For Rose and her companions, the rest of the ride went by without much happening. Left amazed by the possibility of Time Lords being able to change genders, Rose kept asking Nina and Victoria endless questions about other ways their identities could change, like whether they always looked human or could change themselves into one of those lizard-like creatures which were the common appearance of aliens on TV, and whether they could go back to being children upon regeneration or if they always stayed as adults. Victoria had little she could tell her, but Nina happened to know a little more, and so she explained to Rose that things were different for all Time Lords, but that for the most part, they usually looked like humans and regenerated into adults, although the Doctor did say there were all sorts of unusual cases coming up from time to time.
Meanwhile, Ellie couldn't bare hearing too much, still being in an anxious state after all the events of the day. And so, she drowned out the conversation with the car radio, preferring listening to the overplayed dance hits over the endless talk on those Time Lord blokes. Could they even be real, she wondered, or are they just some idea that popped into their heads after witnessing so much crazy stuff?
Once they returned to the hotel, Ellie was left feeling curious upon seeing the increase of vehicles parked around the driveway when there had been none when she came by to see Rose earlier, including a taxi cab where the driver appeared to be waiting for someone to come by.
"This doesn't look good," she told her companions. "If more people came over to the hotel in the time we were gone, there's no telling what kind of state Rose's mother will be in."
"Don't worry too much, Ellie," Nina said. "For all we knew, these people may have just gone over to the sandwich shop around this area, or to the Spanish market."
"Of course," Ellie said, getting mad at herself over the ideas she was getting.
"But if someone else is there, that can't just mean all's going badly," Victoria said. "Perhaps that means someone's there to help Jackie out and keep her under control while Rose isn't around."
"Yeah," Rose said, finding Ellie's constant worrying to be quite irritating.
"But in all honesty, can you really blame me for the way I'm acting? It's not every day you encounter hauntings and time travelers on the same day," Ellie said.
"You have every right to worry over what distresses you, Ellie, but just remember that you're in very good hands with us," Victoria said. "We all have at least some idea of what we're getting ourselves into."
But at Northern Horizons, there are always surprises, Rose said, but she knew better than to tell Ellie this.
"Well then, need I be the first one to set foot in this labyrinth of horror, or is someone else here willing to face this invisible devil first?" Ellie asked.
"I know the hotel best, so I think I should go in first," Rose volunteered.
"You're a brave girl indeed, Rose Tyler," Ellie said with a smile.
"No, I'm not. This is just my home for now," Rose said, and along with Ellie, she set foot into what she now thought of as the creepiest home she anyone could have. Nina and Victoria came in shortly after, coming in without showing a sign of fear.
"So, now that we're finally here, let me go ahead and show you where I found Jackie," Ellie said. "If you make your way across the lobby at the left side…"
She was soon interrupted by the appearance of a figure in black who sprang up in front of everyone before of them could take any notice.
And just as she let out a startled gasp, she noticed the figure before her was a young woman, who chuckled upon seeing how shocked she looked.
"Oh dear. I'm sorry if I scared you," the woman said. "It turns out UNIT's a lot quicker at getting the word around than I'd originally thought. Ace called us just a while ago about how you were all going over to Northern Horizons, and I still managed to get here before you did."
"It's Susan!" Rose called out.
"Well, what more could we expect from a Time Lady?" Nina said.
"A Time Lady? Are you saying this woman is one of those aliens?" Ellie asked. "But she looks so normal, expect for maybe her wardrobe choices, and even they make her look more like a spy than a creature from outer space."
"You're not the first human to tell me that," Susan said. "I really do get annoyed by your world's portrayal of aliens as evil little green men determined to take over the world at all costs. There are several of those creatures across the galaxy, but many of us are peaceful beings who want to live our lives with as little trouble as possible, regardless of our exterior appearances."
"I think what's surprising me the most is how you're not as timid as you were in the Doctor's memories," Nina said.
Susan laughed. "I had a lot of time over the years to face my fears. If I had been in this situation back when I was fifteen, I'm sure I would have remained huddled in the background until my grandfather or someone else could reassure me over my own safety."
"I probably would have done the same, to be honest," Victoria said.
"Am I the only one who would have been chasing the ghost around with an ax?" Nina asked.
"Yes, Nina. I believe you are," Ellie said.
