"Okay, I think we can move these boxes over there," stated Rad. "How many more boxes do you have in here," inquired Lyon as he was picking up one box. "Quite a lot. I've been meaning to organize in here now." It was early September, and springtime is just around the corner. Lyon was helping his adoptive father with some spring time cleaning in his garage as they were organizing which boxes should go and which should stay. "What do you have in them," asked Lyon curious to know.

"Oh, these were some of my old stuff back when I was young. I thought getting rid of some of them since it will make the garage more spacious," explained Rad as he was carrying three boxes. Lyon opened one of the boxes to see what Rad had; there were some old things that were from a different time. There were a few cassette tapes, old sport cards, a polaroid camera, and other items that were from the past. "Wow, I don't think I've seen these kinds of things before," added Lyon. "That's because they're from the 80s. Ah, there's the camera," said Rad while pulling it out from the box. "That's an oddly shaped camera," said Lyon.

"Things were different back then. Cameras like these take photos; the film is printing the picture out, and you shake the picture until you get a good-looking image," said Rad. Lyon decided to investigate another box; when he opened the box, he noticed there were old game cartridges inside. What was underneath the games was a retro gaming console with two rectangular controllers. It had the name Barktendo Entertainment System or BES for short. "What's this, dad?" Rad examined what Lyon found. "Well I'll be. I didn't think I still had this. I thought I might have lost it ages ago," replied Rad. "It's my old game console. I used to play computer games in it with your uncles back then."

"This thing plays games? How exactly," asked Lyon with a confused look. "You plug it into the TV, turn on the console, and insert the cartridge into the slot." Lyon seemed fascinated how his father explained the process of turning on the console. "Want to try it out some time," asked Rad. "Sure. I wonder what games you have with you," stated Lyon while looking at the game cartridges. "I have several titles," said Rad as he examined some of them. Some of them were RPG, sport games, fighting games, and racing games. He then noticed some games that had ratings that displayed thirteen and up. "Um, maybe I'll save these ones until you're older," said Rad while taking them from the box, knowing it wouldn't be appropriate for a seven-year-old to play mature games. Lyon simply shrugged, not understanding what that statement meant.

The two kept organizing the garage between some things to keep and some to give away. Rad decided to keep some of his old cassette tapes, gaming console, old comics, and skateboard. Everything else such as his old t-shirts with slogans, sport cards, old VHS movie tapes, and hats were to be given away. "I guess that's everything. Hopefully this keeps the garage spacious for a while," said Rad while unloading the last box. "What will happen to the stuff you're getting rid of," asked Lyon. "I was thinking of selling them next week in a garage sale."

Lyon went to check back in the garage to see if there was anything left behind. He looked around the corner, and noticed a mysterious shaped figure covered in a sheet. He slowly approached it to see what was in the sheet. When he uncovered it, what he saw was an old light blue bike. "What did you find Lyon," asked Rad coming back inside the garage.

"I found a bike," added Lyon. Rad looked and was amazed when he saw his old bike from his youth. "I didn't think I would find this again either," he said ecstatically. "You rode in it," inquired the wolf dog.

"Of course. Those were the good old days. Me, and your uncles would often ride our bikes afterschool in the afternoons. We did skids a lot," added Rad. Lyon was even more curious of his adoptive father's time. "Did my dad have a bike too? You did say you were friends with him back in the day?"

"Yup. Your father would come along with us as well," said Rad.

"You've got to tell me what it was like back then. Now I'm even more curious," pleaded Lyon in a playful tone.

"Well, it was a long time ago, but I'll do my best," said Rad. He leaned against the wall ready to explain the story to his son. "I did say this happened around the 80s. I was around my teenage years with your uncles back then."

Past:

The setting takes place in the 80s; a younger version of the Heeler brothers rode their bikes in front of the house with Rad's friend Marc. In this time, Rad was approximately between fourteen to fifteen years of age with Bandit being ten, and Stripe seven. Marc was about Rad's age as well.

"Nice skid, Rad," said the wolf teen.

