Mutt Williams wandered the halls of the Saint Augustine home for Homeless Girls. His family was here to adopt a thirteen year old girl. His mother, Marion Jones, had always wanted a little girl, so here they were. Mutt finally had enough of those prim and proper girls, with there perfect manners and delicacy. They would never fit into his family of adventurers. Every few months his family went on a new expedition for some mythical artifact on some god-forsaken island.

A sob broke his train of thought. It sounded like a girl weeping. But the head of the school, a Ms. Warger, said all of the girls were assembled. Mutt followed the sound to a supply closet with a chair jammed under the door knob. What the… thought Mutt. He jerked the chair out of the way and peeked inside to see a girl sobbing into her arms. He opened the door more, making himself aware to the crying girl. She screamed, and he yelled.

"Hey! Who are you? And what were you doing being locked in the supply closet? Why aren't you with the rest of the girls?" asked a startled Mutt.

"I'm Maria Rose, but everyone just calls me Rose." the girl said, "Ms. Warger locked me in there because she said I was unworthy to be adopted, and she didn't want me to sneak down stairs. May I ask, who are you?"

"I'm Henry, but everyone calls me Mutt." said Mutt. This was the beginning of a long conversation. They talked about their likes and interests, and just about every thing else. By the end, they felt almost like family.

"Why were you here in the first place, Mutt?" asked Rose.

"My parents are the people looking for a girl. Guess what? You're coming home with us." Mutt said.

"Really? A home?" asked an excited Rose. She couldn't believe it. She, Maria Rose, trouble-maker extraordinaire, was going to be adopted.

"Yes, you are coming home with us. My parents will love you. Come on, lets go and meet them." Mutt said as he put his arm around Rose, leading her to meet his parents.