Hey, guys! I'm finally back! I'm so sorry I haven't uploaded anything for a while. At first, I tried to, but I got so busy that I didn't have time to read, let alone do anything else. And then I had problems with my computer, but that's all been resolved, so I'm baaack! :D

Anyway, this story is about Annabeth. (I just love her :) ) She's a sixteen-year old runaway, and she is hiding in an alleyway one night outside the Newcomer's restaurant. She's hiding from her ex-boyfriend Tony... Let me know what you think!

And please... Review, review, review!

OliviaOwl14


Chapter 1

Annabeth crouched in the alleyway, breathing heavily.

"Where'd she go? Where'd she go? Listen, buddy, I'm askin' you a question!" A heavy American drawl half-concealed the anger in Tony's voice. Annabeth shrank into the dark shadows on the brick wall, half-hating herself for being a coward, half-telling herself to 'stay hidden, stay hidden'.

"Who are you? What's your problem?" Tony demanded. Annabeth heard the grunts and dumb-sounding 'yeah, man's' of his bulky cronies, Mike and Theo. "Yeah, man, what's your problem?"

Sounds more like 'wass yao prooblum', Annabeth thought, disgusted. He's probably stoned again, the bastard.

"Listen, mate, uh – what's your name?" Annabeth listened with some interest to a new, clean voice entering the group. Who's he? she thought, raising her eyebrows. "I'm Tony, man," Tony burped. Real attractive, Annabeth thought, wrinkling her nose.

"Listen, Tony," the Newcomer reiterated, sounding as disgusted as Annabeth felt. "Get off my property. See this line here? Yup, I see you do. Okay, mate, I need you to step out of this store. Right now."

"Who's gonna make me? You gonna make me? Huh? Huh? You gonna call the police?" A muffled noise made Annabeth think Tony had shoved the Newcomer. "Now, either you gonna tell me where the hell that gal is, or you gonna meet my friend Chuck."

"Chuck?" the newcomer asked, dubiously. "Who's Chuck?" Annabeth winced as a slapping noise confirmed her suspicions: Tony had punched the Newcomer.

"Aw, crap! You did not just do that!" Mike crowed. The Newcomer growled, "That's it", and the fight ensued. Annabeth crouched even further into the shadows, wishing she was anywhere but there. Then move, you idiot, her brain told her. Move!

Annabeth began crawling along the alleyway as the boys argued. She felt the dirty pavement and trash underneath her short nails, and wished – not for the first time, and definitely not the last – that she hadn't moved out with Tony when she was sixteen.

She made her way, slowly and quietly, along the alleyway. Almost there, she thought to herself. "Almost there," she whispered under her breath. Almost… nearly…

A thundering crash resounded in the alleyway, and Annabeth cringed for one moment as the trashcan her foot had hit, fell, before getting up and running for her life.

"Wha' was that?" Tony bellowed. "Hey! You –! Annabeth! Git back here!"

Annabeth ran for her life as the thundering footsteps sounded behind her. To her, it sounded as though they were getting closer and closer every second, so she pushed on, speeding up and thanking God for her lanky, skinny body. It wasn't great on the strength side of things, but Good God, was it good for running.

"Come get me if you want me, Tony!" she screamed, feeling reckless. Sirens split the air, and she could hear the yells of Tony and his goons behind her as they realised what they signified.

"Tony! We can't stick around here, the cops'll find us!" yelled Theo, who up until then hadn't said a word. "Leave 'er! If she wants ta get caught, then she will! We gotta save our asses first!"

Annabeth kept sprinting through the alleys, taking right and left turns haphazardly, until she heard their heavy treads retreating. She stopped in a dark corner, and lay against the wall, her thin chest heaving with each breath, which fogged up the night air like cigarette smoke.

The sirens grew louder and louder, and Annabeth squinted as the lights seemed to get nearer. Her eyes widened soon, as she saw the police cars pull up right outside where she was standing. Catching her breath, she took off as an officer climbed out of the car, shouting "Miss! Oi! Come back!"

But Annabeth didn't listen. She kept running, careless as to what or whom she passed or bumped into, and kept her eyes focused straight ahead.

They're catching up to me, she thought, panicked. They'll catch me, and put me in prison. I haven't done anything bad, but once they find out I'm Tony's girlfriend, –!

Ex-girlfriend, her brain reminded her. You're smarter than all of them, Annabeth. Just keep running, and they won't find you.

Annabeth gritted her teeth and put on speed, leaping over fallen trashcans and dashing through the badly lit alleyways like a criminal in a movie, until she burst out on to a street, turned to run and hit something so hard that everything turned black.