Red ⋆ Doctor Who

Chapter One

Cherry Pond's frustrated groan echoes through the house. She struggles with the trembling in her fingers to fasten the clasp on her cherry charm necklace, and every time the metal falls from her shaky hands, she grows increasingly agitated. She's had the tremor for thirteen years now, since the day her parents went missing, so she should have grown used to the struggles she faces daily, and for the most part, she has. Thanks to her aunt forcing her into physical and mental therapy multiple times during her childhood, she has learned how to cope with the tremors. She can even paint again now, though it takes her a little longer than she would like sometimes if the shaking in her hands is particularly bad. However, there are moments when she gets upset over trivial things, such as not being able to put on her jewellery or drinking from a glass without spilling it. Sometimes, she cannot even do up her own buttons and has to rely on the help of her cousin, Amy Pond, or her aunt. Today is one of those days, and tears sting in her eyes as she drops the clasp of her necklace again and then shouts for Amy.

"You called?" Amy enters Cherry's bedroom with a smile on her face.

"Please, can you do this up for me?" Cherry asks quietly, avoiding her cousin's eye as her cheeks flush red with embarrassment. She's always embarrassed to ask for help, even if she knows her cousin couldn't care less. Amy, of course, agrees and takes the gold chain out of Cherry's hands and fastens it for her. Cherry decides to change the subject, eyeing up Amy's outfit with an arched eyebrow. It's a skimpy police uniform with a tiny black skirt which exposes most of Amy's legs and is complete with a pair of real handcuffs and a fake radio strapped to the front of the vest. "What are you wearing?"

Cherry turns to face Amy properly, and she spins around, her flaming red hair falling into her face, which she moves with a flick of her head and smiles. "I'm a police officer! What do you think?"

"I think you should get a new job," Cherry muses. While she is happy to support her cousin in any way, she cannot say she was thrilled to find out that Amy's new job is a Kissogram. "It's like one day you were seven, and the next you were a who-"

"Oi," Amy cuts her off sharply, her eyes wide with anger. "You watch your mouth, Charlotte!"

"Don't call me Charlotte, Amelia," Cherry huffs, crossing her arms over her chest in a sulk. Amy rolls her eyes and leaves Cherry's bedroom, but the brunette follows closely behind her.

"Don't call me Amelia, Charlotte," Amy retorts as she enters her room. Cherry drops onto Amy's bed, lying on her back with a sigh and hanging her head upside down off the side. "Besides, if you want to talk about growing up, what's going on with you and Jeff?"

"Jeff?" Cherry asks, acting as though she doesn't know what Amy is talking about, but the blush on her cheeks betrays her, giving away her lie. "Believe me, nothing is happening. How do you even know about that?"

"It's a small town, Cherry," Amy tells her. "People talk."

Cherry silently curses Leadworth town and sits up before she says pointedly, "Well, I still think you should get a new job."