Mel Kayden

Melanie "Mel" Kayden is the youngest member of the North Valley Squad. She is the younger sister of R.J. Kayden.

Profile
Mel Kayden is the fourth person to "see" Silo and join the NVS. She is R.J.'s younger sister, is a freshman at North Valley High, and is best friends with her teammate, Mia. She is best known for being a smart, tough, proud, fun-loving tomboy. She is 15 years old in "Am I Blue?". She is known for being quite talkative. However, she has a good sense of humor which usually manifests when she is teasing her brother, R.J. Of all the team members, Mel is the one who appears closest to Silo on a personal level. Twice, she shows belated concern for Silo's safety ("Just in Time" and "Who is Max Mouse?"), she creates a word "bed" for him ("Who is Max Mouse?"), and she is shown playing a word game with Ghostwriter in "Lost in Brooklyn". She is an aspiring newscaster.

After R.J., Kiki, and Taylor left North Valley for college, Mel became the new leader of the North Valley Squad with Mia as co-leader and Katie Ryan, Owen Duncan, and Ellie - as R.J., Kiki, and Taylor's replacements.

Furthermore, as an high school senior and new leader of the NVS, Mel was seldom prone to bouts of anger. This was evident when Mel shirking her chores at the family store and missing important project deadlines at school. Then came a likely cause: Mel had spent time with her mentor named Rebecca, a young professional photographer who also was shirking her responsibilities. Rebecca was also an alcoholic. Things came to a head when Rebecca missed a photo session. Rebecca was later mugged, and then beaten, by an apparent rival. Rebecca was revealed that she was the thief that was stealing property from students at North Valley High to pawn their things to get money to buy more alcohol.

At the end of the fifth arc, Mel, Mia, and Carols graduated from NVS.


 * List of characteristics
 * Younger sister of R.J. Kayden.
 * Tough, tomboy of the NVS team.
 * Favorite Music: Rock
 * Favorite Hobby: Taking photos.
 * Biggest regret: Stealing and lying to her parents.
 * Worst offense: Stealing money from family store.
 * Doesn't like being called Melanie.

Major cases for Mel include

 * "Ghost Story": Mel joins the North Valley Squad.
 * "Over a Barrel": Mel gets sick due to tetrachloroethylene contamination in the community garden.
 * "Am I Blue?": Mel discovers that Mia has an eating disorder.
 * "Get the Message": Kiki's father and R.J. & Mel's father bicker over a car accident, causing discord within the team.
 * "What's Up with Mel?": The team and R.J., Mel's brother thinks Mel is drinking alcohol.

Appearance and Style
Mel can be described as a very attractive, athletic, and somewhat muscular girl. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes. In Season 6, her blonde hair grew a few inches and it became more curly and bouncy and she got a tan. Due to her Spirit Squad activities, she became muscularly toned. In Season 7, her hair became less bouncy and she went back to straight. Her style also changed along with her appearance throughout the seasons. In Season 5, Her style was wholesome and humble. She often wore t-shirts and jeans. In Season 6, she started wearing skirts and blouses.