Chapter 3: Lost and Found

I remember staring out the window for the longest time wondering when that charming Doctor would ever come back. Things had gotten worse in my household since the Doctor's last appearance, and yet he never showed up. It almost seemed as if he didn't care anymore, but I couldn't say that. He said he would find me and I knew that I had to trust him.

He was like the fairy godmother that I never had. The male version of course if there ever was one. He sprang in and saved me in a way, granting me my wishes and dreams, and above all he cared about me. I was important to him, and I meant something. The Doctor made magic seem almost real to me now. After all, if I didn't have the Doctor, then what was left? No imagination, no hope, no dreams.

Days past, weeks past, months past, but still there was no sighting of that mysterious man. I spent most of my days as a child staring up at the stars, searching for that wonderful man. I even went back to that spot where we met, but he did not come.

The paint was stripped from my walls and turned gray. Gray: the color I so much despised. Gray: the color that stole me away from the Doctor.

I remember hearing for the longest time a loud shuffle, and the echo of screams throughout my home. Then silence, long echoes of silence and nothing more.

Every night a sick chemical green color was shot up into the sky from the house. I didn't know why then or how, but it continued to happen. No one came to our neighborhood anymore, it was silent. The streets were empty, the flowers began to die, and everything else with color shriveled and died.

It all seemed to happen when the Doctor left, everything changed. My parents changed and became more or less like a statue, and spoke almost never. All orders, no love, no emotion whatsoever. The only time I heard them talk was when they ordered me around. They were hiding something from me and I knew it even then. So, one night I tiptoed down the stairs as quietly as possible and caught sight of the statues once more. They all stood deathly still as I walked past them as if the smallest movement would cause them to shatter and break.

My heart was beating so loud, I could've sworn everyone in the entire town could hear it. A shadow crept behind me. I turned anxiously to search for the monster that hid its face from me. The creature that hid in my nightmares and under my bed must have been following me. I pictured the largest and scariest looking monster with claws and scales, but every time I searched for it, there was just darkness and angel statues.

There was that sound again, the slightest shuffle against the floor. The floor creaked loudly as I jumped around startled to stare back at the angels. I wiped the tears that rolled down my cheeks with the back of my hands as I backed slowly away with a look of terror in my eyes. The statues stared back at me with an empty look and a scowl of hate. Those eyes, I had seen them before. How had I forgotten? I wanted to scream and hide under my blanket, and imagine the creatures were part of my imagination, but here they were. They terrified me with their emptiness, hard scowls and gray harsh eyes.

The lights started to dim as they flickered on and off continuously. I began to run, tripping and stumbling in the darkness. Angels flashed in the darkness, their ghoulish faces moving as the lights flickered back off and on.

"Doctor, help!" I yelped as I fell back on something, mushy, sticky and big.

My mind felt numb as I imagined all the possibilities of what horrible thing I had just touched. I still felt the residue of it on my hands. I crawled away frantically as I covered my mouth in terror backing into someone. That was one thing I was sure of. It moved in response as my lungs felt as if they ceased in my chest.

Suddenly, I was being pulled by something quite fast. It was strong, and yet it had soft, tender hands.

"Let go!" I squealed.

I kicked and screamed in response and clawed at the ground as I tried hopelessly to escape.

I remember. Flashes of my sister's last moments overcome me. A black shadow, and nothing more ravaged her till there was nothing left of her. Her eyes were empty and so was she. Was this the fate I was to face?

A voice emerged amidst my terror.

"It must be finished. Let the darkness engulf her."

The lights flickered on one last time as I caught sight of my now ghastly pale mother standing right in front of me sending me to my death.

And then darkness surrounded me.

_

Several Months Ago...

"What is it then? Time manipulation? Distortion? Come on, then. What have you got to hide?" The Doctor growled in anger at the neighbors who restrained him.

"What are you doing to Jessie? What's so important about her?" His eyes searched the surrounding area as he spotted the Weeping Angels standing as sentries at the entrance to an abandoned factory. They let go of the Doctor and he stumbled before regaining his balance.

The neighbors all turned in step and marched off as they left the vicinity of the Doctor and walked out of the door. Instantly, it clicked in as if this all was planned. The Doctor quickly flicked out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the area. "That can't be, " He murmured as he slowly followed his beeping sonic screwdriver to a large hole in a concrete wall. Blocks of broken concrete lay around the entrance.

Crouching slightly, the Doctor made his way into the hole. A tunnel began with two pathways, one marked with a very old blue Gallifreyan symbol while the other was marked with another Gallifreyan symbol except it was red.

"What's this?" He murmured leaning closer to analyze the text.

"Destiny, destiny to find the solution to your future's undoing. Now someone's old. Very old, who are you?" The Doctor turned to the other symbol and blew off the excess dust as he scanned the other one with his sonic screwdriver.

"Danger: to find the monster and end the darkness. Tricky, tricky. What is this? Why a game? You want me to choose? Why?" He murmured as he looked back and forth between two paths.

"Fine, I will choose, but the game is mine; and you of all people should know that by now. You're from Gallifrey, you must be I assume. Someone old, very old and knowledgeable in Gallifreyan. Someone's turned evil, heinous, and I will do whatever I must to end you. When I say that you must know who I am, my name is spread throughout space and time. Every darkest day you bring, I will face again and again and I will never stop. Don't misjudge me; that will inevitably end in your undoing" He walked down the destiny path and followed it for several minutes until he reached the end.

A set of cracked marble stairs led down to the core; a dug out was made about five feet below the surface. There was a fountain in the center filled with a clear bright blue water. A very old stone tablet was placed on top of the fountain. It was molded into the fountain and lit up as soon as the Doctor walked in.

"Riddles, of course. There never was a game without a riddle," He murmured with a small smile as he read over the words.

One must know the end is near only to save it. Danger, fear, thrice and thrice. Look to thine self to find what ye shall seek. Hidden in darkness, she is lost. Light the way and ye shall be free.

"Look to thine self? To look within myself? No, that can't be it. She is lost..? Who is she? She is my savior...she is only one who can end my undoing, but who is she? One looks at themselves every day through a reflection of course! A mere image of themselves through a mirror or water. Ah, yes! Water! Fountain, my reflection! Brilliant!" The Doctor moved forward to look at himself in the water.

The water instantly trembled and swirled into a whirlpool before the ripples slowly stopped and revealed a face of a person.

"That can't be...it doesn't make any sense," He shook his head in confusion as the clear blue water revealed the face of a girl he had just talked to several moments ago.

Sure enough, the reflection in the water revealed a small curly red-haired girl with big twinkling green eyes.

"Jessie is my savior?"