(3rd person pov)
It was quiet again. It was very much similar to what Luther went through when he died. But this time, it was more similar to being in a sleep and about to wake up. He tried opening his eyes. But they wouldn't budge at all, and he struggled again. After a few struggles, he could slowly gain some senses back. The silence that enveloped him was broken by a call that seemed to be coming from a great distance.
The voice initially sounded similar to what one hears when talking underwater. Then it gained clarity gradually. "Miguel, Miguel…. son wake up. C'mon son, the moving company is arriving soon. We have a long ride ahead of us. We need to reach the airport on time, kid." A woman's voice spoke to him while rocking him hard in a very Texan accented English. He groggily woke up to see a woman probably in her thirties with a slightly annoyed expression by his bed. 'Well, she is not young enough to be my sister. So, she's either my mother or aunt. Then he just remembered what she called him while kicking him awake. Son… that's a term that someone hasn't called him for a long time. 'She is my mother or Miguel's mom.', Luther came to his conclusion. "Hey mom, I will be down there in five," he groggily replied. "Alright young man. Your papa's crosschecking everything, and I need you to do the same. Make everything fast, son, we got a flight to catch. Mwah." She gave him a quick kiss on his forehead and hurried downstairs.
Now that he was alone in his room, he immediately got up and looked around the room. It was a room that you would expect in a middle-class yet well-off family. But the things in the room were all missing, and his inflatable bed was the only thing that was packed. 'Damn, I am in a new frontier here. I don't even remember how I look like.' He hurried out of the room after grabbing the toiletries and headed towards the toilet that was adjacent to the dressing room, which had a full-length mirror. He opened the door and entered the room and faced the mirror. 'Well damn… the goddess really gave me a good vessel.' Miguel was what you call a knockout handsome boy. He had a wheat-colored skin and blue eyes. His hair was void black in color and had a smooth curl to it. He was probably five foot nine.
'Now that I know how I look like, that's all I know about this body. How the hell am I supposed to play the part?' He doesn't even remember his parents' name. All he knows is that they are in the middle of moving and have a plane to catch. He really began panicking as his thoughts started to wander. 'Wait a minute. Didn't the goddess say something about an AI that would assist me in this life.' Gathering himself and really hoping that the AI might really help him get through this crisis, he concentrated and chanted in his mind. 'AI initiate.'
As soon as he said that, a voice rang in his ears. "Hello Luther Wolfe, or do you prefer Miguel James, sir." An icy yet human-sounding voice greeted him, giving him a jump scare. "So, are you the AI that would help me in this world?". He asked in a hushed tone. "Actually, there is no need for you to call out loud, master. I can take commands via your mental biddings." 'Now that's convenient. I will not look like a fool in public doing that.' But all things aside there is a big elephant in the room. What can this AI do? He really needs his current body's memories or he will be a sitting duck if confronted by others. If not, he needs to play the amnesia card and that's not an easy task to pull. But to pull that off, he has to set up a scenario which can actually go wrong in many ways. 'AI, is there any chance that you might be able to patch me up with this body's data and memories? I really need those right now.' "Your wish is my command, sir." The AI spoke with the same emotionless tone.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Suddenly, his surroundings started to blur, and his head began to ache with a pain that he had never felt before. At that very moment, memories of the previous owner of this body started to flood his mind. The sheer amount of data transferred to his mind was enough to make him faint. But he, with every last straw of his will, held on. Fifteen years' worth of data, without even missing a second, was transferred to his mind. His name is Miguel James. He belongs to a middle-class family based in Texas. His father's name is Leon James. He was a second-generation Mexican American who grew up in America. He used to be an employee at a workshop owned by his mother's family until he married his Mom. After that, he started managing it along with his Maternal grandfather, who was also Mexican. On the other hand, his mother's name was Rosa Lee James. His maternal grandfather migrated from Mexico in the 80s, looking for better pastures which he found in Texas. He married his grandmother and had his mother. She was an only child.
As for his own information, he was what he expected him to be. He was exactly what he would have been if he was not bedridden by his disease. He was very athletic and had a way with cars, an interest inherited from his father. He was a golden boy at the high school he went to, but for some reason, he was still single. Thinking about the happy life that Miguel used to lead before he took his place made his insides wrench in guilt. But he did feel that some of his memories were missing. But he was overwhelmed by the plethora of memories that was just dumped into his brains that he just ignored it.
After what seemed like an eternity, his surroundings came back into focus, and he was sweating bullets. 'Well, that's an experience that I would not like to have', he thought with a wry smile. As usual, making him jump, the AI sounded, "Well, sir, the strain that a memory transfer of magnitude of fifteen years is very high. So, I have taken the liberty to show what was the most important information that you need in the immediate future. It may take some time for you to get used to this. For not taking the actual fifteen years to experience the past of this body, your brain was accelerated, and thus only a minute has passed outside. But currently your brain can't handle the shear amount of information that it has to process. So, most of your memories will be in a dormant state that will be unlocked upon the necessary stimuli." 'Well, that was indeed a useful feature, I guess. But I really need to hurry up, or my mom's gonna nag me again.' With that in his mind, he rushed to do his morning chores and was done in about ten minutes. He wore a clean white shirt with brown baggy cargo pants to match and rushed down.
When he reached downstairs, he saw his mom and dad having breakfast and talking about the new location where they were shifting to. He sat down and said his good morning, which his parents reciprocated. The breakfast was very simple, and while having his breakfast, he looked at his parents having their meal. This was a scene that he could not see in his past life. Either his father was having a meeting or his mom was abroad. He was accustomed to eat alone in his bed to which he was confined to and later on he couldn't eat much of the 'normal' food that would compromise his digestive system. Going down that memory lane was not pleasant at all and knowing hat his life will be much more fulfilling made his eyes a bit wet with happiness.
As breakfast came to an end, they loaded his dad's semi-truck with their bags and hit the road. During the ride, he finally found some time to think. The goddess had explained how things would be in this new world and what role he would play, but for now, he hadn't come across anything that triggered specific memories.
"Penny for your thoughts, son. Are you sad about leaving your friends behind?" his father inquired in a calm tone, snapping him back from his reverie.
"No, papa, I'm not that sad about leaving my friends behind. I'll miss them and grandpa and grandma, but I think I'll be okay," he replied convincingly, his tone carrying genuine assurance.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, and they eventually boarded the plane to LA, arriving at their destination. Exhausted from the plane ride and inexplicably hungry, he took a deep breath as they stepped out of the bustling airport. His parents hailed a cab, loaded their luggage, and his father provided the address to the driver. While looking at the scenery outside, he heard his father's phone ringing. "Hey Mr. Dunphy… yeah right Phil, we just reached LA and is enroute to the house. Yeah… that's good know. I was not that keen on sending the stuff beforehand, but it seems that it was all smooth. Thanks man. Yeah, I will call once we get there.", now that caught his undivided attention. He finally got a piece of information about this world he was in.