Author's note:
Thank you guys for all the lovely reviews. I really appreciate it. :) I'll post more often now that I know there are people who are interested.
Yes, Jem is 16 in this story, and it's before the events of TID. Unfortunately I can't answer most of the questions in the reviews because *spoilers* (as River Song would say). How about another chapter to make up for it?
2. Mel
Jem woke up feeling cold and very stiff. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking as the light coming from the gas lamps that lined Blackfriars Bridge assaulted him. He found himself lying flat on his back on the pavement. He remembered having the worse attack of illness he had ever experienced, which must have accounted for why he was laying here. Groaning, he pulled himself upright and looked around him.
He expected to see the pavement awash in his blood, but there was not a single drop anywhere. His clothes were similarly clean and not even rumpled, which he expected after having rolled around in pain. His dragon-head cane was beside him, as though someone had placed it there.
Jem used his cane as a prop to haul himself back to his feet. He felt surprisingly all right. It was as though that attack had never happened. Feeling confused, Jem turned round and began to make for home.
He had barely taken a few steps when he heard a loud screeching sound and something crashed into him from behind, throwing him face forwards onto the pavement.
He threw out his hands instinctively to brace himself for the fall but it did not help. The heavy weight that had hit him forced him down and knocked the wind out of his lungs. He thought he saw stars in his vision for a second.
"Oh my god! Are you all right, mate?" someone asked. There was a movement and the weight vanished from his back. "I'm so sorry! I dunno what happened."
Jem rolled over, leaning on his elbows, and beheld the most extraordinary sight. It was a girl sitting on the pavement and in a most scandalous state of undress Jem had ever seen.
She looked older than him – perhaps in her early 20s – though she was slightly shorter than he was. She was wearing extremely tight blue denim trousers and knee-high black leather boots that hugged her calves. She wore a thick brown belt, from which hung a brown pouch.
On top, she wore a bright yellow camisole and over that, a curious waistcoat-like garment that looped once around her neck and once around her waist, leaving her back uncovered. An obscene amount of her chest and bosom were bare, causing Jem to blush furiously. If he had been entirely himself, he would have averted his eyes, but as he was in shock, all he could do was gape, open-mouthed.
The girl's appearance was also outlandish. Her hair was straight and hung loose around her shoulders. The top layer blonde, so light that it looked almost white, but appeared purple or blue underneath. And her face! Jem could not spot a single area that was not covered in powder or paint. Her eyes and lashes were rimmed in thick black make-up, there was bronze paint on her cheeks and dark red on her lips.
There were at least five bracelets of various different styles on her left wrist, and a leather strap on her right. Her fingernails were also painted – every nail was a different colour. There was a large ugly scar on her left forearm.
"Hey!" the girl was calling, snapping her fingers in front of his face several times. "You ok, mate?"
"I… I… What?" Jem stammered.
The girl laughed. "You're fine," she decided. She reached out, touched his jaw and gently nudged his mouth shut. "You'll be catching flies, mate. Not something you wanna do, mind. Though they do say insects are pure protein, so eating them does have its benefits. I saw that once on the telly. Disgusting what some people'll put in their mouths. I'm Mel, by the way. What do they call you?"
It took several seconds for Jem to process that speech and realise there was a question that he was required to answer. "I'm Jem," he said.
"Nice to meet you, Jem," Mel said. "Now, are you done staring? Christ, it's as if you've never seen a girl before. I said I was sorry for crashing into you like that. Dunno what happened. I was just walking along and boom, I was here. I've never seen this place so quiet before. Did I black out or something? Where did everybody go?"
Jem muttered something about it always being this empty on the bridge but the girl wasn't listening. She had bounded to her feet and picked up Jem's cane. "This yours, mate? Fancy piece it is," she commented as she handed it over to him. "Need a hand?" she offered, holding out her hand to him. Jem took it and she pulled him up.
"Thank you very much, Miss Mel," Jem said, remembering his manners as he regained his footing.
"Just Mel. And it's nothing. I did knock you over. I'm obligated to help you to your feet," Mel said. "Well, you look like you're all right; nothing broken. So, I'll just go now then. See ya around, Jem."
She turned and began to walk off in the opposite direction. "Mel!" Jem called. She stopped and waited as Jem strode up. "Let me escort you home. It's late and the streets are not safe for a lady," he offered.
Mel laughed. "And they say chivalry is dead. When are you from, Jem? The Victorian era? It's perfectly safe. I'll just catch the Tube back home. No need to worry your posh little self."
"I'm not posh," Jem protested.
"No? Could've fooled me. The fancy suit, the jade cane, the accent – you could cut glass with that accent," Mel pointed out. "Go on then, admit it, you playing hooky from one of those fancy public schools?"
"You're impossible," Jem said, exasperated. "I don't believe I've ever met a lady quite like you before."
"I ain't no lady," Mel declared. "Ain't gonna catch me having tea and scones out of those little teacups." She mimed drinking tea with her little finger sticking up in the air, affecting an air of poshness. Seeing that Jem was not reacting other than to stare at her in amused horror, she gave a cheery wave and skipped off.
Before she could take more than a few steps, a man appeared and blocked her path. "I'm sorry. But you are not going anywhere, young lady," he said.