Tess wasn't special. There's no point lying about it, but Tess contained something that every human being has; the potential to be amazing. To make history, maybe even change it. She wasn't a genius that could recite complicated chemical formulas in a single breath, or figure out the impossible math problems. She had something more remarkable; a big heart, full of love and joy and hope and sorrow. Everybody was important to her, big or small, young or old. Many times she found herself dreaming of the world, the beauty of it, the places to discover, the history to unfold. She frequently gazed up towards the stars, taking in the billions of years of history playing in front of her eyes. These stars told her to never stop on her dreams. And so she studied, she ran, she read until words were pouring out from her ears.
It happened so quick, a bright blinding light and suddenly she was falling. Every fiber of her being felt as if it was torn from her and replaced, she couldn't see just that white light blinding her, changing her.
Consciousness slowly began to creep onto her again, she attempted to take a deep breath but something was preventing her. A cool breeze against her face assured her there was air around her. Panic beginning to sink in, she attempted to withdraw another breath but was overcome with a deep cough, clearing her throat of what felt like dust. Her eyelids were weighed down with fatigue as she slowly opened them catching a glimpse of small gold particles floating in the air above her face before quickly dissipating into the darkened room. Her body remained paralysed and grievous, leaving her only with the ability to tilt her head slightly. Senses still numb she tried her best to analyse the environment surrounding her. Sitting a foot from her head was a small, beautifully carved wooden table with two candles sitting in a glass cage, one shining red, the other yellow. The candles did little to lighten up the small room on cast a small orange glow, what windows were there were boarded up with various materials. From what Tess could gather, the floor was littered with books and glass. Adjacent to the table a long dusty mirror hung against the wall, the top left corner with a cracks spreading through to the center.
The pain began to ease as Tess could feel the comfort of a long silky fabric wrapped around her body. Taking a glance down she realised she was wrapped in a red cloak of some sort. It felt soft and kept her warm. As her hearing slowly returned to her, a distant rumble filled her ears, mixed with other sounds she couldn't yet distinguish.
By the time she managed to muster up the energy to stand on her own two feet, half the candle had melted. The two pieces of melting wax were her only concept of time passing. Tess cursed at herself for not wearing a watch that day, only a thick black wristband with the words "TIME LORD" and an image of a TARDIS branded on it. Clinging to the cloak for heat in one hand and the candles in the other, she stumbled towards the cracking mirror, cautious of treading onto the glass in her bare feet. She looked at the orange image of herself in the mirror, assessing any damage on her body. Her reflection was simply an orange, cloaked version of herself before she fell, wearing only black basketball shorts and a supposedly white t-shirt with a sports brand's name sewn onto it. Yet something about her felt different. The rumble was constantly growing louder as Tess recovered, now she could make out the sound of sirens and yelling.
With each step she gathered strength and speed, walking faster and faster down a littered corridor, up the marble steps into the cold night air. She was in the midst of a warzone, with green and red flashes across the smokey sky, lighting up the rubble of what looked like an ancient, yet advanced city. The echoes of explosions and the screams of dying civilians filled the air. She tugged the cloak tighter to her arms as she walked further into the war torn street. The smell of ash and smoke rose from the remains of a burning market place. Tess' hunger took control and she made her way across the debris towards the remnants of the food stalls.
A large fallen pillar blocked her path. With tremendous effort, she managed to pull herself over the broken stone and slide down the other side. There she heard a small cough.
Tess turned to see a dark figure propped against the pillar. He was covered in a wine dusty armour, his head leaning back staring at the chaos in front of him.
"Hello?" Tess called out meekly. "Are you alright?"
The man stirred and tilted his head towards Tess. As Tess drew closer the man began to mumble some words in response.
"I'm sorry I can't understand what you're saying." Tess replied, concerned.
She knelt down by the soldier. There was blood seeping out from under his chest plate and soaking into the dust below, leaving a stain. She began to remove the cloak from her shoulders but a hand shot up and caught her wrist. A cry of fear and shock escaped her lips and the man loosened his grip. The terror Tess had felt was nothing compared to the fear in the mans eyes, the eyes of a man facing death. His grip was slacking by each passing second, his eyes narrowed slightly before releasing her.
He spoke again in an unfamiliar language and slowly began to remove his helmet, revealing multiple face wounds. Flinching every time the metal touched his skin, Tess leaned in to help. He mumbled a word that Tess would only assume as a thank you.
"No problem." she replied, gently placing the helmet onto the ground.
The man released a soft groan as he arched his back, attempting to grab something from under him. The bleeding accelerated while he moved. Tess placed her arms under him trying to give him more support against the wall. She could feel his blood trickling onto her hands and fought back the wave of sickness.
"Is there anyone I can call for help?" asked Tess. The man just froze and gave her a confused stare. Tess pulled out a hand from underneath him to imitate a phone with it.
The man just smiled, an empty sad smile and cast his gaze up into the heavens. He blinked several times fighting back tears before shaking his head and returning back to his previous task. He pulled out a large pistol from under him and laid it on his lap. Tess gulped nervously, she had no clue if this man was friendly or not, in fact she had no clue where she was, all she knew that it wasn't in Ireland, her home. The man noticed her dismay and wrapped his hand around the barrel, pointing the handle towards her. Tess blinked several times, trying to figure out why man was giving her his only weapon. He pointed at the side showing her where the safety was and then pointed down the street. Giving her one last smile, his hand began to droop. She leaned him, placing a hand on the side of his face, her thumb rubbing along his cheek. He looked young, around mid-twenties. Too young to die. His eyes lit up at the contact, knowing he wasn't to die alone. He glanced at her wrist and whispered the word "Renegade.." before all light faded from his eyes forever.
Tess wasn't prepared for this, she swallowed hard and closed his eyes using her finger and thumb. The last ghost of his smile still etched onto his face. Picking up the helmet she began to walk along the street, of a place she's never been.
