Manda was an employee of Buildworth and lived in the domicile block provided by Buildworth. She had one leg shorter than the other, and avoided people whenever possible. She regularly saw "ghosts" in her domicile.
One day while checking her mail, she encountered the Seventh Doctor. She avoided speaking to him. She later received a note telling her the ghosts were real. The next day she received a package containing a sticky tendril which scurried away under some furniture.
Manda saw ghosts of the Doctor and her downstairs neighbour Kenny in her bedroom. Kenny had also received a tendril, as did several others in the domicile block, according to the Doctor. The Doctor explains that the tendrils were the spores of a "thing" that fed on conflict and was now weak, but if it stayed with the lonely people in the domicile, it would recover its strength. Later, Kenny told Manda that the Doctor told him they had to start talking with the other residents, as the creature couldn't deal with such interaction. Despite their reluctance, Manda and Kenny agreed to do so. (PROSE: Separation)