Never grow up.
Almost there, she thought to herself.
She had been climbing the set of stairs for ten minutes. Her legs were aching, she was breathing heavily. Good thing I had a workout yesterday.
Victoria was your average girl. Pressured by society to look a certain way. Emotionally drained from the constant drama she suffered at school. Refusing to eat certain things because it would “make her fat.” She was a regular girl.
She took her last step of the stairs and stretched her arms. It was December 31st, New Year’s Eve. Great day. Too bad. The sun was surprisingly out and beautiful for a day in December. It had been raining earlier, but the clouds parted just enough so she could see the blue sky coloring in between the gray.
Then she broke down.
She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Her terribly dyed hair that her friends had made her do fell to the front of her face. The tears that rained from her face fell to the ground in little puddles. The sound of them splashing down was the only noise besides the occasional whoosh of the cars whizzing by. People with their own lives. People probably going to work or visiting friends, getting ready for parties.
With tear-filled eyes, she was blinking to see the cuts on her arms. A few on her right wrist from the time last April when her father left her because he couldn’t handle the stress of having a daughter and now an accidental son. Her mother was hallucinating about an alien who hates the “Doll-ecks” or whatever they were. Long scratches down the length of her left arm for the time her “friends” spread rumors about her cheating on her boyfriend three years ago. The cuts on her legs from her boyfriend misunderstanding her that time, and realizing that she wasn’t good enough for him.
She was probably the most damaged person in the world at that moment. But she was still the average girl.
She hated herself and she knew it. She hated herself for being the most hated person she knew. She hated herself because she wasn’t as pretty as her friends. She hated herself because she didn’t belong.
She shook herself off and stood up. The clouds were almost gone from the wind. She was cold.
Victoria walked up to the edge of the roof.
Then she heard it.
The familiar noise. Where is it coming from? She looked around her and too the left of her, she saw a blue, phone box materializing that looked like it came from the the 60’s.
She stepped backwards. Confused, she took a step closer to the phone box.
She saw the door swing open and a friendly head pop out.
“Hello, hi. Do you happen to know where I am? What year is this? Why is it cloudy? They said it would be sunny and 75!” Out stepped a man wearing a red bow-tie and a strange-looking hat. He wore a Hawaiian shirt and trunks and strange sunglasses that didn’t match his face.
Victoria was still confused.
The man hopped out of the phone box. “Oh, dear. I guess I’m not on the right planet.” He stuck his head inside and yelled, “‘ey love! You took us to the wrong place. Again!”
He looked at Victoria.
“Oh you’re new. Hi, I’m the Doctor!” He stuck out his left hand, waiting for her to shake it.
“Hi… I’m Victoria Noble…? Who are you and why –” She looked at him, mouth still gaping open.
“Ah, yes, hello there, Victoria. Now, are you going to shake my hand or do you want me to stick it in your mouth?”
Embarrassed, she closed her mouth and held out her hand to shake the Doctor’s.
“You’re not from around here, are you? That’s the wrong hand…”
“Oh sorry, my, I haven’t been on Earth for a while now.” He flashed a smile. “Well then, sorry about that, we have – why do you look so sad?”
Victoria quickly responded, “No, I’m not sad! Why? Was it something I said?”
The Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder. “I can see it in your eyes.”
He put his other arm on her left shoulder. “Victoria. I don’t know who you are, but you are very sad. I may be the Doctor but I can’t make everything better.”
Victoria was speechless. This was a man who had just walked out of a randomly appearing phone box who seemed pretty alien, and he knew how she was feeling. He “saw it” in her eyes. No one had seen it before. No one. Not her mother, not her brother. Not her gymnastics coach whom she’s known since she was four. Nobody, but this man who she had just met.
The Doctor whirled around and abruptly strode to the phone box. He disappeared inside and reappeared ten seconds later with a large white windbreaker on his arm.
“Here, Victoria, you should put this on. It’s very chilly.” He helped her slide her arms through the jacket and zipped it up for her.
“Why are you on the roof? Well I mean, I was on the roof because my TARDIS decided to land me here, which almost always never happens but very rarely do I find young female humans on the roof alone. What happened here?”
Victoria sighed.
“I was just actually going to step off the roof,” she admitted.
The Doctor looked at her questioningly. “Why on Gallifrey would you want to do that?” He paused, and then realized what she meant. “Oh, I see. Well. Would you mind telling me what’s bothering you?” He held her hand. “Here, come inside the TARDIS with me.”
She followed him into the TARDIS.
“Wow, it’s bigger on the –”
“Yes, it’s bigger on the inside. You would not be the first person to say that. Now. Take a seat.” The Doctor pulled a couple of chairs out from behind a strange looking mechanism.
Victoria sat down. “Well. I don’t know. My life just sucks. It’s terrible. I mean, I’ve been alive for sixteen years, and I don’t remember the last time I was truly happy. My dad left. Everyone thinks I’m a slut. I don’t have any friends. And my brother is blaming me for everything bad that’s happening. My mom’s crazy,” she took a breath and continued, “And I’m so tired of all of it. It’s so overwhelming… It would be better if I were dead. I’m not important to anyone.”
The Doctor nodded and straightened up.
“Can I tell you something, Victoria?” He leaned in close.
“What is it?"
"I’ve traveled everywhere. Name a planet, name a star; I’ve been there. And you know, that in nine hundred years of time and space and I’ve never met anybody who wasn’t important before. Ever. I’m the Doctor. I can’t save every race, but I know that you are not the only one feeling like this. You have to know that you are a wonderful person.” He smiled, “I’ve only known you for two minutes and I know you are braver than you know.”
Victoria started to tear up.
“No, no, don’t cry now, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.” The Doctor held her head in his arms and rocked her back and forth.
They stayed that way for a few minutes. Then Victoria got up.
Her eyes were red and swollen but she wore a smile on her face.
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“You’re welcome, Victoria…” he hesitated, “Noble? Did you say Noble?”
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