In The Dark

65 - November 6th

Melanie sat quietly in the dressing room, staring longingly at the door to the hall where she could hear some of her friends talking. They were at a small television station preparing to shoot an interview for the local morning show. She'd spent the morning clinging to her friends, wanting nothing more than to be with them. Everyone could tell she was a bit off when she didn't rush to get her hair and makeup done as soon as they had arrived like she normally would. She was the very last and had to be taken to the room once everyone else was done.

Karin had turned her back to Melanie, scanning her makeup for the mascara she needed. She turned back to Melanie and smiled with amusement when she found the girl turned toward the door, her leg bouncing anxiously. Every time Karin turned to swap the makeup she was using, Melanie would turn back around.

"I'm almost done, darling," Karin chuckled, gently pulling Melanie's chin with her pinky to get her to look at her.

"Do you want me to go get someone to come in here with you?" Jenny asked as she packed away the last of her equipment into a large case.

"No," Melanie replied softly, dropping her gaze, then forcing herself to look up again so Karin could apply her mascara.

"You've gone quiet again," Jenny said, walking behind Melanie and gently squeezing her shoulders, looking at Melanie's reflection in the mirror in front of them. "Did something happen?"

Melanie shrugged, averting her eyes to keep from looking at either of the women. Karin glanced at Jenny, both making eye contact and silently agreeing something wasn't right. She set the mascara on the cupboard and looked at Melanie. Melanie finally met her eye, then glanced at her reflection to see if she was finished.

"May I go?" she asked quietly. Karin nodded and watched as Melanie quickly got up and walked out of the room.

"Do we tell Simon?" Karin breathed, "or the girls?"

"Maybe the girls," Jenny replied. "Simon might get a bit intense with her. The girls will get it out of her a little more gently."

Karin nodded and began packing her things away as Jenny left the room to find one of the girls.

Melanie walked quickly through the hall in search of any of her friends. She spotted Brian and Kevin talking with a man at the end of the hallway and she quietly approached them, slipping her hand into Brian's and pressing herself against him.

He startled and looked at her, quickly relaxing when he realized it was her and slipping his fingers in between hers. He squeezed her hand to acknowledge her as he continued his conversation with the man he'd been speaking with.

They were soon wrangled by a producer to gather into the studio where a sofa and a large chair were set up across from a desk with the show's logo illuminated across the front. A few stools had been set up behind the sofa to accommodate the large number of the two groups. Shows had often had a hard time seating five, but with double that number of guests, they often had to get creative to fit them all on set.

"Can we get the girls on the sofa?" the producer asked. "Guys, we'll get you tucked in behind on the stools and on the chair here."

Brian kissed Melanie's temple and smiled, letting go of her hand and walking around the sofa to sit on one of the stools. As soon as he sat down, one of the show runners set him up with a lav, doing the same with Nick and Kevin as they sat down.

Melanie quickly joined Mel, not wanting to be alone. Mel smiled and wrapped her arm over her shoulder, pulling her over to the sofa to sit down. Melanie squinted against the set lights as they immediately made her head pound. She pulled her feet up so that her knees were to her chest and she rested her head on Mel's shoulder, clenching her teeth and breathing through the wave of pain coursing through her head.