I've done a bit | An SVA stori

Chapter 18: Time Bomb!

Rowans walks to school were short, but since he woke up he noticed more.

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On the first day he saw the man on the phone there was trail of bright frogs marching on their back legs, so he followed them. They led him through the town and the train station, up through Rhospen and into its forest.

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On their bus in, Ire and Tom saw a boy get on, then again at the next stop, as always. No one questioned it and that annoyed Tom.
"Dude they're brothers." Ire sighed, but Tom wasn't buying it.
"Well ask them." She said.
"No." Ire laughed, "...what if they're clones."
"I'll ask them."

Once they got to the academy Tom caught up with one of the two who were actually one and got his attention.
"Hey... um, we just wanted to ask if you were a clone." She said like it was normal.
The boy ran.

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Leaves blocked more sun as Rowan went deeper into the woods. Creaks came from all around but he couldn't see where.
"Where are you?!" He yelled.
Then giggling and rustling joined in.
"You really are crazy." A girls voice came from above.
It was Faye, someone he'd not seen in months now, sitting comfortably in a tree.
"...you?" The boy asked.
"Me." Faye said back.
There was a silence for a moment. The trees didn't dare creak.
"...have you seen any frogs?" He asked.
"...frogs?"
"Yea, they were walking on two legs."

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Ire and Tom chased the probably a clone boy through seas of students as he found his other half lol.
"Stop!" Ire yelled, losing them.
Tom held her head down through the hallways and only kept up by holding Ires hand.
They boys ran outside and they caught up with the two in the quad, half expecting them to merge.
"Hey!" Tom got his attention, more confident now they were alone. The opposite of how Ire felt.
"If you're brothers why do you get on at different stops?" She yelled.
They boys looked at each other, said 'Corey' and nodded before one leapt onto the others shoulder and they charged.

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"Is that who you were yelling at?" Faye asked from above the boy.
"...no. Do- I... I feel like you know who I was yelling at."
"Why you yelling at them?"
"I'm... I've got frogs to find."
"Come with me." She leapt down.

They followed branches through bushes until they saw the bright frogs gathered in their big den.
They all spun and stared at the humans, waiting for something to happen.
Faye and Rowan stayed still for a moment before Faye said 'Hi'.
The frogs shared glances amongst themselves until the biggest, pinkest one in the middle looked at the girl and said,
"Ma'am."
"...you can talk?" Rowan asked, not all that shocked.
"Oh, it's just me." He said, "This lot can't talk." He pointed back at the rest of the frogs who held in their giggles.
"...so..." Rowan began, "What's happening?"
"Nothing." The big frog huffed and leapt into a hole, followed by the others.
They couldn't follow the frogs so they left.

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"Where's Wolf? She's not picking up." Tom said.
They were hiding behind the shield while the clone boys hit and slapped it.
"Just... use the shield, Cap does." She said.
"Cap's cool."
"You're cool Jude." Tom said.
Ire pushed her shield forward and the clones fell back.
"COREYS!" One clone yelled and two other people joined them, one an older boy and one a girl.
The four stacked onto each other like a square. and swung their arms about.

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"I've seen trees move before." Rowan told.
He got out a diary.
"I've not seen you around."
"I've been busy, saw a mushroom man." He turned to its page.
Faye was impressed by the drawing but freaked out that there was a mushroom with a face out there.
"He said the word 'achoo'... that sounds fake, uh."
"Does, but the frogs talk, trees talk, mushrooms talking isn't nothing."
"The trees talk?"
"What else is here?" She turned a few pages, seeing clocks before Rowan shut the book.
"Did you ever find the clock?" She asked.
"What?"
"Were you after a specific clock or?"
"...shouldn't you be in school?" The boy asked.
"Shouldn't you."
"Yea, no, I knew you were gonna say that..."
Rowan got up and ready to leave.
"Y'know, they don't look like that." Faye got his attention, "The trees. You drew them but they don't look like that."
"No?...what do they look like?"
"I can show you sometime."
Then he went home.

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"Wait, knock the bottoms legs." Tom said.
"Yea, you're right!" Ire smiled.
"Corey strike!" One Corey yelled like a catchphrase and they dashed for the girls.
Ire held her shield in front of her and dived at the bottom Coreys legs, tipping the Corey tower over.
"TAKE THAT!" Tom danced.
"Coreys assemble!" One Corey yelled and the four of them jumped on each others shoulders and ran off down the road.
"So." Tom sighed, "The girl could still be a clone."
"Honestly, she could be."

They spent up until lunch on top of math block. Ire studied the shield. She thought it strange, or at least not a coincidence it had a symbol of a bird on it. It was too big for a bird but she couldn't remove guilt from the shield. If she hadn't taken it maybe that bird would still be alive and there for its child.
Tom leaned on her shoulder.

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Rowan got a message from Ire saying there were clones so he went to see.
"Well they've gone now." Ire said, "Where have you been?"
"Hunting frogs, y'know."
"Were they evil?" Tom asked.
"No, they were nice... so I left."

The three met up with Wolf in SunGlass City after school.
"Where've you been?" Rowan asked.
"Music." She said, "In school, where've you been?"
"Learn anything?"
"...no."
"So we didn't miss anything?" Ire smiled.
"Ironic though I actually like music." Rowan sighed.
"Me too." Tom said, "You were in a band ye? We should start a band, SunGlass City."
"You wanna start a band?" Rowan beamed.
"That'd be nice actually." Ire agreed, "I can't sing though."
"Me neither..." Rowan said.
"Didn't you sing in the play?" Tom asked.
"Oh!" Rowan said, "I know just the guy. Shit- not guy."