DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BEYBLADE OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THIS IS JUST A FAN-MADE STORY!

It was two days after Mariam ran away from the Howards' mansion. She slept wherever she could find and spent all day travelling around the city, which she had arrived at yesterday evening. She was pretty much lost and had no idea how to get back home, but she didn't want to go back anyway, so it didn't matter.

She was trying her best to save up the food she had left, which were only three sandwiches, two apples and half a bottle of water. She did her best not to stay in one place where people could notice that she was a run-away. The last thing she wanted was to be sent back to the Howard household!

Often throughout the day, her thoughts strayed off to Leo and Gracia, and she wondered how they were holding up. She knew that it was selfish of her to run away and leave them to worry, but she didn't really have any other choice. What human on this planet could withstand the daily punishment that Ming Ming dished out?

And what about her family? Who were her mother and father? Why had they abandoned her? Didn't they love her? Did they ever think about her, or had they forgotten their little daughter completely? What were their names, and what were they like? What did they look like? Did they resemble her at all, or were they entirely different? Did she have any siblings, and if she did, how many, and were they younger or older than her?

So many countless questions raced through her mind everyday, all the time, non-stop, and she didn't even have the answer to one of them. Her life was one big mess, and there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel, no hope whatsoever for her. But she wasn't going to give up, no way! She would find the answers to ALL her questions, and that was a promise the she refused to give up on!

It was 7 o' clock in the evening, and the sky was getting increasingly cloudy. The more the minutes ticked by, the more the clouds gathered and blackened, promising fast approaching rain. A nasty wind was beginning to pick up, and people were starting to leave for home. But she had no home to go to, so all she could do was find the best shelter available.

But no matter how far she travelled, no matter were she looked, there was nowhere she could stay, and the rain was fed up of waiting. It begin to hammer down on the crisp grass, pelting on her back and face, dampening her dark blue hair, which looked almost black in the dark.

"Damn, where can I stay?" she muttered desperately to herself, quickening her pace and searching everywhere. Still there was nowhere suitable for her, and so she had no choice but to slump down against a large pine tree in a nearby park and wait for the rain to stop. Besides, she was growing tired and her injuries were throbbing madly with the strain.

I guess...I don't have much left...She thought sadly: I'll probably die here, from the cold or from the pain. I was never born to live...never...

She had given up all hope and was freezing all over. Her waterlogged hair was sticking to her pale face and her clothes were making her feel even more cold.

She was about to fall asleep when she heard someone shouting: "Hey! Hey you! You okay there?"

"Huh?" Mariam lifted up her head with a start and saw a boy of about her age running towards her.

"What're you doing out here? You'll catch a cold!" he said, kneeling before her.

Suddenly, she gasped because she knew who she was. She recognised him instantly. It was Max, Ming Ming's friend, who had pleaded the cruel brat to treat her with more respect, and as a result had gotten her into trouble.

"Hey...I know you!" he said suddenly: "Mariam, Ming Ming's servant! Right?"

"Y-Yeah, you're Max. I recognised you too," said Mariam.

"What're you doing out here Mariam? Come on, come with me! I'm not leaving you out here, you'll be in danger!" he said, stretching out his hand.

"Th-thanks Max," said Mariam before taking his hand and standing up.

"I'll take you to my house, is that okay? You're too far from home for me to take you there, my house is nearer," he said, keeping a firm hold of her hand.

"Doesn't matter, I ran away," she explained.

"What? You ran away? Why's that?" he asked.

"Ming Ming...I couldn't stand her anymore. She hates me so much, and she hurt me. I'm covered in cuts and bruises, I'm a mess because of her!" said Mariam.

"Ming Ming...hurt you?" Max looked bewildered.

"Yes, she did," said Mariam.

The two made their way as fast as possible to Max's house, fighting against the rain in a desperate attempt to get there.

Right now, Max was Mariam's knight in shining armour!