CHAPTER 1: TIRED OF RUNNING

Author notes: A Tribe fanfic I don't own anything, except my OC. Starting this from season 1 episode 15, enjoy :)

I also apologise for any spelling errors and bad grammar.

She was tired from all the running she had ever done. Even before the virus that took all the parents she was always running, but yet again she never really truly had a home. She was brought up through the system and was always bouncing between many foster homes.

But now that the adults are gone she now runs from the tribes that run the city, especially the Locos and Demon Dogs. They are always trying to get her but she remained one step ahead of them.

She leaned against the wall at the mall before sneaking around the side, finding a sewer entrance, even though she knew the place would have already been looted for everything that it had, it didn't mean that might still be maybe one can of tinned food that got left behind.

The teenager reached with her red, studded, fingerless leather gloves before pulling the lid off, she started to climb down the ladder and closed the lid, not wanting anyone to follow her.

She reached the bottom of the ladder, her combats boots she wore making a very soft thud as they hit the ground. Reaching into her backpack she pulled out a little flashlight light and clicked it on.

However she didn't make it far before triggering the tripwire, connected to the laptop, a series of howling noises started loudly in the sewers. She ran towards a wall and ducked behind it, turning the flashlight off.

A few minutes later she heard a man yell.

"We know you are out there! We are not afraid! Come and face us!"

Slowly she came out from behind the wall, with both her hands up in the air.

Lex, Bray, Ryan, Jack and Dal all looked at her and she looked at them.

The men studied her appearance, she appeared to be around 16, had light green eyes, fair skin, her blonde hair was done up in a high braided bun. She wore a black leather jacket with a grey t-shirt and black jeans. She also wore a half silver mask, covering the bottom half of her face and had a red band going across her eyes.

"Who are you and why are you here?!" Lex demanded, the teenager flinched slightly at his yelling.

"Lex take it easy you are scaring her." Jack said.

"I don't care, she could put us in danger." Lex said before storming up to the teenager and she automatically stepped back away from him, Lex seeing her backpack. "Give me your backpack." He said, she grabbing her one of the straps and clutching it tight.

"Lex just take it easy on her." Bray said, the teenager looking at him with sympathy.

"So what do we do with her?" Dal asked.

"I say we throw her in the prison until we know we can trust her." Lex said, the teenager taking the mask off, showing bright red lips.

"I'm tired of running." She said softly.

"What's your name?" Bray asked her.

"Ann-Marie." She responded.

"Are you with any tribes?" Dal asked her, Ann-Marie shaking her head.

"That's why I've been running, I'm always hiding from the city tribes. Please I just want to stop running." Ann-Marie pleaded.

"Show us the backpack then we might consider you staying." Lex said.

"You wanna see it that bad?! Here, have it!" She said angrily before taking the backpack off and shoving it at Lex. Lex opening it greedily before pulling out a can of peaches, a can of beans, a small bottle of water and two chocolate bars.

"Ah I think I'll keep these." Lex said before dropping the backpack.

"No! You can't, that is all I've got!" She exclaimed.

"Do you want to be thrown in the prison?" Lex asked, Ann-Marie going quite.

"Lex you can't keep her stuff." Bray said.

"Just let him, people like him are greedy pigs." Ann-Marie said.

"We will give you a share of rations." Dal said.

"You wouldn't do such a thing. As head of security I shall decide what we do with the girl." Lex said.

"You are not in charge of feeding her though that's Amber's job." Bray said.

"Amber? There's more of you guys?" Ann-Marie asked.

"There's a tribe of us." Ryan said.

"Can I meet them?" Amber asked.

"No." Lex said.

"Yes." Bray said, Lex glaring at him.

"I'm not gonna hurt them, I promise. I'm just tired of running." Ann-Marie said, before yawing.

"You are tired." Ryan said, Ann-Marie nodding.

"Come with us, you can rest." Bray said.

