The weird noise was forever embedded into Ella's mind as she stared out of her balcony window. She then saw something, she couldn't believe her eyes. A large blue police box appeared out of thin air - it was strange - oh so very strange. Ella jumps down from her balcony window, charging through her small studio apartment. She passed her canvas with her newest painting, a starry night, and ran out of her apartment. She slammed the door, locking it quickly. Then she went down the endless flights of stairs, her feet moving so fast she could have been flying. She finally reaches the end, pushing open the apartment buildings doors.
She runs over to the large blue box, running around it. She lets her fingers graze the sides of it, she glances up at it. Ella put her ear against the door, hearing it thrumming.. as if it had a heart beat. She lurches back from it, unsure. She raises her hand to knock on the door, no answer. Ella seems visibly disappointed, stepping back from the blue box.
"What are you doing?"
Ella whips around, her long blonde hair facing a complete stranger. The stranger had brown hair to her shoulders, and a very fiery look on her face, her chin held in the air. She folds her arms over her chest.
"I-" Ella looks over at the blue box, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me." The woman insists, "Tell me, why are you running around a blue box?"
"I'll sound crazy." Ella insists.
"I know all about crazy." The woman laughs, "Come on now, spit it out."
Ella points at her balcony window, "I was just sitting up there, thinking about what colors to use for my next painting - because you see, I'm a painter. And all of a sudden, this blue box appears. Just here, it made this weird noise - and now, here it is! It couldn't have been here earlier, because I made a trip to the shop earlier."
"You're a painter?"
Ella's face flushes, "Y-Yes but that's really not the point."
"What's your name?"
"Ella Brooks, yours?"
"Clara Oswald." Clara smiles, extending a hand, "Very nice to meet you."
Ella nods slowly, taking her hand in hers, "Um. Very nice to meet you too.. Clara." She tries the name out on her tongue, "The point being-"
"Forget you saw this box."
Ella's face drops, "Excuse me?"
"This box wasn't here, you didn't see it. Consider it.. a dream! Yes, a dream, that shall do."
Ella folds her arms over her chest, "Why? Why do I need to forget this? What is so wrong with knowing about.. a police box, of all things? Fairly certain it's not in the right century, either." Ella taps the side of the box. "Just a box, nothing more, right?"
Clara gives her a small smile, "Sure. Now, I must be going. Leave the box alone. Private property and all of that, you know how London works."
Ella went up to her studio apartment, sighing as she stared at the unfinished painting. She lightly pressed her fingers against it, "What to do with you." She walked over to the balcony window, staring at the box. She suddenly got a wild idea. She took the unfinished painting and set it on her other easel. She grabbed a fresh canvas, smoothing it out. She dipped her brush in blue paint and began. The outline of the blue box appeared. After a few hours, the words 'POLICE BOX' were crisp and defined. Ella wipes her forehead, leaving a smudge of blue paint.
She paints the police box in a starry sky, swirls of other universes surrounding it. She sighs, amazed at her handiwork. Ella runs back over to the window, gazing out to see the police box still there, untouched.
Ella went over to her clothing hooks, grabbing a black coat and putting on an olive colored beanie. She goes back down the steps again, quietly. She gets to the doors, throwing it open. Ella tip toes over to the police box, amazed. She runs her fingers against the wood.
"Curious one, aren't you?"
Ella whips around to see a man with a square jaw staring her down. He has an amused glint in his eyes as he leans against the police box. The door is open, Ella realizes. Meaning he came out of it. He wears a bow tie, which have seemingly gone out of fashion.
"I-I'm sorry. I was just.. curious. That's all." Ella says, "I meant no harm.. I'm Ella!"
"The Doctor." The Doctor holds out his hand, giving Ella's a prompt shake. "My companion told me you were here earlier, poking around and such. A police box is incredibly interesting."
"But just a box." Ella finishes lamely.
"Oh no, definitely not a box! Did Clara just call it a box? Oh the nerve. This is not just a box, this is the TARDIS!" The Doctor circles the Tardis, "It can take you anywhere in the universe! It's not just a box - oh no, it is time itself!" The Doctor hits the police box with a smile.
Ella squints her eyes, "A police box can do that?"
The Doctor takes a few steps closer to Ella, his face inches from hers, "It can do so much more."
She decides to challenge him, "Such as?"
The Doctor smirks, "Don't you worry." He touches the tip of Ella's noise with a smile, "You already know too much." He turns around to go back into the police box.
"Wait!" Ella shouts, and the Doctor turns around, "How do I know too much? As far as I know, you're just a mad man with a box."
"We're going to have to kick that nasty habit of you calling the tardis a box." The Doctor says, "It was very nice to meet you, Ella. That painting of the tardis is lovely, by the way."
With that, he slams the door to the police box.
Ella dreams about the tardis. When she woke up the next morning, it was gone, and she felt a deep hole in her heart. She had been so fascinated, seeing the blue box outside, waiting for her with its mysteries. Now she just had some painting to gawk at.
She sipped her tea, dropping on her couch, sighing. Her cat, Wilson, jumps into her lap, the gray tabby purrs against her. But it does nothing to stop her thinking of the tardis. She goes to work as a waitress, taking orders, letting herself be hassled by customers. She leaves the cafe with barely any bounce left in her step.
Right as she turns the corner to her apartment building, she sees a statue. It was an angel, that she had never noticed before. She walks over to it, staring at it.
"Now what are you doing here?" Ella asks, stepping closer. Then she blinks. The angel is in a new position now, "Quite strange." Ella says, taking steps away from it, careful not to blink. The angel was in the exact same spot the blue box used to be.
She goes back into her apartment, picking up her phone, ready to call. But who does she call? 'Excuse me 911, I think this angel statue outside my apartment is moving'. They'd put her in the looney bin for sure.
So instead, she settles for locking her doors and windows. Doing her best not to sit on her balcony, to keep that angel at bay for as long as possible.
Ella would not be afraid.
She sets her painting in front of the window, hoping the image of the blue box will make it go away. When she wakes in the morning, there's a rapid knocking at her door. She pulls herself out of bed, going over to the door.
Ella opens the door, ready to complain to whoever's bothering her at this time in the morning.
The angel stands in the doorway, looking pained.
"Maybe I should have called 911." Ella breathes, slamming the door shut. The knocking begins again, "Strange, so very strange." Ella breathes, beginning to hyperventilate, "There's an angel stalking me."
review, follow, and favorite is always lovely!
Ella is a character of my own creation, she is in no way affiliated with Doctor Who outside of this fanfiction.