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The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 2
The Doctor flipped himself upright and jumped down from the bed.
"Time for a look around, wouldn't you say, Sarah?"
Sarah nodded her agreement and followed the Doctor back out onto the landing and down the stairs. A group of boys in their late teens trooped up past them chattering loudly and the Doctor attracted a few curious glances. Back in the entrance hall he gave each of the rooms Sarah had seen earlier a cursory glance before heading for a smaller door behind the stairs which she hadn't noticed. This led them through a tiny anteroom containing no furniture save for a clipboard hanging on the wall with a ballpoint pen attached to it dangling from a piece of string. A list of names and times identified it as a signing in and out sheet. Another door led them back into the cloakroom they had first come into. The Doctor strode straight through, chuckling at Sarah's exclamation of disgust at the smell before heading back out of the back door and onto the gravel path near where they had landed. He paused to examine the door, ascertaining that it was secured with simple yale lock that would pose no problems for the sonic screwdriver should they be locked out.
"Shall we have a look around the classrooms then?" he asked. "I'm guessing they'll be empty now. Ripe for some snooping." He rubbed his hands together in glee.
"Sounds a good idea, Doctor" Sarah answered, "but are you sure you can see the way?" she gestured toward the forest path which, sloping downhill on the eastern side of the house, was almost pitch black now that the sun had set.
"Of course!" the Doctor boomed, "naturally I can find the way!"
Sarah rolled her eyes and followed close behind him, relying as much on the sound of his feet crunching on the gravel as she was on the dark bulk of his shoulders in front of her. As they slipped between the trees it became almost impossible for her to see and she took hold of the end of the Doctor's scarf to avoid losing him, since the darkness had not slowed his pace at all.
The path curved round and they abruptly emerged onto a slightly wider path lit by a couple of lamps situated either side of an old fashioned archway topped with the traditional clock and dovecote, leading into what would have once been the stable yard. Passing under the arch and into the yard, which was large and oblong, the Doctor and Sarah were surrounded on the other three sides by loose boxes which had been converted into classrooms. To the left between two of the classroom doors was another, smaller archway which presumably led down into the woods and would have originally been used as an exit by riders wanting to hack in the forest.
The Doctor moved over to peer through one of the windows and Sarah through the one next to it. The classroom looked fairly standard for a secondary school biology lab; heavy wooden tables laid in rows, punctuated with gas taps and sinks, tall backless stools for the pupils to sit on, and a desk and blackboard at the far end of the room. The walls were covered with posters depicting the local plants and wildlife, and at the rear of the classroom were shelves which held specimen jars and stuffed animals in glass cases.
"It all looks above board, Doctor" said Sarah Jane, moving to look into the next classroom which was almost identically laid out. "Why do you suppose the TARDIS wanted us to come here?"
"I'm sure the answer will reveal itself Sarah," the Doctor replied thoughtfully.
"What now?" she asked.
"I think some rest is in order" the Doctor answered, gallantly holding out an elbow for her to take. "It's been some days since I slept; I think I might take advantage of that bed before anything untoward happens." The grin on his face was in direct contrast to the foreboding of his words and Sarah chuckled at his obvious enthusiasm for trouble as she took his arm.
After a brief pit stop in the TARDIS to pack a few overnight things and some spare clothes for Sarah, the two of them headed back through the still unlocked cloakroom and back up to their bedroom. Sarah glanced at a clock hanging on the wall outside the dining room as they passed.
"Only quarter to nine;" she said "and not a pupil in sight. Do you suppose it's lights out already? Seems rather early for teenagers of that age."
The Doctor shrugged, throwing open their bedroom door and gesturing for her to go in ahead of him. Sarah went over to lean on the windowsill and took in what she could see of the driveway which was lit by a line of several old fashioned streetlamps. The sheep in the field by the side of the building were just visible, their white coats standing out against the darkness of the field. She turned back to see the Doctor had collapsed onto the bottom bunk, his ankles crossed and hands behind his head. She put her hands on her hips and stood over him, giving him a nudge on the leg with her toe.
"I thought you wanted the top bunk?" she asked pointedly.
