A couple of days had passed, and the days grew colder. What also grew was everyone's appetite for Mclean chocolate bars. The shop downtown was reporting massive profits, which Chris Mclean had to appreciate holed up in his factory. It seemed like everyone in the city was buying Mclean bars by the dozen; Many of Cameron's classmates were caught eating Mclean bars in class, which was now punished by detention, although Cameron saw teachers sneaking candy bars in between classes. The only one who never had a candy bar, it seems, was Cameron. He had to spend almost every waking moment of his life surrounded by kids blissfully enjoying the chocolate that he dreamed of eating. He had to endure Scott every day after school, who now had the advantage of taunting Cameron with chocolate bars. It seemed like dinner was a little bit lighter every night. But despite this, Cameron looked forward to one day: his birthday. On that day, his family pooled together their resources and bought Cameron a Mclean chocolate bar. And fortunately for Cameron, his birthday was in two days. All he had to do was pray that two things occurred: That all three remaining Golden Tickets were not found before then, and that he received that lucky bar of chocolate with a ticket inside it that guaranteed happiness for him.
Once Cameron returned home after school and sniffing at the chocolate factory, he could immediately tell that something was up as soon as he walked in the door. At least two of his grandparents had been crying, and his father was sitting silently on a chair, head in his hands. Cameron looked at his father and asked, "Everything ok, Dad?"
"I wish, Cameron. The toothpaste factory laid me off today. The company's going under and they decided they just don't need me anymore. Sorry, everyone. I failed you."
Cameron stood in shocked silence for a minute, and then went over and hugged his father. "It's okay, Dad, we're gonna get through this. As you always say, we're Wilkins'. We don't know the definition of giving up. Plus, there's always the chance that I could win that Golden Ticket! Then we wouldn't have to worry about money for a while."
"That would be great, Cameron, but we have to look at things realistically. Two tickets have already been found, and it's only a matter of time before the other three are found. I believe I have just enough saved up for your birthday candy bar, but beyond that I'm not sure we can afford another one."
"That's okay. I only need one; I have a good feeling about it." Cameron replied. "Besides, Dad, if Mom were here, she wouldn't want you to give up. She would've wanted you to keep moving forward. Everyone here loves you, and we know you're gonna pull through eventually."
Mr. Wilkins slowly grinned. It was small, but the message was sent plain and simple: This was not the end of the Wilkins family.
The next day was uneventful, save for the usual hopeful yearning for a Mclean chocolate bar. That is, the day was uneventful until Cameron saw some people standing around a TV set in a shop window on his way home from school. As he elbowed his way forward in the group, his heart sank when he saw a news flash with the words "Third Golden Ticket Found". As much as it pained him to watch, he could not tear himself away from Topher Jones' voice as it once again permeated his ears.
"Good afternoon, everyone, this is Topher Jones with Channel 5 Action News, where a third Golden Ticket has been located! We were able to catch up with her and ask her a couple questions about how she was able to locate the lucky chocolate bar."
The camera was focused on a living room, which was absolutely covered with trophies, awards, medals, and achievements of all kinds. Athletic, scholarly, world records, you name it. A mocha-skinned girl sat on the couch with a grin on her face, her mouth chewing something continuously. A woman, presumably the girl's mother, stood behind her daughter, beaming as if she were in a beauty competition of some sort.
"We're joined at this time by Courtney Lopez, the lucky girl who found the third Golden Ticket. What do you have to say about how you found the ticket, Courtney?"
"Honestly, I'm not surprised that I won. Not gonna lie, chocolate really isn't my thing. Never really liked it all that much. I usually stick to chewing gum. I already hold the world record for longest time chewing one piece of gum, which I've been doing for...almost 4 months at this point. But when I heard about that contest Mclean was running, I just knew that I had to win that. Now I can add that to my collection of accomplishments; My trophy case is getting pretty full, so I'll have to find some space somewhere in there.
"Courtney's always been winning things, ever since she was a baby. Why, I remember her being the first kid in her preschool to learn how to play Beethoven on violin. So it made sense that she would win this, too. She's always been fiercely competitive from a young age. I suppose she takes after me in that way."
"Whatever, mom. As I was saying, I was able to find the ticket because I grabbed the last candy bar on the shelf yesterday. Let me just say that being captain of the Field Hockey team at school helps out when you need to clear some space."
Topher nodded and took a slow step back. "Wow, Courtney, you've certainly accomplished a lot in your life so far!"
"Yep, and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I'm going to continue chewing this gum for another year so that no one can come close to beating my record. Of course I don't mean any ill will towards anyone specifically, but winning this ticket just proves that I can do anything. Thanks for interviewing me...whoever you are, but if you'll excuse me, I have a tour to go on and things to beat people at!"
