Juliet was positively giddy with excitement at her first inter-stellar journey. The very first time Lucy had mentioned being able to ride on the currents of the Aurora Borealis, she knew she wanted to try. "You don't mind going again, do you, Lucy? Doctor?" Lucy laughed and said,
"Jules, that's not exactly something you get tired of. What do you say, Doctor?" He only smiled wryly and wordlessly set the controls. Lucy would probably never know how he did it, but in a matter of seconds, he gestured toward the doors of the ship. "Go on then, they're out there waiting for you." he said. Lucy grinned and started leading her twin toward the ship, but Juliet was standing still and soon, Lucy had to stop short or trip, or possibly injure her sister. "Go on then, Jules. The Doctor said we're there. Have you changed your mind?"
"No, it's just…that's space out there. You can't open the doors and expect to be safe, it's a vacuum!"
"The T.A.R.D.I.S. protects us, Jules. Come on, I'll show you." And without further ado, Lucy stepped to the threshold of the beloved vessel and opened the doors. She breathed in the air like it was a brisk fall morning that she was relishing. She turned back to Juliet and smiled widely, miming like she was going to jump out. Finally, the never before cautious Juliet scampered to Lucy's side and breathed in with her.
Juliet looked down at the multi-coloured waves, undulating like they were under the sea instead of over the Earth. "You're right, Lucy. It's brilliant, it's absolutely smashing." Lucy smiled and simultaneously, the sisters put their arms round each other. The Doctor looked at them, only able to tell them apart from the back by their clothes, and the slightly straighter way Lucy stood. She looked like she was poised, coiled and ready to spring at any moment. Juliet's stance suggested ease, readiness, a malleable quality that her sister possessed as well, but apparently chose not to showcase.
They had only left Earth and the grisly sight at the London fashion week tent hours ago. Juliet had insisted on being taken home to pack a few things. She wasn't sure if she was staying on as a permanent guest yet. Something about the way the Doctor looked at Lucy made her want to stay. It was the same that made her want to leave when she saw how Lucy in turn looked at the Doctor. She wasn't sure how she felt about this; he was an alien, for Christ's sake! But Lucy trusted him, and that was saying something. For almost their whole lives, they'd only been able to count on one another. And now Lucy had someone else, and Juliet was happy for her. Well…mostly. She did feel that pang of jealousy she knew was unjust. Lucy had never asked for anyone else, had denied needing anyone at all more vehemently than Juliet herself. Juliet had been able to sense from the beginning that Lucy's now ex-boyfriend, James, was bad news. When he'd started displaying qualities not unlike their father's, Lucy had turned to Juliet, and Juliet had helped her. That was one of the few times in life that Juliet had needed to comfort and guide her twin. Usually, like when Juliet was out of money, or thinking particularly long about their mother, it was Lucy who did the consoling. It was Lucy who had encouraged Juliet to go to Mumbai to help with hunger relief, all the while cautioning her and giving her sage advice.
Now it seemed that Lucy had someone else, someone other-worldly to go to for advice. The Doctor had remained in the T.A.R.D.I.S. while Juliet was gathering her things and so she and Lucy had gotten a chance to speak. Lucy told her more of what happened on New Earth, since she'd asked.
"I can't ignore your injuries, Lucy! It was bad enough when I had to give you blood because you fell out of a window, which I know isn't true, by the way." Juliet had said.
"I just…don't know that I'm ready to talk about it." Lucy had tried to deflect her.
"Lucy, I deserve to know, you told me that you'd never lie, never keep secrets. All those years ago you told me and now this?" Juliet would not be deflected. Lucy sighed, running a hand over her face. Peering closer, Juliet indeed saw that there were teeny tiny scars around her wrists, barely visible at all, except in certain lights.
"All right." she'd said at last. "I was kidnapped by these people called the Alliance of the Sun. They had information, I dunno, implanted into people, and obviously I didn't. They shot the Doctor and when I woke up I was in this dungeon type room, only it wasn't a dungeon, 'cause there was a window. Anyway, I met this girl, Cara Small and she told me all about them. They thought we were terrorists or something and they took me into this other room…and they tried to torture me into talking."
Juliet clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes already misting over. She made as if to hold her sister to comfort her, but apparently, Lucy didn't need it. She went on. "They, they broke my nose, and put out a fag on my arm and tried to starve me. I never said a word, almost the whole time. But then this guard came and took Cara away and he brought her back just in time for me to watch her die." And now Lucy did start crying, but she wouldn't go to her sister. It appeared as though she was holding herself up only by the hand gripping the bed post. Her knuckles had turned white. She told her twin of how she'd ripped her hands out of her bonds and killed the guard. And then she had to stop for a moment, because she reeled and looked like she was about to be sick. This time, she did let her sister run to her and Juliet held her, the two of them sitting on the floor. Lucy told Juliet everything that had happened from New Earth until they'd arrived back on old Earth, back in the present. When she finished, both girls were crying and Juliet was stroking her sister's hair, cooing soft reassurances to her.
