Hey, readers!
Well, it's time again for another update. Please, enjoy the chapter! :)
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Chapter 37: The Family
Alice stared out the window, looking out to the setting sun. The day was slowly turning into a cold night filled with dread. Though, only she and Martha could sense the foreboding feeling in the air. Alice held the fob watch tightly in hand as she watched the last rays of the sun beginning to disappear over the horizon.
"So, John and I are not who we think we are," Alice spoke quietly. "We are truly otherworldly beings from beyond the stars, of which we transport upon this advanced machinery of space and time. . . . . . It seems John's journal of impossible things are not as impossible as them seem."
"Yes," Martha said, anxious about how Alice would take all this information. Though it seemed that the woman was handling it rather well. Much better than Martha would have ever assumed.
"And these watches, they hold the real us within their workings," Alice whispered. She thumbed at the watch slowly as she gazed upon it. "This means neither me nor John are even real. We are simply . . . a fairy tale." She closed her eyes, seeing everything slowly begin to piece together.
She understood everything now. Why all these strange events happened around her and John. Why the watch always spoke to her. Why she always felt off about whom she was and the way her life around her felt wrong. Why her memories seemed to be lacking so greatly. She felt they had always seemed . . . mistaken in some ways. Her family, living on the small island of Baker's apart of Langstone Harbour. How her mother was a florist and her father a carpenter. How they had both died when she was merely eight-years-old, and had been living on her own ever since. Then the memories of how she, John, and Martha met seemed incorrect. Very much mistaken from what her heart kept telling her.
"The Doctor and the Wanderer . . . they must mean a lot to you for having to put up with the two of us," Alice joked lightly, chuckling some at the sadness of the entire situation. Oh, how she stricken felt.
"It wasn't all so bad. I had you and Jenny," Martha said kindly. She stood up from the table, going over to give Alice a small soft squeeze on her shoulder. "You really are a good friend to me, Alice."
"Oh, but not a real friend," Alice replied, patting the girl's hand warmly. "Remember, I'm not real."
"You're real to me," Martha stated firmly.
"Only because I'm so very much still the Wanderer." Alice turned to her, giving a strained smile. "I still have much of her personality. The only difference I think is our memories and that I actually like dresses." Alice laughed lightly before she blinked at what she said. She remembered not liking dresses. She never recalled that before. She never recalled anything before. But things seemed to be slowly piecing together within her mind. As if the puzzle that had its pieces scattered was finally being put back in place.
"You're your own person, Alice. You're not just a story . . . not to me anyway," Martha said quietly.
"Though John has always seemed to be a story to you," Alice countered. "The only reason you feel any sort of attachment to me is because of how close we've become." Martha went to argue against this, to say how she saw John as his own person as well. But she slowly closed her mouth, knowing deep down she had never seen John as anything more than fiction.
"It seems I'm correct," Alice noted, watching the way Martha's argument faded. She looked out to the evening, some light from the sun still alive for the day. "Martha, something is coming. Something dreadful. I think we need to act fast and start preparing for the worst."
"What should we do, then?" Martha asked, feeling as though Alice were right. Wanda was still very much within her. Alice must also see things to come; still have the ability to see danger.
"I don't know," Alice sighed. She pondered heavily, thinking upon tonight's scheduled events. Images flashed quickly through her mind, seeming to try and give her the insight she wished for. But it only gave her a sharp headache. However, one image did stand out over the rest. "I think . . . we have to go to the dance."
"The dance? Are you sure?" Martha asked skeptically.
"Yes . . . I'm certain there's something that must happen there. Though . . . I'm not sure if it's bad or good. I just know something is going to happen there." Alice hummed quietly, trying to sort through her muddled mind. Shaking her head slightly, her gaze turned back to the girl. "Finish up the rest of your duties. Then meet me out back of the dance hall. We'll see what there is for us to do."
Martha nodded, ready for action and to do as Alice said. She started towards the door, but then quickly walked over and gave Alice a hug. To which the woman returned gratefully. "Thank you . . . for trusting me and being my friend."
"I will always trust you and be your friend, Martha Jones. Don't ever forget that." Alice patted the girl's back, pulling away to give her a warm smile. Martha returned the smile before finally leaving the room.
After the door closed, Alice was left in the quiet room. Left with her thoughts and troubled mind. She slowly sank onto her bed, shakily breathing in. This . . . this was so much to take in. Though she acted brave and steady for Martha, truthfully she felt terrified and ready to breakdown. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Things were only going to fall and fall hard from this point forward. Would John be able to handle it all? Would he and the others be all right in the end? Or would her terrifying visions of the future come to pass? Alice closed her eyes tightly. She was never a praying woman. But now was a time more than ever to pray with all her heart for her friends, and those within the village and school.
"Please . . . please keep them safe," she whispered brokenly. She gripped her watch tightly, hoping of it to ease her mind in some way. "Please."
After some time, Alice let out a long and heavy breath. Praying more would have to wait until later. For now, she knew she needed to prepare herself. She knew, this Family from what Martha described, would stop at nothing until they had their hands on . . . whatever it was they wished to have. Whether that be John and Alice herself, or possibly even the watches for some odd reason. She was not quite sure. Martha did not explain much on what exactly the Family was after. Only that these creatures would stop at nothing, killing all in their path until they have gained what they desired. So, Alice needed to ready herself for quite a terrible night to come.
