Kayla Smith awoke to the early morning sun drifting across her face. At first, she tried to ignore it by squeezing her eyes and turning over, but a firm kick from the child made her face the unpleasant truth that she was up for the rest of the day. Next to her, her darling husband, John Smith, was still asleep. The blue stripped pajamas he wore were mussed from the night's rest, making the brunette frown. Ever since they had arrived at Farringham School for Boys, John's sleep had been taking a toll. At first, Kayla had put it down to stress. She was heavily pregnant and they were just making do with the income that John made. Farringham had been nice enough to allow them to sleep in some of the spare quarters they had, but it was obviously made for one person to reside in it, and it certainly was no place to raise a newborn. The quarters, however, were a blessing. The money they would have spent on a house in the village center nearby was instead saved, giving them a nice bit a money before they actually went and bought a place.
A small jerk from John made Kayla frown down at her husband, her earlier musing forgotten in favor of checking on him. She was not pleased, and not surprised, to see a slight frown on his face. She reached down and gently took his hand and gave it a squeeze. It had been her late father's technique to calm her, during those…dark times. John relaxed, but only slightly. He jerked once more and then, startling Kayla, his eyes popped open and he looked around the surrounding area until he saw her. He smiled faintly and relaxed completely.
"Did I wake you?" he asked.
Kayla gave frowned and allowed her hand to move from his. "No, I was already awake." She gave her stomach a slight pat. "He decided to wake me up."
John sat up slightly and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I still stand by my belief that our child will by a girl."
"A very feisty girl than," Kayla pointed out.
"But a girl nonetheless."
The two lapsed into a comfortable silence. Kayla occasionally rubbed her belly while John blinked the sleep out of his eyes and started to prepare mentally for the day. Just as John was swinging his legs over the bed and setting them on the floor, there was a knock on the door. Kayla got up, pulled on a robe and called in a clear voice, "Come in, Martha."
The door opened and Martha Smith, their maid, stepped into it with a tray of breakfast in hand. Martha eyes' went to John instantly and she blushed. "Pardon me, Mr. Smith, you're not dressed yet. I can come back later-"
Kayla was the one that spoke. "Nonsense, Martha. You've been our maid for a long time. Go ahead and put the tray down." Not waiting for the reply, Kayla went over to her husband's robe and held it, waiting for John to get to his feet so she could put it on for him, but he seemed lost in thought.
From the middle of the room, a clatter came as Martha placed the tray down on a table and backed away from it, her eyes respectfully on the floor. All the while, John made no move to get up and put his robe on, causing Kayla to move over to him and take his hand. "Are you alright my darling?"
John looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. "Sometimes I have these extraordinary dreams," he admitted.
Kayla frowned. "You've had extraordinary dreams since you were a child, John."
He shook his head. "There's something different about these."
"What's different about them?"
John frowned and looked down at their hands. For a long moment, the only sound in the room was Martha pulling back the curtain and tidying up. Finally, John spoke. "I dream I'm this...This...daredevil, a madman. 'The Doctor,' I'm called." He looked up at his wife's worried face. "And last night I dreamt that you were there, as my...my…lover."
Kayla blinked, her eyes widening at what John was implying. "Lover?" she managed to ask. "John, we're married. Of course we're…that."
John shook his head. "We weren't married, yet you were still pregnant."
Kayla swallowed hard. "What else was in this dream?"
"We had a companion," John said.
Kayla nodded, pleased to see that they were moving from the uncomfortable topic. "Who was this companion?"
"It was Martha."
At her name, Martha turned, startled. She looked over at Kayla and John, who were both looking at her. "Me, sir?" she asked in a timid voice. In answer, John nodded.
Kayla was the first to break the uneasy silence that had fallen in the room by laughing slightly. "A teacher, a housemaid, and his lover who's also his wife," she shook her head and gave John a smile. "Your imagination never ceases to amaze me."
John gave her a tender smile in return. "I'm glad that it makes you happy, Kayla."
Getting to her feet, Kayla walked over to a chair and sat down while John walked over to the mantle and picked up an old silver fob watch. "A man from another world, though..." he murmured as he looked at the circle that were etched into it.
"There's no such thing, John," Kayla pointed out.
