Work Text:
CHAPTER ONE – Initiation
Written by Broa Island
Illustrated by FlareTheArtist
Isle of Sodor: 2005
In the little village of Hackenbeck, near the town centre, stood a small cottage. It had been vacant up until a year ago. The new homeowners, newcomers from the British mainland, had been struggling to make ends meet since then, and while their landlord was a kind man, his patience could only go so far. So, when the North-Western Railway began their trainee program, they jumped at the opportunity to earn some extra money... Well, one of them did.
“You cannot be serious, Adora,” Katherine Rajah sighed as she watched her roommate, Adora Grey, practically speed-run through the making of her breakfast. “Out of all the job offers on this rock, you pick the one that needs you to wake up at four-in-the-morning? You already don’t get enough sleep as it is!”
“Nonsense, Kat!” Adora retorted, pouring the milk then the cereal into her bowl in six seconds exactly. “I had a perfectly good sleep last night. And besides, I only need to be there at eight for the first week. They said they wanted to ‘ease me the work’.”
“I could hear you tossing about from my room. God’s sake, were you sleep fighting again?”
“No!”
“You are a terrible liar.”
“Oh, like you’re a lying expert or something?”
“Yes, I am, actually. I won the best liar of the year award three years running,” Kat boasted, before adding a quick, “Honest!” when she saw Adora’s judging glare.
There was a moment of silence. Before the two women laughed. Their laughter slowly turned into quiet giggles as Adora sat down at the kitchen table with her rushed cereal.
“But seriously, Adora,” Kat asked. “Why the railway? You’ve never shown any interest in trains your whole life. I know,” she added jokingly, “I was there for the whole ruddy thing!”
Adora chuckled, staring across the table at Kat’s blue and gold eyes briefly obscured by curly brown morning hair. “Well, I... We can’t keep relying on the pension to support us, Kat,” she explained between each spoonful. “Eventually, one of us was gonna have to get a job. They’ve begun accepting paid traineeships, so I figured... eh, What the hell? And, frankly, I don’t see you looking for a job.”
“What?! I’ve got a job!” cried Kat.
“The band does not count.”
“It will, Adora. Once we’re famous!” Kat reached into her bed robes and produced a piece of paper. “See!” she cried, shoving the paper into Adora’s face. “I’ve already got our marketing figured out.”
The “marketing” was just a crude stick-drawing of Kat and her bandmates – Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio – dressed in Kiss-inspired leather jackets, with red spikes and massive shoulder-pads. Above the drawing was... well, Adora wasn’t quite sure what it was. She knew it was meant to read “Horde”, but the letters were so scribbled and overlapping that it was impossible to know that from a glance.
“Um...” Adora ventured... “It’s... Uh... Well, it’s very...” Eventually she just cut her losses and just gave Kat two thumbs up and an enthusiastic – although forced – smile.
Kat beamed, shoving the paper back into her gown. “We’ve already got a few songs written, all based on local folklore which each one of us suggested,” she explained enthusiastically. “Kyle had an idea for The Knockers, Lonnie pitched the Shen-Cylinder, and I proposed-”
Kat was suddenly interrupted by the beeping of Adora’s watch. The blonde took one small glance at it, before practically tumbling off her chair in surprise. Kat moved to help, but stopped when Adora suddenly scrambled back onto her feet.
“I’m late!” she freaked out. “They told me to be at Ffarquhar by Eight!”
“Calm down, Adora,” Kat soothed. “You’ve still got time, it’s onllllllllleeeeeeee...” Kat trailed off when she caught the time on the microwave. 7:43 AM. “...eeeeeeeeeeee-shit, you’re right!”
She turned back only to see a thrown over chair where Adora had been literally seconds before, she then glanced over to the front door to see Adora scrambling to put on her red jacket and boots, after slipping her backpack over her shoulders.
“Adora!”
“I gotta go now, Kat, I’ll be back at Five, look after the house, remember to pay the rent, say hi to Lonnie and the others for me, and don’t forget to take your meds, okay? Okay, good, see you later, BYE!” Adora said in one breath before hurrying out the door, shutting it behind her.
Kat sighed, shaking her head with a knowing smile. “Idiot...” she huffed, although she meant it affectionately.
