Clara opened her eyes slowly as she tried to remember where she was, the hard floor beneath her telling her she wasn't in bed. When she spotted the couple sleeping next to her and the teenage girl sitting cross legged in the middle of the room with her eyes closed, it all came back to her and she quickly sat up, wincing as her sore muscles protested.
"AJ? What are you doing?" She whispered, mindful of the sleeping group. The girls' eyes snapped open.
"Thinking." She whispered back.
"Oh." Clara nodded, rolling her eyes slightly. "Of course, silly me.
A ghost of a smile crossed the teenagers face, making her instantly younger.
"Can I ask you something?" Clara moved closer to her so she could whisper more quietly. The girl flashed a mischievous smile.
"You can ask." She raised a challenging eyebrow.
"What does AJ stand for?" AJ watched the curious woman warily.
"What makes you think it stands for something?"
Clara shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, I just assumed... I mean, it's not exactly a common name is it?"
"It stands for something. But... Spoilers." AJ shrugged sheepishly. Before they could say anything else, the door opened without warning, waking the rest of the sleeping group up.
"Good morning. I hope you all slept well." Kovarian entered with a sneer, gesturing behind her. Two of the silence came forward with a body wrapped in a blanket that completely covered it between them. Clara rose on her knees, reaching out to pull a frozen AJ closer to her and away from the creatures as they dumped the figure in the middle of the room. She rolled lifelessly and the blanket fell away, revealing a halo of blonde curls.
"River!" Cried Amy and Rory at the same time. The latter broke away from the group to rush to kneel at the woman's side, testing her pulse with practiced hands. Eyes still closed, she whimpered and flinched away from his touch, curling tighter into a ball. At this, Amy crawled over next to her husband to cradle the woman's head in her lap. She let out another whimper, eyes flying open to wheel around the room frantically. They came to rest on Amy's face and there was a flash of recognition.
"Melody?" Amy whispered, placing her hand on her cheek.
"Please. He's coming... The spaceman's coming! Help me, please!" The woman cried in a child's voice. Amy and Rory froze, eyes snapping to the smirking face of Kovarian.
"What did you do to her?!" Demanded Amy. Clara watched disbelievingly as the woman said nothing, face blank even when confronted with the unknown woman's obvious anguish and instead retreating from the room as Amy made to fly at her, stopped only by her husbands' hand on her wrist.
"She needs us." He said simply. Amy looked torn, glancing between the closing door and the woman on the floor. Coming to a decision, she nodded, sinking back down to sit next to her. The pair lent over her, Rory's hands ghosting over her in an effort to discover what was wrong with her.
Clara looked beside her to see AJ sitting stock still, eyes wide and shocked.
"Hey. You ok?" she murmured. The teenager turned to her, trembling and for a split second Clara didn't see an overconfident, feisty teen but a scared little girl. She was reminded for a second of Merry, from Akhaten. Both had the same, lost look in their eyes.
"I'm... I'm fine." AJ said, clenching her trembling fists in an effort to still them. Clara was about to pry further, but the woman suddenly screamed, writhing as she rolled away from Rory and Amy.
"Please! Please!" Rory started towards her, to where she'd hit the wall and stopped, sobbing as she cringed away from all of them but was halted by Amy, who held up a hand to stop him as she stood and walked slowly to where the woman lay against the wall. She lowered herself carefully, slowly, treating the woman as you would a wounded animal.
"Melody? Melody, it's ok. You're safe, I promise." Amy spoke soothingly, and the whole room seemed to hold its breath as she attempted to calm the hysterical woman.
"Help me please!" Melody sobbed.
"Melody!? Look at me. Look at me sweetheart." Amy's voice seemed to break through to her, and terrified eyes turned her way. "You are safe. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, ok? I need you to trust me though, because we can't help you if you don't."
Amy stretched a hand out, slowly. Melody studied her face for a moment, tears still on her cheeks before ever so carefully, she stretched her own hand out and placed her fingers on Amy's, prompting a smile from the redhead.
"What's happening to me?" Whispered Melody. Amy smiled reassuringly.
"I don't know, but we're going to find out ok?" Melody shook, fingers tightening. Just as Amy began to move towards her, a loud bang from outside the room echoed and Melody let out another shriek, ripping her hand away to press herself against the wall. She fell, body shaking violently as she let out anguished screams.
"Protect her head!" Rory ordered as he began to test her reactions, so Amy cushioned her head carefully, leaving the rest of her body to shake and twist. This new screaming seemed to break AJ from her reverie and she bolted over, using her hand to block and release light to Melody's eyes.
"She's trapped inside her own memories." She mumbled.
"What does that mean!?" Cried Amy frantically over the screams.
"It means they did something to her that's regressed her memories back to when she was a child! She's not in reality anymore; she's reliving some of the worst times of her life over and over again, and all inside her own head! It's the perfect prison- no escape, no time to think clearly or even coherently, no way out." Snapped AJ as she began to pace, running her hands over her hair in agitation.
"Can we stop it?" Ever the calm one, Rory's voice was raised only to be heard over the noise.
"I don't know! Amy, try to calm her again! It worked last time." Amy began to murmur softly to the sobbing woman, who began to calm almost immediately until her screams became soft cries that eventually faded out as she slipped asleep. AJ turned, frowning as she caught sight of the shell shocked people sitting on the mattress. She shoed them off and Rory slipped his arms around Melody and lifted her onto it gently, stroking her face lightly.
"Melody- that's her name? And I'm assuming she knows the doctor too?" Asked Clara quietly.
"Her name is Melody, yes, but she only answers to River. And yeah, she does." Rory answered her, wiping his brow.
"River?" Clara questioned. Amy grinned faintly.
"Long story. Just go with it."
"Melody... Like Mels?" Asked Agatha suddenly. Clara frowned as she watched the couple exchange uneasy looks at the question.
"Mum-"Amy started, but was quickly interrupted.
"No Amelia! You've been missing for eight years! Then I get kidnapped, and find you and your husband perfectly fine and apparently unconcerned with the lack of contact. There's a lady who seems to enjoy tormenting you and several others who all seem to know your not-imaginary friend and holes in my memory and a mad woman with the same name as your missing best friend and we're locked in a door less room and I would like to know what is going on!" Agatha took a deep, gasping breath which seemed unnaturally loud in the silent room.
"Mother, I think you might want to explain to them what's going on." A quiet voice came from behind them. Clara glanced back at Melody- no, River- who was now awake, calmly lying watching them exhaustedly with amused eyes, head cushioned on her arm. Thankfully, with no sign of a memory relapse.
"Mother!?" Agatha spluttered. Amy sighed, going and settling next to River and begun to speak.
"Let me tell you a story. An amazing, impossible story of a brilliant mad man who stole a magic box, and a little girl he met in a garden one night. A story of love, and loss, of hate and fear and hope. Of traps and trials and joys and triumphs, of impossible things and incredible stories but most of all, of courage, and bravery." As she spoke, she stroked the hair of the woman whose head lay in her lap, her husband smiling knowingly at her. "A story that is absolutely true..."
Hi again! I probably should be revising for my law gcse, but hey, this is much more fun! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and please tell me what you think of this one! X