*A/N Sorry it's been a bit of a wait. I got a little stressed out with finals and all that. So, book two of the Forgotten Series!
Chapter One:
It was a peaceful, beautiful day. The fields were as green as ever. Indeed, they were so green that it the temptation to frolic in the grass was nearly irresistible. The field was dotted with flowers, millions of brightly coloured splotches scattered across the verdant grass. There were trees, too, trees laden with yellow and red blossoms. They were so weighed down by them that there was a constant flurry of falling petals. The sun shone kindly on the grass, which was mottled by the leaves and branches of the trees. It was such a beautiful place and such a wonderful day that it seemed that someone, someone had to be enjoying the field.
But there was no one there.
Why? The weather was perfect. There were no animals in sight. No bees or bugs swarmed relentlessly about. Perhaps there was no one nearby to enjoy it. But that was not true. Just in view was a quaint, cute little village. There were bound to be kids there. In fact, some could be heard laughing and giggling. So why weren't there any children leaping about in the grass? Perhaps it was because of the blackened ruins just visible on the horizon. Perhaps it was because of the beast that dwelled in the dark bowels of the decaying castle and of whom was told terrible legends and tales. Perhaps it was because of –
Oh, wait, a sound broke through the quiet, still air. A whooshing, wheezing sound. A very odd sound. Was it a bird calling? No, it was... something else. A tall, rectangular shape could be seen, a ghostly vision with a flashing light on top. But wait, it steadily became clearer. It was solidifying! And then the noise stopped. It was a big blue box with strange writing along the top. And then someone stepped out.
"Doctor!" the figure cried. "I don't believe it! It really is a spaceship!" She was a young girl, possibly in her early twenties, maybe even younger. Her brown hair shone bronze in the gentle sun. Her face was illuminated with excitement. Wide brown eyes danced as they swept across the breathtaking scene. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail which reached just below her shoulders. She was dressed in a pink shirt and jeans.
Another person came out of the blue box. This one was a tall, thin man. A big, broad grin was on his face. He also had brown hair, but his was not contained and was quite unruly. He wore a pin-striped suit which accentuated his thinness. "I told you that before, Melissa. Are you saying that you didn't believe me?"
"No, I believed you, it's just... it's still shocking to see a new place right before my very eyes! Where are we?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I have no idea. This planet isn't called anything. However, I did do a quick check on it. It's safe."
Melissa's eyes widened further. "I'm actually on an alien world?"
"Yes, you are. Now, just stay calm. Stick close to me, and don't be afraid. I won't let anything hurt you. But feel free to explore! We're here to do some sightseeing."
"It all looks so... normal," Melissa said, almost sounding disappointed.
"Is there a problem with that?"
"Yes, it's just... it's not really... special. I mean, why travel across the universe to see something you could just see at home?"
"We've hardly been here five minutes, Melissa. Give this world a chance."
Melissa looked around. "Beautiful spot. But where do we go now?"
The Doctor pointed straight ahead. "To that village."
They began to walk forward. Melissa was ecstatic. She was actually on another planet! She was about to meet a new species! Had anyone else ever done such a thing? Well, yes, because she already knew that she wasn't the first person to travel with the Doctor, but how many people got that chance? She could hardly wait. What would they look like? Would they be kind? Would she be able to talk with them? Oh, now that was a question.
"Do you know their language?" Melissa asked.
"No, this is a very isolated planet," the Doctor said. "Nothing worth anyone visiting here for, and the population basically stays planet-bound through all time. No one ever comes here, and no one ever leaves. So no one found any use in learning the language."
"Then how are we going to know what they're saying?"
The Doctor pointed back at the TARDIS. "She'll translate for us. She's telepathic, you know."
"Yes, you told me that." She skipped on ahead of him a bit. Her heart was about to burst with excitement. Oh, how she wished she could share it with someone. She knew who would have loved being here. They had always talked about this. He would have loved the Doctor. "Oh, I wish I could have brought – " However, she bit the sentence short and bowed her head.
