This is the scent of dead skin on a linoleum floor This is the scent of quarantine wings in a hospital It's not so pleasant

River curled up on her bed and listened to the whispers that seemed to fill up her cell. The tip tap of Doctor’s shoes got louder and softer as they walked back and forth in front of her door.

“Are you just going to give up like this?”

River looked up to see a little girl in a black jumper, holding a small bear. She grumbled and rolled over, grabbing her head. “Leave me alone...”

“I’ve never seen you like this, River. It’s like you want them to kill you.”

“I said leave me alone,” shouted River as she sat up, “I don’t want to hear it anymore. Get out of my head! Get out!”

The little girl rolled her eyes. “I can’t...It would be like you severing your bond with Simon. We’ve gone over this before. Really, River, You're a regular decorated emergency.”

“You’re not me...”

The girl gave an evil smirk as people walked closer to the door and River scooted back towards the wall. “Can't take the kid from the fight.Take the fight from the kid...”

Then, the door opened and a doctor and a nurse walked in. “River,” said the doctor in a soothing tone, “Why were you screaming again?”

“She showed up again...”

The doctor looked at the nurse and shook his head. He looked back down at River and slowly set her down on the bed. “Now, River, this little girl isn’t real. She’s just a bad nightmare.” He nodded at the nurse and she handed him a syringe. The doctor tested it and pushed up the sleeve of River’s gown. “Now, Sit back...relax...”

River wimpered and looked over at the girl in the corner. She smirked and mouthed the words, “Relapse again...”

River tried to jump up and attack the girl, but she felt a slight pinch in her arm. Her eyes got groggy and the room started to spin. She looked over at the girl. As River started to close her eyes, the girl gave a small bow and seemed to slowly dissolved into thin air.

It's not so pleasant. And it's not so conventional It sure as hell ain't normal But we deal, we deal