CHAPTER ONE
THE MEETING
"Come on, River" said Heather as they both hurried to join the others.
"Why? I mean why bother? I hate it here! I hate this!" shouted River, following her friend.
"Oh come on! It's not that bad! It's fun" said Heather.
"What? You think being judged on how you look and how you've lived your life is fun?" asked River.
"Well, when you put it like that-" Heather was quickly interrupted by River.
"Yeah, exactly my point" she said, the annoyed teen folded her arms.
They had both just turned eighteen and, along with others, they had to attend a meeting in the town hall.
It was compulsory. They had to go.
Their families would lose respect from other families and would be looked down upon if they did not attend.
That was something River's mother definitely didn't want.
In this meeting the higher upper class would arrange everyone on account of how they thought of them.
Their futures, their fates, their very lives were decided in that one evening and action would be taken in the next few following years based on those decisions.
River didn't like it here.
There were too many people.
Too many people all dressed up hoping to get a better future than the next person.
River stood with Heather, watching as people went about their ways, all seeming to be stuck in the same routine, the same tradition, following the same rules, always serving somebody else.
There's no such thing as freedom round here.
You're born, you live, you get told what to do for the duration of your once so appealing life, and then you die.
There's no free will, not anymore.
You want to do what you want but you're just doing what somebody else wants you to do.
You're thinking what somebody else wants you to think.
You end up living a life that's been arranged by someone else.
"Ah, River Harrow, it's so nice to see you after so many years!" exclaimed an elderly voice from behind the two girls.
His voice made River jump and brought her back from her thoughts.
"Grandfather!" said River, she knew that voice anywhere.
She hugged him tightly, pulling him down to her; it had been at least four years since they last met. She could hear the peaceful ticking of his fog watch in his waistcoat pocket. Even after all this time, he still kept it in the same place.
"Hello, Banks" he said to Heather over River's shoulder.
"Hi, Mr Harrow" said Heather as River loosened her hold on him and let him go.
"Where have you been? What are you doing here? What happened to you?" demanded River.
"Woh, woh, woh, slow down there, young one" said her Grandfather, she was talking at a hundred miles an hour.
"Next!" shouted a man standing at the opposite end of the hall; he held a very long piece of paper, "Miss River Jane Harrow!"
Before River could say another word to Heather or to her grandfather, she was rushed off into a room where three men were standing.
They looked down on River as soon as she set foot in the room.
They all wore glasses and posh clothes that looked very expensive and well kept. They were all quite tall, which made their stares even more intimidating.
They turned to each other and mumbled things to one another.
River didn't give a good impression, she didn't want to.
It was not their decision to choose what she wanted, thought River, it was hers; rightfully hers at that.
They walked around her, observing her.
River was quite tall compared to the other girls. She had long black hair that went down to her waist, her fringe proofed out and stopped just before her deep hazel eyes. She had to keep moving her fringe out of the way most of the time but she didn't really mind that much, it hid her face well and she liked that.
Her light brown dress went down to her knees and was tightly done up at the back, too tight for her liking but she didn't dare argue back with her mother.
She liked the colour and the style of it anyway.
She wore brown high heels that went with her dress, she'd rather be wearing her black boots but her mother would never allow her to wear them to something as public as this.
The three men looked her up and down, then mumbled to themselves again.
"I can hear you, you know?" said River, she stared at them angrily.
They mumbled again, "She's got an attitude on her" said one.
"Yes but her education is impressive and her background is better than most, she may be the one we need for the arranged marriage to the Callington's boy" said another.
"I agree" said the other.
"I have not got an attitude problem, thank you very much!" River shouted at them, "And don't think for one second that I am going into any arranged marriage!" she yelled.
They rolled their eyes at her and dismissed her, she stormed her way out of the room and returned to her friend.
"Well," said River, "I think that went very well"
"Really? What happened?" asked Heather.
