Title: Boarding School
Summary: Pioneer Academy is a boarding school for Children from 10 to 18. Alan, Gordon, Virgil and Ava are all attending. But it's Virgil and Ava's final year. And they are going to rule the school. 7/24 Avalon Tracy Series.
Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds in any way or capacity, anything recognizable belongs to the rightful owners.
AGES: Scott - 22; John - 20; Virgil and Ava - 18; Gordon - 15; Alan - 13
So now Senior Year and they were ready to board for one year and then they were outta there. And off to University. As Virgil and Avalon shared a wry smile they patted Alan and Gordon on their shoulders and wished them good luck, that they'd see them for Spring Break. Before walking the next 4 blocks to their school.
The twins were popular but that was mostly because they were both fairly good-looking. Girls flocked to Virgil just to try and touch his hair. Avalon laughed and she gave each of the boys that surrounded her a flash of her cheeky smile before blowing a kiss over her shoulder and sauntering into the school halls.
She paused by the door turned to where her brother was standing and snapped her fingers once. The girls immediately stopped and parted allowing Virgil to join his sister on the steps. They looped their arms together and entered the school.
Virgil was the shy popular one, whom wasn't all that keen on all the attention, but Avalon was the cocky, confident one. It was like she was born to be adored. She relished the attention and told him not to be so sensitive. They were seniors, they ruled the school. The way Avalon saw it: all the girls wanted to be her and all the boys wanted to be Virgil.
"And," Virgil would add carefully, "All the boys want to date you and all the girls want to touch my hair."
"No, they want to date you too. They just have other motives as well. And let's face it, Kiddo, you've got great hair." Avalon said, pulling her locker open.
"I wish you'd stop calling me that." Avalon was three minutes older than Virgil and she never let him forget it.
"Never gonna stop, Kiddo. The same way we will never stop calling Gordon, Jelly Bean, and Alan, Buttercup." Avalon said with a grin. Virgil couldn't help but smile in return, he loved his sister dearly but sometimes she got on his nerves. And he'd never admit it to her, but he secretly loved her calling him 'Kiddo', it made him feel like he had an older sibling protecting him still. But since last year they had been on their own. John was now with NASA and Scott was away with the Air Force.
"Only you call Al, Buttercup, he won't let anyone else call him that. He says 'that's Ava only'." Virgil did a perfect imitation of Alan's slight lisp – that he's grown out of when he was 7 – making Ava laugh.
"Whatever, Virgil." She said blowing him a kiss before going to her first class.
Math was the only class the twins had together. All their other classes alternated and crossed. While Virgil had music, Ava had biology and while Virgil had shop class, Ava was in chemistry. Avalon had taken on several science classes because her chosen profession was medicine while Virgil hoped to be either a musician or a painter or maybe even an engineer. It was during break and lunch that they really saw each other. And in math they sat together. Both were exceptional at math, numbers were their forte, so that is why they tutored their baby brother.
Alan just didn't apply himself but with the promise of extra of Grandma's apple pie usually got him to do his math homework.
The only difference Virgil didn't have the patience for the tutoring on some days so that left Ava with both of her brothers. She was patient and would calmly explain the problem several times to Alan, who would purposely fail to try and make her mad. But even Scott said she had a nurse's persona, there was no way Alan could annoy her.
"Is there anything that annoys you?" Virgil asked one day in the commons, after he'd lost patience with Alan.
"You do sometimes." She teased softly. Virgil frowned and grumbled about sisters before going up to his dorm. Avalon turned sharp eyes to their youngest.
"What'd I do?" Alan asked, he may be 13 but he still acted like a baby.
"Alan, you shouldn't annoy Virgil so much. He's just trying to help." Avalon said.
"Why do I even need math? It's not like I can use it in real life!" He snapped, Avalon rubbed her temples – the first sign ever that she was annoyed – she took a deep breath and then instructed Gordon to continue working while she dealt with 'demon spawn'. He gave her a smile and turned back to his homework.
"Alan Shepard Tracy, you will sit here, finish your homework and you will apologise to Virgil or you will not get any of Grandma's apple pie." Avalon said.
"You wouldn't." He hissed.
"Don't you think I can do that? I'm the one that makes it. I'll make one for Virgil, one for Gordon and one for me, but none for you." Ava said with a smile.
"Ava!" Alan whined.
"Suck it up, Al. Do your homework and apologise to Virgil, and I'll consider it." Avalon said. She turned back to help Gordon finished his essay for English. He wasn't a bad student Gordon just couldn't apply himself and just a few months ago they had found out that Gordon was mildly dyslexic. So words jumbled for him. He needed the extra help. Ava gladly provided it. Not to mention without their mother and far away from the Island – she was the boss.
