Authors Note: Two chapters in one night. I must really be fighting sleep.
Chapter Two
The Doctor released her hand, trotted around the controls and sat down on the wobbly two person seat, kicking his heals up onto the control board. He beamed at her bewildered face, her wide eyes; eyes that grew wider to try and take it all in. He started wiggling back and forth, rocking in a bit of a childish manner.
"Go on. Say it. I've heard it all before." He beamed and spread his arms wide, gesturing to the control room. "Welcome to the TARDIS!"
She stuttered unintelligibly for a few moments turning and looking all around as she moved farther inside. "It…" She looked at The Doctor. "It's… bigger on the inside." She shook her head, blinking rapidly. "But…how is that possible? I walked all around this thing! Heck, I even ran into one of the walls! How… How does all this fit in that tiny police box? …And what did you call it? The TARDIS? What sort of name is that?"
The Doctor beamed and hopped up, walking around the controls to stand in front of her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his coat.
"Time And Relative Dimension In Space. T.A.R.D.I.S, TARDIS." He said proudly looking around before looking down at her. "It's bigger on the inside. Don't worry about how it fits in, you'd never be able to understand. He beamed and bounced on his feet a bit. "So. Where do you want to go?" He asked, all of the excitement returning to him from before.
TARDIS? Okay. Never be able to understand? Hmm… Well then. Wait. She looked up at The Doctor. "Hold on… You don't even know my name or really anything about me. How do you know you can trust me?"
She put a hand on her hip. "And 'The Doctor'? What sort of name is that? Just 'The Doctor'? And you said spaceship. As in traveling into space. 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space', right? Why would you have a spaceship? It's not like everyone's just got a police box parked in their garage that doubles as a spaceship! Unless…" She raised an eyebrow, now more curious than before. "Are you an alien?"
The question sounded so preposterous the moment it left her mouth. Why was she asking him if he was an alien? He looked perfectly human! Another stupid question out of Kelsey's mouth… And I'm asking too much at once. Someone shut me up!
He smiled and tilted his head to the side, his excitement contained for the moment. He shook his head.
"Why wouldn't I trust you?" He gazed at her with un-moving eyes, eyes filled with genuine curiosity as to why she'd ask such a silly question. "I've just met you. I have no reason not to trust you. You've given me no reason no to trust you." he shrugged his shoulders. "And that's my name. Just The Doctor." He smiled at her, his eyes lighting up. "And yes." He didn't elaborate further. He trusted her to understand. He'd answered all of her questions. Now it was up to her to believe him or not. He'd be more than willing to prove it to her if he had to.
She blinked at his smile. It was giving her that same feeling as before—the butterflies, heart-racing kind of feeling. It wasn't that same feeling you get when a cute guy smiles at you in class. (Not to say that The Doctor wasn't attractive. Because he was.) It just… It was a whole different level of…whatever it was. She couldn't find a word for it. But it was a hundred times better than any butterflies she'd ever felt before. They fluttered with hope and promise and excitement and something that she felt couldn't simply be blamed on hormones letting loose in her brain. No…it was much more grand than that, this feeling The Doctor had given her.
He had an interesting logic—trustworthy until proven otherwise. It was refreshing. Wasn't often seen on planet Earth those days.
Just "The Doctor." …Okay. I guess aliens are entitled to have somewhat odd names.
…Aliens. He's an alien. I'm on a spaceship called the TARDIS…with an alien that looks like a human. Named The Doctor.
Yeah, I'm totally sane. But then again…that look on his face… Maybe this is just what I've been looking for—the adventure I've been waiting for. And he hasn't let me down so far.
"…So. If…you're an alien…" She looked at up him. "Does this mean I've just been abducted?" She smiled.
"If that's the case, and if I may ask, Doctor… Just what kind of alien have I been abducted by?"
He smiled a toothy smile, winking at her as the excitement was released and began building up again. It radiated off of him in waves, in thick, intoxicating waves. He leaned towards her, reaching around her and closing the door behind her.
"I'm one of a kind." He said before spinning around and dashing towards the controls. He started racing around the circular control panel that connected the floor to the ceiling. He pressed flashing buttons, turned dials, pulled and pushed levers, kicked at one or two things before picking up a hammer and hitting what looked to be a xylophone.
"And we're off! Off to the stars!" He cried out excitedly. A revving screeching sound pulsed around them as the TARDIS began to shake and tremble before they were moving. The Doctor held tight to the control bored, beaming over the panel towards his new momentary companion. "What's your name?" He asked beaming. "I really should know the name of the person I'm abducting."
She watched him run around the control panel, unable to keep from smiling widely at his manic methods. It was like a mad yet organized dance. He knew every switch and every button so well. It was like he didn't even need to think as he raced about, telling his ship where to go.
She yelped in surprise as the ship started shaking and moving. A loud whirring sound emanated from the tall tube at the center of the room. Not knowing what else to do, she dropped her bag on the floor and rushed up the steps to the control panel's platform, clinging to anything that looked sturdy enough on the board.