As the morning sun slowly rose up from behind the trees and houses, Adora raced down the pavement on her bike, trying her best to dodge several oncoming pedestrians as she did. The rail yard at Ffarquhar was about three-to-four miles from Hackenbeck, so if she wanted to be there on time, she had to pedal fast.
A tall man was busy loading piles of boxes into his lorry. He was just about to move another stack when Adora flew past. The boxes in his arms wobbled. One slipped from its place at the top of the stack, and would’ve crashed to the ground if the man hadn’t caught it in one hand, but only barely.
“SORRY!” was the only thing Adora managed to call out before she was out of sight.
The tall man grumbled to himself as he continued with his work. “Bloody teenagers.”
About ten minutes later, Adora found herself pedalling up a steep hill where the bike path and road ran parallel to the train track. The track didn’t go over the hill, but through it via a long brick tunnel. Adora couldn’t help but envy the trains that didn’t have to suffer the trek up.
“This... thing... is gonna... be the... death of me!” Adora panted.
Finally, with one last push, she crested the top, finally allowing herself to stop to catch her breath. “Fuh... ha... I made it, finally! OH MY GOD, THANK YOU!” Adora thanked whatever higher power was watching. Wiping sweat from her brow, Adora glanced down the other side of the gradient.
At the bottom of the hill, a small town was crouching in its shadow. Small little cottages lined up neatly in rows, the chime of the church bell singing across the valley, and the wonderful smell of baked goods wafting up from the bakeries. And serving this little town was a railway station and yard.
Adora beamed when she remembered she was looking at Ffarquhar Town. Her destination now in sight, the strong blonde let herself relax (just a bit) as she coasted down the hill towards the station.
Ffarquhar was a small rural town in Sodor’s heartland and was the terminus for the Branch Line in which it shared a name. The line served several little villages and farms along the countryside before linking back up with the main line in the swamp-side city of Knapford to the west. The line also served a stone quarry via a tramway running further north.
Today was a Sunday – Church Day. So, the station wasn’t as busy this morning as Adora entered the car park. It was, ironically, a blessing, as she didn’t have to worry about maneuvering around several parked cars to find the bike rack (a problem she’d encountered on several trips to the grocery store). She parked her bike, chained it to the rack, scrambled up the stairs, dashed along the platform to the Station Building, realized she’d barged into the booking office by mistake, backtracked to the real Station Building and dove inside.
The Stationmaster, an older woman with brown hair, watched with interest at the skinny blonde-haired woman now lying face-first on her floor.
Adora squeaked out a quiet “ow...” as she slowly got back onto her feet. “S-sorry I’m late! I... Well, I got held up at Hacking-Peck – Hackenbeck! There was this thing with some boxes, and that flipping hill! Please! I’m sorry! It won’t happen again!”
“You’re early,” said the Stationmaster unamused.
Adora paused... “Um... What?”
“You, areearly,” the older woman repeated with some annoyance. “By nearly twenty minutes.” She pointed at the clock. It had an analogue face, but Adora could easily read it: 7:42 AM.
Adora’s mouth hung open. “B-b-b-but my watch...! And the kitchen clock...! And the-” Her rambling suddenly stopped as the penny dropped... “Oh... Katherine!” she growled.
“Who?”
“My roommate. She’s always pulling pranks like this! ALWAYS!”
“Well,” the Stationmaster began, “it seems to me she just wanted you to get here on time, and thought you needed some extra encouragement... I pulled the same trick on my husband once, but don’t tell him that.”
Adora huffed. She suddenly felt very fatigued now that the adrenaline was wearing off. “Do you have any... water?” she asked between pants.
“Certainly, dear. I’ll get you a glass while you clock in, Miss – erm...”
“Oh! Um, it’s Grey. Adora Grey.”
The Stationmaster paused briefly. “Hmm...” she mused. “Funny name, that.” She soon returned from the break room with a glass of water. She handed it to Adora, who practically gulped the whole thing in one go.
“Thank you,” huffed Adora, handing the Stationmaster back the glass.
“You’re welcome… Erm… Forgive me, but what position did you sign up for?”
“Oh! I applied to be a... Cleaner, I think? It was something along those lines.”
“Well, you’ve certainly got the arms for it,” the Stationmaster muttered under her breath, before quickly recomposing herself. “Right, you better head to the yard and see-” But at that moment, the telephone rang. The Stationmaster groaned and strode away to answer it, leaving Adora in suspense.
