lost // camren

2

"Hey, Lauren!" Todd's loud calling broke the girl from her creative streak that she was on. The eight-year-old girl sighed, setting down the paintbrush that she had been letting soar across the canvas, the array of colors she had picked swirling in all different patterns and designs.  It was going to be one of her best, she could feel it.

"Sir?" she called down, sticking her head out of the door a little so she could be heard. Todd had a habit of calling up to her from downstairs and then seemingly not hearing her when she responded to him.

"Come down here for a minute, please," Todd responded rather quickly for him. He was a man of many things, but having his thoughts collected was not one of them.

"Yes sir," she agreed and set her paintbrush back on the easel. She then flung open her door and bounded down the stairs, sounding like a herd of elephants as she traveled down.

She jumped off the last step and landed on the concrete floor, taking a left and walking into the kitchen, taking her usual seat at the bar.

"Good morning," Todd beamed and looked up from the paper that had many black and white pictures full of moving people doing things, such as shaking hands, holding a trophy, or simply smiling as the flash blinded their eyes.

"It's five in the afternoon, Todd," Lauren deadpanned, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"Is it really?" Todd folded the paper neatly and set it on the counter, the pictures still moving around without missing a beat. Todd hummed and put a finger to his chin, trying to articulate his words carefully it seemed.

"Is there something specific you wanted to see me for?" Lauren asked after he still didn't speak for a few more moments. She was cringing at the thought of her paint drying on her canvas and being unable to mix the right colors together when she went back up to finish it.

"Actually, yes," he nodded, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out two thin strips of paper. "What were you planning on doing tonight?"

"I don't know. I was working on a painting before you called me down, so I would probably be just finishing that," Lauren answered truthfully, a little pointed in her response so he may notice her tone and get on with whatever he had to say.

"Well," Todd began, and that was when Lauren knew he was about to pull some tricks out of his sleeve. "What would you say to going to watch the Montrose versus Wimbourne match? I know those are your two favorite teams..."

Lauren instantly jumped up from the stool and raced around the counter to reach Todd and let him receive a bone crushing hug from her.

"Are you serious right now?" Lauren was practically bouncing through the roof at the news.

"I wouldn't kid around with this type of thing," his face went serious, only further confirming that the plans were indeed real.

"I can't believe this! Thank you so much, Todd!" she screamed and buried her head into his torso, wrapping her arms even tighter around him.

"Of course, kid," he ruffled her hair, nothing but love overflowing from him. He hated to think about the reason why the green-eyed girl had been placed in his possession, but now that she was, he definitely couldn't imagine his life without her constant presence. "Go put on whatever you want to wear and then we'll take the Portkey over, alright?"

Lauren nodded vigorously and racing up the stairs two at a time, not believing the night that was planned out ahead of her.

Fifteen minutes later, Lauren hopped down the stairs, focusing on not letting her excited feet get ahead of her and make her crash and burn at the bottom of the steps. She had chosen to represent her all-time favorite team, the Wimbourne Wasps, even though the Magpies were her second favorite. It was a tough decision to make, especially since she had jerseys of her favorite players for each team.