1 Chapter 1 : Joel and Sarah

Suburban Austin, Texas, USA.

The early morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow into the dimly lit room. On the spacious bed, a 13-year-old boy slept soundly, the sunlight outside the window causing him to stir uncomfortably. His eyes fluttered, and instinctively, he turned away from the brightness.

"Ding--!"

The boy's movement coincided with the harsh ringing of the cat-faced alarm clock on the bedside table, jolting him awake.

Furrowing his brow, the young lad reached out from beneath the covers, silencing the alarm with ease, before slowly opening his bleary eyes.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sat up in bed, stretching his limbs with a groan that sounded almost like constipation.

Glancing at the alarm clock, which read 7:00, the boy sighed, reluctantly throwing off the covers. He slipped on his slippers, shuffled into the bathroom, and began his morning routine.

Grabbing the cup and toothbrush from the sink, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. A small smile tugged at his lips as he remarked to himself with a hint of pride, "Who knew time travel had its perks?"

Indeed, the boy, named Brian, had accidentally traveled through time, landing in this world almost a month ago. Despite the initial confusion and unease, he had gradually adapted to his new reality, finding it similar yet different from his original world.

Here, he was Brian, raised by overseas parents who were often away due to work. With only a nanny for company, Brian found solace in the absence of familial pressures that had plagued him in his previous life.

After freshening up, Brian exchanged his pajamas for a school uniform, tidied up briefly, and left his room.

In the first-floor hall, a middle-aged woman, Josie, was busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Upon hearing footsteps, she glanced back and greeted Brian with a warm smile.

"You're up early today."

Returning the greeting, Brian nodded and greeted Josie, "Good morning, Josie."

"Go ahead and have a seat at the dining table; breakfast will be ready soon."

After passing through the living room, Brian settled into a chair at the dining table, picking up the newspaper to skim through its contents. Though he had a mobile phone, he found reading the newspaper a refreshing change. However, the headlines furrowed his brow.

"The region sees a surge in hospital admissions due to mysterious infections, up by 300%."

"FDA anticipates multiple recalls following the discovery of contaminated crops."

"A woman goes on a rampage, resulting in the deaths of her husband and three others."

Since his arrival, Brian had noticed a daily increase in peculiar infections and violent incidents, prompting suspicions about his impact on this world.

"You need to finish your breakfast."

As Brian perused the newspaper, Josie placed a hearty breakfast in front of him—eggs, donuts, hash browns, and milk. Despite the variety, Brian couldn't help but long for the simpler meals of his past life.

After a few hasty exchanges, Brian seized the opportunity to grab his school bag and hastily made his exit, ignoring Josie's calls behind him.

"Hey, Brian."

Just as he turned around and closed the door, Brian heard a familiar voice. He turned to see his neighbor, Sarah, approaching him.

"Good morning."

Looking at Sarah in front of him, Brian also said hello personally, and then he saw a middle-aged man with a character and a beard standing not far behind the girl. He was staring at him with an unkind expression.

The middle-aged man's name is Joel, and he is Sarah's father. He seems to be working in construction. Brian has never met his wife, but it seems that she divorced him or she has passed away.

Brian looked into the other person's eyes, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, but he still said hello to the other person very calmly.

"Good morning, Joel."

On the other side, Joel stared at him for a long time. Brian felt a little uncomfortable looking at him, and then he nodded slightly to express his gratitude. Then he picked up his cell phone and started making a call, even though they were a little far apart, he still listened to what the other party said about contractors and the like.

"Hmm~" Sarah, who was standing aside, clearly witnessed the whole thing. She covered her mouth and smiled softly. She patted Brian on the shoulder. When the other party turned to look at him, he said teasingly:

"My dad doesn't seem to like you very much."

"hehe."

Brian and Sarah attend a school that has a dedicated shuttle bus. Because they live in the suburbs of the city and near a highway intersection, students here are designated for safety reasons. Wait at the location, and you will get on the bus directly when the vehicle arrives.

If your parents do not arrive at the designated time, sorry, you will have to drive or take the bus to send your children to school in person.

"Good morning, Jimmy."

"Good morning, Cooper."

"..."

On the road that the two of them must pass every day, Sarah seemed particularly happy today, waving her arms constantly and saying hello to people she knew passing by.

"Hey, Brian."

When there was no one else around, Sarah turned her head and said to Brian next to her:

"I plan to sneak out of school and go to the mall today. Do you want to come?"

Brian raised his eyebrows with a somewhat surprised expression. After getting along with her for a month, he knew that Sarah was a very well-behaved girl, and he never thought that Sarah would have such a rebellious side.

"If you dare to do this, Teacher Judy will definitely be mad."

"Hmph, as long as she doesn't find out, it'll be fine."

Sarah was obviously well prepared for today's action of skipping class. She took out a piece of paper stacked with squares from her pocket and handed it to Brian.

"This is what I saw from Teacher Judy's desk last time. You'll know just by looking at this."

After taking the paper handed over by Sarah, Brian spread it out and looked at it. He immediately understood the other party's confidence. The content above was as follows:

XX school notice:

Our school will hold a XXX meeting at 1:00 pm on September 6, 2013, in the school public meeting room. All teachers at our school are requested to arrive on time. Notice is hereby given.

"You have been prepared for this."

Shaking the notice in his hand, Brian was very surprised and then asked curiously:

"What are you doing, skipping class and going to the mall?"

"Today is my dad's birthday, and I plan to buy him a gift."

"Okay, when will we leave?"

"I'll let you know."

.....

Entering the school bus, Brian found a seat at random and sat down, admiring the beautiful scenery outside the window. This was the scenery that he could not see in the city where he lived before. Compared with the cold steel, cement, and concrete, it was actually more beautiful. I like the green and vibrant scene in front of me.

The school bus drove slowly for half an hour. Brian and Sarah arrived at the school. The teachers were already waiting at the school gate. After the bus door opened, they led the students of their class back to the classroom.

The education method here is completely different from what Brian has faced before. It is very happy and basically without the supervision of teachers.

He could feel that teachers in schools paid more attention to student's imagination and creativity, and some were on the high-end education route, while his previous education focused on learning cognitive abilities, and some were on the basic education route. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it's hard to say whose method is better.

After spending another morning happily like this, Brian came to the cafeteria and looked at the burgers and sandwiches in the window with a very helpless expression. He could feel his stomach protesting, but skipping lunch would be harmful to the body. No, I have no choice but to go back and turn on a small stove at night.

After lunch, Brian had just walked out of the cafeteria and saw someone posting the latest announcement on the notice board at the entrance of the restaurant.

With nothing to do, he stepped forward out of curiosity. After the person who posted the notice left, he stepped forward to watch.

It turns out that due to the recent outbreak of infectious diseases that have become more serious, Austin is about to enter a state of martial law. The school has issued a notice that starting in October, the school will be closed indefinitely, and students are asked to return. Inform your parents at home and call XXXXXX if you have any concerns.

"Is it this serious?"

Thinking of an epidemic in his previous life, Brian decided to buy some masks to prepare. But just as he was about to turn around and leave, a large group of students crowded behind him. They all looked at the announcement excitedly. Some even He even clapped his hands excitedly.

After finally squeezing out of the crowd and just about to return to the classroom, he suddenly felt something behind him poking his waist. He paused slightly and turned around to find that it was Sarah standing behind him.

Seeing him turn around, Sarah blinked her eyes, made a shushing gesture, pointed to a corner of the canteen, touched her lips, and said silently:

"action!"