DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Doctor Who, unfortunately D: I own Odie's plot, and Odie's little settlement of immigrants. I am trying to make this story as accurate as possible, but when many sources contradict themselves, according to Doctor Who, I will ALMOST always take the TV-info as the correct.

She listened to it often. The music of the city. The way the automobiles honked, the people stepped, the cats purred, the dogs barked, the city rebounded the sounds into a majestic symphony of life. At that very moment, she was swirling around on the Congo Square, her dark curly bundle of hair bouncing with her movements; her long, lemon yellow skirt caressed her dark brown legs, and her white blouse was colored by the many different shades of colors her necklaces provided; green, yellow, blue, purple, red and many others.

It was quite obvious what she was; she was a freed slave, part of the lower class. And yet she seemed so happy, as she carelessly twirled around herself to the rhythm only she could hear. Many passers-by stopped to stare at her – possibly wonder about her mental health – but some stopped, smiling at her joy. She began dancing around; engaging in a fast-paced epiphany of musical enjoyment all on her own.

,,Odie?"

Two other youngsters, both belonging to the same class as the girl, appeared among the spectators. One of them, the girl, had red hair, fair skin and freckles – she was the result of some Irish fellows, having migrated to America to escape the poor life they had in Ireland. The male was an African, just as the girl – Odie. He was her older brother.

The two smiled at each other, knowingly, as Odie apparently ignored them. The girl jumped to Odie, beginning to tap on her thighs in sync with the rhythm Odie's feet slapped against the concrete below her. And whistling, she began dancing on the spot as well. The man threw down his cap, as he pulled out a small harmonica from his pocket, beginning to play along to the melody. Odie opened her eyes when the extra music joined in on her symphony, and she smiled at her two friends.

And together, she and her best friend, named Red for the joke of it, began to hum and dance together. The two girls swirled around each other, their equally colorful clothes providing a true feast for the eyes, as they mixed around each other.

And as the music drew more and more people to them, the two girls needed merely look at each other, before they simultaneously dispersed into the people, pulling people into the dancing with them; children, adults and grandparents alike were soon dancing along with each other on the plaza, to the great amusement of the spectators, who also began swaying to the music.

And as the music died down, another sound arose from the silence. An applause; a huge bundle of clapping, some in harmony, others horribly out of tact. But it was a beautiful sound, and Odie grinned widely, performing a dramatic curtsy at the compliment. She grinned at her best friend, who did the same, as her brother – Jerry – bowed deeply to the audience, and jumped to his cap, now filled with all manners of things. Some of the children had bestowed the great joy of candy on them, and some of the adults had thrown in all manners of currency – Dollars, Pennies and even some foreign coins, which most likely were the remnants of their lives before they came to America.

The audience dispersed just as quickly as they had amassed, and Jerry turned to his sister with a grin.

,,Some o' the kids thought we deserved treats," he pointed out, as he threw two pieces of toffee at the girls, who caught them respectively.

Odie laughed as she popped the sticky substance into her mouth, delighted at the surprise. Red put her own in a small red pouch, hanging from a cotton strap in her belt.

,,Wha'dya com' an' ge' me for'?" Odie managed to spell out with the toffee gluing her teeth firmly together. Red laughed at the strange speaking patters Odie presented her with.

,,Your mum wants you," she revealed, and Odie nodded with a thoughtful look in her dark eyes. She made great effort to swallow the substance growing in her mouth with every chew, and her eyes watered at the strain, but she laughed raspingly at her success.

,,You know what they say – He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day,"

Red and Jerry were caught by surprise by this, but only for a few seconds, before they looked at each other, shrugged and quickly darted after the renegade, who had run in the general direction which led away from her mother, and their little community of outcasts.

,,But you're not even fightin', Odie! You're just runnin'!" Jerry yelled after her, causing the girl to cackle like a witch, before quickly bolting into the adjacent alley, and taking four great leaps up the stacked garbage, as she made an elegant leap above the high fence at the end of the alley. Red and Jerry followed close at her heels.

,,The wise soldier knows when he's out-matched," she called back over her shoulder, and Red rolled her eyes. Odie would say anything to get out of facing her mum. And Jerry and Red would do anything to catch her, so they wouldn't have to face her wrath...

Even if it meant chasing Odie half-way across the city of New Orleans.

And that's exactly what they did. Odie eventually came to a halt at the harbor, and she doubled up on the ground, breathing heavily. Red and Jerry came to a halt next to her a few seconds later, both of them in lack of air. Red bended over, hands on kneecaps, while Jerry leaned backwards, his hands supporting his sides where the most dreadful side stitches were torturing him.

