OK this is my first Hoot fanfic and it's been over a year since I read the book so I'm sorry if I get some details wrong. Please excuse poor spelling and grammar. Don't forget to RXR!

….

Annabelle ran through her neighborhood, the only sound was the sound of her feet hitting the concrete sidewalk. She tried to fight the tears that were stinging her eyes. She just kept running and running, trying desperately not to look back.

….

Mullet Fingers sat on the deck of the Molly Bell until he heard running footsteps approaching. He raised an eyebrow and slid down to the ground. The sun was setting on Coconut Cove, but he could make out that figure was a girl. She had a blue hoodie on and her hair was chopped off at the chin and was a sort of caramel color. He didn't see her face because her back was to him, but when she turned around it shocked him. Her left eye was a blue-ish black color and she had a bloody lip and nose, her good eye was red and puffy from crying. As she got closer he could make out a gash on her forehead over her right eye. He walked closer to her.

"Hey, you ok?" he called.

The girl spun around, throwing a punch at him. Mullet Fingers ducked, narrowly avoiding black eye of his own. The girl's dark brown eyes were wide, with fear and when he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder she shrunk back in fear.

"I'm not 'gonna hurt you." He said softly.

The girl nodded, but still said nothing.

"What's your name?" Mullet Fingers said. He couldn't help but feel bad for the terrified girl. She was no taller than five foot three and was skinny, but not starved. Her skin was tan and he could see a white, deformed, scar over the right side of her lips.

"Go on, I'm not 'gonna hurt you."

"Are you 'gonna bring me home?" she said in a shaky voice.

"Depends, do you 'wanna go home?"

"No" she said as more tears slid down her face.

"Ok, then I'm not bringing you home. Now, just tell me your name."

"Annabelle Scott, but most people call me Annie."

"Ok Annie, I'm Mullet Fingers."

Annie raised an eyebrow.

"That's not my real name."

"Then what's your real name?"

"Not tellin you that" he said with a small smile. He could see that the girl was slowly coming out of her shell.

"You need somewhere to stay? Like you know for the night."

She nodded.

"Alright, can you tell me what happened?" he said as he led Annie up onto the deck of the Molly Bell. When he asked that question more tears slid down her cheeks.

"My step dad happened." She told him.

"He the one that hit you?"

"Yeah, but he didn't cause the cut on my head."

"How'd you get that then?"

"I ran into a tree on the way over here." She said with a small smile. Mullet Fingers smiled back but still felt un easy about the situation. Sure, Lonna had smacked him around a little but never as bad as what had happened to Annie.

"Did he hit you before?" he asked. She nodded and burst into tears. Sobs made her shoulders shake. She looked up at the sky and then back to him.

"I'm sorry about this." She said.

"It's OK" he said. Annie pulled her knees up to her chest and cried.

"Why don't you go to the police or something?" he asked

"He'll kill me! I don't know what to do." she said, her voice catching at the end. Mullet Fingers didn't quite know what do either. He'd never faced the problem of crying girl, especially an abused one who needed to go to the police. He placed a hand on her arm; she turned to him and practically jumped into his arms and continued to sob. He placed a hand on the back of her head.

"It's going to be OK." He said, fighting back tears of his own.

…...

Sorry about the shortness of the chapter! I just wanted to introduce you to the plot. Don't forget to RXR!

~skippy