Chapter 1 – Runaway

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back with a new Gf story. I hope you enjoy it!

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Mabel ran through the woods as fast as her legs could carry her. The darkness made it harder for her to see, but she didn't stop. She could still hear the sound of footsteps behind her.

"Get back here!" one of the men chasing her shouted. They were getting closer.

Panicking, Mabel pressed on, running as fast as she could down the forest path. She stumbled many times and stray tree branches kept hitting her from all sides as she tried to find a way out.

Suddenly, her foot got caught onto something and she fell, her chin grazing the ground hard. Mabel winced as she tried to stand again.

"There she is!"

Mabel gasped and quickly got back on her feet and began to run again. It wasn't long until she began to feel exhausted. She had been running for so long and her feet were aching. She knew if she doesn't lose them somehow they'll surely catch her.

Wasting no time, Mabel quickly darted between the trees and hid behind one, making sure not to make a sound as the footsteps got closer.

"Where did she go?" one of them muttered.

Their leader, a man with long brown hair and a long scar across his face turned and glared at him. "How should I know!?" he snapped and looked around for the little girl. Mabel curled up and tried to hide herself as much as possible from his gaze.

"Just keep looking. She couldn't have gone far." He finally said and with that they were gone.

Mabel waited until she could no longer hear their voices before coming out of her hiding spot. She then leaned against the tree and sighed in relief. But there was no time for her to rest yet. It wasn't safe for her here and Mabel knew that if she stayed for too long they'll eventually find her.

Desperately, Mabel looked around for a shelter of any kind, somewhere she could spend the night in. Then she saw it. A light. There was a light not far from where she stood. A house maybe?

The thought gave her a little hope and without hesitation the preteen took off running again. The forest seem to be getting thinner around her and Mabel could tell she was running downhill despite how dark it was.

And that's when she tripped. Mabel cried as she found herself tumbling down the hill and landed on her side with a loud thud.

"Ow," Mabel groaned and tried to sit up. She then glanced up the hill, fearing that someone might have heard her. Thankfully, no one did and she felt relieved at that.

Slowly, Mabel stood up and gave her backpack a light tug before making her way towards the light. It wasn't long until she spotted an old wooden cabin up ahead where the light was coming from.

Taking a deep breath, Mabel approached it.

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Meanwhile, Stan was sitting in his favorite chair flipping through the channels lazily. It was past twelve AM and he was just considering going to bed when a strange sound suddenly reached his ears.

Stan listened for the sound that had caught his attention for a moment and shrugged, assuming it came from the roof. He would probably get Soos to fix later. But then he heard it again and he realized it was actually coming from his porch. Someone was outside.

Feeling unsettled by this, Stan stood up and reached for the bat he kept behind his chair. Just in case. He thought as he slowly made his way out of the room and swung the door open.

He then looked around for whoever was causing those noises and was surprised when he saw a small girl curled up against the wall. She seemed to be in deep sleep.

Confused, Stan walked over and carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly. "Hey kid, wake up."

She mumbled something intangible and opened her eyes only to scream in panic when she saw Stan towering over her.

"Whoa, hey c-calm down now." He said, but she wasn't listening to him. The kid curled up into a ball and whimpered, eyeing the bat in his hand with fear.

Stan stared at the improvised weapon for a moment, then at the girl's terrified expression and realized what she was thinking. Quickly Stan set the bat on the floor and backed away to show he meant no harm to her.

"There see? I'm not gonna hurt you," he stated carefully. This seemed to do the trick as the kid slowly calmed down with the weapon gone and looked at him curiously. "Now tell me what are you doing out here at night? Shouldn't you be home?"

She hesitated and glanced away from him. "I…I can't be home right now."

Stan raised a brow and took a closer look at her. The kid clearly had been through a rough patch. Her knees were scrapped, her hair was messy and the yellow sweater she wore was torn. She also had a backpack. Was she a runaway?

"Can….I stay here for a while?" she asked, looking up to him hopefully.

Stan rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. Keeping the girl with him might not be a good idea, but he knew he just couldn't send her away. It wasn't safe out there especially for a kid like her.

"Alright, you can stay." Stan sighed and reached out to help her up. The girl stared at his hand hesitating for a moment before taking it.

"Hey, you still hadn't told me your name yet," Stan muttered.

"I'm Mabel." she replied. "What about you?"

Stan managed a small smile. "I'm Stan Pines. Now c'mon let's get you inside." He said and led her through the door. Mabel glanced at the woods one last time before going inside with him.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know you think with a review.