The morning sun poured through the kitchen window as Thomas sat at the table with his family. The smell of eggs and toast filled the air, mixing with the sounds of clinking plates and cheerful chatter. It had been years since he'd experienced something like this—his father's deep laugh, his mother scolding the younger kids for eating too quickly, and their dog barking at birds outside. Thomas soaked it all in, marveling at how alive his family seemed.
Still, there was something that felt slightly…off. The wallpaper wasn't the floral pattern he remembered—it was striped. His brother David, who had been a bit of a troublemaker, now talked about joining the debate team. And his youngest sister, Emma, kept humming a tune Thomas didn't recognize. These little differences gnawed at him, but he pushed the feeling aside.
His thoughts were interrupted when his mother placed a cup of coffee in front of him. "You're quiet this morning, Thomas. Is everything okay?" she asked, her voice warm and familiar.
"Yes, Mom," he said with a small smile. "I've just been thinking a lot about my future."
His father, a serious man with a salt-and-pepper beard, raised an eyebrow. "Your future?"
Thomas took a deep breath. This was it. "I've decided I want to go to university," he said, the words feeling strange but right as they left his mouth.
The room went silent. His siblings stopped eating, their eyes wide with surprise. His mother looked at him, her expression softening, while his father leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.
"University?" his father said, his tone cautious. "You're serious about this?"
"Yes," Thomas said firmly. "I know I turned down the scholarship back in high school and said I didn't need it. But I was wrong, Dad. I see that now. I want to make something of myself, and going to university is the first step."
His mother's eyes filled with emotion. "Oh, Thomas," she said, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. "That's wonderful news."
His father, though, wasn't as quick to celebrate. "You're saying this now, but how do I know you won't change your mind again? University's not a joke, Thomas. It's a real commitment."
"I understand, Dad," Thomas replied, meeting his father's gaze. "I know I've made mistakes, and I know I've let you down before. But I'm not the same person I was then. I'm ready to work hard and prove it to you."
For a long moment, his father studied him. Then he gave a slow nod. "All right. If you're serious, I'll support you. But don't expect me to go easy on you."
Relief washed over Thomas, and his mother beamed with pride. His siblings started asking questions—what would he study, where would he go, when would he apply? For the first time in years, Thomas felt a deep sense of connection with his family.
Later that day, Thomas walked through the neighborhood, thinking about everything that had happened. He passed by old landmarks—a convenience store, a playground, the corner where he'd had his first kiss. But things weren't quite the same. The store had a new owner. The swings at the playground were painted a different color. Even the streetlamp on the corner, which had always flickered, now shone steadily.
It wasn't just the places that felt different. The people did, too. At the park, he bumped into Mark, an old high school friend. Mark seemed more confident than Thomas remembered. They chatted, and Mark mentioned wanting to start his own business—a dream he had never talked about in the original timeline.
That's when it hit Thomas: his return was changing things. Every conversation, every choice he made, was creating ripples in the lives of others. It was both exciting and terrifying.
That evening, Thomas sat in his room with a notebook, jotting down everything he remembered about the major events of the future. He needed a plan—a way to move forward without causing too much disruption. But even as he wrote, he knew he couldn't control everything. His presence here was already reshaping the timeline, whether he wanted it to or not.
The thought weighed on him, but it also filled him with hope. This was his second chance—not just to fix his own mistakes, but maybe to help the people he cared about too.
As Thomas closed the notebook and looked out the window, he whispered to himself, "I'll be careful. But I won't waste this chance."
The world felt different, yet full of possibility. And Thomas was ready to take the first steps toward shaping it.