I am publishing my middle grade novel, Dolbin School for the Extraordinary, chapter by chapter.
You can download the whole book for free on Amazon.
Click here for the previous chapter-Chapter 19: The Crash
Or if you wish, you can go back to the beginning with chapter 1-Jake Cooper
Chapter 20: New Students
Jake woke up in the medical clinic. A white curtain surrounded his bed. Machines on both sides of his bed were monitoring his blood pressure and other vital signs.
Jordon, the nurse, slid the curtains away and said, “Good morning, sir. Time to get up and go to breakfast. You’ll have some bandages on your hands for the rest of the day, but you should be able to take them off by this evening.”
Jake sat up. “What happened last night with the helicopter?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” replied Jordon. “I think they got everything under control soon after you left.”
“What about the new student?” he asked. “Is he okay?”
“I can’t tell you that,” she said. “That’s private information.”
Jake blushed.
“But your friend Mark will be joining you this morning,” Jordon said. “He’s already up and getting ready.”
Jake walked out of the clinic and headed to breakfast.
In the dining hall, Jake sat down with Bruce and Red.
“Well, hey there, Mr. Muscle!” Bruce shouted from across the room.
Jake was slightly embarrassed and hurried to sit down.
“I heard you were called to the roof,” Bruce continued. “From the looks of things, you got a souvenir.”
Jake raised his hands.
“Any word yet on the new student who was in the helicopter?” Red asked from across the table.
“Not that I have heard,” replied Jake.
“I hear you aren’t the only one who visited the clinic yesterday,” Red said. “I heard Mark got pretty banged up in class.”
“Yeah, he did. He has a broken ankle and a broken wrist and he’s in a wheelchair,” Jake answered.
“He looked pretty awesome,” Bruce said. “Kinda tough.”
“I wouldn’t want to have to go through that to look tough though,” Jake said.
“Well, speak of the devil!” Red said, glancing over Jake’s shoulder.
Mark came rolling into the dining room in his wheelchair. As he rolled past, a couple of the older students were muttering to themselves, trying to guess what happened to the new kid.
“Hey there, runner!” Bruce said, standing in a mock salute to Mark.
Mark grinned. He had never felt this cool before.
Red stood up and said, “Stay there and let me get your breakfast. I don’t know where Mrs. Brisby is. She normally helps people who come in from the medical wing. She’s probably helping the new kid who was in the helicopter crash.”
“I didn’t see her, but I can get my own breakfast,” Mark said as he started to rolled toward the food line.
Red pointed at Mark and said, “Stay there! I’ll be back in a second.”
Mark stayed where he was and watched the other boys on his hall clear a space for him. Then he rolled his chair up to the table.
“How are you feeling?” Jake asked.
“I’m sore, but I have good medicine to help with that,” Mark smirked. “I hear I missed all of the fun last night. I heard they called a lot of the strong Extras.”
“It was weird to be called,” said Jake. “But I admit it was cool.”
Red placed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of Mark. “There you go! A breakfast for champions!”
Mark took his fork and began devouring his breakfast. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was. The rest of the table saw this and let him eat. No one asked about his fall or his injuries.
“Excuse me,” a firm British voice said, ending the breakfast-time chatter. Mrs. Brisby was standing at the front of the dining hall with a new student standing behind her. It was time for a new introduction.
Mark looked up and then eyed Bruce and Red. “Oh, that’s where she was,” he said. “Getting the new student ready. I guess he is okay.”
Mrs. Brisby continued, “It seems we have a had a rash of new students recently. But I am always proud of how Dolbin students accept the new students with open arms.”
Mark lifted his left arm with the cast and added, “with broken arms,” drawing a snicker from the other boys at his table.
“I am glad that I have your attention, Mr. Daniels,” the headmistress continued, “as our newest student arrived last night or early this morning in a way that the whole school heard. Luckily, he is doing well. He comes from the same school as you and Mr. Cooper. Three students from the same school isn’t a record, but it is rare.”
Jake and Mark quickly looked at each other.
“Who is it? I couldn’t tell last night because he was all burned up,” whispered Jake.
Mark looked back at Mrs. Brisby.
Mark’s fork fell to the floor.
“Holy poop!” Mark said under his breath.
Jake looked back at Mrs. Brisby.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” she said, “I would like you to meet ...”
Jake’s face went beet red.
“What’s the matter?” Bruce asked under his breath.
Jake couldn’t speak.
Mark looked at Bruce.
