Breakfast was almost like dinner, except it was more hectic while also trying their best to be as quiet as possible to not disturb some of the night shifters who were sleeping in their rooms upstairs.

Jimena was quietly eating her egg toast while the majority of Steamies already left for work when Edward got her attention, "Sir Topham Hatt told me earlier on the phone that Luke still can't come back here yet today, so instead of meeting him, you'll be getting a tour around with James and Thomas."

"What?!" Apparently both teenagers didn't get the memo yet if they looked so surprised. Jimena gulped on her bite and looked on nervously.

"Aye, yee two dinnae have any work tae dae until the afternoon. Luke was supposed tae take over, but he's nae here right naew. So yee two are the obvious choice." Donald said from his seat where he was still finishing his own toast. His brother was already off to his work from the early morning.

"It wasn't a whole island tour," Edward soothed, "You just need to show Jimena around so she could familiarize herself little by little."

James gave a disgruntled sigh while Thomas muttered "Fine." Both boys stood up and started cleaning any mess they've made from breakfast.

Sensing the two already displeased with the arrangement, Jimena quickly finished her own toast and stood up to follow.

"Have a good day Las'!" Donald said to Jimena while Edward waved to both James and Thomas before giving her an encouraging smile.

Jimena gave them a nervous wan smile, the only one that she could manage for now before following the two teenagers out.

When the door clicked shut, Donald looked at Edward while idly kept eating his toast, "They didnae look pleased."

Edward sighed, "That is part of the reason why I didn't tell them beforehand. The boys are at the age where the assignment seems like babysitting a new kid when in reality it really isn't."

Donald smirked, "Naw, we are the ones wit' tha babysitting job to all of them bairns."

Edward chuckled, "Wouldn't have it any other way though."

Donald replied in kind, agreeing, "Nae we wouldnae."

Jimena didn't have the Sodor Steamworks emblem pin yet as part of her daily 'uniform' for work, so her own baggy and worn out clothes and coat are still bare from any signs of her interning with Sodor Steamworks. The only clothing that she has which looks moderately new was her blue newsboy cap which has its own story to tell for another time.

Jimena saw Irving was sweeping the front of the Chuggers House and waved at him with a small smile which the older man noticed before she quickly caught up with the two teenagers.

Well.. she caught up with James. Thomas was fast walking ahead that her smaller pace of legs can't keep up with.

Sensing her disheartened look at the cold treatment, James leaned down and whispered, "Don't take it to heart. Thomas doesn't really like to share since he was always sharing stuff with his cousins."

Jimena looked up at him, confused, "But.. he didn't share anything with me.. yet?"

James snorted, "Have you forgotten already? Edward is to be your temporary guardian until Sir Topham Hatt decides your official one. And Edward is Thomas' guardian."

Jimena still doesn't get it. She doesn't even know the concept behind this whole guardian thing, "Yes..? But he's temporary for now right?"

James huffed, "That doesn't mean he won't be the official one." And he left it at that, while Jimena was more confused than before.

Jimena remembered that Sir Topham Hatt told her that she could ask the other kids about this whole 'guardian' thing. But before she could ask more from James, Thomas called up from the front, irritatedly, "Come on, keep up Jimena. We don't have all day."

Nervous and anxious by Thomas' irkness, Jimena nodded and tried to keep up with him.

Alas, she kept falling behind since her legs were much shorter, and since she was very much new to Sodor, she stayed and observed every one spot that Thomas exasperatedly explained, for a few minutes to remember before running to keep up with the two boys.

James sighed frustratedly, "If she keeps this up, we will be stuck here for the whole day."

Thomas huffed, "I promised Percy I'll help clean up our engines' shed before I have to go to work this afternoon. I can't do that if she takes too long on every place we show." Then that gave Thomas an idea, "Why don't we leave her instead?"

James halted his walk at the wrongness of that idea, "What? Have you lost your mind? We can't leave her on her own."

Thomas snorted, "Of course we can. It's not like she will get hurt, kidnapped, or anything. It's Sodor. Besides, we can just go and pick her up later after all our jobs are done."

James, to his credit, didn't immediately agree to the idea. He knew Sodor has one of the lowest criminal cases, but it was unlike Thomas to think of such a prank, especially to a new kid.

'Is he really that scared of losing Edward to someone else?..' James can't help but think quietly to himself. He knew of Thomas' family condition of course. Everyone in the house does. But still.. this time it was a little excessive.

"If you don't want to, you can just stick around and give her the tour yourself."

Okay, now that, James doesn't want to. He huffed frustratedly, "Fine. How are we going to do this?"

