As long as Ian could remember, he had no mother.
His earliest memories was of his first adoptive father at the time. He was once known as a well-respected actor but after some poorly received movies added with some scandals. The man's public reputation took a nosedive and that was where Ian came in. The man adopted infant Ian to spark public Interest again meaning in front of the cameras, he was a loving father to Ian, but without the cameras, he was cold and distant to the young boy. The boy's unique silver hair and eyes didn't bother the failing actor as it increased sympathy for the child which in turn favored the man even more.
At the time, Ian was too young to understand this so he thought it was normal to be cheerful in front of the cameras and pretend to be grumpy when the cameras aren't pointed at him.
So like any innocent 3 year-old, Ian would often act grumpy in front of his nanny causing her to panic and spoil Ian with sweets or superhero cartoons. This in turn, gave Ian the idea that he'll be rewarded if he pretended to be in a bad mood.
One time, Ian's foster father noticed this behavior and like any fame-seeking parent seeing a gifted child, he chose to cash in on Ian's potential acting ability. The foster father saw this as a future investment along with the prestige of raising an acting prodigy. He even recklessly increased the nanny's salary so that she'll continue indulging on Ian's erratic behavior.
Months passed as Ian's foster father, James, put Ian through acting classes and tried to get roles for the young boy through his agent at the time. But reality kicked in soon after as James' finances was running low from recklessly spending on sports cars and eating at expensive restaurants. This prompted him to fire Ian's nanny in order to keep paying his agent.
But now, James was stuck between either finally acting like a father to Ian or hire a cheaper nanny.
He chose the cheaper nanny option. This time, instead of a online service where nannies had some fancy license to raise children, James chose the cheapest option that he could find.
Greglist.
In no time, a new nanny was hired and her name was Jodie Everson.
When Ian met his new nanny, his only thought at the time was how plain and poor she looked compared to his previous nanny. Her brown hair was tied into a ponytail highlighting her plain facial features even more. The small freckles along with her baggy clothes highlighted her homely look which was enough for James to hire her at the time. His previous nanny was hired by James because of her good looks and not her qualifications as a nanny aside from her license she acquired online.
On the first day of their meeting, Ian decided to act grumpy like usual and waited for Jodie's reaction. Her reaction to Ian's sour mood was surprising for Ian. Jodie didn't panic, instead she calmly smiled and lifted the small boy up to hug him. Jodie's action surprised Ian as he hardly remembered being hugged like this.
For the first time in a long time though, Ian felt the warm comfort of a mother figure.
Days go by as Ian was forced to attend acting classes but at least Jodie was there to give him head pats after finishing his classes. Ian unconsciously smiled whenever she patted his head and deep within, Ian wanted to call her his mom.
One day, Jodie decided to bring her son, Mike, after asking James for permission and even suggested it like a playdate to which James agreed as he didn't care what happened to his future cash cow beside Ian becoming an acting prodigy under James tutelage. At first Ian was afraid of Mike since all the children his age would look at Ian funny due to his silver eyes and hair but Mike seemed very excited to have a friend to play with.
They quickly bonded over superhero cartoons and chatted on who's their favorite while Jodie would simply watch over them and smile.
Weeks passes by and the Eversons would continue brightening Ian's once lonely life bringing many joys to a innocent child's heart. Mike would bring superhero comic books from time to time so that he and Ian would read them together.
At one point, Mike would happily brag about how his father is a detective and was like a real life superhero solving crimes and arresting the bad guys. Innocently, Ian was convinced by it and silently wished for his dad to be a hero too. Jodie, on the other hand, smiled bitterly at the innocent youths unaware of detective works in homicide.
The cases that her husband, Hank, worked on revealed the darkness in mankind as he would come home often with a haggard look and spoke very little to his family. She hope to convince him one day to switch departments or at the very least convince him that humanity was still beautiful in her eyes.
Because it is.
That beauty was happening in front of her between the unlikely friendship of two boys.
Months passes by and Ian, after turning 5 years-old, finally passed an audition for a supporting role in a streaming tv show starring some A-list actors and a respectable showrunner. James, ecstatic that his investment is paying off very early in Ian's life, decided to raise Jodie's wage. However, the kind woman refused and insisted on more spending money as Ian's nanny to which James agreed.
With more money on hand, Jodie was able to take Ian outside along with Mike to wherever a child would want to go. From amusement parks, to the beach near them, or simply to shop for toys that they've always wanted.
At one point during a trip to Pekoland, a very peculiar amusement park that Ian had always wanted to go to, he unconsciously called Jodie his mom.
To which, Jodie could only smile in reply. She didn't have the heart to deny a child's desire for a motherly figure. Meanwhile Mike was excited at the prospect of a brother so he played along with Ian's antics.
The happiness of that time together was so sweet that Ian thought it would last forever but reality was cruel enough to bitterly reveal itself to Ian later in his youthful life.
Looking back, Ian was truly lucky to meet such a kind woman in such a cruel world. Yet it also reminded Ian why he had to return to his world as soon as possible.
Jodie only had a month left and that was if she was lucky. The poor kind woman suffered the same illness that tragically claimed many victims across the world, Cancer.
Then...
Ian had an idea.
That something was what forced Ian to wake up from his trip down memory lane.