Alice began to change into a nicer evening gown. A light teal dress with lace around. She made certain for the fob watch to remain on her by fashioning it into a necklace. She used a shoe lace to tie the watch around her neck. It dangled low on her chest, giving her sort of a comforting weight of some kind. But it also felt like a terrible burden as well. She hid it underneath her clothing, pushing it down her front. Patting it softly, she sucked in a breath, beginning to feel ready for whatever the night threw at her.
Once everything was sorted, Alice grabbed her violin and a few compositions. She paused when seeing her To My Traveller composition lying on top. She hurriedly grabbed it and folded it up, placing it within a pocket of her dress. For some reason, she felt as though it might be lost to her if she did not carry it with her. Once her treasure was safe with her, she stepped out and into the hall. Walking swiftly down the wooden hall, she decided to ask whether John and Joan might want to accompany her to the dance. She knew this should be their moment. A lovely date and evening they should have together and just enjoy each other's love. But . . . this might be their last night. Alice wanted to spend as much time as she could with her friends before she would have to leave forever.
She came up to John's door, giving a quick knock and entering. The man could be seen fuming while Joan looked to be a mixture of annoyed and confused.
"Martha, I told you, you were dismissed!" John yelled, whipping around to see Alice standing there. He blinked in surprise upon the sight of the woman. "Oh, it's just you, Miss Rivers. What do you want?" Alice frowned at him, not liking the way he was going to yell at Martha.
"You've dismissed Martha?" she questioned in disbelief. Shocked beyond all belief really. How could John simply dismiss Martha, one of his friends? Did the girl not mean anything to him?
"Yes. I'm not having an insane servant working for me," John said curtly.
"What makes you think she's insane?" Alice asked in bewilderment. He picked up his journal, waving it around.
"She thinks my stories are real," he explained in a huff. He looked over at Joan, giving an exasperated expression. "This is what happens when the cultures mix."
Alice narrowed her eyes at him as she felt a temper of sorts rise within her. Something to which she had never felt before, at least for directed at John. But simply stating something such as that about Martha, her and his dear friend, was not something to which Alice felt she could tolerate. "Excuse me! This has nothing to do with cultural differences."
John rolled his eyes at the woman. "Look, Miss Rivers, Martha is too poorly educated to even begin to understand what is real and what is fiction."
Alice gritted her teeth, completely irritated with John's current attitude. "Martha is not poorly educated. She is very intelligent, and understands the differences between reality and fairy tales." Alice sighed in exasperation, mulling things over. From what John said, there seemed to be more to it this incident between the housemaid and John. Something dreadful must have occurred for Martha to have been distressed in such a way. Alice looked at John sharply when realizing the danger coming for them must be upon them now. "What else was Martha saying when she came in here?"
"That someone's 'found us' and we need my fob watch." John scoffed, finding Alice just as annoying as the silly housemaid. "As if I even have a fob watch."
"Actually, John, the funny thing is, you did have a fob watch," spoke up Joan carefully. She stared between the two, feeling a small bit of dread course through her as she pondered over what had happened with Martha. "Right there. Don't you remember?" She nodded to the mantle where the watch had once occupied space. John stared at the mantle, looking at it blankly.
"No, I don't," he answered curtly. "I've never had a fob watch."
"Yes, you did," Alice argued evenly, trying to help John see the truth. "And Martha is not insane, either. She's telling you the truth. Your stories are real."
"Oh, not you, too," John retorted, throwing Alice an irritated glare. "You've been hanging with the insane servant far too much. This is what happens when you get too friendly with the help."
"Martha is my friend. As she is to you," Alice bit back, becoming increasingly agitated with the way John was talking about the housemaid.
"I am no friend to a servant girl," John snapped, jabbing the journal in his hand at her. "Only someone as depraved as you could ever see someone like her as a friend. And if you think I am as senseless as you, then you clearly don't know me well enough." Alice internally winced, feeling dejected and hurt that he would say such a thing. But she brushed it off, thinking maybe he was merely letting his temper get the best of him and was saying things that he did not truly mean.
"John, this has nothing to do with insanity," Alice countered. She grabbed the journal from his hand, waving it at him. "Things are not as impossible as you might think. The most impossible of things are usually very much real. And Martha would never make up something like this. She only has both of our best interests at heart. What she says is true. Someone is after us and they mean us great harm."
"And you have just confirmed my thoughts of you. You're an aberrant woman," John snapped, yanking the journal out of her hand. Glaring at her, feeling a strange storm of anger brewing up inside him, he stepped forward and jabbed a spiteful finger at her, words beginning to fly from him without him taking the time to think them over before speaking. Though, he had already been lost to what he truly has been saying since Martha had slapped him moments ago. "I always knew something was malformed about you, but I pitied you for it. Now I see I should have tossed you into the mad house when I had the chance." Alice sucked in a sharp breath, feeling a stab to her heart by those words.
"John, please, listen to me. Your stories are real," Alice pleaded for him to see reason, trying to ignore the last comment he made.
"Enough of this," John retorted, not wishing to listen any longer. He wanted to shut her up, to make her leave, and to believe all of this be nothing more than lies. This was all some sort of jest that both Alice and Martha were playing against him. It must be.
"You and I are not who we think we are," Alice pushed on, determined to get him to listen to her. "We are someone completely different from ourselves."
