Chapter Six
(This chapter is dedicated to RandomVictorian who waited patiently for a fanfiction update while I worked on the start of my first real novel!)
"But first, we are being lead around by a girl from my past, and I don't know how trusting I am right now. Who are you?"
Kitty looked at him sadly. "I don't know." The Doctor scoffed and replied, "Kitty this is no time for games. The universe is at danger because Clara and I being here right now is the biggest paradox you could imagine. So, I'll ask again. Who are you?"
"But I don't know. I don't know why I am the one who ran into you, but there has to be some reason, okay? Let's keep it at that." Kitty took her backpack, dumped everything out, and stuck seemingly random objects in it. To her, duct tape, a full water bottle, a tiny folding stool, two pairs of sunglasses and a rusty hammer were necessities for saving the universe. She walked to her door and kept going, leaving the door open so the Doctor and Clara could follow. The street was deserted with most people still at work and kids still in school. The only sounds were the footsteps of the three that didn't belong. "So, Doctor," Kitty called, "How much time do we have to 'save the universe?'" The Doctor pulled up his sleeve and squinted his eyes at this small watch. "We've already wasted so much time. Only about half an hour. That's if we're lucky and the void holds up." Everyone slowed down and thought about how much danger they were in. "Half an hour? You go out to eat for half an hour. You go to the grocery for half an hour. You don't save the world in half an hour," Clara half-shouted. "But we," the Doctor grabbed Clara's shoulders and looked at her face, "Are the best people for the job, 'ey?" Clara nodded, along with Kitty who started smiling. "I know someone who can help us, I think. But you might want to put some glasses on," Kitty said.
"Why should I," the boy grumbled. "We did not run all the way through the neighborhood for this. We are kind of on a really important deadline here so, if you could just help us that would be helpful," the Doctor argued. "So what, British guy?"
Clara stepped in and said, "I don't need to hear it from ya, alright? I've had a horrible day and you have an attitude that I don't appreciate. So I recommend you get off your butt and help us because your friend Kitty, and us, told you so."
The boy slowly sat up, stretching out his neck and shaking crumbs of potato ships off his dirty shirt. "Fine, what do you need, or whatever?" "You're a nerd, right? Like no offense, I know I am one as well, but you're good at math?" The boy dizzily stared off into space, not paying the slightest attention to Kitty. "ZACK!" He snapped back to life and glared at her. "Sure, I guess I'm good at math, geeze." He got off his couch, still stretching, and looked around his apartment. Zack looked 20-something, so he was old enough to have his own flat, but his hardly looked any better than Kitty's. "Then, we need you to help us. Alright here's the bomb: we don't belong in this universe. In this universe, we're not real and we need you to hold open the gateway so we can get back home." Zack huffed loudly and nodded. "Sure, British guy, I think I can try. I just hope you aren't some hallucination caused by that taco I bought at the gas station. What do I need to do?"
"We need to fix their TARDIS," Kitty causally said. "Their, what? Like, British guy and girl are like-WAIT, WHAT?" Zack eyes wildly darted back and forth, trying to absorb the statement. "Uh, Miss Oswald, I'm here at your service." He oddly bowed, still while staring at the Doctor, not really believing.
They moved out the door, and Zack followed, still with chip crumbs stuck artfully on his V-neck shirt. He squinted in the sunlight once outside, but had not time to stop; the gang was basically running to the school, where everything started. Everyone's feet smacked the group rhythmically, moving so fast people stared as the Doctor and his friends went by. The TARDIS was still there, sitting peacefully by the school. Kitty trailed behind, eventually stopping. "You alright," Clara called to her. Kitty eyes grew wide. "There's…there's something wrong."
The TARDIS began to shake violently back and forth, nearly tipping over each time it rocked. The Doctor attempted to calm her down, but he jumped back. The TARDIS was out of control, something was wrong. The closer Kitty got, the more the TARDIS jerked and rumbled. "Kitty?" Clara turned to her, and studied her. She knew why this whole thing happened. "I UNDERSTAND!"
Kitty had her knees locked and only stayed where she was. "What?" Clara grabbed Kitty by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "I understand!" Kitty seemed very scared by this all. "I'm not sure I do," she replied. "Ever since the Doctor fell through to you, the time vortex holes have been attracted to you. You keep getting pulled along on the Doctor's time stream. You probably can't remember any of it, but it's happening inside you right now. You're not really here, Kitty. And you haven't been for a long time. His timeline past and present is inside of you. And we need to get it out or you might die."
A little lie would never hurt anyone, right? And if it's about a life and death situation or in this case, life or no life at all, it's best to hold secrets.
1. This is a parallel universe, but that was already known.
2. Kitty Wellston never existed, and even she didn't know