Chapter VIII : The Past – Childhood Dreams

Reed stared dazedly at the small plain red rosetail beta that was swimming beautifully and elegantly in the fish bowl placed on the bedside table.

He blink his bright and clear eyes before looking down at his hands that were too small and soft to touch. Blinking his eyes in realization, he stared back at the beta fish at the small aquarium.

He was dreaming. Why does he know? It's because he knows, period!

Nope. Reed turn to looked below, rows of red comfy chairs arranged in arc surrounds the entire hall. A large wooden door at the middle with long red carpet rolled out like a run way at the center connecting the entrance and the stairs of the stage.

That's right, Reed was now at the stage with the scene of his past as a protagonist, performing as himself.

Reed always lamented whenever this happens. He always wanted to experience dreaming without knowing it like a normal person. But his brain just won't let him do as he like.

Like right now. He was performing a dream at the stage that was a complete copied of the same exact scene that day, Echo killed his beta fish.

He could perfectly act his role as himself and make this dream perfectly recreate within that time but... Reed glimpse at the hundreds empty seat below.

He sigh as he resigned himself on acting out this dream about their past.

...

...

...

Reed was not a normal kid in his childhood. At first, his development as a child seems normal and nothing peculiar seems to be manifesting. But as he grew older symptoms appeared one by one that alarmed both his parents.

Fortunately, Reed was only diagnosed with mild symptoms of autism that can be treated by simple therapy. He was still a child, his extreme introverted personality can still be conditioned and his non- verbal communication can still be teach and learn slowly.

After integrating with many professors and doctors because of the treatment and couple with his parents insistent of getting acquainted with them. Reed's memory capabilities and learning abilities was revealed. At the same time, a rather sad truth was discovered as they faced off Reed's high mental capabilities.

Reed has a congenital prosopagnosia. Face blindness was a cognitive disease that invalid a person's face perception. Experts told them that Reed was one of those fortunate children that does not have any underlying illness beside his face blindness like others did.

Prosopagnosia can be a result from brain damage, as well can developed by birth. But those who gain it inborn were sometimes diagnosed with autism or other intellectual disabilities.

Thankfully for Reed, not only did he not have other disorder, his only problem was that he was a genius.

He learns fast and remembered everything.

And that was the problem.

Reed gain awareness much earlier than other normal babies in his age. Though, he seems to be developing normally, that his lack of response and communication just manifest it's symptoms at age of one.

Reed somehow already knows something. And he was really scared.

No one knew what he was thinking. He wanted to say it but he does not recognized the person in front of him. He doesn't even know who his parent are within this group of people.

His parents were always sociable and happy that they met almost different people everyday. Reed does not want to misidentified anyone, so he just remain silent and quiet.

It was only when he undergoes therapy that he said his first words, no, more like a sentence– that they knew what he had been through.

Prosopagnosia is not the same as people who have thick as a finger glasses that sees almost nothing but blur.

Reed sees everything clear as a crystal, he actually have 20/10 vision. He can see clearly at least 20ft away from him. His brain just can't find a way for him to recognize a person, that's all.

And with a little hard work and an easy memorizations, Reed finally formulate a pattern to know the differences between the individuals he interact with. The sound and tone of their voice, and their habitual intonation. The different scent in their bodies, the feelings of their touch and the pattern of their palms. The color of their hair and eyes, the shade of their skin, their unique features and their builts. Reed uses those to recognize people.

And at the age of six, with a proud look and confident eyes. His parents sent him to Cambridge to start his studies.

There he met his fate pair, Echo.

...

...

...

Echo was just like him, a genius. She is they same age as Reed, so he was overjoyed and immediately went to introduced himself to Echo.

Although, Reed still seems a bit introverted but he interacted normally with others– saying the he have face perception disorder was unbelievable.

He was cheerful, bright and was always smiling. Couple with his angelic face, he became popular at campus in a blink of an eye.

The stone face, cold eyes Echo ignored Reed that wanted to be her friend. She refused to talked to him and only responded if they were to talking about business.

Echo does not have any friends, she was always alone on campus. Earnestly studying, holding a big and thick book while walking, reading while eating, copying notes on break, and always attentively listening with those boring old professor that makes you drool while sleeping.

Totally unlike a child their age.

...

...

...

"She does not have any social connection what so ever, she did not even have a time to looked at anyone!" said the spiky hair man next to Reed.

"What's more, observe the book she was holding. It changes every 30 minutes! And Everytime it changes, there's a thick stash of paper in her table!" Added by the gorgeous looking girl across the round table.

"Woah~ are you serious. How old is she? 7?" Exclaimed by a handsome playboy sitting on the left of gorgeous looking girl.

