Rescue Quest Chapter Two
Continuing my middle grade adventure series for Minecraft fans
This week, I’ve been knee-deep in book three of Rescue Quest—and by knee-deep I mean wrangling characters who have their own ideas about the plot and dialogue (rude, but fun). We're nearly at the 10,000-word mark, and the action is coming thick and fast! The full outline is technically there, but let’s be honest, it’s more of a suggestion at this point.
As I mentioned last week, to get back into the swing of things I’ve been re-reading book one, reminding myself who says what, when, and how often they gasp. And it occurred to me: maybe you’d like to dive into the beginning of the story too? Feel free to share with the Minecraft fans in your life, or just enjoy the beginning of this middle grade adventure for yourself 💙
Chapter two is below and if you missed chapter one, you can catch up right here:
Welcome to Rescue Quest
If you’ve been a visitor here for a while you’ll likely know that I’m drafting the third book in my adventure series set in Minecraft. And as I did when I started writing book two (Freedom Quest) I’ve been reading back through book one (Rescue Quest).
CHAPTER TWO
Tom kicked at a stone on the pavement as he, Aarna and Lev walked home together after school.
‘We have to tell someone,’ Aarna said, pushing her thick glasses up her nose for the fiftieth time that day.
‘How about Mrs Bevitt?’ replied Lev.
‘She won’t do anything,’ replied Aarna. ‘Remember what happened when Hunter stole Chelsea’s packed lunch?’
The others nodded.
‘Nothing,’ Aarna continued. ‘They just gave Chelsea some money to buy something at the canteen. It’s like they don’t care.’
‘Well, we’ve got to do something,’ Lev complained. ‘I’m sick of hiding and I’m sick of having my hair pulled out.’ The boy’s voice cracked on the last word and the other two deliberately didn’t look him in the face. No one wants to be seen crying when you’re eleven years old.
‘Perhaps we could all take up martial arts and go all Wong on him?’ Aarna asked, shifting her rucksack from one arm to the other so she could chop the air with her hands.
‘What do you mean, go wrong on him?’ Lev asked.
‘Not wrong, you doofus… Wong! You know, Doctor Strange’s valet in the Marvel films, he’s a top fighter and no one messes with him.’ Aarna rolled her eyes at her friend. Lev just shrugged.
‘I’m more into the Matrix films. Neo could kick Hunter’s butt, that’s for sure,’ he said, sniffing.
‘What do you think, Tom?’ Aarna asked.
‘Err…what? Sorry…’ Tom replied, realising he hadn’t really been listening to what his friends had been saying.
‘Are you alright?’ Aarna asked. ‘That was some lecture Dr Sopor gave you about your homework.’
Tom shrugged.
‘Nah, don’t be fooled,’ Lev said before turning to Tom. ‘Where are you this time?’ he asked, knowing exactly where Tom’s mind had been - inside his favourite game, Minecraft.
‘I was just trying to figure out how to make my spiral piston door with fewer blocks,’ Tom replied. ‘I watched someone doing it in 125 blocks on YouTube this morning, but I reckon I can beat that.’
‘You and your Minecraft,’ Laughed Lev. ‘Is there anything else you think about?’
‘Not really,’ Tom grinned, reflecting that Minecraft was the perfect place to escape to. There were no bullies and no homework. Although today he’d also been wondering about why his dad had rang earlier.
He hoped he’d remembered he had to come home early so his mum could go on her special trip with Aunt Wendy that afternoon. Tom had overheard his parents discussing the weekend trip, how his mum’s younger sister had broken up with her boyfriend and needed something called ‘girl time’, whatever that meant.
His friends brought him back from his thoughts as they both stopped in their tracks.
‘Isn’t that Hunter?’ Aarna said, tipping her chin towards a man and boy on the other side of the road from them.
Tom recognised Hunter straight away. He was the biggest boy in Mrs Bevitt’s class, with a square chin, sandy blonde hair and a black baseball cap that he wore backwards at break time and lunchtime, despite it being against school rules. Normally Hunter stood tall with his shoulders back, arms crossed, flexing his biceps and staring down anyone who came near him, but now his shoulders slumped and his head hung. Tom recognised that posture straight away. It was how he carried himself whenever Hunter was bullying him.
‘Yeah, and that’s his uncle I think,’ Lev continued. ‘Looks like he’s really telling him off.’
‘I heard his uncle is looking after him,’ Aarna said. ‘Not sure why though.’
