Day One

Clara

I blinked my eyes, squinting at the sudden harsh brightness. I raised my head from the pillow that my head had been resting on.

I was in a room, one I had never been to before. The walls were a bright, blinding white, with no form of ornament. I looked to my left, and there was a wardrobe in a corner that looked like it had never been used before. I turned my head and saw another immaculate wardrobe in the right corner. Next to the wardrobe was a metal bed with white sterile sheets, matching the hospital-like motif of the whole room. I assumed I was on a matching metal bed. The metal bed that I was not currently occupying had a blonde girl sitting on it reading a book.

Her bleach blonde hair was in a ponytail, and her brown eyes were lined by long thick eyelashes and eyeliner. She was wearing a blue leather jacket, and under that a white polo shirt with the "Torchwood" logo on it and jeans. Her grey trainers were the only thing not in pristine condition.

As if she could sense that someone was staring at her, she looked up from her book. Her eyes had met mine, and I fidgeted because she had caught me staring at her. My mum had taught me never to stare at people. I wondered how she was doing, how my dad was doing, since all I could remember was something sharp in my neck, I guessed that it was a tranquilizer dart of some kind.

"Oh, nice to see you're awake," she gave a warm smile."What's your story?" she asked, sounding curious.

"What do you mean 'story'?" I looked around for clues as to where I was. Oh god, I didn't know where I was.

Not knowing was odd. I remembered everything. When I was four, hoverboards became legal and that 37,423 people died that day. When I was in year five I took a math test and the seventh question was 23 - 3 x 64 . I can remember that, but not this. This must be important. Torchwood must be involved.

"Who are you?" I asked the girl. I realized I was still lying down, and I sat up, leaning back on my hands.

"I'm your roommate, Rose Marion Tyler," she answered. "I'm a Mutant, like you, I can heal people, just minor injuries mind you, but Moffat's helping me with that."

I was confused and I was sure it showed. I knew I was special, but my dad had a good memory too, just not as good as mine. I just made the assumption that it was genetic.

"What's your name?" she asked. "If you can remember."

Oh, I could remember.

"Clara Oswin Oswald," I said, "I have eidetic memory. Well I thought I did, I can't seem to recall the past day or so."

I looked down at myself, I was dressed identically to Rose, save the jacket. The fact that someone must've undressed me while I was unconscious, and the fact that they did at all, made me squirm.

Rose nodded, "Yeah Torchwood does that from time to time, you'll remember soon. C'mon, I'll show you around." She put down the book she was reading, swung her legs, and stood up from her bed.

"Just one question," I started, "where am I?" Let me just reiterate. I hate not knowing.

"Oh," she said laughing, "Moffat's School for Mutants, there's 'bout forty of us, all Mutants like you. It's a division of Torchwood, we're being 'observed' or something, but mainly it's like regular school." I flinched.

"Regular school has never been my forte," I joked. Kinda. Not really.

If this is like regular school, then I was screwed. Everyone would make fun of me and I'd have to eat with the teachers. Seeing as this school was run by Torchwood and they were 'observing' us, I don't think I would want to eat with the teachers either.

"Same for all of us really," Rose sounded sympathetic, "But it's okay. We're all freaks here." Those words meant so little so much at the same time. We're all freaks here. Maybe I wouldn't be singled out, maybe I'd have friends here.

"You okay?" Rose observed. I guess I didn't realize I had stopped to think about it for so long.

"Yeah," I tried to muster a nervous smile, "Can I meet your friends?" I probably sounded like a lost puppy, or some equally helpless equivalent.

"Sure," Rose grinned, "just follow me down the hall, I bet they're in the common room." I was suspicious, she wasn't tricking me, was she? I'd heard the worst things about Torchwood, and they hardly seemed trustworthy. Was I in too deep?

But… she was the only person who I had met so far. She seemed fairly nice and honest. The warmth that she exhibited couldn't be faked, I was good at observing people's mannerisms and body language, and Rose was just too naturally nice.

She scanned her finger on a pad in the wall, next to a white panel. The door slid open. I followed her down the hall, and so far, she wasn't leading me to the dark, molten, incineration pits of hell. We approached a white door was a plaque that said Common Room. Figures. She scanned her fingerprint and the door moved, revealing a room.

"I'll get you registered soon enough," she promised as we walked into the room. "Hey guys," she greeted the room. There were about a dozen kids, all about my age, presumably all Mutants.

Only one of them bothered to look up.

"Guys!" Rose repeated, "Someone just showed up today." A few people closed their books or laptops to come over. I had never felt so popular in my life.

"Hi, I'm Clara," I introduced myself, "Oswald. Clara Oswin Oswald,"

"So," a boy, probably about sixteen, began. He had quiffed brown hair and an awfully out of place bowtie. "What's wrong with you?" That was a question I hadn't been asked in years, and I felt my face heat up.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I mean, what's your power?"

"Oh," I said, relieved. He seemed like a nice guy, even if his mouth seemed to run off. "Um, Eidetic memory, I remember everything," I explained.

"Cool," he said, unironically. "I'm Matt by the way. Matthew Robert Smith," he repeated in a tone mocking mine. I laughed and must've sounded really stupid.

"And you must be feeling lost- I'm telepathic-" he explained, before I could question him. "Here let me help,"

He tapped the girl next to him and whispered something. She nodded and looked up the blue book she had been scribbling in furiously.

"I'm River Song," she said. Matt coughed and River side eyed him, before continuing with her introduction. "I can tell the future, well only a few minutes, but I'm learning."

These people were all Mutants like me, learning to harness their powers. For once I felt at home.

"Really?" I asked River in disbelief, "Can you tell me what's going to happen in thirty seconds?" I bet she was sick of people asking her that.

