Thomas ran through the hallway. He couldn't let that girl tell everyone about him. He came up to a corner, but once he rounded it, he slammed into Mei, and all her friends and all of them came crashing down to the ground, they all yelped as Thomas collided with them.

Thomas gasped when he realized he was on top of Tyler. He quickly scrambled to his feet with his face a little red.

Tyler blinked at him. "Dude, why you running for?" He asked, as he got up, then helped up Mei, who helped up her three other friends.

Thomas didn't know what to say, he just stood there, with his face looking stressed out.

Mei raised an eyebrow. "Okay, seriously, what's up with you? This is the second time you've done this—bolting off like a lunatic. Remember yesterday, when you sprinted to the bathroom like your life depended on it?"

"Dude, it's totally fine if you have a weak bladder or something." Priya added with her clam voice.

But it wasn't a bathroom break Thomas had to use. And he really didn't know how to come clean that he can change into a 50 ton steam locomotive right now. He felt like he would of sounded stupid.

"Are... you ok? You actually look really stressed out, no joke." Mei said, studying Thomas's face.

Priya shrugged. "Weak bladders are common, no shame in it." She said.

Thomas wiped at his sweaty brow, feeling the walls closing in. He wanted to confess, but the words wouldn't come.

"S-Sorry! Gotta get to class!" he blurted, ducking past them before they could press further.

As he disappeared into the crowd, Mei crossed her arms, frowning slightly.

"Is it just me, or does he seem...off?" she asked the group.

Abby nodded. "I wonder what's bothering him-"

"I'm so freaking stupid! Why can't I keep the engine in all of a sudden!?" Thomas yelled, as him and Carter was both walking home.

Thomas grunted as he kicked a piece of stone. He was upset.

Then he felt his body change. 'No... not next to Carter...' He would have plenty time to get away from him, but he didn't want to put his best friend in danger. So, he tried to calm himself.

Carter glanced over, catching the intensity in his friend's expression. "It almost happened again, didn't it?" he asked softly.

Thomas exhaled one last deep breath and nodded, staring down at the ground. "Y-Yeah..." he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Without hesitation, Carter draped an arm around Thomas's shoulders. The gesture was simple, but it worked. The warmth and familiarity of his best friend's presence eased the storm inside Thomas. Slowly, the engine's pull began to fade, leaving him calmer.

Thomas let out a long sigh, his shoulders relaxing. "Do you think I should tell Dad about what's been going on?"

Carter shrugged thoughtfully. "Only if you're ready. Do you want to tell him?"

Thomas hesitated, then looked at Carter. "Maybe. I feel like I should. And... I think I want to ask him some questions too. I've never really understood why I'm like this, and it's starting to feel like I need answers."

Carter nodded. "Makes sense. I mean, Mei didn't understand her situation at first either. Her parents eventually explained everything, right?"

"Yeah..." Thomas murmured, though the worry still lingered in his tone. "I'm just afraid Dad's gonna freak out. What if me losing control like this makes him even more nervous than I already am?"

Carter gave him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. "Getting support is way better than keeping it all bottled up. Trust me, man. It'll only get worse if you try to deal with it alone. The more help you have, the better."

Thomas glanced at Carter, a small, grateful smile tugging at his lips. "That's... actually really good advice."

Carter grinned back. "If only I was better at following my own advice," he joked, shaking his head.

Thomas just sighed, as he placed his left arm around Carter. "I'm here for you, if you need it mate,"

"See you, Thomas!" Carter waved as Thomas walked toward his front door. Thomas paused, staring at the door, and let out a long sigh. 'I'll just tell Dad about this,' he thought.

He turned the handle, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. In the kitchen, his dad was rummaging through the cabinets.

"Now, what was I supposed to use again? Cheese? Which one…?" His dad muttered to himself, flipping through a recipe book. Then, he opened the fridge and peered inside. "Why on earth do I have so many different kinds of bloody cheese…?" He took out one, that had blue spots. "Was this blue cheese.. Or is that just mold?"

Thomas set his bag on the ground, then shut the door. His dad got startled, and banged his head on the top of the fridge. "OW!" He took his head out and saw Thomas. "Oh, Thomas. It's just you."

Back to his search, he grumbled, "I'm trying a new recipe, but it calls for Parmesan cheese—and I swear, I have every cheese except Parmesan." He sighed, pulling out random blocks of cheese. "I know I bought some last week. Where is it?"

Thomas sat at the kitchen bar, watching his dad dig around the fridge. 'Is this even a good time to tell him?' He thought. He looked at his dad. "Um... Dad? Can I ask you something?" He asked.

"Sure, Tom, ask away," his dad replied, still distracted by the fridge.

Thomas hesitated. "Um… why… can I turn into an engine?"

His dad froze mid-motion, his head poking out from the fridge, his brow furrowed. "Huh? That's a bit random. Why the sudden question?"

