I've done a bit | An SVA stori

Chapter 27: Groundstroke

SunGlass City became a construction sight by the end of May. They had hung up the new Racer from branches so he could stand and everyone would climb in through his open back and wave with his big arms. He had big shoulders from shovel blades and cricket pads over his tube legs.

Hours of working and jamming passed. Leon found cool chords and Ire added a zip to the back of the racing jacket.
Tom sat with Racers helmet on. The bird came back again and everyone thought of a name to call him. 'Pluto', 'Dave' and 'Frank' were thrown about until they put the same names to Leon.
"I dunno." They sighed, "I'll find one eventually."

"I've got a stupid mans head!" Rowan shot up.
"We know." Ire teased.
"What?" Asked Wolf.
"The ghosts!"
"The ghosts?" Asked Leon.
"The robot!"
"The robot?" Asked Ire.
"The shark mascots!"
"The shark mascots?" Asked Piper.
"And the skeletons!"
"Skeletons?" Tom popped her head up.
"Does anyone wanna break into school?" He asked with the biggest grin.

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Wolf didn't want to go back so Ire stayed with her, so Tom did too. But Rowan, Piper and Leon went that night, past yellow tape and green fences to the wrecked building.
They explained the robots to Leon but shut up when sounds came from down the hall. The three shared glances and continued past the asbestos to see the absolute state of the prop room.
The fort The Uniform Union built was in extra ruin, the Quest-i-Tech robot still laid dead and they had to dig through clothes and furniture to find the hidden door.
Heavy and slow movements echoed from the door. Rowan open the door and dust spewed out pushing the kids back out the pile of anything, luckily as well as it collapsed a moment after.

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Wolf joined Tom at Ires that night.
They laid on her bed and Tom fell asleep during Mario Bros. again so Ire and Wolf turned it off.
Instagram became popular after school ended, the teachers would go on and make unfunny memes on the academys account.
"School's just followed me!" Wolf got the notification.
"Really!?" Ire laughed.
"I'm blocking them. They're evil."
"That's really weird!"
"Rowan's right." She said, "They're the worst."
"You're not still..?" Ire asked.
"No!"
"No moths."
"...you don't still... have moths, no?" Wolf asked.
Ire looked to Tom, who was fast asleep in her pyjamas. Then music came blasting from Ryans room.
"Fucks sake." She sighed.

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"There!" Leon pointed through gaps in the chairs to something moving.
"Timothy?" Rowan said.
But the ghost had no time to respond as a big hand burst through the surface. It was metal and clunky and heaved itself up but the tables gave way and it crashed back down.
Another hand burst from the other end, then another from the bottom. All thick, and Rowan and Piper knew them from the scuba suits.
Chairs and doors flew towards the kids as a towering suit burst through the pile and stood lined up.
"Hello." Rowan put his fear aside, "We want to help."
The light from the Quest-i-Tech robots head began flashing and the scuba suits activated, marching towards the kids.
Piper picked up a fake sword and Leon picked up a cricket bat and charged.

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Wolf and Ire looked at the academys website. They were rebranding as 'Seaborne Academy', after its location, a minute up the island.
"Ms Pendleton said something about a new school." Wolf told, "I didn't really listen, I thought it was like a new scheme."
"You think she meant Seaborne?"
"I don't care. It's just a scam! They don't wanna help. They don't wanna tell us about tree people, or robots or magic or- or anything! They probably did fake the tornado."
"To start the new school?"
"...probably." Wolf sighed.
"If they faked the tornado, then what are they hiding?"

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The scuba suits were heavy but Rowan managed to tackle one as Piper and Leon swung their prop weapons.
Rowan shot up and stomped down on the suits but they were hard and wouldn't dent.
"You wanted to help them?" Piper said holding back a suit.
"We have to stop them first!" Rowan answered, trying to find how to dismantle the suits on ones back.
Piper went to the back and threw props and chairs and such and the suits. They moved almost lifeless. Not caring when knocked down, just getting up and carrying on.
The red light from the Quest-i-Tech robot spun around, blinking the room in and out of red.
Leon swung and knocked ones helmet off, revealing the rotten skull.
"Rank!" They yelled and kicked the suit away.
It stumbled back onto Rowan who just threw another suit away. It towered over him and fell on top in a wrestle.
Piper stabbed one suit but it wasn't blood animating them so it walked through the sword and grabbed the girls shoulders to pick her up.
Rowan held a boot above his head and sent it at the suits legs, dismantling them sending and getting Piper free.
"It's the Quest-i-Tech robot!" Rowan yelled.
So Piper ran over and stomped its bulb out, and the suits stopped, falling limp. Which lead to the suits skull falling and bonking Rowans.

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"I'm just so confused!" Wolf vented, "School was the worst, they're evil, we should be so happy it's over, and never go back!"
"But?"
"Why do I miss it??"
"You miss it?"
"I think!? Maybe. Us there, like, we were safe."
"We weren't." Ire began, "We were still, in the system, but... it was like this place we could go, and pretend to be safe. Now we're on our own, no one's helping us."
"Rowan is." She said, "And now Piper's come back."
"Dude-"
"It's not even about that!" She yelled, which woke Tom up.
"Hey Mars." Ire smiled.

They all stayed awake for a bit eating penguins Tom stashed everywhere.
"We're safe with Rowan. Right?" Wolf asked.
"You have that much faith in him?" Ire answered.
"He know's what he's doin'." Wolf told herself.

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All the suits were broken now, and smelly and rotten, but they knew they couldn't just leave them. They dragged all the suits into a pile in the centre of the room and Rowan set them ablaze with the fuel from his boots.

They sat and watched the fire and what they thought of as ghosts be set free.
"We did it." Piper smiled.
"We did something." Leon added.
"Leon." Rowan began, "You're non binary."
"...ok." They said.
"What does that mean?"
"...I don't know." They sighed, "It was here actually. I told everyone- everyone in the play."
"What happened?" Piper asked.
"I felt like, I shouldn't be a guy. I didn't like, who I was I guess. Neither did they." They chuckled.
"...is it rude to say you're male?" Rowan asked.
"I dunno... it's nice to pretend I'm not."
"I mean, I'm a guy." Rowan said, "I've been thinking about it. I got, male stuff. I'm human, but, that's my body. When I was outside my body, I wasn't human. I wasn't a guy and I wasn't a girl either, not that I have anything to go off."
"You saying a ghost is neither?" They asked.
"Maybe. Like reincarnation," He said, "if that's even real, you're not always gonna be a male. And if you're a bug it's not gonna matter if you're a guy or a girl, they're all running around and working... I don't know where I'm going with this."
"Y'know. I didn't used to believe- in anything. Ghosts, heaven, God. But it's real. It's true isn't it." Leon said.
"...I dunno about God." Rowan smirked.
"Ghosts are." Piper said, "Why's God a stretch?"
"I dunno. It's not." Rowan thought out loud.
"Is that what's past the sky?" She asked, "Why they needed suits to be there?"
"Heaven?"
"Why not." She said.
"We'll find out." Rowan smiled.
"If we stop being human." Leon added.