Chapter 3

AN: Happy New Year guys!🎉🎆

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"My name is Leonardo Silver, what's yours, old lady?"

"Marylene Janet is my name, sweetheart."

"Well, thanks Ms. Janet, for the place and the shower." I thanked her from the bottom of my heart.

Although this may or may not be a bad idea, the time taken to get back on my feet had refuced drastically now that I had a roof over my head. I can now focus my mind on the other, more important stuff.

Ms. Janet smiled at that. "Don't mention it." And with that, she left, leaving me to my own devices.

[40 minutes later]

"So how did someone as young as you get into the sutuation you're in?" Ms. Janet asked as we stopped at a red light. "Oh, you don't have to tell me right now by the way, only when you're ready." She added hurriedly.

For the most part, this car journey has been a quiet one; I for one was too occupied with ironing out my plans for the future as I looked out the window, watching the invisible parkour man easily catching up with us.

Ms. Janet on the other hand, was just too kind to speak to me while I was in such deep thought. Well not that kind, since her curiosity around my circumstances was just too much for her to withstand.

I stopped mid-thought before looking languidly at her. I deliberated for a while, thinking of what to tell her.

If she is indeed some goverment spy or an agent for some secret organisation, what comes next out of my mouth has to sound plausible, mixed with some half-truths and lies, with a bit of make-believe here and there.

Her brain will fill in all the missing bits and pieces left. I might as well start crafting my backstory early. Decieve the people around you before decieving your enemy and all that.

"Nah it's fine, you're right. I'm going to live with you for a while, might as well build some trust in the meantime." The traffic lights turned green, and the surroundings slowly returned to its comfortable blur.

A small smile appeared on her face. "Where to begin? By my skin color you may have guessed that my parents weren't born in this country. They moved here, to 'The City of Dreams' as my dad used to call New York, from the Caribbean to start fresh again in '78.

And through hard work and dedication, they did achieve that dream. I was born 14 years later in '92 here in this city to the two most perfect people in the world, Gary and Mary Silver. Those are my parents names by the way.

They owned a small construction business they had built up from nothing with over 50 employees. They had a nice house, a car, and a son who they loved so dearly. A stable life with no pressure of survival. They were thriving.

All they ever wanted, really.

In a way, they could be called true americans, since they achieved what most americans sought but only a few achieved, the American Dream. That was until the financial crisis hit."

The tone of my voice lowered, and my hands unknowingly curled into fists, as if remembering the events of a hurtful past. Ms. Janet, sensing the change in my 'emotions', placed one hand on my curled fist, the other on the steering wheel.

"I'm sorry," she said, deep sadness could be heard in her voice.

'That surprised me! I didn't know my acting and story-telling skills were at that level.'

"Don't be. It's not like you were involved in those events." I replied, letting out a shaky breath.

"It turned out that, unknown to them, many of their larger clients were overextended and in serious debt. When the housing market crashed and the financial crisis began two years ago, those clients started going bankrupt one by one.

My parents tried to get paid what they were owed, but it was no use. Slowly but surely, all of their major projects dried up as most of their partner companies collapsed. They fought bravely to keep their business afloat through 2008, but the economic fallout was too much.

By the end of the year, with no new work coming in and debts piling up, they were forced to begin layoffs. It broke their hearts to let valued employees go after so many years together, especially Uncle Ian. His departure hurt me the most.

Still, they wanted to save the business if by all possible means. In a last ditch effort, my dad took out a large loan, gambling that the economy would turn around soon.

But the crisis only deepened. By early this year, with bills unpaid and bankruptcy looming, my mom fell into a deep depression.

She took her own life, unable to cope with the loss of her life's work.

My dad tried but it was too much. He drank heavily in his grief. Two months later after my mom's death, he died in a drunk driving accident, speeding away from his problems into a tree.

I lost everything and became an orphan, with the business and house seized by creditors. All was lost in that crash."

'And with that, my backstory in this world has been created. All I need to do is find someone skilled on the dark web to make it a reality.'

The rest of the car journey was spent in silence, with the pattering of rain on the car roof and of cars whizzing being only sounds being heard.

***

"We're here. This will be your new home for the foreseeable future." Ms. Janet said as she parked infront of what looked like a weathered brick apartment complex simewhere in East Harlem.

"It's not much, but it's safe. And you won't be alone."

She gestured towards the entrance, and we both entered the building. We climbed the creaky stairs, each step echoing on the worn wooden floorboards. At the landing of the third floor, Ms. Janet stopped before a sky-blue door, its paint a bit chipped but cheerful.

"Room 321," she announced, taking out a worn key out of her bag. "There are three other occupants in the apartment; orphans like yourself. They're good kids, quiet and studious. I know you'll get along just fine."

Half-faking a tired but happy smile, I thanked Ms. Janet yet again as she unlocked the door. Stepping inside, I found myself in a cozy living room, bathed in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun streaming through the window.

A plush brown L-shaped couch dominated the space and infront of it, a flat-screen television hung on the wall opposite the couch, framed on by a pair of bookshelves.

A black and grey rug anchored the seating area, its geometric pattern adding a touch of bohemian flair.

Two armchairs, both a deep emerald green, flanked the couch, positioned at angles that encouraged conversation. A glass-topped coffee table, resting on a chrome base, sat in the center.

Sunlight danced on the hardwood floors, glinting off the brass accents scattered throughout the room.

The air was filled with the inviting aroma of baked cookies, wafting from the open kitchen tucked away in the corner. I could see pots and pans gleaming on the stainless steel stovetop, and a half-eaten plate of cookies rested on the counter beside a cup of milk.

'Not bad, not bad at all.' I thought to myself, nodding approvingly.

"This is the living room area," Ms. Janet said, her voice laced with a hint of pride.

"The kitchen is over there, and there are three bedrooms down the hall. I try to keep things tidy, but one of the kids here is a child you see, and you know how children can be. Now, let's get you settled in."

Following Ms. Janet down the short hallway, she led me to one of the spare rooms she had.

"This will be your room. Get a feel for the place, I'll be in mine getting changed. If you need anything just ask." She said, leaving me to my thoughts.

I just dropped on the bed, back-first, letting a sigh of relief in the process.

'So far so good. It's only been a day and a half since I reincarnated and I already secured a place. Now with the hard part out of the way, time to get to work.'