Okay, so this originally started out as just a story. I was going to write a story about a girl with a weird name who is waiting for something to happen. When it does, she is completely unprepared. Then I saw the opportunity and took my chances. It might become a crossover later on, but so far, it's just Doctor Who.
Liza's POV
I jerk myself awake as my phone rings. I check the number. I don't know it. I sigh and roll off the bed, nearly tripping over the stacks of books in the process. Sometimes I think I should clean up. Yeah right.
I pop my neck and shrug my shoulders to release the stiffness that always seems to be there. I check the calendar. What day is it again? Friday. Class. Ugh. I look at the clock. 6:30. Seriously? I silently curse my caller. I know from experience that there is no sleep for me once I wake up, so I settle in bed and read. The rustle of pages comforts me, and with any luck, I might doze off, if I wasn't in the best part of the book. I have read it about ten times, but it still makes me shiver.
My phone rings again. It's the same number as before. They just don't get the message. If they call one more time, I'll actually consider answering it. Now that my mind is on the caller, I know there is no chance for me to focus on the book. I put it down and glance out the window. No one. I silently open the window and climb out onto the roof. The warm spring air greets me, wrapping around me like a blanket.
"Liza, come on. " I look back. It's my roommate.
"I'll be up in a minute!"
"But-"
"Abigail! In a minute!"
She smirks. "Whatever." I wonder sometimes if she was possessed before birth, and that's why she's so evil. Who knows? Knowing her...
I climb back inside. Is it 7:00 already? I must have dozed off. The phone rings again.I'm already there. The same number again. Fine, I think, I'll tell them to go away. I answer it.
"Hello?" I hear an audible sigh of relief on the other side.
"Good. It's you."
"Who is this?"
"It's me! I have to- never mind. They-"
"Look, I think you have the wrong number."
"Isn't this-" The line goes to static. I wonder how he got my number. I shake my head; it doesn't matter.
"Liza, how many times did I tell you to throw away your old food?"
"Um, a lot?"
"Yeah, a lot! So why didn't you do it?"
"Oh, would you look at the time! Time to go!" I'm so immature sometimes. I hurry down the hallway before I hear her response. I zip open my backpack, revealing my wallet. Starbucks it is. As I walk, I think. In my book the hero is a boy who thought he was normal and became the hero. If only real life was like that. I would give almost anything to be someone special. But what would I do? I'd like to think I would be brave, but this is me. I'd probably curl up in a ball and hide. I'm no hero.
I pull out my phone and call Ashley. She picks up after the third ring. "What's up?"
"Can you meet me at Starbucks? I'll buy you a coffee."
"Done."
I smile as I walk in. Of course she's already here. I walk over. "Eager much?" She grins. "Okay what coffee do you want?"
"Black. Like my soul." I sigh and march up to the counter.
"Um... I'd like an egg and cheese sandwich and two coffees: black, two sugars and one just black."
I get the order a few minutes later. I pay and walk back. "Thank you."
I glare at her, "Next time, it's on you."
"Whatever you say." She laughs evilly. Ugh.
Later in class, I hang out with my friends, obsessing over fictional characters. We joke and boast about all of our trinkets and argue about which fandom is better than the others, with me as the mediator, seeing as I am part of all of them. That's right. If the apocalypse comes, we will be the ones arming ourselves with shiny things and sticks. We need help.
I walk back, letting the fresh air clear my head, and think about this morning. The caller seemed so urgent. Obviously had the wrong number, but still. I think absently of calling him back. Yeah, no. I guess I'm just going to go back to normal, old me. The only reason I'm still thinking about it is that it's the first thing that's happened to me in a very long time. If only I knew-
WHAM! Someone slams into me. I am about to topple over when the stranger grabs me by the wrist. He pulls me up onto my feet and throws me across his shoulder like a rag doll. I scream and beat my fists against his back weakly. I am startled, and nothing I do is going to help. I try to roll off, but he just drags me back. I don't know what is happening.
Suddenly I am thrown down with so much force I am stunned. A hand tightens on mine. I know it. Ashley. "Come on! We've got to go."
"But what about-"
"I knocked it out. Don't you love hammers?"
"What do you mean by it?" Then I see it. It wasn't a man. The face is strange and slightly orange. It has a disfigured face and is drooling green... stuff. "Oh. Wait. Where did you even get a hammer?"
"The garage was open, I thought fast. Sue me."
