"It's THAT late already?!"
A figure, dressed in a long, brightly coloured coat, hurried down the main staircase of Bird's Nest, scrambling to keep hold of the thick pile of sketches stuff under one arm.

It was supposed to be breakfast time, or rather breakfast should have started five minutes ago, but Miss Knight has gotten a little distracted with her painting in the attic and had overlooked the time. It was not exaclty the best day for it to happen, considering they were greeting so many new arrivals that morning...but well she supposed they might have to get used to things being a little chaotic round the place.

Bird's Nest was a handsome place, an old mansion house that dated back to the eighteen-hundreds. It had bene in quite a state when she and Lakesha had bought it a couple of years before, but the work has rteally paid off. It was reasonably small for a foster home, so hopefully they would be able to keep track of all that were there. Everyone had thier own room, and the option to decorate it as they wished, within reason of course. There was also the communal lounge where the television, games console and precariosu stacks of DVDs sat, the dining room and kitchen, and a large area of grounds surrounding the place. Indeed it was quite an idyllic setting...well if this were going to be difficult, they might as well take place somewhere serene.

Fenix skidded into the dining room, setting her sketches down on the table. Thankfully the cook they'd hired seemed to have been hard at wokr, and a decent selection of food was left on the table to one side. Carefully, the woman moved the plates onto the large table at the centre. It was one of the rules of the house that, exclusding special circumstances approved by her and Lakesha, the residents all ate together. It was so they would communicate and be forced to interact with one anothe,r even if it was just in asking someone to pass the bread rolls.

Having set the food down, she still wans't sure everythign was right. After a moment's pondering, Fenix wandered over to the large french windows at the end of the room, slipping it open and pulling up a few flowers from the beds on the side of the building. She took a vase from a nearby shelt and stuffed the flowers in, putting the down on the centre of the table, before stepping back to admore her handywork.

"There we go.." she muttered.
"Now we just wait for the kids to pull thmselves out of bed."

"It's THAT late already?!"

The shout pulled Mickey out of her code-breaking roll. She wasn't that annoyed. After four years, she had gotten completely used to Fenix and her "bubble-painting" as Michaline called it. Fenix would get so absorbed in her painting, she would sometimes forget to sleep. Mickey felt almost drawn to her, since she would do the same thing in her hacking. She shut her laptop, and walked downstairs. "Stay up all night again, Fenix? You know, with as much as we both do that, we should start spending the night together." Mickey grinned slightly as she pulled a bottle of orange juice out of the fridge. "We've got the newbies comming in today, right? How many we getting?"

Damien slowly woke up, glanced at the clock on the nightstand, groaned, and rolled out of bed. Litteraly. A loud thump was heard below as he hit the floor. "Ouch..." He groggily got up and pulled on a pair of jeans. He then made his way lazily downstairs. "Hey Mic...hey Fee. What's for breakfast?"

"But that's my job," Lakesha said, stepping over to Fenix cheerfully, kissing her on the cheek. "I'm gonna go make sure some of the more reluctant ones make an appearance. See you in five." Lakesha headed upstairs. Whenever new people came there was always the slight issue they might have with Lakesha and Fenix's relationship, and so Lakesha, across the board, never let their visible relationship get further than a kiss on the cheek.

Wanda had locked her door, or attempted to with a chair. Lakesha opened the door rather easily, and smiled at Wanda. "I won't make you eat too much," Lakesha said to the emaciated brunette. "Just come down and have some toast, ok?" Lakesha offered her hand.

Wanda nodded a little, and took it.

Lakesha peered in at Priya, who was having difficulty. She was trying to was her hands and gloves, but didn't want to touch the sink without her gloves. Lakesha turned the faucet on and off for her, then brought Wanda downstairs.

"I was successful!" Lakesha said, presenting Wanda.

Wanda's lips twitched towards a smile.

A new day, a new place, and a new face for the framework of the Big Nurse; the lad in the back of the taxi almost smiled, but the image he was aiming to put across was too well constructed for that to happen. As far as the driver was concerned, the boy he was transporting was No Trouble (despite all of the nasty lies he had been told by the people who had handed the boy into his care), sitting quiet and dejected with his head resting against the window. A trouble maker by reputation, they had said, but this boy looked just shy of miserable and painfully thin, responding with a guarded hope to kindness in a manner that suggested he was unfamiliar with it. Obviously, he had been treated unfairly by the previous institution.

