Samy Fernby stormed out of the courthouse, furious at some jury members refusing to be bribed further.
Climbing into his car, Fernby was driven to his house, where his wife was waiting for him.
"How did it go?" he asked. Strangely enough, she didn't respond. "You ok dear?" Fernby asked again. Still, nothing!
"Haven't you heard?" the driver asked. "Your wife fell down the stairs and ended up losing her voice."
"You're joking, right?"
"Not at all," said the driver. "She broke her legs in the process. Her legs are fine now, but she'll be unable to speak for a while."
Mr. Fernby couldn't believe what he was hearing!
"How…how could she fall down the stairs? Who pushed her?!" he asked the driver, pulling a gun to him.
"Nobody pushed her, sir," said the driver. "She just tripped."
"Who. Pushed. HER?!" Fernby questioned again, placing the tip of the gun onto his forehead. "Tell me now! I demand you to…"
"You don't scare me," said the driver, who didn't even flinch. "I fought in the second Boer War, I've seen much scarier stuff than you aiming a gun at me."
Fernby was at a loss for words: how was this man not scared of being shot?! He quickly regained his composure and said, "You're fired."
"Fine by me," said the driver. "I never liked working for you anyway." With that, he got into the car and drove off.
"Hey, that's my car!" Fernby shouted.
"It's mine now, bitch!" the driver called back. "Get your own fucking car!"
Furious, Fernby slammed the door, and then rushed to the room he shared with his wife.
"Amy! Are you alright?!"
She nodded, and said something weakly.
"Tell me dear, what happened?"
"I…I…I…"
She then broke down crying. Fernby hugged her.
"There there dear," he said. "Everything will be fine." He grew angrier as he comforted his wife: he suspected somebody from the North Western Railway was behind what had really happened to his wife. He would find out who and make them pay, just as soon as he got proof.
After a long while, Amy managed to tell him something: the new engine, Lucifer, had called Rebecca a slut. Fernby was beside himself with rage.
"How dare that engine call my daughter such a word," he growled. "My Rebecca's an angel, not a slut!"
"He has no idea," whispered one of the butlers. The other two nearby nodded in agreement.
"Quit whispering and get me some tea!" Fernby shouted. The whispering butler went off to do so, not wanting to face Fernby's wrath anymore.
The next morning, all the engines of the railway had been gathered at Killdane.
"Why are we here?" asked Thomas. "There's work that needs to be done."
"Maybe Lord Harwick will give us updates on the trial?" suggested Selena.
"Surely he could do that at Vicarstown!" Luci pointed out. "Why would he need to drag us all the way to Killdane to tell us about the trial?"
"Because it's the middle station," said W&S 03. "Not all of us can make the journey to Vicarstown, you know?"
"You could, you have a tender," 98462 pointed out.
"Yes, but dragging two engines takes a lot of work," W&S 03 pointed out. "Especially when they aren't in steam."
"Or maybe you're just a weakling?" mocked 875646.
"Not as much a weakling as a tank engine," snorted W&S 03. "Besides, Luoc and MacHarold handled the line fine before I came, and I had to have my tanks half-full prior to my rebuild. So being a weakling sometimes pays off."
At that moment, Lord Harwick walked towards the engines, a large smile on his face.
"Everyone…the case has been suspended," he announced. The engines couldn't believe what they just heard!
"How did that happen?!" Edward asked in amazement.
"Somebody submitted a photo taken of the family about half an hour after the incident allegedly took place; Rebecca wasn't shown with any bruises or injuries in it," Lord Harwick answered.
"A rather stupid move," said Thomas.
"But who submitted that photo?" Olive asked. "I thought that bastard had made sure no evidence could be used against him!"
"No he didn't: he bribed the court to not allow witness testimony," snorted Thomas. "Though that does leave a question: who did submit that photo?"
"Probably one of his servants who got tired of him," suggested Selena.
"He deserved it," said Edward.
Conan had not been able to attend the meeting, as he had school that day. Conan felt some relief from this: at least Rebecca didn't go to the same school as him. All the same, he couldn't help but fret about what the current situation of the trial was: not being able to attend meant he wouldn't know about the suspension.
He also had his own problems: he'd been skipping school to work on the railway, and hadn't told his grandparents. The deal they had made with the Fat Director was that Conan could only work for the NWR if he still went to school. That morning, however, he woke up a bit later than usual, and his Grandmother caught him in the act of heading towards the station, and soon, he was given a stern talking to from both of them.
"Whaur hae ye bin gonnae, Conan?" asked his grandmother. As always, her Scottish accent marked whenever she got mad.
"Nowhere, Grandma…"
"Ye ken the rules, hen: ye cannae work on the railway withoot gaun tae schuil first!" she scolded.
"I…I don't know what you're talking about," said Conan. "I have been going to school."
