"Son..." his dad began hesitantly. "I know... I know you've been wanting to reveal your power. I know you've been waiting for the chance to tell your friends."
Thomas tilted his head in confusion, unsure what his father meant—until he saw him switch on the TV, to the local news station.
"Although not fully investigated, a small group of witnesses at Union Station reported that a tiny steam locomotive crashed into one of the Canadian commuter trains early this morning. There's only one photo of the incident, and some are even speculating it might be a hoax, since a few observers claimed the locomotive had a face on its front," the announcer explained.
Thomas's eyes widened as he stared at the screen. Slowly, he turned to his father. "U-Uh... that wasn't me, Dad..."
With a resigned sigh, his father replied, "Yes, son, because there's clearly another blue E2 class here in Toronto."
Thomas's gaze dropped.
"Thomas, I know you wanted to come out with your power, but why weren't you more careful?"
Realizing it was time to confess—minus the dimension-hopping part—Thomas took a deep breath, then explained.
"Hmm..." his dad murmured as he processed the news. "So you revealed your power to all your friends... all to save the dance, lad?"
Thomas blinked. "Yes. Basically..."
"Why are you so hung up on the dance? Last year you hated it. And now—wait... isn't this connected to your date with Carter?" his dad prodded.
Thomas's cheeks burned as he nodded. His father smiled warmly. "I see why you did it then. Love really does make you do crazy things, doesn't it?"
Thomas continued to blush. If it weren't for his crush's feelings for Carter, none of today's chaos would have happened. "You look completely drained, son. Good lord, I hope to turn into an engine again, didn't drain you out like this?! I sure hope not?"
Shaking his head, Thomas replied, "No, Dad, we just did... a lot of walking."
"I understand," his father said with a nod.
Excusing himself, Thomas retreated to his room. As usual, he dropped his bag, sat on his bed, and began to mull over the day. "Bloody hell, what a day..." he muttered, rubbing his face. He was now dating his longtime crush, had made a slew of new friends who knew his secret, befriended a famous boyband, and even clashed with a bizarre creature. His emotions were a tangled mix of exhilaration and worry. His eyes drifted to his chest where his necklace lay.
He lifted it to examine the strange design: a heart with a glass orb at its center, inside which a bright white cloud swirled. "What... is that thing, anyway?" he whispered. His father hadn't mentioned it—perhaps he hadn't noticed at all.
Deciding a nap might clear his head, Thomas set the necklace aside and lay down. Just then, his dad knocked on the door. "Thomas? May I add something?"
Thomas sighed softly. He replied, "Yes, Dad." His father entered and said, "Son, I've been saving up for a while now. I kept it a secret as a surprise, but I think it's time you knew."
Thomas sat up, intrigued.
"I finally bought the Island."
Thomas's eyes went wide. "Y-You... What?" he stuttered.
His father's smile was gentle. "It's all ours now. You'll have the space to train and fully harness your power... no pun intended," he chuckled.
Overjoyed, Thomas threw his arms around him. "Thank you, Dad!" his father returned the smile.
"Now, you might be wondering when we're leaving?"
"For the summer?" Thomas guessed.
His dad shook his head. "Wednesday."
"W-Wednesday? This Wednesday?" Thomas asked, shocked.
"I know, I know," his father said. "I understand you're worried about leaving your friends behind."
"I am! My new mates—and Carter!" Thomas blurted.
"Don't worry, son. You won't be away for years—just a few months to get your bearings. I... already did purchase the plane tickets a few months back, because I was certain that I was going to purchase the land around this time. I can't cancel the tickets, because I'll lose that ticket deal and can't get it back," his dad explained.
Then his father reached over to a drawer. "Oh, and here's a little something for you." He handed Thomas a slim, rectangular object.
Thomas eyed it curiously. "What is this?"
His father lifted it to reveal a screen with a keypad underneath. "A laptop. I figured you'd want to keep in touch via email with your friends," he said with a smile.
"A-A laptop?! But dad! Aren't these expensive?!"