"We don't know anything about her and yet you lot want to let her in the mall, this could be an act!" Lex said.

"Well that's not for you to decide Lex, it for everyone to decide." Bray said before heading back to the entrance to the mall, the others following her, Lex staying behind Ann-Marie.

"Did you find anything down there?" Amber asked, once they returned.

"There was a girl down there, it's okay." Bray said looking back at her, Ann-Marie stepping out from behind the stairs and into the open. Seeing the others she looked down. "Her name is Ann-Marie, she's a bit shy and she's looking for somewhere to stay." He explained.

"I still think it's a bad idea." Lex responded.

"Give it a rest will you Lex?! We're not gonna throw her out onto the streets!" Bray said

"Please let me stay, I'll work if you want, I just can't do the streets anymore." Ann-Marie pleased.

"Why don't you head out to the country?" Amber said.

"I've tried but the tribes have lookouts." Ann-Marie explained.

"Your heart brought you here for a reason." Tai San said, Ann-Marie looking up.

"Huh?" She asked.

"What's she on about now?" Lex asked.

"Lex be quiet!" Amber snapped. "Go on Tai San."

"We have come together for a purpose. We are a tribe but we are still lacking something, that something is pride." Tai San explained.

"What's this, we are a tribe? Especially Sewer Girl and you. No one invited you two to join." Lex said, glaring at Ann-Marie and she pulled a face at him.

"And yet we are here. Perhaps that's why I came to restore your pride in one another by giving you a name. Perhaps the reason why Ann-Marie came is because she needs a home." Tia San said before standing up. "Please let's form a circle. Everyone join hands."

Slowly the others began to stand up and form a circle joining hands with each other.

"All this for a name?" Lex asked.

"It's more than a name, it's the future." Tai San said before looking over at Ann-Marie. "Come on, join us."

Ann-Marie slowly walked over, standing between Tai San and Cloe, holding their hands, she smiled a little.

"You are kidding right?" Lex said, still glaring at Ann-Marie. "Ryan not you too!" He said as Ryan joined the circle.

"Lex just grab someone's hand." Amber said

"I'll join hands on one condition, we're called the Mallrats. Any objections?" Lex said.

"Well actually rats are very intelligent creatures." Jack said.

"So we could do worse?" Amber asked.

"Can't believe we are doing this." Lex said.

"Let's close our eyes and focus for a moment." Tia San responded.

"Wait!" Trudy called from the stairs, everyone looking at her. She walked down to the group before shoving herself between Bray and Salene, Ann-Marie knowing there was some bad blood there and made a mental note to avoid getting involved.

"That's it, we are all here now." Amber said.

"As of this day all who join hands are bound together as one. Brothers and sisters to the end." Tia San said everyone opening their eyes, Ann-Marie slowly letting go of Tai San and Cloe hands.

"Well I guess you are stuck with me then." Ann-Marie said, once again Lex glaring at her

"We are not stuck with you, you were brought to us for a reason." Tai San said to her.

"Yeah well I honestly don't believe in the heart journey stuff." Ann-Marie explained, before slow heading up the stairs.

Later on, after being introduced to everyone and being shown around the mall, Ann-Marie was setting up a room in the music store downstairs before Salene knocked on the wall, carrying a couple blankets and a pillow.

"I thought you might like this to sleep with." She explained, holding them out. Ann-Marie stood up smiling and taking only one blanket though.

"The little ones can have the other one." She said while taking the pillow.

"Do you have something to sleep on?" Salene asked, Ann-Marie shaking her head.

"I want to move some stuff around in here, then I'm gonna try to get something in here." She explained.

"You sure?" Salene asked, Ann-Marie nodding. "Well okay then we're having a party so whenever you are ready please join us." She said before leaving.

Ann-Marie looked into the mall smiling. She was glad that most people were nice to her, except for Lex of course. She laid the pillow and blanket on the floor, even though she had only arrived today she was starting to feel like she could call this place home.