"What did you say?" the Doctor asked.
"Nothing, Doctor," she said. "Nothing you can help with." She looked up. They were very close to the village now. They could see the thatched roofs and the cobblestone streets. There were banners and pennants hanging everywhere, and every house was surrounded by a brightly blooming garden. It was a very colourful village. As they drew closer, they could see small figures darting about between the houses. They were bipeds, and they seemed to be clothed. As they came even closer, Melissa could see more details of these alien creatures. They were humanoid except...
"They've got tails!" Melissa cried. "Awww, I want one! Why can't I have a tail? I'm sure I'd look fabulous with one."
"I'm not sure how I'd explain that to your mother."
"Nah, she won't care. Dad might. Miss Meaghan definitely will."
As Melissa had already seen, the life forms on this planet did have tails. They were flesh-coloured with a small tuft of hair on the end. Most had brown tufts that matched their hair colour. A couple were blonde. There was one that Melissa spied who was a redhead. And they could see that they were definitely children by now, for there was at least one bigger one outside every house, watching the children. The genders could be easily told apart in the same way as humans, and they were all dressed in brightly coloured clothes.
At first Melissa was smiling, but then she began to frown. "Doctor, why isn't anyone in the field? It looks so lovely there."
"I don't know. Maybe they need someone to supervise them."
As they walked through the long grass to the street, a couple of the children looked up. When they saw them, they promptly screamed and hid. The adults grabbed the others and hurried them inside. Melissa looked up at the Doctor in confusion. "We're an alien invasion, right? Is that why they're scared?"
"I don't think so," the Doctor said. "We're not much different than they are. There's something else going on."
They were soon to find out exactly what it was.
"You there! Odd tailless strangers!" a voice cried out. "Why have you come from the Forbidden Regions?"
The two looked around and saw a short, silver-haired woman stooped with age. She hobbled towards them with two hands on her gnarled cane. Her eyes were amber and they stared right at them, gazing past their skin into the souls beneath.
"Ah, yes," the Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor, and this is my companion Melissa R Brogan. We're travellers, foreigners. We're just passing through."
"I didn't ask who you are or what you're doing here," the woman said. "I asked why you were in the Forbidden Regions." She pointed with her cane to the field.
"Is that what it's called?" Melissa asked.
"Anything past that fence is the Forbidden Regions."
Melissa looked again. Sure enough she could see the flimsy fence that she had thought was part of the long grass beside the road. It was made out of woven grass. "Why is it forbidden?"
"You ask too many questions. You must answer mine before I answer yours."
"What's so dangerous about the Forbidden Regions?" the Doctor asked.
The woman stared at him. "Either you both are idiots and lost your brains when you lost your tails or you came from a very far land."
The Doctor laughed. "Oh, we came very very far."
"We weren't in the Forbidden Regions that long," Melissa said. "Only about fifteen minutes."
"And we'll only be there fifteen minutes more as we go to leave."
"You can't traverse the Forbidden Regions in fifteen minutes!" the woman cried.
"I have transport," the Doctor said vaguely.
"Your transport. Does it have a name?"
"Yes, it does."
"Then it's safe. You shall be safe to go back into the Forbidden Regions in order to leave for your home. But you must exit with the utmost speed when you do." She began to hobble away again.
"But she didn't answer my question!" Melissa protested.
"Melissa, be respectful," the Doctor cautioned.
"Doctor, what is going on here? Why is it forbidden? And why is it so important that the TARDIS has got a name?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I really don't know. And I'm in no hurry to find out. It might be dangerous. We're taking it easy this time."
Melissa pouted slightly. "But Doctor, these people might need our help."
"No, Melissa," the Doctor said firmly. "We're not intervening. Not this time."
"So, we're just going to hop back onto the TARDIS and go home."
"No, I didn't say that. Come on, let's explore! Let's just stay out of the Forbidden Regions for now."
