As much as I hated family affairs, they were always made worse by the strangers Mom felt the need to invite. Dad would suggest a party and Mom would invite the whole neighborhood and then some. Very shady characters would always show up, and Dad would always throw them out, patting them down before letting them leave.
This time, the party was in a big old building in the heart of town. The library was a few blocks away, and my mind was more often there than here. The one thing that caught my eye and drew me to the present was a man in a trench coat. Somehow, Dad had managed to stop most of Mom's weirdoes from showing, but apparently, one had gotten in.
The man in the trench coat turned his head, and our eyes met. I felt my pulse pound as he looked at me with the deepest eyes I'd ever seen. A hand fell on my shoulder, and I jumped, turning away from that strange man. "Lissie, how are you?" I tried not to grimace as Albert, my uncle, smiled at me, the wine glass in his hand nearly empty. He smelled like that certainly wasn't his first drink.
"Fine, fine," I said, looking back only to see that the man had vanished. Good riddance. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the rest of the evening.
"Liss, sis!" someone shouted, and I turned once more to find my older brother Ralph waving me over.
"What's up, Ralphie?" I said, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.
"Name's not Ralphie. Anyway, do you think I can borrow..."
I just tuned him out, turning away. With my family, if you were older than me, you wanted something. With two older siblings and two younger ones, I just had to ride the waves of being stuck in the middle.
"Liss?" I blinked my thoughts away, looking up at Ralph.
"What?"
"Can I borrow fifty bucks?"
"No," I said, turning away from him.
"Wow. Way to be a witch, Liss."
"My name's not Liss," I said, exasperated. I turned and walked away from him only to be confronted by three more people who swore they knew me when I was "this tall", hand gestures and all.
By the time I was able to get away from everyone, my head was hurting and my ears were ringing so loudly it was almost ridiculous. It wasn't until I'd gotten away from the main throng of the party that I realized it wasn't my ears that were ringing. Something else was making that sound.
I scanned the room, uncertain of what I should even begin to look for. Just when I'd given up hope of finding anything, I spotted a little red dot on the far side of the room. It looked like the kind made by a laser pointer, and so I looked around, trying to pinpoint the source. It looked like it was coming from outside, beyond a window.
I walked over, taking a look outside, and my heart skipped a beat. Three figures in strange suits were standing outside the window. One had what looked like a gun pointed inside.
I spun around and shrieked "Everybody, get down!" A man's voice accompanied mine, and I saw the man in the trench coat, looking at me with curious eyes before we both dropped to the ground with everyone else around us just as a shot broke the glass window.
Panic ensued. More shots rang out, and I felt my heart race in terror. There was a secret exit. Everyone had to get out of here. I stood, looking for my older sister. I spotted her cowering with Mom and Dad and managed to weave my way over to her. "M-mary!" I shouted, fear pushing me into action. Was there a better motivator?
"Lissie, what is happening?" she whispered, her face so very pale.
"Mary, we've got to get everyone out of here!" I took her hands, looking into the deep brown eyes of my older sister. "The secret exit."
"R-right," she whispered back.
"Go!" I slapped her face, and she leaped up.
"E-everyone, f-f-follow me," she stammered.
When no one moved, I stood and screamed, "Let's go!"
The crowd surged into movement, everyone heading toward my sister and I. Everyone except one man in a trench coat. He met my eyes and gave me the strangest smile. I shook my head, turning away. His funeral.
As I helped calm little ones and lead people back toward the underground tunnel leading into the city streets, I couldn't get that man off my mind. His eyes...they looked so tired. They almost looked as frightened as mine all the time. My stomach had been churning since I'd ducked down, but I'd managed to staunch the flow of tears, the loss of control. As long as I could get out, I could hold back the anxiety.
A sharp sound, like shattering glass echoed behind me, and I turned, my anxiety spiking. Something was coming. That was when I realized that the strange man in the trench coat had not passed through the secret tunnel. I'd have known, I was the last one. So, was he out there, facing the men in the strange suits?
Suddenly, I understood the stupid people in horror films. The urge to go and see what the noise was, to make sure things were okay was incredible. I wanted to prove my fears wrong, to make sure things were normal. I wanted to see if that man was okay.
