This story you're about to read was written up back in 2013 by yours truely, and the current edited version was done by SF64Rules in 2016. After this story is the Season 1 finale, so be sure to tune in for that story. Also, with luck, November 2016 will see the first new episode of Sodor High School in two years.

Sodor High School: Thomas & Friends Tales

Written by: ThomasZoey3000/Edited by: SF64Rules

Based on the Railway Series by: The Rev. W. and Christopher Awdry

Based on the Television Series by: Britt AllCroft, David Mitton, Lionsgate, and Universal Pictures

Episode 25: Retracting Your Steps

A few days after Thomas and Emily left with the Scottish Twins, Rosie, the pink-haired girl, was walking into Sodor High School. She missed Thomas greatly, yes, but she was still all smiles and humming cheerfully on this day.

"It won't be long till he comes home," she thought to herself. "And when he does, I'm going to give him a great big...AHHHH!"

Her thoughts were cut off as something fell from above and broke open on top of her head and making her scream. It was a water balloon, which left Rosie soaked from her shoulders down.

"Oh, good shot Bill!" chuckled a voice from above.

Rosie looked up and saw two small heighted (enough to mistaken them for little kids) teenage boys with yellow hair, laughing loud and long.

"Did you enjoy that little shower?" The one called Bill asked cheekily.

Mavis, who had seen everything, walked up to Rosie and looked up at the boys crossly.

"That was not funny, Bill and Ben!" she shouted out to them. "Don't you two ever think before doing something?!"

Bill and Ben both didn't answer, they just turned and walked away, laughing mischievously as they went.

Rosie went with Mavis to her locker to get something, then they went to an empty classroom.

"You'd better change into these clothes Rosie, otherwise you could catch a serious cold," said Mavis.

"That would be awful," Rosie thought to herself.

She accepted the clothes and walked into the empty classroom, closing the door in the process. Mavis meanwhile stood outside in the hallway and guarded the door.

"Sorry about those two Rosie. They're always playing practical jokes on people."

"That's alright, but who are they anyway?" came Rosie's voice from inside the classroom.

"They're Bill and Ben. Two 14-year boys who don't know how to act their age. They love playing practical jokes, even if it gets them into trouble. It doesn't bother them the slightest though, they just keep on playing their tricks."

Rosie grew intrigued. "Sounds like you have dealt with them on more than one occasion Mavis."

"Indeed I have," Mavis sighed. "I've been dealing with them ever since I came to Sodor years ago and after I became a much better person. Countless times I've been trying to keep them both in order, but it doesn't always work out. In fact, the only two people who actually can keep those twins in order, outside the principal and their own parents, are both Edward and BoCo."

"Yikes," gasped Rosie from inside the classroom.

After a minute, Rosie came out of the room, wearing one of the Mavis's shirts and one of her skirts.

"You can leave your wet clothes in my locker," Mavis said kindly. "You can pick them up another time."

"Thank you very much Mavis."

The black-haired girl smiled. "My pleasure, and don't you worry about Bill and Ben. When I tell Edward and BoCo about what the twins have done, I'm sure they'll get a very good scolding."

Mavis was right. When she told Edward and BoCo what the twins had did to Rosie, they both spoke sternly to the twins.

"I am ashamed of you two." said Edward, wagging the index finger of his right hand. "Dropping water balloons on Rosie. That is no way to treat a lady."

"Plus, she could've gotten sick had Mavis not offered up some dry clothes for her," added BoCo.

"Oh come on, it was just a water balloon," protested Ben. "I mean it's not like we dropped a book on her."

"Although that would be funny," chuckled Bill. "We can then say, 'hope you like the book, cause it seems to like you'."

The twins chuckled at their little joke, that was until they saw the firm stares on Edward and BoCo's faces.

"What?" Bill and Ben both asked in unison.

"It is not funny," BoCo said firmly.

"Behave yourselves in front of a lady," added Edward. "Or else wet clothes will be the least of your concerns."

After that, the twins promised to be good. But what Edward and BoCo both didn't notice was that Bill and Ben both had their fingers crossed behind their backs. It was clear to see that the twins were not going to keep their promise.

