Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own The Tribe. Kinda wish I did but that's another story.

Mouse knew she wasn't supposed to leave the mall. She just couldn't stand it anymore. Sammy had been picking at her for days. Everyone else was busy and she just needed to get away. It wasn't like she was going far, just around the block once then right back in. She froze when she heard a noise. Slowly she began to creep forward, fighting the constant urge to run back to the entrance as fast as her legs could carry her. She could hear someone breathing heavily on the other side of the stack of crates. As quietly as she could she kept around corner. There was a girl squeezed in the small space between the stacks. She was dressed completely in black and for a moment Mouse thought she had stumbled upon one of the still missing Technos.

"Are you a techno?" she asked quietly.

She heavily lifted her head and looked at her. Black vines covered the side of her face. "No." she whispered. "I'm Rose."

"I'm Mouse." She stepped closer to the woman seated on the ground. "What tribe are you from then?"

Rose gave a half hearted laugh. "I don't have a tribe anymore."

"I'm a mallrat." She inched closer until she was almost near enough to touch Rose. Being so close Mouse could tell she was injured. Her breath hitched with every movement and there was blood on her hands.

"Mallrat? Wasn't Lex?" she seemed to think out loud. She was interrupted by sounds at the opening of the alley. Rose's hand shot up and wrapped around Mouse's wrist. She pulled the girl down into the small area between the boxes. The boys carrying large clubs walked by oblivious to their presence. It seemed like an hour before Rose released her. "Go home little girl." Rose whispered. "As fast as you can." Mouse nodded once and ran for the mall.

Mouse couldn't stop thinking about the girl from the night before. She had hid her from those guys so she couldn't be a bad guy. Then there was what she said. When Mouse told her she was a mallrat she had said something about Lex. Mouse knew if she told Salene or Pride or Amber that she'd been out they would yell. There was only one person she could think to go to.

It was very early in the morning when Mouse slipped from her bed. She crept through the silent mall careful not to wake anyone. He was exactly where she thought he would be. Lex sat at the end of a table in the café his back turned to her. His head rested low upon his hands and his hair completely blocked his face from view. He seemed to resonate exhaustion and Mouse began to reconsider saying anything. She, like most of the other residents of the mall, had been kept up deep into the night by Lex and Siva's loud argument. It had been practically dawn before the half sleeping Pride had asked them to quiet down or go outside. Looking at Lex it was obvious which option they had chosen. Mouse had just decided not to disturb him when he spoke.

"What'd you want, Mouse?"

She froze a moment before entering the room. He lifted his head and looked at her.

"Lex, would you yell if I told you I went outside?"

"You're in one piece, the mall's still standing and I'm too tired to yell."

"I went out yesterday."

"And?" his tiredness sapped all the venom from his voice.

"There was this girl. She was hurt. I told her I was a mallrat and she said something about you." It all came spilling forth in one breath.

"Yeah," the voice in his head immediately jumped to thoughts of Tai-san. And if she was hurt... "Did she tell you her name, Mouse?"

"Her name was Rose."

"Rose?" he'd last seen Rose at that carnival. Their tribe had packed and been gone before the sun even broke the sky. Lex sprang from his seat and grabbed his coat from where it was thrown across the table. "Do you remember where she was?" he extended his hand to her when she nodded. "Show me."

The small girl guided him outside and around the corner of the mall. "She was right here." She showed him the place between the stacks of crates. He dropped her hand and examined the area. There was a red-brown splotch against the wall and a smeared hand print of the same shade on the wall of the box.

"She was hurt." He thought aloud. He looked along the far wall. A small distance away there was another hand print and then another. He followed the trail down the alley and around the corner. The prints stopped just before a small alcove. Inside curled into a small ball he found her. Lex fell to his knees. "Rose?" he slowly reached out and touched her face. She stirred a bit but fell back limp against the stones. "Mouse?" he turned back to her. "Run back inside get everyone up."

She nodded and took off running. Lex looked back down at Rose. She let out a small groan as he lifted her from the ground.

"Wake up, Wake up!" Mouse went yelling from room to room. The bleary eyed residents began to emerge from their rooms and move into the lobby where the child was still yelling from.

"Mouse, what's wrong?" Amber rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"It's Lex," she answered out of breath.

"What's he done now?" Siva asked leaning against the railing.

Almost in answer Lex emerged around the corner and under the half open grate.

Everyone watched in half horror and amazement as he carrie4d the unconscious girl up the stairs.

"She's hurt." He pushed past through all of them.

"Bring her in here." Amber strode in front of him leading them to an empty room. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I just found her."

"Do you know her name?"

"It's Rose. Her name's Rose." He stood aimlessly in the hall as Trudy appeared and pushed him from the room.

"How did you find her, Lex? Mouse what were you doing outside?" Salene looked between the man and the child standing off to the side.

"I needed a walk. She asked to come along." He spoke up, "we founder her about a block from the mall.

She nodded accepting his answer. "She looked familiar."

"She was that singer from the carnival. You knew her." Siva looked to Lex accusingly.

His eyes narrowed on her and he stormed away.

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