"Just warming it up for you, Sarah," he grinned, fixing her with an affectionate look.
Sarah shook her head. "I'm going to go and get ready for bed, I think" she said, gathering her wash bag and pyjamas. I expect that bed available when I come back."
She left the room, ignoring his faint reply of "It is available, I just happen to be in it...", cutting him off by shutting the door firmly behind her.
As their room was at the end of the landing, the bathroom was right next to it. Sarah stepped inside into another oddly shaped room; spanning across the end of the house, it was only a three or four paces from where she was standing to the opposite wall, but the length of their bedroom on either side of her. To the left were two rows of toilet cubicles facing each other. To the right were several larger cubicles housing showers, and directly in front of her were half a dozen sinks with mirrors above. She caught sight of her reflection and made a mental note to get her hair cut next time she had the chance; it had got awfully long.
After a quick shower, she dressed in her pyjamas and combed out her hair before brushing her teeth. In the twenty minutes or so she was in there not another soul came in. It was rather odd, she reflected. For a hundred or so pupils, there must be at least ten or so teachers, she reckoned, not counting other staff members; and judging by the number of bedrooms and the relative remoteness of the surrounding area, they must all stay on the premises. Where were they all?
She ducked back quickly into their bedroom and was greeted with the Doctor lying on his side, still in the bottom bunk. His eyes were closed and she watched him for a moment, trying to decide if he was indeed asleep. Without opening his eyes, he lifted the blankets in silent invitation, his lips twitching mischievously. Sarah gave her head a rueful shake and ignored him, climbing into the top bunk.
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Sarah woke with start, her heart pounding. For a moment she lay completely still, staring into the inky blackness, trying to ascertain what had woken her. As she tuned into her surroundings, her eyes started to adjust to the darkness and she heard a deep rumbling snore coming from below her. Could it have been that? Surely not, she considered; she'd heard the Doctor snore before and it wouldn't have woken her so suddenly. Then without warning she heard it; an eerie high pitched howl coming from somewhere outside. She shot up in bed, her heart thundering.
"Doctor?"
Another snore was her only reply.
"Doctor!" she exclaimed more sharply.
He woke with a grunt.
"Sarah? Is everything alright?" he asked, instantly fully awake.
"Listen!" she hissed.
The two of them sat in pregnant silence for a moment before another howl rent the night air outside.
"What the devil?" the Doctor exclaimed. Sarah heard his bed creak as he leapt up to look out of the window. He pushed aside the heavy curtains, letting the light of a crescent moon flood into the bedroom. She leant over from her vantage point on the top bunk to look over his shoulder. The lights on the drive had been extinguished at some point, and in spite of the bright moonlight it was impossible to see more than a few hundred feet; everything looked still and calm. Sarah slithered down off the bed to stand at the Doctor's elbow.
"Why does everything always look so much more threatening in the moonlight?" she murmured to herself, surveying the dark hulking shapes of trees and bushes that loomed on the lawns in front of the house.
"Power of suggestion, Sarah", the Doctor answered quietly, "the human imagination is quite extraordinary".
Another howl echoed through the night, causing them both to jump out of their reverie. Gooseflesh exploded over Sarah's skin and she involuntarily clutched at the Doctor's shirtsleeve. He covered her hand, giving it a pat.
Sarah shuddered. "I hate wolves" she murmured "ever since Aunt Lavinia read me Grimm's fairy tales. There shouldn't be any in Wales, should there?"
The Doctor shook his head; "Not for four or five hundred years, at this point in history. Come on, back to bed" he said, "there's little we can do until morning anyway; I'd like to have a chat with a few people first before I go after whatever that is."
He gave her a nudge towards the bottom bunk and this time she acquiesced, sliding in first and not protesting when he lifted the blankets and lay down next to her, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulder.
In spite of her fears Sarah felt safe; under the canopy of the upper bunk and sandwiched as she was between the wall and the comforting bulk of the Doctor, she soon fell asleep again. The Doctor waited until her breaths were deep and even and then continued to lie awake listening to the howls increasingly fade into the distance, giving it precisely half an hour after the last one before allowing himself to succumb to slumber again.
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Watch this space…