She flicked the light of her tiny bathroom off and went to the full-length mirror glued to the door. She took in her reflection. The blond locks that fell on her bare shoulders in elegant curls, the heavy black makeup around her eyes, the dark red lipstick that underlined her full lips - she had understood that it was no use trying to cover up those lips she didn't like, and decided she might as well make them pretty for those who did. A silver pendant hung low on her sternum, pointing to the reasonable cleavage her strapless black dress revealed. The dress was rather short, and she wasn't used to wear such clothes, so she didn't really know what to think of her muscular thighs and calves that were well-defined thanks to the sharp heels she had stepped into.

She knew she wasn't like most girls her age. She didn't like fancy dresses, she didn't particularly feel the need to be sexy in the eyes of boys, she had never felt the desire to seduce anyone, much less date anyone. She often shrugged it off when her classmates taunted her about the arid desert her love life was, some even joking about the fact that she was a lesbian in the closet. She never denied any of those allegations, party because she didn't care and because it gave her a way out for justifying not having a boyfriend, mostly because she didn't want to explain the real reason why she wasn't interested in any of the young men that dared court her.

She picked off a blond hair that was sticking to the red woollen shawl she had tucked in the crook of her elbows, just to add a touch of smart to the rest of the rather banal dress. She didn't feel much comfortable, but she knew the small party she was bound to attend wouldn't last long - at least not for her. She was already thinking about the moment she'd be home, take off the painful heels and the tight dress to slip into her ripped shorts and the faded tee-shirt that had once belonged to her father. She regretted the promise she had made Mickey to attend that party with him, but she wouldn't let him down. He was one of the rare friends who never made any comment on the fact that she was single - and had always been, as a matter of fact - and she enjoyed his company more than anyone else's. He listened to her rambling about everything she loved, he always respected he decisions not to tell him about all those things she wanted to keep for herself. He had always been a comforting presence and lent a friendly ear when she wanted to share some of her secrets. He was the best friend she was grateful for and she wasn't afraid to say she loved him.

A quick look at the robot-shaped clock, one of the rare things she had brough back from her childhood room in her mom's flat, told her she was much too early. From the noise in the corridor, she knew most of the students she shared the residence with were already on their way to the party, but Mickey had been understanding enough to agree to pick her up a bit later. That way, they wouldn't have to mingle with the excited crowd and they could remain unnoticed when they'd join the general hubbub in the sports hall.

She sat at her desk and crossed her hands over the Encyclopedia of the Stars she had been offered for her sixteenth birthday, a heavy volume she had sifted through so often the corners were rumpled, the cover vamped with tape, some paged torn or specked with coffee stains. It was a poor replacement for her telescope which was sleeping in Mickey's basement - because the tiny window in her student room gave on the facade of another building, and she wasn't much into spying on her neighbours, so it was probably better there than cluttering up too much space in her hutch. Her eyes fell on the frame standing on the corner of her desk and, much like every time she looked at that piece of paper, he heart stuttered in her chest. The ink had faded a little after the years, and the yellowish colour of the parchment had turned light brown, but she could still make out the circles and the drawing. She had stared at it for so long, on lonely nights when sleep would decide she was unworthy of its benediction, on boring homework sessions when physics would prove to be too much of a pain to study, that she probably could have reproduced most of the circles to the tiniest dot. When the few visitors she had asked about it, she answered it was a piece of weird art she had bought on Camden Street because it reminded her of space. Half of it was true, so it was a lie that she couldn't really blame herself for selling.

Sometimes, she would take it out of its glass sheet to look at the lines scribbled at the bottom of the page, to run her fingers on the words highlighted by the thin layer of graphite. They helped her remember his face, and they helped her remember why she wasn't interested in anyone. She couldn't find an explanation to that mystery, but she accepted it. She had accepted that she was in love with the pair of deep emerald eyes, the red curls, the stub nose and the ridiculous smile. It had been hard, at first, to know her heart and her mind would only fly towards that rather common, almost ugly boy, especially since she had never even met him, since she didn't even know where he was coming from, what his name was, who he was. She had tried to ignore it, but denial wasn't easy when his face kept popping up in random places and in most of her dreams. But after a while, after she realized the harder she tried to forget about him, the more accurately he appeared in her thoughts, she had simply decided to live with it. If he was important, if he was the man she was supposed to love and who would love her back by some twisted destiny, he would show up, eventually. She had decided to wait.