"Ah goat a phone fae the heidie yester: he telt me ye huvnae been turnin' up tae yer classes. Wit's up wi ye?"
Inwardly, Conan cursed: he had forgotten about the principal. Now he had no excuse, he was going to be in big trouble.
His grandfather took a long sip of gin before speaking.
"Is there a large problem that requires your attention, Conan?" he asked.
"Uh, well…" Conan stuttered, unsure of what to say.
His grandfather seemed to guess, however, and his face turned to rage.
"Has the daughter of Samy Fernby been harassing you again?! If she did, I'll beat sense into that bitch with my bare hands!"
"TAKE IT EASY, WILLIAM!" his grandma shouted. "We'll lose everything we have if you do that!"
"It's not her this time," Conan replied. "Didn't you hear about Sir Topham Hatt being sued by Fernby for physically abusing Rebecca?"
His grandparents stared in surprise!
"What?!"
"The charges are trumped-up, at least, that's what we think…unfortunately, the bastard is up to his usual tricks: no witnesses are allowed to testify, I assume this is because Fernby bribed the judge to forbid witness testimony."
"There's no way that can be legal!" his grandfather shouted. "All trials require witness testimony! Why hasn't anybody reported this to the police?!"
"And who says the police will help? Fernby most likely bribed them too!" Conan pointed out. "They wouldn't even try to do a thing if we told them about this!"
"Then I'll show them what I showed to those damn Zulus in Rorke's!" shouted his Grandfather!
"What, a pen and paper?" asked Conan in a deadpan tone.
"No! My bravery, and the precise shots from my rifle!"
Conan and his grandmother laughed a bit.
"This is serious!"
"Ye cannae kill Fernby, William. Nae only woods ye gang tae jail, we woods lose everythin' we hae."
"This outrage cannot go unanswered for!"
"I never said it wouldn't."
After that, Conan was sent to school, where the headmaster was waiting for him.
"Well, well, well…look who's here? Conan, come back after so long."
"Look, I'm sorry, I've just…"
"I don't want a word out of you!" ordered the headmaster. "You've earned yourself a punishment."
Said punishment was cleaning the bathrooms. It was a dull and boring task, and he hated it. Other boys would make fun of him. He was glad when the day was finally over and he could go home.
It wasn't until two days later he was allowed to return to the railway. And that's when he received the news.
"Does this mean this is all over?!"
"Not quite," stated Selena. "It's been suspended, which may mean it can restart."
That night, Selena was to go to Tidmouth, as the Flying Kipper would depart next morning at 5 AM.
"Uh…what's the Flying Kipper?" asked Conan.
"A fish train," snarked 87646. "Full of dirty, smelly fish."
Conan rolled his eyes, but then he had an idea:
"Maybe I can talk my grandparents into letting me go there, and aid with the couplings, or something? First thing, however, is offer my help to Selena."
Conan never got the chance to do so, however: on his way home, he overheard someone shouting.
"If you try to bribe my father again, I'll come into your house when you're sleeping and strangle your legs!"
"Was that…Jewelie?!" Conan asked himself. It did sound like Jewelie, but he'd never known her to be this angry! Then again, it had been a while since they'd last seen each other. Deciding to find out, he turned around and walked towards the source of the voice.
Coming to the lawn of a house, he spotted Jewelie looking down on a very short guy, who looked older than her. This guy had bruises on his face.
"I will not tell you again!" she shouted. "My dad won't help you and you ain't welcome here!" She then punched him in the face, causing Conan to flinch at this. "Now get out and stay out!" The dwarf got up and proceeded to do so, running past Conan. As she was watching the man leave, it was only then that she spotted Conan. "Conan?!"
"This where you live, Jewelie?"
There was an awkward silence. Jewelie then smiled nervously.
"Yeah," she said, blushing slightly. The two sat on a bench on her front porch. Conan broke the silence.
"Well, it's a really nice place," he said.
"Thanks," said Jewelie.
"I'm guessing that was one of Fernby's agents? 'Cause you should have left some of him for me to beat the crap out of."
"I only wish it was," Jewelie replied. "No, he works for someone else. Keeps coming around trying to get something out of my dad."
"What would that be?" Conan asked.
"I've no idea," Jewelie admitted. "I never felt the need to ask, just to keep assholes like him away."
At Vicarstown, a shipment of coal had arrived. Thomas was ordered to shunt the trucks onto the coaling stage. He did so without delay, but nobody had told him the couplings on these trucks were faulty. The E2 shunted them and left to do another job. Suddenly, without warning, the coupling between two of the trucks snapped, and those on the slope rolled down towards Thomas! Thomas didn't have time to react: they bumped into him and smashed!
"Ouch!" screamed Conan, in pain and clutching his stomach.