“Um... See who? Ma’am! See who?!?!” Adora got no reply. “Oh no...”
Ffarquhar Train Yard lay just next to the station, a small barbed wire fence and brick-wall separating the two. It didn’t take long for Adora to find the gate, which was big, white and wooden, not too dissimilar from a railway crossing gate. She pushed it open and let herself in. The young woman looked around. Besides the occasional wild animal, the place seemed almost abandoned. It was quiet... for about sixteen seconds.
KA-CLANG!
Adora jumped at the sound, before turning towards it. The noises – various clangs, hisses, cursing and the faint sound of music? ... Jazz... – came from the engine sheds to her left. They were very small and jury-rigged, as if someone had taken three different buildings and smashed them together. The rows closest to her were longer than the rest, and made of wood. The three lines farthest were shorter and made from stones and bricks that weren’t even matching colours. Save for a few stray box cars and passenger carriages, most of the sheds were empty... All except for one. The row farthest from Adora, which housed a grubby, blue steam locomotive, its cab just outside the door. She could also see a pair of pink boots sticking out from underneath.
Adora’s face brightened. Finally, another human being. She began making her way towards the loco shed to make acquaintance. As she got closer, she briefly caught the sounds of conversation from inside.
“Rotten clinker!” a woman’s voice grumbled. “No wonder we can’t build a fire with all this ash!”
“Calm down,” a man’s voice soothed. “Getting angry isn’t going to solve the problem.”
“Ugh! I don’t need that from you, Bow! Not today!” The woman’s voice grunted. “Ruddy thing’s stuck. I can’t get it open!”
“Well, with the way you’ve been handling it, I’m not surprised,” a third voice, that of an older man, said smugly.
“Watch it buddy, or I’ll turn you into a tin can!”
“Just one?” the older man replied indignantly. “I could make at least a thousand.” There was another loud CLANG! Followed by the older man exclaiming “OUCH!”
“Glimmer!” the younger man’s voice cried! “What did you do?!”
“I got tired of yanking it! So, I tried punching it!”
“Did it work?”
“No.”
“Did it hurt?”
“Yes. Ow... ow... ow...”
In all the confusion, none of the shed’s occupants had noticed Adora now standing right behind the locomotive. She couldn’t help but marvel at the size of it. Looking down at the legs under the engine, (the angry girl using context clues), she decided to make her presence known.
“Hello?” Adora called.
The woman shirked in surprise. There was a loud grinding sound and a thick, grey cloud of cinders and ashes exploded out from underneath the loco’s cab, right where the woman had been laying.
Without stopping to think, Adora grabbed the girl’s legs and dragged her clear of the smoke. The girl with the pink boots coughed and sputtered, swatting away any excess smoke with her arms.
“SORRY!” cried Adora profusely. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to spook you! Are you okay?! Do you need-”
“I’M FINE! I’M...” shouted the girl. Furious didn’t even begin to describe what she was feeling. But whatever that feeling melted away the moment she locked eyes with Adora.
The girl had tanned skin and was stout yet strong looking, with short, scruffy hair dyed a deep pink with violet streaks. Her dress sense matched her hair and boots, purple overalls over a pink shirt. The colors had to fight to be seen through the inches of soot and dirt that covered her from head to toe. Her green eyes widened when they met Adora’s blue ones.
She cleared her throat, expelling what remaining ash was inside. “Thank you,” she choked, taking Adora’s hand, the blonde helping her back onto her feet. “Sorry you had to see that.”
“No! It’s not a problem! I’m Adora.”
“Catlin,” the pink girl introduced herself. “Hold on, you’re the...?”
“The new trainee? Yep, that’s me,” Adora smiled. “I like your name. It’s very posh.”
“Thank you,” Catlin said smugly, dusting herself off. “Yours is nice too. It’s much better than some silly name like-”
“Glimmer!”
Catlin – no, Glimmer – suddenly tensed as a dark-skinned man with jet black hair poked his head around the door. His outfit was similar to Glimmer’s, but in various shades of blue. And it was much cleaner.
“What was that noise?! Are you alright?!” he called, before suddenly noticing Adora. “Oh. Hello there,” he smiled, walking up to Glimmer’s side. “Who's your friend?”
“BOW!” Glimmer hissed. “Don’t embarrass me! Not now!”
