Tyson coughed and spluttered as flour covered him from head to foot. Toni giggled, and started to brush him down. She wondered how Tyson could get himself into so much trouble, when he was being serious or messing around. But that was what she liked about him. She loved the way he laughed at everything, the way he was so stubborn, his hair, she loved running her fingers through it. She just loved him, so much.
"Tyson, you were supposed to mix the flour into it first, then whisk it. Not whisk it straight away!" Toni laughed.
"I was trying to save time. Anyway, why does it have to be mixed in first? That's just stupid." Tyson sulked.
"Well if you don't mix it in, this happens!" said Toni, plucking at his flour-covered clothes. She could hardly tell who it was, and Tyson decided to shake like a wet dog. Bad idea. He shook a bit of the flour off, but it went all over Toni instead.
"Whoops. Here." Said Tyson, and he ran his hands under the tap. "Look, I'll wash it off for you."
Now, Kenny could see what was happening. He laughed at first, but then went running over to them. "Noo! Tyson, don't put water on flour!" He ran, but slipped in a puddle of water, slid across the floor and crashed into a table. Unfortunately, that also had a bag of flour on. It wobbled, and Kenny had a 50/50 chance of staying clean. But the fates were against him.
"AGH!" he cried, as he got masked in the white powder. Max and Ray stopped cooking to see who had screamed. When they saw Kenny lying on the floor, Tyson with his hands dripping wet, and Toni trying to sweep herself clean, and all three of them covered in powder, they burst into fits of laughter. Then, wanting to join in what they thought seemed fun; they started throwing fistfuls of flour at one another.
"Children, please. Calm down." Pleaded the Technology teacher, Ms. Fletcher, who was absolutely worthless.
Tyson, had now wiped his wet hands on his shirt, and instead of being wet, they were covered with flour, and it wouldn't brush off. It had turned to a glue-like substance. "Aww, man!" moaned Tyson.
Max swallowed an enormous amount of flour that Ray threw at him, and had a dry throat. Ms. Fletcher didn't allow Max to have a drink, so his throat became sore, and he began to lose his voice.
"Hey, cut him some slack, miss." Said Ray. "Look, he can't talk!"
"All the better for me. I have a pounding headache. I think it's turning into a migraine."
Because of Max's condition, everyone stopped what they were doing; even the behaved kids stopped cooking. They all crowded around him, offering him some of their drinks, but Max was too polite to take any. Tyson looked left out, no one cared about him having a sticky substance on his hands. So Tyson decided to create more havoc. He ran around, chasing all the kids everywhere, his hands held out in front of him like a zombie.
Everyone screamed, and ran away, some were even running out of the classroom. Ray was helping Kenny up, and Toni was trying to persuade Max to have a drink. Ms. Fletcher had seen enough chaos for one day, and she screamed at the top of her voice.
"Right you five," She screamed, pointing at Tyson, Toni, Kenny, Ray and Max. "Report to Head of Year's office right away!"
"Can't I clean myself up first?" asked Toni, tugging at her clothes.
"NO! Go now to Head of Year's office. And Mr. Granger," said Ms. Fletcher, now a bit more relaxed. "You are most likely to be suspended, looking at your past record."
Tyson's mouth opened in shock. He hated school, but he never wanted to be suspended. He only wanted to cause a bit of mayhem, not this. He only wanted to make school more fun. Toni gently placed her hand on his shoulder, nudging him out of the room.
"Suspended?" Tyson whispered.
"Hey, think of it as a chance to catch up on homework." Kenny said, trying to be optimistic.
"If I stayed at home for a week or so, I think Grampa might notice . . . OH NO! Grampa! What'll he think?" Tyson swallowed.
"Never mind." Said Ray. "Maybe he'll just . . . erm . . ." But stopped short, thinking of nothing to help make Tyson feel any better.
"At least you haven't got a sore throat." Said Max hoarsely, but it sounded more of a whisper.
"Hey Max, I think you've got something wrong with your throat. Even if you have just swallowed a load of flour, it shouldn't sound like that. Let me see." Said Kenny, and Max opened his mouth as wide as he could.
"Aha! Just what I thought." Said Kenny. "There must have been some baking powder in that flour, as it helps to make things that are heated rise, in your case your throat. It's called Glandular Fever. Your tongue and throat have swollen, and you need to see a doctor immediately."
