Sodor High School: Thomas & Friends Tales
Written by: ThomasZoey3000 / SF64Rules91 / DaveMan1000 / Sodormatchmaker
Based on the Railway Series by: The Rev. W. and Christiopher Awdry
Based on the Television Series by: Britt AllCroft, David Mitton, Lionsgate, and Universal Pictures
OC(s) owned by: SF64Rules91
Episode 54: A Great Discovery
The next day inside Sodor High School, Thomas had just arrived at the lobby to notice the damage blocked off as a result of the fight with Gordon. The sight caused Thomas to once again become solemn. Near the principal's office, Thomas could see Sir Topham Hatt speaking to someone new—a teenage girl with neck-length, fiery red hair. Curious over seeing another new student when, just yesterday, Ryan was a new student, Thomas decided to go and find out about it.
"I welcome you, Laura Kushnir, to Sodor High," greeted Sir Topham Hatt, "I am the principal, Sir Bertram Topham Hatt, and I'm sure you will find this school to be to your liking."
"Thank you, sir," replied Laura, speaking with a Ukrainian accent, "I certainly miss my old life back home, but I'm certain I will make new friends and new memories while here."
"What's going on, sir?" Thomas spoke up, walking over and getting the attention of both Sir Topham Hatt and Laura, "Is she also new to the school?"
"Yes, she is, Thomas," confirmed Sir Topham Hatt, "This is Laura Kushnir, and she's a transfer student all the way from Ukraine."
"Ukraine, sir?" blinked Thomas, looking thoughtful, "That country is located in Eastern Europe," Nevertheless, he smiled at Laura, "Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Laura."
Laura simply stared at Thomas for a few seconds and soon grinned with interest, finding him to be very cute despite being about a year younger than she was—the last guy she encountered on her way to the school was another boy, tall in height, with silver hair, and exactly her age, but he was far too arrogant for her liking. Thomas, however, seemed different to her, but certainly in a good way.
"Привіт," purred Laura, speaking in Ukrainian (her first language) while leaning into Thomas's face, "Did Sir Topham Hatt mention your name is Thomas?"
"Um… yeah," stammered Thomas, getting the feeling Laura was flirting with him, "He did. M-My name's Thomas Brighton."
"I'm glad…and charmed," continued Laura, who had taken a liking to Thomas, "I like guys like you; the ones who are kind and sensitive."
Sir Topham Hatt was pleased, "Well, I can see the both of you are going to get along just fine," he chortled, "I have to go back to my office, so I'll see you later."
"Bye, sir," uttered Thomas.
"Побачимося пізніше, sir," added Laura, speaking Ukrainian then English.
When Sir Topham Hatt was gone, an uncomfortable Thomas was left behind to talk to Laura and get to know what she was like—well, at least until Leonardo, his younger brother, and two best friends walked up.
"Whoa, dude!" gawked Michelangelo, gazing at Laura as she turned around and blinked a few times, "Who's the babe?"
"Oh, hey, you four," said Thomas pleasantly, "This is Laura, and she's new to the school."
"Another new student?" pondered Donatello, "Last I remember, Ryan was our new student."
"I'm a transfer student," explained Laura, "I came to the Island of Sodor all the way from Ukraine."
"In that case, I'm Leonardo Splinterson," stated Leonardo in a friendly gesture, "Welcome to the Island of Sodor, Laura."
"Michelangelo Splinterson, dudette!" grinned Michelangelo, "I'm Leo's younger, but cooler, bro!"
"The name's Donatello Paulsen," put in Donatello.
Raphael, however, was dead silent as he admired Laura and her features, finding her to be quite lovely-looking. He blushed a little bit while remaining completely still.
"Hey, Raph?" pressed Leonardo.
"You in there, man?" put in Michelangelo, waving a hand in-front of Raphael's face.
"Earth to Raphael! Your friends are talking to you!" deadpanned Donatello.
"Huh? What?" peeped Raphael, snapping out of it, "Sorry about zoning out, I-" As soon as his eyes came upon Laura staring blankly at him, he came to attention while stammering and stuttering, "Oh! Err… I'm Gregory…! W-Wait, that isn't it! My name is Robert!" He stopped upon messing up his name again, "Doh! S-Sorry… I-I mean, I'm Raphael, Raphael Abbey, and, ahem, I'm great friends of these three!"
"Eh?" grunted Laura, looking back at a nervous Thomas, "Is your friend always like this?"
"Not really," shrugged Thomas.
Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo were, likewise, curious as to why Raphael was behaving in such a manner. Laura eventually shrugged it all off and smiled once more.
"Well, despite the antics from one of you, you all seem nice enough," she admired, before holding up a piece of paper with class schedules, "Well, I have to go, I have to find my homeroom classroom."
"Well, why don't I show you to it?" offered Raphael.
"That's sweet of you to suggest, but I think I can find my way around."
The angry brown-haired boy sighed in disappointment, and Laura soon walked away from the small group—but not before turning and shooting Thomas a playful wink, making him feel uncomfortable again. Once the new girl was gone, Michelangelo had a theory about Raphael.
"Oh, I think I see it, now," teased Michelangelo.
"Say what?" replied Raphael.
"You obviously have it written all over your face, dude," Michelangelo chortled, pointing into Raphael's face, "Don't deny it! You have the word 'crush' written all over your face!"
"Crush?!" spluttered Raphael, blushing once more, "Wh-Who does?"
"You do!" accused Michelangelo cheekily, "You have totally fallen for that new girl, Laura!" He shrugged, "I guess it can't be helped. I'd be acting the same as you if I took a liking to such a lovely babe like her."