“Bow? Um...” Adora tried structuring the question in a way that wouldn’t come off as rude. “What kind of name is that?” In retrospect, she didn’t do a good job at it.
Bow’s smile, however, never wavered. “It’s just a nickname, from secondary school. During Grade Ten, I wore a bow in my hair in support of a friend, and the name stuck.” He held out his hand, and Adora shook it firmly. “My real name is Patrick if you prefer.”
“No,” Adora reassured. “Bow’s good. I like it!” She then turned to a pouting Glimmer. “What about you? Where does ‘Glimmer’ come from?”
“Oh, you won’t believe this!” said Bow enthusiastically. “It was back when-”
“NO!” Glimmer begged. “Please don’t tell Adora that story! I beg you, Bow!”
“Oh, too late,” Adora smiles cheekily. “Now I gotta know.”
Glimmer fell to her knees as if a massive weight had fallen upon her. “PLEASE! OH GOD, DON’T!”
“Um... Hello?” the third voice interrupted from inside the shed. “What’s happening out there?”
Adora was startled. Not only did she completely forget there was a third voice in all the excitement, but that voice was also much louder than that of a regular human’s.
“Uh, nothing’s wrong!” Glimmer called, getting to her feet. “I got the ashpan open. Just needed some extra help,” she added, looking at Adora. But Adora wasn’t listening.
“Who’s that?” she asked.
“Who’s who?” replied Bow.
“Uh, the other guy who's with you? He hasn’t come out of there yet.”
Bow and Glimmer exchanged a look. “You don’t know?” Bow asked, stunned.
Adora looked puzzled. “No? Am I meant to?”
Bow looked as if he was about to explain when Glimmer stopped him, placing a hand on his chest. “No, no,” she said, trying to hide her excitement. “If she’s gonna be workin’ with us, then she’s gotta learn. Let her find out for herself.”
“Find out what?!” asked Adora. She was beginning to panic. “What aren’t you telling me?!”
“Well, why don’t you come inside and see?” said the third voice in such a way that Adora could easily imagine a friendly smile on his face.
She turned back to Bow, her expression silently asking for permission to go inside. Bow sighed. “Go ahead,” he said, as Glimmer’s evil smirk grew. Adora sighed.
She walked towards the shed, making her way inside past the blue locomotive. It wasn’t too dark, the morning sun shone through the rafters. There was soot and grime everywhere. On the right most side of the shed was a tool-bench where a couple of... Well, Adora didn’t know what they were. Perhaps train parts of some kind, nick-nacks like that. There was also a coffee machine and a radio, which explained where the old-timely jazz was coming from.
But there was one thing missing, one crucial thing. A man to whom the voice belonged. As far as Adora could see, she was the only person in that shed. Unless he was invisible.
“Hello?” Adora called. “Anybody there?”
“Agh!” the man cried. “No need to shout, I’m right here!”
“Where?”
“Oh boy, here we go... Behind you.”
Adora turned back to where she entered. Back towards the big blue steam engine, her eyes widening. The steam engine had six small wheels, a short stumpy funnel, a short stumpy boiler, a short stumpy dome, a big yellow number ‘1’ painted on the side, and most glaring of all...
(Image here)
“YOU CAN TALK?!”
“Yes,” the steam engine sighed. “I can talk.”
“YOU CAN TALK?!” Adora reiterated, still in shock.
“Well, of course I can talk. Haven't you seen a Sentient Vehicle before?”
“Well-I-but-you’d-I’d...” Adora’s stunned ramblings trailed away when she heard Glimmer laughing outside. She groaned, dragging her hands down her face as she took several deep breaths. Once she was calm, Adora turned back to the locomotive and looked down on her.
A round grey face was placed firmly on the engine’s front, with black triangular eyebrows and large basketball-sized eyes. Adora felt very small and fragile compared to the massive metal beast staring her down. Despite his massive size, the engine’s ‘face’ offered a friendly smile.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to eat you,” he chuckled. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to! Engines can’t eat, after all.”
“If that’s true,” Adora ventured cautiously, “then why do you have a tongue?”
“To talk. You can’t talk without a tongue.”
“Well, yes, but... How can you talk?”
“Because I can.”
“But how?!?!”
“How what?”
“HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!” cried Adora, before quickly covering her mouth with her hands. She’d realized too late that such a question might’ve been offensive.