Further down the road there was a market, a whole street lined with brightly coloured stalls. They were selling jewellery, clothing, food, fabric, and even animals. There was a whole pen filled with what looked like goats, but Melissa was quite sure they weren't. Passersby stared at them in the same way someone on a street on earth would stare at someone with a missing limb and dressed in strange clothes. Some children asked their parents questions about the weird foreigners, but they were hurriedly shushed. Melissa felt a little self-conscious with her taillessness. And she had noticed that no one was wearing pants. They all wore robes and tunics and special patterned wraps. The men mostly wore tunics, and the women wore the beautiful wraps done in many different styles. Melissa felt somewhat immodest in her form-fitting jeans.
"It makes me want to wear what they're wearing," Melissa said.
"Well, you could always ask," the Doctor said. "I'm not sure what they use for currency."
"Do you have any money?"
"No, not a cent."
"Then how do you eat? And where do you get those clothes?"
The Doctor smiled. "I get them from the TARDIS."
"Yes, but the TARDIS can't make clothes, can it? I mean, do you have a cotton field in there? A loom?"
"No, I pick them up on my travels."
Melissa looked around. "Maybe they'd be willing to trade. I don't know, do they like silver? 'Cause these earrings are silver."
"Why are you wearing them? I don't think you'd want to lose them some thousand light-years from your home."
Melissa frowned. She thought back to when she had first put them on. Since she had been on the TARDIS, she only had time for a quick bath. She wasn't able to change her clothes. That meant that she had been wearing these clothes since running into the Doctor on the greenbelt. Goodness, so much had happened since then. She had been used as bait in a kidnapping, had been taken to a mysterious facility, had failed the Doctor, had been brainwashed, had nearly died from trying to save the Doctor, and had broken up with her boyfriend. And these earrings? She had just gotten them that night, the last night she had seen her dad and Miss Meaghan before all that happened. Was that really only twenty-four hours ago?
"I got them last night. They were a gift. She insisted that I wear them to meet Russell. Right before he kidnapped you on the greenbelt."
"A gift? Well, I'm sure I can find something else to trade if you really want to wear something."
"No!" Melissa said, perhaps a little too quickly. "No, it's fine. One of those wraps would be much better than these earrings. I've got way better ones at home. Besides, I hardly have enough room in my jewellery box for these!" She unclasped the hoops from her ears and walked up to the nearest booth selling the elegant wraps. "Would these be enough for one of those? They're pure silver."
The man's eyes nearly leaped out of their sockets when they saw the shiny metal trinkets. "Silver? Oh, of course! You may take whatever one you want."
"I'm guessing silver's just as valuable here as it is at home," Melissa said over her shoulder to the Doctor as she went through the fabrics hanging off a row of poles along the top of the booth.
The Doctor stood beside her as she searched through the fabrics. "Normally people wouldn't throw away gifts like that. It's considered rude in most cultures."
"Well, she's rude herself. She's not giving them to me, she's giving them to the person she wants me to be. The person that's not real. What do you think of this purple?"
The Doctor pushed her hand down, the one that was holding the material out and hiding her face. "Melissa, there's more than one way to make a point."
"Yes, and I've tried everything. Besides running away. So, what do you think?" She held out the material.
"Running away won't fix anything."
"But aren't you running?"
"How can you tell?"
"I can't, not until I ask and see your reaction. And you are running from something. What is it?"
"Do I have to tell you?"
"No, but I'm not going back if you aren't."
The Doctor looked at her. "The purple looks nice." Then he turned and walked away.
Melissa laid the material down before she looked over her shoulder to see where he had gone to. She saw him only a short distance off, standing by a fountain. She turned back to the booth, not worried about him abandoning her.
"Do you and your husband often argue?" the seller asked.
"No, he's not my husband."
"Ah. Engaged?"
Melissa laughed. "No! He's my travelling companion, or rather I'm his."
"Ah, but you are family?"
Melissa shrugged. "I guess. Then he'd be my uncle."
