January

Chapter 1

She was drunk, and probably, she still is.

But no matter how drunk she may be, Erine still has to get downstairs and eat her breakfast. Except, if standing in front of the whole class was a great idea then there is no bother worrying whether she moves like a sloth or not. The sound of it makes her want to sink in one of her rose-colored rugs. Why bother attending class late when you can just not show up? Better late than never, huh?

Finally deciding to just screw it, she figured that sleeping the entire day is the closest to having an acceptable plan. Then her mother walks in.

"Oh, Erine!"

From under the rugs, Erine began to furiously sweat after hearing that awfully familiar singing voice of her mother. Every stretch of letters in her name was anxiety-inducing, and it doesn't help that her mother's voice is too sweet and kind.

"Wake up!"

She had almost forgotten how it feels like, being woken up in the morning. An alarm in a soprano voice chanting "Wake up, wake up! Time to get up!" in a loop. And a mother who grabs you by the ankles and drags you out of your cocoon.

If she were still young, she would have shouted an irritated, "Mom!"

What could she possibly do? She knows very well that her mother would only keep this on until she'd be scared of going back to sleep. As the saying goes, "I could do this all day."

Being the only child, Erine's family isn't struggling with poverty, though she wouldn't also consider herself born with a silver spoon in her mouth. To be clear, they are those who falls under the middle-class category. 

Honestly, though, she was just spoiled because there wasn't anyone else to place their attention to.

Which is possibly one of the other reason why she grew up with a hopeless upbringing. Not that she could complain.

"Mom, you're staring again!" The omelet fell from her fork. "You do that every day."

Her mother shakes her head, her chin by her palms as she showed an ear to ear grin.

"I was just making sure that you remember this face every time you'll try to do something bad in school."

There were no complaints to be heard from the young Erine as she gobbles her food hurriedly. Back when Erine was still a lively child, she always flinches in fear each time her mother says the oddly calm and indirect warning.

It truly works though. If ever she tries to misbehave in class, a picture of her mother's terrifying smile always flashes through her head. It's as if she's grounded without even being grounded. Outright confusing, even she thinks so.

"Your dad already left."

Erine stops her spoon midway. There was a deafening silence that went through between them, the unbearable silence is making her uncomfortable. As much as possible, she didn't want to hear more of her father, not when she knew what he'll do.

Finishing her breakfast quickly, Erine ascended the stairs quietly. Upon arriving at her doorway, she stared at her room, the acceptance of the situation starts to dwell in her, slowly. Now that she concedes willfully, there were these mixed feelings.

First of all, restarting high school was very grueling and can even be a tormenting idea. Before this year ends, she could already predict herself ending up in a psychiatric ward.

No happy ending with Luke then.

Speaking of her future husband, there wasn't really anything to complain about. So, there would be no changing partners. Besides, they are definitely the endgame.

The only thing she would change though...

"What would I change?" Definitely not her children. Both of her children were precious to her. Why weren't they be when she has carried them inside her stomach for nine months.

This is what she's been most worried about. What if she couldn't have Embry and Eros?

No, that can't be possible. As long as she'll eventually end up with Luke then everything will fall into place.

Now that she received what she accidentally wished for, Erine doesn't know where to begin with her journey.

But...

Didn't she just suddenly traveled back without saying any wishes?

THE school was miles away from her house, though her mother could easily afford a driver, Erine insisted to take the train. And this may have been the first step of changing the past, riding a train on her way to school, without depending on their driver.

It took a lot of negotiating to her mother's side. All her energy was almost drained but she managed to convince. Though she ended the conversation with another yet very terrifying sweet smile, a warning from the jurist.

Setting the history aside, Erine has to focus on this experience. Although it may seem an unnecessary step for a future-changing operation, this is gonna be considered as one of her experiences that she didn't get to have in her past life.

It wasn't as bad as everyone in their school complains, she expected more people, as she had heard trains for being infamously crowded.

There were only a few people. Surely, her schoolmates must be exaggerating. She could ride the train all day and get to gaze at different attractions. In-car rides, she wouldn't get the chance to view scenery's the way he could right now.

Now, she's already enjoying her time travel.

Truthfully, she hadn't formulated any plans yet. This situation is embarrassingly similar to a knight heading on a battlefield unarmed. And she's definitely in the process of ruining her chance to make her life a rather less regretful story.

No more fairytale's, Erine has enough of that. It's time to get real.

"Have you thought of what you're going to write on your career plan?"

A voice of a high schooler caught her ear, although she wasn't interested in anyone else's business, Erine can't help but listen to them.

"I haven't, you know you could just write anything."