Thomas smirked, "Just follow my lead."

Jimena doesn't know why, but it seems Thomas started showing things a bit faster than before. Not to mention he and James started to walk faster too.

She tried to keep up, she really did. But one second she was looking to where Thomas pointed at a grocery store, the next she turned to look at her guides, they were both gone.

At first, Jimena still hasn't caught up on things. She thought she had missed them.

But after calling their names and walking- running ahead to catch up, it was clear to her that she was left behind on her own.

And she was lost.

She hadn't got a chance to explore Sodor yet since she'd arrived, so this place was entirely new for her. She has no clue where she is.

Walking and walking, Jimena didn't see anything or anyone familiar, and the more she walked, the more she felt her anxiety spiking, so she stopped and looked around once more to see if she could see something familiar.

A field with a football team, a construction site with a bunch of workers, buildings, and..

A stray football is flying straight towards her head..

Long forgotten reflex rising within her made her simply reach out her hands and caught the incoming ball close to her chest, muffling the force of the ball from the hard kick.

Blinking, Jimena looked up when she heard the cheers from the football team. They were all looking at her, some clapping and cheering, while some came towards her with concern furrowed brows.

The older kids who make up the whole football team, 15 to 17 if she has to guess, came towards her, smiling but some with a worried frown on their faces, "Hey kid! Are you alright?"

"That was a good catch. You can be a goalie if you play football." one teen said to her which some of them nodded, agreeing with the statement.

The first teen, the Captain probably, finally smiled when he realized she's okay, "They were right though. Good reflexes. You've played before?" He asked kindly to the small child who was probably no older than 8 or 9, which was not far from the truth. She is smaller from her true age.

Jimena nodded shyly, "Yes.. but just regular playing. Not in a club or teams or anything.." she explained nervously.

The Captain's smile just widened in encouragement, "Playing football is fine too even if you're not on any teams. Your catch was pretty good."

Jimena gave the ball back to the Captain and meekly thanked him for the compliment.

Tucking the ball under his arm, the Captain looked around before looking back at her, "Say, what are you doing around here on your own? Are you waiting for someone? Or do you want to go somewhere?"

"I.. I'm new here, so I don't really know my way around.. Ca- can you show me the direction to.. uhm- Oh! Knapford Station?" Jimena nervously asked while ducking her head down.

The football team was silent for a second before someone laughed, not unkindly, "Why don't you say so? We can give you a tour around until we reach Knapford Station. What do you say Captain? Help the little keeper out?"

The Captain regarded her for a second before he nodded, "We can use a break anyway. What do you say, keeper? Want us to give you a tour around?"

Jimena perked up, "Really? Yes, please!"

The Captain grinned, "Awesome. Now, let the tour begin!" and the rest of the team cheered happily.

True to their words, the football team showed Jimena around.

At first, Jimena was afraid they'll leave her too like Thomas and James, but the Captain and his team were taking their time showing her around, unlike Thomas and James who did it in a more hurried, impatient pace.

They patiently showed her the important places of North Western Railway once they knew she wasn't in a hurry to reach Knapford. They even joked and added a few fun facts about each place.

After a few hours, the team and Jimena got hungry for lunch, so they stopped at one of the grocery stores and bought some bread. They even treat Jimena one as part of 'welcome to Sodor'.

After the impromptu lunch, the team and Jimena continued on their way until they reached Knapford Station.

And she wasn't late either.

The Captain patted her capped head, "It was nice meeting you kid. Maybe when you have some time off we can all play some football." The team agreed to that and Jimena nodded as well.

She thanked them profusely before they left her at the station and went back to the field while Jimena proceeded to ask some workers there where Sir Topham Hatt's office is. When she found it, she knocked on it and Sir Topham Hatt welcomed her in.

Giving her a cup of tea and to himself, Sir Topham Hatt asked, "How do you find yourself in Sodor so far, Jimena?"

Jimena nervously fidgeted with the handle of the cup while trying to come up with a plausible answer, "It's.. been good, Sir." was what she finally managed.

Sir Topham hummed while sipping his tea, "And the others? Did they treat you well?"

Jimena was sipping on her tea when she heard the question and almost choked, "Er.. ye- yes, the others treat me well, Sir."

Sir Topham sensed she was hiding something. The child was an open book, it was almost painful to watch, "It is okay to tell me or the other adults if someone is bothering you, Jimena."

For all she put her heart and expression on her sleeve, the child was actually steadfast with her previous statement, which Sir Topham could tell was not entirely true, "N-No.. really, everyone treats me fine.."