It was a long drive; Max had planned out the route on his computer in advance, which really was perfect for what he had in mind. After just over an hour, he started to shuffle in his seat every time the cabbie looked back at him (careful to be looking down at his knees every time). Precisely thirty two minutes later (they were a little bit behind because of the traffic, but only by a fraction), he finally spoke up.

“...um...” There was a great deal of anxious embarrassment in his voice. “Could- do, um, you think I could go to the bathroom?” He knew the instant that the words had left his mouth that the man was snared, and had to restrain another little smile at the sight.

“Well, I’m not really supposed to-”

“Oh, don’t worry about it then.” Perfect response, perfect timing and false tears beginning to creep in; the cabbie stood no chance. True, he’d already had the man, ‘supposed’ confirmed it, but it was always good to make these things secure. He turned his head a fraction to the side and stared at his right knee, shoulders hunched and tensed.

The sound of an indicator confirmed his victory before the man in the front seat spoke, already pulling into a conveniently placed petrol station. “It’s all right, kid; not something you can help.”

Combining the embarrassment of the cabbie and the fact that petrol station toilets almost certainly consisted of a single cubical when the place was this small, Max had already guaranteed himself a moment of privacy, which was really all he needed. He was pleased to note that the man didn’t hold his arm or frogmarch him over to the toilet like a flight-risk (though he had factored in a little time just in case the man was that way inclined), and the second the door was closed behind him a wicked smirk spread across Max’s face. That, in short, was far too easy.

One again looking at his watch, Max made sure to actually use the toilet before moving onto the next stage of his plan (never knew when someone had their ear pressed up against the door), but didn’t flush; that needed to wait a second. He nudged the sanitary bin aside with his foot, grinning when he found a bag tucked behind it. He checked what was inside, confirming it was for him, before stuffing it into his satchel and flushing the chain. Max then proceeded to wash his hands, and dried them on his trousers while turning to face the dryer. He activated it with his elbow, reaching into his free hand to pull out his phone.

Good timing, Old Ho. Goods collected. Heading for Cuckoo’s nest now. If don’t hear from me by tomorrow latest, they’ve taken my phone: call child services. M

Text sent and phone back in his pocket where it belonged, Max removed his elbow, hoisted a pathetically relieved look onto his face, and exited the bathroom.


The rest of the drive passed in silence, with Max resting his head against his hood against the window, eyes closed. His persona demanded it, but as did the fact that he was feeling faintly sick and shaky; by the time they finally pulled up, Max had never been so happy to see dry land. He kept his satchel close to his side as he shuffled out of the door, not wanting it to clink suggestively as he swayed into finding his balance, and didn’t reject the cabbie’s hand on his arm.

“All right?”

“Yeah.” Max offered the man a (somewhat honest) smile, and was pleased the note that he was already carrying Max’s suitcase. “Could you- do you mind-?” He gestured to the bag and then the door.

“Of course; don’t worry about it.” The hand on his arm never left, gently guiding him towards his new hunting ground; if Max hadn’t been feeling quite so off he would have cackled appropriately.

Abandon hope all ye who have me enter here, he thought to himself as the cabbie rang the bell.

Fenix reached back, rubbing the back of her own head and smiling sheepishly.
"Well I wasn't up /all/ night. I did get some sleep at one point, but well...when you really get into something you tend to just forget about things....like sleep." she replied, before scurrying over to the table.

"Right, well, since it's the first day for quite a few of the newbies, I asked the cook to come along a bit early the morning to make something nice, so there's lots of food out, pick whatever you fancy, leave some for the others though...not sure how long it's going to take Lakesha to extract some of them from their beds."

She poured out a cup of mint tea from a flask left on the table. Fenix was very much a drinker of herbal tea....her parents were a pair of new age hippies, and old habits die hard. Well, who other thna a pair of hippies would have named thier daughter Fenix? She leaned back agaisnt one of the tables, taking a sip and watching the door.

