The Doctor

I don't remember the first 15 years of my life. I never really questioned it, I only remember the last few years. The first year started in a family, I was adopted. All of us were. I fell in love there. Say what you like, I wasn't too young to know how I felt. I still feel that way; hopefully I'll see her again. I made the mistake of telling father I had married my sister. She isn't my real sister, we were all adopted separately. That'd just be wrong. She's beautiful. Eyes that sparkle like big chocolate diamonds, if there is such a thing. Her hair is a coffee colour, but in the sun it would shine a gorgeous copper. It all went downhill after my 16th birthday, but then I met him. My name is Logan, and I've met The Doctor.

I can't describe how I felt the first time I met her. I suppose no one can put how love feels into words, not really. The way we lived wasn't normal; we lived in a normal house, that's what I thought. The inside was warm and homely, we had a staircase with a white banister, and as you'd climb up, her room was to the left. Mine was downstairs, on the couch. It wasn't a problem not having a room, they just didn't have any beds spare and the couch was better than the floor. They adopted many children, our parents. I didn't know much about them, I know I should've wondered but it was just instinct not to ask questions. My watch was showing seven o'clock, I hurried out of the front door, it was always sunny outside. The grass was emerald green and glistened in the orange suns gleam, the deep blue of the sky poured into my eyes. It was peaceful, always was. There was a secret garden behind the hedges, where only I and she knew. There was a little hole we climbed through, this is where we met every day, and this was where we met for the first time. I fell to my knees to get through the hole, the leaves and twigs brushed against my shirt, pulling at the thread and ripping it, just a little. Going through always seemed wrong, partly because we were disobeying our parents but mainly because our secret place never seemed so secret, not really. I stumbled gracefully onto my feet as I entered our secret place, brushing away at my clothes and sighing at the rip.
"Logan," She called me from the bench, the one bench in the middle of our garden. I walked quickly towards her voice and it wasn't long until my eyes met hers. She was wearing a dress as usual, summery and light. The sky was never right there, it was pure white. I thought it was some sort of ceiling at first, but there were no supports to be seen, ever. It didn't matter back then, only she did.
"There you are! I've been waiting, I was worried you had been caught," Her fingers ran down my tie, her eyes filled with troubles. I supported her chin with my hand, facing her eyes towards mine.
"You're forgetting who I am," I smiled, gave her a peck on the cheek and then we sat, like every other day. We'd talk for hours, laugh and even play. It was abnormal how no one asked where either of us was for those hours, especially since we were gone at the same time as each other. So many things I didn't take notice of. Maybe if I did, none of this would've happened. I wouldn't be lonely. We walked back to the house; I helped her up onto her feet after crawling through the hole. The sky here was normal, everything was. I held her hand until a few feet from the house; we weren't supposed to see each other. Father was very protective over her, but she'd always change the subject if I mentioned him. I opened the door for her, letting her go first as always. She was the most important person in my life, so I wanted her to always be in my sight. Our parents were in the kitchen, and the other children were either watching TV or in their rooms. She ran up to her room before father had the chance to turn and see us. When he saw me, he smiled.
"Hey Logan, I've been looking for you. Your grandmother wanted you to help her with something,"
"I'll go check what she wants," I walked quickly to the dining room, grandma was standing in the door way. I had never seen her before, but I knew who she was instantly. It was strange.
"Do you know who I am Logan?"
"Of course." She smiled and led me into the room, sitting down at the table and offering me a seat. I sat quickly; she had short wavy hair, and looked ever so smart.
"I want you to help me sew this," She held out a leaf, a needle and some very silky looking thread.
"Who's this for?" I asked, taking the leaf and examining it, it was much stronger than I had thought.
"Your mother in law,"
"You mean my mother?"
"No dear, your mother in law." I was confused. My mother was in the kitchen, with my father, and they weren't my blood parents, so a mother in law was quite impossible.
"Such a sweet child. Don't worry, I'll get you out soon enough," Grandma smiled, taking the thread and focusing hard on the hole in the needle, trying to thread it through. Her glasses were a brassy colour along the rims, so elegant.
"Get me out?"
"Shush darling, we'll talk later, just finish that for me." We sat in silence.

I dreamt that night, like I always do. They're different each time, like they are with anyone else. But they usually contain the same person, and they don't feel like dreams at all, it feels like I'm in a perfect world, a world that I can't stay in forever. This time, I was in a strange city, a shopping centre, but with no shops. It was busy and scary, crowded too. I walked away from the groups of people quickly. I was never one to like crowds. Suddenly I was in a building, people I recognised were there, but from where I have no idea. He was there; he's usually in my dreams. I sat down, the room was dark and crowded, long wooden tables and a couple of plain windows. Nothing special. A lot of it was faded or blurred, and most of it I don't remember, but I remember him each time.
"Hello Jamie." I smiled, sitting down opposite him. He smiled back. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and a couple of rubber wrist bands, one purple and one yellow, both on his right wrist. His glasses were straight and his hair slightly curled at the bottom, and he had the sweetest look about him I've ever seen in anyone.
"So, what are we doing today?" I asked as he leaned back on his chair and took a look behind me.
"You're finally going to know. He's coming, and when he arrives you'll be free." He got up and for the first time, left before I woke up. I stood up and called out his name, following him into a crowd that appeared out of nowhere until I lost sight of my guide. I didn't have to worry for too long, I woke up soon after that. I was quite relieved. It was my 16th birthday, but we didn't celebrate birthdays much. I don't think it would've been worth it either. I walked to the bathroom and quickly showered before getting dressed and heading downstairs. Father was nowhere to be found, no one was. It was a bit abnormal but I didn't think much of it. The leaf I had helped grandmother sew was lying on the counter, and without thought I put it in my jeans pocket and stepped out into the garden. I walked through the flowers and hedges towards our garden. The sky was always sunny, I hadn't even heard of rain before. As I reached the gap in the hedge, I was surprised to see that it wasn't there anymore, the hedge was full and bright green. I tried to push through but it wasn't any good and looking through didn't do anything either. I think that was the first time I ever panicked. And also the first time I've ever ran. It only took a second for it to sink in that something was definitely wrong, I ran as quickly as I good back through the garden and into the house. It wasn't empty anymore, my mother gave me an awkward stare, and my grandmother seemed sympathetic as if something terrible happened. I heard shouting upstairs, my father. I slowly walked up the stairs, and as I looked through the banister towards her room, he was at the door screaming at her. As soon as I saw a piece of my top in his hand, I stopped, but he had already heard me. He rushed at me, pushing me back down the stairs and against the wall, flashing this piece of material at me.
"You sick, twisted bastard! She is not yours to touch you filthy creature!" He smacked me across the face, only my grandmother flinched in worry. She rushed over to me and held my cheek in her hands. My father had never hit me before, or even shouted. It hurt.
"He leaves today."
"What? You can't do that!" Mother protested, and took father into the corner as if to hide what she was saying from me.
"What if he finds him?"
"He won't, he's already searched around this area many a time, he won't look again,"
"And what about them huh? What will they say if they knew we let him run free?"
"They'll keep an eye on him, and when he's ready they'll go and get him. But he leaves today."