Raphael growled, "What the heck are you talkin' about?" he snapped, "I do 'not' have a crush on Laura! "
"You're so lying to me, man!" insisted Michelangelo, "You clearly 'do' have a crush on her! It must be because of the Ukrainian accent she speaks in; it certainly leaves an alluring impression."
Leonardo and Donatello looked at each other and smiled painfully, listening to the argument between the pair before having to hold Raphael back from trying to lunge at Michelangelo in a fit of anger. Thomas, meanwhile, had left in the opposite direction. What nobody knew, however, was that while Laura walked down her end of the hallway, she slipped behind a corner to speak into a device of sorts.
"Laura calling Leon; the fools here have bought it," whispered Laura, "They believe I'm a transfer student."
"Good job, Laura," The voice of Leon praised in response, "Since you're 18 and very much look the part, you're able to pass for a senior student," As he spoke on, Laura eagerly listened to him, "Keep up the act for now and see what information you can gather, then report back."
"As you command, Leon," obeyed Laura, "Laura out."
She turned off the device and peeked around the corner to see if anyone was around and might have heard everything. Luckily, there wasn't anyone around, making her sigh with relief before emerging and walking towards her homeroom.
(elsewhere…)
As lunch hour began, students were either seated at tables or lined up at the counter getting their food. Spencer handed out Laura her food and grinned at her—he was one of the first people to meet her, after all.
"Well, hello again. Couldn't stay away from a handsome stud like me, is that right?" flirted Spencer, leaning in towards Laura, "Well, don't you worry about paying for your food; for your first day only, this is all on me."
Laura scowled in annoyance and walked away in order to find a table to sit at even as Spencer kept on grinning at her. Unfortunately for Spencer, he soon had a to deal with an angry line-up of students who were displeased that he gave Laura her lunch for free. Speaking of Laura, she eventually noticing Thomas eating alone at one. She smiled and approached Thomas.
"Hello again, Thomas," began Laura, causing Thomas to look up, "Did you have a nice morning? I know I did."
"Oh, hello, Laura," Thomas responded, looking back down slightly, "I'm glad to hear your first day has been good so far."
"Thanks, and, actually, I've been meaning…" As she spoke, Laura sat down beside Thomas, "…to ask you a question. After school, I want to show you, and only you, something really cool. Will you come with me? I think you'll like what I want to show you."
"Well, I…" murmured Thomas, really hoping that Emily didn't arrive in the cafeteria to see this, "Y-You see-"
"Come on," offered Laura, playfully nudging Thomas before wrapping her right arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer to her, "Just come with me after school to the coastline. It will all be between you and I."
"I'm sorry, but I-I…can't," declined Thomas. He then gently shook Laura off of him, much to her surprise, "You see, I have to be at the construction site at that time for work," He stood up with his empty tray, "Maybe I'll go with you another time."
Once Thomas was gone from the cafeteria, Laura blinked a few times before smiling to herself.
"Oh, that's alright," The red-haired young woman told herself, standing up and stretching her arms up, "I'm positive we'll see each other again soon," She then decided to pay a quick visit to those other four guys she met at the start of the day, "Maybe I should go outside for some fresh air."
(outside…)
Somewhere on the school grounds, Edward and BoCo were sitting on a nearby bench watching a sparring match between the four ninja teens. Being the most skilled of them, Leonardo was able to defeat his younger brother and two best friends quickly. Pretty soon, the fighting was interrupted by the appearance of the new girl, Laura.
"Oh! Did I interrupt anything?" worried Laura.
"Laura! Hey, not at all, not at all!" denied Raphael, waving his hands innocently, "No, the guys and I are just sparring."
"But isn't fighting against school rules?" asked Laura naively.
"Yeah, but this is 'sparring', dudette," revealed Michelangelo, "There's a major difference," He wagged the index finger on his right hand, "You see, so long as we don't deliberately injure the other, it's all good," From there, the black-haired boy got in-between Leonardo and Raphael and wrapped both arms around their shoulders, "We've been doing this for a good while, now."
"Our sensei, who is also Leo and Mikey's Grandfather, taught us this stuff," added Donatello, "As Mikey would often say about him, he's a radical martial arts expert."
"I see," mused Laura, before getting an idea, "Say, can I join in?"
Michelangelo was surprised, "You know martial arts?"
"I do, but my skill in it isn't all that good," stated Laura bashfully, before rubbing the back of her head, "You could say I'm just a beginner at it."
"Well, no worries, we'll take it easy on ya," encouraged Raphael, before looking at his friends, "What do you guys say?"
"I'm cool with it," nodded Leonardo.
"Count me in," put in Donatello.
"Sure, why not?" shrugged Michelangelo.
"Oh, yay!" squealed Laura, happily bringing both hands together, "Let's do it!" She looked at the four ninja teens and picked who she wanted to fight as they waited, "I pick…to fight Raph and Mikey."
"Sure," accepted Raphael.
"Bring it on!" dared Michelangelo.
Leonardo and Donatello accepted the offer and moved away from the mat in order to watch from the sidelines with Edward and BoCo.
"I wonder how good Laura is at martial arts?" pondered BoCo.
"We're about to find out," replied Leonardo, folding his arms.
On the mat, Laura faced and bowed at Raphael and Michelangelo in respect, who responded in kind before all three got into fighting stances. The match soon began as Raphael went in for a punch, only to be blindsided by Laura grabbing his arm and quickly spinning around; using momentum to send him stumbling forward slightly. Everyone was surprised at the quick reflexes of Laura. Quickly gathering his bearings, Raphael smirked over the challenge.
"Okay then, I love a good challenge," grunted Raphael.
