Chapter 5: Trapped
Later that day...
"Braveheart Elementary, it does have a ring. I'll give it that."
The Doctor made his way to the front desk as he approached a middle aged cranky woman. She had severely cut brown hair, brown eyes and a frown set in on her face.
"What can I do for you?"
The woman glared up at the Doctor in annoyance.
"Hello! I'm John Smith, part of the Harvard's Esteemed Society, and an honorary member of the Braveheart family. Once down, twice removed."
The Doctor whipped out his psychic paper quickly letting her analyze it only for a moment before taking it away.
The woman's expression changed quite quickly.
"Why Mr. Smith, it's an honor, what can I do for you?" She smiled at the Doctor awaiting his response.
"First of all, a job as a science teacher of course, and then some answers." The Doctor murmured in deep thought.
"That's fine sir, but about the answers. What do you mean exactly?"
"Oh nothing exactly, just a simple scan should help."
In less than a minute, the Doctor had flicked out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the woman. Strangely enough, she didn't seem to notice because she literally froze and stopped moving. As a matter of fact, everyone in that same room just stopped.
"Was not expecting that." He murmured slightly confounded by the change of events.
He leaned closer to the woman and crouched down as he maintained eye contact with her.
"So, literally speaking, there is a door. Well, not literally speaking, but in a metaphor there could be a door. Wait a minute! Why the heck am I talking about doors?" He shook his head as he stood up once more.
"No, that's it. It all makes sense. There are doors to memories, to time, and to travel from one place to another. The door is the way to enter, but to exit there needs to be another path, another entrance."
The Doctor turned to look at the woman once more. He jumped over the marble counter to stare at her computer screen which was completely empty. The computer wasn't even on, it was just a replica, an echo, nothing more.
"An entrance! Oh, brilliant! The entrance is through Jessie's memories, the only way these shadow figures could ever get through to the girl. Now, they only are here through Jessie, so inevitably all she sees is all they can control and morph."
Grinning once more, the Doctor jumped back over the counter and landed right on his feet.
"Which means and can only mean that-"
"That we and only we have control."
A red-haired girl with green eyes walked slowly out of the hallway as she stopped in front of the Doctor.
The Doctor's eyes raised instantly recognizing the girl. It was the girl from Jessie's apartment which had changed from shadow into human.
"You." He spoke coldly as he eyed her movements.
"Yes, it's me, who else could I possibly be?"
Her green eyes seemed sinister with the snake-like smile that she wore on her face.
"I don't know who you are or what you're planning, but I promise you it won't work. Release Jessie and end this now."
"Honestly, you think this was all about Jessie? She's a piece, a tiny piece, I'll give her that. And all along, she's been in a puzzle greater than you could imagine. You think you frighten me with your menacing stares and cold words?"
"A puzzle? What are you talking about? What's this all about? Tell me then."
He moved closer to the girl watching her suspiciously.
"What would be the fun in that? It would make the mystery just that much less fascinating. The brave Doctor must figure it out before all has gone to waste. With your wisdom and knowledge, I thought you of all people would have figured this out by now." She sneered and laughed as she walked over to the wall touching it softly.
"It's nice, isn't it? It's how she remembers the wall, which always makes me wonder how she would know this. So much detail at such a young age. You pick them well, too bad the ritual will sadly end her."
"It was you, wasn't it? You created the prophecy and made this so called ritual. You brought me here to choose my destiny, why? Why even give me the choice? It makes no difference to you."
"Please Doctor, even I'm not that brilliant. I never gave you the choice, the choice was given to you a long time ago. Your destiny will always be yours and only yours. Don't you see? It's all played out. The game is set up, the pieces are on the board, it's all up to you. I never made the prophecy, but I do have a piece in at all, just as you do. Oh, but it will all mull over quite wonderfully. You'll see in due time. Just watch and see."
And with that she walked away. The only sound the Doctor was left with was the click of her heels against the linoleum floor.
Hand in hand, I ran alongside Mr. Smith.
"Mr. Smith, why are we running? What are we running from? I don't understand!" I huffed as I attempted to keep up with the Doctor.