Erine nods her head, she would have done the same. Thinking back, even she has written something in her career plan essay. What is it again?

"Or you could just write that you want to get married."

She almost gagged when she finally recalled what she has written. The noise she made must have been louder than the two high school chatters, as passengers turned to stare at her. They had their judgemental face on. Probably thinking I sounded like a choking pig.

Since she has a mindset of a forty-year-old woman, she used her composed posture whenever she's placed in an awkward position, such as the current situation. When inside, she felt like dying as her career plan, written from her past self, replayed in her head.

"When I grow up, I want to marry, Luke Jeffrey Hildebrand." The audacity the past Erine used to say.

The more she wanted to pinch herself when she remembered that she proudly announced her dream in front of the class. 

She just decided that it's probably best to change her dream career for something decent.

"So, Miss Erine did list something?!"

Erine looks at her side unconsciously, she thought she have heard someone beside her. Although there wasn't obviously no one there to find, Erine feels she's been talking to someone. It's quite a funny feeling, almost as if she's already been in this situation, almost like a feeling of Deja vu. But then, she was in the past, it's proper to feel nostalgic.

"Get real...," Erine looks by the window as she mutters unconsciously. "It'll probably never going to happen..."

Unfortunately, the school was again happening. This is something she could have expected. Unless she instead wishes to go time travel back after her graduation.

How could she have been thoughtless of her decisions after begrudgingly finishing college? She was like walking with stones attached to her feet. Even now, her limbs seem heavier than usual as she stares at the entrance gate. On top of it was the name of the school, Wildwood Highschool, intricately etched with metals.

Each student was required to wear the assigned uniform, which is a  simple black blazer, white polo long-sleeved polo, partnered with a red plaid skirt and red plaid neckties, however, not all students abide by this simple rule. The first thing you would see was students, who even bothered to attend school, either missing a piece of their uniform or having extra unnecessary accessories. Even she went through it, the fashion statement phenomenon.

"Young lady."

Anyways, once he steps inside, her first priority is going to be avoiding Luke. It may seem like an exaggerated response, and it probably is not a solution to her problems, still, not seeing the handsome face of his future husband will most likely buy her some time to think of a way to stall the upcoming marriage.

"Young lady," Erine stopped on her tracks, not that she intended to, she was rather pulled back by an undeniable force, right by her collar. "Stop, just stop. You've been ignoring me."

When Erine turned her head, a middle-aged man, dressed as the school's security guard was grabbing her clothes.

"Oh, if it isn't for our famous Miss Piggy Pinky, breaking the rule first thing in the morning." The guard, whom Erine recognized, but sadly had forgotten the name, was grinning from ear to ear.

Of course, Erine didn't want to appear acting weird. "What did I break?"

The guard pointed at something using his mouth. When she followed where he was referring to, particularly to her chest part, the first thing that came to her mind was that the guard was being a p*****t.

Despite that, she didn't just carelessly run her mouth because she knew that he wasn't anything like that. And when she finally realized what she has been missing, her hands flew through her mouth.

How could she forget a student's basic necessity, Identification Card?

Erine wants to shake her rotten head. Nevertheless, she has forgiven herself, since she's understandably has a forty-year-old mentality. It's only natural that she became forgetful.

"I-I forgot." She admitted.

His eyebrows raised, "Oh, then you are not going to get in if you-- Hey!"

The guard must have been surprised when she turned around without any hesitation.

Nevermind, I don't want to get in anyway...

Now, Erine will have to think of an alibi once she gets home. Come to think of it, she's always been a scattered-brain, even at a young age. It was uncalled for, blaming her own age--

"You forgot to bring your ID, huh?" 

The hand that was playing some strands of her hair froze as she saw another vogue image, flashing in rapidly before a second could pass.

"How could you forget it for three days in a row?"

"What?!"

It almost as if it never happened as those strange illusions vanished from her consciousness, a hand was now holding her by her shoulders. Wanting to know who was it, her chin lifts up only to have her head pushed back down.

And before she could protest, the stranger had already inserted something from around her head, it slid down until it reached her neck. When she looks down, her eyes followed a trail of ID laces, down to an attached card hanging by a hook.

Now, her ID case was solved but there was a problem...

"Wait, this isn't--"

Sooner than she could ever finish her sentence, two hands had already pushed her gently to the direction of the front gate. She hadn't gotten over her shock when the bell already rang, indicating that the first class is about to start after ten minutes.

A guard different from earlier allowed her to pass the gate along with other panicking students.

When she takes a look behind her to see who the stranger was, she thought she saw another person, standing among the students who were stopped by the guard for having no ID.

Then she blinks a few times, turns out it was just Luke.