FanFic:Sodor Academy Part One: September

Next Part: Part 2

The first part of Sodor Academy, a Thomas the Tank Engine fan fiction.

Story

The lazy days of summer had long since arrived. It was a beautiful day, with not a cloud in the sky. All the children in town were taking advantage of it and having great fun.

Except for 15-year-old Thomas Southampton.

He played amongst the rest, but he was always worried and fretful. Sometimes he would fiddle with his wavy brown hair, or just stare out into the distanec. Why? He was waiting for a letter in the mail. A letter that would end his life or begin it anew.

That afternoon, the mailman appeared to be taking an extra long time getting to Thomas' house. When at last he had deposited all of his letters in the mailbox, Thomas was almost sweating. He nonchalantly sauntered down the front walk, opened up the mailbox, and peered inside. Taking out a particularly bulky envelope, he ripped it open and pulled out the letter.

"YES!!!"

He sprinted towards the door, and flung it open in ecstasy.

"Mom! Dad! I've been accepted!"

His mother looked up from her book. "That's wonderful, dear!" "Well done, son," added his father.

"I wasn't sure, but . . ."

He held up the letter.

"When does it begin?"

"Well, first day's in two weeks."

"That's plenty of time to get a ticket, and for you to get packed."

Thomas rushed off to his room.

"Goodbye, Thomas!"

Steam filled the station as the whistle blew, almost drowning out his mother's words. He stared out the window at them as the train roared out of the station, gaining speed. His mother, his father. Even Annie and Clarabel, his little sisters, were waving. He would miss them all, he knew. Then the train rounded a bend, and they disappeared from view.

Tired from the long journey, Thomas dragged his bags off of the taxi. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to a res after the welcome. He saw several other kids walking up the front steps. He ran up to greet one, a small boy in a green shirt with blond hair.

"Hi, I'm Thomas. Are you one of the new students?"

The boy smiled.

"Yeah. I'm Percy. Nice to meet you."

Together, they pulled open the door and stepped into the lobby, which was bustling with people. They merged with a group of kids about their age. A staff member was leading them down the hall to the cafeteria. Apparently, the older students had already arrived. The faculty member went into the cafeteria, leaving them alone in the now-silent hallway. Thomas walked around, meeting some of the other students.

"Emily Stirling." A tall, dark haired girl with green eyes.

"Montague Brunel. Call me Duck." A short, dirty-blond haired boy with brown eyes.

"Rosie Hill." A short girl with pink-streaked raven hair.

"Molly Hamilton." A thin girl with blond hair and hazel eyes.

"Gronk Diesel." A sallow boy with black hair and sunken eyes.

Just then, the door reopened, and all were summoned inside. Within, there were only a few more students.

"Oh look. New shrimps," said one boy wearing sunglasses and a red jacket.

"Quiet, James," said another, with blond hair and an all-blue wardrobe. "Please forgive us. We're the upperclassmen. I'm Edward, he- " pointing to a tall boy in blue with brown hair "is Gordon, he-" pointing to a boy in brown "is Toby, and he-" pointing to a blond boy in green " is Henry."

"Good to see you."

"Charmed."

"Nice -achoo!- to meet you!"

After everyone had been seated, the principal stood up for an announcement. He was a large man, in a suit and top hat.

"Greetings, everyone! I am Sir Topham Hatt, for those of you who don't know me. I would like to welcome you all to Sodor Academy. You have been selected by us for a very special reason."

"Sodor Academy prides itself on educating the best and brightest railway designers in the world. You are, quite literally, train people. You are very lucky. There are few like you anywhere. We will take your ability and take it as far as it will go, and beyond. For you are now part of Sodor Academy. Welcome!"

A loud cheer echoed through the school.

Thomas and Percy became fast friends. Thomas located his dormitory, and began learning the layout of the school. The first week was very busy, as all the new students began taking their classes, which, they learned, were very rigorous.

It was a relief when the weekend came. All the students had Saturday and Sunday off. On Sundays, the students were allowed out of the school, provided they returnedby 4:00.