Knowing he wouldn't get anything more from her about the topic, Sir Topham changed the subject by telling her about the more specific part of her paid interning job, "-So everything related to maintenance and repairs are usually handled by the Steamworks group which was the team you are a part of. For you specifically, I asked Victor and Luke to show you more to the electrical parts of the job since you have the advantage from your anomaly power."

Jimena nodded. It makes sense.

Sir Topham Hatt continued, "-aside from other chores and additional jobs, kids and teenagers under 18 or 19 are mandatory to homeschooling as well."

Jimena's widened eyes blinked, "Uhm.. homeschooling Sir?.."

Sir Topham Hatt nodded, "The teachers will be the adults in your house. But the lessons schedule will only be put in place after you already familiarize yourself with your job and day-by-day schedule. That being said, since your job schedule will be more flexible and unpredictable like the other Steamworks workers and unlike the engineers, your lessons schedule will adapt to it as well. We'll start it in probably around two weeks or so."

Jimena gulped nervously and nodded, "Yes, Sir.." She hadn't accounted for the homeschooling. When she said she was 13 instead of 10 as her true age, she could fake it and blamed her 'small' stature when everyone says she looks like a young child instead of a teenager. It helps that she also has an anomaly power which in most part solidifies her claim as a young teenager.

But school lessons? The last time she was in school was when she was just about 9 years old. She's been on the street for half a year or so before turning 10 and then started working here at Sodor. It didn't help that she wasn't a straight A student as well..

She hoped that the adults won't get frustrated with her if she can't follow a 13 year old school lesson plan..

"-aside from the Guardian part, I guess that is all of it. Do you have any questions for me, Jimena?"

Jimena jolted back to attention and shook her head, "Erm- No- Uh, No Sir. T-Thank you.."

Sir Topham Hatt smiled, "Then that would be all, Jimena. I already asked Thomas and James to pick you up here at the Station to bring you back to the house. They will arrive soon."

Upon hearing the two teenagers' names, Jimena's mood took a nosedive to anxiety. She knew they had left her earlier, and James told her that Thomas didn't like her for sharing Edward as their guardian- whatever that means, so she really doesn't want to meet those two.

But alas.. she can't say anything about it. Not without telling Sir Topham Hatt about them leaving her alone in the morning. That will only bring more trouble than it's worth.

So she stays quiet.

Thomas and James picked her up from Knapford Station and brought her back to the Steamies House.

All along the way, all three of them stayed quiet. No one spoke anything. No complaints and no one apologizes.

Soon they reached Steamies House and Jimena quickly went inside first, trying to get away from Thomas and James. But alas, it was already late afternoon, so most people in Steamies House were already there.

And Gordon is one of them.

As soon as she put her shoes on her shoe rack, Jimena was about to go upstairs without so much as looking back. But Gordon cleared his throat and asked loudly in his booming voice, "Where are you off to in such a hurry? Surely you can spare time to thank Thomas and James for showing you around this morning." and everyone who is already home, heard it.

James and Thomas stood there near the shoe racks, placidly, but looking at each other in silent alarm. Gordon's entire attention was on Jimena, and so were the other occupants of the house.

Gordon had meant for the jab to be a tease. He didn't really ask her to thank the two teenagers. If she already did that she could just say so and leave it at that. And most everyone was certain she already thanked Thomas and James, seeing how polite she was on the first day.

But to everyone's surprise, including Thomas and James, Jimena seemed to consider it.

She regarded the two teenagers with an odd but neutral expression, bordering on flat, before muttering, "Yes.. thank you Thomas, James." but her voice didn't sound like anything, not sheepish for forgetting, or nervous like the majority of her first day.

It was just.. impassive.

And it sounded so wrong when she said it.

Jimena turned and trudged up the stairs, but not even half the stairs, Duck came out of the dining room, having heard of everything and called out to her, "Jimena? Go clean up and get your coat hung up Dear. Dinner is about to be ready soon."

Jimena leaned on the banister to look at the calm expression of Duck, "I.. I'm not hungry, Mr. Montague.. and I already ate earlier."

Duck didn't change his expression, but his tone was softer, "It is alright to call me 'Duck' Dear. Everyone does. No need for formalities either to any of us, because sometimes it was a mouthful." Jimena looked at him with an unreadable expression, but he saw her looking at him with sad and tired eyes, and it tugged on his heart strings, "And are you sure you're not hungry? What did you eat earlier?"

Jimena's eyes flew to Thomas and James' direction for a second which Duck caught, before quickly returning to his, "..Bread."

That.. was certainly not quite enough for a dinner. But Duck had a feeling that he can't force her on this. Not now. So he tried the Scottish Twins' tactic from the night before, "Alright, but are you sure you don't want to help like yesterday? Donald and Douglas won't be able to finish everything on their own and I need someone who can help me eat some."