She looked to her right at The Doctor, smiling again. She couldn't help but smile back at his beaming face. "Kelsey!" she said over the whirring. "I'm Kelsey Johnson!"
The Doctor smiled and nodded his head at her a bit.
"Welcome aboard the TARDIS Ms. Kelsey Johnson! Hang on tight!" And with that final word he threw one last switch and the rocking and shaking from before intensified. But it only lasted a moment or two before it came to a quick, sudden, jarring halt, sending them both crashing to the floor.
The Doctor laughed from his place on his back, his knees bent up in the air, his hands flailing about his head like some kind of skinny turtle. It was obvious this sort of thing happened often and he took the utmost joy from it.
He looked at her as he rolled over and got to his feet. He smiled and offered her his hand. He didn't say anything. He just smiled and looked at her, hand extended.
"That was fast," she commented, smiling up at him. She reached up and took his hand, helping to pull herself back up onto her feet. She ran a hand over her hair and straightened her shirt and jacket, composing herself and making sure she was still in one piece. Yep, she was still all there.
She looked around. For as a rough a ride as that seemed, the TARDIS didn't look any the worse for wear either. Looked like she knew how to handle herself. A good thing, too, what with The Doctor at the helm.
Kelsey looked at the doors of the TARDIS for a moment, then back at the Doctor. "Where are we?" she asked excitedly.
His smile grew as he looked down at her. He shook his head.
"No idea. I just started the course, the TARDIS chose the final destination. Bigger surprise that way." he said in a calm voice before turning his gaze towards the doors standing on the opposite side of the room. He nodded towards them before looking back at her. "Go on."
She smiled. "Is this how you always start your trips?"
She started for the door. "Because I think I like it!"
She put her hand on the handle of the left door and pulled towards her, taking her first look at what lay beyond the TARDIS doors.
And what she saw there…stole her breath away in the most magnificent way she could possibly imagine.
The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS hands in his pockets, not even looking back when the TARDIS door closed on itself.
"Kelsey, welcome to Glaciaticopholitrium four. Glacia or Glaci for short." He smiled and looked around. "Haven't been here in ages!" He said as small fluffy creatures with long slender tails with tuffs at the ends hopped by them in a little group of six or seven. One fluffy little creature paused to look back at them. It had long kangaroo like ears and a small door mousy like nose and large pitch black eyes. Really the only thing that made it stick out from the white background. It made a high pitched squeaking noise before vanishing into a cluster of thick white bushes that chimed as fluffy white powder fell from the silver leaves to the white ground.
"Those were DuOlfodims. Sweet little creatures. When you're sleeping they sneak into your bedding and keep you warm. Glacia can get very cold at night." He stated with a nod as he started forward, his feet not making a sound as he walked across the seemingly frozen ground.
He glanced back towards his companion and smiled.
"Well come on." He pointed at the ground. "This here is crystal grass. It's actually trillions and trillions of tiny blades of grass made out of crystal powder. The whole landscape is covered in it. It's a lot like snow but it only ever gets really cold, hard and crunchy at night when the temperatures drop. Otherwise it's as soft and quiet as that powdered sugar stuff you find on donuts." He beamed.
Kelsey stared and stared, her eyes widening as she listened to all The Doctor was telling her.
She was in space. No, she was on another planet. On another world. On place called Glaciaticopholitrium Four. With adorable little kangaroo-rat things called DuOlfodims that she just wanted to chase after and cuddle with. And crystal grass… It was crystal, yet soft. It wouldn't cut her. Well, not right then. The silver leaves on the trees and bushes… She could stare at them for hours, she was sure. Then there were the other planets—were they planets or moons?—up in the sky. They looked so close, she thought she could reach out and grab hold of them. It was all so…beautiful.
She beamed, looking around again. Then she looked at The Doctor. How could she have doubted this man? Look at where she was! She was on a gorgeous ice planet! She'd traveled in a spaceship! She wasn't on Earth anymore! She was gone!
And, best of all…no one could reach her way out in whatever galaxy they were in. It was just her and The Doctor. And the DuOlfodims.
"This place is amazing," she breathed, still beaming, as she jogged to where he was standing. She smiled even wider, looking up at The Doctor, then all around again. "It's all just so…fantastic!" She laughed, overflowing with amazement and utter glee. There were the butterflies again, stirred by her excitement and laughter.
She turned all around in a circle, running her hands through her hair. "I'm… I'm really here. We're really here. We're not on Earth anymore. I'm not dreaming. This is real." She laughed again. "It's all real! This… This is so awesome!"
He beamed along with her sharing in her excitement. Half the fun of traveling with people was seeing them experience something for the first time. It brought back that thrill, that excitement! He lightly tapped her on the shoulder before kneeling down and scooping up a large handful of the white powder crystal, leaving the patch beneath it shiny and more clear than white. He stood holding the handful of powder and smiled sidelong at her before filling his cheeks with air and lightly blowing into his hand.
