A/N: Hi everyone! I deleted a previous story called the girl without a voice cos I just thought it wasn't going anywhere. This is kind of the same story but I made it lodes better. I will put a star where the changing is so if you've read the girl without a voice you don't have to start from the start.!

PLEASE read and review. I am going to try and make this a proper story too, not just write up the start and forget about it like I did before!

"Okay, so we have got a new girl coming today," Mike tried to make himself heard over the noise of the room, "Liam! Frank! Will you two stop playing pool for a minute and listen! Mina – that's her name – will be sharing with Tee because she has a few problems and I think Tee will be the perfect room-mate to help."

"If she has problems then she's not sharing with Tee!" Johnny shouted, as protective over his younger sister as ever.

"Well I'm afraid she's going to have to Johnny, anyway I don't mean anger issues or anything like that, she just doesn't...well...what I'm trying to say is...she-"

"Oh come on Mike, spill the beans. What new mad person's coming to The Dumping Ground this time?"

"Electra! For the last time. She is not mad! And as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," He cast an angry glance at the girl in blue. "She just doesn't talk."

An excited whisper went around the room before Gus stood up, looking confused and holding his notebook.

"Mike?" asked Gus.

"Yes?"

"You just said she doesn't talk. Everyone talks. They have to, otherwise they can't ask for things or tell people what they want. It doesn't make sense!"

"I'm sure she just finds different ways in getting what she wants. Now, she is arriving in around half an hour so I want Tee's bedroom ready by then. Understood?"

"Yes Mike." Everyone chorused.

"Great, I'll go up in ten minutes to check how you're all doing."

They trooped upstairs and into Tee's room. The walls were painted a light blue and on one wall was painted a farmyard with pigs, sheep and goats.

"Hey, Gus, at least she wont talk on your tour!" sniggered Liam.

"Quiet, I need to do some thinking." Gus turned and walked slowly out of the room, peering down intently and his fifteenth notebook . As he disappeared out of the door, Carmen started shouting at him.

"Gus you can't just go! You need to help move the bed too!" She turned and looked at the others, "If Gus isn't helping then I don't have to either."

"Nope, me either." Lily ran to catch up with her best friend.

"I better go too," Tee said, trying to dodge passed her elder brother. But Johnny didn't relent.

"No Tee you stay right here and help. Got that?"

"You can count me out as well." Electra's blue coat disappeared out of the room.

When it was just Liam, Frank, Johnny and Tee left Mike came up the stairs to see how they were doing.

"Hey, guys, where are the others? They were meant to be helping."

"MMMIIIKKKEEEEE! THE NEW GIRL'S HERE!"

"Okay, I'm coming!" He turned and looked at the four that were left, "By the time I show Mina her room," Mike gestured around the empty room. The wall's cracked paper had gone from light blue to a sort of grey. All the furniture was gone except from a wooden bed in the center of the room and a small wardrobe with a couple of orange coat hangers lying at the bottom . "I want the bed moved over there and the wardrobe next to it. Okay? He hurried down stairs to meet the new girl.

Mina's P.O.V

A man came running down the stairs. When he got to the bottom he looked at me for a minute before saying,

"Hello Mina, I'm Mike. Welcome to Elm Tree House. I hope you will be happy here as there is a great bunch of kids." His voice had a slight Irish tint to it, and as he stared at me I saw his eyes looked kind and caring. "If you could wait out here for a bit, I need to sort out your paper work with your social worker." I looked away and lent stiffly against the wall. He took this to mean "Okay" and followed my social worker into the small room labeled "Office".

When I heard them start to talk I edged closer to the door and listened.

"... Are you sure? I mean 42 days is quite a long time to go without talking!" I presumed this was Mike.

"Absolutely, she hasn't smiled since that day either. It is understandable though, she's had a rough time lately, with her parents dying and then her aunt and uncle chucking her out..."

What? I had been told they didn't have enough money to look after me and their own five children. I hadn't known they didn't want me.

"...Oh?" I heard Mike say.

"Apparently she was a bad influence on their children and all her family ever did was beg for money."

That's a lie, we never begged.

"I didn't know her aunt and uncle didn't want her. I was told they didn't have enough money to care properly for her!"

"Yes, that is what she was told too."

"But surely she has a right to know why she is in care? We tell our young people the reason they're in care so I'm going to have to tell her if she stays here."

"Okay, but at least let her settle in before you tell her. As you can probably imagine, she is very delicate and the slightest thing can unbalance her or upset her." My social worker Emily warned.

I heard footsteps walk towards the door and the door opened. I quickly looked away and pretended to not notice them.