Donald and Douglas, who were paying attention to the conversation from their seats in the dining room, immediately knew what Duck was trying to do. Even though they can't see Jimena, they knew the wee las' can hear them, "Ach, aye! Duck's right Las'. We dae need help fur dinner." Donald said loudly.

"Cumm on down Las'. Skarloey made sum cullen skink that yee have tae trah." Douglas added in kind, driving the message home.

Everyone who's on hearing and vision range were paying attention to the conversation, but Jimena didn't notice any of it. She put her chin between her hands on the banister, "I never tried cullen skink before.." was her quiet but heardable response.

Duck gave her a warm smile, "There you go. Now clean up first alright? Then come down stairs for dinner. Skarloey's cooking is one that no one should miss." Jimena nodded and was about to continue upstairs when Duck spoke again, "And Thomas? James? while we are at it, what did you say to someone who thanked you?" he asked sternly to the two teenagers.

Jimena blinked while the two teenagers looked away from Duck's stern gaze and flushed. They didn't like Duck's lecture and he already called on them, so best to not make him wait, "You're welcome.." was their quiet grumble and mutter.

Satisfied, Duck motioned Jimena to head upstairs before going back to the dining room. Everyone with half a mind knew that Duck had just defended Jimena by calling out on the two boys' manners. Even Gordon didn't say anything when his ward got called out.

Throughout dinner, Jimena stuck close to Duck with how her seat was closer to him, and put some distance with Edward.

It greatly confused them, especially Edward since they had left on good note this morning. But Donald and Edward noticed her mood had nosedived from this morning, so they didn't ask or say anything about it.

Just like last night, Duck and the Scottish Twins subtly added more to Jimena's plate until she's full before letting her go off to bed. Edward, who noticed she doesn't look comfortable with him throughout the whole dinner, wisely steps back and let the twins and Duck to subtly fuss over her.

Still, they all wonder though.. What makes her change? and why?

Duck was the first one to know.

The next morning, Jimena finally meets with Luke. The 16 year old was all smiles with his dimples, excited to meet his new junior trainee. Even Jimena who was still nervous around the others, more so than the first day, smiled back at him and the welcoming gesture eased the tension around her shoulders.

Duck's first train was to deliver some supplies to the construction workers. So when he saw Jimena already felt comfortable enough with Luke, Duck left the house after ruffling her hair and wished her a good day before leaving her to Luke's capable hands.

Duck rode his engine to the construction site near the football field. There, he met with Jack and his crew while helping them move the materials out from the flatbed.

Since it was a lot of supplies, Duck helped the construction workers until lunch time before they all went to the cafeteria at the nearby station to get some lunch. There, he saw Luke and Jimena who were eating lunch as well.

Jimena was the first one to see him and immediately waved at him, "Hi, Mr. Duck."

Duck smiled softly and came over to ruffle her hair which he noticed she didn't really mind that it messed up her top hair. She even seemed to like the affectionate parental gesture that made Duck a little worried about her home life, but he kept it to himself for now, "Hello Dear, and no 'Mister' necessary, remember? What are you two doing here?"

Luke, who finally turned to Duck after he greets the construction crew, explained with his trademark dimple smile, "I'm showing Jimena how to maintain one of the electrical boxes around the station here. We're supposed to go back to Knapford after we're done here, but lunchtime rolled around and I figured we could take lunch break here instead. Are you working with the construction crew today, Duck?"

Duck nodded, "Yes, there's a lot of supplies, so I'm helping them move it away." He turned back to Jimena and introduced the construction crew, "Jimena, I'd like you to meet the construction crew of Sodor. Leader Jack, Twins Max and Monty, Alfie, and Oliver."

"Hi there kid.", "Hello.", "Nice to meet you."

The construction workers gave her welcoming smiles and greetings, but Duck noticed that the workers seemed to recognize Jimena's face if the thoughtful frown on Jack's face was any indication.

Jimena turned shy and nervous again at meeting a lot of new people. But Duck and Luke's presence helped her relax and they all went on with their lunch. When break time was over, Duck and the construction crew went back to the construction site while Jimena and Luke went back to Knapford Station. Duck gave her another hair ruffle before they all part ways to do their work.

Back at the construction site, Duck has some questions after the crew's interaction with Jimena. He didn't need to ask though, Jack was the one who asked him first,

"So.. she's the new child? the new intern?"

Duck, who was taking a little water break, nodded and cap his bottle back, "Yes, have you seen her before?" he asked, remembering the troubled frown on Jack's face earlier.

