Nomad'er What

Chapter 2:The boy with eyes of a snake

Aileen's POV

"Is it my birthday?" Pierce smirked.

"No seriously you should dress like that more often," Pierce said, "very sexy."I ignored his comment as I collapsed on my sleeping bag.

"I was getting more books. Now look away so I can change." I grumbled. It's been eight years since we've lived together yet he still blushes when I mention changing. Sadly I seemed to always be the one with the short end of the situation. He's practically a Greek god with his scarlet cheeks, strong jaw bone, toned body and shaggy blond hair; of course I'd never tell him this, it would just add to his massive ego. I would never admit that I could see the things about him that the random girls he plays with see in him too.

"So what's for dinner?" I ask when I was done lacing up my boots. My question was more to see whether he'd actually went to the market and stole stuff or if he'd just ran out of dinner with a 'doggy bag' on some poor chick who'd be there for half an hour waiting for the blond and blue eyed babe to come back. I almost felt bad for the gullible girl....almost.

"Roast," he said presenting the conquest. In other words, stolen fruit and veggies singed on a fire, meaning the girl he hit on had indeed not been gullible and rejected him. Thus, forcing him to go to the nearest fruit stand and distract the creepy middle aged women working there; little did she know he was taking her produce.

It was one of the many scams we'd developed over the years. The number one rule we made was that all schemes have to stop at some point and that the more change in schemes, location and routine the safer we'd be.

We had been in Brooksworth for four months now it has been too long and we need to move somewhere with warmth and insulation because a broken bridge in a forest out skirting a town wasn't gonna cut it through winter. I went ahead and asked what was on my mind.

"It's starting to get cold. Maybe it's time we headed closer to the city?" Pierce flinched at this, but I didn't regret asking; it was something he needed to hear.

"You know why we can't. Besides, life's good here. I'll just steal some wool blankets."I pulled a face to show him I wasn't convinced. Pierce is the bravest person I know, but when it comes to the city he's the biggest baby, he's never really told me why; I never really pressed him for an explanation.

"We've been here over four months. The cops are on to us. We need to move on!"

"You know how dangerous it is in the city you know it's not safe for us!" he's referring to all the gang activity and the stronger and supposedly corrupt police force.

"Yeah, it's about as safe as here! There's danger everywhere, Pierce. I thought you'd be used to it by now."

"I'm not going back there. If you want to go, well, you're on your own." I turned away from him, not wanting him to see my tears. We were stronger than before. Why couldn't he see that?

+ + +

"Is $8 really the best you can do? I'm eating off this profit," I was ashamed to be pleading, but for an ancient looking lady volunteering at a salvo's she showed little compassion.

"$8 for the two books that the best I had do," she wheezed.

I nodded and accepted the cash. Who new two old used text books would ever turn into meat?

I practically skipped to the grocery store looking for the largest amount of meat i could get for $8 and settled for beef strips that were on sale. Making my way home I went to collect fallen branches for a fire, but the ground was damp from the miserable afternoon, I'd have ti crop some off the tree. I went to get my army knife and I froze. It wasn't there.