John Smith nodded. "You're right, Kayla. But this watch…" he voiced trailed off as he ran his hand over the surface. He seemed as if he was about to speak once more, but he only shook his head and set it down before facing his wife and Martha with an easy grin. "Ah, it's funny how dreams slip away," he said with a shake of his head. "But I do remember one thing; it all took place in the future. In the year of Our Lord two thousand and seven."
Kayla blinked and rubbed her stomach almost thoughtfully. "Far in the future," she said in a soft voice. Taking the newspaper that Martha had brought in, she showed the front page to her husband. "November tenth, nineteen thirteen. You're completely human," she said.
John nodded and went over to sit in the matching chair next to her. "Completely human," he echoed in agreement.
School settled into its morning routine as it always did; the younger boys were in their classes while the older boys who had chosen to forgone a morning class were walking around the school or eating some food in the nearby village. As she always did, Kayla took the opportunity to walk through the campus and survey the school. The boys who went to Farringham were neat in everything they did. They had to be, for the school was preparing them for the crown's military. Many of them, Kayla knew from her husband's bemoaning, took it all as a joke.
Though Kayla had no personal experience in the military, she always thought of the same image when warfare was brought up. She would see herself in an entirely inappropriate outfit; an outfit made for a man and a man only. Her hair was cut short in this image, and she was never alone. There was a man with a similar hair color grinning at her and, very rarely, a blond haired man was near them. Kayla had no name to give to these faces, but they always came to her mind when John mentioned the fighting or she heard the gunshots in the yard as the boys trained.
Hearing the distant noise of two familiar voices, Kayla shook herself out of her musings to walk towards it. Her pace started to pick up until she was holding her skirts to a height that would be frowned upon and practically running on the floors. Had anyone seen her, she would have been highly embarrassed. Thankfully, no one did. But by the time she reached the voices, she was panting and her cheeks had a flush to them that was not appropriate.
But the two women who the voices belonged to did not mind, something that Kayla knew. She couldn't help but grin down at Martha and her fellow maid, Jenny. The two were scrubbing the floor and had paused in their conversation when they saw Kayla.
"Morning ma'am," Martha said in a polite voice.
"Good morning Martha," Kayla said in the same stiff, polite voice.
The two stared at each other for a long moment, both daring each other to break the silence with a laugh. Martha was the one to break. She snorted quietly and then blushed.
Jenny, who had been watching the pair with interest, shook her head and returned to scrubbing the floors. "You two are the oddest people here," she informed them.
The sound of footsteps caused the three to pause and look at the corridor they were coming from. Kayla smiled as she saw her husband walking down the corridor, a book in hand.
"Hello John," Kayla greeted.
John slowed down briefly and murmured a greeting in return, but he quickly disappeared up the stairs. Used to this behavior, Kayla just shook her head.
"I take it back," Jenny started, "He is, by far, the oddest person here."
Kayla's brow furrowed slightly. "He's just like that sometimes. He's honestly very kind and considerate."
"He's nice to me," Martha put in. "Not everyone's that considerate, what with me being—" she motioned to her face, clearly meaning the color of her skin.
"A Londoner?" Jenny asked, pretending to be oblivious.
Martha grinned at that. "Exactly. Good old London town!"
That set the trio into laughter. Kayla leaned against the wall. One hand went to her stomach and she rubbed it thoughtfully. "It's so stupid," she said suddenly with a shake of her head.
Martha looked up. "What is, ma'am?"
"That your skin somehow defines your worth."
Martha blinked at her and then bit her lip. "It's just how it is," she responded dully.
"Well it isn't right," Kayla said, a determined note in her voice that was just daring anyone to argue you with her. Thankfully, no one did.
However, when two senior boys, Baines and Hutchinson, walked through the corridor and paused to look down at Martha and Jenny with a sneer on their faces, Kayla felt her back stiffen. She was often unnoticed by the older boys as it showed respect to John and their marriage. Most of the time, she didn't really notice. All she did during the day was speak to Martha and occasionally help out in different departments who needed it. Her interactions with the boys were minimal at best.
But when the two stopped, Kayla just had an awful feeling that they were going to ridicule the two women, and she was right.