Jack nodded, and surprisingly, all the other crew too, "We saw her near the football field yesterday morning, almost afternoon really. Poor girl looked so lost and on the verge of crying if her frantic looking around was any indication."

Duck's eyes widened in bewilderment, but the crew wasn't done, "Yes, we were about to help her out when the football team came first and helped her after she caught one of their stray balls." Alfie said.

Max crossed his arms, "Why was she alone anyway? Wasn't she new to Sodor?"

Monty nodded, copying his brother, "We heard hear-say about her never been around Sodor before. Why did you lot let her wander around by herself if she wasn't familiar with her surroundings yet?"

Duck was even more befuddled now, "We didn't let her wander out on her own. Thomas and James were supposed to show her around yesterday. It was what I heard from Edward."

Jack shared a look with his crew before he shrugged, "Well.. we didn't see James or Thomas at all yesterday. Instead, we saw the football team show her around." When he saw Duck's perplexed expression, he softened a bit, "We don't accuse you or any of the others for letting her wander off alone, but perhaps you should ask the two boys what they were doing yesterday?" he suggested.

Duck crossed his own arms and sighed harshly, "Believe me, I intend to."

Jack peered at him before asking, "She's your ward?"

Duck raised an eyebrow at the conclusion, "No, she doesn't have any guardian yet. Sir Topham Hatt wants to see her progress first before deciding. What made you think she's mine?"

Jack shrugged, "You're protectively affectionate of her, and she seems to be comfortable enough with you that we knew she wasn't that comfortable with anyone else."

Duck was bemused, "You got that just from one interaction with her at lunch?"

Jack shrugged again and smiled, "What can we say? we're just an observant crew."

True to Duck's words, after he was finally done with his duties for the day, he went to Knapford Station and asked around.

His first clue came from Bertie, the bus driver and Thomas' friend as well as a rival. The driver said that he saw Jimena arrive at the station yesterday with a bunch of older teenagers that he knew was the football team since they had rode on his bus before.

"-And I saw Thomas at the shed, cleaning it with Percy just minutes before I arrived at the station and saw the girl with the football team." Bertie finished.

Duck sighed. This did not paint a good picture of what happened yesterday between the two boys and Jimena, "Alright, thank you Bertie. I appreciate the help and your memory. I'll see you sometime soon." Bertie went on back to his bus while Duck went to find Percy.

He found the 15 year old at the shunting yard, shunting some carts for future use before Duck called him to ask something.

Percy came over and smiled at the older man, "Hello Duck! What do you want to ask me?"

Duck smiled back first before asking, "Did Thomas and you clean the shed together yesterday?"

Percy, who was confused by the question, nodded in confirmation, "Yes, we both did."

"Ranging roughly from mid morning till afternoon I presume?"

Percy, even more confused, nodded again, "Yeah.. around that time. What's wrong Duck? Did something happen?"

Duck sighed and ran his hand through his brunswick green hair frustratedly, "Somewhat," he answered Percy vaguely, not yet ready to entrust his information since he still hasn't know what James was doing yesterday around that time, "I still need to ask a few more people though. Do you know what James did yesterday around the same time you two cleaned the sheds?"

Percy, bless his heart, didn't ask anymore questions. He knows he will find out either way when the time comes. Everyone in the House does, "I.. think? Last I remember, James said he was going to wash his engine at that time, but I could be wrong. Maybe Victor would know? I heard he was going to wash his engine as well yesterday."

Duck nodded gratefully, "Of course. Thank you so much Percy, I appreciate the help. Don't stay out too late, alright?"

Already used to Duck's usual constant reminders, Percy only grinned, "Alright. See you later Duck!"

Duck went to the Steamworks to find Victor. He found him, along with Kevin, Luke, and Jimena who were all huddling over a generator. It seems like Victor was teaching them how to fix it, but stopped when he saw Duck come towards him.

"Good afternoon Duck," Victor smiled, "Can I help you with something?"

Duck smiled back in greeting, "Good afternoon Victor. Actually, yes, I do need to ask you something."

Victor let the kids observe the generator by themselves before coming over to Duck, "What is wrong my friend? You look kind of.. restless."

Duck was indeed restless, "You have no idea," he sighed, "Did you see James at all yesterday? Preferably, at mid-morning till afternoon?"

Victor crossed his arms and thought for a moment before he nodded, "Yes, I saw him grabbing the cleaning supplies around that time and washed his engine. I am sure because I had also washed my engine yesterday." Seeing Duck's frustration at the information, Victor asked worriedly, "Is that not what you're looking for, my friend?"