"I said enough!" John yelled at her, beginning to shake as he felt the storm within reaching a boiling point. He felt almost unstable from all the quaking and explosive emotions brewing inside of him.
"That journal is not the story, we are!" Alice yelled in return, feeling her own turmoil within; however, more out of wretchedness than vexation. "We are nothing more than fiction. We're a fairy tale. I'm sorry, but our lives are not real. Never have been and never will be, whether it be past or future. And it's not even our lives, but who we are as well. You are a lie, John, just as I—."
SLAP!
Alice felt her breath leave her as her cheek throbbed harshly from the hit. Her head had whipped to the side roughly, causing her neck to ache severely in pain, and she banged her knee sharply against a nearby table as her body had been jerked to the side from the severe hit. Joan gasped in alarm, holding her hands over her mouth in shock.
John glared at Alice with rage, his hand still in the air from hitting her. It even shook, along with the rest of his body, from the severe boiling anger he felt for being called nothing more than a mere story. For being told that he had no past . . . no future. No future meant there was no Joan, no love of his life. And John felt ready to snap at anything to which dare try to tell him it would be taken from him. But at the same time, he felt incredible frightened. Like an animal, trapped in a corner with no escape. The idea of being a lie, to truly have no real existence in the world . . . he could think of no worse of a fate.
But his rage quickly faded, leaving a hollow and cold feeling in the pit of his stomach when he looked at the unforgiving and ruthless red mark on Alice's face. He saw the wounded look within the woman's eyes, as if he had smashed her heart to pieces. He blinked, glancing at his still raised and shaking hand, unbelieving that it could have possibly done that to someone. Especially, to his dear friend. What . . . what came over him to act in such a way?
"Alice . . . I . . . I . . . ," he tried to speak, looking dumbfounded at what he had done. Almost as if he could not believe what had just happened. He lowered his hand and gazed back at Alice, brown eyes wavering along with the woman's gray ones.
"I see," Alice spoke quietly, calmly. She straightened herself, keeping her eyes downcasted as she felt ready to sob right in front of both John and Joan. A despondent emotion almost overcoming her all together. But it was best of her to keep her own turmoil to herself. She no longer wished to burden either one of them with her presence. So instead, she kept her voice level and soft.
"I see now that I truly do mean nothing to you," she breathed out to John, her voice wavering slightly. "I had thought that our friendship meant something. At least with our friendship, I thought you would have understood that I would never lie to you or mean you harm in anyway." She stared at him, not out of anger or spite, but of sadness and disappointment. "I'm just a pity case of you to have around as a toy for laughs. Well, enjoy your humour, Mr. Smith. I'll just be on my way, leaving you to your dance. Goodbye, Joan. I hope you have a pleasant night with Mr. Smith. Sorry to have spoiled your evening."
Alice turned on the spot, swiftly walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. No anger whatsoever in her movements. Only heartbreak. She did not even close the door harshly. She only shut it gently as she had always done. As kind and quiet as ever, just as people tended to describe her. The woman whom John would have never wished for harm to befallen on, or for anyone to ever hurt her in any way. Yet . . . he did. He did something so unthinkable; he scarcely believed that he had actually done so. That perhaps he was merely within a bad dream and he might wake up to his friend still there for him. Just as happy and content as ever.
"John . . . what have you done?" Joan asked, staring at the man in disbelief.
John stared distantly at the door. Unable to answer her.
What had he done?
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Alice shut the door behind her and placed down her violin upon the table, feeling another ocean of tears ready to burst through her. It had hurt worse than seeing them kissing. John hitting her like that . . . it hurt so much worse. Her heart was not breaking, it was shattering. She fell onto a chair, sitting at her table as she buried her head within her arms. She breathed in and out, trying to calm herself. She did not need to worry of her damn feelings and emotions at the moment. For now, she needed to focus. From what John had said, Martha had been panicking. This meant . . .
It must be the Family. They were here, now. There was no more time left for Martha or Alice to prepare. So that must mean they needed act now. But . . . where was Martha now? Would she still proceed to the dance as planned? How would either of them be able to convince John that any of this was true? Could they possibly ask Joan for help on this matter?
Alice sat up with a start, suddenly beginning to panic slightly. What if the Family had already gotten to Martha? Oh, dear god! Her friend might be in grave trouble. Then the Family might come after John and Joan next, and possibly even the whole village. Alice needed to save them. She needed to find Martha, hopefully finding the girl safe and sound at the dance as they had planned. Alice knew she needed to be there to protect everyone, for something terrible was going to occur there. She just knew it. But how could she possibly protect everyone from the dreaded Family?
Pulling out the fob watch from her dress, she gripped it tightly in her hands and shook it slightly as if to wake it up. Possibly hoping that would make it finally speak more than simply two words to her.
"Please, tell me what to do. I know you know what to do and how to act," she whispered in desperation. "Please. Please, help me save them. I'm begging you."
Not yet.
Alice heard footsteps coming to her room from far off. She sat up straight and stuffed the watch hurriedly back under her front, wondering if it was John and Joan's footsteps. Did she even want to see them at the moment? Not really. She only wanted to be left alone. Let them go off and be in love. She had other things to worry about. If John was not going to act upon Martha's warnings, then Alice would. She would make sure to protect her friends. That was what she was meant to do. Not to be miserable in woe. Not to worry over to silly little affections of John. Not to worry over whether or not who she really was, or what she should do with her watch. She only needed to concentrate upon saving those she cared for.
