The young girl spun, her arms out and her head back. Her bare feet pattered on the metal grating of the cargo bay. She loved her new home, so shiny with life. She felt her brother’s eyes watching her, his thoughts fluttering against her mind like the beating of a butterfly’s wings. Tiny bubbles of thought tickled her brain, from the scattered crew. She liked being each of them, so many thoughts, memories and secrets. They each had different ways of viewing the world around them. They were all so much more alive when inside of Serenity. River tossed her head forward, a wave of brown hair crashing against her head, and trickling down her shoulders. She collapsed into a ball, as she collapsed her view into herself. Peripherally she heard her brother start and call her name. He didn’t understand that this was part of the dance. She drew inside listening for her own thoughts, such hidden, frightened things. The clanging and thumping of boots on the deck signalled the next movement. The bubbles of thought exploded against the surface of her brain. Just as Mal, the captain, reached her, she sprung upwards again, grabbing him around the waist and leading a dance, only she knew. It was Mal’s dance, learned by being him. She spent parts of days, living and being others in the crew. She swung into Jayne’s arms, his confusion and incredulity tickling her. He was not such a nice man, and being him had been a time of mixed fear and rage, completely different from Mal’s warm comfortable composure. Jayne shrugged, and danced woodenly with River, his feet thumping heavily. Wash grabbed his wife and swung her through a couple of turns, dancing to the music only River could hear. Zoe laughed at her foolish husband, dancing around with a huge smile on his face. She swapped places with River to dance with Jayne. River felt the bonds of love between husband and wife, the ocean sound of the interplay crashed in her head. It reminded her of being clean. She watched Mal bow to Inara to invite her to dance. They swung into the maelstrom of her thoughts as Book clapped a beat. Beside him Kaylee was smiling and trying to drag her brother Simon into the mix. He wouldn’t come, blushing furiously he shook his head, even as his feet slowly dragged into the midst of the cargo bay. Swinging away from Wash, River swirled amongst her new family, feeling their happiness, their darkness, their laughter, butterfly wings against her mind. She twirled and spun by feelings, until stopped short by an emptiness. Her eyes popped open, the bay was empty. Her friends were gone. The bubbles of thoughts had stopped flittering around her shiny and fragile. She turned in a circle to see where they had gone, but came up short when she saw a figure with blue hands standing silently. It’s face was shadowed, when it should not have been. She stepped closer, afraid. She had to see who it was. She whispered, “Hands of blue.” The form did not stir as she stepped closer, the shadows covered it deeper and deeper until she was a step away. Brilliant light beamed up revealing the face, her face. Her voice echoed back to her, sounding dead, from the dead eyed face before her, “Hands of blue.” River began screaming, her voice echoed piercingly from the bulkheads. She collapsed into a ball, feeling herself shaking. Her body shaking, being shaken. “River, wake up, what’s wrong? River?” Simon’s voice floated through the haze. “Doc, what in the gorram hell is wrong?” Jayne’s voice called across the open bay. “She dyin’?” “She was just playing, and collapsed. I don’t know what’s wrong,” Simon sounded worried Tears leaked out of River’s clenched eyes, “Hands of blue. Hands of blue. Why are my hands blue?” “River, mei-mei, your hands aren’t blue. Come back to us River. Open your eyes, you’ll see.” Simon was using a sing song voice to soothe his distraught sister. Under his breath he muttered, “What did they do to her?” Her eyes opened to take in her crewmates all surrounding her. She looked at her hands, and sure enough they were flesh colored. River looked again at her friends. She smiled, “Hands aren’t blue. Butterflies are back. Butterflies and bubble tickling me.” They all watched as River lurched to her feet and spun back into the ship. Her laughter tinkled out of the hallway leading to crew quarters. “Next time I ain’t interrupting my quite time. She starts shrieking like a banshee again, she better have a busted head.” Jayne stalked away. The rest of the crew left Simon standing next to Mal. Simon looked at the captain and shook his head, “I don’t understand, she was ok. She was dancing and playing, when she collapsed. I tried to check her out and wake her, when she just started screaming.” “Well, leastways there weren’t any cows this time to spook. You know, I felt the strangest urge to dance before she started her screamin’.” “Yeah me too.” The two men looked at each other, shook their heads, and wandered in opposite directions.