Chapter Three
I held you close to me. Felt your heart beat and I thought: I am free. Oh yes, and as one are we in the now and beyond. Nothing and no one can break this bond.
Faith was now two-years-old and was getting into all kinds of trouble. She was quite adventurous for her age and could disappear into a side alley or building, leaving Victoria to panic. Still, she was beginning to learn all of Faith's hiding spots and was able to find her when she wandered off.
However, CERN was the worst place to take a two-year-old. They went over every summer for three weeks so that Vittoria could keep up with her scientific work. There was plenty for her to do in Rome, but CERN was where all the science was happening. It was a home away from home. For Vittoria. For Faith, it was a giant maze full of places to hide from her mother and the other scientists.
One day, in the middle of August, Faith managed to get herself well and truly lost. Her mum was busy working on something important and she had gotten bored of colouring. She picked herself up and went for a wander. She knew that there were places that she wasn't allowed to go and her mother had spoken to her colleagues to keep her out of those areas. Faith enjoyed wandering round CERN. It wasn't like where her mother worked in Rome, it was so much more than a lab. There was a hospital, a pool and even a cinema. Faith would go swimming with her mother in the evenings when things were quieter, and Vittoria was desperately trying to wear her child out. Faith knew to stay out of the hospital as it was a busy place where people went to be made better. But she had never been in the cinema before. Toddling off, she headed in the direction of the cinema. Not knowing her daughter had wandered off, Vittoria continued to work in her lab.
Faith never ceased to be amazed by how big CERN was. Even though she was small, it still felt huge and she knew that it would still feel big when she was thirteen or fourteen years old. She knew the way to the cinema perfectly. She often went for walks while her mother was working. It was the best way to keep herself entertained, but she was usually stopped at the cinema and taken back to her mother's lab. This time, however, there was no-one stood at the door. She toddled in and found her way into the screen. She settled back in the seat as the opening to Pixar's 'Finding Nemo' played. Faith sat and watched as colours and sounds danced across the screen. She laughed and smiled, the characters entertaining her way more than simple colouring. She was unaware that at that moment in time, her mother was looking for her, panicking over where her daughter was…
"Faith!" Vittoria called desperately, running out of the lab, "Faith, dove sei? Where are you?"
"Vittoria?" asked Angus Sinclair, a Scottish scientist who was quite fond of the Italian scientist and her daughter, "Vittoria, what's wrong?"
"It's Faith!" she told him, "She's walked off and I don't know where she is!"
"Well, she only has little legs!" Angus smiled, his smooth scots accent contrasting with her fiery Italian one, "She cannae got too far!"
And the pair of them hurried through CERN, looking into all the places that a two-year-old might hide. Soon, they found themselves in the main atrium, the same place Vittoria had arrived three years ago when she first met Robert and found her murdered father. Shaking those memories out of her head, she called again, "Faith!"
"Vittoria!" called Jackie Stewart from one of the pillars, "Vittoria, she headed towards the entertainment complex half an hour ago!"
Vittoria ran off in that direction while Angus yelled, "Thanks!" as he followed her.
Vittoria's legs pounded the floor as she ran through the corridors ignoring the stares and comments. She needed to know that Faith was alright. She was used to her wandering off and Vittoria knew that she couldn't stop her. She knew that this must be very boring for Faith, but she need to come to CERN to test her theories. The labs here had the equipment she needed, otherwise they would stay in Rome. Someone had usually brought her back by now but they hadn't, which is what made Vittoria scared. Maybe she had been hurt and not been able to find her way back? What if she had gotten herself lost? Scenarios flooded her mind and she did her best to ignore them. As she rounded the corner, she entered the cinema, telling herself it would be ok. She knew she had no reason to panic. Faith was safe, she couldn't go anywhere. But somehow, when it's your child, no amount of rational thought seems to help.
Vittoria entered the first screen she got to, thinking that's what Faith would have done and she was right. Settled into one of the seats in the middle was the sleeping form of her daughter. Vittoria smiled and sighed in relief. She wasn't cross at all, just glad that she was ok. She walked over to the seat next to her daughter and sat down.
"Hey." She said softly.
Faith looked up and was surprised to see her mother sitting next to her. She should be working, Faith thought to herself.
"Enjoy your little adventure?"
Faith looked at her hands thinking that she was in trouble, "I'm sorry mama, I got bored."
Vittoria smiled, "I'm not angry, Faith. I was just worried is all."
Faith looked up at her mum, "You're not mad?"
Vittoria shook her head, "I realise this place isn't fun at all for you. It must be boring at times. Do you want to know a secret?"
Faith grinned and nodded her head.
"I sometimes find it boring here!"
"You do?" gasped Faith.
Vittoria nodded, "And, this is my all time favourite film. Do you mind if I watch it with you?"
Faith shook her head, smiling from ear to ear. She was spending time with her mum that didn't involve a lab or a computer and colouring for her to do. Both mother and daughter settled back in the cinema chairs and got lost in the magic of the movies.
