AN: So… hi! Yep… it's been awhile. I honestly don't know what happened. I just re-read this and I'm not sure why I felt like it was finished. So here's another chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider

White Clothes

He had to take advantage of the dark. He couldn't hang around, giving them time to organise themselves.

He wasn't far from Tom's house. The Institute was only a couple hours away. He was sure it would only take four, maybe five hours to walk the distance.

But his clothes, pure white cotton, were hardly inconspicuous. And they were not designed for warmth out in the snow, but for the carefully maintained temperature of the Institute.

He didn't have any money to buy something more appropriate though. And nothing would be open this late at night anyway.

The best thing to do would be to keep moving, keep his adrenaline going and his blood flowing.

He would just have to be wary of his appearance. He didn't really scream casual person out for a leisurely 11pm stroll.

Alex shivered. Time to go. He pushed away from the wall of the supermarket, trying to decide whether to walk casually, with purpose, or skulk away into the shadows. Skulking would take time, but his clothes reflected the light that pooled from the streetlamps in a way that was decidedly not low-key.

But then, right at this moment there was no reason for anyone to think he wasn't meant to be right where he was. And it was definitely a better idea to put as much distance between him and the Institute as possible. He began a slow jog, cringing as his chest tightened and he remembered just how little activity he had engaged in lately.

It was going to be a late night.

AN: There's only a couple chapters left, I have ALL of them written however so there will definitely not be such a long wait between chapters again. I hope you enjoyed!

Also, I have just edited all of the previous chapters, people say to leave your work for a day to make sure you find all the little mistakes, well, imagine my horror after leaving it for almost four years. So many stupid, stupid mistakes. I hope the changes make it easier to read though.