I gave in, the fear in my stomach reaching a fevered pitch. Slowly, I crept back through the building, stepping around a corner only to see the man in the trench coat, looking right at the three strange men. He opened his mouth, and spoke.
"Now, who exactly, are you?"
"You, human, could not pronounce our name." The voice that came from one of those men was deep, gravelly, and unreal.
"Oh? Try me?" An impossible sound echoed around the room, and the man in the trench coat made a face. "Eh. I suppose you may be right. I can make an awful lot of sounds though. Very alien indeed, and I certainly have heard of you. Why the full body suits, then? Can't imagine you have anything to fear from tiny little earthlings?"
There was a grunt, possibly of assent before the three figures reached up, pulling off their helmets. I gasped, nausea sinking into my system. I only vaguely registered the strange man's eyes darting to the side, meeting mine. Those things...they couldn't be real. They were indescribably hideous and wearing what looked like earmuffs, ones that blocked out sound. They took these off too.
"Well, aren't you just things of beauty?" The man smiled, and I knew he was insane. Beauty? "I almost want to run from you." The way he said run made me realize he was talking to me. He was trying to get me to run... But what about him? Everything in me told me to leave, but I couldn't just leave this man to die. If that was even what was going to happen. I shook my head, and the man sighed.
"That's just my opinion. I'm sure you're parents think you're lovely."
I tried not to laugh at that. Happiness and fear didn't mix too well, but at least my stomach had calmed a little.
"Earthling, we seek the one called 'Lissie Ewell'".
My heart skipped a beat, and the terror began all over again, flooding my system. What could these things want with me?
"And what do you want with her? Big, brutish aliens like yourself, certainly you don't need a human for anything?"
Aliens?!
"That is our business. Give us the girl or we will kill you."
My breath caught as the man said, "I thought you were a peaceful lot."
"You are trying my patience. Where is Lissie Ewell?"
"I don't know," he said, shrugging.
"Then you will die."
It happened so fast I almost couldn't believe it. Not him dying... I knew how to save him. The high-pitched ringing, earmuffs, and low voices all made sense. What if these things couldn't handle high pitches? I had one heck of a bloodcurdling scream, and it was about time to release some of my terrified tension.
I screamed for all I was worth, feeling some of my terror melt away. The three creatures fell to the ground, hands tight over their ears. Seconds later, they stopped moving, hands falling slack to their sides. I stopped screaming, panting a little.
"Well done," the strange man said. "For a moment there, I thought I was done for." He smiled hugely. "Now, let's run, shall we?" He walked toward me, grabbed my hand, and we ran.
By the time I could fully process what had happened, we had reached a fork in the underground tunnel. "Which way, Madam?" the strange man asked.
"Wait," I said, taking a step back from him. "Who are you?"
"The Doctor," he said, extending his hand. "Pleasure to meet you."
I frowned. "Doctor who?"
He smiled. "Just the Doctor."
"I am not about to call you 'the Doctor'," I said, shaking my head.
"Just 'Doctor' works too."
"Don't you have a name?"
He smiled that same silly smile. I almost thought he was mocking me. "Just call me the Doctor. What's your name?"
I looked away. "Lissie..."
"Ewell?" I nodded. "Well, well, well. Aren't you something special. But why?"
"I'll answer your questions if you answer mine," I said.
"I'll answer your questions if you ask the right ones." He grinned like a little kid, tapping his nose. That gesture was slightly...adorable.
"What were those things back there?"
"You heard them," he said. "Their planet's name is just as hard to pronounce. You'd need their specialized vocal cords."
"That's not what I meant. I mean...you called them aliens."
"And? Do you not believe in aliens?"
I shook my head. "I mean, I've never ruled out the possibility. But...why do you know about them?"
"Well, I may or may not be an alien myself."
"An alien?" I said. "You're pretty humanoid for an alien."
He smiled that maddening smile again. "Why thank you."
"Whoa. Okay." This was almost too much. "If you're an alien, how do I know you aren't after me too?"
"I dunno. Suppose you'll have to trust me, eh?"
"Look...guy...my family and their friends are down here. I am not about to lead some alien right to them."
"Lissie, you're going to have to trust me for now, okay? If you don't, you may lose your life." He took my hand, looking deep into my eyes. I shivered. "Trust me."