"She's waking up."

Nina's face paled and she carefully got up, laying Chance down gently on the couch before approaching the table apprehensively.

"A-Are you going to tell the others?" she wondered, pulling at the hem of her own shirt nervously. Nadia shook her head, walking over to the sink with a paper cup to pour the girl some water.

"Not yet," she spoke over the faucet. "Let's give her a chance to orient herself before we bring in the crowds." Nina nodded, involuntarily flinching away from half-metal tiger that brushed past her. She watched the white big cat nudge at Chance's sleeping form before dutifully curling up on the floor beside her. Movement on the medical table pulled Nina's attention back to the situation at hand.

The mystery girl let out a groan, shifting onto her elbows to better help her raise her head. Her gaze fell first upon Nina and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Who...who are you?" she challenged, her voice weak and scratchy as she broke off into a cough.

"Here, drink this," Nadia suggested, handing her the cup of water. The wariness in her eyes began to melt as she began to process what had probably happened. She took the cup, choking out a thanks before downing its contents in a few relishing gulps.

Nina resisted the urge to fade away, giving the girl a timid smile as she shuffled closer to the couch, wishing Chance was awake. The blonde was usually a lot better at being social...

The mystery girl handed the cup back to Nadia with a thankful half smile, and Nina took the opportunity to get her first good look at her. Her hair was short, ending just below her chin. It was a sleek black color, hued white in the front. Her eyes were light grey and her skin was a warm caramel color. She wore a black hoodie sweatshirt with galaxy patterned leggings and white sneakers, covered in rips, mud, dirt and even some splotches of blood from her fall. Her cheeks and nose were dusted with freckles, and she gingerly felt her face for the bruises and gashes she was sure should be there.

"You should be all healed up and back up on your feet in no time, thanks to Chance, over there," Nadia explained, seeing the surprise on her face. Mystery Girl turned to look at Nina, eyes wide, and the wisp child's face flushed.

"N-No not me," she shook her head hurriedly, pointing at the sleeping blonde on the couch, "that's Chance." The girl turned to look at her with a soft light in her grey eyes, a warm smile playing on her face.

"How nice of her," she spoke, her voice soothing to the ear, moving from her lips like silk, now that she had had some water. Her eyes lingered on Chance and Nina shifted to stand closer to the teen, her stomach clenching. She cleared her throat ever so slightly and the mystery girl blinked, tearing her eyes away.

"My name is Lark," she introduced herself, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them, chin on her knees. "Sorry for crashing the party. Literally," she chuckled. Nadia smirked, but Nina simply sat down on the couch beside her friend. Nemesis stirred slightly, looking up at the anxious girl before rolling onto her side and dozing off again.

"Nadia, and it's quite alright. You'd be surprised how often it happens to us," the scientist assured her, sitting down at her desk and typing some information into the computer. If Lark noticed the metal hand or cyborg tiger, she didn't comment, be it out of respect or possibly even fear. After another few seconds of silence, Nina realized that the girl was looking at her, most likely waiting for a name.

"Oh, uh... Nina..." she told her softly, looking down at her hands. Beside her, Chance shifted in her sleep, and the blue haired girl turned to look at her for a moment, a shadow of a smile crossing her face. When she turned to face the conversation again, however, she realized that hers weren't the only pair of eyes on Chance. Lark was watching her again, a little too intently. A few wisps sparked into existence beside Nina as the girl crossed her arms and leaned back, trying to relax. Chance saved her life, it was only natural for Lark to be interested. Still... she didn't like the almost hungry look in her light grey eyes...

"So, Lark, how exactly did you come by crash landing in our forests?" Nadia inquired as Nina waved the wisps away and attempted to keep her face passive.

"Hm?" Lark pulled her gaze away from the blonde, turning to address at the scientist. "Oh, well...I'm not one hundred percent sure, if I'm going to be honest," she sighed, looking down at her feet as she picked at her shoelaces. "It's all a bit fuzzy..." Nina frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. She wasn't usually one to doubt people, but... something felt a bit off...

"That's alright, just tell us what you remember," Nadia requested kindly. Lark ran a shaky hand through her hair, nodding.