"Okay Mina? I'm sure you'll like it here and if you've got any problems then you can always go to Mike or Gina - that's the woman who let us in - or Tracy. I'm sure Mike will show you her later, and of course show you around. I need to go now as I have got a plane to catch. Bye!" I didn't care whether she went or stayed. She was annoying and while I was in a special care home for freaks she had kept on sending me to these stupid counselling sessions which didn't work. In the end she had to give up as I just sat there staring at the counsellor, not taking in a word she was saying.

*** (Here's where the changing starts)

(I was moved from that care home because I kept getting in trouble. Even though I don't talk I can still throw a hard punch at anyone who annoys me, as they soon found out. The socials thought I might behave better at a normal care home. So after one and a halve weeks of ignoring counsellors and fighting with other freaks I'm now finally moved.)

She still thinks she can make me talk though. But she can't. No one can. Only I can decide whether I want to talk or not, and I don't. There's no point. Talking didn't save my mum or dad's life did it? Talking didn't stop our car crashing. Talking didn't stop my mum and dad being in a hurry, or drive to fast. And when I told them we were going to fast and that we were going to crash, they didn't listen. So what is the point of talking if not even your parents, in a matter of life and death will listen? No point.

The socials think I just don't talk or smile, they are right, I don't. What they don't know though, is that I don't have emotions any more. I think it's better that way, you don't get upset, angry, cross, sad, you're just there a thing in the background. The audience to a movie. Except the movie is your life, and you're not part of it.

I can remember that day though, that horrible day, the day of my 11th birthday.

It had been a cold, rainy, typical type of January day. The roads were slippery as there had been rain the night before and the water had frozen in some places on the road.

"Mum, where are we going?Please tell me!" I said for the thousandth time.

"No darling, it's a surprise. You like surprises, don't you? It would spoil the surprise if we told you now!" My mum had replied.

"Why don't we have a sing along, I've got some birthday songs here." Dad produced a tape, slotted it into the drive, pressed play and instantly, loud, familiar music blared out of our car speakers and I began singing along happily. I could wait a few more minutes, after all, it was my birthday!

"Happy birthday to me,

Happy birthday to me,

Happy birthday dear me-e,

Happy birthday to me"

Suddenly, I spotted something, "Dad, I think you should slow down. You're going really fast and there was a sign back there saying "Warning, Slow Down. Ice Ahead." Dad! Slow down!"

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm only doing sixty, the limit is seventy. In fact, now you mention it I think we should speed up a bit if we want to get to Leg- I mean if we want to get thereon time."

"No, dad, honestly I think you're going to fast. Please slow down!" I was starting to panic as my dad carried on speeding up. Past sixty-five ... Seventy ... Seventyfive … Eighty … Eighty five … Ninety.

"Nonsense, it'll be fine. Come on darling, let's do another song!" Mum chipped in on dad's side, "Ooh, I like this verse,"

"Happy birthday to you,

You live in a zoo,

You look like a monkey,

"And you smell like one t-"

"DAD, SLOW DOWN, LOOK, I CAN SEE ICE!"

"Mina, will you please stop shouting in the car! There is no da - " That was the terrifying moment the car skidded across the ice, sliding over into the next lane. Sliding straight into the path of a giant twelve wheeled lorry.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh" I screamed. The car had spun right around so we were facing the colossallorry as it sped quiclytowards us.

It's breakes screamed as it tried to stop, but it couldn't. I remember seeing my parents grab each other's hand and dad whispered something to mum, she nodded. The huge lorry was nearly upon us now and I squeezed my eyes tight shut, and waited for the collision.

I was going to die, I was sure of it. You know how some people say that when you know your at death's door you do not feel scared any more? You know your about to die so you just sit back and embrace it? Well, that's what I felt like then.

And then, suddenly, it happened.

CRASHHH.

I woke up in hospital two days after the accident. The first thing I asked was "Where are my mum and dad? Are they okay? When are they taking me on my birthday treat?" I can remember the look the nurse gave me as she started to tell me what happened.

"Your car crashed love. You hit a big lorry, and...I'm very sorry...but...your mum...and dad...th-they didn't make it. I'm really very sorry." She looked away, as if embarrassed.

I couldn't believe it, how could they be dead?

"What do you mean 'they didn't make it'? They can't be dead! They have to take me on my birthday treat. They can't be! They CAN'T BE I shouted, my voice growing louder with each word, "THEY CAN'T BE!"

I was so cross they'd gone and died. And on my birthday too. It wasn't fair. It was meant to be my birthday, a day of happiness, but then they went and died, leaving me on my own. And all of a sudden, I wanted to die too. It wasn't fair.