Duck sighed heavily, "No, no, it's exactly what I'm looking for. It's just.. I don't like what it implies." Seeing Victor's confused face, Duck waved it off, "You will know more later, for now it was just my assumptions. I'm still gathering more information and facts about it."

Victor studied Duck's expression before he raised an eyebrow, "It seems my friend, you already have everything you need," he said in a knowing tone, "At least most of it."

Duck huffed but didn't object at the observation, "Thank you Victor, I appreciate it. Can I borrow Jimena for a while? I need to ask her something."

Victor looked worried again, but Duck waved him off, "I just need to clarify something."

Victor's brows still furrowed but called Jimena for him, "Jimena? Can you come here please?" When Jimena came over to him with a questioning gaze, he smiled and gestured to Duck, "Duck wants to ask you about something." He patted her shoulder before leaving the two of them and returned to his other mentees and the generator.

Duck drew a breath before kneeling down on one knee to look at Jimena on her eye level. Jimena was confused but sensed that this is probably important so she didn't say anything.

"Jimena, tell me, who gave you a tour around yesterday?" Duck asked gently while looking at Jimena's grey eyes with his own dark brown eyes.

Jimena's eyes fleet to the side for a moment before saying, "Thomas and James did.."

Half-true was what his sense- his anomaly power told him, "Do you want to know what my anomaly power is?" He asked instead.

Jimena looked at him nervously, "Yeah?.."

Duck smiled a little to ease the tension, "My anomaly power is called 'Detect'. In short, I can sense if someone has the information that I need or not. In extent, my anomaly can sometimes tell me if someone tells me the truth or a lie." He let that sink in on her first because he saw her pale at the revelation, "When you answered my question, my sense told me it was 'half-true'. Why is that Jimena?"

Jimena looked down to her feet, nervousness was radiating all over her, "I don't know.."

Duck looked patiently at her, "Is it because Thomas and James weren't there the whole time?" He intentionally said it as if the two teenagers didn't accompany her at all yesterday.

And that prompted an honest answer from her, "No.. they were with me at first." at Duck's inquiring look, she continued reluctantly, "I guess.. I just got lost, that's all.."

If Duck didn't have a suspicion for her 'younger than said' age, he would've been surprised by her quick honest answer which had been broken under his gentle probing. But with how much he was interacting with her, his sense, not even his anomaly one, told him that she's definitely younger than 13. Which is probably why he was more gentle with her when he was probing for answers.

"Did you get lost, or did they leave you half the way?" Duck asked again, gentler when he saw her glassy eyes.

Her face probably said everything about what happened, but to Duck's light exasperation, she still tried to defend the boy's action, "I.. maybe I just got lost first.."

"That may have been what happened," but Duck didn't really believe it, "But if you were lost first, they would've searched for you. But they didn't. Instead, you were seen alone by the construction crew and were helped by the football team who guided you to Knapford Station, am I wrong?"

Duck looked at Jimena who tried to escape his gaze, but seeing that she can't exactly run from his scrutinizing gaze, her shoulders rose up in tension, "But they helped me get back home afterwards.."

Duck shook his head gently, "What they did.. It was dangerous Jimena, to left you alone like that. You could've been hurt, and you are still new here. You still don't know your surroundings yet. What if the football team or the construction crew didn't see or helped you? It was irresponsible for them to do that."

Jimena shoe scuffed the ground a little to show that she was anxious about the probability of the revelation, "I was fine though.. and they maybe have their own reasons.."

Duck patted her head, "And that's what I'm planning to ask next." Seeing her worried expression, he gently scolded, "Jimena, what they did to you was wrong. They'll get in trouble, yes, but they will have to face the consequences for their actions and it will be fair." He soothed, "I'll bring it up to their guardians first and let them decide what's best for the boys. Their consequences were not your fault, do you understand?"

Jimena was silent for a moment, conflicts were clear on her face before she settled on a nod, "Yes, Sir.."

Duck ruffled her hair before standing up, "Good girl. I'll see you at dinner later, alright?" Jimena nodded before he nudged her back to Victor and his mentees.

When Victor saw Jimena's troubled face, he looked back at Duck's direction in a questioning glance, but Duck waved it off and motioned to Victor that he got it all handled.

Now, time to find the two boys' guardians.

Duck didn't exactly remember the time tables for everyone, but he remember bits and pieces from the whiteboard near the coat hangers that Thomas and James' guardians were supposed to be on their breaks right now.

And he found them right where he thought they would be.. back at the Steamies House.

The Scottish Twins, Gordon, Edward, and Rex were all lounging in the living room, sitting at the various sofas and chairs while conversing idly about anything and everything.