"Not much, not much" said River, "Apparently I have an attitude and I may be 'the one' for an arranged marriage with a 'Callington's boy', whoever that is"
"You've never heard of the Callingtons?" asked Heather.
"No, should I have?" asked River.
"Well, they're really rich, and they have this massive house, I mean, god, it's like a bloody mansion, River, and-" Heather was about to continue when she was called into the room River had left moments ago.
She went a little more nicer than River did, not wanting to be dragged or pushed in.
"Wait!" River shouted after her, "Where did my Grandfather go?!"
River looked around the room for her Grandfather but her eyes only saw the other girls that had been made to come here; they were all 'dressed to impress', though they were all wearing bland and dull colours just like River.
They all looked down on River and never liked to be seen with her. River didn't care, it was their choice and, frankly, she didn't want to be seen with them either.
She leant against the wall next to the now closed door and sighed, closing her eyes.
When she reopened her eyes a young man had came over and leant on the wall beside her.
Little did she know he'd been watching her since she'd arrived.
"Hey" he said.
River looked up at him, she had never seen him before, he must have been new or something.
His hair was a dark blonde mess of curls and his eyes were bright blue with a tinge of green flowing through them.
His cheekbones were defined and helped give him a strong looking face but his eyes were full of mischief.
He was quite tall, taller than her she'd noticed, and he had really long legs.
He wore a sharp looking brown three piece suit with smart shoes, the top few buttons were undone on his shirt and his tie was loosened a little.
River snapped out of her trance on him when she realised he had said something a few seconds ago.
"Hello" she replied.
"You here for that judging thing?" he asked.
As soon as he had seen her walk through the front doors of the hall he was intrigued by her, she wasn't standing with the others but that was probably a good thing.
She fiddled with her black hair as it hung loosely over her shoulders.
"Yeah, I don't want to be here, I really don't; I was made to go" she said, "But apparently when you're eighteen you have to come here. I was dragged here unwillingly by my mother, so here I am"
"You've just turned eighteen then?" he asked.
"Yeah, how old are you?" she asked, she wasn't the politest girl in the world, let me tell you.
"Twenty one, like you I was made to come here. My father made me, I don't see the point really" he said.
"I hate it. All of the other girls and me are dragged here against our will, well my will anyway, and we are judged for what our future will be and then off we pop until they call us again and judge us like a piece of meat once more" said River.
The man was impressed with the way she talked and the way she made her own opinion known.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"What's yours?" she asked, smiling a smug smile at him.
"Tom," he said, "Tom Callington" he smiled back at her.
"Callington?" she asked, standing up straight.
"Yes" he said.
"Well, Callington," she smiled brightly.
Was this the guy those three men were on about?
"Please, call me Tom" he said, standing up straight too.
"Tom," said River, "I'm-"
"River!" shouted a woman with a croaky voice from across the room, "River?! Where are you?!"
"Oh lord" said River, she sighed and closed her eyes.
"River?" asked Tom, she opened her eyes and looked back at him.
"River Harrow, nice to make your acquaintance" said River.
Before the source of the croaky voice came into view, River turned to Tom.
"Run" she said before hurriedly dashing off through the crowd.
Tom laughed and quickly followed before the person they were running from saw them.
River rushed ahead, weaving in and out between the people she passed.
She stopped suddenly and Tom ran into the back of her. He caught her with his arm around her before she fell over on her front.
She looked over her shoulder at him and laughed.
When he saw her smile he couldn't help but smile back.
"River?!" the woman's voice echoed in the huge hall making them both look behind them.
"Which way now?" Tom asked her, his arm still round her.
"Um..." said River, searching the room until her eyes landed on an open glass door not too far ahead of them, "This way! Come on!"
With that said she ran off in a different direction, Tom quickly followed, trying not to bash into people as he went.
River looked like she did this for a living.
She moved this way and that, just skimming the people near her as she headed for their destination.
The people they passed barely even noticed them, and the ones that did gave them harsh glares to show their disapproval.
When they reached the door they ran straight through it and out into the gardens.