We run. We run until we can't anymore and it hurts to move or breath or do anything. I don't know what is happening. I don't I don't I don't. A man runs up to us. He has great hair and is wearing... WHAT IS HE WEARING?! Who even wears a bow-tie? Seriously?
Ashley is unfazed by the clothes. "Who are you?" He is gaping at her openly. I get that she is attractive. She has bright, curly red hair and blue eyes, but seriously? We don't even know who he is! Then I notice something almost like pain in his eyes. She doesn't notice.
He doesn't answer but softly whispers to himself. "Amy."
"Who are you?" She repeats.
"What? Oh. I'm the Doctor." A brief flicker of recognition crosses her face.
"Doctor who?" I ask.
"Exactly."
"What are you wearing?"
"It's a bow-tie. Bow-ties are cool."
I am no less confused. "Who are you?" he says.
She is about to answer when I glare at her. Why are we talking to a complete stranger? She ignores me. "I'm Ashley, and this is Liza."
"Short for Elizabeth?" He asks me.
"Elizabella, actually."
"Cool." Ashley's mouth quirks slightly for a second. I must have imagined it. I'm about to keep going when he stops us.
"Just out of curiosity, did you happen to notice anything odd?"
I glance at her, and I see she is not as confused as me. Of course she isn't. "We did actually." I pipe up. He turns to me. "I was attacked by something." He mutters to himself under his breath. "What?"
"It has your scent. You're not safe here." He makes a grab for my hand, but I pull away.
"What makes you think I trust you?"
He turns to Ashley. "Please." He whispers, barely audible.
She nods and turns to me. "You remember my grandmother?" I nod. She'd died the year we graduated high school. "She used to tell us stories and show us pictures when we were little. Stories about her Raggedy Man, the Doctor. I never believed them, but Granddad would tell them too. The thing is, he looks exactly like the pictures. Do you remember the stories, Liz?" I nod, just now remembering. Amelia Williams was Ashley's grandmother and would tell the best stories of a man who traveled the stars in his blue box that was bigger inside then out. I smile at the memory.
"So you think this is him?" I glance at the Doctor. Could it really be him? The Raggedy Man? I used to have dreams that he was real, and now here he is, if Ash is right.
"I don't think. I know." I look into her eyes and see it. If this is him, then of course, we have no choice but to trust him. And we have no choice but to accept that I am in danger. I look at the Doctor and nod.
"Alright. Let's go." I say.
He gives us a goofy grin. "Come along Pond." He grabs our hands and we run. We run until we reach a box. A blue box, just like the drawings. If my memory is correct, the TARDIS.
"It's real."
He grins. "That's right. Real she is!" Then he opens the door.
"What the-"
"Go ahead. I've heard it all."
I look around. I turn to him and grin. "It's bigger on the inside!"
The expression on his face is enough to brighten the rest of my day. "Right! Let's go somewhere safe, shall we? I've got the perfect place." He smiles a crazy smile and begins pushing buttons. He pulls a lever and-
The TARDIS shakes. I don't know what is happening. I can tell neither does the Doctor. "What is going on?!" I am falling, tumbling head over heels. I hear a scream as I slide. I realize it's me screaming. How did this happen? I hear the thought, but it is not mine. The last thing I see is Ashley standing, somehow, still, shocked, before I hit my head, and my world goes black.
Ashley's POV
The TARDIS is shaking, shuddering, and I am the only one left standing. I don't know how, but it's as if the shaking has no affect on me. I hear Liz scream. I look for her, panicked, in time to see her pass out.
I run to her and shake her gently. "Liz? Liza wake up. Come on." She doesn't stir. I move to the Doctor. "Doctor? Are you okay?" He is still as well. I look up and shout. "WHAT IS GOING ON!"
To my surprise, there is an answer. The door opens, and my aunt, of all people, steps through.
"Ashley, what are you doing here?" Her voice is worried as she rushes over to me.
"I was going to ask the same to you!"
She sees Liza and the Doctor passed out on the floor. It isn't Liza she kneels next to the Doctor. "Sweetie?"
At her voice, he wakes up. "River?"
"Hello, Sweetie." She smiles at him, and I see a side to her I never knew before. She turns back to me. "TARDIS distress signal. It called me. What are you doing here?"
The Doctor speaks before I can reply. "It was my idea. I Lefrogen attacked her friend. I was going to get them somewhere safe."
"And look where that ended!" She says. "If we don't get out of here soon, the Master could blow us up!"
This startles him. "He's dead." I can tell he is trying to convince himself. "He has to be."
"Obviously not! He stopped your TARDIS!"
