I grew up in a family where being falsely accused was a common occurrence. People would constantly assume I, or someone else in my family, had committed some small act of crime and would base this accusation purely by my background.
Every one of my brothers and sisters had started off as a foster child in the large three-storey run down building we called Home. Eventually the small children became adopted if our foster parents decided it was the perfect match for them. I was the third child to be adopted at seven years old, when the man I will always call my father realised I felt like his own true daughter. But some stories have a sad ending, and just like the story of Cinderella his wife died. He was left with six children who he brought up as best as he could.
Because of our background, though, every person we met would blame us for whatever disaster that would befall them.
Oh! A dollar is missing from my wallet, surely it is the young foster girl from down the road who is the cause of this.
What do you mean my son broke into that house, It is the foster girls fault for persuading him to break in.
Honestly, I got used to the accusations ranging from lost spare change to apparently attempts of murder when I tripped and fell on an old lady who was harassing me. I think the stress all became too much for my father who soon passed away from heart troubles, leaving all six of us children in the care of his sister.
Let's just say she may have been the old lady, and I may not have tripped.
But that whole experience as a child gave me one very important skill. How to protect myself. So the very moment The Doctor's face changed from a look of trust to one of accusation, I felt myself trying to build up the brick walls he had started to tear down. I no longer look at The Doctor with interest, but instead look at him with defensiveness mixed with a slight streak of hurt.
"You can't think I'm the one who did this!" My face must look stunned and bewildered as the friend I finally thought I was making destroys every happy feeling I've previously felt. The idea occurs to me that if I cannot put back up my walls completely I will let him be the one person to destroy me, but I can't focus completely on that now. "You can't blame this all on me because I suggested we look in here, why would I give away the exact position of that remote thing if I had put it in this very room!"
I can hear my voice rise hysterically as I realise I have lost control, I've worked so hard to get away from being blamed for everything, for it all to come back to me again now it's more painful then I could ever imagine.
"Calm down. I was just-" He starts to reply when I feel a surge of anger plough through me.
"No. You cannot be suspicious of me because of one dumb coincidence when everything about you doesn't make sense! I've tried not to judge you, I've accepted every strange thing you do. But still. You have continuously suspected me of this... this... crime, from the moment you woke up!"
I get the feeling The Doctor is the sort of man to rise for any battle, I mean he's willingly trying to stop people from being suspended in time even though no one has asked him to. But as I defend myself I can clearly see he is not prepared and doesn't want to argue with me, or not anymore at least. I know deep down he isn't intentionally trying to hurt me, and maybe the evidence does look bad. But I am a normal 18 year old who shouldn't be treated like this.
"I... I guess I hit a nerve there... I apologize, you're right."
Finally something I'm correct about. At least for one second I can take a deep breath and forget the tears in my eyes, to relax, even if it is only for a moment.
"But I have every right to be suspicious." He says to me, voicing every word carefully like hes walking on ice. Oh god... why is this affecting me so much, why can't he just accept that I'm innocent.
"Lia, this device is built to suspend all of earths creatures including humans and a species called the Zygons. Anything else is free to move." He look like he's waiting for me to register what he's saying but instead I disappoint him with a look of confusion. "Lia Marie. Are you human?"
"What sort of question is that. Of course I'm human! Why!? How is that even optional!" I'm sure only dogs can hear me now with how high my voice is sounding, that is, if they weren't all suspended in paused animation because they have the luck of being from earth. What am I saying. I am from earth.
"Of course its optional. What? You honestly thought humans were the only intelligent inhabitants of this planet?" He says the words that could be taken harshly, as soft as he can, like he's trying to break bad news to me. "Think about it."
"But that makes you an alien. I've been talking to an alien. I've been..." I catch myself before I say the words 'dreaming about an alien' before the real truth clicks into place. I can see he is telling me the truth by the way his face shows a mix of sympathy, sadness and excitement. " I... Am an alien..."
"Yes!" He voice oozes excitement before he clears his throat and straightens his bowtie. "You're a-"
"Hold on... let me take in the alien bit before you start... naming planets." Against my better judgement I sit down on the unhygienic bench next to the sinks. I bet if any other person was experiencing this they would be spouting sentences about how it all makes sense, how they never fit in to earth anyway. But I do fit in.
Sure I didn't have the perfect upbringing, but I always felt loved and like I had a home, that is, up until I turned 18. Is it sad that I wish I could forget the whole fact I'm an alien in the first place so I can go back to my lame human life?
"What kind of alien are you? I mean I don't know why I'm asking since I'll have no clue what you're talking about but..." I mutter, still in shock over everything.
"I'm a Time Lord."
"Well at least your race is humble. Ok then. Tell me what I am. As long as you don't tell me I'll start growing tentacles I'm sure I'll be ok now..." A headache hits me as the stress mounts, although, I would be insane if I weren't intrigued.
"You are..." He pauses for what must be dramatic effect but instead turns into an annoying wait. "You are a Minyan."
A laugh falls from my lips as I have no choice but to take it as a joke. "What? Like those little annoying yellow things from the movie? Is this some way for you to invite me to follow you around and do chores? Because, it's really not gonna happen."
"Not Minion, Min-Yan. Oh... my species and yours go way back... I even helped them restart their civilization when I was younger..." He seems to look back on the memories fondly before he remembers something not as nice. "But. Let's leave that conversation for a later date! In fact! Lets never talk about it again."
And he thinks I'm the suspicious one.
I don't know. It felt like I wanted to throw a twist in here already. The Minyan's are actually an alien from Classic Who with a long history all about the time lords, they were in a fourth Doctor story and have a very interesting fact about them that I will use in a later chapter... *insert evil laugh here* If anyone comes across the fact I will throw in one alien of your choosing in a adventure further along in the story