Chapter 4

I stayed close behind him as we walked through the crowded streets. There was so much noise and so many people. The crowd around me could have filled at least a hundred cities.

"Hey, watch were your going."

"Look out kid."

"Here take my hand." The Doctor looked back at me to make sure I was close. "I'll take us some were less crowded."

He weaved in and out of the mass of moving bodies. I heard shouts and yells. I was shoved on more than one occasion.

"They're worse than I thought." I muttered to myself.

He pulled me around a corner then stopped abruptly. I kept going and stepped out onto the road.

"Wait!"

I looked around in time to hear a horn and felt a sharp yank on my dorm jacket. I fell back just in time to feel a harsh wind blow past.

"What was that? It almost killed me!"

I got up and dusted myself off.

"That was a car. Do they not have those where you're from?" The person who said that brushed past me and onto the road.

"Hey wait! You'll get hit!" I reached for her but she just brushed my hand off and looked at it like it was the scum of the earth.

"Don't touch me. You'll get my spray tan dirty." She huffed off and left me standing there dump founded. People walked past. Some turning back to stare.

"That was so rude."

"Yeah welcome to New York." The doctor turned back to the road."OK it's safe to cross."

"Wait", I reached for his arm. "How do you know it's safe?"

"Because the light is white. Opps never mind." He looked at me. "The crosswalks are connected to the stop lights. So when the street that's parallel to us has a green light we can cross this way." He pointed to the way we were headed. "You crossed when the lights were red and the street going that way," he motioned left and right, "had the green light."

"Well we don't have this back at my city. We have hover cars. So there's no need for crosswalks or stop lights."

When the light was white we hurried across and over toward the pleasure garden.

"Wow this has to be the biggest pleasure garden I've ever seen."

Huge trees could be seen over the edge of the wall that surrounded it. We walked through an opening and I stopped to gawk at the sight before me. People everywhere, old uglies, young uglies, and littlies. Running around. Together.

"This is odd. Why are there old uglies and littlies in the pleasure garden?"

"Pleasure garden?" The Doctor looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"You know the kissy stuff boys and girls do."

"Oh. Whoa! That's not around yet. The pleasure gardens I mean. This is Central Park. People come here to exercise, or to picnic with family or friends."

"But why do they let wild animals in here?"

"Those are dogs. People bring them here to play with them."

"They take wild animals and play with them?" This was just getting too weird the farther we walked.

He chuckled. "They're not wild. Dogs are kept as pets. That means they've been domesticated. Don't you have pets in your time?"

"No. Animals belong in the wild." Just then one of the dogs ran up to me and jumped up. I let out a Scream and fell back. Its large jaws coming for my face.

"Trixi heal."

The dog stepped off of me and moved over to the person who had called it.

I laid there to scared to move. The Doctor walked over to me and helped me up. I grabbed his hand and stood up on shaky legs.

A young ugly, about my age, walked over. He looked at me with eyes to close together and a crooked nose. His hair was redder than pretty standards and his face was covered with freckles. He smiled to reveal metal wires connecting his teeth. I don't know why they were there.

"Hey sorry about Trixi. She's still a pup. I'm working on her obedience still. She likes to lick people as you just experienced." He smiled again and stuck his hand out at me. I just started at it. When I didn't do anything he pulled it back and ran it through his hair.

"Ok well I'd better be going." He whistled for the dog that was busy sniffing around a tree. It picked up its ears and ran to the boy. I cringed as it ran past me.

Once they had rounded a corner I turned to the Doctor and said, "Ok. I've seen enough. I am SO ready to leave."

He grabbed my arm so I didn't fall over. "Ok we can go. Next stop Tally Youngblood."

`We started back toward the TARDIS, me holding him for support.

All I kept picturing was its mouth coming for my face.