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Salene is most known for her maternal instincts, looking after the younger kids, and especially Brady. She is not a leader like Amber or Bray, though in Season 4 leadership is forced on her. She is athletic, physically powerful, and in Season 3 she brings the horse Apollo back into riding condition, then rides off into the sunset to find Ryan. She returns in season 4 without finding him. Salene sometimes comes across as a girl who doesn't know what she wants. She wants Bray from the very beginning, but when she can't have him she settles for Ryan. But he is always second best, and though he loves her, her love for him, if it ever existed, turns to contempt. She tells us that her parents constantly called her 'stupid'. So she grew up believing she was less than adequate. Her negative outlook often comes out as sarcastic comments. In Season 1, and into Season 2, she suffers bouts of Bulimia. Sad as it may seem, she most often finds fulfillment in everyday chores, like washing dishes.
Finding the Mall
We first meet Salene in a children's play area. She has taken responsibility for younger kids Paul, Patsy and Cloe. Cloe has run off again, apparently oblivious to the dangers lying round every street corner. Fortunately she is picked up by Dal and Amber. Cloe then takes her rescuers back to meet Salene and her friends.
 
Salene has no plans, where to stay or how to survive. She tells Amber she was letting the kids play one last time before.... We can only guess what she meant.
Amber and Salene discuss survival - a place to stay - when trouble arrives in the form of Lex and his friends, demanding food. Then the Locos arrive and then the Demon Dogz ready for a fight. Amber, Salene, and their group escape and find the Mall first. Lex and his friends soon follow, still demanding their food, but Jack, the Mall's unseen resident, drops the grille on Lex, trapping him there until they decide what to do about him.
 
Sleeping Together
Jack introduces himself and shows everyone round the Mall. With the exception of Jack, who is so attached to his workshop that he even has his bed in there, everyone else will sleep in the bedding/furniture store, at least for the first night. That's Amber, Salene, Paul, Patsy, Cloe and Dal. Salene is thrilled to find "real feather pillows."

Trudy too will sleep here, and Zandra, though it's not long before most decide to move out to find privacy in their own rooms. Salene alone will choose to stay with Cloe and Patsy in the Furniture store, until she moves in with Ryan.
 
When Bray brings Trudy to the Mall, it's Salene who looks after her, taking her to the Café for a hot meal, then making her comfortable while she sleeps.
 
She explains to Patsy and Paul that food is scarce, and they must all share, and now that Trudy is here that will mean a bit less.
 
Salene tends to Trudy's every need, and when her baby is born, she looks after her too, feeding, cleaning, bathing.
 
Zandra quite likes looking after the baby too, though she leaves the more unpleasant jobs for Salene. A friendly rivalry develops, usually centered on whose turn is it to look after her.
 
On the other hand Trudy feels threatened by Salene's constant presence, believing she is trying to steal Bray from her. She's not far off the mark, Salene does want Bray and takes every opportunity to be near him. At Jack's trial Trudy is upset to see Salene sitting next to Bray.
 
In the end Trudy won't allow Salene near the baby, and tries to stop her seeing Bray.
Ep.13: To take Salene's mind of things Amber suggests she might give the kids piano lessons. She takes up the idea, but her mind is elsewhere - like on Bray.
 
The piano lessons come to an end when Ryan takes some of the wires inside the piano for Jack and Dal's water system project. Salene is furious, pummeling Ryan for being so stupid.
 
Having sidelined Salene, Trudy hopes to coerce Bray into moving in with her. She takes every opportunity to rub salt into the wound. On one occasion she brings Brady in for Paul and Patsy to say "Nighty-nite". Trudy makes a point of telling Brady (who can't speak yet) that her uncle Bray is coming to see her tonight. It's all meant for Salene, as is Trudy's smug gaze in her direction.
 
Bray does indeed pass the night in Trudy's room, but sitting in a chair with a book. In the morning Trudy greets Salene in a tone of voice that implies she had a good time!
At every opportunity, Trudy curtails any contact between Bray and Salene. A favorite reason is that the kids need her. Zandra encourages Salene to give Bray some 'smoldering looks'!
 
In EP.15 Salene volunteers to go with Bray and Ryan to fetch water from the stream. She takes the opportunity to talk about Trudy. Bray confides that Trudy is driving him nuts!
 
When they get back to the Mall Salene apologizes to Trudy and promises not to interfere in her relationship with Bray any more...
 
