Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who
Chapter 3
The air was crisper out here in the country than in the city. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the houses were so much farther away from one another. Maddie shivered in her thin jacket as she hopped from the automobile. Patches of blue in the trees caught her attention, and she glance over to see a large blue box hidden in the foliage. The lantern on the top glinted in the noon-time light, and Maddie could read the first word on the panel above the door: Police.
"…us if you notice anything strange." The smiths rounded a corner in the walk to see a tall man in a tan coat and red shoes next to a read-head in a violet dress. "Thank you for your time," the man continued.
"Our pleasure, Doctor…?" the man in the school replied, tilting his head as he prolonged the word. "doctor".
"Smith. Doctor John Smith," the tall man finished hurriedly.
"And I'm Miss Noble," the woman added in a thick cockney accent. "Just for reference." They turned and strode down the front walk, passing Maddie and her family as they went. Doctor Smith caught Maddie's eye, and nodded respectfully.
"They're all noticing those ridiculous trainers," Maddie thought she heard the woman whisper, but the approaching teacher drove the thought from her mind.
"Welcome to Sandwethers," the teacher stated, grasping Father's hand in a firm handshake. He bowed to Maddie and her mother, and they nodded their greeting. "I am professor Credits. Your host and headmaster of this school. Please, come inside."
"John Smith? Really?" Donna huffed, slamming her hand down on the T.A.R.D.I.S. console. "What are we searching for?" Donna never knew what to expect when the Doctor was like this.
"The T.A.R.D.I.S. picked up a signal near Michigan in about 2008 and traced in back here." The doctor bent to study the screen, not looking at Donna. Donna rolled her eyes.
""What kind of signal?" The doctor grabbed a mallet and struck a keyboard. The console spat sparks inches from Donna's hand, and Donna jumped back. "Oi!"
"Wha-? Sorry." The Doctor glanced up, large eyes not really seeing her. He strode past her and pulled down a lever, putting the T.A.R.D.I.S. into motion. The telltale whoosh filled Donna's ears. "In 2008, someone built a time travel machine and it ripped into the time vortex. It spat them out around this time, give or take a decade."
"Why should we care?" Donna asked. The Doctor could get so worked up about this kind of stuff. She had to ask questions like this to get straight answers out of him.
"The damage done the time vortex would have altered the traveler. Just using a certified vortex manipulator is rough, but oh, this would have been catastrophic.
"We'll just have to stick around and find what it is, then," Donna sighed. SO much for that trip to a planet with diamond dirt.
The headmaster ushered Maddie and her family to the parlor. The whole building gave Maddie the willies. In comparison to the vibrant colors of her home, the school's browns, blacks and burgundies had a morose, serious appearance. The dusty floor creaked beneath her boots and Maddie held back a cry when she saw something skitter across the floor. Automatically, her foot lifted several inches into the air to avoid whatever it was. Nasty place, she thought. They left their luggage in a corner to be dealt with later, and Tom ran up to greet all of them.
"How is everyone?" he asked delightedly as he embraced his parents and crushed Maddie in a bear hug. She felt slightly winded when he let go. "What about the nightmares?" he whispered in Maddie's ear.
"Not one in thirty-five days," she whispered back. "I think I'm cured."
"I have a few friends I'd like you to meet," Tom said, grinning widely. "This is Michael Traines, my best friend." A young man with dark hair that hung in his eyes stood up and walked over. He shook father's hand and bowed to Maddie and her mother.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Traines," Maddie piped in first. Since she had hardly left the house these past nine years, she wanted to act like a normal girl her age. She might as well start by being civil to her brother's friend.
"Now, I'm not sure where our chap, Geoffrey ran off to, but he ought to turn up by suppertime," Tom added, peering out a window.
"Whoa," Geoffrey whispered, pausing at the parlor entrance, out of sight. He could feel something washing out from the small doorway, poisoned by suppression: Fear. Geoffrey entered the parlor, all charm and business, like he had trained himself.
"Hey, there. Speak of the devil!" Tom exclaimed with a grin, spotting Geoffrey. He stood, and the other people in the room turned to look at the new arrival.
"Thomas," the girl hissed, narrowing her eyes at Tom. "That's not a polite-" The older woman's hand on the girl's shoulder cut her reprimand short.
"This is my friend, Geoffrey Market, "Tom said, waving Geoffrey over. "Geoffrey, these are my parent and my sister, Maddie.
"Mr. Smith. Mrs. Smith. Miss Smith." Geoffrey nodded to each of them in turn before taking a seat next to Michael.
"Now, where was I?" Tom asked, dropping back onto his chair.
"You were elaborating on your many exploits fighting the many trials in the woods behind the school," Michael said in a deadpan. Geoffrey saw Maddie's hand go up to cover her mouth, and her eyes twinkle. The level of suppressed fear dropped, removing the warmth in Geoffrey's gut. Was she what it was coming from?
"I'm surprised they could even get her out of the house," Tom had said. Was this what he had meant? With this level of suppression, she must have had a phenomenal psychiatrist.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I wrote this in hopes that
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