In The Dark

20 - June 28th

"Do you like to colour?" Bria asked, once the puzzle was finished. She and Paige began taking the puzzle apart and returning the pieces to the box. Melanie shrugged and watched as Paige ran to get a box of crayons and some colouring books. All of the little girls crowded around the table to join Melanie, who was watching the girls curiously.

"Can you do this one with me?" Colby asked as she sat next to Melanie. She opened a Disney colouring book to two empty pages and smiled up at Melanie, handing her a red crayon. Melanie looked at the colouring page she'd been given, cocking her head to the side as she observed the animated mice and ducks around a table eating pizza.

"Can I do your hair?" asked Mya, a little girl with two of her front teeth missing.

"I want to watch the Spice Girls!" Emily stated excitedly as she raced over to the TV and put the Spice Girls Live in Istanbul DVD on.

The room was soon filled with the sound of the Spice Girls' music and the little girls singing along. Melanie watched the girls, stiffening as Mya began braiding her hair. Penny and Thatcher, one of the children's ward nurses, stood at the door and watched the girls crowd around the confused pop star.

"What do you think?" Thatcher asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame as he watched the girls trying to get Melanie to interact with them.

"I'll pull her out in a few minutes if it looks like it's too much," Penny sighed, observing how uncomfortable Melanie still seemed to be.

They continued to watch as Melanie relaxed slightly and began colouring with Colby. After a while, she seemed to focus on the task, occasionally glancing curiously up at the TV while the little girls sang along with the songs.

"Holy shit! It's a Spice Girl," a feminine voice gasped from behind Penny and Thatcher. They both flinched and turned around, surprised to find Mya's mum standing behind them.

"Hi, Debbie," Thatcher greeted. "I hope you don't mind. We're using Mya for a bit of an experiment."

"Is that the one that's been on the news?" Debbie whispered, peeking into the room to watch the little girls fawning over the young pop star. Thatcher and Penny nodded and joined her in observing the seven girls. "What are you hoping to do?"

"We've been having trouble getting her comfortable around people," Penny explained. "I wanted to see if being around children would help her feel more at ease."

"I''m sure Mya's happy to help," Debbie said. "It looks like it's been a real hardship for her." She smiled sarcastically and crossed her arms. "I baked some goodies for the girls. Would it be all right if I took them in?"

Penny looked at Thatcher with concern before peeking back at her ward. "We could try," she said. "Try to give her space though. She's been known to run."

Thatcher tapped softly on the door and smiled at the girls. Melanie looked up at Debbie fearfully, then at Thatcher and Penny. She stiffened and kept her eyes on the three people at the door.

"Mum!" Mya exclaimed excitedly. "We get to play with Sporty Spice! Come see what I did with her hair." She ran her hands along the two french braids she'd done at the back of Melanie's head.

"It looks beautiful." Debbie said cheerfully. "Aren't you girls lucky?"

"Melanie, that's my mum," Mya explained, suddenly remembering to stay calm around Melanie. "She's really nice. You don't have to be scared of her."

"I've brought you girls a few snacks," Debbie announced as she slowly walked over to Mya's bed, keeping her distance from Melanie to keep her from feeling uncomfortable. She pulled a few Tupperware containers out of the grocery bag and opened them to reveal brightly decorated cupcakes and monster cookies she'd baked that morning. "Can you share these with your friends, Mya?"