His dad smiled, "Just be careful not to lose or damage it. And keep it safe when you're transforming into your locomotive form, okay?"
"I will, Dad!"
The next morning was Monday. Tuesday, the 14th, arrived with the promise of the dance.
Thomas's school held an annual dance—just like the one he'd once attended in Brighton. He'd never cared much for dances, having never had a date to go with, until someone special changed that.
While walking along the sidewalk, Thomas was joined by Carter. "Hey, Thomas!" Carter greeted cheerfully.
Thomas glanced over to see Carter walking by his side. "H-Hey," he replied, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. Although Thomas had harbored a crush on Carter forever, he'd rarely felt shy around him. Now, with the possibility of them becoming something more, his nerves were on edge. Carter, noticing the extra blush, wrapped an arm around him. "So... ready for tomorrow?"
Thomas's face flushed even deeper. "Y-Yep!" he managed. Then he wondered aloud, "How are we even getting to the Skydome if we have school first?"
"I think we go into a bus or something," Carter said.
"Kind of like a field trip?" Thomas asked.
Carter nodded. "I guess. They really went all out for this Valentine's dance this year,"
As they passed a row of houses near the school, Thomas remarked, "I've never been to a dance before... But, weren't the last ones held inside the school?"
"Yeah, in the gym or the cafeteria," Carter replied.
"They did go all out this year," Thomas chuckled.
As they walked, Thomas's thoughts wandered back to last night. He was leaving for the Island on Wednesday—the day after the dance. He dreaded the thought of breaking Carter's heart, yet he was sure they could keep in touch via email. The laptop even had a webcam so he could send pictures of the Island—and maybe even video chat. "I'll tell him later," Thomas promised himself.
Arriving on campus, the festive spirit was infectious. The Valentine's vibe was in full swing—especially among those with dates. In the cafeteria at breakfast, couples sat closely together, clearly marking their bonds. Carter nudged Thomas. "Hey, why don't we sit together like them?" he giggled.
Thomas glanced at a couple from the line. "With... you on my lap?" he stuttered, his face turning scarlet.
"Or vice versa~" Carter teased.
Thomas's blush deepened as Carter continued: "Maybe even feeding each other like in those two over there,"
"All of this feels like a cheesy romance novel," Thomas muttered, covering his face.
Carter snorted. "Guess you could call it that,"
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out:
"THOMAS! GUESS WHAT?!"
"AHHH BUBBLING BOILERS?!" Thomas screamed, clutching Carter in alarm. Realizing it was just Mei, he pouted."Bust my buffers MEI!WHY DID YOU SCARE ME LIKE THAT?!" he snapped.
Carter burst into laughter at his reaction.
"Thomas! You won't believe it—I asked Miriam out, and SHE SAID YES!" Mei announced, her panda ears popped up.
Thomas gasped, smiling. "Really? Wow! Go, Mei! Congratulations!"
"WHOO, I'M SO HAPPY!" Mei cheered before morphing into her full panda form and dashing out of the room. Thomas shook his head with a chuckle.
"Well, someone's having a great day," Carter remarked.
"She even mentioned she had a crush on both Tyler and Miriam a few days ago—glad it worked out for her with Miriam," Thomas smiled.
After waiting in line a while longer, Thomas called, "Hey, Carter, hold my spot."
"What's up?" Carter asked.
"I need to use the restroom. I'll be right back—it's just around the corner," Thomas replied. Carter giggled, "Did Mei really scare you that much?"
Rolling his eyes, Thomas chuckled, "Oh, hush," and hurried off. Though he tried not to run in the halls, he ended up jogging to beat the growing line.
No teacher caught him, but fate had another surprise.
As Thomas rounded a corner, he collided with someone, sending notebooks and pencils flying. Both he and the other student fell to the floor with a resounding. "OmPH!" They both grunted.
Thomas quickly looked up, fearing he'd bumped into a teacher. To his relief, it was just another student. "I'm so sorry!" he said, helping the kid up. The student wore a bright green shirt with a huge number 6 emblazoned on it—the same style as Thomas's own number 1.
