The Old Tuck Shop

FIFTY-ONE

We crept past the kitchen and living room and arrived at Agatha's office. Ton turned the lock, and we peeked inside. It had changed since the last time I was here. Most of the building had changed since I've left. In the middle of the square room, stood a solid oak desk. On top of it were piles of books and a framed photograph of the whole orphanage that was taken when I was around thirteen. I stared at it and laughed. I looked horrible.

Next to the door were two, tall bookshelves filled to the brim with novels, and poetry books. I remembered sneaking into Agatha's office when I was a child and stealing a few books. I smiled and walked behind the desk. There were large, metal filing cabinets hidden behind a pile of coats. I assumed this is where she kept the files. Where Poppy's file was. The cabinet was locked, but I managed to pick the lock with an old bobby pin I found in my pocket. It was Poppy's.

I opened the first draw and started scanning. The names were organised by surnames first, which wasn't a help, but I eventually found the name Poppy, under JONES. I looked through the file quickly, until I found a photo. And it was Poppy. My Poppy. Of course, it was an old photo, but I recognised her immediately. Ton looked at me, and I nodded. He understood what I meant. It was the same, Poppy. I shoved the file in my bag and made my way upstairs. Ton locked the door, before following behind me.

I placed the file on my bed and stared at it.

"Do you think you should read through it?" Ton asked. "Isn't it wrong?"

I sighed. "She lied about who she was. She made me think that I was different. But she knew all along."

"I don't think she meant it like that...maybe she was scared of you finding out the truth..." Ton muttered.

"Are you seriously taking her side?" I puffed, almost blinding Ton with my torch.

"I'm not taking anyone's side...I'm just saying that there must be a reason why she kept it from you."

"I told her about my mother, my past...she didn't tell me anything," I said.

"Well, if you think it's the right thing to do," he yawned, crawling back into bed. "I'm not getting involved with your ex-girlfriend's life."

I rolled my eyes. "Cheers for the support."

He rolled over in bed and placed his middle finger up at me, before nestling deep into his blanket.

Despite what Poppy had said to me, it still felt wrong. All of her life was crammed into this file. Everything personal about her. Every secret, every bad experience was here. It was just as bad as reading someone's diary. I turned off my torch and tucked the file back into my backpack, hoping I'd have a clearer idea of what to do with it in the morning.