"You ok Conan?!" Jewelie asked, worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just…felt something hit me," Conan said.
"How's that possible?" Jewelie asked.
"Uh…well…" Conan tried to explain, but came up with nothing. "It's…complicated."
"Perhaps it's something you ate," suggested Jewelie. "I heard some food can hurt your stomach."
"It wouldn't really be food," Conan said. "you see…" Without warning, steam came out of Conan's nostrils and shot forward, scaring Jewelie beyond anything she'd felt before!
"What the…was that steam?!"
Conan gave a sigh: he couldn't keep his secret anymore.
"Jewelie," he said, "there's something I need to show you." Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Jewelie's wrist and ran off!
"Whoa! Conan!" she shouted.
At the yards, Thomas was resting in a siding after the mess had been cleared up. Fortunately, he wasn't too badly damaged. He was more worried about Conan than himself.
"I hope that crash didn't seriously hurt Conan," he said.
"Conan will be fine," reassured his driver. "That boy's tougher than most. In fact, here he comes now!" As if on cue, Conan ran into the yard. But Thomas was surprised to see a girl he hadn't seen before being dragged behind him! The two came to a stop next to the E2.
"Conan…was that…really…necessary!" Jewelie asked in-between breaths. "You could've just asked!"
"Uh, how does her hair taste?" Thomas asked. His crew gave him an odd look. "What? It's orange, isn't it?" The crew just groaned, the driver even face-palming.
Jewelie took a look at Thomas, then back to Conan.
"Alright, what's the big idea? Why'd you drag me all the way to this steam train?"
"I have a name!" Thomas huffed.
"Look, I'm sorry, Jewelie," said Conan, "but I told you I had to show you something."
"That doesn't excuse you dragging me away from my house!" Jewelie pointed out. "Especially without telling my dad! He's gonna be worried I've been kidnapped!"
"That won't be good," gulped Thomas.
"As I said, I'm sorry," Conan repeated. "Just…let me show you something and I'll take you back."
"Alright, fine," sighed Jewelie. "What is it you wanted to show me?"
"I need you to pull on my cheeks."
Jewelie stared at him with an odd look.
"That's it?" she asked.
"Just pull on them," insisted Conan.
"Ugh, fine," said Jewelie. "But you'll have to do some work for my dad: he won't be too happy with you dragging me away." Without waiting for an answer, Jewelie grabbed Conan's cheek and pulled.
"Ow!" cried a voice, but it wasn't Conan. Jewelie looked up and was surprised to see Thomas wincing in pain! She pulled on the cheek a couple more times. Each time, Thomas would groan as the pain flew through his cheeks. "Knock it off!" he eventually shouted.
"Ok, what on Earth is going on here?" Jewelie asked. "How can pulling on your cheeks make the cheeks of that engine hurt too?"
"That's what I wanted to show you," answered Conan. "It's something called a Water Bond."
"The Fat Director won't be pleased about this," muttered Thomas.
"And what, may I ask, is a water bond?" Jewelie asked. Conan went on to explain everything. Her eyes were wide open when he finished. "Wait, you mean that steam shooting out of your nose…and the pain in your stomach"
"Yes: all a result of steam coming out of Thomas' drain cocks, and the stomach pain, well, I assume something crashed into him. Oh that reminds me, I never introduced you two. Thomas, this is Jewelie. Jewelie, Thomas."
Thomas and Jewelie looked at each other.
"You wouldn't happen to be a cheerleader, would you?" Thomas asked. "Conan did mention a cheerleader that went by Jewelie."
"Don't know for how long," Jewelie replied. "I only got the position because of all the boys being drafted into war."
"From what my brother told me, many won't come back… Who knows, maybe you'll get to keep it," said Conan.
"We'll see what the government says," Jewelie replied, then turned back to Thomas. "So, Thomas, how long have you been here?"
"I left Brighton Works a few months ago," answered Thomas. "Been the station pilot here ever since I arrived. And what about you, Jewelie? How long have you been on this Island?"
"Whole life, since birth," Jewelie replied. There was a brief silence. It was Jewelie who broke it. "Anyway, does this Water Bond affect you in any way besides sharing pain?"
"More than you realise," said Thomas the Tank Engine. "I mean, whenever he sneezes, ash flies out of my whistle. If he burps, I'll burp too."
"Ew! That's gross!"
"Nevermind gross!" snapped Thomas. "Ahem! Anyway, there's also the case of emotions. When he found out his brother's girlfriend died, for example, I felt my firebox tighten when he started to cry."
"And why wouldn't your, uh, Fat Director, be pleased about you telling me?" she asked Conan.
"He told me to keep it a secret," replied Conan. "I didn't really have a choice with you though: you did see the steam come out of my nose. There was no way I could explain that without you not believing me."
