Chapter one

Pain isn't something welcoming. It is something that engulfs your body, a thing where you can't really move. Pain is annoying, and everyone hates having to go through pain. Tessa Gray currently lay in her hospital room, unable to move. Her eyes rested on the ceiling, her breathing uneven. Pain was something she felt every day, though others know how she feels. Her lung cancer made it harder to breathe, and so she needed an oxygen tank to help her breathe. Tessa was too sick to leave the hospital; her lung cancer grew worse when she was thirteen. It was a miracle she still lived till her sixteenth birthday. She was also too sick to walk around herself, so she had to sit in a wheelchair when she got out of her room.

Now, her door opened, and she turned her head to see Dr Robert at the door. He smiled.
"Hello there, Tessa. How are you going today?"
"I'm going well, thanks." Replied Tessa, though it wasn't true. She was in pain and she was bored out of her mind. Dr Robert nodded.
"That's glad to hear. I came here to tell you that someone else will be occupying this room with you since there are no rooms left for him. Is that alright with you?" Tessa nodded, and the gesture pained her. At least she could move. The doctor smiled.
"He'll be here in a few- oh! James, this is Tessa. Tessa, this is James. He'll be your new… roommate, I guess," The boy, James, appeared behind Dr Roberts awkwardly. His silver hair glinted through the window, and his eyelashes and eyebrows matched his hair. He looked about Tessa's age, maybe a year older. He was pale, but not as pale as Tessa. Dr Roberts left with a wave, leaving the two teenagers alone in the room. Tessa smiled encouragingly.

"You can call me Jem," said Jem, sitting on the bed that the nurses prepared. A little flare lit up inside Tessa, but she couldn't tell what it was. She smiled.
"Well, Jem. What brings you here?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She couldn't help it; curiosity was her besetting sin. Jem lay on his bed, sprawled all over the mattress. He sighed.

"I'm sorry I asked," Jem looked over at Tessa and flashed a smile.
"You're going to have to know, anyway. What about you?"
"What about me?"
"What brings you here?"
Now it was Tessa's turn to sigh. She smiled at the ceiling, though the memory wasn't good. Hearing Jem get tortured… it made Tessa cry, but she made sure he didn't see.
"I got lung cancer when I was five. Over the years it got worse and when I was thirteen, it was harder to breathe. My throat tightened, my lungs needed more oxygen. I collapsed; sure it was my time to go. I thought wrong. I woke the next day, in a lot of pain. The doctor told me I was too sick, that my time was limited. It was a miracle I lived till my sixteenth birthday. When I was fourteen, I got even sicker, so I have to use the wheelchair. I'm too sick to even leave the hospital!"
"I'm sorry I asked," Tessa looked over at Jem quizzically.
"Jem, you have nothing to apologise for." He smiled.

Tessa's head rested on the crook of Jem's neck, Jem rubbing her back as she groaned in pain. One minute they were talking, and the next, Tessa vomited blood all over herself. Jem helped her sit up as she continued to vomit all over herself. He already called the nurses, and they helped her clean up. Now, Tessa lay in Jem's arms as he said soothing words.
"I'm sorry," she groaned weakly, her head bobbing in exhaustion.
"Sleep, Tessa. You need it,"

Tessa smiled into her hot chocolate, squirming in her wheelchair until she found a comfortable position. Jem chuckled.
"That is why you can never trust a duck," Tessa burst out laughing, gripping on the wheelchair to prevent falling.
"Ducks… oh, wow!" she managed to say, laughs still escaping her lips. Jem smiled.
"Will's weird like that,"
"I have to meet him sometime!" For a moment, a shadow passed over Jem, but it vanished just as quickly as it had come. Tessa looked over in concern but he just smiled.

"Just make sure she's warm," Dr Robert instructed. "Pile blankets on her and make sure she wears a jumper. Make sure she wears a scarf,"
"No problem, doctor," Jem nodded, doing as instructed. Tessa squirmed in her wheelchair as Jem put on her scarf.
"It's stuffy in here," Tessa groaned.
"It won't be stuffy outside. It's for your benefit, Tessa. You're lucky I'm letting you out with James," Tessa nodded, glad that Jem offered to take her outside. She hasn't been outside in a while. Jem waved a good bye and wheeled Tessa out of the hospital.

Tessa shivered the minute she got out. Only Jem groaned.
"It's so hot!"
"It isn't for me," Jem took of his jacket and placed it on Tessa, warming her. She hugged herself in her makeshift cocoon, smiling. She looked at her oxygen tank which lay by the side of her feet, a place the doctors made.
"Thanks for taking me out,"
"Don't worry about it. You need to see what has changed in London," Tessa nodded and Jem wheeled her through various streets.

"Wait, Jem, stop here!" Tessa cried, excitement filling her voice. Alarmed, Jem looked at her, only to see that she was grinning at the bookstore in front of them. He smiled, and wheeled her in, Tessa squealing in delight.
"Look! They have A Tale of Two Cities! Oh, and Vathek! Oh, A Wide, Wide, World!"
"Into classics?"
"Yes! I love The Fault in Our Stars though! It is a moving book, and the author understands how I feel," Jem chuckled, and picked out the three books she mentioned. He walked up to the cashier, hearing Tessa's refusals but he ignored her. Paying for the books, he walked back to a fuming Tessa and handed her the books.
"Where else do you want to go?"

"I can't believe you bought this!"
"I'll buy more if you want,"
"No! No, it's quite alright. That… It's fine, don't worry about it." Jem smiled, sitting down on the bench outside the bookstore. Tessa had tried to return the books, but Jem would not allow her to. Tessa looked at the books in her hands and allowed a smile.

"Thank you," she said at last as Jem took her to another place. The spring day was lovely, with flowers on bushes and the sun shining down on them. Houses lined the street but what intrigued Tessa was the scenery of it all. Jem turned a left and before them was a park. A park with green grass and a fountain, birds flying and chirping. Tessa stared in awe. She had never seen anything like it. Jem coughed suddenly and Tessa looked over in alarm, remembering what he said to her the night before. He smiled and waved away her question. Tessa still had her doubts.

"I've kicked my brother's ankle?"
"Oh, come on!"
"I don't know what other mean things I've done!" Jem laughed. Jem and Tessa had taken selfies in the park and it was time to go back to the hospital. Tessa looked at Jem in accusation.
"What mean things have you done?"
"Slapping Will in the face," he stated, as if it were the obvious thing in the world. Tessa huffed but smiled.
"Thanks again for taking me out,"
"Don't worry about it," Jem smiled.

They entered the hospital and the two teenagers headed to their room, Tessa taking off her blankets, jackets and scarf. She laid them on her lap, waiting for Jem to find their room. In only a minute, Jem burst through their doors and Jem packed her belongings away and took his jacket back. Tessa smiled once more before closing her eyes in exhaustion.