Alice walked over to her door, quickly locking it. She did not want John or Joan walking in and trying to talk with her. She would rather have some peace to think upon what to do. But as she stood at the door, she heard voices. Voices to which sounded nothing like John, Joan, or even Martha.
"The maid was definitely hiding something," she heard the sneering voice of Jenny. But . . . it sounded nothing like Jenny. As though someone were merely using the maid's voice for their own use. Alice carefully pressed her ear to the door, intently listening as she felt dread course through her as she heard Jenny continuing to speak. "A secret around this Mr. Smith and Miss Rivers."
"We both scented them, though," came the slimly voice of Baines, sounding just as different as Jenny's. Something was not right with either of them. "They are both plain and simple human."
"But maybe they know something," Jenny spoke darkly. Alice stiffened by the door to Baines' next words.
"Well, Mr. Smith has gone off with the Matron," said Baines. "Why don't we see to the remaining Miss Rivers?"
Alice backed away from the door quickly. Her mind began to run wildly to think of what to do. She was trapped upon the second floor of the building. There was only one way out of the room and that was through the door. No escaping through the door, but . . . even though she was on the second floor, she had the room on the corner of the school. The draining system was right next to her window. Her way out.
She quickly went over to the window, throwing it open. She hopped on the ledge of her window, scooting over to the piping of the drains. She tucked her dress in some, making sure that it would not catch on anything as she made her way down. Gasping slightly, she whipped her head back towards the open window when hearing her door being banged loudly on. They were trying to break the door down. Hurriedly grabbing onto the large pipe, she slide down the slick metal towards the ground. As soon as her feet meant the gravel, she untucked her dress and took off, running with all her might towards the village. She needed to get to the dance and fast.
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Alice walked briskly around the corner of the shop, hearing the music streaming from the dance hall. Marching alongside the dance hall, she glanced through a window, briefly seeing a dancing John and Joan with the other couples. She walked up the steps to the hall, going past a veteran in the front who seemed to be collecting money. Once inside, she saw all the couples dancing happily around as a waltz played. John and Joan in the midst of the dancing crowd. But . . . both looked rather troubled. Neither one seemed to be fully enjoying the evening as they had anticipated. Alice felt a cringe of guilt, knowing she must have ruined their time together.
She could wait for a moment in trying to warn them. She very much doubted either one wanted to see her, nor listen to her. Especially after what had been said. Now that she thought about it, telling John his life was a lie had been cruel of her. As well as her pushing for him to hear her out had been callous on her part. She should have been more caring, explaining things gently to him rather than rush in telling him the truth behind the journal and dreams of his. She deserved the slap she had received. She deserved so much worse, really. She stared away from them as John guided Joan to a table; seeming to sit her down while he gathered them both some drinks. Alice decided to be patient and wait for just a moment or two before she acted. They deserved to be happy on their date.
She stood off to the side, leaning against a wall as the music continued to play. Couples laughed and danced, completely unaware of the coming doom for them all. Alice closed her eyes tightly, wishing she knew how to get everyone out to safety now while she still had the chance. But who would listen to a crazed, old maid?
"Miss Rivers?"
Alice opened her eyes and looked over to the voice, seeing Tim standing beside her. He stared at her in concern.
"Are you all right? You look pale," Tim said to her.
"So do you," Alice replied, seeing the way the boy looked rather conflicted and lost. She hoped the boy was doing all right. Tim's eyes travelled more carefully over her face, suddenly realizing what he was seeing.
"Miss Rivers, what happened? Your face . . .," he said in worry tone, unable to really say what her face appeared like. It was all red, with a nasty bruise of sorts slowly forming on her cheek. It appeared as though someone had hit her rather harshly. Alice reached up, wincing as she touched it. The pain being a reminder of the punishment she deserved.
"It's nothing, Tim. I just . . . clumsy me fell onto a table is all," she replied, giving him a reassuring grin. She cleared her throat lightly as Time gave her a skeptical look. "Has the watch said anything more to you?"
"Only to keep it hidden and away from the empty man," Tim explained. He shook off any more questions held about the music teacher's face for now. He fiddled with the watch in his hand, staring at it with unease. "I don't like this Doctor. He holds such darkness within him."
"That's because you're looking at him through only one perspective," Alice explained gently. "You need to see the other side to him. I saw it, when I looked into the watch. I saw the good in him. He has great splendor about him." She sighed heavily, thinking upon John and the Doctor as she stared distantly off at the dance hall. "Though, you are right, there is darkness as well. But this is how life works. You cannot have complete good in you. There is always some darkness within us all. Even in the kindest souls."
"Maybe," Tim mumbled. He thumbed the watch some more, frowning. "I saw you in the watch, too. His memoires of you. They always seem . . . nice." Tim looked up, gazing at the woman curiously. "Even though the Doctor's heart is rather cold, at least he knows how to love. And, from what I've seen, he loves you more than anything."