Something was bothering the man, and I could just tell it. He keeps giving me this look as if there is so much to say, and yet that nothing can be said at all. Almost as if I wouldn't understand it, or as if I can't know.
The Doctor stopped by a blue box before briefly looking back at me. He shook his head in denial before looking back at me.
"What's this?" My eyes scanned the blue telephone box that stood in the corner of the alley.
"Not today, I can't. Another day. Wait a moment, memories... Jessie, there's still hope! It's still there, that spark of memory! It's a miracle Jessie! You're a miracle!" He exclaimed kissing me on my forehead in excitement.
"What do you mean?" I glanced up at him confused and slightly startled. I didn't understand what was going on.
"Oh, it's no matter! You'll understand in due time, well hopefully if this all goes right. Give me a minute, stay right there. Don't go anywhere."
He looked back at me one last time before he quickly opened the door and walked into what appeared to be a small box with a pay phone.
"No, no! It's all wrong! It's not enough. Her memories wouldn't reflect the inside of the Tardis, she hasn't seen it yet." He sighed sadly as he pulled on the door, but it was locked.
The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the door, but it did not budge.
"Jessie? Can you hear me? Please open the door." He leaned his ear against the door trying to hear her response, but there was none.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a shadow. It started off as one small shadow and then increased in to six in a matter of seconds. They all joined in the center of the alley and began to grow up off the pavement into a large black misty shadow.
I cowered in response and slumped down against the blue telephone box.
"Mr. Smith, there's something there. I-I don't understand, Doctor!" I cried out in confusion. I closed my eyes in fear and held myself in a ball.
"Jessie! Listen to me, do not be afraid. This monster is feeding off your fear."
He slammed against the door in frustration. He could've sworn he heard Jessie call him Doctor, but she didn't notice. She must have forgotten by now. These shadow creatures were playing games with her memories.
I opened one eye to see that the creature had inched towards me.
"Doctor! Where are you? I can't hear you. I'm so lost, it's grown dark."
The sun had gone down and the moon rose up quite quickly, but then at that point something quite strange happened. The stars slowly blinked out and the moon lost it's shine. It was becoming to where the night sky was just pure black and nothing more.
"Jessie, please you have to listen. While you're afraid, they have control. You lose power in your world and then it becomes theirs. You have to fight it!"
"She can't hear you Doctor, why do you still try? You failed this test, oh how sad! Maybe next time you'll get it right, until then have a nice fall."
The Doctor tried to see through the dark box, but there was no one there. He recognized the voice, but could not spot the woman.
He could not give up, Jessie was counting on him!
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble beneath my feet. I trembled as the earth crumbled and a long crack grew on the black concrete.
"Doctor! Doctor? I-" I paused in confusion, there was something missing.
The flashback hit me rather quickly. There he was again. The brown wavy haired man with old brown eyes. He was at the cemetery. I remember him staring at me from a far off distance. The conversation we had before he left, it all came back quite suddenly.
It was like a large mask had been removed from my face and I could finally see.
I don't know how it worked, but it felt like for the longest time that I was lost until now. Everything was black and white, and I was just there moving along not quite understanding it at all.
I didn't realize until now that I had been living my life in a dream-like state, I never had been in control until the Doctor showed me the way.
"Doctor! Doctor! It's all so clear now!" Tears of joy escaped my eyes as I slammed my fists on the dark blue box.
The Doctor smiled as he heard her voice.
The rumbling of the earth did not cease as I cried out desperately for the Doctor.
"You have to get out!"
A large crack split the earth in two and broke the ground supporting the blue box. Down it went, the Doctor and all. The large gap in the ground practically devoured the beautiful box leaving nothing behind but a hole.
"Doctor! No!" I gasped as I stared down at the hole in the ground where the blue police box once stood.
I pulled my knees up to my chest as I held myself together. I sobbed as my body shook in utter despair. I didn't seem to care anymore, a world without the Doctor was just not one worth living.
And soon enough, the world just shut down. The stars disappeared and so did the moon, and soon enough, so did I.