𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕃𝕚𝕖𝕤 [REDO] [Book One]

Chapter 2: Ben's PoV

"Ben, are you even listening?"

I was drawn back into reality by the voice of Mia Bates, head secretary of the council office. She was hunched over her computer with an impatient look on her face. She rolled her eyes at me.

"Are you deaf or something?"

"Oh, uh, sorry, what were you talking about?"

She scowled while still staring at the screen. "For God's sake, I'll say it again: your dad needs to pay rent by the end of this month!"

I paused, and told the lie I had been telling for years. "He's really busy with work- can't you give us two months?"

She shook her head. "No. Now scram before I call him."

"Fine." I said, and picked my bag up from the chair next to me, being as slow as possible just to wind her up. 

"And hurry up while you're at it." she snapped. It worked.

As I stood up and headed for the door, I saw a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye. Silently, I looked out the window and saw a girl of around my age running quickly down the street, as if her life depended on it. She looked like she was running from someone. But who though?

Oh well.

Her problem.

Not mine.

Sorry, I guess I owe you some sort of introduction. My name is Ben Kane, I am twelve year old, et cetera, et cetera. I guess the only thing you really need to know is that in the next few days, my life is going to get wierd. Not that it already was not in the first place, though. You will (hopefully) understand in a bit.

I shrugged at walked out the door, making sure not to step on a pile of mud and leaves left kindly by a certain person who, as you will see shortly, needs no introduction whatsoever. Boredly, I shoved my hands into my pockets and began the usual walk home: the one through the path in behind the park that no one apart from me knew about. It was the only place I could finally relax, and it was fun just having a secret place to mess about.

But before that, there was something I needed to do- and you must not tell a single soul about it. Absolutely no one. Understand? Good.

After making sure nobody was looking at me, I walked swiftly over to the path that led to an abandoned warehouse and slipped through through the bushes that hid it from view. Anyone who looked at it normally would just assume it was your average falling-apart warehouse, but it was way more than that. You just had to look in the right way.

Quietly, I walked along the path, and when I got to the warehpuse, I was met woth the usual sight of branches scattered everywhere, and at least fifty insects and animals. I stepped around a stray spider and opened the door, breathing in the over-powering smell of paint and burnt wood.

The reason I had to come here was because I had to make a deal with someone who had effectively ruined my life over the past two years. Her name was Arabella Lancaster (also known as Ms Lancaster), and she was both the school art teacher and the World's Most Annoying Person. You might think I am exaggerating, but honestly, I am not. There is no other way to say it.

She was meant to be here in two minutes, so we can talk about the deal we made two years ago this day. I might explain the deal to you as we go along, but for now, it is completely irrelevant and quite frankly, none of your business. I checked my watch; when waiting for something (or someone), two minutes can feel like two days. Long ones at that.

After what felt like an age, she arrived, wearing a navy blazer over a skirt, as if she were going to some fancy meeting. It looked odd, unless you call talking in a falling-apart warehouse a meeting. She looked at me with what could only be called a look of disgust.