Alice gave a weak chuckle. "Funny how a man I know nothing of loves me. Yet a man who I know so well holds none such feelings." She stared off to John, watching how he repeatedly kept glancing at Joan. Alice held a forlorn smile while she gazed at John. "But this was always meant to be. This was how things were meant to be played out. John was always meant to love Joan. Just as the Doctor is meant to love someone else as well." Alice closed her eyes, feeling the sorrows of Wanderer begin to seep into her own heart. "And when the wedding finally arrives, she is going to be so heartbroken."
"Ma'am?" Tim stared at her in confusion, unsure by what she meant or what she was talking about.
"Nothing, Tim. Don't mind me. I'm just rambling." Alice patted his arm, moving away from the wall as she spotted Martha walking through the crowd over to Joan. She felt relief in seeing that her friend was all right in the end. "Just . . . keep yourself hidden, and don't let them catch you. Use the watch for defense if you have to. But do not let them get you."
"Who?"
"The Family." Alice patted his arm once more, moving away to go over to Joan and Martha.
Both females seemed to be in a deep discussion. As though Martha were trying to convince Joan of something and the Matron simply refused to believe it. Alice came up beside Martha, standing next to the girl. Joan blinked in surprise at Alice, as if not expecting her to actually be there for the evening.
"Alice? Oh, Alice, are you okay?" Joan asked in concern. "John and I have been so worried about you." She stood up quickly, going over to Alice and holding the woman's chin as she inspected the mark on her face. Joan winced upon seeing it. "I'm so sorry. Oh, if I'd known he was going to do that—."
"I'm fine. Really," Alice assured her, smiling kindly at the Matron as she removed Joan's hand from her chin. Alice was just glad that the Matron was not irritated with her being there.
"What's wrong? What happened to your face?" asked Martha; standing up next to Alice as well as she saw the mark on the woman's face.
"It's nothing," Alice said firmly, wishing they would both just ignore the silly mark. "We need all need to get out of here. Someone's coming and they mean us all ill intent."
"Alice?"
She turned her head, seeing John looking stunned to see her. He quickly set down the drinks at the table, grabbing her hands into his in a pleading manner.
"Alice, I am so sorry," he said quickly with heavy guilt written across his face. "I didn't mean it. Any of it. Everything I said, it wasn't true. You and Martha, of course you're both my friends, and-and . . . I-I don't know what came over me. I'm so sorry that I'd hurt you."
"Wait, 'hurt you'? What do you mean?" Martha asked, frowning at the man. She narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "What did you do to Alice?"
"It's nothing, Martha. I was being cruel and I deserved to be punished," Alice said quietly. She removed her hands from John's, not noticing the way he winced slightly. "A slap is a just punishment."
"He what?!" Martha exclaimed. She stormed in front of the man, glaring furiously at John. "You slapped her? How could you! I have half a mind to slap you again!"
"Martha, stop. This isn't the time," Alice told the girl, trying to calm her by placing a stern hand on the girl's shoulder. "Right now we need to focus on getting out of here. The Family tried to capture me at the school, and I'm certain they are coming here."
"Right," Martha huffed, still furious for what John had done. But Alice was right; they could worry about that later. Though the Doctor was going to get one hell of a slap once this day was over. Martha pulled out the two sonic screwdrivers from her coat, holding them out for both Alice and John to see. The silver, blue-tipped sonic, and the bronze, purple-tipped one.
"Do you know what these are?" Martha asked John. He stared at the two devices blankly, unable to even think to what they might be. Alice's eyes lit up in recognition.
"Those . . . they're the, um, screwdrivers, yes?" Alice responded, glancing at Martha to see the girl nodding. Alice grabbed onto the bronze tool, holding it fondly within her hands.
"Those don't look like any screwdrivers I've ever seen," John scoffed. But he frowned while staring at the silver one. He slowly took it from Martha's hand, turning it within his own. However, he . . . felt as though he had seen it before.
"You're not John Smith," Martha said to him. "You're called the Doctor. The man in your journal, he's real. He's you." John merely stared at her, his eyes swimming with a mixture of emotions.
Suddenly, everyone within the dance hall jumped when Farmer Clark stormed into the room. He slammed a coat rack over, silencing the music and everyone within an instant.
"There. Will. Be. Silence!" he bellowed out. "All of you! I said silence!" Baines and Jenny walked around with him, staring down anyone who dared tried to speak up or stop them. A large group of scarecrows walked in rather wobbly behind them. Alice grabbed Martha and pulled the girl behind her, making sure that she was in the front line for the danger instead of the girl. Alice also made sure to pocket the bronze sonic screwdriver, hoping that the Family did not know that they had the devices.
"Mr. Clark! What's going on?" Mr. Chambers, the man in charge of the town hall, demanded in outrage to the disturbance. Clark merely turned around and pointed his weapon at the man. Out shout a green blast which turned Mr. Chambers into dust. Everyone began to scream in terror upon the sight. Joan covered her mouth in horror and John's eyes wide in alarm.
"Mr. Smith, everything I told you, just forget it," Martha said quickly to John over the screams of the quests, taking the silver sonic away from him and placing it back into her coat. "Don't say anything."
"I believe it's too late for that now, Martha," Alice spoke quietly, staring evenly at the Family. "They're going to kill everyone here either way."
"We asked for silence!" shouted Baines, making everyone become very quiet and still. He sneered to them all. "Now, then. We have a few questions for Mr. Smith and Miss Rivers."