When Duck came into the living room, Rex was the first one to notice him, "Hi Duck! What's with the long face?"

Donald and Douglas turned to look at him as well, "Why dae yee look like someone step on yeer breakfast?" Douglas asked lightly.

"Or lunch." Donald added with a hint of tease in it.

The twins were concerned, Duck knew that. It was their way of showing they knew that something was wrong. But he didn't have time for their antics right now so he went straight to the point and looked at Gordon and Edward pointedly, "Do any of you two know why your wards didn't fulfill their task yesterday of showing Jimena around?"

Everyone was silent. Edward was perplexed while Gordon frowned deeply, "Didn't they do though? Showing her around? They did bring her home yesterday." Gordon said.

"Yes, only for bringing her home. They left her half way in the morning, and I found out she was helped by a group of teenage football team yesterday because she was looking so lost and on the verge of crying for being left behind."

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise and bewilderment. Gordon, as expected from every other guardian, tried to ask all the facts first. Even when his tone indicated that he didn't believe a single thing Duck had just said, "Are you sure Duck? Where is the proof? And how did you suspect it in the first place?"

Edward meanwhile, has a thoughtful frown. Not yet defending his ward, but he also seems to be wondering how Duck came across the information in the first place when they all suspected nothing yesterday.

Duck's piercing glance met with Gordon's dark blue eyes, "Because the construction crew was ready to tear me into a new one when they realized Jimena was the child they saw yesterday. Standing all alone, trying to find anything familiar or to find the way back here. They were perplexed that we let a new young child wander out on her own without any guides. I told them what Edward told me yesterday, that Thomas and James were the ones who were supposed to show her around. The crew said that they didn't see the two boys at all yesterday. They instead saw the football team helped her find her way back, and I gather more from questioning the others around that the football team even helped her to get to Knapford Station."

"Well.. maybe the boys can't find her?" Edward supplied.

Duck shook his head, "I've asked around. Percy was with Thomas when they cleaned the shed, while Victor saw James took the cleaning supplies and washed his engine. Both were doing those things around the time when Jimena was with the football team."

The outcome of Duck's search and conclusion was not one they all like, but it was the truth. Duck would never lie about these things and there's also his anomaly 'Detect' that made information gathering a lot more foolproof and easier.

Edward sighed heavily while Gordon massaged his forehead, "We'll speak with the boys. I assume you already asked young Jimena about this?" Edward asked.

Duck nodded, frowning, "She tried to defend the boys' action, but I told her that what they did was not okay."

"Of course it's not. She's new here and young! What were those two thinking when they left her?" Gordon spoke up, feeling frustrated with his charge's action.

"She coold've been serioosly hurt." Donald murmured, feeling disappointed with what Thomas and James had done yesterday.

Rex rubbed the back of his head, "No wonder the girl was so nervous. And the way she stays clear from Edward also makes some sense too."

Edward raised a confused eyebrow, "How did that explain it?"

Douglas turned his wide incredulous eyes to Edward, "Yee cannae be serioos, Edward. Most of us, if nae everyone, knew how much Thomas is possessive ovah yee."

"Maybe not possessive.. more like.." Rex gestured airily with his hand, trying to find the right words.

"He donnae want to share yee with other bairns, Edward." Donald said, "If ah remember correctly, it was the same when Stanley first cumm ovah to Sodor."

Most of them winced or grimaced when they remembered what happened back then.

Donald waved the certain memory away, "Anyway, the point is, either Sir Topham Hatt needs tae stop settin' new bairns up with yee as their starter guardian, or Thomas needs tae learn how tae share. We all knoe his history wi' his family, but what he did yesterday with Jimena was crossin' the line." He said firmly while crossing his arms.

"James tae. Ah'm wonderin' which one of them actually had the idea tae leave the wee lassie in the first place?" Douglas said, mimicking his brother's posture.

Duck shrugged. He has his guess, and he was sure everyone else in the room has too.

Then their targets came through the front door and straight to the living room. Thomas looked confused but tried to grin, not knowing why they were all looking at them sternly, while James glanced suspiciously over to Gordon who returned his gaze with a raised eyebrow.

"Thomas, James, can we talk with you for a moment?" Edward started first. Normally, they will discuss it privately, but since Duck was the one who knew the most about what happened, and the Scottish Twins and Rex were in the know, Edward thought it will be better for Thomas and him if he has other opinions to add to the mix. And apparently, Edward himself didn't know about Thomas' rather 'protective' behaviour with him, so might as well.