She gave a wave as Lakesha returned with one of errant kids.
"Good going! You caught one!" she called.
"Morning Wanda, you going to be eating something this morning?"

(Just about to change my charactdr time in the home to last night, meaning that he arrived yesterday and therefore is allready there lol)

Ali sat up slowly a hand rubbing his head softly what had happened last night? He could remember being in the hospital due to his recent suicide attepmt they must have drugged him while he was asleep. His suitcase was still in the room with him but by the looks of it hadn't been touched. He hated people touching his things, he had to be organised so he knew where everything was. Throwing off the covers he loked around for a watch or clock so he could find out what time it was, he checked his jeans pockets and then his wrist that were still covered in white bandages obviously his watch wouldn't be there. He would have to find out himself, he swallowed hard and slowly stepped out of the warm bed grabbing a paper bag out of his suitcase and slipped it into his jean pocket, hopeflly he wouldn't need it but of course that depended.

Walking slowly down the corridor and entering a dining room area seeing a few people he spoke keeping his eyes on the floor "Would someone mind telling me where i am and what time it is please?" he asked his feet shuffling together nervously.

Mickey eyed the boy, and then spoke. "You're at Bird's Nest. And it's currently..." She checked her watch, putting down her juice, "9:24 in the A.M. You're the new guy they brought in yesterday. Dude, lighten up. You're as pale as a ghost. No one's going to eat you. Well, Lakesha might try, but Fenix won't let her succeed, that's for sure. No need for all the nervousness. You'll fit rit in soon enough, so long as you never lay a hand on my laptop." She waved her arm where the silver HP G62 was tucked safely under her arm. She then turned back to Fenix and Lakesha. "Well, ladies, I am going to be in the sitting room, if you guys need help with any of the newbies later. Cha." She then sidestepped the new kid in the door and made her way to the sitting room for a little privacy. While Lakesha, Fenix, and damien knew what she was up to, she didn't want any of the new kids getting any ideas before she knew any of them.

Damien snickered at his sister's comment, then turned to face the boy. "That's my twin, Michaline. I'm Damien. And what she said is true, no one will eat you, but she'll sure as one day hell will freeze over that she'll tear your head off if you ever touch her computer." He then took a bite out of a peice of toast and after swallowing, said, "Welcome to Bird's Nest. Trust me, it's not as bad as it looks. Me and Mic have been here for four years. Fee and Lake grow on you after a while, so long as you comply to their rules." He grinned.

Fenix swung round, looking over at the young man who had just entred the room. She reached over and grabbed hold of a clipboard lying on top of her pile of sketches, glancing down the list of names.
"Good morning! You must be...er...Ali, right?" she asked.

"I'm Fenix, Fenix Knight, I'm co-owner of this place, Bird's Nest. It's great to meet you." she stated, waving a little with one hand.
"Well, if you want any breakfast it's all set out ready, though one thing we kinda ask is that we keep eating in the dining room, so people just don't, like, grab food and then disappear up to their rooms. Help yourself anyway." she added.

Ten minutes later, Max and his cabbie were still standing outside the front door, an atmosphere of awkwardness spreading between them. Max had been expecting a great many things when they had told him he was being transferred to this home, but not being let in had most certainly not been one of them. It was rather insulting, to say the least; did they not even realise that he was waiting outside, ringing the doorbell? It certainly boded well for his future care.

“Maybe the bell’s broken?” the cabbie asked, clearly feeling rather uncertain by this point; trepidation was clear in his posture, and the little glances he kept sneaking at Max suggested that he was thinking of taking him back home again. Max wanted that, he wanted it very much, actually, but he knew better than to push his luck. There was no way he was escaping this one, but the general lack of attention might just be the blessing he was hoping for.

“Dunno...” He gave the door an experimental kick, just to see if that would work better at drawing attention to his presence, as the cabbie rang the bell again. “I’m sure I can hear it ringing in there... and they know I’m coming, don’t they?”

The older man nodded, leaning on the bell yet again, and knocking just in case someone had missed it. “That they do, kid. I was given instructions to make sure you got in at this end, and I’m glad I did now.” He shook his head, muttering about leaving vulnerable children outside in strange places; Max nearly grinned.