Red gave Odie a good box on the head, making the other girl laugh.

,,Odie, ye ballbeg!"

Jerry shook his head.

,,Red, no swearin'."

Red furrowed her brow.

,,Tell yer sister t' be less of a caffler then."

Odie laughed out loud again. Red always swore in ways Odie and Jerry didn't know when she was angry. She had said it was her method of getting her aggressions out of the way, without directly insulting the two. Unfortunately, that had done so that each time Red spoke with Irish words; they would assume she was swearing.

,,My sister ain't no caffler, wha'ever that is," Jerry claimed, and Odie stood up with a deep breath.

,,You don't need explain, Red, I'm sure we won't understand anyways," Odie teased and Red grinned. They most definitely would not. Last time Red had tried to explain 'Shoibag' to the two, it had led to a horrid experience.

,,Why all the runnin', Odie? What have you done to upset mum this time?" Jerry asked, as he stood straight, making his baby sister wet her lips with a cheeky look on her face.

,,I bet she's gone and found out about me new job," Odie speculated with a grin. Jerry and Red widened their eyes. A job!? For a slave-born? Jerry furrowed his brow.

,Wha' kinda job?" he asked, suspiciously, and Odie shook her head, eagerly, seeing the direction her brother's thoughts were taking.

,,Oh no, nothin' like that, Jerry! Well, we're close to it now, so I can take you to see it!" she said eagerly, as she grabbed the two by their hands, pulling them eagerly with her. Red was curious enough to not needing the drag, while Jerry was a bit more cautious. Odie was his little sister, after all; it was only natural for him to wary on her account.

The trio slowly made their way through the streets. The white people all more or less ignored them, as usual; and their own kind did as well, since it was highly unlikely that the three had any money to spare for them. Even the pickpockets avoided them, as they didn't steal from their own.

Jerry looked up at the sky, seeing the sun going past it's highest point.

,,Odie, if we don't hurry, we'll have to take the tram in the after-work buzz," Jerry said cautiously. All three of them knew what that meant; strict segregation. Even though the society was steadily becoming more and more unified with every new step taken by the NAACP, the mayor was still using his influence to stop equality from coming to the colored people. Which meant that the three of them were going to have to be thrown off multiple trams, because all the white people had to get home, and they didn't care a rat's ass whether the three of them came home or not.

,,We'll get back in time, Jerry, don't worry. Otherwise, we'll just walk – it's healthy, you know," Odie said with a grin. Red rolled her eyes. How Odie could be so cheerful all the time was beyond her. But Odie's good mood was so horribly contagious, and even though Jerry and Red didn't like the idea of walking all the way back to the village; they were just as giddy as Odie when they happened upon an old green door, seemingly placed randomly at the corner of the street. They quickly descended the three steps of the stair, and entered the place.

Upon the door was the sign: "Stella Bar"

The inside of the bar was just as non-seemingly as the outside. A lot of small circular tables were placed all around the place, each with three stools placed upon them; no doubt to ensure that the floor could be cleaned while the place was closed for the day. Behind a rather simple bar desk stood a man, only in his mid-thirties, cleaning glass upon glass with a clean cloth. The man was white, his hair black and clean and his eyes gray; filled with knowledge of the world. He looked up as the bell indicated visitors, and his eyes lit up with a spark when he noticed Odie.

,,Miss Jackson, welcome back! You are aware of the fact that you don't start work until this evening, right?" he asked happily, as he slung the cloth over his right shoulder, approaching the woman with a great smile. Odie grinned and took the man's hands when he reached out for her, eagerly shaking fists together like old friends.

,,Yes I am, Mr. Owens, but my friend and brother were curious about the place, and I didn't think any harm would be done if they saw it," she explained, and the man – Owens – smiled at the two other guests.

,,No no, of course not, welcome to the both of you!" he greeted gladly, and Red smiled at the man. He didn't seem like the typical white guy in town. He was a good man; she could see it in his eyes. Even Jerry found it hard to suspect anything menacing from Mr. Owens; albeit he tried meticulously.

The three walked around the bar briefly – Odie describing how she had stumbled into the place a few days prior, and had asked Mr. Owens if he was in lack of staff, as she saw the man run around the place in a frenzy. Odie had volunteered to help him clean the place before opening hours, and Mr. Owens had insisted on paying her. They had hereafter come to the agreement that Odie could begin working at the bar regularly, both as a cleaning lady and as an entertainer in the evening, singing for the amusement of the customers.