"No, you're not. I'd try doing that too," Rose said with a mischievous smile.
"If that's so, would you like me to run up to one of the closets and get an ax for you?" Nina said.
"If you can find one," Rose said.
Ellie held her hand up. "That's enough, Nina. I will not have you putting dangerous ideas into that little girl's head, especially not when there's so much else we have to worry about."
"I don't think she meant for you to take her so seriously," Susan said. "Chasing anyone around with an ax is a major risk factor for all involved, especially if you've never used one before."
This got all the other women laughing, but Rose started looking around the lobby, searching for anything that might be going wrong. Besides the sound of talking, nothing else could be heard right now, which could either mean that all was well or something had occurred that had provoked such silence.
"Rose, is something wrong? You look rather worried," Victoria said.
"She is worried," Nina answered for her. "She's aware of how you never know what to expect from silence, and is wondering if this means all's well or bad."
But the silence from the rest of the hotel didn't last long as they all heard footsteps and a voice calling out, "Hello? Is anyone else in here?"
The sight of a man in a shabby old Led Zeppelin shirt with hair that went down to his neck had Victoria, Ellie, and Susan looking nervous at first, not sure if this was someone who could be trusted. However, Rose immediately recognized him as Tom Marsh (while Nina was aware that she knew him) and ran up to him in relief, hugging him and saying, "Tom! I'm so happy to see you! Do you know how my mummy is doing?"
Tom hugged her back, but made no attempt to hide what was really going on. "Hi Rose. I'm afraid you're not going to like what's happening here. It's pretty serious, and your friends could find themselves in trouble if they're not careful."
"What is it? Is my mummy hurt?" Rose asked, prepared to hear bad news.
"She fainted after seeing a ghost. And before, possibly this same ghost had taken control over Violet, making her become violent and suspicious over all of us," Tom explained.
Rose looked up sadly at Tom, doing her best to hold back the tears which were threatening to come out. "Why did it happen? Is it because I left Mummy alone with Allison instead of staying here to look out for the ghosts?"
"Rose, it wasn't your fault. Whatever's haunting the hotel just seems to leap up whenever it feels like it. If your mum was behaving strangely even when you were around to watch her, that should mean that it really can happen at any moment," Tom said, stroking Rose's hair as he spoke.
Rose nodded, although she was still convinced the situation could have been less serious if she'd been around. "Is Violet okay now?" she asked, wondering if there was still good news to be told.
"Barely so. She's no longer under the influence of the entity, but she's still very scared and overwhelmed with guilt over what she tried doing to us," Tom said. "This isn't her first experience with having someone trying to control her mind, so she didn't become as dangerous as could have been possible, but it didn't fail to gain influence over her, and she feels just as haunted as she did the last time it happened to her."
And at that moment, Rose heard uncontrollable sobbing coming from one of the nearby rooms. It didn't sound as scary as some of the crying she'd heard in the hotel before, which was like listening to an animal being tortured, but it was still full of desperation and fear, making it no less painful to hear.
"Is that…" she started asking.
"Yes, it's Violet," Tom interrupted her. "When I said that the experience had haunted her, I wasn't joking."
"Poor Violet," Rose said. "Do you think there's anything we could do for her?"
"Right now, I'd recommend leaving her alone. Just having me around seems to set her off, and I have no doubt that seeing you here will further trigger her guilt," Tom answered.
"He's right, Rose," Susan said. "The hauntings here are likely to get worse as this party of yours approaches, and it doesn't help at all that the new year is around the corner."
Rose felt herself suddenly trembling, but whether it was from her own fear or the influence of something else, she couldn't tell.
"I think we're scaring Rose a little too much," Tom said. Turning to Rose, he asked, "Did you want to go over to your room or somewhere else right now. Perhaps this is something only some of us should…"
"No!" Susan demanded. "The last thing we want to do is leave Rose alone in any part of Northern Horizons. Not even my grandfather alone could do enough to protect her at this point. The more individuals she has by her side, the safer she'll be, and the same goes for Jackie and the rest of us."
"Hold on. Who's your grandfather?" Tom asked.
"John Smith, the alien who's currently is Rose's head," Susan responded.
"Well, that makes sense. You appear to know more than anyone else here does," Tom said.
"Except for maybe me," Nina said. "I was the one who originally had the Doctor inside my head before transferring him over to Rose so he could survive a little longer."