Classes went on as normal that day, but after the last lesson, the teacher spoke to the students.

"In a few days, our class and one other class will be going to the town of Great Waterton to explore the re-opened Morgan's Mine. You will all get these slips. But remember, you will not be able to go if your parents or guardians have not signed the slips."

The teacher then went to every desk, apart from the empty ones, and handed everyone a slip.

"Oh, this is going to be great," James smiled.

"I'll say," agreed Gordon. "Although it would have been nicer to go to that new water park that had just opened up."

"Oh right, just so you can see some of the girls in their swimsuits," joked Henry.

Gordon immediately hushed up.

"It's a shame that Emily and Thomas are both in Scotland," said Percy to both Rosie and Toby. "I'm sure they would love the tour."

"It'd be better with Thomas here," Rosie thought to herself.

"Don't forget, Thomas already got a tour of Morgan's Mine years ago," said Toby. "Although it was against his will."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot that," Percy remembered.

Toby still had a question. "Still, I wonder which other class we're going with."

He soon got their answer, to the entire Class's dismay, when they saw Bill and Ben walking past the door while waving two slips of paper.

"We're going with you lot!" They both called cheekily. "You better be ready for that day!"

James slapped his forehead in frustration, while Gordon sighed heavily.

"Oh great! With those two joining us, our trip will be over before it even starts," he grumbled irritably.

Henry and many of the other students all nodded in agreement.

Later that night at her house, after explaining to her parents and brother of why she was wearing Mavis' clothes, Rosie told them about the trip.

"From what I know, this is the first time they're allowing people inside the mine," Rosie said to them. "So, is it okay if I go on this trip?"

"I don't know," sighed her mother.

"Well, I think it would be okay," said Rosie's father. "It sounds like it could be very educational."

After thinking it over for another minute, Rosie's mother agreed that she could go, and both she and Rosie's father signed the slip.

"Just remember to stay with your group at all times Rosie," her father said wisely.

"Don't worry Dad, I won't forget," Rosie said truthfully.

Following that discussion, Rosie went upstairs to get changed into her pajamas. Once done, she walked out of her room, only to find Brad standing outside his room.

"What are you going to do about them?" he asked.

"Huh?"

Brad decided to expand on his quote. "The twins that dropped the water balloon on top of your head."

"I'm not going to do anything against them," she said firmly. "I know that if I stoop to their level, I could end up in as much trouble as they do."

"Good to hear you say that Sis," smiled Brad. As he turned to leave, the green-haired young man said something more to her; "Well, if you do get lost inside Morgan's Mine, just remember this...remain calm and retrace your steps, then you'll find yourself back on track and heading in the right direction."

"Thanks Brad, I won't forget that either."

Brad just smiled, then he headed off to get something to eat.

At last, the day came. Both classes were waiting at the front of the school for the bus to arrive. It was running late mostly due to a nasty traffic jam not too far from the school. Nobody seemed to mind at all though as the weather was calm and warm.

The teachers also noticed that Bill and Ben were a little too calm.

"Boys, do you mind emptying out your pockets?" asked their teacher.

"Why?" They both asked innocently. "We only have pencils and pens."

"Empty them!" The teacher replied firmly.

The twins sighed and emptied out their pockets. They had more than just pencils and pens, they had all sorts of items used to play jokes, which included little balls that can explode on impact and make a lot of noise.

"I thought so," sighed their teacher. "Listen to me boys. I want you two to be on your best behaviour. If not, you will remain on the bus for the entire trip."

"We'll be good," They both said in unison.

Once again, unknown to their teachers or anyone else, they had their fingers crossed behind their backs.

"It's like they don't even know us," they whispered and winked cheekily to themselves.

At last, the bus arrived.

"Sorry about the delay," said Bertie the bus driver. "But traffic was terrible thanks to an accident on the highway."

"It's alright Bertie," said one of the teachers. "We're not mad at you at all. In fact, we're just glad you're here."

One by one, all the students climbed onto the bus and sat down on the seats. To prevent any pranks from happening, Bill and Ben were both placed in separate seats.

