The pen seemed like it must be leaving indents in the table with the amount of force that was being driven into its frantic activities

The pen seemed like it must be leaving indents in the table with the amount of force that was being driven into its frantic activities. Had River cared; she might have realised her hand was on the verge of cramping. She continued to drag the pen relentlessly across the page; focusing on the few most important words she knew she had to get through. Simon… help… hurting… Simon… can't take it… Simon… She had repeated the same thing so often but she didn't care. Repetition would make him see, would show him that she needed him. River's writing was flawless despite the desperation her words held.

River's page ripped as it flew suddenly out of her pen's ravenous path; it gouged a long line into the table in frustration of the sudden inertial rebuke. River kept her eyes focused on the table but hung her head.

"What are you doing?!" a voice chastised; River could hear the paper being read bodily in a grasp that wasn't her. Noises of rebuke sounded from a tongue and River let her head fall further toward her chest; not out of shame but despair that she had been caught. Though her hair River saw a figure crouch and felt one of her hands being enveloped. Despite the voice screaming in River's head to pull it away, she stayed as still as possible. She was shaking.

"River," the voice was overly gentle; a false sweet note behind it like meringue; to sweet after a while that it made you feel sick. Sinister sweetness.

"Sweetie, what have I told you about writing such silly things? I've just had to ban you from writing. You wouldn't want your brother to go through another five months without hearing from you, would you? Imagine how he'd feel! He'd think you didn't care about him."

Simon would never think that, the small part of River that could fight snarled inwardly, but it was dulled by the rest of her that had been coated in a shroud by piercing needles and their fluids provoking submission. Still; she held the faded thought. It was the one that had kept her sane this far.

"Come on now, write properly. There are plenty of things to say, look up on the board if you need some ideas."

River glanced at the list of false activities that had apparently gone on at her 'school.' A fresh piece of paper had been plopped in front of her and River watched the attending nurse walk away, scrunching her plea between her hands. There was hardly any thought given as the nurse flipped open a rubbish bin and dropped the paper lightly in. she resumed her pacing, checking the other children's work. River stared at the bin, refusing her tear ducts an opening and, she thought, them their satisfaction. Despite this River felt hopelessness surround her. Every time she'd tried to tell Simon, even if she hid it in the middle of a sentence, they'd caught it. Last time she'd been banned for the offence. She stared hard at the words washing across the board in front of her; almost seeing through them. Seeing though them… River's mind sprung into action. Careful not to take the paper in front of her with too much vigour, she took the pen in hand and began to write.

"There now, that wasn't too hard, was it?" the nurse smiled down at River over the paper flooding with her handwriting. River smiled slightly as she was supposed too.

"That's right. You brother will be so happy to get this won't he? I'm proud of you." she plodded off, collecting the other scrawled lies. River sat back and waited to be escorted back. Inside her her heart was screaming its victory, and River for the first time was glad that its song was silent.