"Y-Yeah, okay..." she agreed, resting her hand back on her knee. "Well... I remember being trapped somewhere...somewhere dark. I don't know where I was or who was keeping me there, but I remember...remember seeing that glimpse of light and just... running. I ran and ran as fast as I could, then someone was lifting me up. I remember wings...metal I think. I saw was a streak of red and black, then I was in the air, soaring over the trees, dangling by my arms. I struggled and pulled and then I was falling."

Nadia exchanged a glance with Nina, then got to her feet. She put a hand on Lark's shoulder, smiling warmly.

"Thank you, Lark," she told her. "We'll be back, I need to tell the ones who brought you here that you're awake." The black and white haired girl nodded, giving her a half smile. Nadia gestured for Nina to follow her, a motion sharp enough to insinuate that there would be no argument. The teen got to her feet, giving Lark a small, whisper of a grin as she passed and left the room with the head medic.

"Well... what do you think?" Nadia inquired once the door slid closed and they had walked a few steps down the hall. Nina pursed her lips, shuffling her feet.

"I don't know..." she answered. After another moment of chewing her lip, she blurted out, "I don't trust her." Nadia raised an eyebrow, prompting an explanation. Nina squirmed, sighing. "I don't know it's just... something about her. It seems too easy, too convenient to be dropped right next to FADE. It just feels off... And metal wings? It can't be Aaron, she's at home with Alex and another on the way. Unless it's just a coincidence, it seems to me to be another duplicate... like the one that came after Silver two weeks ago," she admitted, not looking Nadia in the eyes as she spoke.

"You think it might be Vertigo?" the scientist guessed. Nina nodded, still studying her feet. Nadia took a moment to assess everything, lips pursed. "You sure...that it isn't because of the way she was looking at Chance?"

"What?!" Nina's face shot up, face bright red, a distraught look in her eyes. "N-No! I don't... she doesn't... I mean... No!" Nadia held her hands up in surrender, shaking her head.

"Relax, I was just making sure. I trust you, Nina. We'll get Anu down here to check it out later," she consoled the teen. Nina nodded, arms crossed, returning her gaze to the floor as she struggled to return her cheeks to their normal color. Nadia put at hand on her shoulder to mend any wounds her words had caused. "I'll go tell the others she's alright, but no one else is allowed in to see her until we're sure. You go back on in to keep an eye on her, make sure she's resting, I'll be right back."

Nina did as instructed, taking a moment to watch the motherly scientist disappear around a bend in the hallway before opening the door and walking in. The first thing she noticed was that Lark was no longer on the medical table. The second thing she noticed was that she was standing beside the couch, helping Chance stand, holding the girl's hand tightly to help her balance, the other hand on the small of her back.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Nina chirped angrily, walking over and taking Chance's hand out of Lark's and sitting the blonde back down gently on the couch.

"Nina, she was only helping me stand," Chance explained with an apologetic glance at the newcomer. Nina shook her head, guiding Lark back over to the medic table, her face heated, this time for a reason other than embarrassment.

"You both need to be resting, doctor's orders," she insisted, excusing her actions to herself and them. Lark looked at her apologetically, sitting back on the table.

"Sorry, Nina..." she expressed, her eyes drifting over to Chance. She caught the blonde's eye and smirked, grey eyes glittering in the artificial lighting of the room. Chance blinked, looking away with a small smile, her cheeks dusted pink ever so slightly. Something burned inside of Nina that drove her to spin on her heel and sit down heavily on the couch beside Chance, their shoulders brushing. The young medic looked at her in surprise but didn't comment. She'd never seen Nina like this before. She almost seemed...angry.

As she watched the two make small talk, Nina felt herself beginning to resent Lark more and more. The way she talked, presenting every word like an enticing bite of a meal, her eyes pulling you in until they were all you could see, the way her hair fell effortlessly into perfection around her face, skin smooth and without a single blemish... And to top it all off, she was just a little too interested in Chance. Nina fought to keep the scowl off her face, feeling as if maybe Jade was rubbing off on her a bit...

Vertigo or not, Lark needed to be dealt with. Or maybe... Nina looked down at her hands, the truth of things beginning to sink in.

Maybe she needed to make her move before she lost Chance forever...

A/N: Aaron also belongs to @RaNdOmNeSs990 by the way. Haha!