“At least it’s not raining?” Max offered with no real feeling, trying to dissuade himself from getting one of the little gifts from Old Ho out of his bag and putting it to good use on the doorframe. “Or snowing. It could have been snowing.”

“Not the point, kid,” irritation was loosening the cabbie’s tongue, making Max wish that the man could have stuck around; he was beginning to seem useful. “But maybe they’re just busy right now. We’ll wait a few more minutes and see what happens, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll give your last place a ring. They should know what to do about this sort of thing.”

“If they don’t answer, can I go back and sit in your car?” Max couldn’t really say that standing on the doorstep like a beggar was doing much for him, and he’d far rather spend his time dozing in the back of a cab than lurking around outside.

The cabbie nodded, already reaching for his mobile phone. “Yeah, kid. Five more minutes and we’ll both go back to the car, okay?”

Ali backed of as Mickey spoke to him and then pushed past him, his breathing quickened then slowed then the other person in the room spoke he gave a light smiled and mumbled " Thankyou" He also looked over to te Fenix who introduced himself he nodded "Yes i'm Ali" he mumbled again he awkwardly walked around her and walked over to a selection of cereals and grabbed a bowl pouring some Lucky charms he added some mil to the bowl and placed it on the table pouring himself some water from the jug on the table. Finally sitting down he rubbed his arms as he looked around the room before he started eating.

(double post )

Fenix was about to say something when she suddenly whipped round.
"Ah! The doorbell!" she exclaimed.
She had heard it some minutes before, but with all the had been happening she'd put it to the back of her mind, convinced in am moment that she'd be free and would go answer it.

She bolted out of the dining room and hurried along to the door, pulling it open as she tried to balance her clipboard and brush her hair out of her face at the same time, she regarded the young man sheepishly for a moment before tunring to business.
"Oh, I'm ever so sorry!" she exclaimed, trying to hold the door with her shoulder as she tried to re-arrange the other of the items she was holding.
"It's all a little...agh..chaotic right now...for some reason they seem to have sent us a load of new arrivals all at once! Please, do come in! I'm Miss Knight, though everyone ends up alling me Fenix eventually."

Ali jumped at Fenix shouted spilling Orange juice down himself. Grabbing a napkin he dabbed at his black shirt till the spillage dried, he wished he wasnt so jumpy all the time but he supposed that on he was responsible for that since he was always trying to be aware of what people though about him and how they were going to act towards him. Ali breathed in and out quickly but stared at the floor to try and calm his irrational thoughts.

The cabbie, who was actually called Steven and didn’t much appreciate being looked over as if he was invisible, was rather unimpressed when the door finally opened to reveal a decidedly scattered looking woman. Maybe he was old fashioned, but he didn’t think that the director of a children’s home should behave quite so... liberally. He blinked at the woman, who looked decidedly disorganised, and cleared his throat.

“Hello there Miss,” he said when it became apparent that his young charge wasn’t going to speak; the boy looked rather shocked, not that Steven actually blamed the poor lad. He s tuck his hand out for her to shake, looking as imposing as an ageing cabby could, which was to say: very. “I’ve been helping Mr Maxey here find his way, and have a letter or two for you to take a look at.”

He didn’t really feel particularly comfortable handing the boy over to this woman, but he had been given his instructions and, sadly, he was just a cabbie. It stung though; his own son was little older than the child standing moodily beside him. With a sigh, he extracted the bundle and offered it up. “There we go.”

Looking at the lad again, he smiled. “Would you like some help with your things?” It was an excuse, and a rather obvious one at that, to give a little more support before he was forced to leave the kid alone in his new residence.

Max was decidedly unimpressed with the woman that had opened the door, and as such decided not to talk to her until he absolutely had to. If this was the face of the Big Nurse, then production had clearly taken budget cuts. He was rather glad when his pet cabbie spoke for him; he quite liked the man and would have kept him if he could. It was always useful to have someone around that felt sorry for you in a quiet, not pitying way.

