Home for the Unwanted

Chapter 12

"20 pounds? My, that's cheap," said the woman, "I would've thought it be at least 40 for artwork of this quality."

Peter and I looked at each other for a moment.

"You boys seem nice and I can see not many of them have been sold. What if I give you 30 and you can keep the change?"

Peter and I looked at each other for a bewildered moment.

"Oh we couldn't possibly-" I started to explain. "Actually 35. I know, it's just, my God, this is too beautiful at such a low price." Peter smiled at the woman then whispered to me, "What do we do?"

I raised an eyebrow at him and said to the woman, "Consider it yours."

"Oh thank you!" She gushed as she shoveled money into our faces.

"It's alright, good evening, bye!" I turned to Peter slyly, "You just made 35 quid today."

Peter mock gasped, "I think you'll find we just made 35 quid today. Here you go, £17.50p."

"Aw I couldn't-"

"Ah pish! I couldn't of done it without ya! Maybe tomorrow we can go out there again, try our luck with selling two paintings. Think of the dosh we'd get!" I couldn't help but smile at him,

"I'd love to."

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One of the best things I love about this home is in one of the massive storage room. Inside, there is a huge stack of all these old superhero comics. As you guessed, me, being a fan of vintage things, would love them. Mostly on boring afternoons I go there, sit on a dusty box and have a read. Today was one of those days.

I'm sitting on some decaying old barstool in the storage room and reading some falling apart comic about some superhero getting powers when all of a sudden I heard the sqeak and grinding noise of the door handle. In the silence of the room, it made me jump and fall off my seat into a pile of boxes. I hear the creak of the door shutting and the sound of footsteps which seemed to be very unsure of what they were doing. I felt them coming closer to me.

"Thomas? What are you doing lying in all those boxes?" I looked up and saw the quizzical face of Lauren. "Ohhh, hey Lauren. I was kinda sitting on a stool and fell."

"Oh well I see that's a plausible exclamation. Here." She held out her hand, "And by the way there's a comic book resting on your forehead."

"Oh yeah aha." I smiled awkwardly as she helped me up, "So, why are you in here?"

"Oh...I just needed to retrieve something."

"Which is...?"

"Um...ur...this...ur...party hat! Yes, I needed a party hat." She snached one from a box which was labeled PARTY SUPPLIES. I gave her a questioning look, "Riiighttt, and why would you, Lauren, need a party hat?"

"To...ur...wear, of course." And she placed it on her head. "Really? Cus the Lauren I know is quite intelligent and thinks that party hats should be used for the right occasion." She went quiet and slowly took off the hat.

"Why are you really here?" I asked, "No one else is around apart from me. They've got places to go. Do you go to work?"

Lauren sighed, "Thomas I'm about to tell you a secret and a secret means you mustn't share what I say to you now to anyone. Absolutely anyone." I nodded, "Of course." And she continued, "As you know I work at the bank. The pay is adequate and I gain a lot of knowledge there. But, but I'm not planning on doing that for the rest of my life. I want to do something else. When I finished secondary school I wanted to go onto A levels and study maths and physics, and then go on to university. I want to do something with my life, Thomas."

"I understand."

"So look." Behind some boxes, she produced a large empty glass jar which used to used for pickles. Inside it was a quarter full of money, "Half the money goes to our essential needs the other to an education. Once it's full I'll have enough."

"Hm well, that's pretty clever of you." She smiled at me. "To be honest, Lauren I think it's really great that you're doing this. You know what you want to do. The most interesting people care about who they become."

"Thanks Thomas. That means a lot to me."

A.N
There you go. School is stressing me out like always so sorry if I don't update as much.

Nelly Xx