Just a short chapter this week. I'm a bit pressed on time, and the story arc seemed short enough to wrap up in a short chapter. Also, early release again since I need to work on science fair over the weekend.
Rowan had fallen asleep on their homework, their computer running in front of them, when suddenly they woke up to the sound of metallic wheezing on the street below. Sticking their head out the window, they saw that the Doctor from the carnival was standing outside, and beginning to walk off down the street. Her hair was still blue on top, but the ends were now a pale pink.
"Hey!"
The Doctor glanced up and gasped. "Rowan! Do you live here?"
"Nah, this is my dad's place. Where are you going?"
"There's a museum with a new exhibit a bit down the street, I was hoping to get there before it closed."
"That one? Doesn't close for another two hours." Rowan answered. Beaming, the Doctor called, "You want to come along?" As Rowan started down the stairs, they paused. A wispy shadow danced across the edge of their vision for a brief instant.
SMOKE IN THE TREES
(By Gakorogirl)
"I was trying to do some stuff for one of my online classes," Rowan told the Doctor in line. "But I fell asleep. I can never pay attention to anything for long enough to get work done." The Doctor was busy digging through her pockets- she must have had at least twenty pockets on that outfit- to find money.
More quietly, they mumbled, "Maybe I'm just stupid."
The Doctor glanced at them very quickly, and then stepped forward to pay for the tickets. As they headed into the museum, she put a hand on Rowan's shoulder and squeezed quickly. "Where do you want to go first?"
"What's that new exhibit you were looking for?" Rowan asked as they walked over to a map. "Oh, the one about the Bermuda Triangle. It should be interesting to take a look around, see what the newest theory on it is."
"I didn't think you'd be the sort to buy into that kind of thing," Rowan said. "Oh, I'm not. I just like to see the kinds of things that humans come up with."
"So you really are an alien- it's on the map, there-"
"Yeah. Should be right around the corner." Walking briskly, the Doctor turned and headed around the corner, following the signs. "I was here before, a few years back in their timestream. Nice to see the place is cleaned up a bit, though." She spent a few minutes walking around the exhibit, peering at a model of Earth's magnetic field for a moment before she turned to go.
"You're leaving already?" Rowan asked.
"I've finished- I read faster than humans do. You want to come?"
"I'd have to leave a note for my dad, but he's used to me leaving a lot. Where?"
"Anywhere." "Really? Like, other planets?"
The TARDIS doors flew open to reveal a brilliant blue sky and fields of slightly curly grass. In the distance loomed a city of slender silver towers.
"Welcome to New Earth!" the Doctor announced. "I was last here a long time ago. In their future." She added, falling silent. Rowan didn't notice the change in the Doctor's demeanor, too busy picking bits of grass and sniffing it. "It smells like apples," they said.
"Apple-grass!" the Doctor smiled. "You want to go into the city?" she continued, pointing to the silver towers in the distance.
"Apple-grass? That's... obvious. And nah, let's stay out here. I don't really want to talk to anyone."
"TARDIS translation circuit goes pretty far, you'd be able to speak English and they'd understand you just fine," the Doctor said. Rowan looked up. "So, do you hear English? When I talk?"
"Nope. Everything is Gallifreyan to me. Although I do speak English, it would just be a little more rough around the edges without the translation circuit. It's broken a few times and I've had to wing it. Go into the city, or stay out here?"
"Still stay out here- I just don't really like talking to new people." Rowan said, staring off into the distance. "The sky here seems a little bit bluer than on regular old Earth, don't you think?"
"Yeah. That's because of the atmospheric makeup, it's not an exact match."
"What was the sky like on- Gallifrey?" Rowan asked as they flopped down onto the grass. As she sat down, the Doctor replied, "Orange, usually. We had two suns, and the smaller one rose above the southern mountains-" The Doctor broke off abruptly, her eyes damp, and turned away.
"Are you all right?" Rowan asked.
"That's the same thing I said, last time I was here. I was talking to someone else, about Gallifrey, and the sun on the mountains." They were quiet for a little while, waiting in the warm apple-grass. "I guess they were better company than me- I can't even talk to people," Rowan commented. "Who, Martha? She was very different from you. Girl, for one thing."
"I hear something, behind us." Rowan said, jumping to their feet. The Doctor turned, her sonic screwdriver in one hand. "What?"
"Like- like a rattle- there! There's something over there!" Rowan shouted. "It's heading towards those trees!"
"I see it- like grey, and misty?" "Yeah!" Rowan was on their feet and running, and after another second the Doctor began to run after them. "I don't know what it is," she shouted after them.
"That's okay- I know!" Confused, the Doctor followed them to the edge of the trees. "Where is it?" Unhesitating, Rowan pointed into the shadows to the left. "It's over there."
"How do you know?"
"Because it's me."
The Doctor pointed her sonic in the direction Rowan had pointed. "What do you mean?"
"I- I don't know," Rowan said, rubbing their head. "It's- I'm connected to it. I haven't ever seen something like that before, though. It's just there."
Puzzled, the Doctor checked the readings on her sonic, pointing it at Rowan for a moment. "I think whatever it is, it's connected to your brain for a reason. Maybe- maybe the chemical signature was compatible the right way."
"Could that be why I'm- like this? And scared of talking to people, and-"
"No. You're you, all of you. That doesn't make any sense, does it?" "Ah- no. Sorry?"
The Doctor put a hand lightly on Rowan's shoulder. "It's a fumious wavelength, they don't usually connect to humans. I can remove it reasonably easily, but it's not influencing you, you're influencing it. It could only form the link if your mind was just a certain way, see?
Now, you shouldn't feel bad about the way you were already. You are the best you, and the only person that there will ever be who's you."
Rowan sniffled briefly. "That does make me feel better- even though I still don't quite understand what you're saying." Seeing that the Doctor was about to start trying to explain again, they cut her off. "So you said you could get rid of it?"
"Yeah, it's just a matter of you staying still for a second- I'm going to enter your mind for a couple seconds and sever the connection, okay?" The Doctor took Rowan's head between her hands and concentrated hard, sifting through a layer of grey to find the thread connecting Rowan's mind to the wavelength's. With a small push, it snapped and the Doctor drew back. "There."
"I can feel- it's gone. Nothing else feels different, though." Rowan said, rubbing the side of her head. The Doctor smiled. "I told you. Where to next? There's loads of other planets that're just as nice as here- Amanopia, Barcelona- the planet- Cheem, there's living trees there-"
"Let's- let's go to Earth. I think I've had enough aliens for a while."
"Fair enough," the Doctor said. "Ancient Rome is nice- but then again, there's some nice times nearer home." Rowan shrugged. "Wherever we end up, I guess." The Doctor snapped her fingers and the TARDIS doors opened. "Let's go, then."
Hope you liked it, even if it wasn't as long as most of the other chapters. Don't forget to review and suggest episodes! Also check out my playlist for it on youtube, Running is a Victory. There's one more episode I have planned right now, and it's got Weeping Angels. Someone on tumblr suggested that they go kill Kennedy but I've seen some other fics like that so that's a last resort.