"Thanks, I've gotten a lot better since coming back from our holiday," said Rad. His brothers skidded next to him; Bandit skidded about the same as his eldest brother with Stripe doing a weaker skid. "You still can't skid right, Stripe," added Bandit.

"I just need more practice," complained Stripe.

"Your wheels are flat by the way," pointed out Bandit. Stripe looked down at his bike's wheels; they seemed to be in good condition. "Made you look, ya dirty chook," chuckled the middle child. "Didn't you learned your lesson from before," asked Rad with a scowl. "Do you want to be jinxed again," he said with a mischievous look. Bandit's eyes widened when he heard Rad say the word 'jinxed'. "Um, no I was just kidding Stripe," said Bandit nervously while recalling the holiday trip's incident. "That's okay. As long as you learned your lesson," said Stripe.

"After this, do you want to come inside to play on our console," asked Rad to Marc. "Definitely," agreed Marc. "Mum and dad are still not home yet. They're getting us battered fish for dinner," said the eldest heeler brother. "Let's keep skidding for now," said Bandit. The four boys kept riding their bikes for an hour until they went inside the living room. They were turning on the game console connected to a tube tv; all four decided to play a fighting game with two teams. The game appeared to be a classic 8-bit video game. "Okay, so Bandit and Stripe will control the second control while we play as player one," suggested Rad. Both the teenagers picked out their character on screen. "Hang on, you're getting the better fighter," said Bandit. "We wanted to pick him first."

"We're the first player so we get to pick first. You can pick one of the other fighters," said Rad.

"That's not fair. Why do we have to pick a weaker one," complained Stripe.

"Because we're older than you two," said Rad. Both Bandit and Stripe were upset over the fact they couldn't pick out their favorite fighter in the game. However, Marc didn't want to see his friend's younger siblings upset. "That's alright. I'm fine picking someone else." Rad then turned at Marc, slightly surprised that he didn't want to play as the character he chose for themselves. "Oh. You're sure," asked Rad.

"I don't mind. Let your brothers take our character."

"Yes! Thank you Marc," stated Bandit excitedly. Both Bandit and Stripe were grateful that Marc allowed them to pick the character they wanted. The older boys picked out a different fighter instead. The four played nonchalantly while mashing buttons on the controllers. Both Marc and Bandit were competing in the first round as their game characters were exchanging punches. "You're quite skilled Bandit," complemented Marc.

"Oh, you've seen nothing yet," said Bandit as he was about to use the special move. His character was able to defeat Marc's character on screen. "Good game," said Marc. "Thanks, you were good too," added Bandit as both boys shook hands. "Okay, it's me versus Stripe now," said Rad as he took over the controller. It was the second round, and both Stripe and Rad were mashing buttons to see who would win the second round. "Eat this," said Stripe as he unleashed powerful punches to player one's character. Rad managed to dodge the punches from Stripe's character. "You'll have to try better than that," added Rad as he kept dodging each blow. He then saw an opening and managed to unleash critical strikes at Stripes character. "Aw, come on. I was so close," said Stripe with a saddened face.

"You were wide open. I was able to bypass your defense," said Rad. Just now both parents came back with dinner in their bags. A visibly younger version of Chris and Bob came in the kitchen setting the bags down. "Alright boys, we're back," shouted Bob. The two younger brothers rushed to the kitchen to greet their parents. "That was a fun fighting game," added Marc.

"I know right? We also have an RPG dungeon crawler game as well," said Rad. "By the way, it was nice of you to let my brothers pick out our first character."

"I just thought of them. Seeing them happy just reminds me of my little brother."

"You have a little brother? I didn't know that," said Rad.

"Well, I'm telling you that right now. I think he's about Bandit's age. He's quiet, but he really is a great kid," mentioned Marc. The teenagers went to the kitchen and saw dinner spread out in the table. "Oh, I see your friend is still here," said Chris.

"We were playing on the console until you came back with dinner," said Rad. "That looks good," remarked Marc as he saw the battered fish with chips and salad. "You're welcome to have dinner with us if you like," said Chris inviting Marc for dinner. "Merci. But it is getting late. I should head back home," said Marc modestly. "Oh, come on. It is Friday night after all," said Rad. "You can even stay with us for the night. Can he, mum?"