"Glandular Fever?" Asked Ray, still a bit confused. "Is it serious?"
"Can be," said Toni. "I've had it twice before, the first time I couldn't eat anything for a week, and the second time I couldn't eat anything for 6 days. I could only drink this strawberry milkshake stuff called Yazoo. I used to absolutely love it to bits, but now I despise it. YUK!" And she pulled a face.
Max didn't look particularly well; his face was as white as a sheet, and his eyes were slightly out of focus.
"Hey buddy, maybe you should go home." Suggested Tyson, placing his hand gently on his shoulder. Max nodded slightly, but didn't seem to have heard a word that they had said.
They walked down the corridor, and reached the Head of Year's office. Mr. Smith. He was fine as a History teacher; as he was also a subject teacher as well as Head of Year, but when it came to see him as Head of Year, the punishments were severe. Tyson gulped and knocked on the door.
"Come in," came a deep voice.
So, all five of them walked in, Max lagging behind them.
"Ah, I've been expecting you." Nodded Mr. Smith. "Please, sit." And he gestured towards a few chairs in the corner. Everyone stood aside and let Max sit down first, then sat down themselves.
"Ms. Fletcher gave me a ring from Room 28, saying you were disturbing a Home Economics lesson. Is this true?" He asked, and everyone was actually surprised at how calm he was.
"Yes." They replied.
"But it wasn't my fault," started Tyson. "It was . . ."
"Now, now. Let's not play the blame game. Now young man," said Mr. Smith, looking towards Max. "You don't look too well. Do you want to go and see the Nurse?" Max nodded slightly again, and stood up. He walked out of Mr. Smith's office and down the corridor to the Nurse's room.
"Now Mr. Granger, I shall deal with you first. As you know, your permanent record is not the best one, and I'm afraid this will have to go onto it." Mr. Smith explained. "I haven't got much time to clarify this, as I'm late for a meeting as it is. But, I shall arrange a meeting with each of you separately."
"Even Max?" Asked Toni. "Because he's just like a victim really."
"I'm afraid Max too. Anyway, return to Reception, where they shall keep an eye on you until lunch. I don't think Ms. Fletcher would be very happy if I sent you back right away. Now, if you'll excuse me." Said Mr. Smith, gathering up papers and putting them in his briefcase.
So, Tyson, Toni, Ray and Kenny dawdled along to Reception. They sat down on the sofas in the foyer, which were originally meant for visitors. They all had a glum look on their faces, when someone walked past.
"Hey, what's up with you?" Asked a girl.
"What do you care? You're only asking because they're the Bladebreakers." Mumbled Toni. None of them looked up at her.
"Nuh uh." Said the girl, shaking her head. "I'm asking because you're my sister."
At that point, they all looked up, and saw a girl who was quite tall, had shoulder-length dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. She was wearing a pink top with 'REBEL' written on in white, a white, knee length denim skirt with tassels and pink feather earrings and necklace. She also had a tiny diamond nose stud in, and white slip-on sandals on her feet.
"Kelly!" said Toni, jumping to her feet. "What're you doing here? I thought you were going to that posh-nob school!"
"I was." Laughed Kelly. "But everyone was too snotty. And anyway, it wasn't a posh-nob boarding school. It was for boffins."
"Well you are a boffin." Said Toni. Tyson, Ray and Kenny were all exchanging confused looks.
"Oh, sorry." Apologized Kelly, seeing their faces. "I'm Kelly, Toni's sister."
"You never told us you had a sister!" said Tyson.
"You never asked." Shrugged Toni.
"Actually, yes we did." Said Ray. "Remember, when we walked with you to school?"
"Oh yeah. Maybe I thought that you meant in this school." Replied Toni.
"Oh yeah that's real nice Tone (!)" said Kelly sarcastically. "Pretend like I don't even exist."
"I forgot!" complained Toni. "I hated that posh-nob boarding school you went to, so I tried to block it out of my head. It obviously worked. And, I accidentally blocked you out of my head too."
"Never mind. I'll never let you 'forget'," said Kelly, gesturing quote marks. "Me again. I'm coming to this school staring tomorrow. Today is just a look around day."
"OK. Anyway, I'd like to introduce you properly to my friends. This is Tyson, Ray, and Kenny." Toni smiled, pointing to each of them in turn.
"Hi," they greeted. "Are you going home now, or are you staying for the rest of the day?" Asked Kenny.
