Thomas hadn't gotten a full night of rest since he saw that note.
Well, okay, Monday night he slept pretty well - but that was because Lady had literally facetimed him until he fell asleep properly. Yes, his phone was now dead, but his heart was comforted.
Tragically, however, his worst fear was realized when he took the letter to the school laboratory for DNA testing - Henry had concluded, after about ten minutes, that was not red ink...
You can put the pieces together there.
Needless to say, Thomas was once again terrified… Was this some sort of sick joke? He knew criminals could have their fans, but he swore most people would be sane enough to leave kids out of sick pranks like this one…
However, that wasn't what was on his mind right now.
What was on his mind was his school sporting season had officially just begun today!
And seeing his brother Gordon back in his basketball jersey, sporting that "04" he wore so well, was a really comforting image. Edward and Rachelle were also excited, but none quite so as the latter.
"Okay boys, picture time!" Rachelle smiled. "Come on Tommy, Eddie, get around your brother!"
"We're gonna be late, mom!" Thomas said sarcastically.
"We literally have nearly half an hour till the pre-game volleyball practice starts," Rachelle rolled her eyes playfully. "Okay boys, say 'Game on!'"
"Game on!" the brothers echoed.
The picture was taken, and at some point was definitely going on Awdry momma's Facebook. The boys couldn't be prouder.
"Alright, we rollin' out soon or what?" asked Gordon.
"Just a sec, honey, I need to get something from upstairs real quick," Rachelle smiled, walking up the stairs to go retrieve whatever it was she needed.
Now that the brothers were alone, Gordon put a hand on Thomas' shoulder. "You doing alright, bud?"
"Yeah… better," Thomas nodded. "I turned the letter over to the police, but since there was no return address, or really anything, they really can't do much about it all. They couldn't even identify the DNA from the red lettering."
"Well, if Tanner ever shows his face, he'll have to get through us," Edward promised with a smile. "And then, he'll have to get through mom - and there is no way that's gonna happen."
Thomas smirked happily. "Damn right, dude."
Then, Rachelle returned to the living room, smiling widely. "Alrighty boys, let's get this show on the road!" The family Awdry then shared one more group hug, and stepped outside to begin the short trek to the school.
-0-
The Sodor High gymnasium was big.
Granted, this was the biggest high school on the island, but still - it was not just an average sized gymnasium. The three brothers and Rachelle stepped inside, and in the foyer of the gym, they found Lady taking a brief water break in between volleyball run throughs.
"Hey Thomas!" she smiled, waving. "And hello to the rest of the Awdry clan!"
"Hey Lady!" Thomas smiled, hugging his girlfriend and giving her a cheek peck.
"You girls are gonna kill it tonight!" Rachelle beamed with pride.
"Haha, thank you Ms. Awdry!" smiled Lady. "I sure hope we do… we're going against Crovan's Gate."
"And so are we - but we're gonna smoke them," said Gordon confidently.
"Well, their basketball team isn't exactly, uhm… up to par," Lady giggled, and Gordon nodded. "But their volleyball team… well, that's a different story."
"Oh, you'll do great, sweetie," Rachelle smiled. "And I think your team might be calling you back, darling."
"Oh, thank you!" Lady said. "Bye guys! See you all after the game!"
"See ya babe!" Thomas called out.
"Hey, where's Mr. C?" asked Edward, looking around for their school principal.
"Oh, he had a business trip over on the Mainland he needed to make," said Thomas. "But he said he should be at the next game, according to Lady!"
As the Awdry clan made their way over to their seats on the bleachers, they didn't notice two figures turn their heads to face to watch them sit down… and then, they smirked.
Sammy smirked, pulling out his phone and texting to an unknown number, "He's not gonna be in his office, you're clear to move out."
"What did he say?" Davie whispered.
"I literally just hit the send button," said Sammy, looking at his brother incredulously. "Seriously, you do not understand tech-"
Sammy's phone pinged, and they both looked at what the response was.
Copy that.
"Huh… how anticlimactic," Davie mumbled.
"Yeah, the boss likes to be that way when he knows we're anticipating something," Sammy said.
-0-
Tanner, meanwhile, was parked outside of the school in a black Chevy Impala - the perfect sleek car for blending into the cool, fall night atmosphere.