"I would've at least pretended to!" Jewelie snapped.
"Pretending isn't enough!" Conan snapped back.
"Alright, alright, cool it you two," said Thomas' driver, coming on over to them. "Arguing won't solve anything. Just settle down."
There was a tense silence. It was broken by Edward, who steamed up to the E2.
"It was inevitable," he said. "The simple fact steam came out of his nostrils was the giveaway in this case. I remember when my bonded person ended up exposing his secret." Edward gave a sigh. "You should consider yourself lucky Conan," the K2 continued. "At least she would be willing to pretend to believe you. The girl my bonded person loved rejected him, calling him a freak."
"Regardless, what do we tell the Fat Director when his trial is over?" Thomas asked. "The secret's been exposed to someone outside of the railway and that could lead to trouble."
"We'll tell him nothing, we can't anyway," answered Edward. "We won't be able to see him until the trial ends and that could take a long time."
"I really don't understand why they can't just replace the judge," Jewelie huffed. "Conan, didn't you say he and the jury were bribed by Fernby to prevent witnesses from testifying?"
"Great scot! That's right! I've been a total idiot!" shouted a voice. It belonged to a tall, pale man with permanently bloodshot eyes and white hair.
"Um, who are you?" Conan asked.
"Bertram Lowham Rhenford," he answered. "I was on my way to speak to our dear Lord Harwick when I overheard your entire conversation. And Jewelie, you're quite right: we could just replace the judge! I completely forgot about that! I'll tell this to Lord Harwick, and here I was thinking we were gonna need to bring in Sherlock Holmes to find evidence against Fernby."
Thomas's fireman made a discreet twirl around his left ear with a finger.
"Lord Harwick will be pleased to hear this, and so will my cousin." Rhenford looked around, before turning to his bodyguards. "Johnson," he said to one of them, "I know this is hypocritical of me, but I feel doing the right thing warrants making an exception. I need you to do whatever is possible to make sure Fernby doesn't overhear what I'm going to say next. I don't care if it's legal or illegal, do whatever you can. Try to keep Fernby and his servants alive if you can though. And again, hypocritical, I know, bribe any servants who do overhear: I won't chance one of them going back and telling their boss. Take Luke and Ryan with you."
"Of course sir," said Johnson, and he walked off, two other bodyguards following.
"What was that all about?" Thomas asked.
"That was about making sure Fernby doesn't overhear what I'm going to say next," Rhenford answered. "And neither you, children. I would much appreciate if you did not approach the office for the next half an hour."
"We didn't really have plans to go there anyway," said Conan. "Shall we return home, Jewelie?"
"About time too," Jewelie replied. "Dad's most likely very worried right now." The two teens walked away.
"I really wish I could've talked to Jewelie more," said Thomas. "But on the bright side, I'm now safe!"
"Let's hope the secret doesn't spread…" muttered Edward.
The sun had started to set by the time Conan and Jewelie returned to her house. Her dad was in the lawn.
"How'd your date go Jewelie?" he asked. The two teens blushed.
"IT…IT…IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!" Jewelie shouted. "And shouldn't you be hugging me out of worry?"
"What're you talking about? I saw that boy you're dragging you," said her father. "You two clearly had plans in mind."
"Just…SHUT UP!"
"OK OK! No need to yell at me!"
Jewelie huffed, and turned away.
"I guess that's my cue to leave," said her father. He went back into the house, leaving the teens alone.
"What you saw today," said Conan, "well…"
"Don't worry Conan," said Jewelie, and she gave a smile. "Your secret is safe with me."
Conan wasn't sure what to say. So he just muttered, "Thank you" and walked back home.
What neither knew was that someone had been spying on them: somebody who worked for Fernby. He left the area without anybody seeing him.
Meanwhile, Selena was shunting some vans in the yard, when Luci passed by.
"Evening, Selena."
"Evening, Luci," said Selena. "I see your run went well."
"Yep! It seems the trucks took a liking to me."
"Not surprised," said Selena. "You do treat them rather well. Trucks behave better when they're being hauled by an engine who treats them kindly."
"I know that all two well," said Luci. "I'm only two years old, but I already know the way you treat trucks makes a difference on how they behave around you. The engines on the Great Central taught me well."
"I can certainly see that," said Selena.
She then reversed into the last few of the vans, giving them a light bump.
"What are those for?" Luci asked.
"The Flying Kipper," Selena answered. "It's a fish train that runs to Manchester."
"You take it there?"
"No, another engine picks it up at Vicarstown," said Selena.
"I assume you guys have a harbour?"
"Tidmouth and Kirk Ronan, there's also one being rebuilt at Brendam," Selena replied. "Tidmouth is currently being expanded I believe."
"Are those natural or man made?"