This was the part Jerry didn't particularly like; but he knew it was Odie's dream to live off her singing, so he kept quiet.

After about half an hour, in which Odie and Red had been roaming about the bar, and Jerry had sat at the bar, getting a beer on the house, as Mr. Owens assured the man that there would come no harm to his sister, the trio left the bar to go home.

And just as Jerry had predicted, they were done just in time to see all the white people board the trams, leaving no space for three outcasts. Odie giggled innocently; fully aware of the guilt hanging above her head, and she smiled slightly at her two friends; both looking at her with great dismay. She shrugged.

,,It's healthy to walk every once in a while?"

This cheeky remark awarded her a good box on the head from her brother, as Red stalked off in the direction to the settlement.

It took exactly 68 minutes to walk back to the settlement, and when they arrived, the sun had begun to set behind the trees of the Bayou. The three stopped at the hill, overlooking the small collection of wooden cottages, the homes of many dozens of former slaves and immigrants. The three smiled at the sight of their home.

,,Odie, is that you? Get down here, young lady," the unmistakable yell of Mum Jackson sounded, booming through the afternoon air, and Odie groaned. That old lady just wouldn't give it a rest! She turned around, facing her two friends. They smiled, knowing Odie was in for the scolding of the century. She shrugged, walking backwards all the while.

,,Everyone wants a piece of me, I can't help it; I'm gorgeous," she teased, before she turned 180 degrees, speeding down the hillside with her hair bouncing with each step. The two friends laughed at her form, as she skidded to a halt in front of the Jackson Cottage, quickly entering in order to not anger her mum further.

That night, Odie's one ear was visibly red. This could only mean one thing; severe scolding. But from Odies stellar mood, it was quite obvious that her mum had not succeeded in convincing her to give up on her new job. As a result, Mum Jackson wasn't very happy.

And as they all sat around the campfire, Red's gran preparing to lead the evening prayer, Odie was beaming as she informed her two friends of her victory.

,,Mum was really stubborn, but youth prevailed!" she said dramatically, nodding firmly. Red rolled her eyes, as Jerry pinched Odie's cheeks; making her whine like a little girl, as she attempted to remove her brother's fingers from her face. Red shook her head, as she patted Odie's thigh.

,,Well, good thing you found some work you might be able to keep. You know you're always getting bored with normal jobs, and then get fired because you're lack of enthusiasm makes you a real slacker at work," Red scolded her, and Odie groaned loudly, letting herself fall to one side, her head landing in the lap of her brother.

,,Oh please, not you too Red! I haven't heard anything but that from my mum all night, I don't need you to scold me too!"

Jerry and Red laughed at the tired Odie, who just didn't sit up again; she found that the lap of her brother was a very comfortable pillow. But as the old Irish woman began talking very dramatically, Odie found she couldn't just keep lying down, and as such she returned to a sitting position.

And as Red's parents passed out the wine and crackers to everyone gathered at the campfire, Odie smiled. This was the thing she looked the most forward to each day: Sitting around the campfire with her large family of every kind of different people, listening to Gran talking of the Lord, as she could look up at the stars and fantasize herself into Paradise. And then, afterwards, it was the time of festivity and music.

And as always, the music lasted until they could hear all the clocks in every cottage striking 12, where the respective families retreated into their cottages. Odie went with Jerry and Mum Jackson into their cottage, closing the door and barring it. It was a long time since the Ku Klux had last moved through the settlement, dragging along many of their friends, but the outcasts were still worried. And for Odie, not barring the doors and windows for the night seemed like a preposterous idea.

She remembered when the men, clad in white, had appeared in the settlement when she was a child, dragging her father and several other men with them; the ones who had gone out to protect their families. And still the memories of the fire in their torches haunted her in her dreams.

She bid Jerry and her mum a good night, before going into her room. It was small, but cozy, with candles everywhere. She pulled out the matchbox from her dresser, lighting every candle in her room; a total of 24, all handmade by Red's mum. She put the matchbox back into the top right drawer in her dresser, looking at the photographs on her dresser. She smiled, planting a kiss on two of her fingers and pushing them towards the faded photograph of her dad.

,,G'night, dad."

And as she quickly shed her everyday attire and dressed in her pajamas, she quickly retreated beneath the safe haven of her duvet; quickly falling into the darkness of sleep.