A cloud of small circular powder crystals floated up into the air, floating and levitating as they circled and spiraled and eddied up into the air. They traveled and slowly made their way back down to the ground, like perfectly circular snowflakes no bigger than the head of a stitching needle.
As they fell and eddied past their ears soft musical notes could be heard. Like when someone rubs their fingers against the top rim of a crystal glass filled with just the perfect amount of water.
Kelsey's eyes widened, her smile widening with them. Music… The crystals made music. Oh, it was wonderful. Spine-tinglingly wonderful.
She turned to The Doctor. "That was amazing!" She shook her head. "Oh, why didn't I meet you years ago?" She exhaled, spreading her arms to gesture at the field before them. "This whole place is just… I don't have words for it. I know no word on Earth to describe what I am seeing right now."
She looked back at him. "And you get to see this beauty all the time? Whenever you want?"
"All of the time. Whenever I want." He beamed. "There is so much beauty out there to see. So much more to inspire." He turned and started forward, clasping his hands behind his back, keeping his stride steady but slow as they walked together. "This planet is a protected planet, sort of like the safari zones on Earth. Unlike the safaris on Earth though there is no 'hunting' permitted here under the declaration of the Shadow Proclamation." A flog of large white-grey beasts the size of a basketball flew over their heads. Their great long leathery wings muffling the air above them.
The Doctor observed them as they walked. "Those are ZaaHrauNodons, Zaahra for short. They're similar to Earth's chiroptera, bats, but they have a life style and cycle more similar to that of salmon." He pointed up at them. "They're heading North. You see those Mountains in the distance. You can just make out the ridge over the top of the treeline there. Well they're heading there to breed. Then in six months they'll fly back this way to head to the ice volcano's to give birth. They make the trek every nine to ten years." He sighed. "Beautiful creatures the Zaahra. It takes them an incredibly long time to mature, but their lives are really rather short."
Kelsey listened intently as he talked, soaking up all the information she could about the creatures that lived on this planet and all the curious things they were seeing. (Though, at The Doctor's explanation of the Zaahra, she couldn't help but picture a salmon with bat wings. That was just how her mind operated.)
She asked questions here or there. The typical ones like "What is that?" or "What's over there?" And then others like, "What do you mean by relatively short lives?" or "What's the Shadow Proclamation?" and "What's an ice volcano?"
And he got to see all this majesty whenever he wanted. He got to hop around the universe and see all the wonderful things and oddities tucked away in the corners. The Doctor and his TARDIS, traveling the universe in search of all that beauty and inspiration he loved so much.
But then that made her start to think as they continued walking.
Just The Doctor and his TARDIS… Just him all alone in that bigger-on-the-inside ship?
"Magnificent," Kelsey breathed as they looked out toward the ice volcanoes again, the mountains now a bit closer than they were earlier. She glanced at The Doctor, then looked back at the mountain. She reminded herself that they'd only just met. It wasn't her place to go prying into his life. Still…
"So it's just you, Doctor—exploring the universe in search of anything and everything." She tilted her head to one side. "Doesn't it ever get lonely?"
The Doctor explained that about four thousand years ago the Zaahra's average life span had been fifteen to twenty years. He'd also explained that about one thousands years ago the planets population of wild life had nearly been destroyed by hunters, collectors and all other types of people who wanted to use the planet for their own selfish reasons. He also explained that the Shadow Proclamation was law. Space law to be specific. He also explained that an ice volcano was basically like a normal volcano just with ice. But the ice was so cold it burned and steamed and could destroy almost anything in its path.
"But the volcano's here have been inactive for hundreds of years. It would take a major shifting of the worlds magnetic plates to reactivate them. They'll remain dormant for at least another thousand years or so. And by then, who knows. Maybe people will live here. Maybe evolution will take another grand step on this planet." He glanced sideways at her and smiled. "It would be a beautiful thing to witness." he said as they came to a halt. He sighed and looked around at the trees. Crystal powder sang and danced upon a light breeze that had picked up. Causing the silver leaves to shimmer in the lights reflecting off of the planets and moons near by. His expression grew distant as he gazed upon the silver leaves but he didn't stay that way for long. Kelsey's question pulling him out of his thoughts.
He gazed down at her for a moment as he mulled over her question. It was innocent. It always was. But it always reminded him that he was alone.
"Yep. Just me. Me and my TARDIS." He crossed his arms and shook his head, not looking at her. "I have the entire universe, why would I be lonely?"
Kelsey looked at him, tilting her head again. She didn't believe The Doctor for a moment. Even he didn't seem to believe what he'd said. She could read his stance, his gaze, his voice. In this way, he'd given her a completely different answer than he had intended. And maybe that was a good thing.
"Entire universe or not," she said softly, looking up at the silvery leaves shivering in the breeze above them, "anyplace can be lonely. Even if you've got beauty surrounding you at every turn, and all these wondrous things and new ideas and amazing possibilities… I know I'd be lonely if I didn't have someone to share it all with."