"Well, I would have to call my parents first for permission," added Marc. "Do you have a phone so I can ask them?"

"There's one right on the table in the hallway," pointed out Bob. Marc went to the landline phone to call his parents regarding staying with the Heelers for the evening. While he was doing that, Rad sat down next to his brothers. "I hope his parents say yes. I really like Marc. He was very nice when playing the game," said Stripe.

"Well, we must wait and see. I have no objections for him to stay for the night," said Chris.

"How did you become friends with him Rad," asked Bandit. "He's a foreign exchange student at school. I met him on the first day of classes. He said that the school is paying for him to attend classes, and that his family moved here because of his father's job."

"Oh, cool," added Bandit. Marc came back to inform everyone about him staying here. "I was able to ask them, and they said yes," said Marc.

"Yes, sleepover," hollered Bandit.

"Bandy, inside voice," chided Chris.

"Sorry, mum," said Bandit.

The Heeler brothers were excited that their friend was going to sleep with them for the night. After dinner, the four boys were in the bedroom; Bandit and Stripe shared a bunk bed with Stripe sleeping above Bandit while Rad slept in a twin-size bed. Both teenagers were brushing their teeth in the bathroom. "Dad's going to get the inflatable bed. You can sleep in my bed, and I can sleep in the air bed," said Rad.

"Thank you, but I am fine sleeping on the air mattress," said Marc. "But you're the guest of honor. It's fitting for you to sleep in a better mattress," insisted Rad. "Well, if that's what you want," added Marc. The two boys went to the room; Bandit was reading his comic book while Stripe was tinkering with a cube puzzle. Bob was finishing filling up the air in the inflatable bed. "There, that should do it," he said while turning off the air machine. "All four boys were tucked in bed as both parents were wishing them goodnight. "Sleep well. Don't stay up too late," said Chris as she eyed her own three children. The three boys nodded as the couple went to their bedroom. Rad, Bandit, and Stripe scrutinized the hall to make sure their parents' room were off and hurried back to the room. The four boys sat in a circle ready to converse with one another. "I think they're asleep. It's safe to talk right now," whispered Bandit.

"So what do you want to do? We can talk about things, share ghost stories, or play a board game with the torch lamp on," asked Rad. "Please, no ghost stories," said Stripe worriedly. "Why? Are you afraid of them," asked Marc. "He tends to be a big baby over ghost stories. One time me and Rad shared this eerie story about a lost girl, he cried off to mum and dad. After that, we both got in trouble," teased Bandit.

"I did not! Besides, mum and dad say ghost stories give me nightmares," humphed Stripe.

"Yeah, maybe no ghost stories. We could play a board game or chat," said Rad.

"Well, I do want to talk about something happening to me at school," asked Marc.

"Oh? And what is this about," inquired Rad with a curious face. Marc rubbed his arm in embarrassment. "The thing is, I just met someone at school recently. And she's quite cute. And, um…," Marc stuttered as he was trying to come up with a sentence. Meanwhile, the three brothers' eyes widened; "Ooooh, someone is in love," teased Bandit.

"Bandit, stop teasing Rad's friend," chided Stripe. "Come on, it's obvious he wants advice on romance," said Bandit. "Enough. Both of you. Continue Marc," stated Rad, wanting the two younger brothers to not interrupt Marc's story. "So it all started when I was coming back from my honors French class, and I bumped into this girl by accident. When I looked at her, I was in awe by her looks. She had fur white as snow, and light blue eyes. She looked like a husky of sorts. When I apologized to her for bumping, she said it was okay. I managed to help her with her things, but I forgot to ask her name," explained Marc.

"White fur, and bright blue eyes… that's quite interesting," muttered Rad as he pondered if he recognized the student before. "Was she in the same grade as us?"

"Je ne suis pas sûr. I didn't ask her as she left in a hurry. I do want to learn more about her when I get the chance."

"Maybe we can ask some students next week," said Rad.

"No way. I don't want her to find out that I'm looking for her. What if she thinks I'm a stalker or if I say something stupid," said Marc.