"Ah, now then, you two," Baines said in an authoritative voice. Martha and Jenny stopped their laughter to look up at him. "You're not paid to have fun, are you. Put a little backbone into it," he commanded.
Despite his age being so much younger than Martha's and Jenny's, they both looked down with shame written on both their faces. Jenny quickly replied, "Yes Sir, sorry, Sir."
Kayla was about to sigh in relief and make a mental not to ask John to talk to Baines and hopefully make him apologized to Martha, as talking to her in such a way was rude, but Hutchinson stopped her plans when he looked over at Martha with clear disdain and said, "You there, what's your name again?"
"Martha, Sir. Martha Jones," Martha replied, a slight frown on her face at the question.
"Tell me then, Jones. With hands like those, how can you tell when something's clean?" The two boys started to laugh at what Hutchinson had said and made to leave when Kayla cleared her throat. The two turned around, startled, and then paled some at the sight of John Smith's wife.
The rumor mill had started when John arrived with his heavily pregnant wife. Everyone wanted to see her, to find out if she was real or just an illusion to tease the younger boys. For days, the boys would stop by their room to ask a question to John. Her poor husband didn't seem to notice that once they noticed her, the visiting boy would forget their question and hurry out. Thankfully it was quickly determined that she was, indeed, an actual female who was living at the school. But then the boys started to talk. Some claimed that she had given them 'tutoring' and that she was 'extra friendly.' Others said that they had come in on her wearing less than proper clothing, or no clothing at all.
The rumors continued until someone made the mistake of saying one of them when John was nearby. The boy who had said it was a young child, but that did not save him from John's anger. Kayla still remembered his face as he apologized for the comments. She had forgiven him easily, how could she not? He was just a child. And thankfully, John made sure that no more rumors were spread about her; the stories of what John would do spread quicker than the rumors about her. The older boys naturally stepped up in a more mature role and admitted that they had been trying to diffuse the rumors and that they would make sure that none of the younger boys got any ideas.
For the most part, Kayla took them at face value. Part of her knew, as any woman in her position did, that the older boys had done much more of the fantasizing as the younger boys. But it made John happy, so she went along with it.
However, she had always disliked the two boys that were standing in front of her, Hutchinson and Baines. They had smiled at all the right times, frowned at all the right times, and punished the boys in all he right ways to make John pleased. Usually she would have turned the other way, but when the two said that how they acted was in John's name after one of the boys had been found under the floorboards, terrified and crying and bruised, Kayla felt that her husband's name should be nowhere near that act. She had no reason way; John had served in wars and committed far more violent acts, but the boy was a child who Kayla knew never spread rumors about her.
Ever since that action against the boy, Kayla had been watching the two carefully. Hutchinson and Baines had to be aware, for they were not unintelligent young men. So as their faces paled at the sight of her, a disapproving frown on her face, she took grim satisfaction that John would be displeased when he heard about what disgusting comments they had said to poor Martha.
"Where are you supposed to be?" she asked in a voice sharper than her usual soft one.
Hutchinson was the one that answered, "We have an off-period, ma'am."
Kayla nodded. "And what is your next period?"
Once again, Hutchinson answered, "History."
"With my husband, correct?" At the nods from both boys, Kayla addressed them in a stern manner, making sure they would not question her, "You will tell my husband that you insulted Martha, who belongs in our household, and then you will ask for a way to make it up to her." She waited until she was sure that her demand was understood and then she gave a nod and turned to Martha. She briefly caught the black woman smiling up at her but it disappeared quickly. "Martha, will you help me back to my quarters?"
Martha quickly got to her feet and took Kayla's arm. "Yes ma'am." Holding her in a manner that offered support, Martha walked slowly with Kayla back to her quarters.
Once they were in the rooms and the door was closed, Kayla collapsed back onto the sofa and shook her head. "Those boys will one day be in charge of the world and they don't understand common empathy." She shook her head. "I am so sorry for what they said to you, Martha."
Martha, who was standing near the couch, gave Kayla a fond smile. "It's okay, ma'am. Not many would have told them to apologize," she said in a soft voice.
Kayla sighed at that and then rubbed her stomach, a fond expression on her face. "I hope my child will grow up in far better world than this."
"I'm sure he will, ma'am," Martha agreed, her tone changing slightly.
