Hey, Demon Kairos here bringing you "Wild Rose" this fic is pretty much my life story with the Outsiders in it and I was encouraged to write it by my bestest ever friend, Rosa. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the angsty intro to the world of Elli McDermott (not my real name…but close).

Disclaimer: Outsiders characters are not mine, they belong to SE Hinton. However, Elli does belong to me.

Elli shoved open her bedroom window and climbed out of it onto the roof, clutching the backpack that held the few clothes and $50 she had managed to grab while her parents had been beating eachother to death. Tears and blood streaming down her pale, elven-like face she carefully walked to the edge of the roof and made her way towards the drainpipe, not really caring if she fell and died, It's gotta be better than this, she thought forlornly. As she reached the pipe and began climbing down it carefully, her cheek brushed the cold metal and pain flooded into her bloody and bruised face she remembered how her dads fist had pummelled her, not caring whether she lived or died, Who would, with a daughter like me, she thought bitterly, letting go of the pipe and dropping the few feet to the ground.

She gathered her bag, which had dropped from her arm and landed a few feet away and hurried off down the unfamiliar streets of Tulsa. She had only recently moved here from Adelaide, all the way across the world in South Australia, the home she yearned for, but no, she was here, Tulsa, Okalahoma. Her parents had decided that a change of scenery would be just the thing to revive their love for each other, Fat lot of good that did, they thought the same thing when we moved from Dublin, but they still hated eachother in Adelaide and they'll still hate eachother here! , her angry thoughts ran through her pounding head and it occurred to her she had no where to go. She had no friends in Tulsa; she hadn't even started school here yet. With this grim thought she trudged on through the deserted streets, moving from one pool of harsh light from the streetlights to the next, wondering where the hell she would end up.

Sodapop hurried through the streets to get home, he knew he shouldn't have stopped in the park, he was so tired that day he was BOUND to fall asleep, Why don't I ever listen to me? Stupid me…Darry'll be worried sick! He'll kill me…and Ponyboy, jeez he'll reckon the Socs got me! Fuck. And with that he quickened his pace a little more. He continued on his way home for about five minutes before he heard a sound. Soda stopped and looked around, there was no one. But the sound continued, a choked sobbing, interrupted by harsh, shallow breathing, like the person was running and trying to breathe at the same time. He looked around, but there was nothing and no one there…then he saw her. A young girl of about 15 was walking behind him, her head down, raven locks hanging limply around her face, which was hard to see in the dim light. She was short, struggling to get to 5 ft, probably around 4"8'-ish and she wore worn jeans and a faded blue "Millencolin" T-shirt with numerous bracelets and wrist cuffs, and on her feet were chunky black docs. This girl was no Soc, and she looked like she needed help…bad. Soda's mind was having a battle with itself, Dude, you gotta get home, Darry and Pony will be thinking something real bad has happened to yah! Yeah, but what does it matter if you help her? She needs it and you're already late, what does it matter if you're a few more minutes late. His conscience won out.

Soda turned and walked up to her. "Excuse me-", he started and she looked up, startled. A horrid sight met his eyes, the girl's delicate and beautiful face was bruised, battered and bleeding. She looked like some Socs had got into her bad. "SHIT! Are you ok?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine…" she muttered, in a strange sounding voice, turning away.

"What happened to you, girl?" Soda breathed, still in shock at the state of her.

"Nothing…just…a run in with, um, some…uh…"

"Don't lie. You're bad at it" Soda said gently with a soft grin.

The girl looked torn, half like she wanted to say what had happened, half like she wanted to run away from this strange guy. She bit into her swollen, bleeding lip gingerly as she contemplated what to do. Slowly and quietly she whispered in a soft lilting voice "Da decided I was too much trouble and thought he'd get rid of me…Ma too."

Soda was shocked. He had seen the damage angry parents could do, hell look at Johnny, but this…this was brutal. Her dad (well that's what he supposed "Da" was) had really tried to kill her. "Do you have anywhere to go?" he asked softly. The girl shook her head and tears welled up in her big, beautiful eyes that were the colour of the ocean. "Right, well you'll have to come with me then." he said resolutely. For some reason he felt a strong need to protect and help this girl.

He took her arm and began to lead her towards his home. "What's your name?" he heard the girl whisper, barely loud enough for Soda to hear.

"Sodapop, and yours?" he replied softly.

"Elli, Elli McDermott."

Soon they were standing outside a shabby old house in a rough part of the neighbourhood. Two people stood on the front porch, one a burly, dark haired man in his early 20s, the other a young teenage boy with strawberry blond-ish hair and a worried expression on his small face.

"SODA! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN YOU LITTLE BASTARD, WE'VE BEEN WORRIED AS ALL HELL!" thundered the man.

"HEY! Darry, cool it. I fell asleep on a bench in the park, then I found Elli. I KNOW I should have come straight home after work, but if I had, she would be wandering through Tulsa all on her own!"

With this the man seemed to calm down and both he and the younger boy noticed Elli for the first time, so absorbed they had been in making sure their brother was ok. As Soda explained the night's events to his brothers, Elli stood there feeling awkward and intrusive. She didn't feel as though she belonged here, and they had no reason to help her. But as Soda finished talking the expression on Darry's face had gone from one of anger and worry to sympathy and caring. He nodded and Soda turned to Elli smiling, earning a small smile of gratitude in return from the bedraggled girl.

As the younger boy, who Soda said was called Ponyboy, made the couch suitable as a bed for her, Elli looked around the room she was in and marvelled. Here was a family much worse off financially than hers, but they loved and cared for eachother and treated eachother like they mattered…something that had never happened to her in all her 16 years. "Thankyou" she said softly to all of them with a small smile as they bade her a goodnight.

"Hey, don't sweat it. We all know what it's like to need help." smiled Ponyboy, "Hope you're face don't hurt to much tomorrow."

Well there's the first chapter of "Wild Rose" by your friendly dictator Demon Kairos. Please review and let me know what you think of my life story with the Outsiders added to it XD