"Hold on. Who?" I ask. "Who's the Master, and what is a Lefrogen?"
"It's complicated. I'll explain later. The thing we have to do now is get off."
I look at Liza. She's beginning to stir. I rush to her side. "Liz? Come on, wake up."
She smiles tiredly. "What's your aunt doing here?"
"No idea."
Aunt River laughs softly. "It's a long story that Amy and Rory probably told you both, and you've long forgotten. I might tell you someday, but not now. At the moment, we should get out, before the TARDIS does something strange. She isn't herself."
"What?"
"She doesn't usually crash land. She lands nicely somewhere we aren't usually trying for." The Doctor explains. We look at him blankly. "It's spacey-wacey!"
I roll my eyes. River grabs me and the Doctor half-carries Liza out of the TARDIS. We close the door behind us-
and almost fall off a cliff. I shriek; if Liz wasn't awake before, she is definitely awake now. Funny how almost dying can do that to you. I try not to look down, and see that Liz is green. She doesn't do well with heights. I don't think I will either, after this. We move away and keep going.
"Where's the nearest town?"
"I think it's about..." The Doctor looks around. "That way." I look. I can just see smoke over a line of trees. I begin to notice where we are. Though the desert below the cliff was cracked and barren, the foliage here is lush and very, very green.
"Where are we?" I'm breathless. I've never seen anywhere so beautiful. It doesn't seem real.
"I'm not sure. Let's find out." He grabs my hand and pulls me along behind him. Liza smiles and laughs; River is telling her a story. I'm not sure when I started calling her "River" instead of "Aunt River," but it feels right. Liza is telling River what happened this morning. Was it only this morning? It feels longer...
"Ashley!" I look at him. "What's your last name."
"Williams."
"No, it's Pond."
"What?" I'm surprised. "No! It's not."
"Yeah, it is." He smiles, and I can't help but grin back. I feel cold. Then Liza screams. It's a sound that makes me freeze, a sound that wipes the smile off our faces. It is blood-curdling and full of unimaginable pain. She falls to the ground, clutching her head, and doesn't stop the horrible, terrifying screaming.
Liza's POV
Make it stop make it stop make it stop! It hurts. I can't breathe. My head feels like it's being crushed from every angle possible and still more. I hear screaming. It's a terrible noise; why won't it end? I realize it's me. My head... My thoughts string together. It won't stop won't stop. My face is hot and wet. I must be crying. I don't care. I don't care. I want this to end. Where am I? I don't know. A sound I didn't think possible escapes my lips. It hurts it hurts it hurts. I can vaguely hear Ashley calling my name. I have to get to her, have to get back. My head... What is going on? It hurts. It's horrible. Excruciating. I scream. I can't stop. Who is doing this? I don't know, but it's someone. I can feel it. There is another mind pressing against mine. It's not sane it's not right it's not normal. I can hear it. How can I hear it? I push. I push against the force. It is trying to harm me and my friends. I won't let it I won't let it I won't-
My eyes flutter open. The pain is gone. It is paradise. I am gasping for breath. "LIZ!" I am tackled in a bear hug. I try to push her off, but am too weak. The Doctor pulls her off.
"Careful, now. She's probably exhausted." He helps me up. "What happened."
"Someone was there. In my head. I could feel it. It was hurting me, it wasn't sane. I-I don't know who, but the mind was twisted. It was reaching out to us, testing us. I guess I failed, huh?" I try to laugh, but it comes out all wrong. I sound like a dying cat. The Doctor's face is worried. He steadies me.
"No, I think you were the one who passed."
"What do you mean?"
"He was testing our minds for abilities. Things we don't always know about. The rest of us felt cold, a shiver, but you were affected completely. I think..." He trails off. Can you here this, Liza?
I jump. "How did you do that!" How did your voice get in my head?
"I thought it." He says it softly. "You can hear things others can't sometimes. You can send and receive thoughts."
"What?"
"You can occasionally hear people's thoughts. You can send thoughts."
"So how did only I feel him?"
"He felt you. That's why he tested us. He wanted to know how powerful you were."
"I guess he was disappointed, then."
The Doctor shakes his head. "No, I doubt he was." He says. "You fought him off. No one can do that." He lets this sink in. "He'll likely come back for you."
"But who is he?" Ashley asks.
"The Master." The Doctor says. This is hard for him. I can feel it. I can feel a memory of his. He is supposed to be dead. "Though I suppose you know him as Harold Saxon, former prime minister."
