It was a rainy Thursday night in Tree Hill. It had poured all morning and day, well into the evening. Downtown Tree Hill was empty except for the long, petite figure caught in the downpour. She was soaked to the bone right through her Chinchilla fur and heels. Dark hair was matted and mascara ran down her face.

She looked around. There she was. The sign had said Tree Hill. Wherever the hell that was. Whatever the hell it was. But she was there. There had been no real plan or destination. She would end up where the day took her. After all, Brooke Davis was running. Running from her past, running from her life, running from herself.

She walked and cursed as she dragged the overloaded suitcase behind her. Main Street was a ghost town and the road that ran parallel with the River Walk wasn't much better. But then she heard music and saw light. It was coming from the ally up the block.

Brooke quickened her step and opened the door. It was a bar and a restaurant. It was smoky and loud and filled with a nice size crowd. In the corner there was even one of those mechanical bull things she had seen on TV. Brooke shrugged. It was late and she was tired and hungry. She'd figure out a master plan the next day.

Picking up the designed luggage, she walked through the threshold but a handsome, young black guy with a large tattoo on one of his forearms put a massive hand up to stop her. Brooke frowned.

"Excuse you?"

The man looked her up and down.

"No, baby. Excuse you. ID?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah, I'm in a real joking mood. ID, please."

He folded his arms and she knew he wasn't kidding. Brooke sighed and rummage through her purse. Her identification was missing and she knew why. She had tossed it onto the Interstate some 400 miles back.

"Listen, Mr…"

"Skills."

"Mr. Skills?"

"Nope. Just Skills."

"Okay. Skills, it is then. You wouldn't believe me but I'm not from around here and…"

"No", he said sarcastically.

Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, it just so happens that I left my ID in my other purse."

"Sorry. No entry."

Brooke stamped her foot.

"Oh come on. It's freaking pouring outside and there isn't anyplace else open. I'm thirsty and I'm starving. You can't send me back out there."

Skills raised one eyebrow and looked outside before looking over at Deb who had witnessed the entire exchange.

"It's okay, Skills. Let her in."

"Whatever you say, boss lady", he shrugged.

Brooke, looking like a beautiful wet rat, dragged herself and her belongings inside. It was certainly a different sight to see in Tree Hill and the patrons did notice the stranger, stopping mid conversation to get a better stare. Brooke normally loved attention but it was something about the way they studied her every move that made her feel like she was the subject of a weird science experiment. She struggled to get situated and her heel caught in a hole in the floor. She nearly fell but saved herself before hitting the ground. But she couldn't salvage her precious designer pumps. They all continued staring and there were a few random giggles. Brooke scoffed.

"What are you staring at?" she demanded.

And they turned around and let her be.

"Rough night?" asked the blonde the bouncer had referred to as "boss lady."

She handed Brooke a towel, which the brunette graciously accepted.

"Oh yeah."

"Visiting from out of town?"

"Something like that", Brooke dried her face and hair.

"Well, welcome. This is Deb's Den and I'm Deb."

"Brooke."

Deb smiled.

"Someone will be right around to take your order."

A few minutes later, a smiling Haley Scott walked over with a menu.

"Hi. I'm Haley and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Welcome to Deb's Den. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Bottled water. Imported, please."

Haley frowned.

"Okaaayyy…"

Brooke looked around as she removed her coat. A gum popping girl was still staring at her.

"Can I help you?" Brooke demanded.

The girl shrugged.

"I like your coat. It's nice."

Brooke smiled. It was a beauty.

"Thank you."

"Is it rabbit?"

Brooke looked horrified. How dare someone even insinuate?

"Rabbit? As if! This is Chinchilla."

The girl popped her gum some more and nodded.

"Is that like raccoon?"

Brooke was speechless just in time for the waitress to return with her water.

"There you go. Are you ready to order yet or do you need some time?"

Brooke examined the bottle.

"Uh, excuse me, Holly…"

"It's Haley."

"Whatever. Um, I asked for imported water."

Haley smiled.

"It is. Imported right from Deer Park", she joked, motioning to the bottle.

Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

"Can I take your order?"

"I'll have a turkey burger, no bun and a whatever salad you have with light French dressing."

"The salad I can do but sorry. The only burger we have around here is beef."

Brooke took a dramatic breath. She had a good mind to just cancel the order altogether but her stomach was rumbling something fierce.

"Fine."

As she waited for the food to arrive, she took a good, long look at her surroundings. She had wanted something different and Tree Hill and Deb's Den…well, they were definitely different. Plus she was looking for a small town no one had ever heard of where she would be hard to find. Like it or not, the coastal Carolina town provided just the safe cover she needed.

Brooke Penelope Davis had led the life most people dreamed of. She grew up on an estate in Rhode Island, the only child of a doctor and attorney, who were both wildly successful and wealthy. She had been a beautiful child from birth and had been thrust into the limelight at an early age. Beauty pageants, fashion shows and debutante balls. She was pretty and popular, the head cheerleader. And she had gone off to college in Massachusetts where she studied and earned a degree in journalism. Writing never really interested her and she wasn't particularly good at it but for her it was another stepping stone in moving to New York and pursuing her dream…writing for Cosmopolitan Magazine. The Big Apple was surely in her bright future but for the time being, she had worked as a reporter for a local newspaper. It built character and gained experience, or so her father said.

Brooke was gorgeous, talented and ambitious. Men loved her, women wanted to be with her. She came from a nice family and had a great group of friends. It was an existence most only dreamed of and would kill for. A life most people worked hard to attain. But not Brooke. It was suffocating. She wasn't happy and she was long tired of pretending. She had no idea where she was going, she only knew what she was escaping.

"Burger and a salad", Haley sat the plates down. "Can I get you anything else?"

Brooke bit into the greasy meat and was pleasantly surprised to learn it wasn't all that bad.

"No, thanks."

"Okay. I'll be back to check on you…"

"One thing…"

Haley stopped.

"Yeah?"

"Any hotels nearby?"

"There are some in midtown heading out of the city limits but you'll need a taxi to get there. There's a nice motel a couple of blocks up, though. It has a nice view of the water."

Brooke nodded.

"Thanks."

Haley smiled.

"Anything else?"

Brooke sighed.

"No. Um, I think everything is going to be just fine."

She could only hope.