She recalled his excitement when she'd agreed to come along with him—his eagerness to take her away to this place and show it to her. People who weren't lonely didn't act like that toward new people. Not exactly like that, anyway. Only people who had known great sorrow and pain that led to their loneliness were so eager to have someone come stand by their side, no matter for how long.
She looked at him. "Everyone needs someone, Doctor. Even—or maybe especially—a lonely traveler like yourself."
He didn't respond to her comment. He merely looked at her with a still face, his eyes filled with the answers. He tilted his head a bit.
"Come on."
They explored the planet for what felt like hours, but neither of them showed signs of weariness. The Doctor explained the history of the planet and the creatures that lived there. He said that no humanoid life forms had ever lived on the planet and probably wouldn't unless the creatures evolved. He showed her the plant life, explaining each flower to her in great detail.
When they finally came to rest it was at the top of a great hill. A little further up and The Doctor said they'd probably be able to see the valley. He sat down in the grass, knees propped up, fingers flexing in the soft grass beneath him.
"So Kelsey, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself? You're way out here in space. No one to judge you or frown at you for speaking your mind." He smiled. "What's your life like?" He tilted his head. He really wanted to know. He wanted to know if she went to school, if she had a mum and dad, or just a mum, or just a dad. He was just genuinely curious. That and he wanted to be distracted. He needed a good distraction. Now more than ever.
Kelsey could tell that he wanted such a distraction. She had needed one herself so many times before. And she was willing to oblige.
She sat down next to him in the grass, pulling her legs into a criss-cross under her and closing her hands around one of her ankles, her back curved over slightly. She thought for a moment. A little about myself? What my life is like? Geez, where to start? What does he want to know? How much does he want to know? He hadn't seemed averse to hearing all she'd had to say earlier…
She gave a soft exhale, looking at the crystal grass surrounding them. "Well… I live by myself in a little apartment. It's a few blocks from where you found me. I was in school—finished two years at the local college. But couldn't afford my living expenses working part-time. So I left school and started working full-time. Not a total loss. I was never very good at making friends—especially in school. Anyway, I work at the local Barnes and Noble bookstore. It's not a career, but it's decent money. I guess it's okay."
She started poking at the grass in front of her. She could hear unasked questions drifting through the air. But how could she sum up her situation without sounding like she was searching for sympathy or pity?
"I lived with my parents before I graduated high school. But they're not around anymore. 'Accidents happen' is sort of a bad summation of what happened, but… It was nothing original, nothing significant. It was just…an unfortunate occurrence."
She didn't dare look at him. She could only imagine the sad look that was crossing his face. And she didn't want to linger on that part of her past for too long. "Things happen, and I had to step up and start taking care of myself."
She was quiet for a brief moment. She needed to change the subject. "My life at this point is…relatively simple. And seemingly boring. I spend a lot of time around books. Obviously, since I work in a bookstore, but even at home as well. To the people that actually know me, I'm sort of…infamous for never going anywhere without a book." She shrugged. "I just can't see myself going anywhere without one. It's like tucking a whole other world into my bag and carrying it around with me. Holding a whole world in my hands—a world where I can meet new people and go on adventures I've only dreamed of having…" She laughed softly. "Just before I ran into you—" Literally. "—, someone had asked me when I was going to get my head out of the clouds." She smiled wider. "Now look at me. If I wasn't positive I was awake, I'd swear I was dreaming. It's like someone picked me up and dropped me into one of my books.
"It's like you said—I'm way out here in space. There's no one to judge me and even give me a second glance. It's…liberating. It's the most free I've felt in ages."
She shook her head. "Anyway… Besides all that, I spend most of my time dabbling in writing and staving off any lingering boredom with watching movies and TV. …It's an average life, I guess. Still, it's the only one I've got."
Kelsey looked at The Doctor now. She hoped she hadn't bored him. Trying to sum up her life—her existence—the way she had… It just made it seem all the more boring and pointless. What was she living for? Books? No, she reminded herself. For adventure. For this planet I'm sitting on and the grass below me and the planets and moons above me. What I'm doing right now—where I am right now—that's what I'm living for.
…But it sure doesn't seem like it, does it? Seems like I was just sitting around waiting for something to happen—for adventure to find me. Hey wait. It did.
A name flitted at the back of her mind, tugging her thoughts toward the issue she'd been trying to get away from. In that moment, though, she wanted it all to come spilling out. She wanted to tell him everything. Wanted to rant and tug at her hair and shout until the silver leaves shook in the air. And she wanted to be told that things were going to be alright. Just once, even if it was a lie, she wanted to hear that it was going to be okay.
She wondered again at this urge to divulge every aspect of her problems to The Doctor when he himself was saying very little about who he was. I don't know anything about him. …That's a lie, but still. I don't know what sort of alien he is, or what planet he's from. Not that I'd know where it is, but I am curious. What do the other people on his planet do? Do they all travel around like him? Do they all have TARDIS ships that look like police boxes, or is his special? How far is he from home? Does he have family? Friends?
