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Chapter 7: Nature's Creation

I looked out the window of the boat when I heard a bike dropped outside. 'It better not be Beatrice,' I thought to myself, still remembering a few days ago when she gave us a long lecture about leaving the hospital. We couldn't get a word in.

"Who is it?" Mullet Fingers asked from his place on the bed, sprawled out shirtless, when I sighed in relief. "Just Roy." He grinned with his eyes closed, opening one to stare at me. I rolled my own eyes and went to sit beside him, smacking his shoulder lightly.

"Room service. Here." Roy said when he came inside, making Mullet sit up instantly as a pack of some sort of food was tossed to us. "Oh, thanks," Mullet said. I glared playfully at the blonde when he caught my food with his own, teasingly holding it in front of me.

"Um, how's your arm?" Roy asked, unintentionally distracting my friend long enough for me to swipe my snack while he thought of an answer. Roy tossed us both a drink from his brown bag.

"Eh, fever's gone, but I ache all over," Mullet replied with a grimace, staring at his arm for a moment before looking back up at Roy. "Get in trouble last night?"

"No big deal," The boy assured. "But I had to tell my dad about the owls and Mother Paula's." Mullet shared a look with me and I spoke up, "So, what did he say?"

"He said they can build whatever they want as long as they have legal papers. There's really nothing we can do," Roy answered, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"We?" Mullet repeated incredulously with raised eyebrows.

"You know what I mean."

"You're saying it's a lost cause, right? Hey, come on, Tex. You gotta start thinking like an outlaw." Mullet said, reaching over and grabbing a chip from my bag. I smacked his hand away, pouting childishly when he took it anyway, giving me a peck on the cheek.

"I'm not an outlaw." Roy said as I tossed Mullet a white shirt, silently telling him to put it on. I snickered as Mullet looked at him shocked, only having put his head through the hole of the t-shirt.

"Yeah, you are. Last night at the hospital. That was definitely an outlaw move. You're catching up with Frosty, here." He said, pulling me up with him as he took the garbage to the trash.

"You were hurt," Roy defended himself. Mullet spun around to face the black-haired kid.

"You crossed the line, 'cause you cared about what happened to me." Roy sighed in exasperation, giving me a look. I shrugged with a giggle, knowing how Roy felt as I remembered the time I met Mullet Fingers in Mobile, AL, while he was at military school.

He snuck out a few times to watch the stars in my self-claimed backyard. I met him one day outside and kept seeing him afterwards. He told me about his life back in Florida and I talked to him about my farmhouse. My dad was a drunk and abused me often. The day before he ran away, he came to me and convinced me to leave with him.

"Hey, come on. We've got something really cool to show ya," I said, pulling Roy out of the boat with Mullet following.

"Ever since I was little, I've been watching this place disappear. The piney woods, the mangroves, the creeks, the glades. Even the beaches. And they put up all these giant hotels and only goober tourists are allowed. It really sucks." Mullet said as he led us away from the rusty boat.

"The same thing's happening everywhere." Roy said. I shook my head with a sigh as Mullet tried to explain better.

"Wait, they got mountains where you're from, right?" Mullet asked, wrapping his unhurt arm around my shoulders as I stood in the middle of the two, looking over my head at the other boy.

"Yeah. Miles and miles of 'em." Roy agreed confused.

"That's what we need here. This state is so flat that nothing will stop them from bulldozing it all down, one coast to another. That's why we need to stop them. That's why we're here." I said.

"This your dog?" Roy asked as we walked to the boat dock. Mullet scratched the three-legged dog's head fondly, moving aside to let Roy pet it's back.

"Naw. I got a deal with the dockmaster. I feed his dog and he let's me use his boat whenever I want."

"What happened to his leg?" The younger boy asked curiously.

"A croc got it." I said as I hopped into the small speedboat. I sat, waiting for them, ready to go see Florida's wildlife, again.

"Had to change his name to Skip," Mullet said as he climbed into the boat, sitting in front of me at the wheel. As soon as Roy stumbled into the boat and sat down, we headed off.

"Oh, cool. Watch this," Mullet said as he spotted something in the water. I laughed as his hand dove into the water, coming up with a small fish in his fist. "Take a peek.

"What is it?" Roy asked confused.

"It's a mullet. See, that's why my sister and Frost call me Mullet Fingers. Ain't too many people who can do that, you know?" He said with a smirk before gently putting it back into the water. "Bye, little guy. Swim fast."

We then went sight-seeing. We pointed out alligators, turtles and different types of birds.

"What do you think, Tex?" Mullet asked him suddenly.

"It's really beautiful." He replied.

"Two weeks ago, I saw a gator in here. It was about a nine-footer." The blonde said, trying to get a reaction. I laughed as Roy looked around worried.

"Great. Now you tell me." Mullet chuckled.

"Heh. It ain't the gators you gotta worry about. It's mosquitoes."

"Huh. Can I ask you a question?" Roy asked seriously, making me look up confused. He was still talking to Mullet. 'Good.'

"Yeah. Sure," Mullet shrugged. "I mean, anything but my real name. I don't need one. Not out here."

"What's the deal with you and your mom?" Roy worked up the courage to say. I froze, wondering how Mullet Fingers would react.

"I dunno. We just... never connected. I-I-I-I don't know. I quit sweatin' it a long time ago, though. I me— Besides, the animals are all I need to get by." I cleared my throat with a raised eyebrow. Mullet laughed and quickly corrected himself. "And Frosty, of course."

I pushed Mullet into the water one time, stopping the boat right before he reached up and pulled me in after him. We grabbed onto a log underwater and saw a manatee. I grinned at him and quickly swam up for air, going to see how Roy was doing.

"Did you see the sea cow?" I asked breathlessly. He nodded, laughing a bit, then pointed behind me. I turned to look but squealed as I was pulled under again. I opened my eyes and glared at the blonde, shoving him away playfully before pulling him up to the surface with me. The boys erupted into laughter, at least Mullet did (since Roy already was), until I pushed his head under. Roy only laughed louder.

As soon as Mullet Fingers and I were done messing around, we pulled ourselves back into the boat and dried off with the towels I thought to place in the boat a few days ago. Mullet then took us to more shallow water, so that we could teach Roy how to cast a net. He was actually really good at it, for a first-timer.

"That was great! And they're tearing stuff like that down?" Roy asked incredulously. I nodded solemnly. "And still will in the future. That's why Mullet Fingers and I are trying to save it," I said, smiling up at my blonde friend. Roy nodded, understandingly, then said he had to go home. It was getting late.

"Do you think Beatrice will be at the boat?" I asked Mullet as he wrapped his arm around me and led us 'home'.

"Let's hope not. She didn't seem like she was finished the other day," Mullet said with a laugh. "I guess we're lucky she hasn't had the chance to come back yet, although I would like some of her food." I chuckled and shoved him a little.

"You and your food," I said before sprinting off. "Hey, get back here!" He yelled, chasing after me. Well, no going to the Mother Paula's lot tonight.

A/N: So sorry if that background went against whatever else was said in the story, I can't remember reading any part of her past when she met Mullet, so I decided to put that there! And about the net casting, I don't know if that's what they were doing (I don't fish, or anything near it.) but that's the best I could come up with! And some of the chapter is from the deleted scenes, but I don't think anyone has a problem with that, right? -.^ YAY! This story WAS longer than the last! (By at least 500 words!)

Oh, and I don't know if I should go ahead and let her call Mullet Fingers 'boyfriend', instead of just 'friend'. Any help?