2nd September to December 2042

The day his brother gives him the new, he indeed runs into Harley's office to tell her- well, no, not tell her because she has to know since she's teacher, but he has to share his excitement and she's the one he thinks who might understand.
Not his brother because... well, just no.
When he bursts open her door, he's all excited and happy but then he sees his father and his smile falls.
And Tobias Finnigan must feel the tension raising because his face falls too. But he doesn't move and Aiden doesn't have the intention to be more influenced by his father.
"Yes, Aiden?" Harley says, because he just bursts her door.
"Guest what?" He beams forgetting totally his dad.
"I have an idea but since you seem just so excited to say it... What, my boy?"
"Hogwarts has exchange school with Ilvermorny, the Northern America wizard school! So, the United States, Harley!"
"Okay, I get it," the woman laughs. "Are you already prepped?"
"Yes." Then he turns toward the quiet man. "I just need you signature."
Tobias smiles a bit painfully, 'cause he was just ignored and now that he's acknowledged his son just want him to do the tutor stuff? But he nods anyway. "Yeah, sure."
Aiden nods. "Cool."
And that it.

The day the group of exchange arrives at Massachusetts in America, in front of the castle of Ilvermorny, Professor Elise Cavacanti leads his fifteen pupils inside.
After thirsty minutes of the presentation of the spot, the British students are allowed to either follow the class with some grade (basically between tenth and twelfth grade, there isn't any fourth years English student) or minding themself in the building. But Elise approaches Aiden and starts a secretive conversation. They chat awhile, then she accompanies him to the headmaster office. It isn't very long, he just shows a piece of paper and some stuff and eventually the headmaster agrees. He applies a tampon on the paper and Aiden is free.
Outside of the castle, the red hair woman pats the boy's shoulder.
"Okay, I know that they trust you to not make any trick but I have mother instinct and I worry. So, be careful."
"I promise. Thank you, Elise."
And Aiden walks out of the magical protection.
Without his wand, because he's in the muggle- well, no-Maj part, with nothing but a satchel which contains his drawing and a little money.
Where is he going?
Well, here is his mother.

He remembers crossing the Massachusetts state in one morning, stopping occasionally to question some random people to make sure of his direction. Then in the afternoon, he's already at the border and rests for a few minutes.
Which become hours when some locals Americans think he's good chatter.
At the time, he's really grateful of Harley who allowed him to do that. If she didn't accept to sign his authorization, he couldn't go out of Ilvermorny which is as boarding school like Hogwarts, and if he came here it's to know the country and no the magical school comfort. He already says that he will abandon this part of him.
That night, he's invited by his news acquaintances (the locals Americans) to sleep at their place, he thanks them a lot 'cause he hasn't much money to spend the night in official (or not for that matter) building. And otherwise he has to sleep under the moon.
Not that is bad, if he has to get accustomed to it. 'Cause he has the feeling that his mission will take some times.