River quickly turned round and crouched behind the wall, under the window. Tom did the same next to her.
"Who was that?" he asked, while trying to get his breath back.
River laughed, "The person that dragged me here against my will" she said.
She turned and knelt beneath the window, she peered into the hall.
Tom looked up at her from where he sat next to her.
This was all just a game to her, wasn't it? Maybe it was better that way...
"It's clear" said River.
Tom smiled at her before taking a look through the window himself, he stood up, offering his hand down to her to help her up. She took his hand and smiled back at him.
"Never have I had to run away from a girl's mother before" Tom said, laughing.
River laughed, "Well, there's a first time for everything" she said.
They both looked at each other and smiled.
"So, Callington," said River, walking a few steps down into the gardens but keeping her eyes on Tom, "Who are you?"
Tom smiled and walked with her into the gardens.
"There's not much to tell" Tom began, "I wouldn't expect you to know who I am"
River looked up at him, "Well," she said, thinking, "Just give me the basics"
"Well... I live not far from here" said Tom, looking down at the ground, "Big house. You can't really miss it, even if you wanted to"
River listened intently, switching her gaze between Tom, the gardens and the night sky above them with all it's bright glittering stars.
"I live there with my mother, my father, and my three brothers" said Tom.
"Three brothers?" River asked, she looked back at him.
Tom chuckled, "Yeah, it's a noisy house. What about you?"
"I have an older brother but no sisters. My brother was closer to our father than our mother, I guess that's why my mother pays more attention to me, she wants me to be so.. 'perfect'.. whatever that means anymore" River muttered, "I don't think anyone knows what perfect means in a world like this.. I know I definitely don't.." she trailed off for a moment.
Tom's brow furrowed as he thought about what she'd said.
River was childish, some people would say she was immature but that's not what she was, she was far from that.
She acted like a child and yet she said such things that seemed so deep, she must have been thinking about them for a while...
"My mother and father are separated" River said, speaking up again.
"Separated?" Tom asked.
"Yeah, separated as in he's not here" River said, "I don't know where he is. He left a few years ago, to fight in the war"
Tom remained silent and listened to her.
"Never came home" said River.
"I'm sorry" said Tom, not wanting her to get upset.
"You don't have to be" she said, "I still believe he's alive. I know he is.. somewhere. I won't ever give up on him"
She turned and smiled at Tom, he smiled back.
There were silent for a while as they slowly walked deeper into the gardens of the town hall.
The noise of the people could still be heard behind them.
There were lights all lit up in rows either side of the path they were walking on, and some lights were placed in between the flowers and hedges which gave off more light only adding to the light provided by the stars above them.
River glanced up at Tom walking beside her. The light cast shadows across his face, accenting his cheekbones, making him look more defined and yet more mysterious.
River looked back up at the stars and spoke before she thought.
"Do you think there's anything more than this?" she asked, Tom looked at her, his hands in his pockets, her hands fiddling with her dress at her sides, "I mean, there's got to be something more, something better, something just.. waiting out there"
"Waiting for what?" Tom asked.
"For us. For someone. For anyone who can break the rules of this strict world we live in. In this world where our lives are decided from birth till death. We may have our voices but we can never have our say. We are never heard. I'm not, anyway..." she sighed, "So many rules. So little time. And no arguments against it..." River trailed off, realising she may have gone a little too deep.
There was a moment of silence before Tom spoke up.
"You are extraordinary" he said.
River stopped walking and looked up at him, Tom stopped walking too.
"Extraordinary?" she asked him.
Tom chuckled, "Yes. You are. Very much so" he said, "I've never met anyone so open and yet so closed"
River smiled, hoping the lights wouldn't show the blush on her cheeks.
"Thank you.." she said, Tom smiled at her nervousness.
She huffed out a laugh.
"What?" Tom asked.
"It's just.." River muttered, "I've told you so much and I don't even know you"
She looked down at the floor.
"Do you trust me?" Tom asked.