"Sure I can," River said, "But I mustn't. Spoilers and all that," she said, returning to her book.

Thirty seconds later, a boy, about eighteen walked in.

"Hey," he said walking to the back of the room. He saw me and did a double take. "Hi, Captain Jack Harkness," he shook my hand and introduced himself. I was swooning, and I for one, do not enjoy that feeling. Granted I had only felt it once, and I was eight. And he was fictional.

And then Jack turned it off. Just like that. Snapped back to reality.

"What," I muttered, "how did you-"

"Yeah," he said, "guess I couldn't turn it off," he winked.

"Turn what off?" I inquired.

"Jack does that to people," Rose explained, "he can mess with people's errm," she paused, "sexual desires."

Oh boy, he seemed like trouble, and trouble he was according to Rose's explanation of his powers.

"But don't worry," she said, "he usually saves it for Ianto."

"Who's Ianto?" I asked.

"His 'love interest'," River butts in, "honestly the fact that Moffat lets them eff their arses off is absurd. I mean, we're in school!"

"Ew," I responded. Not 'ew they're gay', but 'ew they're doing each other on school grounds. Is this a school? I'm not exactly sure.

"Where's David?" Rose asked the rest of the group, who I'm assuming were her friends. "I need to find him to work on the Science project." River stifled a laugh. "What?" Rose asked.

"Sorry," she said, she turned to me, "they're totally an item if that's what you mean. They were two of the first to be abducted." As River said that it washed over me. This may seem like a normal school, but that's all a facade, Torchwood owns us. They're just trying to let us have a few more months of normal life until we're 'tested' on.

"I think he just went out to get candy or summat, you know he loves his Maltesers," Matt responds. Then he lowered his voice, "Oh, he also went to get protection for when you guys 'Netflix and Chill' tonight."

I may be antisocial, but, unfortunately, I know what that's a euphemism for. Matt noticed my expression.

"Oh. Was that too much for you? I really need to work on talking less."

I stand there, looking shocked. Why is everyone taken in this school and already effing each other? Aren't we a bit young for that? I mean, I've never even kissed a guy, and these people are already effing all the time!

"No, it's fine," I lied. "Actually I've never even kissed anyone so-" another lie.

"Well, I can change that for you," Matt interjects and wiggles his non-existent eyebrows.

"No thanks," I responded, putting my hand between his mouth and mine, "I think I'll just find my way back to the my room."

"Be careful!" Matt yelled as I left the room. Or, tried to leave, as I discovered, handprints were needed to exit as well. Matt described them as being like our ID cards, tracking us wherever we go.

"I'll help you," he said while getting up. He scanned his own fingerprint into the system, and I left the hallway, he promised Torchwood would help me tomorrow.

It was easy for me to make my way back- eidetic memory after all. I realized that my fingerprint wasn't logged in the Torchwood system. I sighed and went to turn around when I saw Matt with a huge smile on his face, right behind me.

"What are you doing, still following me?" I asked crossing my arms, leaning against the wall.

"Well…" he trailed off, face flushing slightly.

"Are you stalking me?" I asked with a slight smirk.

"Well you can't get into your room, so I was thinking that I would be a nice person and let you in."

I was about to retort with some witty comment about how actually, I was fine and I could figure this out on my own and I knew how to get into my room.

"Actually, that would be quite helpful," I admitted instead.

"You know you're going to have to move, you're blocking the fingerprint scanner."

"Oh, sorry." I moved out of the way and Matt scanned his fingerprint. The door began to slide open.

"There you go madam," he said with a flourish of his hand.

"You're so immature," I shook my head, "See you later Matt." He took the clear dismissal and left.

When the door had completely opened, Rose was there. I didn't even realize that she had left the common room before me. She had company. He was nineteen or even twenty. He looked like her was one of the oldest ones out of all the Mutants. He had brown hair sticking up in all directions, a trench coat that was far too long for him, and he was wearing what looked to be 3D glasses.

Rose spotted me first, "Um, David," she said, pointing to me, "this is Clara, my new roommate."

"Hi," I felt extremely awkward, "I'll just go-" I said and turned towards the doorway. I noticed that the door had begun to slide shut, possibly trapping me in the room.

"It's not a problem," David said. "It's really not, I was just helping Rose with-" he paused looking for an excuse.

"Maths," Rose suggested, despite the fact that this "school" doesn't even teach it.

"Yeah, I was helping Rose with her Maths homework," David lied. "Trigonometry. Feel free to stay."

I went to sit on my bed, and I found a box containing the bag I was carrying. It contained my laptop, notebooks, pencil case, and phone. Being a teenage girl, my first instinct was to check my phone.

"Don't bother," Rose sighed, "Torchwood's internet is locked."

Being me, my second instinct was to open one of my notebooks. I chose the grey one, the one I was saving for Physics. I took out my ballpoint pen and started writing.

Day One- September 20th, 2032.

Someone has captured me. I'm at this place called "Moffat's School for Mutants". I don't know how I got here, or where it is. If you're reading this. Send help.

I paused. Sounded a little too 'Doomsday Survivalist' and not enough 'Diary'. Hey, if this is my legacy, I want it to be personal. I would let Torchwood know about the people they've kidnapped.

I made a friend today. Her name is Rose, is she really my friend? I don't know, but she's a Mutant like me. All of them are. Matt is telepathic, River is Psychic, Rose can heal people, Jack is a huge flirt and David is- well I don't know what his power is, but he wouldn't be here if he wasn't. I've been trying to settle in, all of these guys have. But how can I settle in this prison? I dunno.

I stopped. Do you normally sign diary entries? I felt stupid asking.

-Clara Oswin Oswald.

I could always erase it.