A sharp knock echoed in her small room, and she took a deep breath as well as the tiny black sequined bag she had bought for the occasion.

"Hi, Rose," Mickey greeted her with a smile, a whistle falling from his lips as he took in her appearance. "Damn, you look… Wow."

"Oi, shut it," she chastised with a slap on his forearm. "You know I don't like it."

"Sorry, princess. So, ready to go?"

"Not really," she shrugged, though she still closed her door behind her and took the arm he graciously offered. "I'm going only because you're going to get that reward and I don't want to miss it."

"I might not be the only one to get a reward," he winked conspicuously.

"What does that mean? Please, tell me I won't have to make a fool of myself in front of everyone in that stupid dress."

"You won't make a fool of yourself, and you'll stun everyone with that dress, trust me."

She could only roll her eyes and shrug it off as one of the cheap jokes he was so fond of. The gymnasium was already crowded when they arrived, hundreds of graduates dancing to an off-beat rock song, cups filled with either juice of beer in their hands, some sitting on benches and shouting over the music blaring through the speakers. She recognized a few faces, students she had spent most of her days with for the past two years, but the rest was an otherwise seamless sea of anonymous people - which was a bit of a relief, given that she wanted to remain unnoticed. She stood in a less frequented corner until Mickey came back with two cups and a smile that flashed green when he was swallowed by the ray of a spotlight.

"We should get closer to the stage," he grinned, offering her one of the cups. "They're about to start."

"Mickey, I'm not…" she tried to refuse with a vehement shake of her head.

"Please, Rose, I asked Will to call the both of us at the same time so you don't have to go alone."

"You knew about this, and you didn't tell me?" she huffed, clearly annoyed that he hadn't judged necessary to ask for her opinion.

"I'm sorry, I thought you'd like it," he apologized, scratching the back of his head. "Please Rose, come with me, it won't take more than a minute, I promise."

"Fine," she drawled. "But I'm not speaking."

His smile got impossibly brighter and she could only smile in return at his giddy dance steps he made in victory. She sipped at her orange juice she was quite sure had been mixed with a tiny dose of alcohol, but she spat it back when her stomach churned and her heart missed a beat. One of her classmates jumped onto the stage and the music faded to be replaced by an screeching feedback that had everyone groan in annoyance.

"Sorry, guys," he spoke into his mike, waving in apology at the audience. "I hope everyone's having a good time so far!"

The crowd exploded in cheers and wild clapping at those words, and against her best will her heart started to beat faster. She wiped her clammy hands on her dress and gratefully accepted when Mickey rolled an arm around her waist. She abhorred public appearances and she detested having to go up there, but her best friend on her side made the prospect a bit more bearable. She just hoped she wouldn't have to go first. She'd rather go when everyone would be bored by what was happening on the stage and stop paying attention to any of it.

"We're going to start with all the little Einsteins of the science department," he continued, taking out a small piece of paper from his pocket and putting it down on a lectern. "We truly have been blessed with geniuses this year, and I would like to open this ceremony with Mickey Smith and Rose Tyler!"

"Hell yes!" Mickey grinned excitedly, pulling on her hand to lead her to the flight of stairs next to the stage. "Come on, Rose."

Her heart free-fell in her chest and a lump grew in her throat as she made her way up the steps, half-stumbling because of her heels, her ears deaf to the loud round of applause and roars of ovation. She was instantly drowned in dazzling white light, and she was glad to find out it made it hard to clearly see anyone. She shuffled to get closer to Mickey, her wild eyes going from one side of the gymnasium to the other, her fingers fiddling with the sequins on her small bag. She suddenly caught a sight of one head in the crowd, just as the spotlight travelled from the front to the back. It lasted just long enough for her mouth to part in a silent shout, for her hand to twitch on her side as if she wanted to reach to him, for her eyes to water at the unexpected way her heart leapt in her chest and filled her with hope. Not long enough to pinpoint the exact place she had spotted the mass of red curls lost in the crowd. She searched, and searched, but he was gone.

She had to swallow her disappointment when she realized there was no way she'd be able to find him later - if he had been there at all, she couldn't really tell the difference between her wishful fantasies and reality any longer. It wasn't the first time she believed she'd seen him, and it probably wouldn't be the last. She could only hope the next time this would happen, he would be there. Really there.

She pretended to wipe a smudge of mascara with the hem of her shawl to cover her tears, just as her classmate finished his short introduction and finally started his little show.