There were straggler students gathered outside the gym, parents' and student's cars parked everywhere there was a spot to be afforded, and the dusk was beginning to morph into the night. In other words…
It was the perfect night to slip into the school undetected.
Now, Tanner was a man of merit - he didn't break into a school when it was open, no. Maniacs did that. Tanner was not a lunatic, or even crazy… in his own mind at least.
When the crowd was small enough to make it past undetected, he stepped out of his car and made his way briskly over to the school - using Diesel's key card, engineered specifically to allow him in after hours (not really, he had just gotten him to install a simple mackerel in the school security system when he was in detention.).
Tanner stepped into the high school, and was met with an empty receptionist desk and locked lockers stretching down the hallway…
But he wasn't after any of the student possessions.
No… he was after something far more important.
All that he required were directions, and a bit of luck…
He looked down at his phone, and a picture he had pulled up - it was a crudely drawn map of the school layout by Bert. His artistic ability was… lacking, to say the least. But the elder Ironside twin had managed to lay out the land quite nicely for what was needed…
"Bingo," Tanner said, identifying the place he needed to go.
Now, all he had to hope for was that what he needed was in there…
-0-
Sodor High's Volleyball Team, the finest on the Island, smashed the ball down as the buzzer sounded.
Twenty five to twenty three.
The girls all piled together in celebration as they began to congratulate one another on their first victory of the season - and it was one to be celebrated! Crovan's Gate was undefeated for the final five games last season, so this wasn't exactly "no big deal".
Emily, the student captain, was surrounded by her teammates - whom she referred to as "the best co-pilots a girl could ask for" (this was in the female sense only) - as they congratulated one another. They then went over to the opposing team, high fiving them all as they congratulated a close game well played.
"Welp, guess it's my turn," smirked Gordon. "Gonna be tough to beat that performance, though."
"Oh, I'd say impossible," said Thomas with a laugh.
"Ha ha ha," said Gordon sarcastically, shoving his brother playfully. He then ruffled his hair, and got up off the bleachers. At that moment, a dark-skinned fellow basketball player with short black hair was walking up to him.
"BoCo!" said Gordon happily, bringing him in for a hug.
"Hey buddy!" said BoCo. "You ready to smoke Crovan's Gate again?"
"Oh, trust me," said Gordon. "We're gonna be bored by the time the game's over with."
"Don't get cocky, boys! You still have to get out there, remember!" Rachelle reminded the two.
"Oh, we won't let you down, Mrs. Awdry!" smiled BoCo. He then clapped Gordon on the shoulder, and the two headed over to the boy's locker room to get ready for their game. Coach Percival, Murdoch, the Scottish twins, and the JV team also headed inside, and a new rush of energy came to the folks on the bleachers.
"Can I just say how awesome it is that most of our graduating class knows you, mom?" asked Edward.
"Oh, stop it honey," Rachelle smiled, looking down at her boots.
"Well, he's not lying, is he?" asked Thomas with a smile.
After Thomas said this, Mavis Drewry, resident punkish student with top grades, came walking over. "Hey guys," she smiled.
"Hey Mavy!" smiled Edward. "Great game! You gals did awesome!"
"Thanks!" Mavis smiled. "Would you mind if I sat here?"
"Not at all, sweetie!" Rachelle smiled.
Mavis sat down next to Edward, and the two engaged in a conversation about something relating to a new set of model engines coming out from Hornby this upcoming year - again, you'd never expect to see this from a person like Mavis.
Henry, who was sitting next to Thomas, leaned over to his classmate. "Just so I'm on the same page," he whispered, "those two…"
"Are oblivious as heck?" Thomas whispered back. "Yes. Yes they are."
Henry nodded, making the ok sign with his hand before returning to his popcorn. "Want some?"
"Hells yeah dude," Thomas said, taking a handful.
-0-
As the basketball team was saying their pre-game prayer with the coach, Tanner was unlocking a room in the Sodor High main building - this room was special, you see.
This was the principal's office.
Normally, this would be the most dreaded room in any school… but not here.
The students here at this school looked to principal Mr. C as a leader figure - he led the school by example. He was a person that would never leave any struggling, hard working student behind in the dust; he would help them personally.
He was also Lady's legal guardian… but that wasn't relevant right now.
What was relevant was what was held in Mr. C's office.
Tanner finally unlocked the door, and his gloved hand opened the sesame… he looked inside.