…Or is he like me—not just lonely, but actually all on his own?
The Doctor sat and listened quietly as she spoke. Sitting up a bit and wrapping his arms around his knees as he gazed off into the distance. He could just see the TARDIS down the hill. They'd walked quite a distance. He looked at her as she spoke. He could see the questions in her eyes. He had questions to, and he wasn't afraid to ask them.
"What happened to your parents? What was this, unfortunate occurrence?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Kelsey bit her lip for a few moments. She sighed quietly. "Like I said, it wasn't anything or particular importance to…well, hardly anyone but me. Before I moved away, my parents and I lived farther north up in the mountains. Snow isn't an uncommon thing up there. Neither are blizzards and storms.
"It was a stormy Friday night. There was a get-together in town with some of their friends. They invited me to come along, but I opted for staying at home to do nothing. I didn't want to end up standing around for two hours making awkward small talk with adults I hardly knew, and then bugging my parents to leave before they wanted to. Sometimes I think that was the wrong choice, but…"
She blinked slowly, staring out ahead of her. "The roads were icy and visibility was low. My dad was a good driver, but… They never made it to the party. Slid off the road and into a tree. That doesn't always mean total disaster…but fate wasn't on any of our sides that night."
She found it ironic that they'd landed on an ice planet, considering what had happened. She clenched her hands into fists, realizing that maybe The Doctor would feel bad about the TARDIS bringing them here and suggest they leave. She didn't want to leave.
Honestly, looking around at this planet hadn't made her think of her parents at all. Even for all her bashing of snow and ice and all her ranting against it…this planet was breathtaking. Peaceful. A stark contrast to how much she hated the snow and ice of Earth.
The Doctor listened in silence as she spoke of the night her parents died. The night she'd chosen to stay home and do nothing. The night an accident one would usually walk away from turned deadly. He looked at her his eyes hard and sorrowful and sincere. He swallowed, his adams- apple bobbing as he glanced around before looking back at her.
"Kelsey I'm sorry, I didn't know. If I'd known I wouldn't have brought you here." He said in a quiet voice. A pained voice. It was obvious how genuine his apology was. "If you'd like, I can take you somewhere else. Or home." he looked away, turning his gaze towards the opposite mountain ridge. "Homes always an option."
Kelsey looked at him for a long few moments. His apology… She wanted to cry. He really was upset, and truly sorry. On top of that, he was really suggesting taking her home. No, she didn't want that. Not at all. None of it.
"Please don't worry," she said quickly yet gently, blinking away tears. "I'm glad you brought me here. Really, I am. I'm glad we landed on this place. I mean it." She exhaled. "And you know why? Because, for the first time since my parents died…I can look at snow and ice without thinking about them. I can see the snow the way I could before the accident. I can see beauty in it, not just tragedy. Here, it's calm. No raging winds or storms. It's nothing like home. In all honesty…this place… I can't explain it. But it gives me a sense of…peace—one that I've needed for a very long time."
She was quiet for a moment. She raised one of her hands and paused, hesitant. Carefully, she reached her hand towards him and softly rested it over one of his. "Please don't be sorry. If anything, I should thank you."
He looked at her for a moment before the corners of his mouth curved upwards slightly. He rested his other hand over hers and patted it lightly before nodding.
"Good. Good. I'm glad to hear it." he sighed, as though relieved that he hadn't upset her before looking around again. He didn't remove his hand from hers as he surveyed their surroundings. But after a moment he looked back at her and smiled, cocking his head to the side. "So, I've taken you away from a problem but it isn't like me to not bring it up again."
"So what is it with you and this boy? Just curious I swear. Once I've gotten my head wrapped round it I'll drop it I promise." He lifted the hand from off of hers and held it up. "Scouts honor." He rested his free arm on his knee. "What's the story? What's so bad that you've run off with a mad man, an alien no less, in a big but little blue box?"
She laughed softly. Suddenly, what with his little promises and questions and the cheeky grin on his face, even her problems with him didn't seem so important. She felt she could joke about them and then it wouldn't be as frustrating as it was. Their still-touching hands sent those butterflies into her stomach again. He cared. Why, she had no idea. But he cared enough to ask and to be concerned. What a novel thing.
"Well, it's nothing too interesting." Again. Geez, is there nothing about me that's actually interesting? "But, since you've promised to drop it once I tell you," she said with a smile, "I suppose I can talk about it a little.
"His name's Paul. Like I said, I met him online—through an art website. I'd favorited some of his stuff—mostly photography of…" Would he know what cosplay is? "…of these costumes he'd made and such. He posted a thank you for the favorites on my profile, and said that I was 'freakin' cute', to quote him directly." Which I'm so not.