Just One Kiss...
In Ep.15 there's a party to celebrate Tai-San bringing Cloe safely back to the Mall when she became lost in the woods. Amid the party atmosphere Salene takes Bray aside for a chat. Then it just sort of happens: their first kiss. As luck would have it, Trudy finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
 
Trudy slaps Salene's face and demands Bray make his choice. Bray needs space and time to think. He takes time out from the Mall and gets captured by Ebony and the Locos.
 
In the meantime, Zandra makes rapid preparations for her marriage to Lex. Just one thing bothers her, the wedding night. Salene virtually drags Zandra into the Café to ask Trudy. After all she is the only one with a baby. Trudy refuses to answer any of Zandra's questions, and doesn't want to know about weddings. Salene takes the opportunity to score a point off Trudy and things turn nasty. Tai-San and Amber are obliged to stop a fight, separating Trudy and Salene. <transcript>
 
Bray returns in time for the wedding. Unfortunately Ebony (who allowed him to escape) follows Bray into the Mall. The ensuing chaos while Ebony is caught and put in the cage means the wedding has to be called off.

 
Then Another ...
In Ep.18 Bray is about to go outside to look for Paul. Salene wants to go with him, but it's too dangerous. They get talking about the wonderful New World that awaits them, and .... they kiss for the second time and as before Trudy spots them from the balcony.
 
Trudy has lost all hope of winning Bray. In a flat, nothing-to-live-for voice she simply asks him to go away and leave her alone. Amber hears all about it from a very upset Trudy.
Trudy-Bray-Salene Ep.19-20
Ebony's stay in the cage is short, thanks to Lex. She escapes, leaving Lex in the cage instead. Everyone assumes she will be back to trash the Mall. Jack and Dal get to work, setting up a communications system and booby traps in the Sewers.
 
For no obvious reason Amber reprimands Salene for wasting time. Later in the day Salene challenges her, why is she being so short with her? Amber explains that Trudy saw her kissing Bray again. Salene airs her grievances about Trudy, and admits she is now in love with Bray.
The expected attack by Ebony and the Locos never happens. Instead Bray has made a secret deal with Ebony. For now the Mallrats are safe. When Bray tells Trudy about it, she instantly suspects he had sex with her. Bray can't handle this and takes Brady to his own room. She badly needs changing.
 
Salene wanders in for a chat about their relationship and the kiss. She is now in love with him and wants to know if he wants Trudy or her.
Not long after, Amber tackles Bray. She believes the disruption caused by the conflict between Trudy and Salene threatens the whole group. Trudy needs all the support he can give her right now.
Forgetting that Bray took Brady to his room (or maybe she never noticed nor cared), Trudy accuses Salene of stealing her. Salene in turn accuses her of neglecting Brady, for where is she?
 
When everyone is asleep Trudy takes the bag from Dal's room. It's his father's doctor's bag. Emptying out a pot of sleeping pills, Trudy swallows them one by one with a glass of water.
Salene leaves Trudy to Die Ep.21
During the night Brady cries incessantly. Salene leaves her own bed to find out why Trudy is doing nothing about it. She finds Trudy unconscious from an overdose of sleeping pills. Salene takes Brady to her room, leaving Trudy to die.
In the morning Bray finds Trudy unconscious, together with the pills, and raises the alarm. Salene seems as anxious as anyone for Trudy to wake up.
Bray and Dal physically drag Trudy around the Mall to make her walk. Amber makes her swallow salt water to make her throw up. The worst is over and it is now unlikely Trudy will die. Dal watches over her hour after hour while others wait on the stairs for news.
 
Amber blames Bray for leading Trudy up the path then falling for Salene. Bray heads for his room, followed by Salene.
 
Salene assumes Bray is packing his bag ready to leave the tribe. In fact he is going out to look for Paul. She asks for a kiss and receives a reluctant peck on the cheek.
Salene is increasingly troubled by a guilty conscience. This isn't helped when Zandra becomes suspicious of her story that she never noticed (when she went to fetch Brady) that Trudy was unconscious, nor the pot of pills on her bed.
One example: Patsy and Cloe ask Zandra's advice on boyfriends - maybe they could share one, like Trudy and Salene share Bray? They ask Salene if Trudy might have died last night. Then it occurs to them that if Trudy had died, Salene wouldn't have to share. The guilt on Salene's face is telling. Zandra has been thinking along these lines herself.
 
Catching Salene on her own in the Café, Zandra retells the Story the way she sees it. In her version, Salene spotted the pills and left Trudy to die.
 
Salene breaks down in tears.
 
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