A petite timid girl looked at her friend and doubtfully asked, "Did she even read it..." even she, who likes book, can only Reed up two to three books each day.

"She was only six you know. The same age as you Reed. But looked at her, she does not even have a slight bit of cuteness like you have." Confirmed by gorgeous looking girl.

Reed patiently listened to the barrage of complain and insult they threw towards Echo. Who despite having such a young age was so serious at learning and gaining knowledge for whatever and whenever time she have.

Sipping his soda with a straw, handsome playboy divulged another rumor. "Right. Speaking of, I just saw her earlier getting out of Professor Genetics' office. The professor sees her out while full of smiles."

Reed eyes flash cold glint. They're not the only one at the canteen, in fact it was pact and their voice was loud, as if they really wanted others to hear what they were talking about.

This is the reason why he approaches this group. Two of them came from Australia and the other came from New Jersey, and the last one is from US.

When Reed investigated these people he learned that they were not really friends. Their group was formed the same month Echo was enrolled into the university.

Actually clearing a simple rumors were easy. But what is weird about this events were, Everytime Reed managed to clean a trashed, when he turn to looked the other way there's another one that's keep on piling up.

That is not normal.

"Umm...Reed."

As he sipped his cold milk drink with a spiral straw, Reed looked at the timid girl to his right and tilted his head in response to her call.

"...you said that you wanted to be her friend...maybe you should think about that..."

"Right~ haven't you heard rumors floating about her?" Agreed by the gorgeous woman.

"Even though she was just a child. Reed don't underestimate a child's innocence. She might looked outstanding, and a genius. But I heard she run away from home." Persuaded by spiky man. "You know, I heard that she was the reason why her parents died, and just after they were buried she run away. I heard that she run away after hiding all her family's inheritance and that she–"

"She what?" a cute milky voice suddenly butt in. They all looked at Reed in unison. Somehow, they felt chill when that heard him speak. But seeing the same innocent and loveable, completely looking like an angel, they brushed it off as their imagination.

"She was at it again. Remember what I told you about seeing her going of that Professor's office?" Everyone nodded at the handsome playboy's question. "Do you know about 'that' rumor?"

"Oh. 'That' rumor."

"Yeah. Didn't we just had midterm yesterday. She was at 'it' again."

"She is really an eyesore. She's just a child and she already know how to gain favor with those old men. What happens if she grew older."

"Sigh~ I really want to be her friend at first. You know she was so cute, I thought she just was just scare and nervous that her face went stiff. But I was wrong."

"Don't dream, bro. She only approached old men. You might not know, but maybe her high grade was due to that~"

Then the group laugh hard from that last statement.

Acting curious, Reed glanced everyone at the table and innocently asked, "What 'it'? What did Echo did?"

They all quieted down, they forgot that they have a child here. They just blabbered their mouth off like usual and those topics came out like it was normal. They awkwardly looked at Reed, they didn't know what to say.

Reed smiled off their awkward faces.

"Is it about 'that' rumor? About her pretending to be a genius, acting out for those old Professors to gave her a perfect grades?" He asked looking so innocent like he didn't know what it meant.

The four were just about to heave a sigh of relief, when they happen to catch a glimpse of Reed's eyes.

Reed eyes curved with his angelic smile. But his eyes were cold, and they can see a hint of anger in them. Seeing them not reacting, Reed continued.

"Umm. It's not?" He looked at them confused. "Maybe it was about her family. About her running away after 'almost been tear apart by her family because of the inheritance she didn't even want'."

Witnessing their paling face, Reed looked at them amused, wondering how they able to changed their expressions that easily.

"It was not that either? Then I wish I hit the bullseye this time." He added, "Frederick, Cartison, McDonald, and Thomson– those were the families that was currently on high today. And guess who they were all under– HiHo International. In other words, the Griffith family. Still want me to elaborate?"

Seeing as their souls already hanging– ready to fly off– Reed didn't really want to wait for them. He dropped a card where a phone number was written and told them to called that if they don't want their families to be afflicted.

Of course, Reed will still not forgive them. But, he decided to be lenient, since because if this incident, he became closes to Echo.

Holding his milk drink in hand, Reed skip and hop. He was literally beaming with light, as he went out of the cafeteria.

He will go towards Echo now to report.

He was too excited at the same time feeling proud and exhilarated. Echo was the one who told him to act this way. She wrote a script and she basically guess everything of what they're going to say.

She's really awesome!

And now that Reed accomplished everything Echo ordered him to do, Reed can finally shout out loud that he now become Echo's official friend!

Yey!

...

...

...