"The quayside is man made, the bay where ships anchor is natural," Selena answered. "Tidmouth used to be much smaller, now it's getting bigger. Kirk Ronan is a seaside town, which means less work had to be done compared to Tidmouth, which is an inland city. I think Brendam used to be natural, but proved inadequate."
"Inadequate?"
"Well, the Wellsworth and Suddery intended to use it as a port and built jetties, but twelve years after it opened in 1900, they abandoned it and switched to Tidmouth. I don't know why it was abandoned actually."
"So…it's pretty much unused nowadays?"
"That's pretty much it, yes."
"So, does this railway have special services? Boat trains, dining trains, and the like?"
"Dining trains, yes," said Selena. "Don't really see us doing any boat trains right now."
"I see…have you taken a dining train?"
"Took an express train once, let the compliments on my red paint get too much to me."
Selena gave a nervous chuckle.
"I've decided to stick to goods for now."
With that, she proceeded to take the vans towards Tidmouth.
The harbour was located a bit south of the station, and was mostly an extension of the shunting yard. The difference was that gangways and platforms were placed in a way that both passengers and freight could go on and off.
Selena shunted the vans into a siding, where the rest of the train waited.
"That's enough for today, Sele," said the driver. "We'll spend the night in the sheds."
Selena thus left the vans there, before steaming towards the sheds at Tidmouth. They were not that big in those days, just a small four-road shed with no turntable.
Meanwhile, at the Fernby estate, a man had news for his master.
"I managed to get you a new car," he said. "A Rolls-Royce silver ghost. I also have news regarding that other task…the boy has begun to hang out with another girl."
"And why are you telling me this?" Samy asked.
"I…just thought you would want to know," said the servant, and he walked inside.
"I just don't understand my servants sometimes," said Samy. "At least I got a new car now."
Unknown to him, Rebecca had heard the exchange, and she was enraged.
"I thought I told you not to tell dad!" she scolded the servant.
"He would've found out even if I didn't," the servant pointed out. "And I would've been fired if I didn't, you know what your father's like."
"Whatever. So who is this other girl?"
"Her name is Jewelie, and she's a cheerleader. I don't know how long she's known Conan, but I assume they're dating: he walked her back to her house."
Rebecca grew more and more furious. She grabbed a vase and threw it onto a wall!
"How…Dare…She…Steal…My…CONNIE!" she screeched. "WHERE DOES SHE LIVE?!"
"All I did was go out, get your dad a new car, and keep an eye on your boy. You didn't say anything about learning the address."
"Well, then go and find an address! NOW!"
The servant took a look at a nearby clock.
"Luckily for me, my shift is over. Time for me to head home and…"
But Rebecca shut the door before he could exit.
"You're not going anywhere! Not until you agree to do as I told you!"
"Please, be reasonable," said the servant. "It's past my hours. Even your father knows…"
"Shut up!" Rebecca shouted, slapping him on the cheek. "If I say you work past working hours, you work past working hours! And if you don't agree to find the name of the address right now, I'll do something that will ruin your life!"
It was still dark over Tidmouth Harbour. Brought in via fishing boats, the load of the Flying Kipper was loaded onto the vans.
While she waited for the signal, Selena couldn't help but admire the construction of the harbour: large quantities of earth were blown to make an artificial bay, and a number of small canals were dug to allow ships to enter. Thus, the inland city of Tidmouth was connected to the sea.
Eventually, the guard blew his whistle, and Selena departed.
"Alright, off we go."
The fish were kept in boxes filled with ice, preventing it from going bad during the journey. Still, the sooner Selena arrived at Vicarstown, the better.
The Flying Kipper was an express goods train. Selena had to stop at a select number of stations to allow for fish to be unloaded. That night, her scheduled stops were Maron, Killdane, and Crovan's Gate.
As Selena exited the harbour, and later the station, she got a bit distracted with the stars. The night sky was beautiful, as always.
"We're making perfect timing!" shouted the driver.
"Thank the great catches of today for that," answered the fireman. "That's why the fishing boats arrived early."
"Well, It certainly was a boon to our performance tonight" remarked Selena, as she passed by Crosby.
At Wellsworth, W&S 03 was ready to help her with the incline. Selena stopped, as W&S 03 changed tracks to be right behind her. Once the signalman got the "all clear" from his counterpart at Maron, the train started again.
The early morning dew made the tracks slippery, but dropping sand on the rails fixed that.
Despite the bad reputation of the Flying Kipper, Selena has never had an accident while pulling it. It wouldn't be until much, much later that railway men would associate the Kipper with bad luck.
Many times, during later years, Selena would have to explain that the kipper was not cursed. The accidents that made the train famous would be caused by extremely bad luck, negligence, or unforeseen events.