I wished it had been me who had died and not them because then they would be the ones who where worrying and feeling scared, not me.

I wished it had been me who had died and not them because then I would not have to live without seeing my parents ever again.

I wished it had been me who had died and not them because then I would not have to live with the fact that I could have saved them and I did not. I could have shouted louder, or protested more when dad started speeding. But I didn't and it is my foult they are dead. That is why it should have been me who died, not them.

And the secret of where we were going died with them.

And here I am now, in care. At Elm Tree House.

"Mina, why don't you go and meet the other kids, come on, I'll show you the way." Mike's voice snapped me out of my memories and back into the present time. Mike had started to walk away, clearly hoping I'd follow. I did. I might as well meet the other kids at this dump, mightn't I.

As I followed the Mike-man through a hallway I could hear shouting going on somewhere above my head. I ignored it and carried on walking.

"Here we are," Mike said opening a door, "This is the living room."

Suddenly, a girl of about my age jumped out of no-where.

"Hi, my name is Carmen. What is yours? Mike told us that you do not talk to anybody, is that true?" Without pausing for an answer, (I was not going to give her an answer anyway) she carried on, not noticing the look Mike was giving her, it plainly said 'Shut up and give her some space!'

"Why don't you talk? When did you stop talking? Oh and by the way, did I mention to you that my name is Carmen!" she said all these things at once leaving my head spinning. When she had finished talking I walked away not answering any of her questions. After all, I don't talk.

What I mean when I say I don't talk is I don't talk out loud. I say what I would have said if I talked, I just say it in my head. So, what I was saying in my head in answer to Carmen's questions was this.

"Hi, my name is Carmen. What is yours?"

Nice to meet you I'm Mina.

"Mike told us that you do not talk to anybody, is that true?"

Yes that's right, I do not talk.

"Why don't you talk?"

Because there is no point

"When did you stop talking?"

I stopped talking the day of my parents car crash, later in the hospital after I had found out what happened I realised that there was no point talking.

"Oh and by the way, did I mention to you that my name is Carmen!"

Yes you did.

But Carmen doesn't know what I said in my head so she just stared at me waiting for my answer. Then Mike spoke up.

"Erm, Carmen? She doesn't talk. She will not answer you,"

"Oh yeah! I get that now. Anyway , - "

She turned towards me and started speaking very slowly, like just because I do not talk means I can not understand speech.

" - This … Is … My … Best … Friend … Lily,"

A slightly taller girl came forward, she was dressed in purple from head to toe, like Carmen was dressed in pink. She was wearing a light purple alice band in her golden brown hair. On top of a sequinned dark purple t-shirt with the words 'Girls are awsome' printed, was a woollen, hand knitted, (well, it looked hand knitted) cardigan, purple of course! She had lilac skinny jeans on and purple Vans.

"Hello … Mina … Nice … To … Meet … You," She was also speaking slowly. It annoyed me. I haven't lost about fifty IQ points since I stopped talking. Even though they are most certainly not the only ones I have met who do that, in fact about fifty percent of the people I know have done it to me when they realised I didn't talk!

But Mike voiced my thoughts.

"Girls, you don't need to talk like that to her, even if she doesn't say anything back, she still understands plain English,"

"Oh, sorry Mike. We just thought since … you know,"

"It is not me who you need to apologise to, it's Mina."

The girls turned awkwardly round to face me.

"Sorry Mina," They chorused in unison.

Whatever.

I walked away from them and spotted a nother girl sitting on a sofa next to a telly which had some rubbish program on that looked a bit like Britains Got Talent but she wasn't watching it. She looked older than Lili and Carmen and she had blue streaks in her hair that looked amazing! She had seemed to be watching our little conversation with amusement but had made no effort to join in.

I walked over to her and sat down on the sofa, leaning backwards into the softness of the seat. But as soon as I had just got comfortable the girl who I thought had looked nice reached out her hands and gave me a violent shove off the sofa. Ouch, it hurt as I somersaulted off the sofa and landed with a bump on the floor.

Owww!

She sniggered.

"Weirdo!"

I looked around, sure that Mike would say something but he had gone.

So thats it chap 1! Please read and review, also i'm not sure yet if i should do a OC/Liam or OC/Johnny. Also, do you guys want short (500 Words or so) updates every day or a long one like this every week? its up to you! REVIEW YOUR CHOICE

i also need more characters

Name:

Age:

Gets along with:

Hates:

Looks like:

Personality:

Gender:

Likes:

Relationship:?

Why in care:

Thanks xxx Ronnie