"Edward, you can sit with Ben. And Rosie, you can sit next to Bill," said their teacher.

Rosie and Edward both did as they were told and sat next to the twins, blocking off their views of their twin. Then once everyone was ready, the bus turned out of the parking lot, and headed out onto the big highway leading to Great Waterton.

"I got a phone call from Thomas last night," Percy said to Toby.

Toby smiled. "Oh really? What did he have to say?"

"Well, he said that he and Emily both found gold in the castle. Donald and Douglas found out who the ghost was, and he also said they'll all be coming home tomorrow. That is, assuming Emily doesn't try to continue her search for the Loch Ness monster."

Rosie had overheard what Percy said and started to blush to herself.

"Oh my, Thomas is coming home soon," she sighed quietly.

But unfortunately, Bill heard her. "Are you in love with him?" he asked in a teasing way.

Rosie gasped, she didn't expect Bill to hear what she said.

"You better watch out Rosie," he shouted in a teasing way. "Otherwise you'll get cooties from your boyfriend."

Both he and Ben started laughing out loud, making Rosie embarrassed. ...well, at least that was until all the students shouted at the twin boys.

"Shut up, Bill and Ben!" They all yelled in one voice.

The teachers also spoke sternly to the twins, and with that, they both went silent for the rest of the trip.

After a while, the bus reached the outskirts of Great Waterton and stopped outside of Morgan's Mine.

"Have a good day kids," Bertie said to the students. He then said to Bill and Ben. "Be on your best behaviour."

"Stop saying that!" They both snapped at once. "We don't need to keep hearing that!"

"Well, just listen to that bit of advice and people will stop saying that to you," retorted the bus driver.

The twins paid no attention and ran to join the other students.

"Welcome students to Morgan's Mine," said the tour guide pleasantly. "This mine was first opened in 1903 when the town of Great Waterton was opened. For many years, engines of the North Western Railway and the workers went into that mine to collect the rocks from inside and deliver them to other destinations. From what I've been told, this mine was busier than a bee-hive."

Some of the students chuckled, except for James, he just groaned and rubbed the tip of his nose, a slight reminder of a problem he had with bees one time.

"Sadly, by the year 1957, the mine wasn't proving to be as reliable as it used to be," The tour guide continued. "Later in that year, the mine was closed down, which was followed by the loss of Great Waterton. Over the last few years since the town's discovery, we have been working very hard to restore the mine, and today students, you'll be the first to set foot into the mine since it has reopened."

The students felt very honoured when they heard this. Before going into the mine, the teachers assigned everyone into groups of two.

"It's for safety reasons and to make sure no one gets lost in there," said one of the teachers.

Bill and Ben were both disappointed when the teachers gave them different partners.

"At least they won't be able to plan any new pranks together now," James whispered to Percy.

"Thank goodness," The green-haired boy nodded in agreement.

Once again, Ben was teamed up with Edward, and Bill was teamed up with Rosie. Ben wasn't happy with this arrangement, but Bill actually was.

"I think I can have some fun with this one," he thought cheekily to himself.

When they were all ready, the students, two teachers and the tour guide went into the mine. It was very dark with only small lanterns hanging from the roof.

"Getting scared Rosie?" Bill asked with a sly smile.

"No," Rosie said angrily. "I'm not scared."

But Bill was entirely not convinced, especially looking at Rosie's face. She was a little scared of her surroundings, and although the pink-haired girl tried to hide her fears, some people could actually see the fear on her face...though they were more encouraging.

"Just stay calm Rosie," Edward called kindly to her. "There's nothing to be scared of in here."

That calmed Rosie down and she looked back, only to find no sign of Bill.

"Bill! Where are you?"

She turned around and...

"BOO!"

"AHHH!" Rosie shrieked.

Bill had gone and completely taken her by surprise by hiding out of view and popped out when Rosie wasn't expecting it.

"You're such a scaredy cat," Bill laughed, "I can't believe you fell for it. The look on your face was priceless!"