And it seems Gordon thought so too, but his line of thoughts were more of Duck and the Scottish Twins seem to have a soft spot with the newest girl, and seem to look out for her the most so far. So since this involves the said girl, might as well involve her temporary 'guardians'. Rex was just an added calm support component he needs to handle this, "Right now if you two are not in a hurry to do something else."

Gordon's rather pointed tone made the two boys glanced at each other before they went further into the living room.

"Is there something wrong, Edward?" Thomas asked first since he saw how troubled Edward looked.

Edward and Gordon shared a look before Edward sighed, "Tell me Thomas, what did you do yesterday around mid morning till afternoon?"

Thomas' expression seemed to take a guarded look before he nonchalantly said, "I was with James, showing the new girl around."

James didn't nod, but he didn't object to Thomas' answer either.

Gordon took the lead this time, "Alright, then can you tell us why you two can be in two places at the same time around the same clock yesterday? Thomas with Percy, cleaning the shed, while James was seen by Victor, washing his engine?"

James looked away while Thomas pursed his lips in annoyance and frustrations, "Did she tell?"

Duck snorted, "No, the construction crew told me. They saw her almost crying and looking so lost Thomas. A group of teenage football players were the ones who helped her yesterday." He looked sternly at Thomas, "Not only that she didn't want to tell on you, she was trying to defend your action."

James and Thomas stayed silent, not knowing what to say, but didn't argue with their case..

Gordon sighed in frustration, "So it was true that you two did leave Jimena on her own yesterday, which was very dangerous since she still doesn't know her way around." He looked at them with stern eyes, especially James, "Why on earth would you two do such a thing?"

Thomas huffed but didn't dare to meet the adults' eyes on him, "We just have something else to do.. And we thought she at least knew a little about her way around here."

Edward sighed, "Thomas, James, she's new around here and she had never been to Sodor before until now. Even if she already knew a little, that doesn't mean you can abandon the duty that was given to you. That will be irresponsible, and could be dangerous to someone else."

Thomas and James look equally chastised.

"For that, I expect you to finish some extra worksheets from Duck's math and do the dishes chore for a week. Do you understand Thomas?" Edward asked sternly to his charge who looked disgruntled but accepting at the mention of Duck's math worksheets and his punishment.

"Yes, Edward.."

Gordon sighed, "Same thing goes to you James. Extra worksheets and dishes duty."

James sighed frustratedly but nodded, "Yes, Gordon.."

Edward motioned with his head, "Off you go then, and apologize to Jimena for yesterday when she comes home later."

Thomas and James nodded before they scurried off to their rooms upstairs.

Duck sighed, "Thank you for handling it, Edward, Gordon."

Gordon shrugged while Edward gave him a small smile, "It was no problem Duck. Jimena is one of our own now, and it wasn't fair for her when the boys did what they did. I will speak to Thomas again later, but Jimena is alright now Duck?"

Everyone turned to look at Duck for that and Duck nodded in confirmation, "Last I saw her, she actually took a shine with Luke. Victor is also gentle with her so she's in good hands."

Rex chuckled, "Luke is very friendly. She is also very small for her age, so he probably immediately took Jimena as his junior or his younger sister."

Donald laughed, "It wus like that fawn back then, aye?" they all chuckled at the fond memory of Luke bringing home a baby deer when he was younger.

Then they all heard the front door open and rustles of jackets and coats at the foyer. Duck, Donald, Douglas, and Rex stood up and peered from the living room doorway to see Victor had come back home, complete with his three mentees : Kevin, Luke, and his newest one, Jimena.

Douglas, who was curious after Donald told him that Jimena can immediately recognize him on two nights before, immediately zeroed in on Jimena who looked up when Douglas walked closer towards her.

Douglas smiled before saying, "Before yee say anything Las', Can yee tell who is who?" he dragged his brother to stood beside him and both smirked at the wee Lassie who blinked at them and took a moment to tilt her head thoughtfully before pointing at Douglas,

"You're Douglas.." she then pointed at his brother, "and you're Donald.. right?"

Douglas chuckled to ease the nervousness radiating over her and ruffled her hair, "Yee're right Lassie. How did yee figure it oot?"

Still under Douglas' warm hand over her head, Jimena answered in her small voice, "Donald eyes' colour shade were lighter than yours.. your voice is deeper than Donald, and.. oh! your hair was messier than Donald's.. I think.."

Donald and Rex laughed at her observations which some can easily be alternate, but she's not entirely wrong. Duck chuckled in fond amusement while Douglas ruffled her hair again, making it messier just like his and eliciting a small giggle from the wee Las'.

The first small laugh they heard from the girl and they silently promised to themselves that they will try to bring more of it out from her..