"So, Mickey Smith," Will stated with a smug smile, a hand on his hip. "Do you know what prize you're going to get?"

"Huhu, not a clue," he shrugged, stealing a quick glance at his friend to make sure she was alright.

"Then let me enlighten you. For creating the deadliest stink bomb that was ever made in our college, for setting half the physics lab on fire after a failed experiment, and for all those explosions you blessed us with in chemistry lessons all while getting straight As for your A-levels… We decided the best choice for you would be a gift to help you continue on the way to awesomeness!"

She had to laugh along her best friend when another classmate appeared with what seemed to be a chemistry kit obviously designed for kids. Mickey lifted it high above his head and shook it like he would have done with a football cup, and the crowd laughed with them in a wave of glee.

"Thank you," Mickey chuckled in the mike that was offered to him. "May the hole in the ceiling of A-22 never be repaired."

"I have an agreement with the headmaster, don't worry about that, Mick," Will reassured him with a friendly slap on the back. "Now… Rose Tyler."

Her smile disappeared from her face faster than Will could say her name, and she clasped her hands in front of her, anxiously waiting for what would come next.

"Rose Tyler," he repeated, reaching out to take one of her hand in his and bring her closer to the lectern. "Living proof that science geeks can be just as beautiful as we, normal people, isn't that right guys?"

Her cheeks flushed when the audience agreed with a tornado of applause and whistles and cheers, and she offered a small smile in return despite the sudden urge she had to run away.

"For always helping your classmates when they needed it," Will said a tad more seriously than he had for Mickey, "for proving to all of us that dedication and hardwork are the only key to success, for showing us that a dream can become reality if you wish it hard enough… And, of course, for getting all those straight As in your A-levels, we thought…"

She nibbled her lower lip nervously when the young man she believed was called Roy stepped next to her with a tiny purple velvet cushion. Will delicately picked up the first piece of jewelry that was nestled in the cushion and slipped behind her to lock a necklace around her neck. He did the same with a bracelet he attached to her wrist, and she shivered when his long fingers brushed on the inside of her bare forearm.

"Miniature solar systems," Will explained with a smile, lifting her arm so those closer to the stage could take a look at the shiny planets around her wrist. "True to scale, of course. We wish you all the best for what's bound to be a prodigious careers in astrophysics, Rose, and whatever happens, we want you to know that you are a good friend to all of us. Thanks for your kindness and your unwavering support. We'll miss you."

"I.. Um, thanks," she managed to croak out past the tight knot her throat had tied into. "If I ever get lost in space, I'll have this to find my way back to you guys."

"Ha, send us a postcard before you come back, though," Will chuckled as he finally let go of her hand. "Ladies and gents, Rose and Mickey!"

She let herself be led by Mickey's hand off of the stage, waving absentmindedly at the audience which had burst into a renewed round of applause, too shook and dumbfounded to fully realize what had happened. A few people patted her shoulder as they made their way back to an unoccupied bench in a corner of the gymnasium, and she barely heard the You go, Tyler and the Well done, Rose she was greeted with along with lifted thumbs and broad smiles. Mickey plopped down on the bench with an amused sigh and drummed the empty space next to him with his fingers to invite her to sit.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked, shoving the chemistry kit under the bench.

"I… Suppose not," she shrugged as she tugged lightly on the newly acquired piece of jewelry hanging from her wrist. "I… Wasn't expecting such nice words."

"You deserved them, Rose," he said softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You're brilliant, you're the only one who can't see that."

"I…" she started before she had to clear her throat. "Yeah. It actually… Felt good, you know."

"I knew it would, I wouldn't have dragged you up there otherwise," he smiled, planting a kiss on her temple. "People like you, Rose. You're nice, and beautiful, and smart. It was about time you realized that, yeah?"

"Thanks, Mick. I'm… glad you're my best friend. I hope you know that."

"Yeah, I know," he replied with a soft brush of his knuckles against her cheek. "I'm glad you're my best friend too. So, another drink? Martha will be there in twenty minutes, we could share one last before you can head home, if you still want to leave early."

"Oh yes, I feel like I could drink the whole bar after all this."

"Got you, princess. Be back in a tick."

She watched as he was devoured by the sea of people and her attention was drawn back to the stage, where Will was now offering books to a girl who appeared to be the best student in literature and drama. Followed a string of other students, from languages to sociology and philosophy, each receiving a small gift for their achievements. She half-heartedly joined the several rounds of applause that followed, anxiously waiting for Mickey to come back. She wanted to find a higher place to seat so she could survey the crowd and hopefully see him again, even if she was convinced it had just been a trick of the light, or even some other redhead that had had the misfortune to stand there at the wrong place, in the wrong moment. She just wanted to make sure.

