Chapter 13 – The First Day of School

Chapter 13 – The First Day of School

The soft hum of birdsong filtered through the cracked window as Ivan's alarm buzzed faintly on the nightstand. The first day of school. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, momentarily disoriented before remembering exactly where he was—Germany. A new life. A clean slate. And a plan already in motion.

He slipped out of bed, pulling on a simple hoodie and jeans before heading to the kitchen, where the smell of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air. His grandmother stood at the counter, carefully packing lunchboxes—sandwiches, apples, a few cookies, and juice boxes.

"Morning, Ivan," she greeted warmly without turning around.

"Morning, Grandma," he replied, grabbing a piece of bread.

His younger brother soon padded in, still half-asleep but excited. It was a big day for both of them.

"Here, your lunches," Grandma said, handing over their lunchboxes. "And behave yourselves."

Ivan smiled. "Oh, I will. But not exactly how you expect."

After breakfast, they headed out, the cool morning breeze ruffling their jackets as they walked to school. The building was modern, its tall windows glinting in the sunlight. Kids gathered outside in clusters, chatting in German, some glancing curiously at Ivan and his brother as they passed.

Inside, they were guided to their assigned class—VKL (Vorklasse für Kinder mit wenig Deutschkenntnissen), the beginner class for students learning German. It was exactly where Ivan didn't want to be, but it was part of the process.

The classroom was bright and welcoming, filled with colorful posters and German alphabet charts. The teacher, a kind-looking woman in her mid-40s named Frau Schmidt, stood at the front, her glasses slipping slightly down her nose.

"Guten Morgen, Kinder," she began, her voice cheerful. "Wir haben heute zwei neue Schüler bei uns!" (Good morning, kids. We have two new students with us today!)

She gestured toward Ivan and his brother. "Stellt euch bitte vor." (Please introduce yourselves.)

Ivan cleared his throat. "Ich heiße Ivan, und das ist mein Bruder." (My name is Ivan, and this is my brother.)

The class murmured their greetings, some kids waving shyly.

"Willkommen! Wir freuen uns, euch hier zu haben," Frau Schmidt said with a warm smile. (Welcome! We're happy to have you here.)

The initial lessons were basic—alphabet drills, simple vocabulary exercises, and elementary grammar. Ivan followed along for a few minutes but felt his patience thinning. This wasn't going to work. Wasting time on things he and his brother already knew was the opposite of what he planned.

He raised his hand.

"Frau Schmidt, könnten wir kurz draußen sprechen?" (Could we talk outside for a moment?)

She blinked in surprise but nodded. "Natürlich." (Of course.)

In the hallway, away from the curious stares of the other students, Ivan shifted into fluent German.

"Frau Schmidt, ich weiß, dass wir im VKL-Unterricht sind, aber mein Bruder und ich sprechen fließend Deutsch. Wir mussten nur zuerst hierher, bevor wir in die normalen Klassen wechseln können." (Mrs. Schmidt, I know we're in VKL, but my brother and I are fluent in German. We just had to be placed here first before moving to regular classes.)

Her eyes widened in shock. "Wirklich? Aber warum wurde das nicht vorher gesagt?" (Really? But why wasn't this mentioned before?)

"It's complicated," Ivan said, smiling. "But we're ready for the regular classes."

Frau Schmidt took a moment to process this, then nodded firmly. "Gut. Dann machen wir einen Test. Wenn ihr beide besteht, können wir euch sofort umstufen." (Good. Then let's do a test. If you both pass, we can move you up immediately.)

Ivan grinned. "Wir sind bereit." (We're ready.)

The Exam

Back in the classroom, Frau Schmidt prepared two sets of final exams—one for Ivan and one for his brother. She kept it simple but comprehensive: reading comprehension, grammar exercises, basic math problems, and a short writing section.

Ivan breezed through it. It was laughably easy compared to what he remembered from his past life. His brother, sitting beside him, worked diligently, occasionally glancing at Ivan for reassurance. They finished within the hour.

Frau Schmidt reviewed the papers quickly, her eyebrows steadily climbing higher as she read. When she finally looked up, there was a mixture of surprise and admiration on her face.

"You both did excellent," she said. "Better than some students already in regular classes."

Ivan nodded, expecting as much.

"I'll arrange for your certificates. Once they're processed in a few days, you'll be placed in regular classes starting in September. Until then, you're technically free from school, except for the weekly assessments we'll schedule to ensure you're placed in the correct grade."

She handed them official notes to give to their grandparents, explaining everything. "Until your certificates are finalized, you don't need to attend daily classes. Enjoy the time off—you've earned it."

Ivan smiled, thinking about all the time he now had to work on his plans.

Homecoming Surprise

They arrived home earlier than expected, the papers clutched in Ivan's hands. His grandfather sat in the living room, reading a newspaper, while his grandmother stirred something on the stove.

"Back already?" Grandpa asked, setting the paper aside.

Ivan handed him the note. "The teacher wanted you to see this."

His grandfather adjusted his glasses, skimming the paper. His eyes widened. "What… you two passed out of VKL already? And you're set for regular classes in September?"

Grandma, hearing the news, hurried over, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Šta? Ozbiljno?" (What? Really?)

"Yeah," Ivan confirmed with a smile.

She let out a laugh, her face lighting up as if someone had handed her a winning lottery ticket. "I'm so proud of you boys!" she nearly shouted, her joy infectious. She almost jumped from excitement, wrapping them both in a warm hug.

"This deserves a special dinner," she declared.

Prepping for the Next Steps

That night, after dinner, Ivan sat at his desk again, pulling out his notebook. The house was quiet, his younger brother already asleep, but Ivan's mind was still racing.

"Okay, school's out of the way for now. That means I can focus on prepping my brother for the exams they'll use to place us in regular classes. If he does well enough, he could skip a grade or at least land in the highest possible one."

He made a list of everything his brother would need to cover over the summer. Advanced math concepts, stronger grammar rules, essay writing… it was a lot, but he knew his brother was capable. In the last timeline, no one had pushed him academically. That wasn't going to happen again.

"The higher he starts, the more opportunities he'll have. No way am I letting him go down the same path as last time."

He flipped to a new page in the notebook.

Goals Before September:

1. Prepare my brother for placement exams—aim for the highest grade possible.

2. Convince Grandma to get the PC before summer ends.

3. Research current dropshipping trends—even if I can't sell yet, I can prep.

4. Learn basic video editing (as soon as the PC arrives).

5. Map out content ideas for YouTube/Streaming—ride the Fortnite hype when it drops.

6. Plan side hustles to stack cash before I turn 14.

Ivan closed the notebook, leaning back in his chair. The first few dominoes had fallen perfectly into place. Now came the grind.

"One step at a time," he thought, "but I'm already ten steps ahead of where I was last time."

The summer stretched out before him, full of potential.

This time, he wasn't leaving anything to chance.