I had never been to an actual party before, and I was completely happy to see that my first one was going to be a fancy ball in eighteen-thirty-one. People stopped whatever they were doing to nod in our direction or to comment on my attire. I don't think my face ever strayed far the color red.
"Would you care for a dance, Miss Worthing?" The Doctor asked me with a sly grin on his face. I laughed and nodded. He led me out onto the dance floor as the band started to play a waltz-like song.
"I think I must warn you that I have no experience with dancing at all." I said quietly. The Doctor smirked.
"That's alright; I taught a few people to dance myself. Now follow my lead."
He started stepping in patterns of three, pulling me along so that I could follow him. "Good; now go backwards." He took three steps forward as I went backward. The Doctor laughed gleefully. "You liar you said you couldn't dance."
"I don't think this is considered dancing," I said through a laugh. The Doctor laughed along with me and led me farther into the dance floor. The center of the room was packed with others dancing in their fancy ball gowns and suits and as I glanced around, I couldn't get over the surreal feeling.
I was years and miles away from home with a time-traveler. I had destroyed a creature called an Ala and now I was just hanging out with Edgar Allan Poe. If I closed my eyes, I could still pretend that I was back in dreary London, but once they opened, I found myself with the oddest and the most amazing person in the world.
The song ended and the Doctor and I started heading for the edge of the ball room. I felt like my head was spinning. Once we were out of the way of the other party-goers, the Doctor grinned widely at me. "So, Anne Worthing, any questions you'd like to ask before we head out?"
"That paper you showed the man at the door," I started with the first question that came into my mind. "What was it? When I looked at it, it was completely blank."
He smiled. "I was wondering when that would come up. It's called physic paper; it shows whoever I'm showing it to whatever I want them to see."
I shook my head. Then I came up with another question. "That Ala, it recognized you. What did it mean by someone who was supposed to be dead?"
The Doctor's face darkened dramatically. "That's a question left for the TARDIS." I was about to object when someone interrupted me.
"Nevermore,"
I stared up to where the loud, caw came from. The same raven from outside was perched on the chandelier. But this time it was different; this time the raven's eyes didn't just flash red, they glowed red.
"What," The Doctor said in a hushed voice. The raven cawed even louder.
"Nevermore!"
"What," The Doctor repeated, his eyes getting crinkled at the corners. The raven opened its beak wider.
"Nevermore!"
"What?"
"Enough with the 'whats'!" I said loudly. The Doctor glanced at me before staring at the large bird. Several guests were staring and pointing. I squinted. "Doctor, does that bird look like it's getting bigger?"
The Doctor squinted at the bird and his brown eyes widened. "We need to get everyone out, now!" He turned away to start forcing people out. But just then the raven screamed and an explosion of feathers filled the air.
People screamed all over the room. I was frozen; caught staring at what creature the raven had just turned into.
The raven seemed to grow to the size of a large dog and was now a monster of jet-black feathers and dark smoke and embers. The eyes burned blood red and its beak seemed to have turned razor sharp. It screamed as it leapt down from its high perch to the marble floor below.
"Anne!" I turned my head just in time to see Edgar and his family run up. His dark eyes were gleaming with fright. "We've got to get out of here!"
"Wait; we can't leave without the Doctor!" I yelled. Edgar stared at me for a moment, as if contemplating whether or not to argue. But then he nodded and turned around to Henry.
"Get Aunt Maria out of here and keep her and Virginia safe."
Henry looked like he was about to disagree but then he grinned, hugged his brother and turned to me. "It has been an honor to meet you, Miss Worthing." And then he disappeared with Maria Clemms.
"Anne, where is the Doctor?" Poe asked. I turned around blindly on the spot. The Doctor had vanished from view. A terrifying scream pierced the air as the raven-monster-thing took flight once more and landed on the railing of the stairs.
Just then the Doctor ran into view. And he was heading straight for the beast. "There he is!" I cried and guided Poe to where the Doctor now crouched behind a fallen statue.
"Doctor, what is that creature?" Poe asked the Doctor the second we arrived at his side. The Doctor glanced at us briefly before rushing into a tidal wave of information.
"That creature is what I believe to be a wraith: a demon that possesses the mortal bodies of mortal animals to do its bidding."
"And what is its bidding?" I asked nervously.
"To consume as much mortal spirits as possible." The Doctor said in a daze, almost to himself. "That's why he would attack this ball; the amount of edible spirits must've been too good to pass up."
"How do we get rid of it?" I asked.
The doctor sighed. "With wraiths, communicating with it would be pointless to try and negotiate. There's no other choice; we have to kill it."
I thought back to the Ala I have apparently destroyed just a few hours ago. "Will it be the same way as getting rid of the Ala?"
The Doctor shook his head, causing his floppy brown hair to swing around. "No; an Ala's power is kept safe in a piece of nature. A wraith keeps its power in its mortal body. We have to kill the bird."
"What are you two going on about?" Poe asked us. I suddenly remembered he was there. I turned to him.
"Nothing; inside stuff."
"I want to help, Doctor. Please let me." Poe told the Doctor firmly. The Doctor glanced over his shoulder to Poe and eyed him up and down.
"It'll be dangerous."
Poe glanced at me. "That's alright. Now what can I do?"
"We need to pierce the wraith's heart; that's the only way to guarantee that one is dead. D'you got that?"
Poe nodded and without one backwards glance, he turned tail and disappeared into the crowd. I turned back to the Doctor. "Now what do we do?"
"We distract that thing and make sure that Poe has a clear shot. Now follow my lead." The Doctor suddenly leapt out of our hiding place and charged into the fray. The wraith screamed and hopped into the air.
The wraith's wingspan was about the length of the Doctor's gangly body, so it flew up and past him without trouble. I widened my eyes as I realized that the wraith was heading directly towards me. I quickly gathered the skirts from my gown and dodged the wraith's razor sharp beak. I heard a long tear as its beak came into contact with Maria's ball gown.
"Anne, distract it!" The Doctor called to me. I looked up to see the wraith turn around in the middle of flight and dive towards me again. It flew right past the chandelier.
I spun out of the way from its beak but its wings caught me right on the side. The wraith started souring upwards while I looked at the Doctor. "Doctor, the chandelier!" I pointed.
The Doctor grinned broadly as he caught up to my thoughts. "Anne Worthing, you're a genius! Keep that wraith underneath the chandelier!"
"Easier said than done," I muttered to myself as the wraith took another dive at me. I ran out to directly under the chandelier and forced myself to stand still. The wraith doubled back and started advancing towards me, talons first.
Everything seemed to happen at once. The chandelier snapped and started falling faster than I thought it would. The wraith screamed as it closed in on me. And I was crashed out of the way of the falling chandelier.
There was a bone-rattling scream and the sound of crumbling metal. I peeked through my closed eyes to see the chandelier crushing the wraith. I glanced up to find Poe gasping for breath beside me and the Doctor was running up to us.
There was a loud, hissing noise and I watched as the wraith dissolved, and with a shower of feathers, vanished from sight. I stood up and helped Poe up too.
"Did it die?" Poe asked. The Doctor sighed and shook his head.
"It just dissolved; it'll be back. Give it time, they always come back." The Doctor paused and jerked his head to the exit. "C'mon; let's head out."
