Chapter One

Everyone was excited to meet the new girl. Mike had said she was a bit different, and possibly only staying for a few weeks.

So when the day arrived, everyone gathered in the living room, waiting to meet her.

Carmen and Tee hoped that they would be able to become friends with her, as she was their age. Ryan was hoping she was gullible, and he could use her just like the others to get his way.

So when she finally entered the living room with Mike, they were shocked.

"Everyone, this is Grace," Mike introduced, his hand on her shoulder. Grace had long black hair, tied back, and there was a long scar from the end of her right eyebrow to the left corner of her mouth, running across her nose. It wasn't pretty.

She wore a light purple jumper that was a little too big for her, hiding her hands and the belt that held her dark jeans up. The jeans swamped her feet, the toes of her trainers barely visible.

On her back was a black bag, its straps worn down and faded.

Her eyes, however, were bright green, her gaze hovering on Ryan, a small smile on her lips. His face remained emotionless, but his eyes betrayed his shock and fear of the girl standing before him.

"Her eyes…" Tee whispered, barely loud enough for anyone to hear, her tone slightly jealous. Carmen nodded in agreement, but the attitude was ignored by Grace.

Ryan stood up, his blue eyes on her green ones, and smiled, "Hello Scarface."

Grace laughed softly, her eyes sparking, "Hello Ryan. It has been a long time."

He drew her into a hug, holding her close. None of the other residents had seen such emotion from Ryan before, and it made them wonder whether Ryan had a true personality, of if he was a different person for different people.

Well whatever the truth was, they liked what they were seeing, and they hoped it would stick around.

When the two broke apart, Ryan offered to take Grace and show her where her room was. Mike agreed, shocked beyond words.

He had never seen Ryan in that light, one where he cared about someone other than his family. Ryan never even bothered with his sister, and now he seemed to be attached to an old friend.

Grace picked up the suitcase by the stairs, but Ryan took it from her, willingly carrying it. He didn't catch the glare she sent him, but he smiled knowingly.

"Why are you here?" Ryan asked quietly as they made their way up the stairs. Grace shook her head, indicating that she didn't want to talk about it.

Ryan sighed, and said something he thought he'd never say, "I'm sorry. It was my fault."

"I forgave you long ago. It was an accident," Grace murmured, and placed her hand on Ryan's, "I missed you."

"Yeah… I missed you too," Ryan responded, stopping outside a door. He placed a hand on it, and pushed it open, "This is your room."

"Thanks, Ryan," She said, slipping inside the room.

He placed the suitcase on the flood and tucked it under her bed, out the way. He knew she liked her things a certain way, and always had a full suitcase under her bed. He would never look in it, but he knew it was important to her.

"I'll leave you to unpack," He told her, walking out the room. He shut the door behind him, and paused a few moments, before walking away, frowning. He had to find out why she was in care.

Grace put her black bag on the made bed, and sat down. She opened the bag, and pulled out the two framed photos that were on the top.

The first photo was of herself, Ryan, her sisters and her father. Her brother had taken it when they had gone to the theme park, and her mother was in hospital at the time. She was only 10 at the time, but it was one of her favourite memories.

The second photo was more recent, and was of herself and her mother, sat on a bench watching her sisters play. Her father had taken it, and it was the only picture of her mother that she had.

She placed the pictures on her bedside table, and took her clothes out her bag. She placed them in the drawers by the door. The last three things in her bag were the most important things.

She had her money that her father gave to her, her fluffy teddy bear blanket, and her teddy bear.

She could never sleep without her teddy bear. It was small and easily hidden, which meant she could hide it from the dog when he was looking for a toy to destroy. Of course, it was always cute to see the dog cuddled up with the teddy, but she never gave it too long before he would start chewing it.

She was given her blanket on her first birthday, and it was her comfort blanket, which meant whenever she was ill, she had it wrapped around her like a cloak.

She stuffed the old bag under her bed and pulled the suitcase out. She wouldn't unpack much, just her pens, pads and photo album. She couldn't live without her writing stuff; they were very important to her and they told the stories she couldn't put into full sentences.

She put the writing equipment on the desk by the door, and put the photo album in the drawer in her bedside table.

She looked around the room and smiled. It was a plain room, with a simple bed, a lightly coloured, wooden chest of drawers with wardrobe to match, and a basic desk and chair, probably for homework.

Grace nodded, happy with the situation, and left the room with the plan to make a few friends. She knew what Ryan was like and didn't want them to think the same of her, so she was going to try and prove their probable speculations wrong.