To her relief, the engine laughed. “I don’t know!” he chuckled. “Nobody does! It’s just how it is! I don’t question why I’m alive. I’m just happy to be alive...” His massive face then turned into a pouting frown. “At least I will be once I’m out of this shed.”
“Yes, we’re working on that, Thomas!” Bow called from outside. “We’ll get your ashpan sorted and we’ll try the fire again!” He crawled underneath the locomotive clutching a can of oil, a wrench and some dirty rags.
“O-o-okay,” Adora muttered, still trying to wrap her head around this entire thing. “So, your name is... Thomas? That’s what Bow said?”
“Yep!” chuckled Thomas. “Thomas the Tank Engine, at your service! Though I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
“Uh, no.”
Thomas’ eyes widened. If they weren’t big before they certainly were now. He looked as if Adora had just insulted him. “You... You haven’t... heard of me?”
“Nope.”
“Thomas the Tank Engine? Famous engine from the Railway Books? I... I was on Television and everything!”
From outside the shed, Glimmer’s laughter only grew in intensity. She was laughing so hard that she had to double over, bracing her hands against her knees.
“Alright...” Thomas groaned. “That’s quite enough.”
“S-sorry!” Glimmer wheezed. “I’m s-s-sorreee-he-he-he! I just... HA! HA! HER FACE! IT WAS ALL LIKE ‘ BAAAAGH ’!” Another fit of giggles quickly followed and subsided before Glimmer walked inside the shed wiping tears from her eyes, followed by an apologetic-looking Bow close behind.
“Alright!” said Bow. “I think that’s enough for the... ‘initiation’.”
“Yes, thank you, Bow,” agreed Adora, shooting Glimmer a cold glare. Though after a moment, the blonde could no longer stop the playful grin forming across her face. “Well, I guess the only way to make up for nearly giving me a heart attack is to tell me where you got that nickname of yours... Glimmer... ”
Glimmer stopped laughing at once. She walked right up to Adora and threw her arm around her neck in an embrace. Adora’s face turned a dim shade of pink, now realizing just how toned Glimmer actually was. “Devious,” smiled Glimmer. “I think I like you already.”
“Um-uh-yeah, cheers,” said Adora, trying her best to sound coherent. “I – um – learnt from the best!” ‘Thank God Kat wasn’t here to hear that,’ she thought. ‘She’d never let me hear the end of it.’
“I hate to interrupt,” cut-in Thomas impatiently. “But did you two manage to clean my ashpan?”
“Yes,” said Bow, placing his tools on the table. His hands were covered in black grime, though he seemed unfazed. “Let’s hope that solves the problem.”
“What problem?” asked Adora.
“Thomas, here,” Glimmer explained, “can’t build steam. That’s why he’s still in the shed this late. We’re trying to give him a good cleanout, see if that helps.”
Adora blush grew stronger, this time out of stunned shock. ‘ Give him a WHAT?! ’
“Yes,” said Bow, noting Adora’s look of horror. “The undertones are not lost on us. You get used to it,” he added cheerfully, handing her a cup of coffee. Adora then proceeded to drink the whole cup in three short gulps, exclaiming a quick ‘Thank you’ between the second and third.
“Percy took my morning train,” added Thomas. “I just hope he’s treating the passengers well. I’m sure he is, but still… That engine can barely stay on the rails.”
Thomas probably would’ve said more if Adora hadn’t interrupted with a sharp cough. “Okay!” she said with a clap, the caffeine doing its magic. “Okay, let’s pretend I understood all of that. But to recap, you’re saying that your train...”
“Tank Engine,” Thomas corrected.
“...can’t start up because he can’t build up enough steam,” Adora continued without missing a beat.
“Yeah, you got it,” said Glimmer.
“Mind if I help?”
“Do you have any experience with steam trains?”
“Engine!” Thomas corrected.
“Um... No,” answered Adora simply.
Glimmer was taken aback. “Well, what about railways in general?”
“Uh...” Adora stalled... She realized the answer wouldn’t sound too great... “Well, to put it simply... Quite simply actually... Um, I’ve never worked on a railway before,” she finally answered, smiling innocently.
“Um – What?” said Thomas, breaking the awkward silence.
“I don’t see anything wrong with that,” Bow reassured. “It’s not like this place is some exclusive night club. The railway is always willing to accept new blood as long as you're willing to learn. Me and Glim were in the same position you are when we began working here.”