Tom smiled. "So, it looks like you're in good hands, Rose."
"I hope so," Rose said. She was still trembling, but it all got worse upon feeling a grip coming through her shoulder. It kept getting stronger by the second, until she heard someone whispering, Follow me.
"Who is this?" Rose asked aloud.
"What's going on with her?" Ellie said, speaking up for the first time since seeing Tom.
"It can only be the voices of the spirits," Nina said. "From what I can tell, they're urging her to come along with them."
Victoria grabbed Rose by the arm. "Don't listen to it, Rose! This can only be a trap."
"No, Victoria. There's probably someplace where she's needed right now, perhaps by her mother's side," Nina said.
"But shouldn't one of us at least accompany her to make sure she doesn't get hurt?" Ellie asked.
Nina considered this for a moment, and then looked thoughtfully at Victoria, Ellie, and Tom. "That may the best thing we can do for her right now. But who's willing to do the honors? From what I can sense, some of us might not be capable of handling whatever Rose might face."
Victoria hesitated as Nina spoke. Ever since she'd gotten herself into this situation, she'd been determined to help no matter how much it scared her. So far, she'd been playing smaller roles, but it still didn't save her from the hauntings and visions she'd been experiencing. If she was finding herself being so disturbed when most of her tasks involved taking in calls in the middle of teaching, then who was to say that if she were to step up and willingly face the ghost she wouldn't have some peace of mind afterwards?
And so, she turned determinedly towards Nina and said, "I'll go with her, Nina. The way I see it, I have more to lose if I stay behind than if I face what's been haunting us all."
Nina smiled. "I knew I was thinking well when I decided to bring you in instead of Ace, Victoria. You always think about the situation at hand before taking action, whereas Ace usually acts first and considers the consequences of her actions afterwards."
Susan then spoke up. "Don't you all realize I came in here for a reason? There's some key information which UNIT recently discovered about this situation, and if Victoria and Rose don't have a clear idea of what they're getting themselves into, they could benefit from my help."
"Then you go ahead as well, Susan. I'm sure Tom and Ellie will appreciate my company," Nina said.
Little did any of them realize that Rose was just a couple steps ahead of them, listening to that insistent voice calling out, Follow me, Rose. There's nothing to fear if you just follow me.
The voice kept sounding like different people at different times. At first, it sounded like it was Therese or Louise guiding her. Later, it sounded exactly like Peggy's from the New Year's Eve party, with her voice sounding slurred and distant in comparison to the gentleness and alert tones of the twins. And now, the voice was unfamiliar yet a mixture of both haunting and gentle, as if her emotions were constantly conflicting.
"Rose?" she heard Victoria's voice calling out. "Please wait for us, dear. We don't want you to have to face this alone."
"But Victoria, I really need to be somewhere right now," Rose said. She doubted the voice would leave her alone if she strayed from her required task.
And just as this crossed her mind, the voice that had currently taken over said, Don't listen to them, Rose. You're needed right now.
"She's telling the truth, Rose. I have some information that might help you significantly," Susan said. "For instance, in your visions, if you try adapting to the environment by wearing the clothing of the time period and speaking in a manner similar as your present company, you'll be able to distract the entity for a while because of how you'll seem like just another member of the group. However, by consistently reminding yourself about how it is all a vision and avoiding getting too distracted by any of their activities, you can prevent the entity from…"
She's wasting your time, Rose, the voice yelled. Come with me now, or else you'll regret it!
"I'm sorry, Susan, but I have to do what I'm told right now!" Rose said, and then she started walking away once again.
Victoria sighed, but still followed Rose through. Susan, on the other hand, seemed hesitant to go on, and yet did nothing to stop either Rose or Victoria. Instead, she took out what looked like a walkie talkie and appeared to contemplate whether to call someone, perhaps UNIT, for help.
Once Rose and Victoria approached the rows of hotel rooms, the voice said to Rose in a calmer tone, Your mother is in room 147, Rose. Step in there, and prepare for what's awaiting you.
"That's where my mummy is, Victoria," Rose said.
"Are you sure you want to go in, Rose?" Victoria asked her.
"I have to," Rose said.
"Then let's go in," Victoria said, and holding Rose's hand, she carefully opened the door, preparing for whatever was waiting for them inside.