Looking up, Kayla frowned at the odd expression on Martha's face. "Are you alright?"
Blinking, Martha gave Kayla a quick smile. "I'm okay, ma'am." She paused and then looked towards the door and then back at her.
Kayla nodded, understanding the silent question. "Go back to your duties, Martha. And apologize to Jenny for me. I should not have taken you away."
Martha nodded and, with a soft, "Thank you ma'am," she headed quickly out, leaving Kayla alone.
It was near noon when Kayla, who was preparing to go down to help out with the serving of lunch, was interrupted by Matron Joan Redfern hurrying in with a stack of John's books clutched under one arm. John was in front of her and was rubbing at his head and wincing. Kayla was on her feet as soon as she took in the scene.
"John?" she asked, concern heavy in her voice. "Are you alright?" She turned her gaze to Joan, who was placing the books down on a table. "What happened?"
Kayla and Joan were fairly good friends. Kayla had gone to Joan for help with the pregnancy and the two had bonded over time. Kayla had offer to help her out with some of the more emotional issues with the boys, who became homesick more times than any would ever let on, but Joan had said that she rather deal with the boys alone.
Still, Kayla had become good at reading the woman's face. She could read right through the wane smile that Joan gave her and knew that the rushed reply of, "He's fine," was just to placate her.
Kayla crossed her arms as Joan pulled a chair out and motioned for John to sit in it, which he promptly did. He had dealt with Joan before, when he had gotten sick with a nasty cold that turned to a fever. After all the whining he did, reviling some of the worse of the younger boys, Joan had become very stern with John. The method worked and Kayla was thankful to see that John had obeyed without making a fuss. Her stressed out nerves from the mysterious ailment that had befallen her husband would not be able to take him whining.
Joan had John bend over and started to pick at the hair on the back of his head, lifting it up to peer down at it.
"John?" Kayla repeated. "What happened to you?"
John waved a hand. "I'm fine, Kayla," he promised. "I just fell down the stairs. Nothing to be worried about."
"You fell down the stairs?" Kayla echoed. "How did you do that?"
John opened his mouth to answer but interrupted himself with a groan and then frowned heavily. Joan, however, smiled. She bent down and grabbed a small rag from her battered doctor's bag. Leaving him briefly, she came back with the rag, which was now damp, and started to dab at a spot on the back of John's head.
"It's just a little cut," she assured Kayla without looking up from her work. "I'll just clean it and it should be fine."
Kayla sent the other woman a small smile. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "And sorry for all his complaining," she added in.
As if to give credence to this apology, John groaned loudly in the chair.
Joan shook her head and hit him lightly on the ear. "Stop it. I get boys causing less fuss than this," she tried to say in a stern voice, but the slight smile on her lips gave her position of mirth away.
"It hurts!" John whined.
The door suddenly burst opened. Kayla whirled around, startled. She relaxed slightly at the sight of Martha hurrying in, her eyes wide with clear concern. "Is he alright?" she asked in a rushed voice.
Joan looked up from where she was behind John and sent Martha a disapproving look. "Excuse me, Martha. It's hardly good form to enter a master's study without knocking," she reprimanded.
Kayla bristled at what Joan had said. She had no right to reprimand Martha, as she was John's and her maid, not Joan's. Sending her quick, sharp look that she didn't seem to notice, Kayla said in a cool voice, "It is good form, Martha, for being concerned for your employer."
Martha looked over at Kayla, her brow furrowed slightly. Opening her mouth to speak, Kayla cut her off by shaking her head. Thankfully getting the message, Martha nodded and looked over at John. "They said you fell down the stairs, Sir," she informed him.
Like he had done with Kayla, John waved a hand in a clear dismissal. "No, it was just a tumble, that's all," he mumbled.
Martha looked over at Joan and crossed her arms. "Have you checked for concussion?" she asked, her voice taking on a more formal tone.
Slightly taken aback by the question, Kayla looked over at Martha. As far as she was aware, Martha had no medical training except for a few basic child books she had been reading in preparation for the baby. Kayla had also read those books and knew that it never mentioned anything about concussions. While it was common knowledge that a bad hit on the head could lead to a concussion, it still was a strange question that Martha immediately jumped to.