Three days later, he steps in New York City, the state where he spent last summer, just a few month ago.
By the time he succeeds to earn some money by drawing people's portrait and has just enough to buy his lunch (because even if all his trip is made by walk he has to admit that he paid some night in motel and citizen's place who aren't as kind as the first he met and sleeping outside isn't the best thing ever. He almost regrets that Claire didn't send him in the desert island with Loan. (Almost.). But NYC isn't a kind city like he learned this summer, so he couldn't earn money by singing 'cause there are plenty people who does it all the time and he's not sure that his art will be acknowledged so he doesn't waste time to look for his mum. Of course, he's not saying it'll be easy, because come on, there are so much stars that he doesn't even know the name. But maybe he can type her name (well that one she is born with) somewhere and gleans some information.
He's just about giving up looking for a computer (or just some technology which allow him to connect in the net, you know) and just sit somewhere to rest or curse himself for his naive confidence when a baby boy sit next to him. He never saw him before but the toddler has something which appeal him (not in sexual way, thank you very much) and unconsciously he lights up his eyes. He doesn't know how he does this, he just know that sometime when he really crave for some attention his eyes could flash in other color (often in yellow or blue). This time is blue to match with the kid's eye who is very impressed and beams brightly.
"Do it again!"
"I will," he says slowly to think about what he has to tell to a lonely kid in New York City "only if you tell me why you're here and if you're alone."
"If I answer those two questions, does that mean you will do it again twice?" The kid points.
Aiden gapes at him.
"No, because I did it first then you ask me to do it again so actually I will do twice hence your two answers."
"What? But you did it before I ask you to do again."
"Yeah, but I'm the elder I make the rules."
"What rules? There isn't any sense!"
"Answers my questions and everything will be okay."
The toddler crosses his arms against his chest and pouts for awhile, but he eventually gives up, too curious to see the impossible again. "Well, I was here with mammy and daddy for a stroll but then they are too busy with Colton so I went before and I think they're still late."
"You mean, you're lost?"
"No, I'm not. And you're not keeping your word," the boy complains.
Aiden sighs and illuminates his eyes in blue. "What's your name?" He asks once the boy is satisfied.
But before he can answer and craves for another show, a voice calls out loud.
"Corey!" Then a woman appears and hugs tightly the boy Aiden's talking with.
"Mammy!" The said Carey calls happily and hugs back.
The redhead looks at the reunion behind and is little envious. A man comes behind with a boy more elder who is panting for having ran after his lost brother and sighs relievedly at this scene.
"It's time for you to come, I was making a new friend... What's your name?" Corey asks him like he just realize that.
At this moment, the woman, Corey's mother, looks at him too. And Aiden is just hit by the resemblance. She's- she totally looks like Sissy Brooks. He answers the boy -Sissy doppelgänger's child- without thinking.
"Eli Brooks."
But he knows he's right when the woman smiles lightly at him, and at his name, he's sure about that.
"Well, thank you for looking after my son, Eli."
"It's nothing. You're welcome." There is a beat of silence when the family is just reunite between them and Aiden is looking at them amazingly. When he feels that they gonna go, he decides to try anyway. "Can I- Can I ask your autograph?"
They freeze. The woman turns to him and he just notices that she wears sunglasses.
"Oh, you recognizes me," she smiles. "It's okay if only you call me Sissy Jenson."
"Sure." He struggles to find a piece of paper and a pen in his satchel. He eventually gives her his draw notes and stares at her when she signs.
"Nice drawing," she comments returning the bloc-note.
Aiden smiles, affected. "Thank you."
Seeing them begin to walk away he swallows. Not now.
"Do you think-," he hesitates to find something which could stop her "do you think I can stand a chance in show-business?"
She looks quietly at him and smiles softly. "Yeah, definitely."
And he's definitely not crying, his eyes are just watering.
"Maybe you should begin with ads," the man comments.
"Oh...yeah, thanks for the advice."
They leave with a wave from Corey. And Aiden smiles sweet-bitterly. He couldn't believe his luck to run into her (well, more the contrary actually) at the first shot. And sure, he didn't expect her to be single but it's still a shock to see her founding a family. Two little boys.
Also he didn't waste time and come to an ads agency to be casted.
He needs a job in show-business. Or in show world, at least.

Things seem pretty well when you have the right face and body and thankfully the right skill. He's quite grateful for his fifteen years of simulation to call his father attention.
Now, he plays on the screen to introduce either products or toys and it seems that his visual memory and ease to enter in role earn him more than he expected. Lately, a director even asks him to introduce a new show. 'Cause while he's all young and fresh-y to appeal public with some stuff, he can introduce some new tv show that must call people's attention.
He has to admit that his goal is to play in one of these show to approach the summit and his mum (he's sure as hell that's her), but now he just has to introduce.
Two weeks had passed since the beginning of his mission.
On his birthday he's approached to sing some song for an ad. He benefits this chance to bring back a former song that his mum had sung when she's still established in Ireland. Of course, now she changes her scene name for his latest manager (apparently they aren't married but they're more like siblings) and she uses his husband name to pass unknowably in the street.
(His husband William "Liam" Jenson is a stuntman she met on the stage, so not this famous, well until he marries to an actress)
So, he's noticed by some recorder who knew Sissy career really well.
And then he's proposed to got a role to play beside his favorite actress and singer.

