Chapter 9 (Dreaming Of The Past)

It was mid-day and the golden sun in the sky shone brightly over the city of Venice in Italy which was currently in a festive mood. Despite the scorching heat, the streets were still crowded with a lot of people watching and celebrating the carnival.

Some of these people were inhabitants of this city while others were just tourists who had traveled from far and wide just to come and witness this renowned carnival that has always been celebrated each year without failure.

The scenery was very soothing and friendly as everywhere was decorated in colorful ribbon and many people was putting on different costumes.

Along the side of the road inside a small pizzaria Miles was having lunch with his parents and older sister as they watched the parade from inside the restaurant.

They had all traveled to Italy to spend their summer vacation because his father had wanted them to spend some quality time together.

During the evolution war, Thomas Reed was recognized as one of the great heroes that fought to protect humanity's survival from the forces of nature, and he achieved many remarkable accomplishments during that chaotic time and became a world top-ranking psyker.

However, his reputation didn't give him much time to spend with his family because he was always traveling to handle diplomatic issues as a representative of the country. This was why he decided to bring them to Italy to spend a special vacation with them.

"They really do make delicious pizza in Italy. I don't even remember how many slices I ate." Miles remarked as he tapped his small tummy in delight which caused everyone at the table to to laugh at his hilarious antics.

"Where do you guys want to go next?" Tom who was wearing a mask to hide his identity inquired.

"Let's go to the mall this time, I want to watch a movie." Ivy, Miles' older sister, replied in an anxious manner.

"Hmm...That seems like an excellent idea" Tom nodded and turned his attention back to Miles who was still greedily eating another slice of pizza despite the fact that he was already full. "What about you, Miles?"

"I think the mall is fine with me too but I want to go to the arcade rather than watch movies" Miles replied with his mouth stuffed with pizza.

"Take it easy Miles or you might choke yourself." Sophie warned in a concerned tone while sipping her beverage.

Miles ignored his mother and continued to stuff more pizza into his mouth.

"All you care about are video games. You should take sometime to enjoy other things with people." Ivy was annoyed that Miles didn't agree with her suggestion and because she knew how much he was adored by her parents even her couldn't resist but give in to him sometime.

She was afraid that both her parents might choose his suggestion over hers whereas she really wanted to watch a movie with all three of them.

"And who says you can't play video games with other people?" Miles asked after swallowing the pizza in his mouth.

"Well, you know mom and dad can't play video games." Ivy immediately responded.

"Then I'll teach them how to play." Miles retorted.

"Why are you being so stubborn about it?" Ivy asked in a frustrated tone.

"Because you're nagging me about it too much. Why don't you admit that the reason you don't want us to go to the arcade is because you aren't a very skilled player and you don't want to be left out of the fun." Miles replied with a sly smirk on his face.

"Who cares about that? Video games are stupid anyway." Ivy was ashamed that Miles had guessed her dilemma correctly but she pretended not to care to save some face in front of her parents.

"That's because you're a dork and don't blame me for that." Miles pointed at Ivy as he mocked her.

"Alright, that's enough guys." Tom suddenly interjected.

"No, it's not okay dad, don't tell me you're trying to pick Miles' side again." Ivy said under pretense of feeling emotionally hurt.

"Huh!" Tom was totally caught off guard by Ivy's remarks and antics. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant...." Tom wanted to clear up the misunderstanding but he was suddenly interrupted by Miles.

"Of course, dad would pick my side, since he loves me more. I'm smarter and much more adorable than you are." Miles confidently declared in order to drag Tom to his side to gain his support.

Ivy didn't refute Miles' statement, instead she improved her acting by faking tear droplets in her eyes.

Tom became conflicted as he didn't know what to do in this situation. Miles was looking at him with confidence that he would be chosen while Ivy was now in tears and was in need of consoling.

He was only trying to dissolve the argument between the two but he got entangled in it instead. "This sly punk and cunning brat..." he muttered as he looked at their faces that were also fixed back on him.

Tom turned his face to Sophie who was quietly watching the scenario as she sipped her beverage.

She also returned a look back to Tom that meant, "Now you know what I have to handle all alone every time you're not around."

The look of desperation that crossed Tom's face was marked by a silent plea to Sophie for help to get him out of this predicament.

Sophie chuckled lightly before she spoke. "I have an idea guys."

Hearing their mother's voice, both Miles and Ivy shifted their gaze back to her.

"Let's all go to the cinema today and we can watch two of your favorite movies." Sophie suggested.

"What about the arcade?" Miles asked in a unsatisfied tone.

"We will visit the arcade tomorrow and I promise to buy that game you've always wanted and I'll also buy Ivy a dress at the mall if she promises to play games with us tomorrow." Sophie replied with a smile.

This was an offer she knew neither of her kids could reject. It took a few seconds for both Miles and Ivy to think about it before they agreed. This was exactly what she had expected.

Thomas was both surprised and impressed after witnessing how Sophie was able to resolve the issue and get Miles and Ivy to agree to her suggestions.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "How did you do that?" Tom asked after taking a gulp of his drink.

"Dad, you're too gullible. I can't believe you actually fell for my act." Ivy commented with a cheeky smile.

"What? Don't tell me that you were actually pretending and those tears were actually fake." Thomas' eyes widened in shock.

"It was very amusing to watch your reactions. We were only pulling your legs to see who you would choose between us." Miles said as he took another bite of pizza from the leftovers on Thomas' plate. He just couldn't resist it as the pizza tasted so delicious to him.

"Why.. Why would you guys do that?" Thomas asked in a serious tone.

Ivy candidly explained to Thomas whose face was gloomy, "We know you aren't around all the time, but we just wanted to know who you always thought about the most between my brother and me."

"And what would be the result if I had chosen one of you?" Thomas asked.

"Five hundred bucks, we bet that the loser pays the chosen one five hundred bucks. So it was just both a game and a prank." Miles casually shrugged his small shoulders as he responded.

Thomas almost vomited a gallon of blood when he heard Miles' response.

Ivy was twelve while Miles was ten. However, he wasn't around to see them grow up that much, but looking at how much both of them had matured he felt guilty for missing too much from their lives.

"Don't think too much about it, it, they understand and love you a lot." Sophie assured Thomas because she could tell what he was thinking.

"Yeah dad, I'm going to be the most awesome psyker in the world and save lives like you do but for now allow me to save the rest of your pizza from becoming useless." Miles confidently declared which made everyone laugh.

After they were done eating, the family boarded the vehicle they rented for their stay in the country and headed to the mall.

If only they knew things wouldn't turn out as they planned.

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AUTHOR NOTE

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