Ben was laughing too...but not for long, as their teacher came walking up to them. They were given stern words and warned that any further action would mean that they would be returning to the bus for the remainder of the trip. While the teacher was scolding the twins, Edward did all he could to calm Rosie down before a teacher walked up to the pink-haired girl.

"Just keep your eyes on Bill, and he won't be able to play his tricks," said the teacher wisely.

From that point onwards, Rosie followed the teacher's advice and kept a firm eye on Bill. He found it quite annoying and also found the field trip to be a real bore.

"I wish I could have some fun," Bill thought to himself.

It wasn't long before his wish was to come true. As the group walked up to a junction, Bill saw a flatbed sitting on the tracks. He watched Rosie and when she turned away for a second, he ran up to the flatbed, pushed it and jumped up on it.

"Bill!" Rosie called when she saw what was going on.

She looked back to the group, but no one seemed to notice. Rosie wasn't sure of what to do. She wasn't sure if she should stay with the other groups or go after Bill. In the end, the pink-haired girl decided to go after him. She ran along on the tracks for quite some time, but was unable to catch up to Bill.

"Bother that boy. Why did he have to do that?" Rosie thought to herself unhappily.

"Help!" cried a voice. "Help me!"

Rosie ran to the source of the voice and soon found who was shouting. It was Bill, struggling to keep his head above water after his flatbed crashed into a barrier and splashed into the raging waters below.

"I can't swim!" he cried, "Help me!"

Rosie didn't need telling twice, she dived gracefully into the water and swam over to Bill.

"Put your arm on my shoulder, and I'll take you back to safety," she told the yellow-haired boy carefully.

Bill did as he was told, and soon Rosie was helping him over to a very large rock that stood above the water.

"Oh, thanks," sighed Bill. "That was so scary."

Rosie was cross. "You wouldn't have had to go through that had you decided not to steal a flatbed and take off for a joyride."

"I was bored!" Bill protested.

"Well, no thanks to your boredom, we're far away from the group and they don't know where we are."

"Oh gee, I didn't think about tha...!" Bill suddenly sneezed. "AACCHHOO!"

Rosie sighed. "Great, now you're getting a cold. Come on, we need to get back to the group."

"But how? We'll get lost if we go through any of those tunnels."

Lucky for them though, Rosie remembered what her brother said to her before.

"We won't if we go back the way we came," she pointed out.

Bill panicked. "But I don't remember the way back."

"Maybe you don't, but I do," said Rosie. "I took the time to look at my surroundings as I was chasing after you and your flatbed. Now, come along Bill. Let's go."

The two teenagers went back to the tunnel where they had come from, and thanks to Rosie, they were able to retrace their steps and soon reached the junction.

"Bill! Rosie!" cried the teachers.

They looked and found everyone waiting at the entrance of the other tunnel. Unfortunately, both teachers were not happy the slightest.

"We thought having you two paired together would prevent any trouble, but it seems that we were wrong. When we get back to school, you will both stay for after school detention."

Rosie felt awful, but not as much as Bill.

"Wait! Don't blame Rosie for this. It was my fault," sighed Bill. "I was so bored that I took a lone flatbed off for a joyride, but then I smashed into a barrier and splashed into the water below. Had it not been for Rosie, I would've drowned and I wouldn't have been able to get back here without her."

"I see," said Bill's teacher.

"Well then, I guess Rosie doesn't need to stay for detention," said the pink haired girl's teacher. "But you will Bill, and I hope that after today, you won't ever try something like that again."

"Oh, don't worry, I never will," Bill said. This time, he didn't cross his fingers behind his back, he meant every word.

The teachers went with Bill and Rosie so they could both get dried up and get some dry clothes from the nearby shops.

"Rosie," Bill said afterward. "I'm sorry about the tricks we've been playing on you recently, and thank you for rescuing me back in the mine."

"You're welcome Bill," Rosie smiled. "I'm just glad you're not hurt."

Bill just smiled and promised to have a talk with Ben when they next spoke. He was true to his word. After much time, Ben finally apologized for the tricks, and both boys promised never to play anymore tricks on Rosie again. But other students, well that remains to be seen.