"I see. Do you and your uncle often argue?"
"No. We've only known each other for a couple days."
"He lived far?"
"Well, he travels a lot. But it seems like we've been together a whole lot longer, 'cause so much has happened."
"It sounds like a perilous journey."
Melissa laughed. "Yeah. We were in a lot of danger. So, how do you put this on?"
"There are many different ways. My daughter made doll figures to demonstrate many of the different methods."
Melissa looked over at the counter. Sure enough there was a row of many small white figures, all wrapped up in different coloured material. "May I take these, too? So I'll know how to wear them at home?"
"Of course, your jewellery will be enough for that, and also for a bag if you need one."
Melissa looked down. Of course she would need a bag. She couldn't run after the Doctor while carrying all of these, could she? The man handed her a small box filled with copies of the little doll figures. He pointed to a small hut nearby, so Melissa went there to change. After going through the dolls, she decided to choose a design that was a lot like a sleeveless dress, with the wrap going once around her chest and again around her waist. Then she packed up her other clothes in her new bag and went to go find the Doctor. The fabric felt cool and smooth against her body. It would be blissful to wear this in the humid Houston weather once the Doctor brought her back.
The Doctor was still standing by the fountain when she came out. He smiled at her. "You look great."
"Thanks. I feel a bit more like the indigenous population. But I'd feel a whole lot more so if I only had a tail."
"I don't think they have any on sale here."
Melissa sighed. "Shame. They look so cool."
"So, do you want to look around some more?"
"Of course."
So they walked further down the street, surrounded by booths. The noise grew as more and more people came to purchase things. The sellers were constantly yelling their purchases out at the tops of their lungs. Children were continually dashing past, often getting in the way of others. However, one child they saw wasn't enjoying himself in the marketplace.
"Doctor, look! That boy over there is crying. I think he's lost."
The Doctor looked to see where she was pointing. "So he is. Let's go see if we can help."
Melissa moved closer. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I've lost my mother!" the little boy wailed. He was probably only ten years old. He was small and had light brown hair on his head and tail. He was holding onto his tail like it was a lifeline, staring at the street with wide, tearful eyes.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," Melissa said. "We'll find your mom."
"Do you know where you live?" the Doctor asked.
The little boy nodded.
"Then we'll go there first. There might be someone else at home. Your father, perhaps? A bigger sister or brother?"
The boy nodded again. "Tity should still be home."
"Yes, then we'll take you to Tity."
The boy began to quieten down. "Thank you. My name's Moy."
"And I'm Melissa," Melissa said. "That's the Doctor."
"Come on, let's get you home," the Doctor said. "Can you lead us to your house?"
"Yes," Moy said, leaping to his feet. He grabbed onto Melissa's hand. "Come on!" He seemed a lot happier now that they were with him. He hurried along at quite a pace, his bare feet pattering across the grey stone streets. Melissa had to walk faster than she usually did to keep up with him. However, the Doctor didn't seem to be making any extra effort, and he was right behind them.
"Thanks so much," Moy said. "I didn't think anyone would help me. Usually people are too afraid to help lost kids."
"Why?" Melissa asked.
"Because they're already marked for the feast. And if anyone interferes, then they'd be taken, too."
"The feast? People here eat children?"
"No, not people. A person. And he's not really a person. He's a thing. And he doesn't eat their bodies. He eats their souls."
"How does he do that?"
"He steals their names," Moy said quite matter-of-factly. "We call him the Unnamer."
Melissa was silent. This could very easily be a bogeyman tale meant to scare children into staying with their parents. However, this myth seemed to have some substance. The Forbidden Regions, the warning from the old woman, the panicked flight of those other kids. There was also the way passersby reacted to Moy being lost. They didn't stop and help. They didn't even look his way and say things like "poor boy". They just bowed their heads and walked a little faster. A few looked overtly scared. Could this Unnamer be real?
"How does he steal your name?" Melissa asked.