He then went in for another punch, but as Laura blocked it, he gave a sweep kick to her legs, knocking her to the ground. As he came to deliver a ground punch, Laura raised her legs to his torso, halting him, before delivering several quick strikes to his abdomen, briefly winding him. Michelangelo saw an opening and went in; flipping forward and aiming to strike the downed Laura with an axe kick. Thinking fast, Laura rolled out the way and flipped herself back onto her feet, with Michelangelo's kick hitting the mat where Laura once was. Running up to him, Laura leaped onto Michelangelo's shoulders, and using her whole body, rolled them over, planting his face right into the mat. Raphael finally recovered from the wind being knocked out of him and locked eyes with Laura, who took a fighting stance with a confident smirk on her face.
"Alright, no more messin' around," vowed Raphael, "Mikey, get up!"
Michelangelo brushed his face and joined Raphael in facing down Laura.
"Let's see you tackle two-on-one!" challenged Michelangelo.
"I will take it easy on you both," Laura taunted back.
All three then lunged at each other; Raphael going directly at Laura with a flurry of quick punches and kicks, with her blocking them just as fast. While she was distracted, Michelangelo attempted a sneak attack, only for Laura to spot him from the corner of her eye. She gave a sharp punch to Raphael's face, before turning and delivering a backhand strike to Michelangelo. Seeing an opening, Rapheal grabbed Laura by the arm and flipped her over onto the ground.
"Give up?" laughed Raphael, who was clearly having a blast.
"Not a chance," Laura clapped back.
She immediately flipped herself into a head stand and began spinning around upside down, striking Raphael multiple times in the face with her legs before somersaulting back onto her feet. Seeing the dazed Raphael standing before her, Laura strutted up and comically flicked him on the nose, sending him falling flat onto the training mat in defeat. Laura brushed her hands off and folded her arms in a sense of triumph.
"YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The voice of Michelangelo wailed suddenly.
Laura looked behind to see Michelangelo speeding towards her, and, thinking fast, leaped onto his shoulders and performed the same takedown flip as before, crashing the young ninja onto the ground, who was seeing stars around his head. The observers were absolutely wide-eyed over how a self-proclaimed rookie like Laura just defeated Raphael and Michelangelo in barely a minute.
"Oh my gosh," gasped Edward.
"And here I thought she was a beginner in martial arts," agreed BoCo.
On the mat, Michelangelo and Raphael laid down in defeat, while Laura looked as though she was sorry for winning the fight.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry," apologized Laura, as she watched Raphael and Michelangelo trying to get up, "I hope I didn't hurt you two."
"Oh man, what was that?" groaned Michelangelo, before hearing laughter from Donatello and Leonardo and looking straight at them, "Hey, what are you two laughing about?"
"To make a long story short, you and Raph basically got your butts kicked," answered Donatello humorously, walking over and helping his two friends up, "And we saw it all."
Even as Raphael was helped up, he wasn't at all cross that he was defeated by Laura—in fact, he was rather impressed by her surprising skill in martial arts.
"I don't know where you learned such fighting, but I'm not complaining about it," praised Raphael, walking over towards Laura and holding out his right hand, "You should join our group. Hamato Yoshi can definitely train you like he's training us."
Laura stared at Raphael long and hard, then at his hand. To his disappointment, she shook her head.
"I appreciate the offer, but I've got my own thing going on, and that's more than enough for me," said Laura responsively.
"Can you at least tell us where you learned to fight?" suggested Leonardo, "You can also still stay and spar with us for a little longer. We have fifteen more minutes before it's time to head inside for our next class."
"Sorry, but I have to make a call home before the bell rings," Laura replied hastily, before leaving in a hurry as her device started ringing like a phone, "I'll see you guys later!"
Before anyone could speak up, she kissed her finger, blew it towards the boys with a wink, then turned around and entered the building and was long gone. Leonardo sighed as Edward and BoCo both approached. Raphael, meanwhile, just stared in the direction Laura left in, thinking back to when he fought Laura and how she badly clobbered him and even blew him a kiss before departing, all of which put a goofy expression onto his blushing face.
"Raph? Hey, Raph?" called Edward, but got no response from the lovestruck-looking Raphael, "You alright there? What's with him?"
"If you ask me, he looks a little smitten," commented BoCo thoughtfully, "Smitten with the new girl, that is."
"Huh?" peeped Raphael, snapping out of his trance.
"He sure does!" guffawed Michelangelo. He then started to sing loudly, "Raphael and Laura, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
Donatello, Leonardo, Edward, and BoCo all looked at each other uneasily as they watched Raphael's face boil over along with gritted teeth over being made fun of. Michelangelo simply paid no attention and kept on laughing—which rewarded him with a decent smack upside the head by his hotheaded friend.
"OUCH!" squeaked Michelangelo painfully, before looking at Raphael innocently, "What did I do?"
(elsewhere…)
At the end of the day, Thomas emerged from the building, looking around, and sighing, knowing that it was time for his first day working for Steven and earning enough money to repay Sir Topham Hatt. His day at school actually went surprisingly smooth—but that all changed when…
"Lookie what we have here," The voice of Gordon sneered, causing Thomas to look nearby. He was shown leaning against the flagpole, "A silly little 'commoner' about to head to work in a construction site, that's what!"
Thomas did his very best to not respond back, knowing that responding negatively would lead to more trouble.
"All in all, I sure am glad 'you're' the one who has to work and not 'me'," taunted Gordon, "You're getting 'exactly' what you deserve for provoking and attacking me."
And he (Gordon) walked away to catch the bus while laughing arrogantly, leaving Thomas behind to fume as Mike, Rex, and Bert walked up, not seeing the confrontation.
