can I ask what is it?"
The question seemed to catch her off guard, as if she wasn't accustomed to having her interests taken seriously. "It's... um, a novel about a girl who discovers she can travel through time by reading certain books."
The irony of her reading choice wasn't lost on Lysander. "That sounds interesting. Is it good?"
"I like it," she said, her voice gaining the slightest bit of animation. "The main character goes back to historical events and finds out they're different from what history books say."
"Alternative history," Lysander remarked. "I've always found that concept fascinating."
Gabrielle studied him with newfound curiosity. "Most kids our age don't know what 'alternative history' means."
Lysander realized his slip another instance where his adult knowledge had leaked into his child's conversation. "My dad talks about stuff like that sometimes," he countered quickly. "He reads a lot of historical fiction."
She seemed to accept this explanation nodding, taking a small bite of her sandwich before asking, "But why did you help me on the bus?"
The directness of the question caught Lysander off guard he thought she would at least be shy to ask this. "They were being jerks," he said simply. "No one deserves to be treated like that no one."
"People usually just ignore it tho," she observed. "Or pretend they don't see me."
"Maybe they should stop pretending." he said casually.
A ghost of a smile touched her lips before vanishing again hinting she had liked his response. "They'll probably just give you trouble now too."
"I can handle it," Lysander assured her, surprised to find he meant it. The petty torments of schoolyard bullies seemed remarkably insignificant after navigating the cutthroat world of high finance and corporate politics. And him experiencing adult life already this was nothing for him.
They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Gabrielle spoke again. "You've been different lately."
"Different how?"
She shrugged, focusing intently on refolding the wax paper from her sandwich. "I don't know. You used to be louder. More like the other boys. Now you're..." she paused, searching for the right word, "...more here."
The observation was startlingly perceptive, especially from someone he hadn't realized had been watching him at all. "I guess I'm just seeing things differently these days," he replied carefully.
"Because of what happened at the field trip?" she asked. "When you got lost in the museum?"
Lysander nearly choked on his apple juice. "You remember that?"
She nodded. "You were gone for almost an hour. When they found you, you looked really weird, like you'd seen a ghost or something. After that is when you started being different."
The field trip to the natural history museum that must have been when the stranger had approached him with the pocket watch in this timeline. And as soon as he woke up the very next day the disorientation of his consciousness transfer had affected him, he hadn't considered that others might have noticed a change in his behavior. Until Gabrielle told him the very exact moment this had happened. He had ultimately forgotten about that museum trip the day before. He couldn't even remember being lost at that time. But he maintained his cool and just responded normally as he can be. Noting that he may need to look into this more.
"I guess maybe that did change my perspective a bit," he acknowledged, impressed by her observation skills especially she was a child.
The lunch period ended too quickly, and as students began filtering back into the classroom, Gabrielle quickly packed away her lunch remnants, her posture shifting back into its protective hunch.
"Thanks," she said quietly, almost too low to hear. "For sitting with me."
"Anytime," Lysander replied, and found that he meant it.
The afternoon passed in a blur of lessons and activities, but Lysander found his thoughts repeatedly drifting to Gabrielle. In his carefully constructed plans for this second life, he had focused primarily on family relationships and financial endeavors. The possibility of new friendships connections that had never existed in his first timeline hadn't really factored into his considerations.
Yet wasn't that precisely what made this second chance so valuable? The opportunity to discover people and possibilities he had missed the first time around?
When the final bell rang, Lysander packed his backpack with deliberate slowness, watching as Gabrielle did the same. As they filed out with the other students, he fell into step beside her.
"Which way do you walk home?" he asked.
She pointed vaguely eastward. "Maple Street."
"I'm heading that direction too," he said, which wasn't entirely untrue it would just mean a slightly longer route home. "Mind if I walk with you?"
The flicker of surprise crossed her features again, but she nodded, and they set off together, navigating through the throng of students rushing toward buses and waiting parents.
They had just cleared the school grounds when a voice called out behind them. "Hey, Everett!"
Lysander turned to see David and two of his friends approaching, their expressions suggesting this wasn't a friendly encounter.
"You made us look bad on the bus," David said, stepping uncomfortably close.
"You did that yourself," Lysander replied calmly, noting the way Gabrielle had tensed beside him.
David's face flushed with anger. "You think you're so smart now? What happened to you? You used to be normal."
The question struck Lysander as darkly amusing. If only they knew just how abnormal his situation truly was. "Maybe I just grew up a little," he suggested.
"Whatever," David scoffed. "Just stay out of our business. The freak isn't worth defending anyway."
Lysander felt a surge of adult anger that seemed almost comically disproportionate in his child's body. "Her name is Gabrielle," he said evenly, "and if I see you bothering her again, I'll make it my business."
For a tense moment, the three boys seemed to be calculating whether to escalate the confrontation. Lysander maintained steady eye contact with David not even feeling afraid at the typical school bully, channeling his boardroom confidence that had once made executives twice his age back down.
"Come on," one of David's friends finally muttered, tugging at his sleeve. "Coach will be mad if we're late for practice."
With a final glare that attempted to save face, David turned away. "This isn't over," he called back, the cliché sounding threat particularly hollow coming from an eleven-year-old.
When they were out of earshot, Gabrielle spoke quietly beside him. "You shouldn't have done that. They'll just make things worse now."
"Maybe," Lysander acknowledged, "or maybe they'll find easier targets if they realize you're not alone anymore." He smiled at her. "Besides, I meant what I said."
They walked in silence for a block before she spoke again. "No one's ever stood up for me like that before."
The simple statement carried a weight of loneliness that resonated with Lysander more than she could know. In his first life, hadn't he too been essentially alone, despite being surrounded by people? Wealth and power had insulated him from overt bullying but had created a different kind of isolation—one where genuine connection was rare and precious.
"Well," he said gently, "things change."
As they continued walking, their conversation gradually shifted to safer topics—books they had read, Ms. Gonzalez's tendency to assign too much homework, the upcoming science fair. By the time they reached Gabrielle's house a modest bungalow with neatly tended flower beds her posture had relaxed slightly, and she had even laughed once at Lysander's impression of their overly enthusiastic music teacher.
"This is me," she said, pausing at the gate. "Thanks for walking with me."
"See you tomorrow?" Lysander asked.
She nodded, a cautious smile forming. "Tomorrow."
As Lysander turned toward home, he reflected on the unexpected developments of the day. In his meticulously crafted plans for this second life, he had focused on avoiding past mistakes and seizing missed opportunities. But perhaps the most valuable aspect of this extraordinary chance wasn't the ability to correct known errors, but to discover paths that had never been visible to him before.
The butterfly effect was indeed in motion, creating ripples he couldn't have anticipated. And for the first time since waking in his child's body, Lysander found himself truly excited about the unknown possibilities stretching before him—a future not just rewritten, but entirely new.