"He finds it," Moy said. "If he knows it, then it's over. You're his."
"Well, how does he find it?"
"Someone tells him. He has servants out here listening."
"So, he's got some spies, then."
"Yep."
"Well, what if you had a secret name?"
Moy frowned in confusion. "A secret name?"
"Yes, like a nickname, but only a few people know it."
"Here people only have one name."
"Well, if I give you a nickname, and you take it as your own and keep it secret, that may keep that Unnamer guy far away."
"It might work," Moy said.
"Alright, I think I've got a name for you."
"What is it?"
Melissa leaned close. "Nathan," she whispered. "It's a very brave name. I think you're a very brave boy."
Moy – Nathan – grinned broadly. "Thanks, Melissa. That just might work!" He stopped in front of a door. "And this is my house."
A redheaded girl dashed out of the door. "Moy, what are you doing home? Where's Mom? And who are these strangers?"
"Tity, I got lost! But then they found me and took me home."
"Moy, you should have been more careful! Oh dear, that's very, very bad. He might just come after you now."
Moy shrugged. "That's okay. I've got a secret name now."
Tity smiled. "And what is that secret name?"
"If I told you, it wouldn't really be a secret name anymore, would it?" Moy giggled.
Tity, still smiling, turned to Melissa and the Doctor. "Thanks for bringing my brother home. You don't know how much this means to my family. But you may have just signed your death warrants. The Unnamer doesn't really take kindly to interference."
The Doctor smiled. "I really don't think that'll happen. You seem to have a well-populated village here. Plenty of children. How many people vanish to the Unnamer?"
"Not many, but that's because we've learned. Hardly anyone ever gets lost here."
"And how many of those lost children get taken?"
Tity's face became solemn. "It takes time, sometimes years, but every child who had once been lost is taken. And some are taken even if they were never lost."
"But I'm okay," Moy said. "I've got a secret name. He'll never guess it."
Tity smiled wanly. "We can only hope. But you two better hurry! And be careful. He strikes when you least suspect it. Thanks again."
"You're welcome," the Doctor said.
"Bye!" Moy called.
The two travellers turned and walked down the street. "Wow, first trip and I'm already involved in my first adventure!" Melissa said. "So, what are we going to do now? Investigate the Forbidden Regions? Check out some other stories about the Unnamer? Or are we going to wait and watch Moy?"
"We aren't going to do any of those things," the Doctor said sternly.
"What? Oh, okay. Then what are we going to do?"
"We're going to go back to the TARDIS. Melissa, I don't want you involved in this. If this Unnamer is real, then we're in real danger. I promised to play it safe. We're leaving right now."
"But what about Moy?" Melissa demanded, climbing over the flimsy fence. "What about him? Shouldn't we at least try to protect him from the Unnamer? If Tity's right, then he'll be coming after him! And what about all those other people? They need our help!"
"Melissa, I'm not going to lose you. I've lost too many."
"Yes, but someone else will be losing their son or daughter," Melissa said solemnly. "Come on, we could at least try."
"Okay, I will help them, but you're going to stay in the TARDIS."
"Okay, that fixes that problem, but what if you need help? Don't you remember what happened with the Daleks? I saved your life."
"Yes, and you nearly died yourself. I'm not having you die. I'm going to take you home to your parents."
"Doctor, I'm an adult now. I can choose my own life. And that's why I'm running away; someone else was trying to choose it for me."
"Melissa, we're not helping!"
Melissa stopped and crossed her arms. They had reached the TARDIS by now. "You can be really selfish, don't you know?"
"It's a protective mechanism," the Doctor said as he went inside the TARDIS. "I've been hurt too much."
Melissa remained outside. "So? I'm going to be a nurse. There will be patients who don't make it. Some of my patients will die. But not all of them will. No, there will be some happy endings."
The Doctor stuck his head out the TARDIS doors. "Yes, but that's you. There are never any happy endings with me. I'm always alone."