The man was tall and thin, with floppy blonde hair and a feint grey stubble across his chin and upper lip as though he hadn’t shaved that morning. His clothes were monochrome with no warmth; a charcoal grey suit with a matching waistcoat, white shirt, and a dark grey tie. His face was similarly ashen and deep lines etched malice into his forehead and around his mouth. It was a face well used to frowning. He was holding Hunter’s class book in one hand and pointing at Hunter with the other, and while the friends couldn’t hear what he was saying from where they were standing, he was clearly angry. It surprised Tom to see Hunter wipe his face with the back of his hand as if he was rubbing away a tear. But just at that moment, Hunter looked over at Tom and his face changed in a heartbeat as he narrowed his eyes and scowled. Tom knew that expression all too well and looked away quickly, shuddering.
‘C’mon, let’s go,’ he said to his friends, hurrying on. ‘Whatever’s going on, we shouldn’t get involved.’
Lev followed Tom, but Aarna hung back for a moment, watching as Hunter’s uncle threw the textbook on the floor in front of him and stormed off down the street. Hunter bent to pick the book up and cradled it in his hands like a small, wounded animal. Aarna felt uncomfortable watching him and ran to catch up with her friends.
Lev sighed. ‘We really should come up with a plan to stand up for ourselves you know,’ he said.
‘Hmmm. Well, I am fed up with being picked on,’ agreed Aarna. ‘And my Mum really will go mad if I come home with another pair of broken glasses...’
Tom knew Hunter had broken two pairs of his friend’s thick glasses already. The last time he’d stomped them with his foot so that Aarna had to change places with Charlotte at the front of the class just to see the board for the rest of the day’s lessons.
‘But perhaps there’s something else going on with him,’ she continued, glancing back to see Hunter, but the street was empty.
‘What’s going on is that he’s a bully. Something’s got to change, that’s for sure,’ replied Lev. ‘Perhaps we should tell one of the teachers after all.’
Tom felt the same as his friends and wished he felt brave enough to stand up to Hunter. He’d dreamed about it over and over, different scenarios but always the same ending, with Tom winning and Hunter backing down, finally leaving them all alone.
But he knew he wasn’t the hero of his dreams.
He knew because he’d been here before.
‘Look,’ he said, ‘I know it seems like the right thing to do, but believe me, it’s worse to be a snitch. Everyone hated me at Westdale when I told on Trevor. They made my life hell.’
Tom thought back to his old school, Westdale High, where he’d been until the beginning of the year. His stomach churned as he remembered being shoved into cupboards, punched in the corridor, and having his things put on top of lockers where he couldn’t reach them. He’d lost count of the times he’d been late for lessons because he had to get the school caretaker to help him get his books down.
Touching his shoulder absently, he pictured the dark purple bruise from the day his nemesis Trevor had finally gone too far. Scared but desperate, Tom had gone to the school Headmaster and reported the bullying. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
But nothing improved. Instead, the bullying got worse as Trevor’s friends began targeting Tom for being a snitch and tattletale. When the other kids in his year joined in, the isolation and name-calling sent Tom into deep anxiety. He dreaded school each day. His grades tanked. And then the stomach aches began.
In the end, his parents pulled him out of Westdale to make a fresh start at St. Fortis where he’d been one of the new joiners along with Aarna and Lev. It was still a few years until his exams began in earnest, so it seemed the best time to move. The experience had left scars though, and Tom worried the same backlash would happen if he spoke up about Hunter. It was easier to stay silent, even as the bully tormented him and his new friends. Besides, there was nothing he could do about it anyway. Being so small would always make him an easy target. He just had to accept that.
The three walked in silence for a while. Each thinking their own thoughts.
At least it’s the weekend tomorrow, Tom thought. Two whole days of Minecrafting, once homework and chores are done, of course.
And with just his dad and his little sister Alice in the house, there would be plenty of time for playing - his mum just didn’t get Minecraft. Tom smiled as he pictured Alice’s face when he showed her how to use shulker boxes the next day. She loved the way the tops swivelled to reveal their contents.
‘Believe me, nothing ever changes,’ Tom said to his friends as he waved goodbye and turned into the driveway of his house. ‘See you Monday.’
But he couldn’t have been more wrong…
Buy Rescue Quest book one to keep reading! Would you like me to share chapter three next week? Let me know in the comments 👇 or hit reply.
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