Chapter 9: The Angel
Weeks went by since she had seen the TARDIS and apparently spaced out for what felt like hours to Damien. She didn't remember anything though, but something had scared her, which was all she could remember. She found herself waking up randomly in cold sweat, her heart racing, as she forgot what the hell it was that scared her so badly. Something dark was inside her, she could feel it, but she just couldn't find it? That doesn't make any sense, but it's true.
At night, she'd visit the TARDIS through the tunnels guided around the cemetery. She didn't need Damien following her or being with her when she was visiting the TARDIS, she wanted to be alone. There was something about the blue box, the way it lit up when she came near, she felt it was waiting for her this whole time since she threw the bean down. She didn't understand how it grew though and that's what made it even more fantastic.
She ran through the underground tunnels this late evening, splashing in the murky water. It was disgusting, but worth it every time. There was something about the blue police box that caught her attention more than it had when she was a child.
She struggled pushing with all her strength the stone door opened. She would always appear behind the TARDIS. She walked around it, observing every inch of the mysterious box. It didn't make any noises; it just lit up when she appeared. She tried touching the doors again, seeing if she can remember anything, but nothing happened. She would sit down and lay her back against the TARDIS, thinking aloud as if it could hear her.
She'd talk about Damien and tell the TARDIS all her stories with him since they were kids. She'd talk about her mum and then her dad, but nothing happened either. She would talk about her blank dreams that she could never remember, but knew they scared her to death. Nothing happened. She mentioned her dreams and stories she had heard about the Doctor and then she swore the TARDIS blinked. It's light blinked, more slowly flickering as she mentioned him, the Doctor.
She jumped up on her heels and looked up at the light again. "Doctor..." She said cautiously. Nothing happened. Maybe she was that tired, that sleep deprived, that now she was imagining the blue police box responding to her because of him. Damien said he saw the TARDIS so she couldn't be going that crazy. She didn't want to tell her parents either, because what if they came and it wasn't here anymore?
Her parents told her the Doctor was real and she believed them until she got older, when the stories stopped, when she grew up a bit, but now... This is just mad. Everything is wrong, life is wrong, history is wrong. The Doctor is wrong. She stared at the TARDIS again as her eyes started to feel heavy as she stared up at the light.
"Let me in, you grumpy old cow!" For some reason, she was expecting it to answer. It started to get cold again, like the last time she touched it. She looked around at the forest sounding her now; she was no longer inside the mausoleum. The lights suddenly went out.
She called out for someone who could fix the lights, but no one answered back. The lights flickered back on and she saw a statue perfectly carved into an angel standing in the middle of the darkness. She then saw a red headed girl run by, calling out for the Doctor. She looked back at the darkness where the statue should have been but it was gone. She shrugged, walking back towards the TARDIS until she was face to face with the angel statue. She shrieked, immediately running away from the TARDIS.
She realized she needed to leave quickly; her session with the TARDIS would have to continue tomorrow night. Just keep running and don't look back! She climbed out of the tunnel and ran back home. She climbed through the window leading into her room. Her foot got caught in the window frame. Panicking, she tried pulling her leg through, the hem of her jeans hooked in the nail.
"Need help?" A voice softly called out from the darkness that filled her room. Her heart fell out of her throat as she nearly fell out of the window, face first into her floor. She lifted her head up, blowing the strands of hair out of her face to get a clear look at the intruder. "Damien?" She made sure she sounded exasperated. He scared the socks off of her.
A small light from one of her lamps dimmed on. He stood by her book case, smiling. He looked brawnier since she last saw him. She could feel her cheeks flush as he smiled down at her. He made his way over to her, picking her up easily from the floor. "I'm fine," she tried to shake off the flushing rising in her face. The way sparks flew through her skin at his touch, it was something different for her. She had boyfriends, she never felt this way before with any of them. She always knew there was something in her heart for Damien, but nothing this strong before.
She shook the dirt in her pants, making her way to her closet. She grabbed a sweater along with some grey sweats. She rummaged through her drawer for a pair of socks. He looked over at her, confused. "I need to take a shower, get all this mud off me."
"Where were you?"
She stopped rummaging. She didn't want to tell him. She wanted it to be her own secret. She just wanted something that was only hers for once, in her head. But she loved him and trusted him more than she believed she should.
"I went to visit the TARDIS..." She looked up at him innocently.
"Without me?" He looked hurt. He shouldn't be though. All he heard were stories, he didn't dream of that moment. It was her TARDIS, not his.
