"Rose Tyler?"
I looked up. Could it be? Could he have found a way to cross over to this dimenion? Could he have found me?
"It's an extra 20 pence, love," the bus driver said. My heart plummeted. You'd think that after 10 years I would have got used to living without him. But I haven't. I don't think I ever will.
I paid my extra 20p and squeezed into a seat. I stared out of the window at the cars whizzing past, wishing them to be the endless reaches of space and time. I couldn't stop a tear sliding down my cheek as I trudged home to my empty flat. I plucked a daisy from the park as I passed. Life was so boring. I longed for adventure. I had tried travelling around the world, but I hated being confined to such a small place as one measly planet.
I let myself in and placed my daisy on the mantelpiece, next to Mum's ashes. I dumped my bag and headed to the kitchen for my usual cup of tea, before watching my usual TV programme and cooking my usual dinner. I was sick of usual.
"Me too." I spun around. There was no one there. My eyes darted around the flat. I tried to suppress the anticipation building in my chest, hardly daring to hope.
Nothing materialised. Nothing happened. I had imagined it.
"Oh, sorry," the voice said. It was a young girl's voice.
And a young girl appeared next to the kettle. She was holding a bunch of material, and waved it apologetically.
"Invisibility cloak," she explained. "I forgot I was wearing it." I said nothing, trying not to blink. I wanted it to be true so much, even though I knew it couldn't be. She looked solid enough, with intelligent brown eyes and bushy hair. She looked about 18. I wondered how she had got into my flat. She jumped off the counter and walked towards me, hand outstretched.
"Hi, I'm Hermione Granger," she said smiling. I stared at her. She lowered her hand awkwardly. "Well, um, shall we go?" She offered me her arm. Feeling I ought to say something authoritative, I opened my mouth.
"Glmugh?" I said. Hermione frowned.
"I thought you wanted to see him again?" She said. "I have come to the right place – you are Rose Tyler?"
"You can take me to him?" I gasped, my heart thumping painfully. Hermione smiled.
"Yeah. Do you want me to?" I nodded. The room was going fuzzy at the edges. Hermione held out her hand again.
"Then let' go."
The room dissolved.