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"To take a man's beard is to take away his manliness"
- Unknown

Rowan
"Would you rather be mute for the rest of your life or never understand what anyone was saying?" I ask. I kick a pebble on the road. We've made pretty good progress. We're out of the city anyway which you can tell by the bumpy road.

It takes him a while to think of an answer. He tilts his head back and stops in the middle of the road. "I think I'd rather not understand anyone." He says. He doesn't start walking again.

"Why?" I ask. Thomas agreed to come because I quote 'he didn't have anything better to do'. He is strange. He really doesn't care about much anymore and even though it is sad, I admire that about him. He doesn't overthink anything.

"Because I'm tired of hearing everyone else anyway, I'm going to become a hermit I think, but I'll have to grow a beard first which I have always struggled with," he grins.

"I think a scruffy beard would sort of suit the look that you're targeting." I nod.

He starts walking again and catches up with me. "What the homeless look?" he asks.

"No the sort of...ragamuffin look," I smile at him. He bursts out laughing. His laugh is sort of a giggle and it's almost out of character but it is so infectious that you can't help but laugh along, no matter how funny or not-so-funny it is.

"That's what my grandad used to say." he says when he regains himself.

"It's accurate," I shrug. "Your turn."

"Okay would you rather keep going walking to find this airport that I doubt exists, or follow this sign to this little town where there could be all sorts of shenanigans to get up to."

"So shenanigans is cool but ragamuffins is weird?"

"I didn't say it was cool. I was mocking you."

"Oh right. Well to answer your question sure let's go. My feet are getting tired and we've been walking for a day I'd say." I say giving up.

He clicks his heels. "Great, let's go," he starts running in the direction of the little town. It seems like a typical town that you would see in the countryside in movies, except that the city is only a few miles away.

He skips along. He really is full of energy and when I first met him he was so uptight and egotistic. He was like that for a while and then it was as if someone clicked their fingers and he turned into a happy little child.

We walk for a while longer, playing 20 questions and at one stage he tried to make me sing. I'm not one of those modest people who says that they can't sing when they can, if I could sing I would, I wish I could. But I really am awful. I'm quite an egotistic person myself when it comes to talents. If I think I'm good at something I won't be modest about it.

This little town we come across looked nice on the outside, but it really is a dump. There is litter all over the streets and every little shop is grimy. Maybe it's the light. The sun has just set but no streetlight are on.

It must be around six o clock because one by one, people close up their shops and come outside. Thomas looks in the window of every shop we pass by. We get a lot of disapproving looks and I realise how dirty we look ourselves. We fit right in with the buildings but apparently not with people.

"Rowan come here!" he gestured me over frantically. "Look at that thing. Now that's a hermit beard. I'm going to grow one just like that." he says, his face smushed against the glass.

I look inside. There is a grey-haired man with a beard down to his belly. It's quite a beard I must say. "You wish, it takes years of dedication to grow something like that." I say.

The barber walks over and stands behind the man. He appears to be asking for instructions. The man gestures at his bald head and the his beard.

"Rowan! He has no hair! Just the beard! He's getting it chopped!" he says frantically, shaking me.

"No way. After the years of blood and sweat he put into that thing."

"Rowan I need that beard."

"What do you mean?"

"They're throwing it away! I have a baby face! I'll never grown facial hair! Nobody's going to miss it! They'll throw it out!"

"Thomas it's not going to be whole. It'll be bits of hair you won't be able to wear it or anything."

"Rowan that's not the point. You asked me to come on this adventure of yours and now you won't do anything exciting. You're being a chicken."

"I am not." I say taken aback. "I ran away from home yesterday? What did you do?"

He rolls his eyes. "Rowan can we please do it? Steal an old guys hair. I haven't done anything like that before and it is now officially on my bucket list."

I sigh. "You want me, to wait until it's closed and go in there with you to steal the remains of a beard?"

He nods. His eyes are glinting with excitement. I don't understand why he cares so much, but he does so I'll go along with it. "Fine."

"I knew you'd do it! This'll be great, it will be like a starter pack for what will soon be a magnificent flowing mane."

We wait for another little while until a clean shaven man walks out. He looks completely different. It makes me imagine what Thomas will look like when kids in the future are plotting to take his beard.

Later the owner is whistling as he locks the door. "You two kids oughta scram. I've seen you here peeping all night. Makes me sick," he mutters as he walks down the road.

We stifle a laugh. "Damn kids," I imitate.

"We'll wait a little longer and then go in. We managed to distract him enough that he didn't lock both keyholes so we only need to pick one." he says.

"Whoa you know your stuff." I say impressed.

"Yeah I've got a special pin for it and everything," he grins and pulls a pin out of his pocket. A few minutes later he fiddles at the door with it until it opens. "He didn't even set an alarm," he shook his head.

"I don't think he imagined we were going in to steal hair." I add.

"Well if we were bad children we'd be stealing money wouldn't we," he smirks as he goes inside. I follow him in. We can't turn the lights on because we have to make this fast. "Come on," he whispers. He grabs my wrist and leads me into a room at the back. I feel warm electricity surge through my arm but choose to ignore it.

The room is like a closet filled with white plastic bags. "There are so many in here, how can we possibly tell which one it's in?" I ask exasperated.

"Well if I were going to chuck a bag in here it would be right about here," he points to the bag in the middle of the small room. He opens it.

"It's here!" He yells.

"Shut up you buffoon," I whisper-shout. "Just grab the bag and run."

He grabs the bag and my arm again. The same warm feeling comes back and this time I can't shake it off. We run out the front door and slam it behind us. We run down the street until our sides hurt from laughter and exhaustion.

Thomas grabs the bits of grey hair and holds it up to his face. "What do you think?" he asks.

"Well you've got the hermit look anyway," I laugh more.

He smiles. "You know what Rowan? I like you."

(A/N)

So that was kind of weird but I thought 'I haven't updated in a while' and I had this idea so yeah. I actually like this chapter so that's good.

I'm going to start updating AT LEAST once a week most likely on Mondays so that's great!

And I decided since only two people entered my cover competition I decided to leave it XD

But this chapter is dedicated to @cosmogyraljosie and @r_you_gonna_eat_that for 1) entering and 2) being awesome friends c;

Lily-Ann.