"Are you doing okay, Thomas?" questioned Mike, concerned, "Whoa! Your face looks as red as James's hair back when he was here."
"It's because of Gordon, the big pompous jerk, that's why!" hissed Thomas, "He has shown no remorse for what he did to James," He folded his arms in a pout, "and made me cross by claiming James deserved it!"
"Which undoubtedly led to your brawl with him yesterday, right?" guessed Rex, which Thomas nodded over.
"That silly Gordon thinks he knows everything," sulked Bert, "At least he won't be around to bother you guys at work," He perked up, "And I think maybe we can help you get your mind off of him."
"Huh?" pondered Thomas.
"We three know a little song that will cheer you right back up," encouraged Rex, "We wrote it together in music class."
"We call it 'Never Overlook a Little Worker'," explained Mike.
Thomas seemed to smile a little bit.
(elsewhere…)
Arriving at the construction site, Thomas was being given a tour by both Marion and Steven.
"This area here is where we keep the storage units for the dynamite," explained Steven, gesturing to several large metal shipping containers under lock and key, "They're only to be handled by trained specialists, so you just stay clear and leave them to it."
"Yes, sir," nodded Thomas.
"Oh and before I forget," Steven went on, as he handed Thomas a high visibility vest and a helmet, "Always make sure you wear proper Personal Protection Equipment when on site."
"Thank you sir," accepted Thomas, as he slipped the vest on and fastened the helmet tight.
"Hehe, look here, Monty," The voice of Max jeered from a nearby table.
Thomas looked and saw two of Spencer's friends, Max and Monty Palmer, watching from afar at a picnic table.
"Little Thomas being 'big boy'," mocked Monty.
Both brothers laughed at poor Thomas, but Steven wasn't having any of it.
"Max! Monty! I believe I told you two to help Ned and Buster clear the east site entrance ready for the ballast delivery half an hour ago!" accused Steven, "Are you that desperate to be fired?"
Max and Monty, not wanting to lose their job and potential paycheck, fearfully looked at each other for a moment before immediately changing their tune and hopping to their feet.
"Oh right! We're right on it, sir!" Max flailed, as he and Monty quickly dashed off.
"I swear those two will be the end of me…" muttered Steven, bringing two fingers from his left hand to his nose.
"Say, boss, how's about I show Thomas where he'll be stationed here?" suggested Marion, trying to change the subject and lighten the mood in the atmosphere, "You can return to the office."
"Thank you, Marion," smiled Steven, "I actually have some calls to make, so, yes, I'll leave you to show Thomas the ropes. Just remember the motto…"
"'Safety First, Avoid the Worst'!" recited Marion.
Once Steven had left, Marion brought Thomas to a massive pit with several excavation and transport vehicles roaming around. Thomas was amazed at being close up to such a sight.
"This is where we'll be working," beamed Marion, "Jack's the head of this team. If you need anything, just talk to him."
"Jack is here?" commented Thomas.
"Oh yes! In fact, the whole Pack is here," confirmed Marion, "You'd be hard pressed to find a place like this without them."
Thomas remembered Jack really well; in fact, Jack had actually once assisted the group in rescuing Stephen from the old Ulfstead Mine.
"So what am I doing?" asked Thomas.
"For now, you'll be starting off with delivering the proper materials around the site," explained Marion. She then gestured to a small locomotive parked in a siding, "You can use the shunter over there. It's really easy to work."
"Alright then, sounds simple enough," assumed Thomas.
"Okay, Thomas, off you go," prompted Marion, "Just remember, they might not be ready for the ballast yet though. They need to lay down the new rails first."
"Right, I've got it," declared Thomas confidently, just as he made his way down to the pit, "Rails first, ballast after."
As soon as Thomas was long gone, Marion stopped smiling when she thought of something she might have forgotten to mention to him.
"Oh wait, wasn't there also something else I forgot to mention?" Marion pondered, trying to remember what else she wanted to bring up, "Hmm…"
Coming up blank, she shrugged it off and made her way over to her own station. As Thomas climbed inside the shunter and started it up, another worker handed him a list of materials and where to deliver them to. Nodding in understanding, Thomas started off. He then spotted a line of flatbeds carrying rails and sleepers.
"List says rails and sleepers to the south site entrance," Thomas sang aloud to himself, as he read his instructions, "I'll show everyone just how useful I can be."
Rolling up to the flatbeds, a worker coupled the shunter up and Thomas set off. He spotted a long empty stretch of track heading in the direction of the south site. Seeing nobody else in the way, he turned onto that track and proceeded on. It wasn't until he passed by some members of the Pack, like Alfie Gladwyn, Oliver Fletcher, Kelly, Byron Rogers, and Jack that he started hearing one of them calling in horror.
"Hey! Stop! Thomas!" Jack yelled out.
"Everyone here seems excited to see me. I guess they really need my help," thought Thomas, unaware he was about to get into serious trouble, "Boy, I feel so good thanks to that song by Mike, Rex, and Bert. Hmm, hm-hm-hm-hm, hm, hm-hm, hm, hmm…"
However, he was so distracted by his high spirited state, that he wasn't paying attention to the danger signs up ahead. Everyone kept trying to flag him down.
"Look out! You can't go down there!" panicked Mr. Drewry.
By now, Thomas had taken notice of the panicky state of everyone, but it was already too late to turn back.
CRASH!*
He lurched forward as the flatbeds burst through the safety barriers. Thinking fast, Thomas pulled on the breaks and slowly brought the train to a stop. Breathing a sigh of relief, he shifted into reverse and slowly backed up. But before he could make it a few feet, the ground started to shake beneath him. Looking at the surrounding area, he saw several chunks of earth give way, forming into a large sinkhole.
