Will stood right in the middle of Blackfriars Bridge. Well, not at the middle, but at the side. On the railing, to be quite exact. He stood, perfectly balanced, looking at the churning water of the Thames, ignoring the passers-by and being ignored.

"Are you going to kill yourself?" A voice next to him asked.

Will turned without losing his balance and saw a tall boy standing a small distance away from him. The boy was painfully thin and his hair was streaked with silver, like an old man, though he looked to be around Will's age. His eyes had a slant to them, like an Asian's. He stood casually even though he was burdened with a backpack slung over one shoulder and a violin case on the other. He jammed his hands into the pockets of his black school uniform trousers and stared at Will inquisitively.

"So what if I am?" Will snapped defensively.

"Can I stay and watch?" the boy asked. He sounded far more eager than was decent.

Will was perplexed. "No, you can't. Go away."

"Oh, please," the boy pleaded. "I've always wondered what dying looked like, especially when one chooses to take one's own life, and not because one is killed or old or sick."

"Did you just say 'one'? Who says 'one' in real life?" Will asked.

The boy laughed. "Apparently I do," he grinned. "One cannot help what one says sometimes."

"Now you're just showing off!" Will exclaimed.

The boy grinned again and then inquired: "Are you planning to just step off the railing or are you going to do a dive?"

Will pulled a face at him. "None of your business. I'm not going to let you talk me out of it. Go away!"

"I'm not going to talk you out of it. I just want to watch," the boy repeated.

"You're sick, you know that? Positively a nutter," Will informed him.

"Oh come on, I'm crazy because I want to watch you jump? I doubt I'm the only kid around who wants to see someone kick the bucket for real."

Will did not deign to reply and they both stood in silence as minutes ticked by.

Finally, the boy checked his watch. "Are you going to get on with it? I haven't got all day. I've got to meet my uncle in a few minutes."

"I'll do it when I'm good and ready. You can just shut your face."

Will contemplated the water again. He had left his house earlier that day with a steely resolve to throw himself into the river after school, so he was not sure why it was taking him so long to actually do it.

He heard the boy sigh behind him.

"Look, why don't you just go away?" Will shouted. "I don't want you here. You're so irritating."

"That's so rude."

Will gritted his teeth. This boy was getting on his nerves, but, for a strange reason, Will liked it. It was nice to have someone who completely did not care. He wanted to know more about this strange boy. So he turned around and hopped off the railing.

The boy looked disappointed. "Changed your mind?" he asked.

"It's your fault."

"How is it my fault? I told you I wanted to see you jump off."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to do it any more," Will said gruffly. "And I blame you."

"I apologise," the boy said. "Perhaps I can make it up to you. I'm supposed to meet my uncle for tea. Why don't you join us? There'll be scones and cake and things like that."

"I like chocolate cake."

"Then chocolate cake you shall have," the boy declared. He pulled a hand out of his pocket and extended it. "I'm Jem Carstairs, by the way. What's your name?"

"Will Herondale."

They shook hands solemnly. "Nice to meet you, Will," Jem said. "Come on, this way." He led Will across the bridge and through the city. They ended at a little café which was tucked in a corner on the ground floor of a big office building. It was a small café with wooden tables, white chairs and pop art posters hanging on the wall.

Jem strode in and stood looking at the menu which hung over the counter. "What do you want, Will?" he asked.

"Are you really buying me tea?" Will clarified.

"Yes."

Will studied the menu. There were many interesting-looking teas, besides the usual Earl Grey and Darjeeling. "I'll take Dragon Well tea," he decided, picking the one that sounded most exotic.

Jem nodded and went to the counter. "One Dragon Well tea, one Japanese sencha, one Belgian chocolate cake and one caramel shortbread, please," he ordered. He handed over the money and led Will to the long table facing the window. Small pots of cacti were placed at intervals along the table, together with bowls of sugar cubes.

The two boys sat in amiable silence for a while. Then Will asked: "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Jem raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"You did just almost see someone jump off a bridge. Most people would ask why."

"I figured you'd tell me if you wanted me to know."

Will frowned. This lack of curiosity was new to him. Usually people were constantly hounding him and stifling him with their questions. He was bursting with questions for this strange boy, but he decided to hold his tongue, just as Jem had done for him.

The tea arrived in two little pots. Will poured out his tea and was disappointed to find that there was nothing dragony about it – it was just a type of green tea.

"You can eat the leaves too, you know?" Jem pointed to some tea leaves which had flowed out with the liquid. "They're really good. My mother used to fry them with eggs to make an omelette, but you can eat them raw too."

Will had not known that. He dunked his fingers into the hot tea and pulled out a leaf. Gingerly, he put it between his teeth and bit down. It was not a bad flavour. But he preferred his chocolate cake, which he happily attacked with his fork. Jem was eating his shortbread much more slowly, and did not look like he was enjoying it.

"I thought you were meeting your uncle," Will said. "Shouldn't we wait for him?"

"I don't know. He's often late," Jem replied. "I usually hang around here and wait for him. His office is upstairs."

"You come here to meet him often?"

"Sometimes," Jem replied. "But, as I said, he's usually late. He's not used to taking care of a kid."

This was such a strange statement that Will could not help but ask: "What do you mean? Why does your uncle have to take care of you?"

"My parents are dead," Jem said simply. "I live with my uncle now."

"I'm sorry," Will said sympathetically. "How did they die?"

Jem ducked his head, and a look of pain crossed his features for a moment. "They were killed."

Will's eyes widened. "By who?" Then he immediately regretted his question. "I'm sorry. Don't answer that; you clearly don't like to talk about it."

"Thank you," Jem said, giving him a shy smile.

Will smiled back, and pushed a portion of chocolate cake over to Jem as a way of commiserating with his new friend. Jem was certainly not an ordinary boy, and Will was eager to get to know him.

Hi guys! Thank you so much for giving my story a try. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Please leave me a review to let me know how you found it. :D

Huge thanks to MagicAndSparklez for beta reading this story. *hugs*