"Whatever, I'm not bothered. I'm allowed to walk into any lesson and join in if I like. I think I'll stay for a bit longer." Kelly grinned. "Do you mind if I join you guys for lunch? I don't know where anything is really, and I'd be really grateful if you could show me where the canteen is."
"Canteen? We don't have one. You have to bring your own lunch." Said Ray.
"Well that's just great! Oh well, I'll just have to starve then, won't I? Where do you guys eat your food then?"
"Under the tree, but it's especially for Bladebreakers and VIPs. Kel can be a VIP, right Tyson?" Toni asked, and Tyson shrugged but nodded as well. "Yeah, sure you can eat with us." Said Toni. "It's no problem."
"Thank you!" cried Kelly. And the bell rang. So, Tyson, Ray and Kenny set off towards the tree, and Toni and Kelly, lingering behind.
Even though they were sisters, they had so much to catch upon. Kelly had gone to Madame Luton's School for Gifted Children. It was a boarding school for boys and girls aged 4-16, (as they had a nursery) but Kelly had hated it. Everyone was so polite and proper, what she wouldn't have done to be with normal, rude people again. She had phoned her parents, saying that she didn't like it, and that they were filling her head with useless information, so her parents brought her home.
Toni and Kelly finally reached the tree, where Tyson, Ray and Kenny were sat, and three other people. Kelly sort of knew two of them, but the third looked so familiar. The third was a girl, but she wasn't paying any attention as she was listening to a Walkman and bobbing her head along to the music, so hadn't realised that Kelly had come over.
"Who's this?" Kai said, pointing at Kelly.
"I'm Kelly, nice to meet you Kai." Greeted Kelly, nodding at him.
Kai went to ask how she knew his name, but stopped as he realised what a stupid question it was.
"What are you doing here?" he enquired.
"Don't kill her too Kai," laughed Tyson, but he stopped suddenly when he got a death glare. "Hey, I was only kidding!"
"Well, I'm starting this school tomorrow, and Toni said I could eat with you guys. It's not a problem is it?" asked Kelly.
"Yeah, it is." Replied Kai.
"Oh thank you!" cried Kelly, running up to him and giving him a quick hug. "No one's been this rude to me for months! Anyway, I'll see you later people! Bye!" And Kelly started walking off.
"Hey! We said you can eat with us!" Toni shouted after her.
So Kelly stopped and turned back around. "Well, if Kai don't want me to, then I can go somewhere else. It's no big deal."
"Nah, just ignore him. He's in a mood because he nearly killed me," Shrugged Toni.
"What do you mean?" Asked Kelly, looking a bit worriedly at Kai. She never in a million years thought Kai could kill someone, no matter how cold he was. Kelly knew all about Kai's betrayal to the Bladebreakers in the World Championships, and thought that that would be the end of it.
Kelly actually knew quite a lot about the Bladebreakers, as when she attended Madame Luton's School for Gifted Children, she spent most of her time in the computer suite. She was always researching Beyblades and Beyblading teams. She found out things that even some members of the BBA didn't know, and found out things that astounded everyone.
"Nothing, he just nearly strangled me to death. It's OK though. Look, still breathing." Said Toni, grinning.
"Oh well, it wouldn't have been a big loss." Came back Kelly.
"Hey!" And Toni slapped her, but only to receive one in return.
So Kelly sat down on a low tree branch, where she could see everyone. She hadn't noticed Max just sitting there before, she was sure he would've said something normally.
"Hey Max, what's up?" she smiled.
Max mouthed something, and then pointed at his throat. He started making gestures about walking, and he stuck his tongue out and pretended to examine it.
"He said, that . . ." started Ray, but was interrupted.
"He said that he's got a really sore throat, and he went to the Nurse's office, she examined it, but won't let him go home." Recited Kelly, and pulled out her pointy tongue at Ray playfully.
Ray just laughed, and then pulled out some food.
"Are you gonna be okay Maxie?" Asked Kelly.
Max nodded, and did his best to smile. 'Aww, poor Maxie,' thought Kelly. 'I've never seen him like this. It doesn't look good when anyone's ill, but Max . . .' and her thought stopped short. She realised she'd been staring at him while she was thinking. Her face started to go bright red, so she started to climb the tree.