Virgil hated when people found out he was 'the younger twin'. He told people they were twins – that was it – he never mentioned that Ava was born first. She was being cleaned, weighed and measured as Virgil was being born. Their parents had been surprised when they found out they were expecting twins – and although at the time Jeff has wanted to name Ava after a female astronaut Lucille refused. Even when he said that she could be Nicole, Jessica or even Christa. But no, Lucille said he could name their son – but she got to name her daughter.
So Avalon Lucille and Virgil Grissom were together from the start.
When their father had told them that Ava was older, she began calling Virgil 'Kiddo'. And secretly he loved it because it made him feel like she was a protector, but he told her he hated it, because he didn't want to be seen as weak.
But even if he was the younger one, he was never without his sister. Where ever Ava was you could be sure that Virgil wasn't far away, and vice versa. Avalon had been his partner in crime and his best friend when at times it felt like he didn't have many or any friends. Being the cute and talented painter and pianist, Virgil was a little bit of an outcast. But that had never bothered Ava. She loved him no matter what and he found that he liked it that way.
Avalon was the confident one. She was the loud one. The one who always made friends quickly. Virgil had been at Pioneer since he was 10. Avalon had started at Rotelle Academy for girls, but she got expelled for fighting. Shoved into Pioneer by her father, Avalon settled in right away. She'd only started the year before and had been instantly accepted. The boys flocked to her because of her soft tanned skin, her long blonde curls and her long, lean, strong legs. Not to mention her pretty face and good figure.
But she rejected all the attention and insisted on staying with her brother. Virgil would never tire of having Avalon by his side. And this was senior year, the last time they would have to sit through Mr Spinkler's Math class, Ms Poet's English class or even Mr Reilly's Science class. However Ms Bird's music class they'd miss.
Mr Spinkler had a lisp so whenever he talked about 'subsets' or 'sequences' the class always held back sniggers, and sometimes they had to duck for cover as he would occasionally spit as he spoke.
Ms Poet's English class wasn't horrible but she wasn't a particularly nice woman. She always singled out the Tracy Twins as 'trouble makers' when neither made a noise nor spoke out of turn. But she always found a reason to snap at them. Resigning themselves to the fact that she didn't like them, they remained as they were and suffered through the class.
Mr Reilly was a cool science teacher, he was just a little bit too eccentric. He let them handle very dangerous chemicals. And that ended badly, with several of the class ending up with either chemical burns or setting fire to their uniforms when they stood a little too close to a Bunsen burner after handling a flammable chemical. Luckily Virgil and Ava had never done that.
But Ms Bird, she was lovely. She was young and had a love of music that was shared with Virgil and Ava. Virgil with his piano and Ava had a certain gift for the guitar. But it was Virgil who really shone in music, he was so good at what he did that it was hard not to see where he could go. After losing their mother, however, it was going to be difficult.
Ava's next favourite class, was the only class she did not have with Virgil. It predominantly a boys' class but Ava thrived in the male-dominant class. Mr Maxon's Metalwork was her best class. Where Virgil shone in music, Ava showed her best work and her best marks in Metalwork.
It was a long, slow year for the seniors, but they finally made it to graduation. Ava and Virgil were both given awards for their work. Virgil for representing the school at Carnegie Hall and Ava for her fully functional Military plane that the US Army was making plans to build as per her specifications. Looking out to the crowd they spotted their brothers, father and grandmother all cheering for them. They desperately wished for their mother but fate had other ideas and they just had to accept that. Virgil glances at Ava and they share a secret smile. They may not have their mother – but they have each other and their family. And for now that's enough.
"Avalon Tracy!" Ava gives Virgil another grin before going up to receive her diploma. She's always called first because of they're in alphabetical order, she joins their classmates on the opposite side of stage before he is called and he collects his diploma, he stumbles as he trips on his robe but when he reaches Ava she asks if he's ok. With a nod they stand and wait for the last few students.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, families of our students – we present to you the graduating class of 2019!" The Headmaster called and as the students threw off their red and gold graduation caps the crowd cheered right along with the seniors.
I'm so sorry! It's been a long time coming this one! Life got in the way and I lost my groove there for a while! Re-watching Thunderbirds Are Go and (regrettably) the 2004 movie and I got my groove back. Despite having MASSIVE Harry Potter motivation also I have now FINISHED this one. The next may be a while but look out for "Off To College". Coming soon(ish).
Ok, everyone knows that Virgil is the second eldest as stated on every official site you can find. Because he is – born August 25th 1999 – but as most of us do I have made him and Ava the middle children of the Tracy family, born August 25th 2001. That is why they graduated in 2019.