"What's the worst that can happen? Besides, you want to get to know her right," inquired Rad. "You don't want to miss that chance out."

"Rad's right. I met this girl at our holiday trip; it started out when I helped Stripe when he was stuck in the prickle brush. When he refused to say my name while I was jinxed, a red heeler girl said my name from the hat I wore. The first time we met I didn't get the chance to ask her who she was," explained Bandit.

"Well, you do make a point," said Marc. The four heard footsteps from the hallway and rushed to their beds to make sure the parents didn't know they were still up. Bob went to the kitchen for a glass of water and took a quick glance in the boys' bedroom to make sure they were asleep; the four pretended to be asleep, and he went back to his bedroom. Marc then thought about Bandit's advice on finding the girl at school and getting to know her better. "Well, I suppose I could give it a shot," said Marc to the three boys.

Present:

"So that's what life was like in the past," asked Lyon. "Definitely. Your father was really kind back then," said Rad. "But that girl he mentioned. Could that have been mum? Did you three attended the same school?"

"Well, the details were hazy, but it was possible your mother met your father during that time."

"And he said he had a brother. Did you ever meet him?"

"I did once, but after graduation, his family moved away. I said he wanted to stay here after finishing high school, and his folks moved back to their homeland. I presumed the little brother went with his parents after all."

"So you haven't exchanged contact info with his parents," asked Lyon earnestly.

"No, sorry. I've only met them a few times back then," said Rad apologetically.

"Oh. I thought maybe I could have been able to talk to them the first time," remarked Lyon sadly. "If you do manage to find any more information regarding what I asked the last time, will you let me know."

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do," said Rad.

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise." Lyon then turned to the bike. "What do you think we'll do with the bike," asked Lyon. "I guess I can hold on to it. Maybe teach you how to ride one," suggested Rad.

"Really? You'll teach me," asked Lyon with a grin.

"Sure, I think you might be able to fit on it," said Rad. "We can do it right now if you like."

"Oh, I can't wait to get started," said Lyon excitingly. During the rest of the day, Rad was teaching Lyon the basics of riding a bike; Lyon listened to his father intently as he riding the bike. "It's tricky," said Lyon while wobbling. "Practice takes time. You gotta persevere, sport," said Rad while trying to support Lyon from falling off the bike. After a long afternoon with the bike lesson, the two dogs were preparing for bedtime; Lyon was brushing his teeth while Rad was doing the same as well. He then went to tuck in his son, ensuring that he has a good night sleep. "Remember, if you have a nightmare again, don't hesitate to wake me up, okay," asked Rad.

"Yes, dad," said Lyon. "I think I'm doing a little better the past nights. I haven't had much nightmares recently."

"Good for you, sport. Sleep tight," said the red heeler patting his son's head. When Rad went outside of his son's bedroom, he headed straight to his room. He checked on his phone; unbeknownst to him during the day he received an email message from the foster home where he adopted his son. "Huh, it took them a while to get back to me," he muttered to himself. He clicked on the email app, and opened the email message.

Mr. Heeler,

Thank you for reaching out to us in regards about Lyon's family history. I am sorry for the delayed response, but I needed to properly assess the situation regarding his family ties, and as you are the legal guardian, I think it is wise to tell you the truth. I have discussed this with my boss, Amelia Stewart, and it would be the right thing to tell you all this. However, I feel as if we need to properly discuss this in person. If you can find the right time and location to meet up, I will be more than willing to share this information with you. I must also ask that we do this at our discretion from Lyon. I fear he is still too young to understand all this. I'm sorry, but I have my reasons; I do hope you understand.

Sincerely,

Dana Ryan

Rad was bewildered by the last statement. Why would this conversation exclude Lyon from finding out? Does he not have the right to learn about any family ties in Brisbane? For now, he should consider about Dana's request, and find the right time next week to speak with her, and be able to drop Lyon at either of his brothers' houses to babysit him.

Well, this ending turned out to be mysterious. I'm looking forward to add more mystery in this story. I wonder what Rad will find out about Lyon's request from the previous chapter. Also, I've read some reviews if I'm going to include Frisky, and yes, her role will be coming soon in this story.