She nodded. Don't apologize. Don't apologize. She kept telling herself. She had nothing to be sorry for. But, she really did. She lied to him, kept secrets, just because she was selfish and wanted to be with the TARDIS.
"I'm sorry." Clara said, giving in.
"No it's fine. It's none of my business. It's just I called, you didn't answer."
"So you snuck into my room? Waiting for me?"
"No! Oh god. No! I was going to give you this," He handed her a letter.
"What is it?" She asked, as she held on tight to the letter in her hands now.
"It's a letter…that I have written," he averted his eyes from her. Nervousness shot through her whole body.
"What does it say?"
He looked at her quickly, "Don't read it! Not yet."
She laughed, "Why not? What's the point in giving me the letter if I can't read it?"
"Because I thought you would be gone. I don't want to be here when you read it."
"Why?"
He took the letter from her, "I'll give it to you some other time. I just can't be here when you read it."
She tried reaching out to grab for the letter, "Just let me read it!"
He frowned, sticking the letter in his pocket, "No. Trust me. Don't worry, you will. But not now."
She rolled her eyes, "If you say so." She piled all the clothes into her hands, "I need to wash up. Will you still be here when I come out?"
He nodded.
She hurried herself when she started washing up in the shower. By the time she got out, she was already using her towel to dry her hair and squeeze all the water out. She did all the essential steps for preparing to go to bed after she put on her sweater and sweats. She yawned as she looked at herself in the mirror.
Steam blurred her reflection. She groaned, every time this happened even when the bathroom fan was on. She rubbed the mirror down, erasing the steam from her mirror. She smiled at her reflection. Oh god, she looked stupid and exhausted. The TARDIS filled her mind again. Why was it here? Where did it even come from? There was just no possible way it came from that bean.
She picked up the damp towel, turning around to throw it over the shower door. She stopped in her steps when she heard the familiar hissing. "No…" She whispered to herself. It couldn't be. The sound, the horrid sound, it sounded familiar, and it scared her, like from her dreams. She slowly and regrettably turned around to face the creature. She took a step back instantly at the sight of the ugly thing. It kept hissing at her.
"Remember Clara," It hissed repeatedly.
"What are you talking about? What are you?! And why can't I remember you!?" She tried backing up farther away from the thing, but she ended backing up into the shower door. She was breathing quicker than before, her palms sweating the nearer it got to her.
She slid herself down, sitting on the tile floor now. She whimpered, shutting her eyes tight through the frightened tears. "Leave me alone! Leave my head! You're not real! You're not real!" She threw her hands up to her ears, drowning out the hissing. The door busted open, "Clara!" Damien ran in, his arms around her instantly, trying to pull her up.
She fought through, as the hissing shot through her head. "Leave me alone," she kept muttering repeatedly. He pulled her tighter against him, "Clara. It's just me. Damien. You're safe. You're alright. I've gotcha." She opened her eyes carefully, "What?" She looked at Damien. He let go of her, "You were in here, crying. Muttering about something to leave you alone?"
She shook her head, "No I didn't. I just got out of the shower and got dressed."
Damien shook his head, "No trust me. You were acting mental just right now. Are you sure everything is alright?"
Everything felt alright. She didn't understand what he was explaining, all she remembered doing was getting dressed. She pulled herself up and walked past him, out into her room.
She was fine. She didn't understand why this was the second time he had done some crazy thing where she was scared. This time she didn't remember being scared. She just remembered cleaning off the mirror... "The mirror," she muttered.
"What?"
"Oh nothing," she whispered. She slowly stared at the mirror that was inside the bathroom, and then she shook off the creepy familiar feeling. She was fine. Everything was fine. Nothing had happened. She'd remember such a crazy thing.
Damien walked up to her, worry all over those big brown eyes. Oh great. Here come the "I worry about you" puppy eyes. She was fine. She hated that look even when she wasn't. But he was beautiful and kind when he did that look. Another reason for her to hate it.
He awkwardly put his arms around her, adjusting to whether or not he should hold her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, showing him it was okay to hold her. Deep inside, she wanted the sense of safety. She always felt that around him, he was always there when she needed him.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked again.
She nodded, "I'm fine. I really am." But she wasn't. Deep inside, it slowly crept up that she wasn't fine. Something was nudging her insides, something important. She dazed out of the mindless thoughts when a pair of lips pressed against hers quickly.