“Yeah, some help would be nice, actually,” he said at length, a quiet part of him curious as to what the Big Nurse would say to that. “And can you get Simon out of the car for me, please?”

Jason didn't get a cab. He was being driven over by an escort from the "mental ward" where he had been staying before.

"This will be a better fit for you," said the director there.

A "better fit"? What was that supposed to mean? He wasn't trying on clothes here.

The driver hadn't talked to him the entire way over. Jason didn't exactly mind that. He wasn't really in the mood for conversation. He was a bit too preoccupied with his thoughts. It had been a miserable experience the past few years, in and out of hospitals because his father was dead and his stepmother wanted nothing to do with him, an out-of-control "problem child". Bird's Nest. What a weird name. Was this supposed to be a place where, like a baby bird, he was nurtured and welcomed? Jason wasn't sure if that was what he wanted. Yeah, once he had longed for friends, but now, with normalcy so far gone out of his life, he wasn't sure anymore.

The ride over did not take very long, and just as Jason arrived, he saw the door open and close, and a boy about his age entered. Jason was a little scared, if he was to be honest with himself. This was a "home for difficult youth", and aside from the occasional episode, Jason considered himself to be a nice guy and not all that "difficult". He wondered if the people there would be really crazy. How bad was "difficult", exactly? Was it just a few spazzy misbehaving kids, or were there actual psychopaths in there? He wondered if he'd meet anyone with a really cool condition, something that made them act really weird. He shook away the perverse thought.

Jason thanked the driver as she walked him to the door of the place, an old manor. She merely nodded. Noticing a doorbell, Jason rung it. Almost immediately, the door opened.

"Well I'm considering it," Wanda said.

"You promised me some toast at the least," Lakesha said. "It doesn't bite, you do." Wanda sat down at the table, clearly rather anxious. She fidgeted and twitched.

Lakesha looked around at Fenix. "Priya will be down in a bit, just got her sped up a bit." When Fenix noticed the doorbell, Lakesha went over as well. "I'm Lakesha. So what is Simon?" Lakesha especially liked animals... she had a cat and a dog growing up, but they were long gone.

Daimen watched as Ali spilled his orange juice on himself. He smiled slightly. "Heh, you remind me of myself when I first came here. Sometimes, I'm still that way i suppose. I'm bipolar, you see." He nodded at Ali. "So...got any hobbies, any intrests? Anyone with any computer skill imeadiately gets attacked and questioned by my sister. She's a...well, the best word for it is hacker, I suppose. She shut down the whole New York subway system when she was ten."

Michaline's nose was buried in her computer, coding away, so that she didn't notice all of the new people coming in. She was currently hacking her way through the local libraries. She had to be careful and cover her tracks, so that she didn't get caught agian. She never did anything big, like a bank or anything, usualy just people's personal computers, and stuff like that. Things that people would think were the work of a virus, not a hacker.

Jet found himself in the limo he'd slept in last night. His brother could not take care of him, as much as he loved Jet, and sent him to the Foster Homes. Maria and Aaron, his parents, had died in a car crash three days ago, and Jet could not even go to their funerals. He was fearful of dead things. The only funeral he went to he had an anxiety attack. So they tested him, and he had a phobia of dead things. Phobias just ran in the family. His brother had a phobia of walking, and his mother had a phobia of homosexuality. It was bound to happen. The driver drove him to the foster home, and he got out with his bags. He dropped them in the front hall where he stood.

Ali smiled back at Daimen and shrugged " I don't really have any, im into music and video games so i suppose im pretty much nomal on that front. Bipolar the head thing right?" He asked taking another spoonful of cereal. He was curious but he realised that what he said must have seemed rude "Not that im meaning to offened you in anyway of course" he added hastily. more or less as an after thought. he should really plan what he is going to say first instead of blurting out things that how the trouble started.

Damien laughed outright. "None taken man. bipolar...I suppose you could call it mood swings. One minuet, I could be all happy, and just fine, and then the next, I can get seriously depressed or really angry. I don't have very good control over it, and it doesn't help matters that I refuse medication. Somehow, I've convinced myself that i can handle it, and I really can't. Oh well. It's not like it matters. Fee and Lake are used to me now."