Not much here that was out of the ordinary
And thankfully, not a lot of spots to hide what he was after.
He began to rummage carefully through the filing cabinets of Mr. C's office, and then his desk… and yet, he found nothing. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nothing was here that he was looking for… he sighed in frustration, and stomped his boot on the ground.
...Wait.
That didn't sound like a typical stomp.
It almost sounded… like the ground beneath him was hollow.
He knelt down and knocked on the tile… yes, most certainly. That was a hollow part of the floor. He lifted the tile up with his left hand, and voila, there was a small size burlap sack underneath.
Tanner looked inside… it was like he had struck gold.
"Jackpot," he smirked.
He texted Sammy as quickly as he could, and carefully placed the tile back in position. Making his way quickly out of the school, Tanner smirked in triumph…
Now, the game was truly on.
When he got back out to the car, Sammy and Davie were already there, each having a soda and a bag of popcorn in their laps. "Wow boss, did you really get it?" asked Sammy.
Tanner displayed the sack, and they both marveled at what was inside. "Indeed I did, boys."
"Good job, boss!" said Davie. "You really did it!"
"Did you get the photo?" asked Tanner.
"Hell yeah we did," Sammy smirked, displaying the picture.
"And we also got ourselves some sodas!" Davie added.
"...You didn't buy me a soda, did you?" asked Tanner, deadpanning the two.
"Ah, actually, we did!" Sammy proudly presented Tanner with a large diet coke in a foam cup. "Drink up, boss! You've earned it for your hard work!"
Tanner smirked, impressed with his assistants. "I'll cheers to that, any day of the week - and twice on Sunday. Cheers, boys."
"Cheers!" Davie said for himself and his brother, as they brought their soda cups together, and collectively took a sip before pulling out of the school parking lot and heading back to the Boxford summer home.
Mission accomplished.
-0-
The buzzer sounded out once more at the end of the fourth quarter…
Sodor had triumphed once again. Seventy seven to thirty two!
Gordon and Murdoch both dropped seventeen points that night, tying for first place in terms of scoring. BoCo, Donald, and Douglas dropped above ten each, and the JV players came in at the end to carry the team across the finish line.
Now, what might have helped them score more points is if they weren't constantly laughing that Toby had made it onto the sidelines and had started cheering with the cheerleading team, one of those cheerleaders being his girlfriend Henrietta…
How did that man have so little shame?
Either way, it was absolutely hilarious; flat caps and pom poms made a very good combo, apparently. At least, the basketball, volleyball, and cheer teams thought so.
When all was said and done, Gordon gathered back with his brothers and mom - after smooching Emily, of course. Edward and Mavis shared a goodbye hug, and of course, Thomas and Henry shot another look at each other, along with a smirk and a fist bump.
James, meanwhile, in case you're wondering where he was, was currently lecturing Toby on why he didn't belong on the cheerleading squad.
Not because he was a guy, oh no - apparently, it was because his technique was just trash.
As the four Awdrys walked back home, they were all in a very peppy mood. "Okay boys, to celebrate, how does ordering pizza sound?" Rachelle asked.
"Oh gosh, that sounds amazing," Gordon said, still sweaty and tired from his game. "I probably don't need it-"
"But gosh, you want it," Edward finished, fist bumping his brother.
"You good for pizza, Tommy?" asked Rachelle to her youngest son.
"Hmm? O-Oh yeah, pizza sounds great!" Thomas said happily.
"Something on your mind, sweetie?" Rachelle asked, putting her arm around her son.
"Oh no, just got lost in my head," Thomas smiled. "Nothing's wrong, momma."
"Alrighty then, that's great," Rachelle smiled, kissing his forehead. "Now let's get going boys! Those pies won't order themselves!"
As the Awdry clan continued walking back to their house, however… Thomas was preoccupied.
Those two suspicious figures standing in the gym foyer that wanted his picture before the girls volleyball game were sticking with him, and he couldn't shake the feeling they weren't just there to spy on a high school volleyball game, or just to ditch the basketball game…
He prayed that was paranoia talking.
And besides… Thomas couldn't imagine that was part of something larger.
So yeee... Thommo didn't get kidnapped! He may be scared out of his mind, but yeaaaahhhhh he's all good. :D
Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! Sorry, but no responses this time - super sick... whoopee. Love you guys tho! Thank you for reading!