As Selena approached Crovan's Gate, the sun began to rise, making her paint look golden and beautiful. She tried not to think of it, lest she grow conceited again.
At Crovan's Gate, her final stop, Skarloey was waiting, ready to take some of the fish to the towns his line covered.
After that, Selena arrived at Vicarstown, where another engine would take the train towards Manchester.
After that, she went for a rest.
Meanwhile, just as the sun was starting to rise, as Conan was sleeping, his grandmother knocked on his bedroom door.
"Conan, somebody's here to see you," she called. Conan yawned, puzzled: he couldn't imagine why anybody would want to see him this early in the morning. It took a little while, but he managed to get out of bed.
"Grandmother," he said, walking down the stairs, "who would be see…" he paused, surprised to see a familiar girl his age. "J-J-Jewelie?! How'd you learn where I live?!"
"Lucky guess," Jewelie said as she shrugged. "Figured I'd visit you, I've been asking around for your address."
"And why would you want to ask around for me?" Conan asked.
"That…thing, wanted to talk to you more about it," Jewelie replied.
"Oh, yeah, right," said Conan. "Give me a second."
He ran upstairs to get dressed.
After that was done and he had breakfast, he and Jewelie left the house and began walking.
"I gotta say, your mother definitely knows how to cook," said Jewelie.
"That's actually my grandmother," Conan replied.
"I was wondering why she looked so old," said Jewelie.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," said Conan. "Anyway, why exactly did you want to see me?"
It's about this connection you have," Jewelie replied. "Look, I promised to keep it secret and I meant it, but sooner or later you're gonna blow out smoke in front of somebody else. What will you do then? I mean, you can't bring everybody who sees you blowing smoke over to Thomas and have them pinch your cheeks."
"I still don't see what you're getting at," Conan said.
"Simple: we gotta find ways to hide the smoke each time it comes out," said Jewelie firmly. "As soon as somebody sees it, they're gonna start asking questions."
"And how exactly do we hide smoke from other eyes?" asked Conan.
"I don't know, I haven't figured out all the details yet," Jewelie answered. "All I know is we gotta think of something. Sooner we do, the better."
"Couldn't I just hold a vase to my face each time?"
"I did think about that, but that will look really odd to people. Besides, vases aren't everywhere and you never know when the smoke will come out. It might even come out while you're sleeping."
"So what if I held my nose each time I felt smoke in it?"
"That could be really dangerous," said Jewelie sternly. "If inhaling too much smoke can cause asphyxiation, I don't know what holding smoke inside will do, and I don't think we want to know."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," sighed Conan. "Well, what do you suggest then?"
"Face masks," Jewelie replied. "I've heard people use them when going into poisonous places."
"Wouldn't a gas mask be better?" Conan asked.
"If we can steal them from the army, yes," replied Jewelie. "However, that's gonna be too much security to go through and we both know breaking into army bases will put us both in real trouble."
"Well, what's stopping the smoke from asphyxiating me inside the face mask?" Conan asked.
"That's a good point," said Jewelie, and she gave a sigh. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"No worries," reassured Conan. "We'll figure something out."
"Thanks Conan," said Jewelie. "Right now though, just make sure to go into a bathroom stall every time you feel smoke about to escape your nose." At that moment, Selena remembered something. "Wait, that other blue engine, what's his name?"
"Edward," answered Conan. "Why do you ask?"
"I've been so stupid, I forgot: he said he used to have a water bond! Maybe he knows the answer! Come on!" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Conan's hand and dragged him over to Vicarstown.
It was lucky for them that Edward was still in the shed when they arrived.
"Hullo Conan, hullo Jewelie," he said. "What brings you two over here? I'm especially surprised to see you, Conan: you don't normally come over until the afternoon."
"We have a question for you, Edward," Jewelie replied. "How did your water-bonded partner manage to hide the smoke that occasionally came out of his nostrils?"
Edward went into thought, feeling sad about being reminded of his old bonded partner.
"My partner would cover his nostrils with his elbows, pretending he was sneezing," Edward replied. "Occasionally, he would also wear a face covering."
"That's it? I was under the impression he would do something more complicated."
"Not all solutions need to be complicated, Jewelie," said Edward with a smile. "Sometimes, the only solution you need for a problem is one that's simple."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time," said Jewelie, and she turned back to Conan. "Well, shall we stay here or go back?" Jewelie asked. "It is currently the weekend, so we don't really need to worry about school."
"We stay, I wanted to see the Flying Kipper run by," said Conan. "Besides, my legs are tired from all that running."
"Consider that payback," Jewelie said with a smirk. "Should at least keep you away from Rebecca if we stay here."
"That's a good point," said Conan. "Alright, I'll show you around the yards."
With permission from the Yardmaster, the two teens spent the entire morning exploring the yards. Having not had any real interest in trains at this point, Jewelie was starting to wonder why she wanted to stay.
