Shoplifter: E.O.W Series, Book 1

chapter 3: Noah

I finish drying my hair, it's now a hideous, uneven, orangy bleach blonde. It's truly horrible but it is way cheaper to bleach your hair with peroxide. Roan looks much better than I as she jumps down off the counter. She looks in the mirror that runs the full length of the wall of old metal sinks. Like everything in the building the bathroom is trapped in the late nineteen forties. She shakes out her damp hair. "That's way better. Good bye dirty sock color, hello sunshine gold." She said playing with her now, two shades lighter blonde hair. She then laughs at me. "Yours looks like crap though." I pull out the box of dye that I picked out and her eyes go wide. "You're not serious are you?" I nod. "Oh my god Kaius you're gonna look like a clown." Twenty minutes later I have bright orange hair that I can't help but inspect as Roan shaves the short fuzz on the right side of my head

"How do I look?"

"Not, like a clown... Like a traffic cone maybe." I beamed at her observation and veiled praise. Even if I looked strange, I liked it. I spent my life in the shadows, its fun to finally stand out. I'm drying my hair with a now ruined towel when it dawns on me. It's almost sundown.

"Hey, we have to get goin soon." I say tapping her arm. She looks puzzled.

"Why." How is it she doesn't know? Blind must have only told me about the new initiate. Maybe he was serious about me taking his place.

"Blind told me about a new member, he's being sworn in tonight."

"I didn't hear anything about it from the others. "

" yeah I guess he only told me." She smiles. I told her most of what went on in Blind's office

"...Kaius." She beamed.

"Yeah."

"This is amazing! He's taking you under his wing. You must be doing something right." I let this sink in a second.

"Oh crap. This means I'm gonna have responsibilities and shit." I breathe a little heavier, the old Kaius is coming back. Roan jumps off the counter to help me.

"Dude chill, it's okay." I let out a long sigh, trying to appear composed. I don't know why Blinds admiration scares me. I'm not accustomed to change or admiration. When things change constantly it's hard to stay organized. I like it when everything has a purpose and a place, no matter how crazy those might be. I like to think that controlled chaos is my style. Which is good because life in The Eyes Of Wolves can certainly be chaotic. Roan gently rubbed the center of my back. Cameron walks in sighing and mouthing the words found them.

"C'mon guys Blind's called a me-.... What did you do to your hair?!" I shrug and ruffle my now dry hair. "Oh god it's soo bad, wait until the guys see this." He squeaks, trying not to laugh.

"Shut up Cam." I hiss and force my way past him. The three of us fly down the metal stairs. To the first floor, it's just one open room the length of the former factory. At one time this building made and packaged bullets during both world wars. Once the machines were stripped out of it in the sixties, the while main floor became one huge room. The second floor is an office building put in after the war. It has the bathrooms, kitchen and Blind's office. In the mid sixties whatever office was here left the factory unused until we came along in 2006. The third floor is a nothing but bedrooms with old twenties style wire beds. We have no idea why they are there. We assume it was some sort of half way house or shelter for troubled teens, judging by some carvings I've found. Once we've all gathered in a crowd, we naturally form rows. We stand in rows when receiving orders. Blind comes down from the office, leading the soon to be new member. A tall African American boy about my age but two inches shorter. He had very Short hair, he wore black jeans and a tank top a the same color. Over the tank top he wears a olive green army style jacket. Blind puts a hand in the boy's shoulder and addresses the group.