Chapter Text
One month later, as Billy builds another house, he’s not so sure about what he said. It’s been a month, and people keep chasing him and Tommy out of every town they come across. Apparently, Billy building a replica of Mama’s house using his magic is “weird” and “unnatural” and “going to call the FBI”, which, rude. So finally he and Tommy gave up and decided to just build their house in the woods, and Tommy could run into town and get anything they needed. Although, Tommy taking food from the big food supply place is “theft” and “how is he so fast” and “going to call the FBI”, so he only does it when other people won’t see.
They’re going to live in the woods, in a “state” called “Colorado”, because Billy wanted to see mountains and Tommy decided the “Appalachians” weren’t big enough. Billy doesn’t tell Tommy that he thinks it’s closer to Mama, because whenever he mentions Mama Tommy gets sad and then angry and Billy doesn’t like making people angry or sad because then he feels angry and sad.
Tommy runs up to Billy, breaking him out of his thoughts. He’s brandishing a soda cup, and he’s excited about something. He’s saying something too fast for Billy to hear, but he can see it just fine. There’s a festival happening in town, something about free food.
Well. Free food that doesn’t get you yelled at when you take it is always a plus. He tells Tommy to go for it, and Tommy grabs him. They run off to town.
There’s a lot of people in town, much more than Billy expected. There’s balloons, and food, and music everywhere. Above all, there’s voices, everywhere. People telling each other about their day, people telling themselves what they were seeing, people telling, telling, telling.
There’s a man balancing on a stack of chairs. The crowd makes a circle around him, cheering. A girl runs by Tommy, and a girl will run into the chairs. She isn’t looking where she is going, caught up in a game of tag. She pushes through the crowd. The man is falling, and the man is going to fall.
The girl hits the chairs. The man falls. Billy throws out his hands, and the man is no longer falling.
A man is floating, suspended by blue light. The voices scream, and people look around frantically, trying to see who saved the man. Tommy is scared suddenly. Strange, all Billy did was save someone.
Someone sees Billy’s outstretched hand and points. The man drops the last few feet to the ground. Billy waves nervously, and men are grabbing Tommy, restraining him to a wall. Billy is screaming.
He blinks. People are turning to look at him and Tommy, and he sees a few of them reaching for a phone. People are starting to talk, to each other and themselves. The voices are climbing.
As his brain gets louder and louder Billy grabs Tommy’s head and concentrates.
Mama! Help us! Mom!
From far away but still close enough, he hears a flash of recognition.
Billy and Tommy make eye contact and grin at each other.
Mama is coming, and she will always be there for them.