Shoplifter: E.O.W Series, Book 1

Chapter 14: When the crazy get stir crazy, no one is happy.

I hate hiding, it's all we've done for two weeks. All twenty-six of us, cooped up like animals in this place, It's nearly driven me into a state of insanity. I can only Imagine what it is doing the members who were already insane. I know Aiden nearly lost his shit yesterday when Blake accidently tripped him. He was ready to "put his lights out" as Birdie put it, he's not the only one. Blake has been up my ass since I returned from cutting the power, his opinion ceased to be of any importance to me after the second day of this frigid attitude. I don't care that he's shown a level of persistence in trying to convince Blind that Roan and I were reckless about shutting down the power that is just, staggering. I don't care that he has been calling meetings with the top members all week and has refused to let me in the room for every single one of them. That's just typical Blake. He always takes the rules a little too literally. He keeps me out because he thinks I'm too young to help make decisions even if Blind has taken a liking to me. He has the same answer every time. ''You are under twenty-five, that means that part of your brain attributed with good decision making won't finish developing for another six years Kaius." I can understand that, some people are just like this. The part that I absolutley can't stand is Blake watching my every move. We are halfway to a fist fight. He is even following me this very second as I head for the door. "Kaius where are you going?" He says, cutting off my path to the door. We are close enough to the rest of the crowd meandering around the first floor that we keep our voices down.

"We had to cut the power again last night, where do you think I'm going?"

"That's not an answer." He snaps. God could he get any more uptight?

"I'm gonna go take a leak on the old busted up Chinese restaurant." Not too far from the sanctuary, there is an old Chinese restaurant that burned down back when I was still just a scout but was never rebuilt. The owner moved to a new building in a less abandoned part of town. The only thing the old building is used for now is a place to graffiti or to pee on and as a rest stop for the occasional crack head, Just one crack head actually. His name is Louis and on top of being super creepy, he's a terrible conversationalist. I talked to him for the first time about a year ago and we got into an argument about poetry. He called me a fool for enjoying poetry, as well as many other terrible things I won't mention. Now every once in a while I pee on the building because I know he lives there off and on. Blake look at me, dejectedly. He bites the inside of his cheek as a way to hold his tongue, he's clearly annoyed.

"You don't need to walk a whole block just to piss on a building."

"And yet I'm about to," I say in an arrogant tone, trying to push past him. I have become so aggravated lately that when Blake does petty things like this I become rebellious and blatantly disrespectful. Not that I'm going to pretend that peeing on Louis's crack-shack isn't just as, if not more petty.

"Blind's orders were, lay low, stay inside. You can go in the old construction site like everyone else or I'll report this to Blind."

I growl under my breath. Who throws a fit over where a guy pees outdoors?! I just turn and walk away without answering, choosing to go look for Roan and Noah instead of a fight. I see them talking in our usual corner by the back door. Noah scoots a little closer to me as I sit on the floor between the two of them however they don't continue their conversation. Instead, they look at me.

"What was that about?" Asks Roan. Shed interested in any story that involves mouthing off to Blake.

"Blake trying to keep me from going to the old restaurant building." I say in an unpleasant and slightly childish tone of voice. I wrinkle my nose in a small scowl as if I didn't already seem childish enough. Noah gives me a strange glance but before he can ask any questions Roan belts out a dramatic groan.