“But that’s a story for another time,” Glimmer quickly interrupted. “Right now, let’s actually focus on getting Thomas steamed up so that we don’t get fired.”
“Yes please!” Thomas enthused. “I’m dying to get out of here. And I get really bad cabin fever, you know. Like, when I went to York on the back of that lorry, we got stuck in a traffic jam for hours! And to this day, I still don’t understand what ‘Jam’ had to do with that! That sort of thing goes on toast, not roads, so what exactly was the bloody problem?! I know it wasn’t the lorry’s fault, but blah, blah, blah... ”
“He really does talk a lot, does he?” Adora asked over Thomas’ continued rant.
“Yeah... He does indeed,” replied Bow. “Anyway, if you want to help, follow me. Glimmer, could you give the crankpins one last oil?”
“Ugh!” Glimmer groaned, though she ultimately relented. “Yes, Bow,” she groaned, fetching the oil can where Bow had left it. She also picked up a box of matches and tossed them at Bow, who caught them easily. Adora couldn’t help but be impressed.
Adora and Bow didn’t go far, as they walked over to Thomas’ cab. Bow climbed inside and Adora followed. A wall of taps, leavers and gauges greeted her.
“Wow...” Adora gasped. “This is... Well, it’s... Very Steampunk.”
“Oi!” Thomas cried. Adora felt the whole cab wobble slightly. “I’m not a ‘Steampunk’, thank you.”
“She didn’t mean any offense, Thomas,” Bow soothed. He turned back to Adora. “Right, come down here,” he instructed.
Bow and Adora squatted down to a large black cavity. “That is the Firebox,” explained Bow. “We start a fire in there, which boils the water in Thomas’ tanks to create steam.”
“Which we need to move?”
“Yep! Problem is we need to get a good fire going, otherwise we won’t make enough steam. We’ve tried wood, coal, anything, but nothing will burn for long enough...”
Adora pondered the situation. Suddenly, an idea came to her. A stupid and completely reckless idea, but one stupid and reckless enough to work. “Bow, could you get me some wood, please?” asked Adora as she set her backpack onto the floor, digging through it.
Bow nodded and jumped out of the cab before walking out of sight.
“What are you doing?” Adora heard Thomas ask.
“I’m not sure,” was Bow’s reply.
“That girl has only been here for seven minutes, and you’re already putting your faith in her plan?”
Glimmer giggled softly. “Well, that’s Bow for ya.”
Adora thought she could feel the floor beneath her grow warm as Thomas softened at Glimmer’s comment. “Yes,” the Tank Engine replied. “And I’d not have him any other way.”
Bow returned with a small stack of plie-wood just in time to see Adora find was she was looking for. “Ah-Ha!” the blonde exclaimed triumphantly, holding up a small black bottle like it was the World Cup.
“Um... What is that?” Bow asked, a bit concerned.
“Body spray,” answered Adora cheerfully.
“And... Why do you have that?”
“I do CrossFit.”
Outside came the sound of Glimmer choking, and something small and metallic being knocked over. It was perhaps lucky for Glimmer that Adora was too caught up in her own ‘genius’ to hear.
“Put the wood in Thomas’ Firebox,” Adora instructed. Bow did as he was told, carefully placing the wood evenly inside. Adora then sprayed them, coating it until they were all glistening in the morning sun. Bow’s eyes slowly grew as he caught on.
“Adora... What are you doing...?”
“Do you have a match?” Adora asked, ignoring Bow’s question. Bow was hesitant, but eventually relented and handed her the matchbox. Slowly and careful, but with her grin growing bigger by the moment, Adora lit one of the matches.
“Glimmer...” called Bow. “You might want to-”
“Stand back!” cried Adora, throwing the lit match into Thomas’ Firebox. The flame made contact with the sprayed wood and WHOOSH!
A bright, red flame took heart inside the cab. In a matter of minutes, the sound of steam hissing filled the shed until...
‘PEEP! PEEP!’ came the sound of Thomas’ whistle as the Tank Engine reversed out of the shed and into the yard.
“We’re moving!” Adora cried.
“We are!” Bow confirmed. “And we haven’t burnt to death either! Your plan worked!”
“No, but how are we moving?!” Adora yelped, beginning to panic. “I didn’t touch the controls! Did you?!”