"It wouldn't be too much to go back home, so why did I agree to stay with Conan?" she asked herself.
Thomas found this confusing too.
"I never thought I'd ever see a girl show an interest in railways," he remarked. "Shouldn't you be doing girly things like, uh, wearing makeup or something?"
"I'm not really a fan of makeup," Jewelie admitted. "Tried it once, ended badly."
"I think I'd rather not ask," said Thomas. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got hard work to do." And he steamed off to do his shunting.
"Is Thomas always so fussy?" she asked Conan.
"He feels he works harder than all the other engines," answered Conan. "Thomas is alright, just tends to be cheeky."
"Seems more like a grouch to me," said Jewelie.
At first, the two managed to avoid Rebecca: Amy and Rebecca had been banned from coming to Vicarstown Yard after Amy tried to steal away Thomas. Lord Harwick had hired some security guards to make sure neither tried to sneak in again. However, by afternoon, their luck would run out.
It happened when Olive arrived with the express. Rebecca had managed to bribe her way past security guards. As Jewelie and Conan watched Thomas putting the coaches away, Rebecca appeared while both were in a siding.
"COOOOOOONAAAAAAAAAAAN!" she shouted, stomping on over to the two.
"How did you get in here?!" Thomas asked.
"Conan, you got some nerve cheating on me!" Rebecca shouted, ignoring Thomas the Tank Engine. "After everything I've done for you, you treat me like this?!"
"I've told you several times, we were never dating!" Conan snapped.
"Don't get all snippy with me, mister!" Rebecca screamed. "I do not approve of you repaying me with cheating on me!"
"What have you ever done for me!?" demanded Conan
Throughout all this, Jewelie watched the whole altercation. Eventually, she got an idea.
"Ah, yes, very very much," said Jewelie, running up to Conan and grabbing his arm in a hug.
"Who are you, orange freak?!" demanded Rebecca.
"I'm Conan's girlfriend, Jewelie," replied the girl.
"HUH?!" Conan shouted. "Wha…"
"Play along, Conan," Jewelie whispered to him. "I got an idea on how we can get rid of this bitch." She then turned back to Rebecca. "We've been dating for two months now. Who are you?"
"The name's Rebecca, bitchface!" Rebecca snapped. "And you've been dating someone who is already taken! Connie's mine!"
"I don't see your name on him," Jewelie said with a smirk.
"Yes, Jewelie and I are an item," Conan said. "We've been together since school began and have been everywhere. Say, Jewels, you want me to take you out tonight?"
"Oh, I'd love to, Connie!" To the surprise of everyone present, Jewelie grabbed his cheeks and kissed him on the lips! Conan stared in shock at first, but quickly closed his eyes and returned it. Rebecca just stared, furious.
"I….uh…" Thomas suddenly felt like his boiler was empty. "Ugh, gross!" he called, but Conan and Jewelie ignored him, as Conan put his hand behind Jewelie's head and another onto her two ended up enjoying their kiss way too much. Rebecca, on the other hand, was now red in the face, steam coming out of her ears.
"LIPS OFF MY HUSBAND!" she shrieked, and she lunged for Jewelie. It was at this moment, Conan and Jewelie broke apart their kiss. Jewelie sidestepped out of Rebecca's way before she could punch her. Rebecca stumbled in surprise! "Wha…how?!"
"I've practised cheerleading," smirked Jewelie.
"Well cheerleading this!" Rebecca lunged for Jewelie again, only for the latter to once again dodge.
"Grr! How dare you!"
It was the same story each time: again and again Rebecca tried to punch Jewelie, only for her to dodge each attempt. To the amazement of everyone, the orange-haired girl even managed to do a backflip over some trucks! This only angered Rebecca even more!
"Hold still so I can teach you a lesson!" she shrieked. So focused was Rebecca on punching Jewelie that she forgot to watch where she was going. Jewelie jumped out of the way of another punch and Rebecca's eyes suddenly went wide: she flew face first into a muddy ditch! Mud splattered everywhere!
"Ew! My beautiful dress!"
"Serves you right for trying to flirt with my Connie, bitch!" taunted Jewelie. "Now stay the fuck away or I'll give you something worse than a ditch of mud!"
The trucks laughed at the sight.
"Serves you right, ugly mudgirl!" they jeered.
The trucks even composed a song for the occasion.
This boy is mine! Stay away!
Or else I'll teach you a lesson!
His engine friend I'll turn to scrap!
My boots he didn't lick!
Punch around, like wildmen do
Unfitting for a lady!
Trip into a pit of mud!
Pop Goes Rebecca!
"Serves you right, Rebecca!" laughed Thomas. "That'll teach you to try and scrap me!"