"Well, you heard her, folks, Courtney Lopez is certainly gearing up for the factory tour. That's all from me, Topher Jones" he said while glaring at Courtney while putting special emphasis on his name. Courtney just rolled her eyes and smiled smugly at him.
Cameron walked away dejectedly. Three Golden Tickets found already? At this rate, he was never going to find a ticket. He decided to go for a walk, and eventually he found himself at Mclean's chocolate shop downtown. He stepped inside and instantly forgot all the stress that was weighing on him: this place was a wonderland. Aisles upon aisles filled with candy of all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Little samples of chocolate that were free to taste. This was heaven, Cameron concluded. As Cameron paced the aisles of candy, he heard a voice saying, "Hey, kid"
Cameron turned around to see the man he met at the gates of the factory that one day. Cameron remembered that his name was Hatchet. "Mr. Hatchet, how are you doing today?"
"Heh, I'm stressed as all hell, kid. Everyone and their mother are buying chocolate bars because of that stupid contest. Speaking of which, are you gonna buy something?"
"Not today, sir. I'm just browsing."
"Alright, fine by me. Help yourself to an extra sample if you like. By the way, what's your name, kid?"
"Cameron, sir. Cameron Wilkins. And thank you, Mr. Hatchet!"
"No problem, kid." And with that, Hatchet disappeared around the corner. Cameron had a grin plastered firmly on his face. If this was just what the store was like, imagine possibly seeing the inside of the factory!
The rest of the night was normal for Cameron, although he went to bed a little bit hungrier, as the cabbage soup had been quite thin that night. As he drifted off to slumber, the events of the day spun around in his head. The dizzying low when he saw the news report about Courtney Lopez winning the third ticket, followed by the euphoric high as Cameron walked the aisles of the Mclean chocolate store. He was optimistic, even though his father still hadn't found a job and the weather was getting colder. Yet Cameron still went to sleep with a smile.
The next day, right in the middle of math class, right as Cameron was about to fall asleep, he heard a joyful shout. To his right, one of his classmates was holding up a golden rectangle about the size of a candy bar. Everyone in the class' mood sank. Four tickets gone, only one to go. The kid who had found it was someone who Cameron barely knew; They shared a couple classes, but the kid was always on his phone or his computer, earbuds plugged in. Commotion set around the room as the situation finally dawned on people. Even Cameron's teacher had a sad look on their face, but that was all interrupted by the door bursting open and the lady from the news running in, followed by cameras and microphones aplenty.
"Once again, everyone, this is Sierra Jefferson with Channel 5 Action News, where through totally legal means, we have located the fourth Golden Ticket winner right here in the middle of class at the local high school! So tell us, son, what's your name?"
The boy was a bit bewildered by the sudden media attention; He never talked much, and now the spotlight was in his face. He hesitated for a second, then leaned into the microphone and said "Cody Jameson-Anderson".
"Ooh, two last names, that is so cool! So tell us, Cody, how did you find that ticket of yours?"
"Well, not to get into specifics, but I kinda did some...researching into the Mclean databases and pinpointed which chocolate bar held the ticket. I only needed to buy one bar, and luckily it was the right one. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my computer. I'm right in the middle of something."
"But don't you have anything else to say, you awesome kid?", Sierra pestered.
"Nope, if I don't finish this thing within the next five minutes I'm not gonna have time to finish my video game when I get back home. Leave me alone."
Sierra stood there awkwardly for a minute, looking almost hurt. She eventually recovered and said, "Ok, Cody, one final question: You seem to be into that computer of yours. What else do you do for fun?"
Cody rolled his eyes and said, "Nothing else, really. You can do anything online, so that's usually where I stay. When I'm not on my computer or one of my 8 video game consoles, I'm on my phone. Real life is boring, so why would I want to live there when I can connect with everything from technology?"
"Very wise words, Cody. I love that. Well, anyway, this is Sierra Jefferson, signing off. Only one Golden Ticket remains! Who will find it? Will anyone find it? Who knows?"
The rest of the day went by in a blur for Cameron. He was starting to lose hope. Plus, why did every one of the kids who found a Golden Ticket have to be such...horrible people? Owen was greedy, Heather was spoiled, Courtney was arrogant, and Cody was rude and antisocial. However, there was a silver lining: tomorrow was Cameron's birthday, and that meant his one chance at winning the prize that he had longed for ever since it was announced.
So what do you guys think? Did I do a good job introducing the other two Golden Ticket winners? I know that the story is a little predictable, but I hope I've done a decent job of putting my own spin on it. LMK what you think! Daseej665