Juliet snapped out of her reverie and once again took in the beauty of the Auroras. She reached up and gave Lucy's hand a squeeze and the two of them stepped back from the edge and sighed. The Doctor was already walking up to them, and sidestepping so as not to spilt them up, he reached round and closed the doors. "So what did you think, ma petit soeur?"
"I'm not exactly your little sister. You're only older by five minutes. And at any rate, I thought it was perfect." Lucy and the Doctor both smiled at her.
"So," said the Doctor, "Where are we going next?" Lucy shook her head and looked at Juliet. Juliet in turn looked her sister in the eyes, her eyes, and thought.
"I want to go some place mysterious. Mumbai is one thing, but extra-terrestrial adventure is quite another!"
The Doctor and Lucy exchanged exasperated glances. Lucy had had enough adventure to last more than her whole lifetime, and the Doctor, over one hundred times as much, probably. Lucy sighed, and said, all the while looking at the Doctor, at the man she'd fallen in love with, "In the morning, twin."
The jackals were circling in on her, bloodthirsty and dripping saliva, snarling their hunger. Lucy found that she could not back away, because now they were behind her too, twelve in all, trapping her, leaving her defenseless. Where was the Doctor? Why had he left her? The jackal that appeared to be the leader crouched lower and gave a growl that sent shivers down Lucy's spine. He was pulling his lips back over his teeth, which were pointed and had old stains on them looking horribly like blood. He leaped at her and she flinched, closing her eyes, ready to die, ready to feel his teeth tearing into her flesh. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes. The jackal jumped again, and this time she watched what happened. He leaped for her throat but when he got about six inches from her he stopped and fell short, as if held back by an invisible force-field. She stared at the jackals all pacing back and forth, perplexed and angry. But now her vision was blurring and something was shimmering and shining in front of her. Was that…? Yes, it was an angel! But that made no sense; Lucy had long since given up on religion. And then she saw that it was not an angel. No wings, no halo, no whimsical harp. It was however, an ethereal vision of her mother. She was dressed, not in a flowing dress of gossamer, but in the hospital gown she had died in. And there were the many scars and signs of her difficult life. Emmaline was smiling though, and that was all Lucy needed. She held her arms out, as if to embrace her and said, "My sweet, sweet child. I'm so proud of the person you've become. And I can only imagine what you still have to accomplish. The Doctor has been teaching you well."
"But how can you know about that, mum?"
"Lucy, dear, I know more than you can guess. You have already been told several times that you were born to survive. You've lived through things no ordinary person would, and you've become better and wiser for all that." Lucy didn't know about that, but listened patiently to her mother's soothing voice, her sweet, even cadence. "You have even more trials to go through, and before long you will face your greatest adventure yet. But know that at all costs, you can survive."
"So, what, I'm immortal?"
"No, Lucy, you're not immortal. But you do have an innate gift that protects you, or more accurately, that gives you the power and the tools to protect yourself. I have to go now, dear, but the Doctor is waiting for you." And without another word, without waiting even for Lucy to say goodbye, Emmaline faded away. Lucy was left back in the company of the famished jackals. She braced herself for whatever was coming; her mother had said that she could survive. The lead jackal tensed again, coiled muscle quivering in anticipation and then he leaped. But this time, no force-field held him back and Lucy could feel his hot breath on her neck and face as his weight forced her to the ground. He bared his teeth to her again and just as he was about to sink them in-
Lucy was roused roughly by her sister. Lucy blinked up at her, not quite comprehending. At last, she seemed to remember the circumstances in which Juliet had come to be on the T.A.R.D.I.S. and that she had been dreaming of jackals and Emmaline. What had it meant that Emmaline had said that she had the tools to survive, but when she left, Lucy had been taken down, about to be devoured? What was she missing? Was this an omen that she would survive more than was ordinary, but that one day would come something that even she could not withstand? She shoved these and more questions out of her mind, as she was no longer able to drown out her twin by sheer force of will.
"Lucy, come on, I've decided where I want to go! Get up, twin, get up!" Juliet was never patient and today was no exception. Lucy waved her away with a groan and a flippant wave of her hand. Juliet rushed out, rolling her eyes, and Lucy ran a hand through her hair, finally sitting up. Maybe she'd ask the Doctor about her dream.
For now, she pushed the covers away and quickly showered and dressed, not wanting to invoke Juliet's wrath. Lucy emerged from her room wearing something that could cover many of Juliet's ranging interests. She had on light khaki trousers, and an angora off-the-shoulder grey sweater. She had swept her hair back into a lose bun that fell out in some places. She smiled at her sister's rapt face; she was practically glowing. "Go on then, tell me where we're going." She said, trying to sound chipper after her troublesome dream.
