Oxford found the frequency of a bumble bee. He found several algorithms for similar things actually, and casually told his science teacher about it. Big mistake. The next thing he knew there were cops everywhere, and he was being asked for.
So he quickly packed a backpack, and climbed out his bedroom window.
It was a quiet night, and the fireflies made calming, buzzing sounds as he walked down the sidewalk. It made him feel surreal. As if this wasn't really happening, and he wasn't really running away from home.
Who did something like this so calmly? Who had this happen to them. He stared at the ground as he went until he heard heavy footsteps clomping along behind him. His back pack bumped against his spine as he ran, sneakers complaining as they slammed into concrete.
There was a pit of nervousness caught up in his throat as the wind whipped through his hair, but it didn't keep the laughter down in his stomach. It still came bubbling up into the night for seemingly no reason, sprouting out of his mouth like vomit. Lying about how he felt.
His thighs, and calves ached when he finally stopped, and his stomach was killing him, a burn like alcohol kindling beneath his tongue, and down his throat. Night was really taking hold then, and though the bricks of the buildings, and the stone of the walks were still hot with absent sun, the air was cold.
He leaned down with his hands on his knees, and laughed until he cried, because he didn't know what else to do, and he felt lost even though he knew the streets. He'd memorized all of them by the time he was two. In his mind he could see the map of the city, spreading out, and out.
What would he tell his parents? Would they track him? Would they give up, and think he was dead? Why were they after him?
He remembered his second grade teacher telling him he was too smart, whispering quietly that he should keep his head down. "Pretend to be normal, Ox. It's not good to be unique in America."
Oxford's IQ had scored in America's top percentage when he took the test online at twelve. He was a genius. How could he have been so stupid?