5. Lythe House

I woke up to see gold light streaming into my eyes and I winced, blinking at the harshness; even the soft light was too bright for my startled eyes. It didn't seem to have any origin, and if it did I couldn't see it- my vision was completely obscure by the light.

Am I dead? I pondered idly; there was always a bright light somewhere in the films about dying.

But slowly however, the light started to lose its vitality as my eyes adjusted, and I found I could discern several blurred shapes above me, and the gold engrained into my vision allowed splotches of red to break through as the minutes slipped by. Every moment the blurs became clearer, until they weren't blurs anymore; the red occupied all of my sight and I realised I was looking up at the underside of a red, velvet bed canopy.

Some form of luxuriously soft fabric pressed against my bare arms and legs, and above that I felt the comfortable weight of a duvet- the heaviness the kind you only ever had in really expensive hotels or in rich people's houses. Sleep still clung to me, and it felt as if gravity had been increased; making my arms and legs leaden, rendering me unable to move and get out of the gentle embrace of the bed sheets. I rolled over, the silk sliding over my skin like feathers, and I felt sleep threaten to overthrow me again- it had been quietly manifesting in the corners of my mind, but now it was demanding attention. I yawned hugely and let my mind wander, welcoming the sleep that was surely to follow.

As my consciousness drifted, several images flashed into my mind; faces- people in green and blue robes; a smiling baby held in the arms of a beautiful woman. A courtyard. Another face, brown hair- I felt I knew his name, but I just couldn't remember...

The same person- but also not. Behind me, chasing me; the fear; the anger; the frustration of not being able to lose him. The images were coming in a steady stream now, and I sat up, lost in the memories.

I couldn't run fast enough- whatever pace I ran at he'd match, I knew this. He could catch me easily, but I had to do everything to stop him doing that. The Reapers...

Water- so cold, it locked my muscles instantly; the shock of the temperature making consciousness slip out of my grasp... a shout in a familiar voice. My name, called out in panic. My scream as I fell –

Within an instant, I had leapt to my feet; all thoughts of sleep gone. I looked around wildly; where the hell was I? The room was large and spacious; full of cream, gold, and red; the rich colours all blending into a kaleidoscope as my head whipped back and forth. The light that had woken me was from the two suns I could see blazing in the sky; their rays illuminating the entire room through the three huge floor-to-ceiling windows that covered the entire far wall. There were expensive looking paintings of landscapes, done in rich oil colours, and the chandelier above my head looked to be made from real crystal. I spied what looked like diamonds as well, encrusted along the ring that held the purest white candles I had ever seen. All in all, the room was luxurious, but I was too busy trying to collect my panicked thoughts to really pay enough attention to appreciate it.

First things first, I thought as I gathered a few loose, tangled thoughts together; I had fallen from a height that didn't know into some form of water- a lake or a river perhaps, not that it mattered- and fallen unconscious. Someone had got me out, brought me here and put me in this room, where I stayed for god knows how many hours...

"Doctor." I whispered, my voice hoarse as a whole new level of panic became open to me.

He didn't know where I was.

I looked around frantically, and then ran to the windows. And almost cried in frustration; one of the suns was at its morning peak, and the other was at it's evening.

Which one? I shrieked. I didn't know which one told the time; it could've been eleven in the morning, or four in the afternoon- and I didn't even know what time I had come here anyway, so I couldn't measure the hours. And anyways, how did I even know if the suns here told the time?! This was a different bit of space; a different galaxy, a different dimension even.

Oh God. I screamed in my head as another thought occurred. What if he left me here? What if he gave up looking when he couldn't find me, and he's not even on the planet anymore and has left me? And, and-

I almost screamed as the door behind me opened- in my frenzied state I hadn't even thought of trying the door- and an older woman appeared, carrying a tray.

