[b]Melanie Chamberlin[/b]

Water dripped onto her shoulders as she ran the comb through her short hair. Melanie's reflection in the mirror was that of a woman completely uninterested with the ship's departure. Not that it didn't pain her, but she chose to not let it get to her. Even though she was always helping people, talking them down from their misery, the hardest patient was always yourself. Satisfied with how she looked, she stepped out of the tiny bathroom and proceeded to fetch some clothes from the drawer. It was a comforting thought knowing that she didn't have any more appointments today, regardless of the fact that people were always seeking help, but what was one more day here, right? She slipped on a silky blouse saved only for social gatherings or for whenever she was not in the office. After putting on some beige pants and comfortable shoes, she grabbed a few more of her belongings and stepped out of her room. 

She arrived at her favourite bar--the only one she'd been at since she settled in--not too long after leaving her room. Melanie greeted the bartender, Craig, who seemed to be more interested in work than witnessing the departure.

"The usual?" he asked, throwing a small towel over his shoulder and leaning forward on his hands. Melanie smiled with a nod, and looked around the empty floor. "Yeah, I guess it's just you and I for now," he added as he poured Melanie her drink. "But I bet you anything that the roof will blow off this place in about an hour or so."

"Why do you think I came now?" she replied. 

The both laughed, Craig handing her the drink and dismissing her payment when she dropped it on his side of the counter. "On the house, trust me, no one will know," he said with a wink.

"Thank you," she said with another smile. As she took a sip of her drink, Melanie's mind drifted back to her favourite memory: that of her and her parents celebrating her 12th birthday. It was her favourite because it's the one she remembered best, back when their lives were much simpler. A sudden and unexpected wave of regret made Melanie's eyes swell with tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. Who knows what could have happened had she never left home? Would she too have been murdered, or would she have been able to save her parents? It's a thought that often haunted her, and today was no exception.