Early on Sunday morning, Thomas was kicking around a ball in the school yard. He kicked it particularly hard, and it rolled away across the courtyard, over the sidewalks, past the workshop, and into an old warehouse.

Thomas ran over to retrieve it. As he walked nto the warehouse, he saw a large shadow. It turned out to be a large piece of macheniery hidden under a tarp. Thomas yanked it off.

When the dust had cleared, Thomas found himself looking at a very large diesel, which he recognized to be a Standard class 42 "Warship".

He dusted off the nameplate, which read "DIESEL 10".

"Strange name for an engine," thought Thomas. Someone grabbed him.

"Thomas?" It was Edward. Thomas sighed in relief, and tried to will his heart to stop beating so fast. "What are you doing here?"

"My ball- it rolled in here.'

"Then why are you looking at this?"

Thomas supposed he should be ashamed, but he was defiant. "Because I don't know what it is."

Edward grabbed Thomas' arm. "I'll tell you. Come on."

They went out into the village. Edward showed Thomas the Station Cafe, a small cafe next to the railway line.

"Excuse me, miss," he called to the young waitress. "We'll have a-"

"Water's fine," said Thomas.

"One water and one triple cappuccino." Thomas was puzzled. "I'm a coffee addict," said Edward, smiling.

"What's the story about that engine?"

Edward grew serious. "That's the engine of Diesel 10."

"Who's Diesel 10?"

"He was a student at the academy a while back. I was just starting. I don't know his real name. Everyone just called him Diesel 10 after his engine. He was obsessed with it. He was a brilliant student, too. He poured his heart into building his engine. When it was unveiled on testing day, it was a marvel- a great feat of engineering. But then Diesel 10 showed off the greatest feature of all: a metal claw, which could be used to lift things."

"A claw?"

"That's right. It worked well at first. Then, suddenly, it malfunctioned. A workman was badly injured it. And all of the officials wanted it scrapped. It was too dangerous. But Diesel 10 didn't listen. He refused to destroy his prized creation. The night the engine was due to be scrapped, he went to the workshop, and drove the engine out. What happened next, no living person knows. But the next morning, the workshop was ashes. Three people- including a chairman of the school board - were lost in that fire."

"They caught Diesel 10, of course. He's in jail now. Maximum security. But he's gone mad, and they say he spends all his time plotting his revenge. And to this day, no one touches his engine."

"Interestingly enough, Diesel 10 lost his right arm to that fire. They gave him a prosthetic instead, with a little claw for a hand. Maker became creation."

"Sad story."

"I know." Edward stood up. "I have to go. I wanted to do a little shopping, take advantage of the day off. My engine needs a couple of non-standard parts. Meet you at the Academy gates at four?"

"Sure."

Thomas was sitting on the platform, watching the trains go by. Sodor Junction was a small town, so not many stopped. The local was just pulling up when someone sat down next to him.

It was the waitress at the cafe. She looked to be about Thomas' age. She was tall and gangly, but elegant in her own way. Her golden hair hung down to her shoulders, framing her face and gray eyes.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Wanna see a magic trick?"

"Sure."

She held out a deck of cards. "Pick a card, any card." Thomas selected and drew a ten of clubs.

"Draw again." Thomas drew an jack of spades.

"Now I'll pick two." She chose a queen of diamonds and a king of hearts.

"Now put them all back." She made a great show of shuffling them all up. Then she drew the top card. Ten of clubs. Then jack of spades. Then queen of diamonds. Then king of hearts. Then she drew four cards, all at once. Each was an ace, one of every suit.

"That's amazing. How do you do it?"

"A good magician never reveals her secrets."

Thomas glanced at the clock. "It's almost four- I have to go. Nice to meet you. By, the way, I'm Thomas."

"Call me Polly. If you ever want me, I'm staying here."

"See you later."

"Goodbye."

Thomas hurried down the platform. When he looked back, the enigmatic girl was gone.