"Oh, you're awake, I see." She said, smiling warmly; the smile faded slightly as she took in my panicked position, the terror that must have been evident on my face. "There's no need to be afraid, my dear; my name's Harla- and you are Rose, if I recall? ..." I could do nothing but nod, as my body had frozen, rending me incapable of anything else. At my response, her huge smile returned and see lifted the tray in her hands.

"Though you might be hungry after everything that happened yesterday." So I'd been brought here yesterday, I thought through my panicked haze; the new information already creating scenarios that I didn't want to see.

Without saying anything more, Harla smiled again and set the tray down on the oak table in front of me, the sight of the food making my mouth water; but I didn't relax my tense posture. Out of the corner of my eyes, my mind registered that the door that Harla had come through was still slightly ajar, and my brain whirred frantically, trying to judge the likelihood of me being able to slip past Harla. I studied her as she started speaking again; she didn't look harmful, but then again appearances could be wildly deceptive. For all I knew she could be black-belt in Tai Kwan Do and actually be twenty-eight; even though she looked more like fifty and by appearances, she couldn't life a bucket full of paper shredding and toss it over her shoulder.

"... and the bathroom is that door on your right, or you can use one of the others on this floor, if you wish." She continued, while I scrutinised her every move, just waiting for my chance.

It came when she turned towards the bed- maybe she was going to try and tie me up with the sheets? - and I didn't hesitate. I had flicked across the length of the room with a speed that would have surprised me, had I being paying attention to it, and was out of the door- slamming it shut behind me- before Harla had time to glance up.

What immediately struck me as I flew down a corridor was just how big the house was- maybe it wasn't a house, maybe I was a very fancy hotel or something; maybe it was a luxury hospital?- and it occurred to me that Harla obviously wasn't the only person in this building. I kept my eyes out for people, but all I saw was the oak-panelled walls and landscape paintings lining the walls, intercepted only by ornately carved gold candle bracket every few metres. The wholesome red of the carpet blurred as my panicked strides pounded into it; my bare feet sinking deep into the soft material.

I heard a shout behind me- it sounded like Harla. The woman had a loud voice. I still had my face turned behind me when the corridor ended and a stairwell going to the floor below loomed up in front of me, directly in my path.

Fortunately, however, I didn't get an opportunity to fall down the stairs, as I crashed into the figure coming up the stairs instead. He must have seen me coming because I felt the resistance as I slammed into him; his feet were apart, braced against my extra weight as we both teetered on the stairs, on the edge of falling. I looked up into the Doctor's face and felt the panic increase-

Not again.

"Hold up, where are you going?" He asked softly, his voice making my heart slow just a fraction. But only slightly- so slightly that it couldn't override my brain as it made me thrash against his strong grip, desperate for him to let go. I couldn't pull away, no matter how hard I tried. Without thinking, I threw myself at him- channelling all of my weight onto his chest, and felt his knees buckle and he slipped backwards, taking me with him. Together, in a sort of unintentional embrace, we tumbled down the stairs- a tinkling sound following as something smashed- the world spinning around and around until we landed with a thump at the base of the stairs, with me on top.

For a moment I forgot I was trying to escape as I took in the rapidly spreading bruise on the young Doctor's cheek. I shot him an apologetic look.

"Sorry." I said meekly, and he laughed; to my surprise, I felt a laugh of my own join his. Abruptly, my smile disappeared as I took in our position; somehow I'd manage to straddle him the process of flinging the both of us down the stairs. Hiding my embarrassment, I got of him and stood up. "Sorry about that." I said again, nodding to indicate what I meant, and he laughed again.

"Don't worry about it; you're not the first half-naked female to leap at me." He answered smugly as he stood up. I blinked at him- I was about to argue back that I hadn't 'leapt' at anyone, but then the rest of his sentence sank in and I looked down.

"Oh, bloody hell." I half-shrieked as I realised that I wasn't wearing... well, that much. "Er, where are my clothes?" The young Doctor laughed even harder, almost bent double with his amusement, and I felt my face heat up even more.

Thank God I'd worn matching underwear.