"No, better than that," spoke up a little girl's voice. Lucy Cartwright with her red balloon came up beside her Family. She stared at them all cruelly. A gaze that did not sit well upon a young child's face. "The teacher—he's the Doctor. I heard them talking."
"You took human form," Baines spoke in amusement, grinning wickedly at John.
"Of course I'm human," John said hurriedly, angrily. "I was born human, as were you, Baines. And Jenny, and you, Mr. Clark! What is going on? This is madness!"
"Ooh, and a human brain, too—simple, thick, and dull," taunted Baines.
"But he's no good like this," spoke up Jenny.
"We need a Time Lord," stated Clark.
"Easily done," commented Baines. He stepped forward, pointing the weapon at John. Everyone around the room gasped and jumped back. John stared at Baines in fright while the boy smirked at him. "Change back."
"I don't know what you're talking about," John said to Baines.
"Change back!" commanded Baines.
"Stop this!" Alice cried out, quickly placing herself in front of John. "Just leave him alone! He doesn't know anything. I do. If you want answers just ask me, but please don't hurt him or anyone else here!" None of the Family seemed to pay her words any mind.
Suddenly Martha screamed as Jenny came up behind her, dragging her off. Jenny pointed her weapon at the girl's head, staring Alice and John down. Alice felt a sharp twist in her heart as she realized she had been foolish and let her friend be captured.
"She's your friend, isn't she?" Jenny said to John. "Doesn't this scare you enough to change back?"
"You let her go!" shouted Alice angrily.
"I don't know what you mean!" John cried out, looking horrified to Martha being held captive.
"Wait a minute. The maid told me about Smith and the Matron," Jenny pondered, thinking over what Martha had let slip. She stared swiftly at Joan. "That woman, there."
"Then, let's have you!" snapped Clark, stepping towards Joan with his weapon pointed to her. Alice jumped in front of Joan, glaring at Clark.
"If you so much as lay a finger on her, I swear I'll . . . I'll do something you'll regret," Alice growled out, though sounding rather weak with her lacking threat. The Family all barked with laughter while John and Joan both looked at Alice in surprise. Wondering why the woman felt so devoted in protecting them.
"What are you going to do, puny human?" barked Clark. Alice really had no idea. She only pulled out the sonic from her pocket and aimed it at him, thinking maybe it might be some sort of defense. Surly the Wanderer and the Doctor had some sort of way of defending themselves, right? The Family laughed even darker then when faced with the simple tool. Clark smirked at her. "What are you going to do with a sonic screwdriver? Fix my shelf?"
"No . . . but do you know what a sonic and a plasma gun mixed together creates?" Alice spoke up, smirking at Clark. He blinked in confusion as did the rest of the Family. Alice grinned at him. "You get one hell of a noise." She leaped forward at his weapon, pressing the sonic into it.
Everyone clutched at their heads in pain as the extremely high pitched frequency shot through the room, making the walls shake and the windows scatter. The Family screamed in agony as they gripped their heads and fell to their knees. Even the scarecrows jerked around at the painful sound. Alice grabbed the weapon out of Clark's hand before he could pull it away from her. She kept the sonic firmly pressed to the weapon, making the noise continue.
"EVERYBODY RUN!" she screamed over the noise. None of the guests had to be told twice. They all rushed to the side door. John grabbed Joan and ran out with the crowd. Martha lingered behind; making sure Alice would follow them. The woman finally moved the sonic away from the weapon once she was certain everyone had safely left. The noise stopped instantly, though Alice's ears continued to ring slightly as an after effect.
"There's one mistake you've maybe by threating my friends," Alice growled at them as the Family slowly started to stand back up. They all stared at her warily, wondering who exactly the woman was to know so much about alien technology. Alice glared at them all harshly. "You've made the Wanderer angry. And her fury can be just as bad as the Doctor's."
Alice threw the weapon at their feet, grabbing Martha's hand and running out of the hall. Both John and Joan stood outside anxiously, waiting for both of them. Alice grabbed at John's hand as an automatic response, dragging him along as they all ran back to the school. People around the village were all screaming in terror throughout the area. All frightened by what had occurred within the dance.
"How did you know the device would do that?" John panted out as they ran.
"I didn't. The Wanderer did," Alice explained briskly. "I think she sent the memories from the watch into my mind."
"There you go again about the watch," John breathed out in frustration to the situation at hand. "What does a watch have to do with any of this?" Alice pulled out her watch from within her dress, showing it to John.
"It's my own fob watch. Just like yours," Alice told him. "It holds the key to all of this." John merely shook his head, not believing a single word. He let go of her hand, running in front of the group. Alice gripped the watch tightly in her hand as they ran, wishing the watch would tell her what to do.
Not yet.
"That's all you ever say," she bit out at the watch.
"What?" John asked, looking back at her.
"Nothing," Alice grumbled, pushing the watch back away into hiding.
The moment they arrived back to school, John shut the gate behind them. Cutting off any villainess enemies who might be coming after them. John then started to ring the bell loudly within the halls of the school, calling the boys to arms. The boys awoke right away, rushing about to gather up the weapons of the school. Both Martha and Alice began to plead with John trying to stop him from sending the boys to their deaths. They both knew it was useless to fight against the invading Family, but John still believed the Family was merely insane people. People who could easily be stopped with a fight from the school.
"Oh, you're such an idiot!" Alice shouted.