Joan also seemed taken aback by the question. Peering up at Martha, she replied rather sharply, "I have. And I daresay I know a lot more about it than you."
Kayla looked over at Martha in time to see her stance herself in an almost defensive pose, but then she paused. She looked down at her dress and straightened the apron on it and nodded. "Sorry. I'll just..." she looked hastily over at John and Kayla and started to back away to a table behind her, "Tidy your things," she finished.
John shrugged lightheartedly and started to speak to Kayla. "I was just telling Nurse Redfern about my dreams. They are quite remarkable tales."
Kayla hummed in agreement and looked over at Joan. "Did he mention that he's been having these dreams every night?" She asked. Her thought process was proven correct by Joan shaking her head.
Looking down at John, Joan paused in her work. "You dream the same dream every night?"
John nodded, his face starting to flush at all the attention at the dreams he had long ago decided that were unimportant. Kayla had tried to get him to talk to Joan when they had started but he had always brushed her off. This was, obviously, her one chance to make sure that her husband was okay.
"What are these dreams?" Joan prompted.
John shook his head and laughed. "I keep imagining that I'm someone else," he admitted. "This is going to sound silly—" he warned.
Joan just crossed her arms. "Tell me."
John sighed. "I dream, quite often, that I have two hearts."
Blinking, Joan looked up at Kayla, who nodded. Joan's eyes widened slightly at the serious expression on the brunette's face. Kayla knew that Joan probably thought that John was joking. It would not be the first time he had done something like that. But Kayla had always made sure that Joan, or whoever he was joking to, was aware that it was a joke. So when Kayla made sure to keep her face completely serious, she knew it conveyed the correct message that this was no joke.
More than a bit confused, Joan reached into her battered and worn doctor's bag and drew out a stethoscope. Giving John a slight smile, she placed the stethoscope against the left side of his chest and listened intently. Then, she moved it over and listened to the right side. Nodding to herself, she pulled away. "I can confirm the diagnosis- just one heart, singular."
John laughed and looked over at Kayla, who gave him a smile that didn't really go to her eyes. For some reason, she felt like this was a mistake, that he was supposed to have two hearts. Shaking her head at her own silliness, she walked over to the chair closest to Joan and John and sat down in it.
"I have written down some of these dreams in the form of fiction...um...not that it would be of any interest…" he voice trailed off and he looked down, suddenly embarrassed about his journal.
Kayla shook her head. "He's not being entirely honest, Joan. His writing is amazing. Truly, one of the best things I have ever read."
John gave Kayla a fond smile and got to his feet. "I've never shown it to anyone but Kayla," he informed Joan as he walked over to his desk. Withdrawing a dark brown, leather bound notebook. A few of the pages were more worn than others, showing that John had taken longer on them than the others. The seam in the middle was no longer holding as well, so the book itself was hardly closed. But it was clearly well cared for, and that was only underlined by how carefully John gave the journal to Joan.
Picking up how much he cared for the book, Joan took a seat next to Kayla and opened the first page of the journal. She looked down at the handwriting and smiled slightly as she read aloud, "'Journal of Impossible Things.'" Generally, she turned the pages and looked at the mixture of writing and drawings that littered them. A room filled with items that were far too futuristic to comprehend. A detailed sketch of a man in a gas mask that, from the notes, was unable to remove it.
"The creatures are quite amazing, aren't they?" Kayla asked with a smile to John, who had taken a seat across from the two. Joan just nodded, her mouth slightly open as she continued to read through the pages.
There was a creature that all John had written about was how deadly they were. It had a whisk like appendage that John had circled with a note that it killed somehow. "Such imagination," Joan murmured as she read the details on…whatever it was.
John nodded. "Mmm. It's become quite a hobby," he admitted.
Kayla gave John a teasing smile. "Every single night," she reminded him, which made him shrug sheepishly.
More pages of the journal were turned. There were creatures made out of something called plastic, a little creature whose face was small and scrunched up, and then there was a mask that looked like it was from renaissance France, but underneath was a creature that seemed to be made out of a clock!