Aiden's manager, Cameron Stirling, is pretty encouraging and teaches him many things to fit with the cast already on the set. And sure he gots a role due to his talent but he mustn't be confident, he's the newbie and he will play with his mum.
Thinking it might be the time, he allows himself to see Sissy in her dressing room and sees the woman again.
Sissy looks always so beautiful and Aiden wants to hug her and tell her how he misses her. She looks just little confused before smiling sweetly to acknowledge him.
"Hey Eli. Welcome to the cast. Glad that you make it."
"Thank you. I thought you could help me to learn more about the cast and maybe some spot. If you aren't busy, of course."
"Oh no, it's alright. I just..." She turns slightly inside her room and talks calmly then she opens the door and goes out.
"Hey, kiddo. Glad to see you make it," Liam greets him going out the lodge too.
"Thank you," Aiden answers politely. He's never been comfortable with fathers. The few he knows aren't the best. (His dad is negligent, Matthew is weird, Ionise doesn't like them [30 Legends], Albus loves his wife more...)
But then Liam is mug-, no-maj. So there is a difference. (Nonsense, even he knows that he's looking for pretext. Like to be wizard or no-maj would change your way to be a good father.)
Sissy leads him for a tour, Liam accompanies them for awhile then has to go because the producer calls him. And they're alone.
"Where are your sons?" Aiden asks awkwardly.
"At school," the actress smiles at him kindly.
"Oh. Yeah, sure."
"And you aren't? How old are you?"
"Seventeen." Two days ago. "And no, I'm not. I... Decide to be actor. If I can succeed."
"I see. But it could also be good if you continue school. You don't know what you can learn."
"I doubt it," he smiles falsely and she doesn't insist.
They are outside to enjoy the nice weather until it's time to reunite and then the work begins.
It's very serious, all these actors are being so professional and know each other, even the "minors" talk so lightly with the "adults", in fact they are all adults and he's the one who is still underage, at least he can remember easily his text and won't bother them. Well not too much.
So the new season, the second because the franchise pleases the public really well, is introduced by a young man (him) who travels the Canada to find his dad in Chicago. He get some hint that he stole from his aunt who doesn't want him finding the truth and he comes to the borough. The place where all the letters come. Until they didn't.
All the plot will be see by his point of view but he won't be the cataclysm who causes all the things. He's just the external narrator, whom appeals the public and helps them focus with what's happening. And a pretext to know better the one Roger background story's (the said father).
Then the producer give them the informations for the first episode and everybody's role. Thus he learns that he will interprets a daltonism person.
"Which daltonism?" He asks out loud without thinking.
"The usual, I think. Maybe it won't change the plot and just give your personage a freak side," a handsome co-star answers him. Maybe he doesn't say that meanly but for the moment it's awkward.
"Yeah, maybe, but I was wondering how we know that at the first? Will Alden (his personage) tells everybody? Or will he makes a mistake when he...I don't know, read the road sign?"

"Oh, you mean, when he first comes in the city, he couldn't read the road sign because he isn't sure what color it is?"

"Kind of, could it be possible?"

"I'm sure it could," Sissy reassures him.

So, it's concluded that he has deuteranopia, color-blindness resulting from insensitivity to green light. Later, it will serve to his own story about the fact that he couldn't know his irises colors. And the improvising that he considers and is persuaded that Natasha (portrayed by Sissy) is his mother.

(In real life, he is too, he just doesn't have the proof yet but soon, he will, he promises himself.)

The time elapses and Aiden, who changed his name for Aden Brooks (less Irish), is more and more close to Sissy, spending all his time with her and his husband on the stage. From time to time, he meets properly their children. Corey, the last and younger is 6, Colton, the eldest boy is 8, then there is Elizabeth, her first child and only daughter.

And Aden finally knows why Sissy smiles when she first heared his name. Because, Elizabeth used to evade her fame (thanks her mother) by using the fake name of Eli Brooks, the first because of the abbreviation and the latter because it was her mother maiden name. That she totally abandoned because her parents want her to. So, it wasn't relate to her reminiscence. She doesn't have any others children than the three she has, Elizabeth first. But Elizabeth is 12 and has five years apart from him. And maybe it's a coincidence but Lizzy born the September 16th too, the day (well, night) he's five, he wake up with a nightmare because he couldn't remember his mother.

Fortuity? He will discover that.

The opportunity appears November 1st, the samain day. Because even if Sissy cut contact with her parents, she's still an Irish (as is her first manager and adopted brother Frank Schmidt, so yeah, today she's name is Sissy Schmidt) and she celebrates this holiday in family. And he's very touched that she considers him part of.

(And okay, he admits that he may be pushed a little since he always calls her mum on the set and the stage that she has to adopted him too.)

So, the day comes with all the festive atmosphere, with a very confused Frank who looks at him strangely. And Eli (because he insists that she calls him like this) hopes fircely that maybe he could remember him, apparenty he's his first manager and at that time she's already pregnant of him and his brother (if he refers at his dad's secret movie of her carier start and it's really weird that he get that). But Frank snaps his intense gaze and welcomes him warmly in their fabulous meal.

During the sweets, he goes into action. He pours a bottle of potion that he did this summer while he's certain he will meet her and that he asks his brother to send to him on his birthday (because it's their each other present) in her part of Irish Lemon cake while he self-serves a bowl of porridge (because of his vegan status) with the other half liquid. Of course, it's a potion which work with two entities.

Sure, he says that he won't use magic again because he wants to be no-maj but using a potion isn't really magic, he could just be surperstitious (but he made that himself because it's free). So, the potion is made for two people to link their mind unconsciously during the sleep so that one of them could search in the other mind.

Benefiting his guest status, Eli stays for a sleepover in the guest room. And he discovers the whole story.

The reason that Sissy doesn't remember him is simply because she couldn't. It's not because she forgots them with the times, no, she downright asks a Next to wipe her memories of them. Klaes Eidursson, a Icelandic Next with Erasure talent.

At the end, he knows that he will never find his mother, because she just disappear as he and his brother did in her mind.

They are just not in her memory anymore.

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 (Initially posted : 15 Février 2017 à 21:11)