Tessa was happy, or at least the closest she could get to happy at that point. She had received a letter from her brother, following the death of her beloved Aunt Harriet, asking her to go live with him in London permanently, and was on a boat currently in accordance. She loved her brother dearly, and was glad to have been dragged out of the cesspool of painful memories that was their old New York apartment, but as much as she was excited to spend time with him again, she knew that his 'bad habit' was bound to resurface and bring her trouble. He was a beautiful man, and had gotten through life getting everything he wanted with his looks, so he got into gambling thinking he would have the same privilege. Unfortunately that was not the case, and combined with his immature refusal to lose that also stemmed from his easy childhood; he seemed to perpetually gamble away any money he or his family made. In his letter to Tessa, he wrote of his new job, and turning over a new leaf, and while Tessa wanted to believe him, she knew that the part of a person that makes them think about consequences never developed fully in the pretty Nathaniel Gray.
Either way Tessa knew she had no way to go but forwards, and mentally prepared herself for all of the foreseeable outcomes, good or bad. She tried to imagine that she was Lucie Manette, on the way to France to save her husband Charles Darnay from the Bastille, unknowing of what would happen, but staying strong for his sake all the same. With this comforting thought to warm her, her boat finally arrived at the Southampton dock in London. From the railing of the boat she looked around the waiting crowd, her emotions in a delicate equilibrium that crumbled more and more with each passing second that she could not find her brother. She got off the boat and sifted through the crowd one by one, desperate to find him. After a solid twenty minutes she gave up and sat at the base of a street lamp, hoping she would not be assaulted in the light, with her head in her hands and her heart in her throat.
Tessa was awoken later by a shadowy figure just out of the light of the street lamp. She felt a stab of terror, and sat up quickly; thrusting her hands in front of her face though she knew the move was futile. She felt a hand grasp her wrist and began to build up the air to let out a shriek when another hand covered her mouth. Her heart pounded on her ribs as if it would escape and run as she so wanted to. She heard a familiar voice say tentatively, "Promise not to scream." She nodded, knowing resistance would be pointless, and she was released from the man's hold. She turned around and saw to her surprise and relief, her brother. He stood beneath the dim light of the street lamp with his hand on his hip, looking haughty but apologetic. With a sigh he said, "Alright Tessie now that you have calmed down, are you ready to see my apartment?"
Author's Note: Okay so I know this first chapter is a bit boring, but it's just an introduction. Hopefully I'll be able to post the next one in a week or two. I do actually have a plan for this believe it or not, so stay tuned.