She blushed lightly at the memory, then shook her head a little and continued. "Anyway, one thing led to another, and we started exchanging messages. It all started out innocent enough at first…"
She gave a short sigh. "When I'm upset, I tell myself that it's been this way with him since the beginning—complicated and just…screwed up. But it hasn't always been that way. It seems that way, because things happened so fast, but…it started out good. He made me feel good. He made me feel…pretty and desired." Her brow furrowed slightly. "No one had ever made me feel like that before. I'd never even had someone give me a second thought in regards to anything romantic before." And that was the truth. Kelsey Johnson, forever single and a veritable disease in her hometown. Forever friend-zoned, you get the idea.
"Then…things changed. He kept telling me that my happiness and comfort was the most important, and yet he continued to subtly try to push me farther and farther." She hoped she didn't have to elaborate on that. "There were times when I could stop it. And other times, he succeeded. Other than the accident, nothing has ever put me on such a low than what I allowed us to do. I know that may sound silly since we've neve met in person, but…I have emotional attachments to everything. Even though he was never with me…it felt like he was. And I think that's what scared— scares me the most."
She sighed. "It started out as something I liked and wanted. Now…it's just something I wish I could erase. I wish I could go back and stop it from happening. Or, at the very least, I wish I could've stopped myself sooner. But it's all twisted and tangled and I just want to cut it out of my life, only I don't really know how to without making it worse. Without ripping the stitches and rubbing salt in the wounds. Sometimes that's all I want to do, regardless of the stupid stitches. Seems easier to just cut it off and let it bleed than to saw at it with blunt knife."
She realized she was ranting, but the words wouldn't stop. They just kept on falling out of her mouth. She glanced down at the grass a couple times, wondering if she'd stained it black with all the muck dripping from her lips. But she'd said too much to stop now.
"It always starts as something you want. And then, faster than you think, it turns into a frustrating roller coaster that you want nothing more than to get off of. Except you can't because that restraint is over you, and even if you could get it off, you'd have to jump and you don't know what's on the ground below you—if it's better or worse than staying on—or if there's anyone there waiting to catch you or pick you back up after your fall. So really, in the end, it's fear that keeps you in your seat. And it's either desperation or, for the lucky ones, hope that makes you finally fling yourself over the edge."
She sighed. "I just… I wish I could end it and not look back. Not feel guilty. And I wish I could believe that this hasn't totally screwed me over and that there's still hope for me. Still some grand adventure I've yet to experience—one that's worth waiting for somewhere out there."
She sighed again, realizing her hand was shaking where it lay over The Doctor's. She'd never said any of that out loud before. Never even mentioned Paul to any of her not-so-close friends back home. The only one she'd ever told was her journal, and that hadn't been very much of a release.
She trembled slightly. I can't believe I just said all that. Oh gosh, now I seem like even more of a loser, don't I? But then I had to go and want to tell him everything! Ah, stupid me! Like all that's reason enough to run off with a strange man—alien—with a blue box for a spaceship. It's just a petty drama about an online not-boyfriend that I don't want to be my boyfriend at all. That I don't want anything to do with. On the grand scale of issues and problems, I'm sure this doesn't even make the top 100. Heck, probably not even the top 1,000!
Once she'd finished and no more words fell from her lips The Doctor placed his other hand over her trembling one and leaned a little closer.
"Kelsey. Look at me." He requested quietly. An order wrapped in a request. When their eyes locked he leaned in a little closer to keep her eye contact. "Listen to me. It's not your fault. You're not weak or stupid because you let him push you into doing something you were uncomfortable with. And I know it seems so very complicated now, like a thousand pounds of weight is pressed against your stomach, and you'll never be able to get out from under it but I promise you that you will." he smiled. "Trust me. I'm a Doctor. This will pass." He lightly clapped her hand before standing up. He stretched a bit before offering his hand. "Come on. Let's keep going."
Kelsey looked up at him, not moving for a few seconds. For what seemed like the millionth time, the butterflies had started up again in her stomach. Finally…someone had said exactly what she'd needed to hear at exactly the right moment in exactly the right way. It didn't sound forced or rehearsed or any of that other crap. He'd looked her right in the eyes and told her that everything was going to be okay. It was genuine and just…perfect.
Tears lightly stinging the corner of her eyes, she smiled and reached up to grasp his hand. "Yes, let's," she said as he pulled her to her feet. No other way to go now, she thought, except forward. And I'm happy to keep going with The Doctor by my side. There's still so much to see and so much to do. Enough of this depressing talk and thought! Forget Paul and everything else! Let's go!
The two of them continued on up the hill, The Doctor chattering away pointing at random points and explaining more odd facts about the planet. It seemed he was nothing more than an excitable walking encyclopedia of facts. His head seemed full of them and he spewed hundreds of silly facts that no one in their right mind would ever bother memorizing. And yet there he was, spewing facts and making them all, as trivial as they were, sound so very interesting.
As they came to the top of the hill he stopped and quickly squatted down, pulling Kelsey with him. He put a finger to his lip and pointed. At the very top of the hill stood a little fuzzy black creature.