"The Black Forest." Juliet announced, beaming. Lucy blinked, not understanding.
"T-the Black Forest? Like, in Germany?"
"Yes! Isn't it brilliant?"
Lucy leaned in to the Doctor who had come to stand beside her. "All of time and space to pick from and she wants to traipse round the woods?" The Doctor chuckled and Juliet hit her sister playfully on the shoulder. "Lucy, you know I'd never be able to pick from all of that. There's just too much. So this is a place I've always wanted to go and now I have the opportunity. Come on, twin, let's go to Germany." Lucy grinned, always appreciative of her sister's quirks, and newly appreciative of her practicality. "What are we waiting for then, Doctor? It's off to the Black Forest we go."
Minutes later, the twins and the Doctor were walking into Germany's most famous forest in the early morning sun. The air was crisp and birds could be heard chirping high above them. The Doctor was walking slightly ahead of the girls, hands as always, in his pockets and looking around, excited. As they walked he rattled off a few facts at a rapid pace. "120 km long, 60 km wide, the Black Forest is home to horses, cows and giant earthworms and is bordered by the Rhine Valley to the West and South. We are closest to the Danube River as well as several of the medieval mines. Welcome, ladies, welcome indeed." Juliet and Lucy smiled, Lucy running ahead like a small child. Just as the Doctor had mentioned mines, she had spotted the opening to one.
It was partially caved in, sandstone falling in random places and covered in layers of dust. The entrance was about fifteen feet tall and standing in front of it, she could feel the dank air emanating from it. It was cooler than the air surrounding her, and in certain light, she could see the dust particles floating about her. It smelled slightly stale and soon she got a foreboding feeling that grew stronger the longer she stood there. Her unease was soothed a little when she felt the Doctor standing beside her. They were shoulder to shoulder, his head angled toward her. "Did you find something, Lucy?" She looked up at him, unsure. Her brow furrowed and she bit her lip. At that moment, Juliet strode up and saw her sister's face. "Lucy the Thinker, eh? Rodin would be proud." But when Lucy did not echo Juliet's smile, she too furrowed her brow. "What, is it that mine? What about it, Lucy?"
Lucy shook her head, still not sure what to make of it. "I dunno, really. I felt the air, which isn't so strange by itself, but then there's the dust, it's not like normal dust you can see in the light. And, and I just got this, this feeling. Like I'm forgetting something really important, or like I know something bad is about to happen, but I don't know what it is or how to stop it." The Doctor frowned, and Lucy thought that he could feel it too, that tugging sensation at the back of his mind. His deep eyes that she held so dear searched the immediate area. They then lingered on the dust coming out of the mine entrance. And then his eyes grew wide, his mouth falling half open. He didn't even pause to tell them what was going on; he just walked straight into the mouth of the mine. He held an arm in front of him, angled, like he could use it as a shield. Lucy and Juliet traded worried glances and then followed him in; he hadn't forbidden it. They walked in utter silence for about five minutes, traveling the ill-formed pathways, their only source of light, the Doctor's illuminated sonic screwdriver. At long last, he stopped walking and looked up at the high ceiling. The twins saw more dust than ever. That was strange; it shouldn't be there at all. "Doctor?" Lucy asked, voice sounding more timid than she would have liked. "What's going on? What is all this?" The Doctor looked down at her and said,
"They're Somnium Parasites. Dream Parasites, to translate. They get inside your head and plant images there. They can show you anything they like. They can make you realise your darkest fears, relive your worst moments, anything."
"So shouldn't we get out?" This came from Juliet, who was already tugging at Lucy's sleeve.
"Yes, yes we should. Because they're awake. And they've been without a brain to feed on for a very long time."
"Feed on!" Lucy hissed, "What happens to you after they get inside your head? How do you get them back out?"
"You just have to wake up." Lucy stared at the Doctor, puzzled. That didn't seem so hard. Lucy looked up again and saw that the dust, the Somnium Parasites were moving. They seemed to be searching, reaching. The Doctor looked up and saw it too.
"Run!" he shouted and he darted forward, grabbing Lucy's hand as he did. Juliet had already cut in front of them and was now leading the way out. Lucy looked behind her and saw the Somnium Parasites were gaining on them.
"Go faster, go faster!" she shrieked, and the Doctor picked up the pace. But Lucy knew it was already too late. Her world slowed down as they closed in on her and she squeezed the Doctor's hand in terror. She vaguely heard Juliet shouting, already out of the mine, sounding farther away than she really was. And just as daylight was beginning to hit her face again, a small cloud of dust seemed to lunge at her before she fully reached the outside world and then she saw nothing and felt nothing and accepted her fate, fading into blackness.