River's mind said no but for some reason her heart said "Yes"
Tom smiled down at her, "Then I trust you" he said, "Even though I don't know you either"
He paused for a second, "You know," he began, "My mother always said never to trust strangers"
Tom chuckled and River couldn't help but to laugh with him.
"Yeah, I remember my mother saying something like that" she said, "Especially about tall mysterious men"
Tom laughed, "You think me mysterious?" he asked.
Rover huffed out a laugh, "Very" she said.
She quickly looked back at the town hall remembering her mother.
"I better get back before my mother completely freaks out" said River.
"Yeah, I better be getting back too before my father starts to worry" said Tom.
They turned to head back up the path towards the town hall.
Tom held out his arm for River to take, she smiled at his offer and linked her arm with his.
"It's a beautiful night" Tom said, looking up at the stars that shined down on them.
"Yeah" River agreed, "Yeah, it is"
They made their way back, both reflecting on what the other had said.
As soon as they had walked in through the double glass doors of the town hall with their arms still linked, a high pitched voice made them stop in their tracks.
"River!" shouted whoever the voice belonged to, it was the same voice from before.
A middle aged woman came over to them and grabbed River by the arm, yanking her away from Tom's arm.
She was short with shoulder length dark brown hair that looked like it was going a little grey in places, her eyes were a piercing shade of grey and she wore a long dark grey dress.
"There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!" said the woman, in an annoyed tone.
A young man walked over to settle the commotion.
He had short thick brown hair, the same colour as Rivers, and his eyes were a greyish brown.
He was tall but not as tall as Tom, even though he was a couple years older than him.
He also wore a sharp looking suit but it wasn't a three piece one, it was a lighter brown than Tom's.
"I'll take her back home, mother" he said to the woman.
He looked at River and she looked at him.
He shook his head slightly warning her not to argue back with their mother.
Tom saw this look they shared and grew curious because of it.
The woman let go of River, nodded her agreement, looked at Tom with a questioning glare, then walked off.
"Come along, River" said Matt, he also looked at Tom and started to walk away, signalling River to follow him.
"Sorry about that, Tom" said River, "I have to go, family problems and what not"
"You don't have to apologise, I enjoyed the time we had. I hope we meet again" said Tom, he smiled happily but he was still curious by what had just passed between her mother and who he's guessing was her brother - Matt.
"Yeah? Me too. It was nice meeting you" said River, walking away.
"Bye River" he said following her a few steps.
"Bye Tom" said River, she smiled and then continued to follow her brother.
Tom laughed to himself, his heart beating a little faster as he watched her make her way through the crowd.
Tom turned in the opposite direction and walked away, in hope that he would locate his father and his brothers.. wherever they all were...
A group of girls looked at him admiringly and smiled, and then mumbled to each other about him.
"That was Thomas Callington, wasn't it sis?" said one.
"Yes, it was. Was he talking to River?" replied another.
These two girls were sisters, the Fenningham sisters; Annabelle and Isabelle.
They were tall and thin, too thin for anyone's liking.
They both had long blonde hair tied in buns, their dresses made them look even skinnier and their collarbones stuck out against their pale skin, making them look as if they were ill.
"Why, yes he was!" said one of their friends; Emily.
"But why would he talk to her? She's a nobody!" scoffed another one; Mary.
"Well at least his brother has higher standards" said Annabelle. "Yeah, I'd rather have Christopher than Thomas any day" said Isabelle.
"Well, that's why we're all here, isn't it?" asked Emily.
"She's right. You don't think River believes the arranged marriage is to Thomas? Do you?" said Annabelle, laughing.
"You know, I think she does. Well, she's in for a shock" said Isabelle, they all laughed together.
I have taken this story from my other Fanfiction account and changed it slightly. The first version is on my other account - Cumbercollective201. Tom Callington is based on Tom Hiddleston, his brother Christopher is based on Chris Hemsworth and Matt - River's brother - is based on Matt Smith.
I hope you like this! Please review! :)