TTV Series Episode 1: Forever Young

Some people have a purpose, a reason in life. For some, it is to rule, or to make money, and for others, it is to get through each day as it comes. But some people don’t have purposes, they just die. Perhaps their purpose is to affect those around them. But Crystal Harris didn’t have a purpose at all. She was born, and she died. That is, until someone intervened.

“Crystal!” Chelsea called, running into her room and leaping on her bed. “Get up freak.”
“Get off my bed, now,” Crystal ordered her sister.
“Calm down,” Chelsea said, heading for the door. “If you’re late for college I’m not covering for you.”
“Whatever – see you later,” Crystal said as Chelsea left.

Eurgh. Chelsea could be so annoying sometimes. The tart with the heart, Crystal called her. It was nearly eight o’clock, and when Crystal stomped downstairs she looked like a zombie. She grabbed some toast and attempted to comb her matted, dyed red hair. She caught her reflection in the toaster as she passed the kitchen. She’d definitely need some makeup. She was late already; she might as well make herself look nice.

“Crystal, what are you still doing here?” her mum, Zoe, asked. “You should have left ages ago. I’m about to take your dad to work.”
“Step dad,” Crystal corrected. “And we’ve always called him Tim.”
“I don’t need this now,” Zoe said. “I’ve got a meeting later, and I’m stressed as it is.”

Crystal sighed and wondered why nobody else in her family was as quiet as her. It was nice to have moments to herself, and not have to share them with her sister or mum, or even her step dad.

“Tim!” Zoe bellowed. “Hurry the hell up!”
“I’m coming!” Tim shouted.

He ran down the stairs, making a racket as usual. Crystal never really thought of it before, but she’d heard people whisper. It was no wonder nobody teased her for being different, her family were known for being the roughest around. Her step dad was tall and bald, and her mum often scraped her hair back as tight as she could. And it didn’t help that they’d been on Jeremy Kyle. That was her stupid dad’s fault. Still, he wasn’t here anymore.

“See you later,” Zoe said, slamming the door.

And it didn’t help that her mum was pregnant either. A little baby boy. She would have bet that her mum had lined up an earring and head shave for it all ready. Poor kid. But when she got her A Levels she could get a proper job and move out from the area and never set foot in it again.

“Where did I put that book?” she muttered.

She’d left it on the side somewhere. There it was. Alice in Wonderland. She sighed and let it drop to the floor. If only someone came into her life and took her to magical worlds. Her hair would have to stay as it was. Crystal chucked the remainder of her toast in the bin, and opened the front door.

Across the stars, Madame Rene left her tent, and stood in the fresh air. The wind whipped her grey-brown hair around her face. The moment was almost upon the Earth. Crystal Harris was stepping out of her house. She was crossing the road. But the car wasn’t coming; it had taken an unexpected detour. With a death knell sigh, Madame Rene disappeared.

Crystal headed across the road, when time froze. Her hair was frozen mid-flick, one foot in front of the other. There was a vworp sound, as the TARDIS materialised, unaware that time had frozen. The Doctor stepped out, looking at time around him.

“Woah,” he muttered.

It felt strange to be walking along, when everything else had frozen to the spot. He looked across the street, and saw a girl, frozen in the middle of the road. He smiled – she was a typical human, hurrying for the bus, or late for work. Her dyed red hair was fixed in position, as was her locket, which was stuck, mid-swing in front of her face. Suddenly, the crystal in the locket flashed a violent purple, and the Doctor was thrown off his feet.

“What the…?” he groaned from the pavement.

He looked up, to see Madame Rene walking towards the girl. Behind her, time returned to normal, and the Doctor saw a car speeding round the corner. He tried to get to his feet, but he couldn’t move; he was frozen too! The car sped through Madame Rene, who disappeared into smoke, and hit the girl full on, knocking her off her feet. Time resumed once more, and the Doctor managed to get up. He ran towards the girl, and was on his knees once again, bending over her, checking she was okay. She wasn’t.

“Can you hear me?” he called. “My name’s the Doctor. What’s your name?”
“Crystal,” Crystal informed him weakly. “What happened?”
“You were hit, by a car,” the Doctor said. “Look at me. That’s it, right at me. I need you to tell me about your locket.”
“I’ve had it ever since I was a baby,” Crystal said.

The Doctor gasped, as he saw what was happening. Crystal shimmered, and a second version appeared beside her, becoming stronger. The crystal in her locket was keeping her alive. But her body she was dying. This had only ever happened seven times before. He picked her up, and carried her to the TARDIS.

“What’s happening to me?” Crystal murmured. “Where are we?”
“It’s bigger on the inside, I know,” the Doctor said. “I thought you were dying, but you aren’t. Your locket is keeping you here. Do you feel better?”
“I do,” Crystal admitted, sitting up. “Doctor, am I dead?”
“Yes,” the Doctor said. “Think of it like this: your body is dead, but your soul isn’t. It’s holding on to the locket, which is keeping your body working. It’s complicated.”
“So I’m dead, but nobody will notice?” Crystal asked.
“Yes, except I left you on the pavement,” the Doctor said. “There are two versions of you. One here, dead, but still here, and one out there, dead, but gone.”
“So, I can’t ever return home…” Crystal said.
“No, sorry,” the Doctor replied.
“But this is brilliant!” Crystal cried. “I can stay with you! You have to protect me!”
“You can protect yourself,” the Doctor said. “But if the locket is destroyed, you die. Properly. Gone, pzam!”

Crystal nodded. She was still a little confused.

“Let me get this straight. I’m two people. One who’s dead outside, and one, kept alive by my locket, here,” she said. “But who are you?”
“I’m the Doctor,” the Doctor said. “An alien, from the planet Gallifrey.”
“Cool.”

The Doctor smiled slightly. As companions went, this one seemed okay. She had no choice but to stay with him now, and as long as her locket was fine, she’d be fine.

“But this means I’ll live forever!” Crystal smiled. “I’ll be young forever!”
“Yeah,” the Doctor agreed. “But it’s not all fun you know. You seem to be happy that you’re dead, I thought you’d be upset.”
“My life sucks, my family are all Chavs, and I go to Roundview College,” Crystal sighed. “But now, that all changes.”

The Doctor nodded, and set the TARDIS controls in motion.

“Where to first?”

Before Crystal could answer, the sound of sirens erupted from the street outside, and the screams of the people standing beside Crystal’s body even made Crystal fall into a deathly silence. As she told the Doctor where she wanted to go, she thought about her old life – the life that she had left behind – and her new life, of death, destruction, and more death.

The End