Thanks to MY, the first reviewer for this story! Now, I will cut the crap and go on with the story!

Chap 2- Casualty #1

Tala turned his gaze upon the girl Ian was dashing towards, she was taller than Ian, and looked like she just walked out of a concentration camp.

Her hair, the same color as Ian's, was hanging in a untidy streak over her shoulder, waving in sharp angles at random spots, she had velvet gray eyes, carrying an old suitcase, and wearing an unfashionable button-up shirt that was too big for her. There was an absentminded look in her eyes, and she didn't even notice Ian until he flashed that obnoxious grin of his in her face and took her by the arm.

'Hey couz! So glad to see you...well, sorry but...I'm having a few technical difficulties with my fosters, so, here's the guy you're going to be staying with, for a short while at least! Worry not, he's a total Mr. Nice-dude.' Ian smirked at Tala and nudged him, 'aren't you, BUDDY?'

'Yeah.' Tala said and slapped Ian's shoulder in a friendly way, almost dislocating it, 'ni-ce...'

The two stared at Ian's cousin, she was looking up, at a broken skylight on the roof of the airport, and didn't seem to hear a word anyone said.

'Uh, yo? Cloris?' Ian raised an eyebrow, and tapped the girl on the shoulder gingerly.

'Yes?' Cloris turned and faced the two boys for the first time. 'Hello Ian, hello...'

'Tala.' Ian offered.

'Tala.' Cloris smiled weakly.

'Right, hi to you too, come on, don't have all day you know.' Tala shot Ian a dark look and walked off, Ian grabbed Cloris and followed, replying with a sheepish smile.

'I think,' Tala hissed under his breath as he passed Ian, 'that you failed to mention that she had concentration issues!'

'Hey, hold on okay?' Ian piped, defending his cousin, 'she's a nice kid, give her a chance okay?'

'I have a feeling you'd be asking me for a second one soon.' Tala growled before walking ahead. Ian patted Cloris on the back.

'Don't mind him, he's alright, really...I hope...'

Tala dropped Ian off at his house, and proceeded on to delivering Cloris and himself to Spencer's apartment, no body said anything in the car, Cloris didn't seem to mind the silence, but Tala did.

'I really don't see you and Ian as cousins.' Tala said, 'he doesn't know the meaning of the word "quiet".' Tala said and looked in the rear view mirror to check on the girl sitting in the back seat, she was looking directly at him, and suddenly, to his surprise, was smiling.

'Snowing, it's snowing a flood, snowflakes falling over blood...' The lavender-hair girl hummed, and sang quietly in a somewhat airy voice, then laughed to herself, a tinkly laugh, like Christmas bells.

Tala stared ahead at the road in shock, I'm going to tear that scheming little head off your shoulder Ian, he thought, you never told me that your cousin was COMPLETELY INSANE!

The car stopped in front of the apartment, and for a moment Tala wondered if he should bring the girl in at all, for all he knew, she could be homicidal.

'Wait here.' Tala told Cloris and stepped out of the car, locking the door, I have to talk to Spencer and Brian, he decided.

'Aren't you short of a girl?' Brian remarked as Tala entered the apartment room, 'thought you were gonna pick her up.'

'She's here, she's in the car, but she's...'

'Hey, Tala, look at this,' Spencer called before Tala could finish, and held a newspaper to his face, 'one of the workers fixing the bey- stadium in the Abbey went missing last night, they found him in the north wing this morning, with massive internal injuries, they shipped him to the hospital but he died on the way.'

Tala skimmed over the article, interested at once. The Abbey was being renovated into a training facility by the BBA since Biovolt went out of business, the death of the worker didn't seem to be an accident.

'Police said it looked like he got those injuries from being flung up against an wall, but the autopsy's not finished yet, weird, what do you think?' Spencer said, brushing his blond hair back with his hand.

'Flung up against a wall?' Tala asked, somehow he couldn't picture someone strong enough to do that. Brian observed him for a minute.

'Hey Tala, I thought you said you left the girl in the car.'

Tala whacked himself mentally.

Shit.

He found her lying on her back on the roof of his car, hands folded across her stomach, just looking up at the sky. At least she didn't destroy anything...Tala thought, but the far-off look on her face was freaky enough.

'What are you doing?' He couldn't help asking, and for the first time she turned her head and answered.

'Waiting.'

'I'm here now, come on.'

'I'm waiting for lots of things.'

'Well one of them is here now.' Tala was getting impatient from her twisted philosophy, 'so get up, follow me.' Tala ordered, and took her suitcase for her while Cloris jumped down lightly, and followed him.

'It's high.' Cloris said, looking up at the dials on the elevator. 'Twelve, twelve stories.'

'It's a city, get used to it.' Tala said, and hustled her out when they reached their floor. 'Now, just don't do anything funny when you meet Brian and Spencer, then you'll get along fine.'

'What about you?' Cloris asked, brushing a lock of pale lavender hair out of her eyes.

'What about me?'

'Can I be funny around you?'

Tala stopped and gave her an "you-gotta-be-kidding" look before continuing to walk to the apartment.

'Don't try.' He told her.

Spencer was the first to hold out his hand, out of sheer manners.

'Hello, I'm Spencer.'

Cloris looked down at his hand for a moment.

'I'm...Cloris.' She said, and looked up at him, Spencer looked confused.

'That's Brian.' Tala pointed and chucked Cloris' suitcase at Bryan, who caught it daftly with a cuss word.

'He's antisocial.' Tala explained, Bryan set the suitcase down and snarled.

'Yeah? More antisocial than her?'

Cloris paused, and began to smile, like a demented Mona Lisa. Tala stared, oh, no...

'I will give my love an apple without any core...' Cloris waltzed lightly into the apartment, humming the haunting old English melody, while the three boys gawked after her in shock.

'Hate to say this, but, get used to it guys.' Tala muttered and pushed his way into the apartment between the other two boys, who were still stuck in a state of shock.

'You were right...' Spencer told Brian when he finally snapped out of it.

'I never thought I'd see the day.' Brian admitted.

Cloris picked up the newspaper, the Abbey..something clicked in her mind, she shook it off, and went on singing softly.

'Lock up all sharp objects.' Tala whispered to Spencer.

Hehe.so, what do u think of the OC? I know it's not your usual Mary Sue..but hey, so sue me..