The Birdcage

A Pocket Full Of Posies

The hospital was very quiet at the end of the day as Nyx wandered her way down the hall back to her room. The day had been long and exhausting, and she wanted nothing more than to climb into her bed and sleep- assuming she'd be allowed to sleep, that is. She was too tired for any freaky supernatural shit tonight.

The doors along the hallway were a mix of open and closed; it wasn't quite final curfew yet, but everyone was heading that way. She could hear voices and movement inside several of the rooms; people hanging out in groups or on their own. And that's when she heard something strange- someone was crying. Concerned, Nyx went and knocked on the door. It swung open, having been left slightly ajar.
Inside she saw Mia, sitting on her bed in a flood of tears. "Oh, what's wrong?"

"Go away!" Mia glared, swiping furiously as her teary eyes with the back of her palm to try and hide the fact she was crying.

Nyx almost complied; it wasn't like they were friends, it wasn't any of her business, and Mia clearly wanted her to leave. But Nyx kept remembering their last encounter; between that and this, there was clearly some kind of internal turmoil going on here, and Nyx wasn't sure if it was a good idea to just ignore it.

"Did something happen?" Nyx asked softly, keeping a respectful distance at the door.

"No!" Mia snapped; but her determination began to crumble. "... Maybe... Oh, it's terrible!" She buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking as she sobbed.

Tentatively, Nyx entered the room, approaching the girl on the bed to sit down next to her. "Hey, you can tell me what's wrong. I swear, I won't share it with anyone if you don't want me to."

"I'm such a bad person!" Mia wailed, face still hidden behind her hands.

"No you're not." Nyx said kindly.

Mia snorted derisively, tears pouring down her face as she lowered her hands. "What do you know? You've not even been here a week. You don't know me."

"Yes, sorry." Nyx said, ducking her head apologetically. "I'll just listen."

"Everything's gone wrong!" Mia sobbed. "It's all falling apart!" She collapsed into her hands again, crying uncontrollably. "Nobody likes me." She said after a pause. "I don't have any real friends. It's all my fault, I'm so mean to everyone!"
Carefully, Nyx reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "People like you... Katherine, she likes you. She definitely likes you."

"But I treat her worst of all!" Mia wailed. "I'm so bad to her! And... And I'm scared... "

Mia melted; leaning into Nyx's arms to weep on her shoulder. Stroking her hair, Nyx tried to soothe the crying woman. "Look... It will get better, okay? It may not seem like it now, but it can. Tomorrow is a new day; a new chance."

Mia sniffed, drawing back from Nyx to wipe her face with her hands. Then, tears still leaking down her cheeks, she cracked a weak smile. "You're kind of weird, you know that?"

Nyx laughed. "I have been told. After a certain point, you've just got to embrace it."

Mia chuckled, mopping at the last few tears with her sleeve. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you were here, weird girl. I just... struggle sometimes, you know?"
Nyx smiled warmly; she probably would never fully understand what Mia was going through, but she could tell it was a battle, one the girl faced bravely every day. If just by being someone there to listen Nyx had helped ease some of the burden, then she would take it gladly.
Suddenly, Mia realised the time. "Oh... I think you might have to go now. It's nearly lights out."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Nyx asked, concerned that if she left Mia would begin spiralling again.

Mia nodded, slowly at first, then grinning as she gained confidence. "I'll be fine. I'm certain of it. I will be." She told herself determinedly. "Quick, hurry, you don't want them to catch you out of your room."