Stolen

     Eating a home cooked meal together was definitely something they      rarely did. It was either eating at different times or eating a meal of      fast food together around the living room. There was nothing wrong      with that, but there was something specialy about a meal cooked      from scratch.

          Time was harsh on the members of the quickly growing band. If they wanted           to keep their popularity and their money coming in, they were going to need           to keep coming up with new music fast. Keep the fans happy and they kept           themselves happy, right? But, in the rare times that they did get some free           time, it wasn't hard to take advantage of it outside of lazing about the house. 

      No one had thought to tell Gally? “ Well don’t blame me       if I ask the Med-Jack’s myself. You could have had someone       tell me! No one came to visit you? Being absent entirely       isn’t exactly excusable. ” Nor was it entirely punishable.       Gally was tough on those under his leadership, but he       wasn’t unreasonable. “ I suppose I’ll just have to fill       you in on what you’ve missed. ”

           Luis knew that it was probably hard to believe, even if he was still standing            there in the flesh, his left arm in a crude sling that tied around the back of            his neck. They'd lost a few good Builders to bad falls or mishaps before            and well....Luis, while hard working, was known for slacking off sometimes            when he thought no one was watching. So, he just nods to Gally's words. 

     It would be wrong to say Jorge is complete unfazed by the crank. He did his best to seem indifferent about it, because he was supposed to be one of them himself, but past that there was fear. The fear he overcame with his determination to survive but once in a while that wavered slightly and he had to really pull himself together so as not to break down. 

          “I will,” he almost hissed back and exchanged the most dangerous look he could manage on his face right now. If this went south he was ready to take on the crank with all he had to give. Nothing was going to happen to Luis right here and now. Even if this was going against the ‘natural elimination’ that WICKED wanted, Jorge could not care any less right now.

          While he may not understand Jorge's reasoning for saving him, Luis definitely           feels a new admiration for the man. Crank or not, he just protected him and           saved him from an untimely death at the hands of a further Gone Crank who           looked like he wanted to rip the Glader's throat out and feast upon his blood           or something. That thought alone made the teen shudder a little, eyes           closing tight to get the mental image out of his head. 

          Finally, he lets go of Jorge's shirt, hands falling back to his sides as he offers           the Crank a grateful little smile. The admiration was obvious on his face-- he           could hear the voices of his friends in the back of his mind telling him that           looking up to someone like Jorge probably wasn't the best idea he'd had           (and if we're being honest, Luis doesn't have too many great ideas to begin           with), but he couldn't help it. Jorge wasn't terrible and he was a good person           deep down. The former Builder could see that plain as day even if the other's           didn't trust him. 

            This really didn't make much sense-- Jorge barely knew him but here he was             standing up for him and protecting him. Luis was thankful, don't get him             wrong, just confused. Did this have something to do with the conversation             they had earlier when they were walking through the city with all those             Spanish street signs? Carefully, his eyes flicker over the elder man's             shoulder to see the attacking Crank sneer and look between the two of them. 

           "Fine-- keep him for yourself." the man sneers, backing down but not without            a look of pure, unadulterated hatred gleaming in his eyes and expression. Luis            was silent until the man had finally backed away from them, his fingers having            curled into the back of Jorge's shirt subconsciously, eyes cast to the ground. 

          Tensions were always high at times like these and it wasn't surprising that           someone had snapped. Luis just hadn't expected to be the one under fire.           His eyes cast down towards the ground until someone stepped in front of           him. Jorge. His eyes widen in surprise as he looks up to see the back of           the elder male, lips parting slightly. 

                    Another day working in the gardens had worn Jack out by the time dinner rolled around. Alright it wasn’t the MOST physically demanding job in The Glade but it was still tiring all the same for someone as small as him. He was practically slumped over in his food instead of eating it, chin resting in his hand when a SUDDEN VOICE pulled him out of his sleepy state.

          He hadn't even realized how tired the poor kid seemed to be and he           almost feels bad. But at least now he's got the guy's attention. He           offers him an apologetic little smile before motioning towards where           he was already sitting (so much for asking before you sit your butt           down, Luis). "Sorry, I was wondering if this seat was taken. It           didn't really seem like it was, but I just wanted to make sure.           My name's Luis, by the way! I don't think I got a chance to ever           introduce myself to you!"