I dumped my bags on my bed as I collapsed with exhaustion. Sunning my fingers through my hair, which was now both black and brown becuase of the regrowth I hadn't bothered to dye.
"Aiah." I cursed in my newly found Greek tongue.
There was a knock on my door.
"Mel?" It was Holly.
"Come in. It's open." I called back weakly, and the door opened.
The girl stood in front of me, shining like the sun in my gloomy room.
"Hi." I said, mocking a fainting fit for her.
"How was your trip?" she asked, sitting down next to me on my bed.
"Good. I can speak a bit of Greek, though my accent, I'm told is a bit wierd." I laughed hollowly.
"How's Morgana?" I asked.
"Good." she replied positively, nodding with a smile.
"That's good. She wasn't a total bitch to you?" I asked, giving another bitter chuckle.
"Nuh." she affirmed. I smiled, rubbing my face. I really was exhaudted.
"Well, I need to go out and see her, and then I'm gonig to sleep for the rest of the week." I joked, standing with a groan.
"Aiah. " I bit my lip, my legs still sore from the cramped plane trip.
"C'mon granny." Holly tugged on my arm. It felt a lot better to have friends, I decided.
Now see here! When I was young, young 'un's respected their elders." I lectured in a feble, rasping voice.
I left the room, half shutting the door behind me.
We walked into the barn, and I turned into the familiar stall that held the beautiful black mare.
"Morgana." I whispered gently, leaning over the gate.
She turned, and pushed her long nose into my hands. I stroked her nose affectionately, and then entered the stall, straoking her neck and withers, and giving her a ticght hug around her glossy neck. She still looked fantastic.
"Thank you for taking good care of her, Holly." I turned to Holly appreciatively.
"Soo..." We walked back to the lodges together. "Anything interesting happening?" I asked her. "Oh, how are Sean and Apollo?" I asked a little urgently.
She smiled, and started to tell me all that I had missed...

*Melanie*

"Mel, you're the first person I have told, and I haven't even told Nick yet. I think I am pregnant- but it's only the second month so nothing is certain yet."

I bit my lip, covering it with my trembling hands.
"I don't know what to say. I don't know what will offend you." I said quite honestly.
"If it is... I'll be there for you. You were always there for me. I felt so awful when..." I trailed off indecisively, shielding my past again.
"When what?" she wasn't too absorbed into her own problems (which were far greater at this stage) to notice my abrupt discontinuation of the subject.
"All you need to know is that if you want to really I know, I can take you to someone who can help." I told her, making obvious some lurking darknesses of my own naive character, but trying to track things back away from the topic.
"So, what do you say?" I asked, squeezing her hand. "I'll help you out." I assured her, giving her an awkward hug, and then drawing away, seriousness eminating from my face.
"The first thing you're going to do is tell Nick. He'd want that." I advised her, frowning with asperity. Her face reflected pure fear, she was tearing her lip to shreds.
"You have to." I impressed upon her, though I was younger, I knew what I was talking about.

~Melanie

"I'm just worried, I mean, what if it dies. Nick will be devastated."
(kit, what did you mean about someone who can help? be clearer plz... i don't understand because my brain capacity is low)

"That's not what you need to worry about at present." I told her, I realised that I was being slightly controlling, but she didn't know what was happening as well as I did.
"I will take you to my friend. Her name is Natasha, and she will be able to help you, what ever you decide to do. She can do tests, and if it's true, she can give you help, or help you... have an abortion if you want." I stumbled over my words, the topic so close to my heart.
"If Nick loves you he'll understand. And I think he does." I reassured, rocking her like a child in my arms again.

She pulled away from Melanie, "Abortion. No. I couldn't do that." she said, feverently, shaking her head. "No abortion. No. No, no."
"Mel, you seem to know a lot about this. Is there something you're not telling me. Have you been pregnant before or something?"

I laughed, shaking it off.
"What makes you say that?" I asked, evading the question, stumbling over my words, my nervous haste apparent.
"there are some things that aren't revealed until they need to be." I said ambiguously, sighing.
"If He was here." my thoughts escaped my mouth without my realising, a wistful sigh following hauntingly.
"Don't worry. It's not that bad." I slipped. There was no point in continuing to evade. I waited for her reply to see whether she had picked it up.. I daresay she had...

~Melanie

"Mel, what are you saying? Do you have a baby?"

I shuffled uncomfortably. She'd notice if I slipped away this time.
"Yes. Don't say a word to anyone, okay?" I bit my lip.
"She's four. She lives in Rome, with her father. Her name is Leila." I smiled, thinking of my pretty baby, her own hair jet black... naturally.
She was so beautiful, her skin olive, her eyes icy blue like her fathers.
"Aiah." I cursed softly. "Sorry Holly. This isn't my time. It's yours."
I held her hand.
"My Leila... and my Philip..." I whispered in almost silence.
"You can't change things. There are some things that you can never change. Like th efamily you are born into." I twisted my mouth bitterly.
"Don't mention this to anyone, alright?" I said to Holly, pleading, I squeezed her hand...

~Melanie

"Of course not." I said, recognising the pleading in her eyes. "Have you seen her, I mean, since she went to live in Rome?"
She nodded, her eyes shining from the thought of her daughter. "Only, once." She sniffed, "I was 16 when she was born, Philip was 17." She shook her head, and took a deep breath.
"Back to you now. I think you should tell Nick now."
"You really, really think I should tell Nick?" I said, wincing at the prospect. I didn't know how he'd react.

"You need to. He'll prefer the truth. If you won't have an abortion it's even more critical. If it's his child, he's part of the problem, if you want to call it that." I told her, squeezing her shoulders affctionately.
"Okay." she agreed, subdued, her stormy, blue-green eyes reserved, shining with tears of frustration, weakness and sheer emotion.
"It'll be okay." I reassured her, holding her in my arms like a child. More than ever, she'd need comfort now....

~Melanie

"I guess it will sound stupid to ask you to come with me. And you'll just feel really uncomfortable. I'll go now then, ok?"

"Good. I'll wait here. I expect you back soon, please, and good luck." I smiled supportively...

~Melanie