"Yikes!" cried Thomas, terrified.
The track being suspended above the widening sinkhole began to shake due to the weight of the flatbeds, before finally shattering, sending them tumbling into the chasm, with all the others following suit. Thomas tried to back up at full force, but the shunter couldn't support the weight of the hanging flatbeds, and was slowly being pulled towards the edge of the broken track. Thomas leaped from the shunter as it was pulled over the edge and tried to make a run for it, but he tripped over himself, and plummeted down, rolling roughly down the chasm sideways and hitting several protruding stones and crashing into several of the overturned flatbeds on the way before finally coming to a stop at the bottom. Nearly the whole construction crew, including Marion but minus Steven, gathered around the large sinkhole.
"Oh no!" exclaimed Isobella.
"Thomas!" added Jack, as Alfie and Byron both stood beside him.
"The unstable ground!" fretted Marion, finally remembering the one thing she didn't tell Thomas, "I forgot to tell him about that!"
(inside…)
Inside the cavern created by the sinkhole, Thomas had laid on his front, dirty but not hurt too badly. Opening his eyes, Thomas weakly got onto his hands and knees.
"Cinders and Ashes," muttered Thomas, coughing. In his POV, his vision was initially blurry, "What a fall…" Realizing he was alone in the underground cavern, he started yelling out, "Heeeeeeey! I'm down heeeeere!"
(outside…)
Back above ground, the construction crew continued to gaze at the sinkhole—with Steven soon breaking through to observe the damage and find out who caused it.
"What in blazes happened here!?" demanded Steven.
"Thomas was not paying any attention to what he was doing," replied Kelly urgently, before looking in the direction of a fearful-looking Jack, "Jack tried to warn him to turn around, but Thomas couldn't seem to hear."
"I see," sighed Steven, "Could someone go and fetch the rope and megaphone?"
(inside…)
Back in the underground cavern, Thomas slowly returned to his feet and noticed how dark it was before pulling out a flashlight, turning it on, and looking around before gasping at something he saw.
"Oh man…" whispered Thomas.
It was a huge, old pirate ship from centuries ago; its hull punctured with holes, the sails rotted away, and a jolly roger flapping lightly in the breeze atop the central mast. Thomas was amazed at what he was seeing, but his sense of discovery was short-lived when he heard a voice coming from the ceiling.
"Thomas! Thomas, are you alright down there?!" The voice of Steven echoed, as the rope was being lowered down, "Don't panic! Just grab hold of the rope once it's lowered enough, and we'll pull you out of the cave!"
"I have to let everyone know what I found," thought Thomas, grabbing the rope and being slowly pulled upward while thinking about the pirate ship, "Will they be in for a shock."
(outside…)
Outside, Thomas was soon pulled out to safety.
"Thomas!" cried Marion, running over to help Thomas back up before hugging him with relief, "Oh, thank goodness! We thought you had gotten killed when you fell into the sinkhole!"
"Thomas, what in the world has gotten into you?" scolded Steven, as Thomas and Marion both turned to face him while the former looked down slightly, "Why did you pay no attention to Jack when he was trying to warn you to not go past the danger zone?"
"Please don't be angry at Thomas for this, sir," protested Marion, attempting to take the blame away from Thomas, "I forgot to tell him about the unstable surface. If anything, this incident was my fault."
"No, Marion, you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened," countered Thomas, not wanting Marion to get into trouble and possibly lose her job, "I should've been more observant and took notice of what Jack was trying to tell me."
"That doesn't matter," interrupted Steven, this time a bit more calmly, "What does matter to us is if you're okay, Thomas."
"I'm fine, sir," Thomas responded, before trying to reveal what he just discovered, "But you'll never believe what I found inside the cave! There's a-!"
"Thomas, your arm!" interjected Marion, seeing an injury on Thomas's left arm and preventing him from finishing, "It's bleeding! We need a medic to look it over!"
As Marion rushed off for medical help, Steven looked at the gash on Thomas's left forearm.
"That's a bad cut you have there, Thomas," The voice of Steven was saying, while looking pretty concerned himself, "There's no way you'll be able to work with that, so we'll let the medical staff look you over, then send you home for the rest of the day to rest it off."
"But, sir-!" Thomas tried to argue.
"Listen, you're not in-trouble," reassured Steven, managing to smile, "It was an honest mistake which we all make from time-to-time. We can salvage what rails and sleepers we can, and there's already more on the way."
"He's not in-trouble?" The voice of Max exclaimed, getting the attention of Steven. He (Max) and Monty then stepped forward, "Why not? Thanks to that klutz, the whole project is going to suffer a major setback!"
"Yeah, nice going, Thomas!" huffed Monty, as Thomas and Steven both listened, "Not to mention we should also be blaming Marion for failing to remember the unstable ground!" He (Monty) swung his right fist about, while Max nodded in agreement, "You and her could have gotten people around here killed with your carelessness and forgetfulness respectively!"
"That is enough, you two!" Kelly berated, defending Thomas and Marion.
"No one around got seriously hurt, and you know it!" argued Jack.
"Yeah, and it's not like you really care about this project!" accused Byron, as Max and Monty continued looking pretty cross, "You both are only working with the Pack and on the job for nothing but the money!"
That accusation didn't make Max nor Monty feel any happier. At last, while Kelly, Jack, and Bryon each argued with the twin devious boys, Thomas looked around and saw the large amount of damage he unintentionally caused to the construction site, which made him even more depressed. Despite Steven forgiving him for what happened and brushing it off as an honest mistake, Thomas knew Max and Monty were right about the delay everyone was going to be under all thanks to him. In fact, he was so sad about it that he immediately forgot to tell everyone about the pirate ship he found in the cavern. Half an hour later, Thomas had been sent home after paying a trip to the construction site's clinic. As Marion discovered earlier, he had suffered a few more mild scraps and cuts from the accident, but, luckily, nothing was actually broken. Both Steven and Marion were seeing him off.