It was about the size of a raccoon, with a slender body and long legs. It had an extremely and exaggeratedly long pointed face with large bat like ears and a ridiculously long tail.
The creature spotted them, standing up on it's hind legs like a mirror-cat, ears facing forward. It's bright silvery blue eyes fixated right on them. The Doctor retracted his hand and rested it on his knees.
"Oh look at that. Beautiful, beautiful creature. This is fantastic. They rarely come out during the day. Absolutally fantastic." He licked his lips as he gazed at the creature. "This is Podish, beautiful creatures. They live off of insects and morning dew. They can survive almost anywhere. Even in deserts." He whispered before stilling. The little Podish had flattened it's ears and lowered itself back onto four legs. It's shoulders were hunched, blue eyes wide and curious. It lowered its pointed nose to the ground and sniffed before taking a few tentative steps closer.
"Oh look it's coming over. That's brilliant."
Kelsey looked at the oddly mesmerizing little creature before them, her smile widening at The Doctor's delight and the creature's inching forward. Its glistening blue eyes bored into hers with an intelligence that made her shiver with excitement. The Doctor was right—the little Podish was beautiful. And so cute! Had she not been afraid of scaring it away, she might've simply rushed forward and scooped it into her arms.
A little voice at the back of her head reminded her that this was an alien creature, and she had no idea of its capabilities or defense mechanisms. Though nothing on this planet had seemed very threatening thus far, it was a good thing that voice was still on alert. Who knew what they would run into next? She had to be careful.
She tucked that thought away, though, as the Podish sniffed the ground in front of it again and took another cautious step forward.
After several silent and somewhat tense moments the Podish came to stand right in front of them, ears perking up slightly as it sniffed the air around them, it's shiny black nose twitching slightly.
"That's it, beautiful." The Doctor whispered, causing the Podish to look at him. He lifted a hand slowly. The Podish flattened its ears but didn't move. "Good. Very good. It's okay." The Doctor breathed out quietly as he inched his hand nearer and nearer to the creature. when his hand was a mere few inches away he quickly scooped up the creature, which let out a tiny bark like squeak. The Doctor than stood, turning the creature round so it was curled in his arms on its back. It didn't struggle or put up a fuss. "Good girl. Yes, you knew we were friendly didn't you. Such intelligent creatures Podish. They have low telepathic abilities and scan living creatures with their minds to see if there are any hostile thoughts." he said as he lightly ran a finger under the creatures chin. He turned to Kelsey so she could admire the furry black creature in his arms. "And these ears, oh these beautiful ears, they can monitor heart beat patterns and rhythms. It probably hesitated because I've got two hearts, the pattern might of confused it." He smiled and lightly ran a finger down the top of the creatures small skull, causing it to let out a sound similar to a cats purr as it's blue eyes slid shut.
Kelsey giggled quietly at the Podish's purring. "Oh, it's adorable!" she breathed, trying not to scare it.
She slowly reached a hand forward and patted the Podish's head, running her finger down it like The Doctor had. It continued purring, and she smiled wider.
Low telepathic abilities? she wondered. Well, that's new! But then what should I expect on an alien planet? Certainly comes in handy for the creature, I'm sure. Being able to tell if someone's out to get you or not just by being near them? If only everyone had that skill. Things would be a whole lot—
Kelsey started.
"Hold on," she said, still keeping her voice low so as not to alarm the Podish. She looked at The Doctor. "Two hearts?" She blinked. "You have two hearts?" Her gaze flickered to his chest but quickly returned to his face.
He looked down at her as he lightly scratched the Podish' belly and nodded.
"Yes. Yes, Yes I have. Got a problem with that?" He asked cocking a brow at her. When she shook her head he nodded. "Good."
They both continued fawning over the cute creature for several minutes. But when Kelsey brushed the heal of its back leg it let out a high pitched yelp and it's long tail wrapped around the Doctor's hand.
"Ow, okay that's my hand." he said as his fingers turned white. "Okay, okay, shhhhh shhh it's okay." he soothed lightly stroking the poor creatures head. "It's okay, I think you've just startled it. Wait, no." Once the creature had released his hand he knelt down on the ground and, still cradling the Podish, began lightly examining it's back foot. "Hello, what's this?" He asked as he lightly brushed the tip of his finger along the fur. A small metallic 'something' shown in the light. The Doctor frowned as he looked at it. "Well, that's not right."
Two hearts… Hmm. Guess his physiology should be a bit different than mine. He is an alien, after all. But what kind? Oh, this is no time for that. Just focus on the Pod—
She jumped at the Podish's squeal, her eyes widening as The Doctor's hand turned white. She knelt down opposite him, both of them looking down at the Podish.
She looked back and forth from the metallic something in the Podish's heel and The Doctor's frown. She hadn't meant to hurt the little dear! But, from the look on The Doctor's face, something was definitely up that was none of her own doing.
"What is it?" she asked, concerned for the Podish and curious at The Doctor's comment. "What's not right?"