"Alice," John said in disbelief to the insult. Though he did feel as if he had heard her call him that in the past. More as an affectionate tease than for rudeness. "This isn't the time. We need to take arms."
"Guns will not stop them," Alice barked. "Can't you just trust me, for once? No, wait, I forgot. I'm not a friend to you, am I? I'm just a pity case!" She turned and stomped off. The idea of him using guns against anyone or anything revolted her to no end. She felt awful for snapping at him. Though, Alice felt that was more of Wanderer speaking her mind than she herself. The Wanderer never did like guns. She found them just as revolting as Alice did.
John winced as he watched the retreating figure of Alice, feeling the heavy guilt settle over him once more. He continued to instruct the boys to keep preparing the weapons. He knew he would have to apologize to her properly later. But for now, he needed to gather up the boys for a fight. He knew he must protect his friends, and the one he loved, at all costs.
XxXxXxXx
Well . . . things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse for everyone at the current moment. So, what is everyone's thoughts on the chapter? Was it good? Bad? Interesting in any way? Please let me know what you think in a review, and I will love to have any sort of feedback on the chapter, the adventure taking place, and the characters. :) And there'll be a big box of jammie dodgers and bow ties given to all those who do review. ;)
Reviewers:
Aka-Baka Hoshi: Yeah, Alice really seems to get the harsh end of things, doesn't she? I'm so happy to hear that! It always bring me so much joy in knowing that the story makes others happy. :D Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
Grapejuice101: Yep. Very big trouble. Especially after what John did in this chapter. I think Martha is really going to let the Doctor have it once this is all said and done. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :)
WibblyWobblyFez: Yay! I'm so happy to hear that you are enjoying it. :) As well as enjoying the cute romance between the Doctor and Wanda. And I'm happy to see that I'm doing good so far. I just hope you and the other readers will like the ending I have set up for this adventure. It's going to be rather interesting in what happens at the end. ;) Or, at least, I hope it will be interesting. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! :)
thetasigma: I think she needs a hug now more than ever. Especially for what she will have to deal with in the next chapter. And I'm sure she'd love to have a hug from a wonderful reader like you. :)
Irrelevant86: Yay! I'm so glad that you are enjoying both the chapters and Alice. :) Well, I think no one would mind giving those boys a smack. They really deserve it. lol I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter. :)
thewholocklover: I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter and Alice's reaction as well. She seemed to handle it well for the most part. Yeah, I cringed a bit when that part came up. I felt just as heartbroken as Alice did. Yay! I'm glad that the story is doing well. I hope I can continue to do a good job in the future, and that you will continue to enjoy it. :)
Jesuslovesmarina: Woo! I'm glad you like Alice so much. :) Yeah, I think it's a good natural human trait for her. And First Wanda was more shy around everyone in general than simply being timid around her peers. But you could also think of it as it's Wanda's natural human nature coming out in her while being Alice. It's the same way I've always seen John in being the natural human side to the Doctor. I wanted her to be a really good teacher, because, no offense to John or anything, he wasn't really the best teacher for those boys. Nah, I would never ignore Joan. I know how not everyone liked her because of the personality she had and the things she said against Martha. But I've always enjoyed her. :) Plus, you're right, much more interesting to mix Joan in. ;) lol I do the same things in pinning pictures. But hey, as long as you enjoy the picture, then that's all it matters. Plus, it's a good inside thing that might spark peoples' interests and get them interested in finding out what you're into. :) Yeah, Alice holds many similarities, showing that possibly no matter who Wanda changes into her, she'll always be who she is meant to be in the end.
I felt the same way with John, though more put off than angry with him. Especially in the way he treated Martha and the boys. But then I had to remind myself that it was the trait and product of the times, so I couldn't hold it against him. Oh, I was so crying for him, too. Mostly because I saw it as not just John who wished to stay human, but the Doctor wanting it so badly as well. Poor, Doctor. He just wants that family again so much, and maybe even a little bit of a normal life as well. :( Oh, yes, the Doctor is so in for it once this is all over. Especially after what happened in this chapter. Yep! Wanda kissed him. Wasn't it so cute! :) Hopefully there won't be any more breaks in their relationship. I don't think it needs any more stress than what it's already been going through. Anyway, oops, sorry for the rambling reply. Hope you don't mind. Also, I really hope you enjoyed the new chapter. :)
Takara Matsudaira: Glad there was no confusion. :) Yeah, it's hard finding all of the Classic Who episodes since many have been lost. BBC didn't have a good system in keeping track of their older shows in the past, so there's quite a few gaps in Classic Who. A lot of people say it's actually easier to just watch at the beginning of the New Series with Nine, and simply reading on the Classic Who episodes online. Nah, didn't get a chance to. Was working that night. But I'm glad you got to watch the marathon, by recordings at least. :) OMG, I loved the new Christmas special! It was so good! Lol, I totally saw that coming, too. I actually have a very interesting idea for that episode for the future, but that'll have to be spoilers and a surprise for now. ;) Ah, I was happy for Clara, too. But at the same time, I kind of wished they ended her time with that ending they were setting up with Twelve during the Christmas special. It was so touching, especially with it being sort of a reverse with what happened with Older Eleven and her during The Time of the Doctor episode. I can't wait for new episode, too! Agh! I hate waiting! lol Nah, it's all good. I'm totally fan-girling as well. ;) lol Actually, I've already had both part one and two of this trilogy written up when I first posted up the story on the site. So, it's the only reason why I'm able to update so quickly, since I only have to edit over the chapters. But that will have to change once I get around to part three, for I haven't had time to write that one up in advance like I did with the other two.