Joan flipped the next page and looked up at Kayla. "Oh my, it's so similar to you," she gasped. Kayla looked over and blushed, seeing the sketch that John had done of her shortly after the two had moved to the school. Kayla had been a bit down at the time and John had so wanted to her see her smile. As Kayla looked down at the image, she saw the distant look in her eyes that John had captured and how her smile was slightly sad.
Joan seemed to notice this too and she looked over at Kayla. "You're so…sad," she said in a soft voice.
Realizing what image they were looking at, John looked down at his hands. "It made her smile," he explained.
"Anything you do, love, makes me smile," Kayla vowed.
Joan cleared her throat slightly, feeling as if she was intruding on a moment between the couple. She turned the page to see another sketch of a face, this one of a female with a rather cruel expression, marring what would be a pretty face. Kayla looked over and grinned. "That's Rose," she explained. "She's-"
"A horrible, horrible person," John practically snapped. Kayla looked at him, on slightly shocked. She knew that John strongly disliked that creation of his, but so far he had not spoken so…strongly about it.
Joan also seemed taken aback and quickly turned the next page before the silence that had fallen got too uncomfortable. In the corner, she peered down at an image of a box of some sort. It had a light bulb on top and doors that opened to a space that was far larger than the outside. On the page next to it, a far more detailed sketch revealed its color to be blue.
John, seeing some of the sketches, changed from the slight sulk to a very happy smile. "Ah, that's the box, the blue box, it's always there. Like a...like a magic carpet, this funny little box that transports me to far away places." As he explained, a small frown formed on his face. "It gets very lonely though. Sometimes I dream I'm in the box just by myself no Kayla and no Martha."
Kayla took John's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "They're just dreams," she reminded him.
John nodded. "It feels very real though," he murmured.
Joan turned the page and looked down at the mess of handwriting. The only thing she could make out was the littering of faces, all male and ranging in age, that was behind the writing.
"I sometimes think how magical life would be if things like this were true," John said in a soft voice.
"If only," Kayla replied with a small smile.
John laughed softly. "It's just a dream," he echoed.
Looking up to grin at the couple, Joan turned the next page to reveal a detail image of a pocket watch adorned with circles. No one seemed to realize that the exact pocket watch was sitting on the mantle in that room. Nor, did anyone realize that John had dreamed about it that night.
No one, that is, except for Martha, who had been watching the exchange between Kayla, John, and Joan with a slightly wistful expression. But then the bell rang and the exchange was over.
That night, Kayla found herself bundled up tightly in a coat that, once long ago, had fit her but now was too small for her pregnant belly. But it was the warmest coat she had, and she very much needed it that night. In the distance, she could see the lights of the pub that John and the other teachers often went to. Martha had mentioned to her that she and Jenny were planning on going over there that night and had, kindly, extended an invitation to her. Most would deem it improper or even indecent for Kayla, the employer, to go and eat with Martha, the employee, but Kayla saw no reason to see it that way. Martha was a dear friend and would help her raise her child.
"Ooh, it's freezing out here! Why can't we have a drink inside the pub?" At Martha's familiar voice, Kayla sped up her walking. She could hear Jenny laughing in response and admonishing Martha for her modern opinion.
"It's all very well those Suffragettes; but that's London, that's miles away," she was saying as Kayla walked up to them.
Martha spotted her first. Her face broke into a wide grin and she waved at the brunette. "I didn't actually think you would come," she admitted.
Jenny turned and her eyes widened. "Ma'am!" She looked over at Martha, who rolled her eyes and just shook her head at her friend's reaction.
"Hello Jenny," Kayla greeted. "Martha said I could join you two tonight, but if I'm imposing…" her voice trailed off uncertainly as she waited for the maid to response.
Once again, Jenny looked over at Martha. Martha nodded firmly, which made Jenny blink but then turned back to Kayla and smile, though it seemed slightly forced. "Of course, ma'am."
Kayla sighed. "I'm just Kayla, Jenny. You don't have to call me ma'am."
The trio of women sat down at the table. Martha went and got some hot drinks and they were soon talking and laughing with each other despite how clearly nervous Jenny was at Kayla's presence.
Martha looked up at the sky during a lag in the conversation and sighed. "Just look up there. Imagine you could go all the way out to the stars," she breathed out, a dreamy expression on her face.