She jumped when someone fell down next to her with a heavy sigh, and she offered a small greeting when she saw it was Will - who she only then noticed had left the stage to yield it to the college rock band. A small sheen of sweat covered his forehead and he avidly gulped down a whole cup of juice in one go before dropping it on the side with a satisfied rub over his stomach.

"Well I'm glad that's over," he announced, tugging on his tie knot to loosen it. "I love you guys, but this was a pain."

"Comes with being the best prefect of the college, I suppose."

"Quite right," he chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. "So, how are you doing, Rose? Do you like your gift?"

"It's beautiful," she nodded with a smile, running the pad of her thumb over the bead planets. "I love it."

"Oh, good. I wasn't sure, I just saw that in the shop and I thought it'd suit you."

"You chose it?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yep. The only thing I personally chose, I'll have you know. I wanted yours to be special."

A shiver rolled down her spine like warm water at those words, and she had to remind herself to breathe when he shifted closer to her. She wasn't sure what his intentions were, until he gently weaved his fingers between hers while his other hand found its way to her knee - a fleeting touch that left her a way out if she didn't want any it, and she greatly appreciated it. She looked at his face, at his piercing blue eyes and thin lips. He was rather handsome, if she was being honest with herself. Nothing like the images from that boy in her dreams. She had never paid much attention to him in class before, too occupied to take notes, too serious to daydream about all those love stories that impassioned everyone else.

She knew he was funny, he was always the ones to make silly jokes and do stupid things to amuse his classmates - she had laughed once or twice at his bad puns. She knew everyone liked him, most girls wanted to date him, boys were jealous of him. He was like that perfect, hot student, the rockstar of the college idealised in those American flicks she sometimes watched with her friends. Expect Will was nice not to be liked by people, but because he truly liked people. He was also caring, it seemed. A bit bold, obviously, but the good kind. And he had the advantage of being there, physically there, his hot palm resting on her naked knee and his eyes looking at her, really looking at her, unlike that prince she wanted to snort at herself for believing in.

"I wasn't lying when I said we… I'm going to miss you, Rose," he admitted, just loud enough over the overall cacophony. "I think it's quite a shame that we didn't get to spend that much time together."

"A shame, yes," she softly answered, staring at their joined hands on her lap.

A battle of emotions roared in her chest at the sight. Something akin to betrayal made her insides twist - why, she had no idea, it wasn't like she was cheating on anyone. But she also felt pleasant flutters in the pit of her stomach and warmth run through her limbs. The rockstar of the college had noticed her. Better, he was interested in her. She feared she was giving in the temptation just to shut everyone up about her disastrous love life. But then, he brought his other hand to tenderly cup her jaw and the fear gave way to excitement.

"Rose, would it be wrong for me to kiss you?" he asked at the exact moment when she decided that was what she very much wanted him to do.

She was perfectly aware that this would probably lead nowhere, but she liked him. It wouldn't mean commitment or engagement, it wouldn't mean much more than a consequenceless fling. Just a kiss. To know what it felt like to share some intimate affection with another person. To experience what everyone had been taunting her about for three years. She tucked the image of the strange boy in a corner of her head and slipped her hand behind his neck, enjoying the feel of his short hair under her skin and his hot breath as he got closer. She definitely liked it, judging by the way her body willingly bent towards his. She held her breath and her heat missed a beat when his nose brushed against hers. That was it. Her first kiss.

Just as their lips were about to meet, a searing sensation ran through her forearm, she gasped, and he drew back with a yelp, his long fingers tightly closing around her arm to shove it away.

"What the fuck, Rose?" he cursed, jerking away from her with a grimace of pain.

She watched, eyes wide in horror, as the skin of his neck turned an angry hue of red and blistered within seconds. She rushed to him, tried to find something around her to relieve him of his pain, desperately tried to ask for help around her. Tears were rolling his cheeks as he pressed his palm against the burn that started to spread to his jaw, down to the neckline of his shirt, and she never felt more powerless than in that moment.

"Will, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I don't know…" she attempted to apologize, though he was quick to push her away with a broad and powerful sweep of his arm.

"Don't touch me, don't fucking touch me!" he barked, his face distorted into a heavy frown of resentment. "Fuck, you could have just told me you didn't want me to kiss you."