Thomas's heart skipped a beat. He had to say it. "Dad… my engine is coming out again."

That made his dad bang his head on the top of the fridge for the second time. "W-What?!" He turned around, coming out from the fridge. "I-It's coming out again?!"

Thomas sighed and nodded.

"Oh, bloody hell," his dad muttered, rubbing his forehead. Thomas kept his gaze on the floor, too embarrassed to meet his dad's eyes.

"Thomas, why do you look so down?" his dad asked, voice softening.

"Because I'm dangerous," Thomas said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You know… about that incident."

His dad took a deep breath. "Son, that was an accident. Yes, people got hurt, but they recovered. You did everything you could to be careful. And—I know—that you've tried to keep this… 'power' under control. But even I understand that you can't keep something like that bottled up forever without some kind of leak."

Thomas looked up at his dad, a little shocked. "You're… not mad?" he asked.

"Thomas, how can I be? And to be honest, I'm proud of you. You kept it in for this long with no problems? That's better than how..." Then he stopped himself.

Thomas cocked his head. "Better than what?" He asked.

His dad sighed deeply. "It's time I tell you." He stepped out of the kitchen, pulling the fridge door shut with a soft thud. "To the couch," he said, motioning for Thomas to follow. Thomas got off of the stool, then walked over to their sofa in the living room. Thomas sat down, and then his dad sat next to him.

"There's a reason you can turn into an engine, Thomas," his dad began, his voice serious. "And I'm going to explain it all."

Long ago, not too long ago—around the 1960s—there was a young woman. A young lady who was one of the first female train engineers. She worked day and night with steam locomotives, and she really loved her job. Trains to her, was like gold. She loved em to death. She was even one of the top on the crew, she could of even worked the entire steam engine herself without help from a fireman. She, had a 'mystical' connection with these water drinking, and coal eating machines. And, I really mean mystical. She always claimed that she could 'talk' to the engines. Everyone thought she was mad, of course. But, what happened later proved she was telling the truth.

One day, when she came to work with her engine, she noticed that there was less steamers in the yard. She had assumed it was the other engineers, who had come to work early and already had fired up their steamer and had gone and left. But then, she saw a few engines that she never seen before, backing up into the yard.

Diesel engines.

The steamers where being replaced with the modern engines.

She of course, didn't like this. But there was nothing she could of done. One by one, all the steam locomotives where being sold for scrap metal. And they soon targeted her steam engine. Remember, she has a mystical connection with steam engines. She didn't want hers to be melted into liquid metal. So... she did something about it.

Her mystical connection, are actually powers. She went to an abandoned Island on the coast of England, that was home to an old railway, known as the Shining Time Railway. She found an old pair of buffers, and used these buffers, as a gate way to a the same Island she was on, but to an alternative dimension of it. The magic she used, turned herself into a steam locomotive. Her mystical connection with the railway, connected to other humans on the planet, giving them powers to be able to turn into steam engines. This wasn'tsupposed to happen. The powers where supposed to bring the engines that where goingto be scrapped, a living andbreathinglife in this new realm, but the powers turned humans into engines instead... All over the world.

Then, Thomas's dad looked at Thomas. "And...You're one of those humans." He said.

Thomas's jaw dropped, unable to process the weight of what he had just heard. "Dad… how come you never told me about any of this before?"

"I... Just didn't know when the right time was." He said.

"Is… is there anyone else like me?" Thomas asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

His dad nodded. "Yes. I know most of them. When you where little, I met a few. It seems like this... "curse" binds everyone to these magical buffers, calling everyone to this magical railway who's been effected by it. When I was planning to buy the Island to make sure it stays intact, I saw them. A young lad, way older than you by now, in a red shirt. A boy probably around your age at the moment in a green shirt, and a man my age in a brown shirt. They all got called by the magic to this place. But... for some reason no one could enter, or find the magic buffers."

Thomas absorbed the information, processing it slowly. "You... ever thought to bring me back there?"

His dad shrugged. "I'd even want to see my home country again, England, but right now it's to much money to even get to England much less that abandoned Island." He said.

Thomas stared at the floor, his mind racing with everything he had learned.

"I think it's best we focus on what we can handle now. You said your engine came out—has anyone at school found out yet?"

"No," Thomas said quickly. "I made sure to hide it. I was away from everyone when it happened."

His dad nodded. "Good."

"Carter's the only one I've told. He's known for a while now."

His dad chuckled. "You really trust that boy, don't you?"

Thomas flushed, groaning in embarrassment. "Daaaad, stop it…"

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" His dad laughed, getting up from the couch. "I'm going to go keep hunting for that missing Parmesan cheese."

Thomas watched as he left the living room.

Then, he looked at the window. 'Wow... what a story. Is it even real? It has to be. It's not her fault on why I'm like this, though. I completely understand her. Dieselization must of been a horror for her.' He thought. Then, he sighed. 'I wish I was near tracks.'