"D-David…"
Deafening silence followed the reveal. Memories flooded Jamie's mind, images of a tall, teenage boy with black hair, similarly colored facial hair, and tattoos holding a magazine in front of two frightened girls.
Jamie sucked in his teeth and drank from his coffee, his eyes looking deep into those of David's, who quickly looked away as he squirmed awkwardly in his seat.
"So this is why you just disappeared one day." Jamie broke the silence. "I'm guessing you awakened as a Wizard, got recruited by Dynamos and was whisked away to the middle class sector, never to be seen again?"
"Yeah…" David meekly confirmed.
"Uh-huh." Jamie nodded as the silence returned.
Although confused, seeing the two converse, Terry began to put things together somewhat, though he opted to continue observing before inserting himself back into the conversation.
Bothered by the silence, David cleared his throat to alleviate some tension. He felt Jamie's accusing eyes on him as the awkward silence continued. Fortunately, after an usually loud slurp from his coffee, Jamie broke it again.
"So, David, you're not still trying to touch little girls anymore, are you?"
Terry, who was completely unprepared for the words that left Jamie's mouth, spat out the coffee he was sipping all over the table, getting some onto Jamie's arm and earning them some looks. David on the other hand burst into a fit of violent coughing.
"Yuck." Jamie wiped off the coffee spray with a napkin before his eyes widened. He put on a serious look and turned to Terry, who had finished wiping himself off.
"I was joking earlier, but now I have to make sure… How old is this 'Fiana' lady?"
"She's older than me!" David blurted out before Jamie could escalate his absurd questions any further.
"What a relief." Jamie made a show of sighing in relief and patting his chest, making David glare at him. Jamie smiled a little upon seeing his anger. "Now there's the David I know. Still gonna chase me down and beat me up like all those times before?"
"You…" David seemed like he was going to say something, but instead looked down and sighed solemnly. "I deserve that."
"I agree."
"I'm gonna take a wild shot in the dark and say that Jamie is that kid you used to mess with?" Terry looked at David, who nodded while still looking down. "Well, knowing how you used to be, I don't blame him for his reaction."
"Look, I know how bad he used to be since I'm the one that trained him myself," Terry turned to Jamie, unable to tell what the boy was feeling. "But I assure you I've whipped him into shape to never act that way again. David's a changed man, Jamie."
"I know. I can at least tell that much." Jamie went for another sip, but frowned instead upon realizing he finished his coffee. Setting down the empty cup, he sighed. "Can you really blame me for wanting to punish him a little, though?"
"I suppose not, but he's sorry. He really is. He's been feeling guilt and remorse over his past actions for years now."
Jamie didn't respond, only looking at David. What used to be a raucous, rude bully was now the meek man in front of him. It felt strange. Jamie wasn't sure how he felt about the whole revelation, but he was certain of one thing. The reason for this meeting.
"Well, thanks for the coffee and everything, but I'm gonna say no to all this Family business." Jamie stood up, pushing his chair back under the table. He looked at his wrist and made a face, fully aware that he owned no watches. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to pick up my brother from school."
"Hold on. I have one last thing to tell you." Before Jamie could react, Terry was standing as well, gripping his left wrist.
"What are you-" Jamie began to resist, his flight or fight response being triggered, that is until he heard the words Terry whispered into his ear.
He stepped back with a frown and looked at Terry to read his expression, alarmed by his words. A breeze blew past them, ruffling the Agent's black hair, yet the stare from his piercing blue eyes remained unbroken. Terry slowly let go of Jamie's wrist.
"...Where and when?" Jamie put a hand over his left wrist, the mood having changed completely.
"Barrick Forest, It's a few blocks away from the Dynamos Public School." Terry gave Jamie precise directions. "Look for a clearing. I'll be waiting for you there until midnight."
Nodding, Jamie didn't linger any longer, walking away. Terry returned to sit with David.
"Phew, you two have a complicated past, huh?" Terry exhaled and leaned back in his seat, unbothered by David's lack of reaction. "That Jamie kid was all quiet and passive until he pieced together your identity. I'm guessing he's why you've been acting strange this whole time? You feel ashamed?"
David grit his teeth at Terry's words, feeling a sort of pressure build up inside of him.
"Shame we couldn't get him to help us. Personally, he doesn't look like much, but if Beck praised him, there must be something special about him."
"..."
Ignoring David's frustrated expression, Terry continued to yap about this and that, not failing to make sure Jamie was mentioned one way or another.
"Honestly, I don't think we're getting the full picture here. That's the kid that single handedly took over the control rig for the hovertrain? Unless he's got superpowers or a ton of firepower, I don't see how he did it. I call bullshit."
"You should've seen it, David… the rig was in ruins. How the hell did Jamie do that?"
"How do you think Jamie lost that arm? I've got an idea but… ah, nevermind."
"..."
"Seriously, what does he bring to the table? With how much Beck praised him, you'd think he was talking about Saxon Vale!"
"DAMN IT!"
Unable to bear it anymore, David abruptly stood up with a roar, startling the other customers around them into silence. Knocking over his chair, he ran off in the same direction Jamie went in, his footsteps echoing on the pavement.
Looking at the sky was Terry, acting oblivious to David's outburst. A small smile appeared on his lips as he stood up as well, fixing his chair and then David's. He watched the younger Agent run into the distance, desperately trying to catch up with Jamie.
"Took you long enough."
Terry patted himself on the back for a job well done before walking away. He could see how affected David was from meeting Jamie. He could tell how badly he needed to apologize and set things straight. So, Terry just nudged him until he decided to act for himself.
Now that Jamie, David, and Terry were all safely out of range, a pair of eyes revealed themselves from behind a newspaper, though strangely enough, the right eye was brown while the left was a deep shade of black, though an occasional flash of yellow could be seen if one looked closely.
The eyes belonged to an old man with a stick and a cap, seated at a table not too far from the one Jamie sat at.
"Looks like Jamie didn't know about that troublesome barrier." The old man clicked his tongue as two voices came out that didn't match his face. Hearing what he sounded like, the old man cleared his throat repeatedly and rambled until the voice that left his mouth sounded like it would belong to him. "That's better."
"They don't seem to be aware of my existence, either, which is a good thing."
The old man continued to mumble as he folded the newspaper and placed it on the table, not forgetting to wipe a black substance off. It wasn't his fault he naturally secreted it!
Limping away from the coffee shop with the help of his stick, the old man entered an alley, where his left pupil turned from black to bright, blinding yellow as soon as he was submerged in darkness.
"Let's keep it that way."