Her eyes quickly filled with tears of their own and she tentatively reached out to me again despite his glare and his the obvious infuriation painted over his features.

"I'm sorry," she cried, running feverish fingers through her blond locks. "I don't know what happened, I promise. I'm sorry."

"Rose, what's happening?"

She turned back on her feet to face Mickey, who was back with the two cups of juice he had promised, but that he was quick to put down on the bench. She wanted to explain the little she understood from the situation and spare Will the confrontation with her best friend she felt coming. She wasn't fast enough.

"Hey, what the Hell have you done to Rose?" Mickey growled, seizing him by the collar of his shirt with the firm intention to get back at him for any harm he might have done his best friend.

"What's she done to me, more like," he seethed, pointing at the impressive burn that was so deep his flesh was starting to swell and get blotchy.

"Rose?"

"I don't know what happened, I swear," she lamented again as she pried Mickey's fingers off of Will. "He didn't do anything, we were about to kiss and… I don't know, okay?"

"Yeah, right," Will spat, wobbling away from them. "Just be careful, mate, she might melt your bollocks off."

Mickey rubbed his face with a tired sigh and his face drew into a frown of dejection at the sight of a sobbing Rose. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist when she tethered on her feet and drew her close to his chest in a comforting hug.

"Let's get you home, yeah?" he mumbled against the top of her head.

"What about Martha?" she sniffed, suddenly chilled to the bones and exhausted.

"She's not coming," he lied, thinking it better not to make her feel bad for stealing him away from his girlfriend. "Come on, let's get going, princess."

Once they got back to the warmth of her small bedroom in the deserted residence, they both plopped down on the bed in silence, except for her contained sniffs and quiet sobs. Mickey took her arm and she couldn't suppress a soft cry of pain.

"What is this, Rose?" he asked as he brushed her skin with the pad of his thumb.

"He… Just grabbed me," she shrugged, looking at the hematomas colouring her skin in a spectrum of dark colours. "It's fine. I'm fine."

"I don't mean the bruise, I mean that," he insisted with a light pressure on her wrist.

She lowered her eyes to her sensitive limb and, at first, she couldn't see anything but the angry rainbow painted in the definite shape of fingers. But then, among the blots of green and purple, she noticed a thin, pale white line than drew patterns from the base of her hand and half-way up her forearm. Her eyes widened at the circles he could have recognized between a thousand others. They were a bit different that those spread over the parchment, but it definitely was the same style. A large circle crossed by lines and ornamented by dots, surrounded by a dozen of much smaller ones. Her thoughts were drawn back to the unknown redhead and a shriek fled her tight throat when the thin line glowed ever so slightly. A dull, pulsing white light that looked anything but normal. It terrified her. She started to rub the skin with her palm, hard and fast, trying to erase that line she was growing more and more scared off. The harder she rubbed, the brighter it glowed. As if it had a conscience of its own and was furious she would dare wipe it off.

"Mickey, help me," she pleaded, using her nails to scratch at the already hurt skin, almost lacerating it. "I don't know what the fuck this is, please help me remove it."

"Stop, Rose, just stop," Mickey said as he swatted her hand away from her wrist. "Damn, why would you do that to yourself?"

"Because you think it's normal to have something that just shines under your skin like… Like, I don't bloody know, but look at that, Mickey, it's bloody blinding me. Please, just… Help me…"

"Rose, nothing is shining," he grimaced - though more out of sadness for his friend's obvious distress than anything else. "Just listen to me princess, it is not shining. Stop hurting yourself, please."

He did his best to lock her hands down on the mattress and she stared at reddened arm, her nails having gone so deep was starting to gather under her skin in the shape of irregular paths. The glowing had stopped. And the tears started to stream down her cheeks, heavy, and just as painful as the sore flesh of her arm.

"What's happening to me, Mickey?" she whispered through a sob tinged with worry and fear. "Please tell me what's happening to me."

"I don't know, Rose. Why don't you tell me?"

"I don't…"

"No, that's bullshit, Rose, I can see it. You've been hiding something from me, and I'm sure this has something to do with it."

"I… You're going to think I'm completely bonkers, Mickey. This is just so… Weird."

"I don't care. I want to know what's going on with my best friend. Go on, tell me."

"Fine… But promise me you won't laugh at me."

"I promise."

"Okay…" she nodded, taking a deep breath before she started her little story from the beginning.