Lin packed her bag with only dire essentials. Clothes, a deck of cards, her favourite teddy bear, her photo album, a frying pan and a book. She was evicted from her house as there was no one to pay the bills. She wondered the streets, looking for somewhere to stay. She walked down back alleys to avoid strangers. "Hey kid, what are you doing in a place like this? Where's your parents?" He asked. She looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet. He understood this and apologised. She saw that he was playing cards with some friends. "Can I play?" She asked. "Do you know how to play 21?" He asked. She gave a crafy look. "Yep."
She sat down at the table. The cards were dealt. She glanced at her hand. The two of hearts and the eight of spades. She had ten. She needs an ace of any suit. "Twist or stick?" The dealer asks. "Twist." She replied. She was dealt a four. "Twist" She said. She was dealt a six. "Twist." She said again. She was dealt the ace of spades. " Stick" She said. She shuffled her cards into a small deck. "Alright. Scores on the doors." The dealer said. There was 18, 16, 19 and a twenty. He was about to rake in his pile when she slapped his hand. "Twenty one and five card straight." She said. She smoothed out the mini deck. She smiled. She pulled in the pile and went to leave. The dealer grabbed her arm. "Alright kid, who are you working for?" He said. "I don't understand what you mean. I don't work for anyone. Please let me go." She begged. He let her go. She put the items in her bag and took off.
She walked out into the street and looked for a pawnbrokers to get money to travel. She saw the only one in town. "Benny better have enough money for all my wonderful wares." She said to herself. She ran across the street and slammed into Benny's door. She knocked on the door and Benny let her in. "Good to see you again, Lin. I thought you'd already left to explore the world." He said. "I can't leave without saying goodbye to you, you stingy old crab." She said with a smile. Benny looked after Lin when she had the house. He would cook her dinner, help her keep the house clean, take her to school and in return she would help him price his wares. "So, what you got for me today?" Benny said. She pulled out the latest haul. There were rings, watches, earrings, necklaces, broaches and bracelets. He helped her sort through what was real and what was fake. She spied a necklace with pure diamonds on it. She stuck her hand in and pulled it out with expert prosition. She stuffed it into her bag. She only kept the best things.
After an hour, they had agreed on a price for all of it. "Pleasure doing business with you Benny." She said. "Lin, be careful. The life your choosing to make, it doesn't always end up how you think." Benny's voice was heavy with concern. She sighed. "Benny, how long have I been doing this now? I know what I'm doing." She said. She walked out of the shop and bumped into a man dressed in back. "Sorry sir. I should have looked where I was going." She said. "That is quite alright my dear." He said. Lin spotted the silver crest on his coat. " I'm looking for someone." He said. He handed her a sketch of a girl. The drawing looked exactly like her. "Well, it looks like you found her." Lin said.