"You've been reading John's book too much," Kayla said with a shake of her head.
Martha just continued to stare up at the stars. "It's not his book, really, it's just the idea," she explained. "It would be wonderful to be free to go do anything."
Jenny nodded at that. "It would be."
"One day," Martha said in a softer voice, "I'm going to go into the sky. That's where I'm going. Just all the way out."
Jenny laughed loudly. "You don't half say mad things!"
Kayla, however, had a thoughtful expression on her face. She looked up at the sky and blinked at it hesitantly, taking in the stars. "Perhaps it might one day be possible to walk among the stars."
Martha looked over at her. In the darkness, Kayla didn't see her eyes widened. "I'm only talking silly, ma'am," she said quickly.
Kayla turned away from the stars with a sigh. "Martha, please don't call me ma'am."
Martha laughed slightly at that. But all humor escaped her when a green light flared in the sky. The trio all looked up and watched as the light shot across the school and into the nearby woods, almost brushing the trees as it disappeared.
"Did you see that?" Martha breathed.
"It was beautiful," Kayla said.
Jenny looked at the two. "See what? There's nothing there."
"But you were looking at the sky," Kayla pointed out. "Surely you must have seen it."
Jenny just shook her head. "I'm sorry ma'am, but no."
Opening her mouth to once again ask to not be called 'ma'am,' Kayla cut herself off at the sound of quickly approaching footsteps. She turned to see Joan hurrying up the path looking frightened.
"Joan, are you alright?" Kayla asked, taking a step forwards to meet the woman.
Joan shook her head. "Did you see that? There was something in the woods...this light..."
"A green light?" Kayla questioned, and Joan nodded.
Turning to talk to Martha, the door of the pub opened and the light from inside flooded out. John stepped out and took in the scene in front of him. "Kayla, what are you doing out here? You could get ill!" he said as soon as he saw his wife.
Kayla took John's hand and gave him a fond smile. "It's fine, dear," she assured. "I-"
"There!" At Joan's cry, everyone looked to see her pointing to the sky. "There, look at the sky!"
As the group did, the green light from earlier flew across the sky.
"That's beautiful," Jenny breathed.
John nodded. "There...orgom. Commonly known as a meteorite. It's just rocks falling to the ground, that's all," he explained.
"It came down in the woods," Joan said, frowning at the trees in question.
John shook his head. "No, no no, they always look close, when actually they're miles off. Nothing left but a cinder," he corrected. "Now, I need to escort my lovely wife back to the school before she becomes sick," he informed the others with a squeeze of his hand. "Would anyone else like to join us?"
As no one seemed to be jumping on the offer, Martha replied, "No, we're fine, thanks."
"Then I shall bid you goodnight." Not wanting Kayla to be out any longer, John quickly got her walking with him towards the school.
First of all, I am so sorry for not updating lately. I'm in school and it's pretty hard to be able to write any fanfiction chapters for anything when I have so much homework. I was on spring break so I finally had time to sit down and write. However because of the schedule, the next time I'll likely be able to update will be sometime in June, and even that might be a bit limited because I'm in summer school for June/July.
However, since I was able to get both things of Human Nature done, I will be posting the next Human Nature chapter right after this one. I will also be updating my Gravity Falls story until it's completely caught up, if anyone is interested.
Since the Gravity Falls story won't have a sequel, I will be putting a poll on my account to see what story is wanted to replace that one. The top one will be updated every Sunday and the 2nd top one will be updated every Friday. The stories are:
A Doctor/OC Time Lady named Dezi who will starting in series 3 of Doctor Who.
A Harry Potter George/OC series.
A Guardian's of the Galaxy book that's Peter/OC.
A Deadpool book that's Wade/OC
I'll put the poll up soon so if anyone is interested please go to my account to vote!
As for this chapter, I love Human Nature. It's such a good episode. I really disliked Matron when I watched this episode, mainly because of how rude she was to Martha. While it does fit in with the mentality of that time period, it's super off-putting.
And now...review time:
NicoleR85: Thanks! I just noticed that I hadn't done Gridlock and I figured I would just put this episode in.
katraj0908: I'm honestly so excited for Utopia. The reaction with Kayla...it's actually a really sad three-parter and the next book continues with that sad theme.