TARGET [Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction]

Chapter 1 : Grow Fast, Learn Faster

Seven Years Later

The sun streamed in through the open curtains, illuminating what looked like a bomb site. Clothes strewn everywhere, scattered in no order with odd shoes dotted around, a thin path of carpeted floor just visible, weaving through the chaos. If someone where to look in this bedroom, the drawers and wardrobes hanging open, their contents turned upside down and thrown around, they would believe it to be the scene of a robbery. But then don't most teenagers bedrooms look like that, the air thick with dust and the smell of cheesy socks.

Click.

The static of a radio station began to play from the alarm clock positioned precariously on the edge of the bedside table next to the bed, alongside an assortment of hair bobbles, empty glasses and a well used mobile phone. The dull presenters voice on the radio just sounded like a continuous muffle, before finally, music began to play.

Summer has come and passed,
The innocent can never last,
Wake me up when September ends.

Buried deep in the tickled pink blanket and red duvet, a sleeping figure stirred. They let out a low moan as their feet dared to break out of the soft cocoon they'd made to test the outside temperature, before stretching out so they hung out over the edge of the bed, hovering in the air. Through another moan, a small hand emerged out of the top of the bedding, aimlessly tapping around the bed until they found the edge, and stretching over, grabbed their mobile, and dragged it back under. "Ugh. Too early for this", a faint grumble sounded under the covers as the hand emerged again, shortly followed by a mass of brown hair and a sleepy pair of blue eyes. Tina lay there for several moments, just waiting for her eyes to awaken more as her hand automatically moved over her phone screen, unlocking it to flick through her messages.

Like my father's come to pass,
Seven years has gone so fast,
Wake me up when September ends.

Tina's hands froze mid action as she looked at her alarm clock, just letting the lyrics of the song sink in. Had it really been seven years since she'd lost her, she though, her other hand subconsciously letting the blanket run through her fingers. She could remember that horrible day as clear as anything, the image of her mother lying on her bed, her mouth hanging agape, the line around her throat, the bruises. Tina shook her head, brushing the images away as a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her mother, Lily, had been murdered, and seven years later, there were still no answers. A lot had changed in those few years, but the memories and pain still stayed the same. Tina had been forced to grow up very quickly, having to look after herself as now she saw even less of her father than before. He would always say he was away with work, constantly busy, that Tina nearly forgot that he even existed at all. Life was hard, but Gareth, the bodyguard assigned to Tina on the day of her mothers death, always tried his best to make life just that more bearable.

Here comes the rain again,
Falling from the stars,
Drenched in my pain again,
Becoming who we are.

Tina let out a small sigh, tossing the covers off her as she just slumped back down on the bed, starring up at the ceiling. She did this a lot, staring into space, just letting her thoughts run away with her. Birthdays had been the hardest to deal with, as well as Christmas. The traditional family meal was more silent than a grave, and just as welcoming as one. Although her father did make sure he wasn't working, herself, him and Gareth, sat around the kitchen table just wasn't the same. Small talk chatter consisted of "How's school?", "Got a boyfriend?" or "Where did you go?", all directed towards her from her father, as Tina was too afraid to ask him anything at all with the grave, hollow look he always gave her. Her father didn't even know what she liked, let alone what to get her for presents, so just gave her a sealed cheque of money for her to cash in. She wouldn't have minded the awkward gifts, such as pink fluffy slippers or scented candles, but just to get a careless cheque every year nearly broke her heart. Did her father really not care?