...oOo...
"Get up!" John groaned. The headmaster came by and rapped on the head of his bed. John sat up and looked around. All of the other boys were waking up as the headmaster, who John called Mr. Dumb, rapped on their headboards, too.
John had been there three days.
He and Wendy had been found on the east side of London without their dad. Worse, today was Adoption Day. John sighed as he made his bed. He hated this place. He hated everything about it. The only friend he had here was his sister and a kid named Eric Wills.
"Hey, John!" Eric called from the other side of the room. "Excited about today?"
"No." John grumbled. "Not one bit."
"Why not? Don't you want a family?" Eric asked.
"Eric, there's something I have to tell you." John said.
"What?"
"I have a family. I really do. I ran away because my dad was going to send me to law school. My younger sister came with me, but I don't know why." John said. "My real name's John Smith." John said and Eric looked shocked.
"You ran away?! Are you crazy?! You had a family and you ran away from it all just because you were mad at your dad! John, I can't believe you'd do that!" Eric said.
"Eric, I know what I did. And I hate myself for it! I hate myself for getting myself and Wendy into this!"
"Wendy?" Eric asked.
"My sister. I told her not to tell anyone who she was and they call her Jan here." John explained.
"What are you going to do, John?" Eric asked.
"Escape. I can get out of any scrape I get into." John said. I think.
"Good luck." Eric said.
"Line up!" Mr. Dumb called. John and Eric raced out the door. John scanned the small crowd for Wendy, finally spotting her. He ran over to her.
"John! What are we going to do?"
"I don't know." John answered.
"Line up!" Headmaster screamed again. John and Wendy lined up next to each other.
"Good luck!" Eric mouthed to John.
We're going to need it.
...oOo...
"Dad! Dad, wake up!" Peter said as he shook his dad awake.
"Huh? What? Peter, what is it?" He asked.
"Come on, Dad, you fell asleep!" Peter said.
"Sorry." Samuel said and he sat up. "Any luck?"
"None." Peter said.
"Great." Samuel grumbled.
"Dad, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know, Peter. I just don't know."
...oOo...
Meanwhile, John and Wendy were on their way to a new home. A home they were dreading.
"Sit up straight." Mr. Hollis, who had "adopted" them, commanded roughly. "I'm not going to have any lazy kids working for me."
"It's not like we want to work for you." John grumbled under his breath. Mr. Hollis stopped the cart.
"What'd you say, boy?"
"Nothing." John said.
"You said something, boy."
"No he didn't!" Wendy said, jumping to her brother's defense.
"Shut up, girl." Mr. Hollis commanded and John had had enough.
"Don't you dare yell at my sister!" He said. Mr. Hollis grabbed him by the shirt.
"Shut up, boy!" He said and he dragged him out of the cart. Wendy followed close behind. Mr. Hollis opened the door to a small shack. He pushed John in and Wendy, too.
"That'll teach you to back sass me!" He said, slammed the door, and locked it.
"I really don't like that man." Wendy said.
"You and me both." John said as he rubbed his head, which he'd hit on the wall. "Ow." He hissed.
"What are we gonna do, John?" Wendy asked.
"Escape."
...oOo...
"YOU WHAT?!" Samuel screamed at the headmaster.
"He said that they didn't have parents." The headmaster said.
"And you believed him?! What kind of fool are you? You believed an eleven year old boy with a hard head when he said he didn't have parents?"
"Well, yes."
"So John and Wendy have been adopted?" Peter asked.
"Yes, son, they have. And I know this man. John Hollis isn't exactly the nicest man in the world. Who knows what he's doing to John and Wendy?" Samuel said.
"What are we gonna do, Dad?"
"It's too late and dangerous to go back home tonight. We'll have to stay here." Samuel said. "Especially with this storm brewing." He added as thunder crashed and shook the walls of the orphanage.
"Do you know where Mr. Hollis lives?" Peter asked.
"No." Samuel and the headmaster said at the same time.
"Great."
...oOo...
"Just a little more and we're out!" John said as he picked at the lock Hollis had locked the door with. Suddenly, a small click told him they were free.
"Let's go!" John said and he and Wendy ran off into the stormy night."
...oOo...
The next morning, Samuel and Peter stepped out into the muddy streets of East London.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Smith." Headmaster said. Samuel nodded and put his hand on Peter's shoulder.
"Come on, Peter, let's go home." Suddenly, he stopped. "Peter, do you hear that?" Peter cocked his head and listened. It sounded like someone calling their names.
"Yeah!" He said.
"Dad! Peter!" The voices said. Samuel and Peter turned around to find a girl with long brown hair running towards them, a boy with long blonde hair, and a dog trotting beside them nearing them. "Dad! Peter!"
"It's Wendy! And John!" Peter said and he ran towards his brother and sister with his father at his heels.
"John! Wendy!" Peter said and his brother and sister raced towards them.
"Peter! Dad!" Wendy called. Wendy ran into her father's arms.
"Wendy! Oh Wendy, were have you been?" Samuel asked. He glanced up to see his eldest son biting his bottom lip, staring at the ground.
"John." Samuel said.
"I'm sorry, Dad." John said.
"It's alright. At least you're home now." Samuel said, hugging John.
"Can we go home now?" Peter asked and Wendy punched him in the arm. "Ow." He mumbled under his breath.
"Yeah, let's go home." Samuel said. Then the Smith family started for home in the morning sunshine.
A/N- MERRY CHRISTMAS! Well, this is it! I hope you liked it and please review!
-Robin