Hey again! So, another chapter already! I wrote 3 chapters yesterday, so the next chapter is coming up today too! How Awesome, eh?! This kinda feels like a warm-up chapter before things start to get going. Oh, and if you were wandering what the ginger's name is - she does have one, I'm just not gonna tell you what it is yet. I'm evil like that. It gets a bit more Whovian very soon. And thank you so much bitbyacullen for reviewing! MEGA-CUDDLE! Enjoy~
Chapter 2: Tick Tock
~3 Years Later~
The teenager looked out across the city before her. She sat, once again, curled up by the top window in the Orphanage. She gazed out across the expanse of grey before her, twirling a golden pocket watch attached to a chain round her neck.
She had had it for as long as she could remember. It was the only link she had to her parents, whoever they were. She would never admit it to anyone, but sometimes she felt like she could hear her parents' voices calling to her from inside the watch, telling her to open it. And she had tried to, many a time, but it refused to open, ticking softly to itself as it stayed closed to the world.
Letting the chain swing, the 13 year-old simply sat and stared out of the ancient glass. Shifting her focus, she saw her own reflection in the old bent pane. She was small, no denying that. Her figure could be perceived as being slightly under-developed for her age group. Her nose was too big, her chin too pronounced. Her favourite features were her bright green eyes and her hair. A deep reddish ginger, her hair went to just past her shoulders and flopped into her right eye. A tiny smile flickered across her face - some things never change.
Her gaze returned to the outside world. So absorbed was she in taking in the grey view that she didn't see the housekeeper until she was right behind her. The bright haired teen whirled around to face the older woman. "Come, they're waiting." The housekeeper spoke without emotion.
The teen's movements were lithe as she rose and proceeded down the stairs. Reaching the main hallway, she turned and entered a dingy lounge. On one of the old green sofas sat a young duo with their backs turned to her. On the other sat the Orphanage mistress and an oddly familiar man. The housekeeper prodded the teen forwards into the centre of the room, where she stood with her arms folded. The duo on the first sofa looked her over appraisingly. "Too old." The woman announced firmly. The mistress nodded stiffly and the ginger made to depart. Only to be stopped by the housekeeper. Turning back, the odd man rose and crossed over to the girl. Taking her arm, he led them both from the lounge and into the equally dingy library on the other side of the building.
There was a soft click as he locked the library door behind them. The ginger glanced around worriedly - alone in a locked room with a strange man could never be good as far as she was aware. She spoke first. "Who are you?" Her voice was muffled by the close space, but rang with a clear British accent nevertheless. He looked down at her, his dark eyes betraying nothing. She stood her ground, refusing to be cowed by his coldness. A single dark eyebrow rose up on the pale face and he said "Sit."
Without meaning to, she sat on an old wooden chair. