So I guess I'm back on. This is really a bullshit filler chapter but here you go anyways. Enjoy!
The damn town was so annoying. It was all tight, narrow alleyways that wound in and out of each other in no comprehensible pattern. It was doing absolutely nothing for his claustrophobia. Or his paranoia. The alleys were quiet, almost too much so. But that was what Jaimy had expected, it was fairly late at night, around a quarter past seven, so everybody was safe and warm in their cozy little houses. But, of course, he was wandering through the town , completely lost, and having absolutely no luck in finding a building he could, hopefully, cause a little trouble in.
Eventually Alex found some cover in the form of an awning over some store. He didn't know which one, nor did he really care. It was colder now, and had started raining. Just his fucking luck. Although, to be honest, this was England, so when wasn't it raining? As Alex sat there, shivering, he realised something. He literally had no clue where he was. This was ridiculous. He was a teenage spy, shivering in the rain somewhere in Sheffield who was trying to infiltrate another organisation of kid spies. This was ridiculous. Also insane. Alex's life was ridiculous and fucking insane.
In the midst of Alex's 'my life is fucking bullshit' realisation, another thought popped up. He was going to get hypothermia. He was going to get hypothermia and die before he even got a chance to get picked up by the police. Honestly, at this point he should probably just hurry up and vandalise the store he was leaning on because at least then, Alex thought, he'd be warm. Dry as well, hopefully. That would be wonderful. At this point his teeth were chattering and his whole body was shaking so much he could barely make a sound. Glancing around, Alex saw a light in one of the stores about five buildings away.
Running, walking, and shuffling, Alex made his way to the building. When he peered inside he saw it was one of those twenty-four hour convenience stores. Walking in, he looked for the bathroom. Alex figured he could hide in there for a while, and then shoplift a lighter or something. Maybe try a ridiculously bad fake ID. He was realising now that his hopes of vandalising some building would be a bad idea. The penalty for that kind of crime would be too severe and annoying. With shoplifting. however, Alex would probably only get some community service and classes.
Considering, that would be a much safer plan. Once Alex had made it safely to the bathrooms, the clerk hadn't even glanced up from her magazine, he settled down on a toilet seat in one of the two stalls. It was just now, once he was inside a building and away from the pouring rain that he realised he was soaked. Almost literally to the bone. After considering his options for a few seconds Alex pulled of his hoodie, hanging it off one of the stall's walls. Quickly pulling off his tee as well, he waved it under the drier for a couple of minutes, getting it slightly drier. Eventually Alex just gave up and hung it up like his sweatshirt.
Sitting on the counter now, Alex considered just stripping down to nothing. The wet jeans were horrible feeling. It was just now, after all his trouble that he remembered the change of clothes in his bag. Grabbing it from besides the toilet where he must of left it, Alex rifled through the bag to find the clean, dry pair of pants and under wear. Finding them, Alex hurried into the stall, shutting the door behind himself. Quickly stripping down, he pulled on the new set of clothing quickly. He figured he could wait for the shirt and hoodie to dry. Alex hung up his old clothes before exiting the stall.
Looking over himself, Alex ruffled his sandy blond hair before fixing it into place. Checking his t-shirt, he found that the shirt was only a little damp and pulled the clothing article on over his head.. Alex had started to feel a little odd hanging around in a public restroom halfway naked. Also, a little cold. The clothes made everything better, though. The only problem left was that Alex couldn't badly shoplift and get caught until his sweatshirt was dry. About the only thing he could do was listen to music, assuming his Ipod wasn't extremely water damaged.
Alex set to work rummaging through his bag looking for it. After spending about three seconds looking for it in the main section he was already feeling highly frustrated. It took him another five minutes of searching various compartments to find it. Before turning it one he sent out a quick prayer to a god he didn't believe in. Dear Lord, I know I'm not exactly your best worshipper. Hell, I don't even believe in you. But, you know, it would be really cool and chill of you to do this one thing for me. Thanks and all. Opening his eyes, Alex clicked the on/off button desperately.
It took a moment to turn on, but the Ipod was definitely still working. Whispering his thanks with four letter words of gratitude Alex then set upon his next task. Finding his earbuds. He went through the same process he had when he was trying to find his Ipod, although this time he found the object in a side pocket rather than a tiny hidden compartment in an alternate version of the fourth dimension. Quickly untangling them he placed the plugs in his ears and selected some music. Hopping up onto the counter Alex leaned against the wall, shutting his eyes.
Alex Rider woke up with a start two hours or so later. Shaking his head and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he got up and stretched. Grabbing his hoodie, which was now thankfully dry, he pulled it on. Doing a quick once over of his appearance in the mirror, he washed out his mouth. With that, Alex figured, he was as good as he was ever gonna be. Grabbing his bag and pulling his hood up for effect, he wandered out of the bathroom. He blinked twice, it was bright in the store. The lights in the bathroom were shitty, these were the overly bright florescent kind. Nodding at the knew clerk, he glanced over the items in the store, looking for crap to take.
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