"Take care of yourself, Thomas," encouraged Steven, "We'll see you back here again soon."
Thomas waved back unenthusiastically as he made his way back home. Once Thomas was gone, Steven then stopped smiling and turned to Marion with a displeased look on his face.
"Now as for you, Marion… Tell me again, what's our motto here?" Steven frowned.
"'Safety First, Avoid the Worst'," remembered Marion sadly, "I'm so sorry I let you down, sir."
"Hey, I think you've learned your lesson. Just please don't let it happen again," Steven replied sternly, "Now, go back to your station."
"Yes, sir."
(elsewhere…)
Later that night, around the town of Ffarquhar, there was a light coming from Thomas's room at the Brighton household.
(inside…)
Within his bedroom, a solemn Thomas sat at his desk doing his homework while thinking about everything that happened. First, there was James leaving to go to the mainland with Molly, then that fight with Gordon, then falling into debt, and now there was that accident he ended up causing at the construction site. Once again, he felt like his social life was beginning to collapse. Before long, his phone started ringing, and Thomas figured he'd better answer it.
"Hello?" began Thomas.
"Thomas! You'll never guess what happened today!" The voice of Percy responded, "While they were at the construction site, Max and Monty both discovered an old pirate ship inside the same area where you fell into!"
Thomas gasped, "They what?"
"Yeah!" The voice of Percy answered cheerfully, while Thomas looked dismayed, "Anyway, sorry for what happened to you at your place of work—on the first day, too!"
(elsewhere…)
Inside his room at the Avonside residence, Percy was still going over what he heard from Mavis and her Father.
"However, I'm sure you'll feel better by-" Percy was saying, before the other line suddenly hung up, "Huh? Hello? Thomas?"
Not giving it much thought, Percy simply shrugged it off, not knowing that the news made Thomas feel even worse.
(elsewhere…)
Back in his room, Thomas couldn't believe that the credit for a pirate ship that 'he', Thomas Brighton, had found was being taken by Max and Monty—but no one had given him the chance to explain just because of their concern over a minor injury. Frustrated, Thomas got up from his desk, fell on top of his bed, face-down, and laid there for a very long time.
(elsewhere…)
Downstairs in the kitchen, Dalton and Andrea were seated at the table, having heard of the incident and began to grow increasingly worried for Thomas's stability after such a terrible event.
"Dear, I'm worried about our son," Andrea sighed, taking a sip from her coffee mug, "Things haven't been panning out for him well lately. You don't think he's starting to fall in with the wrong crowd, do you?"
"Certainly not, we raised him better than that. He's probably going through the Brighton Drama Phase," mused Dalton, "Every male Brighton before him has gone through moments like these," A thought bubble formed above him as he described an event from his youth, "Once when I was his age, I ended up in a string of bad luck and misfortune until I accidentally drove my Father's truck into an airport building site and caused the runway to crack just before opening."
The bubble popped.
"Well, I'm starting to think letting him work in his condition isn't healthy for him. Perhaps we should just step in and pay the principal Thomas's half of the bill?" suggested Andrea, "That way, we can save our son from his debt before something terrible happens."
"But if we were to do that, Thomas might think we're taking pity on him" objected Dalton, before closing his eyes, "It could make him feel worse about himself."
"But what if the stress gets too much for him, and he gets fired from the job at the site for a huge mistake?" Andrea pressed, looking a little cross.
"Then we'll keep a watch on him until we can find him another job," insisted Dalton, "One way or another, our boy has to learn responsibility, and fix his own mistakes."
Both adults argued about what they wanted best for Thomas until it was time to go to bed. However, they weren't the only ones who were growing worried about Thomas.
(elsewhere…)
Inside her own room, Emily had finished getting ready to go to sleep. She heard what happened to Thomas at the construction site and was relieved he wasn't too physically hurt, but she was greatly concerned for his mental health after being in such a frightening accident.
"Poor Thomas…" thought Emily, before looking at the door leading into the hallway, "I can't begin to imagine what he's going through…" She briefly closed her eyes glumly, "Please be okay, Thomas."
With that unhappy thought fresh in her mind, Emily climbed into bed and went to sleep.
(outside…)
As the night carried on into the very early morning, the window to Thomas's bedroom opened up before he was shown climbing out.
"I need to go out for a bike ride," Thomas told himself, unable to sleep, "It might help clear my head."
He climbed down the wall and went to get his bike.
(elsewhere…)
The bike ride took Thomas all the way to the construction site, which was also near the ocean. He frowned over noticing the sinkhole, which he knew was his own fault over not listening to the people trying to warn him. Suddenly, although it was dark out, Thomas thought he could see something, a rowboat, out in the waters and approaching land thanks to a lit lantern.
"What's that?" Thomas asked himself.
Rowing to shore was none other than Skiff and Captain John—not that Thomas knew of this, since he had never seen them before.
"We've reached shore, Captain John!" reported Skiff.
"That is a good, lad," smiled Captain John, as he lit up a second lantern to carry for himself, "According to what info we were given, we should first head towards the sinkhole."
"Aye aye, sir!"
They both got out of the boat and walked towards the sinkhole. Watching from afar, Thomas was curious to know who those people were, so he got off his bike and decided to follow them and see for himself. At the sinkhole, Captain John and Skiff were both peering down inside the darkness-filled cavern below while using their lanterns to pierce it slightly.
