Defining Factors

Chapter 7: The Fall

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What's that old saying? Hmmm. Oh yeah. The calm before the storm.

Let's play a game. Who can guess James' secret?

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Warnings: Extreme heights. Emotional Upheaval. (I think I mostly write these warning to scare y'all now)

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Thomas.

That was James's only thought right now. Where was Thomas? Of course, he had no idea. He didn't know what Thomas' powers were or how that would affect his normal way of avoiding people. Years ago, before everything changed for Madison, Thomas would just lock himself in his room for days on end. But even then, he always let James in. No one else, just James.

Madison would bring him food or a new book and then they'd lie on his bed and just talk. Usually about trivial things, until Jefferson was either feeling better or ready to talk about what had him holed up in his room. Madison had gotten many calls from his family asking him to come over and get Thomas out of his room. But that was years ago.

James looked down at his gloved hands. Everything was different now. Not only for James, but for Thomas too. Sure, James dealt with his alone, but he was used to dealing with things alone. Thomas, well, he always had James to go to. How long after James' disappearance did Thomas go through that?

Madison stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked to the front door, pushing it open and walking passed the slightly startled guards. Apparently, they didn't get much traffic. The fading evening sun hit his face, warming him slightly, as he left the path, boots hitting soft, green grass as he cut across the field into the forest. On the days that Thomas didn't lock himself in his room, he took long walks, trying to lose himself in nature, he always came back feeling better.

As soon as he was in the cover of the trees, James pulled off one of his gloves, curled his fingers, and slid it back on again. Sure, Madison could teleport, but that didn't help him find Thomas, he had to know where he was. Luckily, he had a method for that.

Thomas didn't notice Madison teleport just outside of his little clearing, but he did notice when Madison walked out of the trees and sat down next him, not saying a thing, just staring ahead as Thomas held his head in his hands, sitting on a log.

Finally, Thomas raised his head. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

James looked at him and then just started laughing silently, like it was all just too ironic. Jefferson finally cracked a small grin when he realized his mistake. "Right. I forgot. That's new, you didn't used to be mute. So, what? Are we just going to sit here? Me saying random nonsense and you staring at me cause you can't respond?"

James rolled his eyes and fished out his phone and handed it to Jefferson. He looked at the message James had written. Is your number still the same?

"Yeah," Jefferson replied, handing it back.

James texted him a moment later. There are other ways to converse numbskull. You talk, I'll type.

"You're an idiot." James rose his eyebrows at him like, 'you really want me to reply to that?' "Where have you been?" Jefferson finally asked.

James looked at him like that was the stupidest thing to ask a teleporter. Everywhere.

"Right."

Egypt mostly.

"Egypt? Why Egypt?"

Mummies are cool and dumping people in the Sahara is always entertaining.