Katie was awoken by all the commotion downstairs. She groaned as she sat up, her head thumping from a lack of sleep. Eventually, she managed to pull herself off of the bed and shoved on some clothes. She quickly put on her make-up and attempted to do something with her hair, eventually deciding to just plait it into a long braid.

She had arrived at the "birds nest" about three months ago, and had hated it at first. It was so much different to her previous life and she missed her brother terribly. Now, she had got quite used to it, but she still avoided Felix and Lakesha as they had both read her file, and she didn't want to know what they thought of her.

It was only as she heard new voices downstairs that she remembered the new people that were supposed to be arriving. Admittedly, she was a bit scared of meeting them, the "birds nest" was a place for trouble kids, she had been sent due to her past, but she wasn't much trouble. So, a bunch of trouble kids were about to walk into her new home, it wasn't the most settling thought...Well, at-least she could hold her own in a fight, especially when fists weren't the only thing involved.

Katie pulled her door to and walked down the stairs, putting on her confidant face. She walked into the dining room and saw a few people already in there. She had walked in on a conversation between Damien and the kid that arrived last night, it seemed to be about Damien's bipolar. "Hey, didn't you arrive last night?" she asked the new guy. "I'm Katie" She flashed a grin at them both and started to butter some toast, pausing as she noticed Wanda sat at the table. She gave her a smile and sat down next to her. She quickly congratulated herself on her entrance, she had seemed cool and confidant, the total opposite of what she felt on the inside.

Ali nodded a spoke " Medication sucks either way, mine does help but it's just the effort of actually taking them gets me. Although it is certain days depending how i feel really" He paused as a girl walked in introducing herself as Katie "Nice to meet you i'm Ali and yeah i came last night can't really remember much about it though" he admitted with a shrug as he ate.

'Dear Bel,
I'm in London sweetie! Weather is absolutely fantastic and the shoot is coming along well. Terry says that it's going to be great for my exposure, and with the film role on the way soon, things are going to be pretty busy. You probably won't hear from me for a whole.
I've sent you a new jacket. It's Vivienne Westwood, I know you'll like it.
Ciao Darling!
Fleur'

The note was written of some decorated paper in a pink envelope, slipped into the top of a box with a folded jacket on the inside.

The young woman slipped the jacket out of its paper wrapping, trying to avoid tearing off any of the safety pins of ribbons attached and slipping it over her shoulders before heading for the door. It wasd before breakfast, and Belail Fleetwood had already combed her hair, donned her make-up, and was ready to face the world. New intake was arriving and had to make the best possible impression if she wanted them all in the palm of her hand by the end of the week.

Bel had only been around for a week, and as a result was keeping everything fairly low profile to avoid suspicion. After what had happened at the last place she couldn't afford to act up. Of course, no-one had been able to prove she'd had anything to do with that girl killing herself, and she maintained that the clainms she was were all a vicious rumor...she found it hard to gauge how much people beleived her. Well, she'd get there eventually.

Stifling a yawn, Bel hurried downstairs and stepped into the dining room, putting on the best and most cheery perosna she could manage at such an hour.
"Good morning!" She exclaimed.
"Good morning everyone!"

Wanda waved at Katie. She buttered some toast, and stared at it, shifting it from hand to hand.

Damien eyed Bel as she walked in the door being all cheery. She was the person Damien liked the least. There was something...off about her. But, he kept his head down and his mouth shut. "Hey Wanda, that's no way to eat toast. Your hands won't eat it for you, just saying." He then turned back to Ali. "I'd be careful about Belial, she's...odd, if you get my drift. I don't like her. Then again, i don't like people in general. You and my sister being the exceptions, besides Fenix and Lakesha."

Mickey shut her computer, and returned to the kitchen, pushing past Belial on her way. "Whoa, watch it Bells, don't stand in the doorway, you'll get mowed over." She spoke indiferently towards the girl as she made a beeline for the fridge. She sat down next to her twin, ruffling his bed hair as she did. "So, I see you made a new friend. Way to go."

With a smirk, Damien replied, "And I bet you just made about ten enimies, am I right?"

She grinned. "Of course. It's what I do best."