"What do you think, Skiff?" grinned Captain John.
"I think if you can lower me inside with the rope, I can get a closer look," answered Skiff.
Captain John's eyes were filled with greed and excitement over potentially finding the treasure. Meanwhile, Thomas tried his hardest to keep silent while closing in on the pair, but he soon stepped on a twig on the ground, snapping it in two and getting the attention of both Captain John and Skiff.
"Oops," gulped Thomas.
"Well, blow me down!" grumbled Captain John, drawing out his sword before walking towards Thomas in a menacing fashion, "Who are you? And what are you doing sneaking up on us?"
"Um, my name is Thomas, Thomas Brighton, and I discovered that cavern," stammered Thomas fearfully, "Along with the pirate ship found inside," He then looked upset, "Well, even though Max and Monty are taking the credit for it."
"You found the pirate ship, Thomas?" admired Skiff.
"Hmhmhm… What an impressive lad," chuckled Captain John, sheathing his weapon, "So, you discovered the pirate ship, did ye? Well, 'that' makes us friends."
"Huh?" blinked Thomas, confused, "It 'does'?"
"Me name's John, John Silver," introduced Captain John, as focus went towards a waving Skiff, "That there be me first mate, Skiff Eastport," He then held his right hand out in an apologetic way, "Please forgive me for my initial hostility; twas a mere slip of the reflex."
"Oh, it's quite alright," Thomas exhaled with relief, shaking hands with Captain John, "At least you didn't skewer me with your sword," He then realized something about both arrivals as he eyed them, "Hold up, are you both really pirates?"
"We sure are!" confirmed Skiff pleasantly.
"But I thought pirates only existed in fiction?" recalled Thomas.
"Oh no, we be real as rain, boy," joked Captain John, as Skiff smirked, "You're lookin' at us, aren't ye? Anyway, where there are pirates there's bound to be treasure, Thomas. How would you like to help us find it?"
"Yes! Come with us, Thomas. Please, Thomas," pleaded Skiff, "We could really use your help in finding the lost treasure of Captain Calles!"
"Err… I don't know," frowned Thomas.
"Oh, your task here be very simple," assured Captain John, pointing to the boat near the shore, "All you have to do is make sure the rope we have is fastened to something sturdy so Skiff can lower himself into the hole, and…" He was all smiles, "…then help me pull him up when he's done down there."
"Can't you fasten the rope to something sturdy?" pondered Thomas.
"Um… I'm rather poor at tying knots," Captain John admitted sheepishly.
Once Thomas had tied one end of the rope to the nearby tree, Skiff clutched into the other end and jumped into the sinkhole. Thomas and Captain John were waiting for what seemed like forever when they heard Skiff laugh with excitement inside.
"Captain, I found it!" The voice of Skiff echoed loudly.
"The treasure?" gasped Thomas hopefully.
"No, I found the map! Pull me up!"
Captain John, with Thomas's help, pulled Skiff out of the underground cavern. Once Skiff was out and on the sturdy ground, he (Skiff) handed Captain John the rolled up map. Unrolling the map and taking a look at it, Captain John laughed triumphantly.
"Ha ha! Well done, Skiff!" praised Captain John, rolling the map back up and lightly tapping it onto Skiff's back, "The treasure is as good as mine!" He (Captain John) looked towards Thomas with pride, "Thank you so much, Thomas; we couldn't have done this without your aid and knot-tying skills."
"Sure, it was no trouble at all," insisted Thomas modestly.
"As a small reward, how would you like to meet with the crew?" offered Captain John, "I'm absolutely positive they would love to meet you, boy."
"You have a crew?" recoiled Thomas.
"Aye, lad," confirmed Captain John, while ruffling Skiff's hair, "A captain always be needing a loyal crew, and Skiff here is the finest first mate I could ever ask for."
A very happy-looking Skiff felt proud to be a part of Captain John's crew, seeing the man as a Father figure. Although Thomas knew he should be getting back home before his family woke up and realized he was missing, the idea of meeting a real pirate crew was too tempting for him to decline, so he nodded at the pair and agreed to come meet their crew.
(elsewhere…)
Riding with the pair aboard the rowboat, Thomas was taken to a hidden cave along the coastline.
"There she is, Thomas!" stated Captain John proudly, "My ship!" Focus went towards the pirate ship, "The Hispaniola!"
"Fizzling Fireplaces!" beamed Thomas.
"She sure is a beauty, right?" commented Skiff, "The captain and I have sailed on her for quite a long time—exploring different countries in Europe and North Africa."
Skiff rowed the boat to the side of the ship, while Captain John pulled out a whistle from a pocket and blew into it. Before long, the rowboat was hoisted up to the deck by a couple of pirates.
"Captain John and First Mate Skiff!" One pirate greeted, as he and the grunts saluted, "Welcome back!"
"Sir, did you find what you're looking for?" A second pirate put in.
"Boys, we have the map!" announced Captain John.
The grunts cheered in response, becoming aware that they were already close to finding the treasure. Once Captain John and Skiff got off the rowboat, the sight of Thomas was revealed to the whole crew and caused the cheering and whooping to cease as all eyes were on the new arrival.
"Hey! Who's he?" The voice of a third pirate exclaimed.
"Is he a prisoner?" The voice of a fourth pirate questioned.
Thomas laughed nervously over the stares he was getting. It was then Leon and Sledge both broke through the crowd and approached Captain John and Thomas respectively.
"Sir, what's going on?" demanded Leon, speaking to Captain John as Sledge finished approaching the nervous Thomas in a menacingly fashion, "Did you capture that kid to be held for potential ransom?"