Well, I think after all of this, Martha will most certainly be giving the Doctor a slap. Especially after what happened in this chapter. Yep, Wanda sure has grown in confidence with the relationship between her and the Doctor. Now, if only she would confess her full love for him. lol Well, the Doctor and Wanda are really cute together. ;) And let's just say, you might not have to wait for very much longer for Wanda to tell him. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. :) And Happy New Year to you, too!
bored411: Yeah, really tough. Especially with this chapter, and with Wanda knowing she'll be expecting to have to see the same thing happen between the Doctor and River in the future. Well, the Doctor will definitely be having regrets and guilt after everything is over with. It will have to be a spoiler for now on exactly how the end will be for both John and Alice within the next chapter. Let's just say, it's going to be interesting. Or, I hope it's interesting at any rate. I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter and will like the next one once I get it up. :)
sophia: Glad you think so. :) Hope you enjoyed the new update. :)
MinecraftLover00: I know right?! I love the cuteness. :) You could say that, yes. But Alice also loves John as her own self as well. I guess you could say that no matter who Wanda becomes or who the Doctor becomes, the love will always be there. Even if one does not necessarily share the love, at least the other will hold the deep love within their heart(s). I'm so glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and the romance. :)
Two-Sides-Of-The-Same-Coin-360: Yeah, I'm does, too. She just has to go through so much, doesn't she? She never seems to catch a break. Glad I did well in writing it. :) I really hope you liked the new chapter. :)
Jaxrond: Aw, I'm ssooo jealous! I've always wanted some DW socks. Especially the knee-high ones. I love those! I do actually have the fob watch though. ;) I love it so much! Carried it in my purse for a while, and received the funniest looks whenever the button got pushed and Ten started to talk from my bag. lol I'm so happy that you enjoyed the last chapter! I hope that you liked the new update as well. :)
LovableAmethyst129: Oh, yes, I can imagine that as well. Especially after what between Alice and John within this chapter. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. :)
PheonixFlame: I'm so glad that you liked it. :) I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter as well. Oh, my idea for Wanda, hmm . . . . Well, I sort of had this idea of a companion for the Doctor since I started watching the show. Seeing all that he's been through, I've sort of wanted to create someone he deserved to have in his life. Plus, someone who could really be there for the other companions as well. I originally thought to just have Wanda as simply a close friend and companion to the Doctor, but it slowly turned into a romance between the two of them as I was writing the draft of the story. I guess you could say the story took over and decided to do its own thing. lol Nah, I'm sure you are a awesome writer. Even better than me. :)
Squidtastik: Nah, you're fine. I understand how life is at messing with us, especially computers. You don't even have to review for every chapter if you don't want to. Just whenever you feel like it or have the time to is fine. :) Yeah, Alice sure goes through a lot of heartache, doesn't she? Thanks! I hope your Christmas and New Year's was just as awesome! :)
Dawn: Oh, yes, definitely many amazing shows that I love so much! :D Thanks! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, too. :) Yeah, it does suck that we have to wait so long for Sherlock. But, hey, at least Doctor Who is there for us every year. :) Well, depends on your perspective on 'how bad' things turn out. To some, this chapter might have been the peak of bad for Alice and John. But we still have one more chapter to go for this adventure, so we'll just have to wait and see how much worse things could possibly get for them. Yeah, me and my friend, we are actually think so much alike that it's a little creepy. But we laugh about it and just say that we're lost twins who were separated at birth. lol Spoilers are just the best. ;) Yay! I'm glad that I'm doing a good job. :) I just love how fandoms can bring people together even across from other nations and countries. :) I think we'll all miss Alice in a way. Yep, none of it was really his fault, just like a lot of what happens around Wanda isn't her fault either. But people tend to place blame on themselves whenever emotions are high or when they are really depressed and sad about something. Well, him and Joan were in the middle of a very private moment, so I guess it's a normal rude reaction to have in some ways. But still, rather rude when it wasn't entirely her fault for stumbling into that. Yeah, I think Alice needs someone there for her more than ever now. Yep, Martha explains pretty much everything. I really hope you enjoyed the new chapter. :)
Lady Artimes Blaine: Yay! Glad you caught up! Hope you enjoyed all the previous chapters and this one as well. :) Hope to see you again in the future!
Gladoo89: Yay! I'm so happy that you like her. :) Yeah, it sort of shows that even though John doesn't love Alice, he still loves Wanda in some weird way. Though for him, it's more like loving a dream. Oh, I really enjoy Austen's books, so that's a huge compliment to me. Thank you! :) Yeah, this hurt Alice is feeling is really a eye-opener for Wanda in how she'll feel once the wedding comes along in the future. Yep, Alice is very clever in her own way. :) Just like Wanda in many ways. Martha pretty much told her everything. Or, at least, everything to the best of her knowledge. So, I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter and to see you in the future! :)
So, that's all folks! As always, thanks for all the lovely reviews! :) I hope to see all of you in the future, and to see if you all are enjoying the chapters to this adventure. :)
Have a fantastic day everyone!
~Tinker~