Kelly then tried to figure out who the new girl was. She had seen her before, she could swear it. Now, she just had to figure out who she was and where she had seen her before. When Kelly noticed who it was, her mouth dropped open. 'No way . . .' she thought. She leaned forward to get a better look.
"AAH!" cried Kelly, as she fell out the tree. She landed on the floor in a heap. "Ouch," winced Kelly, as she had fell on her leg and bent it the wrong way.
When Cassidy heard the scream and saw someone fall out of the corner of her eye, she pulled her earphones out and gasped.
"Kelly?" Cassidy thought aloud.
Kelly looked up, and screamed in delight. "I was right! It is you Cass! OH MY GOD!" She got to her feet and walked over, limping a bit. She rubbed her leg as she sat down.
"What're you doing here?" they asked in unison, and then they both laughed.
"Well, you left first, so tell me." Kelly said.
"I left because I was getting bullied, and not only that, my mom and dad dumped me at the orphanage. Because I was crippled. They wanted a normal kid who would do well in their studies, and go to college and university." And Cassidy pulled a face, sticking her fingers in her mouth and making gagging sounds. "The orphanage couldn't pay the fares, so they sent me here. When Matt adopted me, he said it was OK for me to go back if I wanted, but I like it here. What about you?"
"I couldn't stand it any longer. When we were little I thought it was normal for everyone to be so polite, but I knew that it wasn't as I got older. I told my parents, and they brought me out. Today is just a look around day. But I can walk into any lesson, so it's not too bad."
Kelly sat down next to Cassidy, and then they were like in their own little world. They were exchanging addresses and phone numbers, and just chatted randomly. Everybody else didn't seem to exist, as thought there was a barrier separating them from the rest of the world.
The Bladebreakers looked at Toni, who shrugged. "Don't ask me!" she said, shaking her head. So, Kelly and Cassidy sat chatting, while Toni and the Bladebreakers ate their food. Cassidy shared her lunch with Kelly, and they laughed about all the trouble they used to get into.
'Today has been a very strange day,' thought Cassidy, as she listened to Kelly. 'A real hot guy is hanging around with me and being really cool to me, and my best friend from nearly 10 years ago is gonna start here tomorrow. Weird or what? I've made more friends in one day than I have in my entire life.'
'I can't believe how wicked today has been!' Smiled Kelly, as she nibbled on a chocolate bar. 'I'm reunited with my sister and my best friend, and made friends with the Bladebreakers. Well, sort of friends. But I feel sorry for Max, poor guy. I can't wait to start here tomorrow!'
'OK, this is freaky. Finding out about Kai's past, then nearly getting killed by him, then meeting my sister. How this day can get any weirder, I'll never know.' Toni wondered, and then smiled as she thought about Tyson. 'Tyson is so cool, he's always really funny, and he really likes me.'
'Why am I so protective of Cassidy? Maybe it's because she's disabled, or maybe it's because . . .' But Kai couldn't even think it. 'I'm too tense to be at school, I think someone might notice soon. Like when I nearly killed Toni, but thankfully Tyson managed to revive her. I need to make sure Voltaire never finds me, or my friends.'
'Toni is so cool.' Thought Tyson. 'She's funny, but she cares at the same time, and she hates seeing people getting bullied. Kinda reminds me of me. But how she could forget she had a sister is beyond me. And the Bladebreakers are back, but how Kai could act so cool all the time is amazing. I could never do that if I were in his shoes.'
'Hmm. I'll have to remember to put this information into my database.' Noted Kenny, opening his laptop. 'Kai's back with the Bladebreakers, Tyson's girlfriend has just been reunited with her sister, Kelly, and Kelly has been reunited with her best friend from 10 years ago, who happens to be Cassidy, the new girl hanging around.'
'I don't know how to feel, probably happy.' Supposed Ray. 'But, why should I feel happy about knowing that Kai is a wanted man? Or that Max is suffering from Glandular Fever? It's too confusing. Why does everything have to happen in one day, then nothing happens for a month? Can't it be evened out?'
'I hate Glandular Fever,' whimpered Max silently. 'It hurts. And why does it have to happen today of all days? I've got so much to talk about. I wanna talk to Kai properly; I haven't met Cassidy or Kelly well, and I wanna eat! It hurts too much, I hope it goes soon.'
All these thoughts were similar, yet different at the same time. A mixed up day, and they were only halfway through. If anything else happened this surprising it would probably be one of the most exciting days at Smithton High in history.