"Hehehe… Sledge likes holding people for ransom," giggled Sledge, before grabbing and pulling Thomas out of the rowboat and glaring with an evil grin, "Welcome to the crew of Captain John Silver, pipsqueak! You're gonna have a great time sitting inside the brig."
Before the scared Thomas could say something in response…
"Thomas? Thomas, is that you?" A familiar voice (female) called out.
Thomas gasped, while Sledge merely looked nearby. Once again wearing her custom pirate outfit, Laura skillfully jump-flipped off the helm and onto the deck before running over to see Sledge and Thomas.
"Laura?" blinked Thomas, "What are you doing here? And what are you wearing?"
"О Боже! This is amazing!" squealed Laura, speaking briefly in Ukrainian while appearing very happy to see Thomas, "I'm so glad to see you here!"
"You are?" peeped Thomas, now visibly confused and pleading for answers, "Laura, 'please' tell me what's going on!"
"This is the amazing thing I wanted to show you earlier in the day!" explained Laura grandly, "The ship commanded by Captain John Silver, the Hispaniola!" She gestured the right thumb of her right hand at herself as she winked, "I'm also a member of this crew! Aren't you amazed by that?"
"And Thomas here is no prisoner; but rather a special guest of honor who came on his own free will," smiled Captain John, much to Leon and Sledge's shock, "And because of that, he will be treated exactly like one of us," He glared at his 'right hand man', "Am I clear on that? After all, he helped Skiff and I find the map."
"J-Ja, captain," promised Leon, briefly speaking in German before addressing Sledge, "Sledge, put down that boy—he is our guest."
Doing as he was told, Sledge gently placed Thomas back onto the floor of the deck.
"Sledge is very sorry for threatening you with the brig, Thomas," apologized Sledge, "He didn't know that you are the captain's special guest and friend."
"Eh hehe… It's fine, errr, Sledge," said Thomas meekly, intimidated, as Laura approached him, "At least it makes me feel a little better that there's someone I sorta know here."
"If you're our captain's friend, then that means you're our friend, too," accepted Leon, before speaking aloud to the whole crew, "This calls for a celebration, everyone!"
"YEAH!" The whole crew rejoiced.
For the next little while, they all partook in what was called a shanty, complete with dancing, music, food, and drink—except for Thomas and Skiff due to them being underaged—in celebration of making a new friend. Skiff and some of the grunts were shown playing with old fashioned musical instruments like pipes, tabors, and hornpipes. As Thomas danced away with Laura, he couldn't help but find all of this to be really enjoyable; it was to the point of him feeling all of his woes from the past few months and hours alike being washed away.
"This is great, Laura!" Thomas shouted over the music.
"This is what we call a pirate's life, Thomas!" Laura called back, "And it's for all of us!"
Nearby, Sledge whistled while watching the dancing crew members before downing his goblet of wine and smashing it over the head of another grunt, who initially appeared in pain before merely laughing it off in a drunk, jolly fashion because the party was just so much fun.
(elsewhere…)
As the sun started to rise, Thomas was making his way home in much higher spirits than he (Thomas) had ever been in since James left the Island of Sodor and that brawl with Gordon just days ago. As much as those pirates intimidated him at first, they were actually a friendly bunch of people—especially their captain and the first mate. He considered inviting his friends to meet with them. After all, Captain John mentioned that Thomas was always welcome to pay them a visit whenever needed.
(inside…)
Within the Brighton residence, Emily, Annie, and Clarabel were seated at the breakfast table as Dalton and Andrea prepared breakfast as they heard the front door open.
"Huh?" wondered Andrea.
"Hi, everyone!" greeted Thomas brightly, "I'm back!"
"Thomas, where were you?" questioned Dalton, "We were beginning to get worried when you didn't come down for breakfast."
"Oh, I went out for a bike ride," answered Thomas, "I was having such a good time that I forgot I had to be back for breakfast."
"Are you alright, Thomas?" puzzled Clarabel, walking over to her older brother, "Last night you were extremely depressed."
"But, suddenly, you're feeling like your old self again," put in Annie.
"A little fresh air and a bike ride was all I needed," Thomas assured, not ready to reveal the truth just yet, "Now, why don't we all have breakfast?"
And nothing more was said—although Emily remained unconvinced. She would try talking to Thomas a little later as they head to school.
(elsewhere…)
Later on, Thomas and Emily were walking to school. Thomas was still in a great mood, and Emily knew she had to ask him what really happened.
"Thomas, I know you weren't telling us the truth during breakfast," stated Emily firmly, as Thomas looked over, "Where were you really?"
"I was out for a bike ride, I told you guys that," reminded Thomas. Before Emily could object, he went on, "However, during my ride past the construction site, I met a pair of pirates by the names of Captain John and Skiff."
"Huh? Did you say met with pirates?" gawked Emily, before she stopped walking and started laughing in disbelief as Thomas appeared to look very offended, "I'm sorry, but I think that early bike ride did 'wonders' for you!" She was shown drying her eyes of tears, "Meeting pirates! That's just too rich!"
"No, I'm serious!" protested Thomas, trying to tell Emily the truth, "When I passed by the construction site, I met two pirates!"
"Thomas, you and I both know there's no such thing as pirates," chortled Emily, once she got slight control of her laughter, "They only exist in fiction. Everyone knows that."
"I can prove it!" proclaimed Thomas, as he started walking away, "Come with me to the coastline this evening and I'll show you that the pirates I'm talking about 'do' exist."
Following, Emily sighed to herself, wondering if Thomas really was okay. Nevertheless, she decided to go with him to the coastline. Would meeting with Captain John change her mind about pirates actually existing? Perhaps…