"Not always. Are you alone right now?"
"No, and I intend to stay that way. Either we play it safe or you leave."
"I'm leaving anyway! Don't you remember? Only one trip, you said."
"If you keep arguing, then it'll definitely be only one trip."
Melissa sighed and turned around. The grass swayed in the breeze. She watched it closely. It was rippling like waves in the wind. Goodness, it must be quite a wind. But why wasn't she feeling anything? She stepped out into the undulating grass. Nothing. There was no wind whatsoever. That was rather curious. What was going on?
The Doctor walked around the console of the TARDIS. Melissa was right. She was so, so right. When did he have a companion that was so right when he was so wrong? Never. He had never been as wrong as he was before. It was nearly over, wasn't it? His song was ending.
Don't think of that, he told himself. No, his song wasn't ending. At least, not yet. He could keep replaying the chorus for at least a while longer. Hey, he was a Time Lord. Playing with destiny was what he did before breakfast.
Suddenly, a cold band constricted around his hearts. He gasped for breath. The TARDIS shook violently, and the regular yellow lighting was replaced with red. Someone was trying to break into the TARDIS. "Fight it, old girl!" he cried. "Don't let them in!" It was a good thing that Melissa wasn't inside at this moment. It would probably terrify her.
Melissa couldn't move. Her feet were stuck solidly into the ground. A rushing sound filled her ears. "Doctor!" she cried. She felt cold. Suddenly, she felt icy tendrils snake up her legs. She looked down and saw a transparent barrier forming around her feet. It crawled up her body, freezing her until she was immobile. She gasped when it reached her chest. She couldn't breathe. Her chest was squeezed so she couldn't get any air in. Her heart fluttered, trying to beat in the frigid cold. She was completely encased in the ice now. What was going to happen to her? Was this the Unnamer's work? If it was, then someone had better do something. If she wasn't rescued in a matter of minutes she would be beyond help. Black worms began to fill her vision. She wasn't sure if it were a lack of oxygen, a lack of blood, or the process that had made her into an ice sculpture that was responsible. Everything went dark. Then she felt the barrier squeeze in on her and then...
Nothing.
Melissa R Brogan was gone.
And the Doctor had no idea of this. The TARDIS was still trying to rid itself of the unwelcome intruder. It began to buck and shake from side to side. The Doctor was thrown to the ground. The TARDIS's violent movements and the discomfort he was in from his psychic bond had knocked him off his feet. He had a hand on his chest and the other on his head. All his thoughts were focused on helping the TARDIS kick out the intruder. The intruder was leaching substantial energy out of the TARDIS, trying to use it against it. As a result, the Doctor's mental capacity was diminished. It was a temporary effect. It would resolve once he withdrew from the connection, but now the TARDIS needed him.
His measures began to take effect. The TARDIS stopped shaking, and the pressure on his chest eased. He breathed deeply, remaining connected just a minute longer to see if there was any damage. Nothing, besides a substantial energy loss. The TARDIS could easily remedy that. He withdrew, the TARDIS's lights dimming to save energy. He stood up, feeling a little shaky. Things like that were always draining.
"Melissa, sorry about that, but you can come in now," he said, checking over himself to see if he had any injuries. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and psychic paper. No damage done to the screwdriver. "Melissa?" Could that girl be throwing a tantrum? Was she being stubborn by staying outside? He peered outside and saw no one. "Melissa, where are you?" No response. He checked the psychic paper. There was something written on it.
"Doctor,
"You have been foolish to interfere with my work here. As a result, you will suffer the consequences. I have your friend. She is no longer Melissa now. By the time you get this she shall be a simple shell of her former self. There's nothing you can do to help her. You're next. Either you come to me or I get you. Either way, I win.
"Sincerely,
"The Unnamer"
*A/N Hopefully I'll be able to update very quickly, with it being summer. So, it seems that Melissa has some issues, and now she's in real trouble. And what about Moy/Nathan? Will Melissa's idea work?