Mrs. Brisby continued, “our newest student, Brad Cushing. I am sure everyone will extend him a warm welcome as he joins the Dolbin family.”
“That’s the bully Jake threw through a window at his old school!” Mark whispered.
Bruce whispered back. “He’s the guy that survived the helicopter crash? He doesn’t have a scratch on him!”
Jake looked down at his plate. He was sure he was going to welcome Brad Cushing to Dolbin. He just wasn’t sure it was going to be a warm welcome.
Mrs. Brisby walked toward Jake’s table with Brad following closely behind her. The whole table grew quiet. Jake and Mark looked down while the rest of the boys stared at Brad.
“Gentlemen, I am aware that there is a history here,” Mrs. Brisby said solemnly.
No one responded.
“Mr. Cushing will be by himself in Room 148 and sharing a suite with Mr. McMullen and Mr. Johnson.”
Red and Bruce looked at each other.
“Mr. Cushing has his schedule and is probably in class with most of you,” the headmistress added. “It will be good for him to just jump right into his academic schedule. Have a good morning, Mr. Cushing. I will check in with you during lunch.
“In the meantime, I am sure that Mr. McMullen and Mr. Johnson will be good hosts,” she added and gave the boys a look that dared them to do anything different than she had instructed.
They answered together, “Yes, ma’am.”
With that, Mrs. Brisby turned and walked away.
Jake and Mark still hadn’t looked up from the table. Brad just stared at Red and Bruce, waiting for some kind of instruction.
“Well, follow me if you want to eat,” Red said before escorting Brad to the breakfast line.
“This is terrible,” Mark said, suddenly having lost his appetite.
Jake looked like he was going to cry. “This isn’t fair,” he said under his breath. “Now he’s here and apparently he can survive fiery crashes.”
Bruce broke the silence. “Guys, you’re one of us now,” he assured them. “If that jerk gives you any trouble, he’s going to have to deal with the rest of us.”
The rest of the table cheered and agreed. “That’s right!”
“You mess with Cooper or Daniels, you mess with all of us! Who cares that you can survive huge accidents,” Bruce said through a big smile.
Jake managed a laugh. Mark raised his right hand in the air and said, “Yeah!”
“Thanks, guys,” Jake said.
When he looked up, he saw Brad returning to his table. No one at Jake’s end of the table moved to make room for the newcomer. Jack, who was sitting at the far end of the table, finally stood up and made a place for Brad.
Jack broke the silence by sticking out his hand to shake Brad’s. “I’m Jack. Apparently you already know a couple of guys at this table,” he said. “Your school really seems to be producing people for Dolbin this week.”
Brad looked around the table. He didn’t say a word. He looked down at his cereal and took a spoonful. He looked back up at the table and broke the silence. “Yes, I am that Brad,” he said. “I’m the one who was picking on Jake. I’m the one that he threw through a window.”
The table was silent. Jake stared at Brad, recalling the moment he threw Brad. He wasn’t the weakling that he was back at Kane Elementary School. He now had super-strength. Why should he be afraid of Brad now?
“When did you learn you could heal fast?” Jake asked finally.
Brad looked back at his cereal, took another spoonful and then answered. “Right after you threw me through the window.”
“What do you mean?” Mark replied, unable to take his eyes off Brad.
“When I was picked up by the ambulance, I understandably had numerous cuts and a few broken bones.”
Jake held his gaze on Brad.
Jack softened his tone in an attempt to be polite. “You’re a Healer,” he said. “A lot of students here have that skill. Few things really hurt them as your body repairs itself very quickly – as the whole school can see this morning.”
Brad continued. “By the time I got to the hospital, my cuts had healed and my broken bones were gone. The doctors thought someone had lied,” he explained. “They thought I had played a prank on them.”
Jake thought of Professor Guinness’ words: People just don’t want to believe that something Extraordinary can happen.
No one wanted to believe Brad’s story. That made Jake feel a little better.
“They brought me into the hospital just to double check,” Brad added. “I think they said something about internal bleeding. While I was in my room, the suitmen came in and took over. They even brought their own doctor. He checked me over and then they rushed me out. That was yesterday. Then we had the accident last night. I have no idea how I survived the crash last night, nor how I healed after our fight. I know what Principal Glover told me. But you’re not supposed to survive what I have gone through the last two days.”
Jack looked at the rest of the table and shook his head he wasn’t sure what the rest of the table wanted him to do.
“Well, you’re at Dolbin now.”