"This planet has no forged metal sources. There all minerals." He looked at Kelsey seriously. "Comfort it, would you? Pat it's head." he said as he tightened his grip ever so slightly around the small creature. "This is going to hurt." He whispered looking the creature straight in the eyes. "And I'm sorry, but I'm trying to help you." He said gently before returning his attention to the creatures foot. "Hold her." He whispered before he pinched the small piece of metal between his thumb and index finger. The Podish let out another loud yelp and wriggled a bit, a low humming coming from the back of its throat. The Doctor licked his lips again as he held the squirming creature. "I know, Oh I know, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I know it hurts. Just hold on." He tried to reassure it. He struggled with getting a decent grip on the small metal ball, his nails sliding off of its smooth surface. "Almost… GOT IT!" He said as he pulled the small ball free. The Podish released on last pained yelp before calming down. The Doctor stood, and turned to Kelsey. "Here hold her." He said, practically dumping the creature into her arms. He then turned away and held up the ball so he could examine it.
"This isn't right. This is so not right." He muttered to himself as he looked at the ball which was covered in crusted as well as fresh blue blood. He let his hand drop, ball still held between his fingers and looked around. "How would this have gotten here? I don't understand."
Kelsey bit down hard on her lip as she helped hold the Podish still while The Doctor worked. She leaned her head down next to it, trying to tell it that it would stop hurting in a minute.
"Just hold on," she said, blinking back tears at its screams. "We're trying to help, it'll be okay. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
The Doctor finally pulled the object from the Podish's leg, and the little creature started gasping for breath. The Doctor stood, shifting the Podish into her own arms for her to comfort.
Kelsey hugged the Podish to her chest, curling over a little on it. She stroked its head gently, softly putting a hand over the wound on its leg. Warm blue blood slowly seeped out onto her fingers. She soothed the poor little thing, speaking quietly as she carefully rocked back and forth.
"Shh, shh… There, there, little one. You're alright. I know it hurts, I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry this had to happen. But you'll be better off now that that's not in you anymore, I'm sure." She placed a soft kiss on the top of its head. "You're gonna be okay, you'll see."
She heard The Doctor's comments and wonderings, but was focused on the Podish and didn't make any sort of reply to him.
The Doctor stuck the metal ball into his pocket and turned to face his temporary companion.
"Come on." he said quickly to her, offering her a hand to help her up. "Somethings not right here."
The Podish gazed at him calmly before wiggling and jumping free of Kelsey's arms. When on obvious sign of protest flashed across her face The Doctor shook his head. "It's alright. She'll be fine. It's a small wound, it will heal up in a day or two." He commented as the little furry black creature trotted away, leaving an occasional blue speckle of blood in the snow.
Kelsey glanced after the Podish for a brief moment. She had to believe The Doctor, no matter how much she wanted to go after the creature and make sure it was alright. The Doctor knew more than she did. Surely he was right and the Podish would be fine.
She looked back at The Doctor and grabbed his hand, pulling herself back onto her feet. "No forged metal sources, yet you find something metallic lodged in an animal's hind leg," she said. "Definitely something wrong with that picture. So what do you think's going on?"
The Doctor didn't release her hand as they walked the last thirty or so feet to the very tip top of the hill.
"No idea. But I'm sure it's nothing good." He said simply as they made their way upwards.
As they reached the top the valley came into view. It was vast and flat. And resting in the center of it was a large factory building. At each corner, about two hundred yards out surrounding the building were tall thick posts that rose at least forty feet into the sky. A red light flashed at the top of each post.
"Well. That's not right." He said as he shoved his free hand into his pocket. He still hadn't released Kelsey's hand.
Kelsey's brow furrowed at the sight of the factory building. It looked so horribly out-of-place in comparison to the natural, clean beauty that surrounded them. What on earth (or Glacia Four) was that metal monstrosity doing there?
It was like when you were a child and you saw seagulls in a fast food parking lot for the first time. It made no sense. What would seagulls be doing so many miles from a lake or ocean? And at a fast food restaurant, no less? It wouldn't be until later that it occurred to you that the birds were there for easy food dropped or left behind by people, like french fries or bits of burger.
So…what was the french fry in this situation? What was the factory on the hunt for? Whatever it is, she thought, The Doctor's right—it can't be anything good.
Kelsey cast a quick glance at their still-clasped hands, a light blush crossing her cheeks. She swallowed and lifted her gaze to The Doctor's face. "We're going down there, aren't we?"
She didn't feel scared, oddly enough. If anything, she was curious. What was going on here? And what did it have to do with the animals on this peaceful planet? They had to find out, didn't they? They couldn't just walk away. After all, The Doctor had said that this planet was protected under the Shadow Proclamation. If someone had come here to hurt the animals, then they were breaking space law (which she imagined was a much larger crime than, say, breaking national law). Something had to be done. Right?
Authors Note: This chapter was supposed to be longer. But twenty-three pages is long enough. So, chapter two has been cut in half. Hopefully no one will mind.