The Other Side - A Jamilton Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty One

"Do you know where Thomas is?"

Elizabeth shook her head as she moved the playing cards in her deck around. She looked up at me and smiled sympathetically. "Sorry. Wanna play with us?"

"What are you playing?"

"Sin! It's really fun. I can show you how to—"

"No thanks, I'm good," I interrupted.

Her eyes returned to her deck as she studied the cards. "I'll bet a two."

"Two?" Peggy said, putting on a mock serious tone as she narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am," Elizabeth returned, with just as much playfulness in her voice.

"Alriiiight..."

I plopped down in the softly cushioned seat next to Washington and Elizabeth and tried not to think about Thomas. Of course he would disappear just when I needed his help the most. "Couldn't you guys just... magic the cards?"

James held up his arm from across the table, displaying a metallic, rather dull looking armband wrapped around his wrist. "It's meant to stop someone from using magic."

I stared at it for a while, curious as to how it worked.

"Thomas and James invented them," Washington told me without sparing me a glance as Aaron led the round with a three of hearts. "If you want a more in depth conversation, you should go to Thomas."

"Don't even get him going," Angelica said as she rather angrily threw down a king of hearts. "If he starts talking about something like that, he'll never stop." The anger in her voice seemed to be more directed at Aaron, who was giving her a stupid grin rather than Thomas.

"Does anybody know where he is?"

"I bet I do," Peggy offered. "But I don't think he'd want me to tell you."

"Why not?"

"It's kinda... personal. You know?"

"No."

Peggy shrugged simplistically and played the queen of diamonds, trumping the others and taking the hand for herself, much to Angelica's relief. She led the next deal with an ace of spades.

I crossed my arms and watched the card game, hardly interested. My mind kept flashing back to the dream from a few hours ago. I couldn't shake the thought of the king's all-knowing smirk as he ran his fingers gently across the dragon's scales, as if he and the creature had minds and ideals that were one in the same. His confidence was quite intense.

I had this horrible feeling in my gut like a tightened knot. My fingers drummed against the table as I folded my arms on it and rested my head on them.

"What's wrong?" questioned Hercules. He was sitting by the flickering flame in the fireplace on the opposite wall, his eyes closed as he leaned against the couch. John was laying down next to him on his stomach, and I was fairly sure that the usually cheerful boy was asleep. "You're being very grumpy right now."

"I am not," I returned sharply as I raised my head and glowered over in his direction.

Lafayette looked up from his deck and gave me a very flat, unconvinced look. "You can argue about this all day, Alexander, and I know you well enough to know that you'd take pleasure in doing it. But there's no point." His eyes returned to his hand of cards.

I stared at him for a moment before dropping my gaze to the table and tapping my foot against the wooden floor and trying to ground myself in the rhythm. It didn't work, not when all I could think about was the dream.