My Second Chance In Life In Another World

CHAPTER 10: KEEPING UNKNOWN

A year has passed since Chris’s birthday, and now, I’m nine years old. Time seems to stretch endlessly, especially when you're waiting for something important.

Just recently, we received a letter from Father. My heart leaped with excitement when I saw his handwriting, but that excitement quickly faded as I read the contents. He won’t be able to return home just yet. There’s some urgent business in the capital that could keep him away for another three to four months.

As I reread the letter, trying to draw some comfort from his words, a heavy sense of disappointment settled over me. This delay also meant that my magic lessons would be put on hold for much longer.

Father is the only one who can guide me properly, especially now that I’ve learned the basics and am ready to move on to more advanced techniques. But I quickly pushed those feelings aside, remembering that Aunt Lyshia and Chris were supposed to visit today. I decided to focus on their visit instead and not let the news ruin my day.

Morning turned into afternoon, and then lunch came and went. But there was still no sign of them. I tried to busy myself with various activities, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Chris and Aunt Lyshia. Why hadn’t they shown up? They were never this late. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Maybe something came up, and they're just busy. I'm sure they’ll visit tomorrow," my mother said, trying to reassure me as she noticed my anxious pacing.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," I replied, though the knot in my stomach told me otherwise.

The next day came, but there was still no sign of them. As the hours dragged on, my worry deepened. By now, I was certain something wasn’t right.

My mother and I decided that we would visit them ourselves the following day. Perhaps seeing them in person would ease my worries.

The morning of our visit arrived, and we set out early. The sky was a clear, pale blue, with only a few clouds drifting lazily overhead, but the cheerful weather did nothing to lift the growing unease within me.

As we walked the familiar path to Chris’s house, I found myself mentally preparing for the worst, though I couldn’t quite imagine what that could be.

When we finally arrived, my mother knocked on the door. For what felt like an eternity, there was no response. My heart pounded in my chest as the seconds stretched on. Just as I was about to suggest that we try again, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from the other side.

The door creaked open to reveal Chris. Her face lit up with surprise, but there was something off about her expression. It was as if she was trying to mask a deeper emotion, one that didn’t belong on the face of someone so cheerful.

Her arms were folded behind her back, and her smile seemed forced. I noticed something else too—her arms. She had bruises, faint but noticeable, running along her forearms. She quickly shifted her position, trying to hide them from view, but it was too late. I had seen them, and I was certain my mother had as well.

Before I could say anything, Aunt Lyshia appeared behind Chris. She seemed just as surprised as Chris to see us standing at their door.

"Chris, what's taking you so long?" she asked, her voice slightly strained. Then, seeing us, she forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

"W-what brings you here so unexpectedly?" she asked, her tone awkward, as if caught off guard.

"We were worried," my mother replied, her voice calm but tinged with concern. "You didn’t visit the other day, or yesterday. We just wanted to make sure everything was alright."