Rebecca tried to speak, but mud got into her mouth. Humiliated, she got up, and ran for the station. Unfortunately for her, Lord Harwick was there.
"I thought I told you to stay away from my railway yard," he said sternly. "Charges shall be pressed against your family for trespassing."
Rebecca looked like she was about to cry.
"I'll have none of your crocodile tears," said Lord Harwick firmly. "You're coming with me!" He grabbed her and dragged her away, while Rebecca began bawling.
"Thanks for helping me out back there, Jewelie," said Conan.
"Hey, anything to help a friend," said Jewelie. "At least she'll be sure to leave you alone now." She paused. "Hey, Conan, about that kiss…"
"Yeah, well, uh…" Conan didn't know what to say. Luckily, Thomas came to the rescue.
"Would any of you know why my firebox is cold?" he asked.
That provided enough distraction for Jewelie to slip away. Conan followed after her.
"So, uh," he said, on the way home. "That kiss…was just a distraction, right?"
"Yes, it was," said Jewelie slowly. "Only pretend so we could drive Rebecca away."
Conan nodded…he'd expected that, but deep down…he actually wished it could be more than that. Jewelie couldn't help but feel the same. They both blushed at the thought. Eventually, they arrived at Jewelie's house, neither one saying a word the rest of the way.
"Well…uh….see you…" said Conan.
"Yeah…see you…," Jewelie replied.
At around the same time, Lord Harwick was holding a meeting with the Fernbys. Rebecca had gone upstairs to take a bath.
"This is the last straw!" roared Lord Harwick. "You drop the charges, or I'll sue you!"
"On the contrary!" shouted Samy. "YOU will apologise for getting our daughter dirty, or we'll sue you like we did with Topham!"
"Have you forgotten your lawsuit with Topham isn't going so well?" Lord Harwick reminded. "And suing me won't change what happened."
Samy was at a loss of words.
"I will not sue you for all your offences, such as trying to steal Thomas, should you drop all charges against Topham," Lord Harwick continued.
"Steal Thomas?" I've no idea what you're talking about," said Samy.
"That's the whole reason you started this trial," said Lord Harwick. "You've been after Thomas ever since he insulted your daughter."
"He deserved it!"
"So you admit you tried to steal him."
Fernby went quiet, noticing his game was up.
"I'm guessing we have a deal?"
Fernby nodded, defeated.
"Pleasure doing business."
Secretly, Fernby had no intention of dropping the charges: he was determined that his daughter would get to scrap the little blue puffball that insulted her. Little did he know, he wouldn't be having a choice in the matter…
Early next morning, Fernby found out from a letter delivered to him the lawsuit had been dismissed by the new judge, and he'd been given a huge fine for wasting the court's time.
To celebrate, Lord Harwick announced a special dining train would run that night. Under request of the Fat Director, Edward was chosen for the job. Lily was not happy when she heard this.
"WHY?!" she demanded. "Edward's an old, outdated junk heap, I'm a modern express engine!"
"Here we go again…" groaned the engines. Thomas was quick to interfere.
"Sir Topham knows full well you can't be trusted with any trains," he replied. "Especially after you refused to pull cattle trucks."
"I've taken Emily's trains lately!" Lily reminded the E2.
"Only because there weren't any alternatives!" snapped Thomas. "Otherwise, you'd still be stuck at Wellsworth like you're supposed to be!"
"Please, Lord Harwick…let me pull the train!" she begged, ignoring what Thomas said.
"Sir Topham Hatt personally requested Edward for this train, and his decision is final," said Lord Harwick sternly. "Now off you go to Wellsworth: you're still needed there for banking."
Everyone went their separate ways, except Lily and Luci.
"This isn't fair!" Lily complained. "I've worked my wheels off lately! I deserve the dining train!"
She continued to rant for a while, until Luci finally had enough.
"Lily, shut up!" he snapped. "You weren't chosen because you're a mean bitch! Just as bad as Amy Fernby!"
"How dare you compare me to her!"
"There's nobody else to compare you to," said Luci sternly. "Both of you are spoiled brats. Both of you think that everyone is below you. And both of you have been trying to harm Thomas!"
Lily tried to say something else, but Luci didn't let her.
"I was told all you did: refuse work that doesn't suit you, frighten some poor cows because they're not squeaky-clean Pullmans, threaten other engines because of age and appearance, demand servitude from the tank engines, and assault the trucks! Those charges could land you in a military railway!"
Lily was fuming, but Luci wasn't done yet
"Your views on hierarchy are rubbish! The only hierarchy on railways is which engines work more and which are useless! And you're at the bottom of that one!"
Lily opened her mouth to reply, but Luci was quicker.
"I don't want to hear it! You can take any complaints you have and shove it up your tender!" Luci then departed the sheds, leaving Lily to brood.