"Geez, my second day here, and I'm already falling down," the student remarked.
"I'm sorry!" Thomas said brushing him off. "I should have been watching where I was going." Judging by his tone, the student was new. With curly brown hair, a bit chubby, and freckles scattered across his face, he looked like someone the girls would swoon over. "Um... I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?"
The kid nodded. "My first day was Friday," he said, extending a hand. "I'm Percy."
"I'm Thomas," Thomas smiled as he shook Percy's hand. "You sound like you're from my country, which part are you from?"
"From Bristol," Percy answered. "You know, the good ol' Great Western."
Thomas grinned. "I haven't been there myself."
"I'm from Bristol," Percy said. "The good ol' Great Western," He added.
Thomas nodded with a smile. "Haven't been there before,"
Percy then asked, "Where are you from bruv?"
"Brighton," Thomas replied.
"Ooh... that's quite a distance from Bristol," Percy observed, blinking. Thomas's eyes drifted back to Percy's shirt—why did that number look so much like his own?
After a brief chat, Thomas excused himself again to the restroom. When he returned, he led Percy over to Carter.
Back in the cafeteria, Thomas called, "Carter!" and was surprised to see the line hadn't moved much.
"Thomas! You took your time," Carter teased. Then he noticed Percy. "Who's this?" he asked.
"This is a new student—I met him in the hallway," Thomas explained.
"Hi, I'm Percy!" the new kid said, his smile instantly charming.
"I'm Carter. Nice to meet you!" Carter replied, though his eyes kept drifting to Percy's shirt. "Um..." he blinked, "you two have almost identical shirts."
Percy nodded. "I noticed too, but I didn't mention it—it's pretty funny."
Standing close to Carter—whose hand was naturally holding Thomas's, Percy tilted his head.
Before Thomas could answer, Percy gasped with a wide grin. "Are you two together? Aww, that's adorable! I just love romance!" he exclaimed.
Thomas's face turned even redder. "I-I... T-The... well cough um..." he stammered while Carter looked on with an amused expression. Their eyes met, and Thomas murmured, "Oh... trembling tracks," burying his face in Carter's neck. Carter giggled, and even Percy joined in.
A few minutes later, they grabbed their breakfast and moved toward a table. "Mind if I sit with you guys? I haven't really made any friends yet," Percy asked shyly.
"Sure!" Carter replied with a warm smile. Nearby, Thomas's and Carter's friends were gathered—Mei, sitting here, a little closer to Miriam than usual.
"Wait... you're friends with the panda girl?!" Percy gasped when he saw Mei.
"She's pretty popular, isn't she?" Carter giggled.
As they neared the table, voices erupted.
"Ooh! Guys! Hey!" Miriam called out."Ooh! Who's that?" Abby added."He looks adorable!" she gushed, making Percy blush so hard he nearly couldn't speak.
"Abby, calm down—you're scaring him!" Mei scolded.
Thomas laughed softly. "This is Percy," he introduced.
"Y-Yeah... I'm Percy," the new student repeated, still blushing as he sat next to Tyler.
"No way! You're from Britain like Thomas?!" Miriam exclaimed.
"That's awesome—another British exchange student!" Mei cheered.
Percy blushed again and glanced at Tyler. "Oh, hi!" he said, only to notice Tyler staring intently.
"Hey, you okay?" Percy asked, tilting his head.
"Tyler, you alright, man?" Priya inquired.
Tyler snapped out of his daze. "Yes! I'm fine! I definitely don't think he's cute...," he blurted out, his eyes widening in shock. "I did not just say that!"
"Tyler, we all heard you," Priya teased.
"He's mine!" Abby shouted.
Mei just shook her head, laughing at the scene while poor Percy looked utterly embarrassed.
Leaning over, Thomas whispered to Carter, "I knew everyone would fight over him, and I was right."
Carter laughed softly. "Yeah, no kidding."