At that moment, Thomas came to a halt. Adora yelped at the sudden stop. Her still open backpack slid around the floor, and Adora narrowly caught it before it slipped right out of the cab.
From outside, Adora could hear the Tank Engine laughing. The sound was almost in-sync with the chuffing from his smokestack. “Wow! You really haven’t seen a Sentient Vehicle before, have you?” he said with delight.
“I... Wh-what?” Adora stuttered. Then, at last, the penny dropped. “Oh... Oh, of course. You can move on your own...”
“Aye, she’s catching on!” cried Glimmer as she exited the shed after them.
“Well, what’s the point of having Drivers, then?!” cried Adora, exasperated.
“Trust me,” Bow said, helping Adora back onto her feet. “You do not want to leave Thomas unsupervised... At all!”
Adora understood... At least she hoped she did.
“Freedom!” Thomas laughed in delight, the shrill howl of his whistle echoing through the valley.
Hearing the sound, two men exited the Station’s booking office. They made their way towards the yards as Adora and Bow climbed down from Thomas’ cab. It was safe to assume these two were Thomas’ crew.
“Morning Thomas,” the Driver said. “Finally decided to get up, I see.”
Thomas groaned. “It was a damp firebox from yesterday’s rain, Robert. That doesn’t mean I’m lazy!” he replied defensively.
Robert just rolled his eyes knowingly as the Fireman climbed into the cab. He then leaned out. “That’s a mighty fine fire you’ve built, Mr. DiCenzo!” he called.
“Thanks, Mr. Smith,” Bow replied. “But it wasn’t all me,” he added, gesturing to Adora. Adora tensed, standing to attention almost like a soldier greeting a commander.
“Well now,” Mr. Smith replied. “Great work, Miss... erm...”
“Adora Grey, Sir!”
“Adora, huh? Well, we’ll make a fine Fireman out of you, Adora, if your work here is anything to go by.”
“Uh, I helped too, actually,” Glimmer interjected, joining Bow’s side.
Robert joined his Fireman in the cab. “Right then, Thomas,” he said. “We’ll be taking empties up to the Quarry until Percy returns with your coaches.”
“Yes, Bob,” said Thomas. The locomotive’s big eyes then turned to Adora, and he smiled. “Thank you for the help, Miss Grey!” he called as he reversed away.
“No problem, Thomas!” Adora replied with a wave. She then turned back to her new colleagues. “So, how did I do?”
“Well...” Bow began. “Ignoring your... unique methods, I’d say you did pretty well for your first time firing an engine.”
Adora couldn’t help but smile at this. “Thanks. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if that was going to work myself.”
“Well, be glad it did and you’re not dead,” said Glimmer simply. “But you’ve certainly got the North Western spirit, I’ll tell you that much.”
“What do you mean?”
“Solving a problem with ridiculously dangerous methods and somehow escaping a painful death. Everybody in this company has done that at least once.”
“What Glimmer is trying to say,” Bow interrupted, noting the worried look on Adora’s face growing, “is that the people of this railway never give up, and always preserve over a problem no matter how large. And if we need to think outside the box to fix the issue, then we will.” He placed a hand on Adora’s shoulder. “If you are all those things, then I think you’ll fit perfectly here.”
Adora beamed. “Thanks, Bow. Thank you, Glimmer.” She then straightened her back and clasped her hands together. “Right, what’s my first – uh – official assignment?”
“Well, it’s a bit of a quiet day today,” said Glimmer. “So, maybe you could help look after the station garden beds with me until something comes up?”
“Sure!” smiled Adora. “Just show me what I need to do.”
“Good. You go ahead; I’ll catch up.”
With that, Adora broke into a light jog back towards the station, her confidence boosted. Glimmer then whispered something to Bow. “I’d call that a successful initiation.”
“Just, try not to be too hard on her, Glim,” Bow warned. “Remember how I instructed you during your first days here. Just remember to be patient, and we’ll all be home in time for tea without any drama.”
“I make no promises,” said Glimmer bluntly, but when she saw Bow’s disapproving look, she quickly added, “But I’ll try . I’ll look after Adora.”
Bow smiled assuredly. “Now you better get your butt over there,” he said, making his way back to the engine shed. “Those shrubberies won’t trim themselves!”
Glimmer sighed, and walked away towards Adora. Things were gonna be changing around here, fast.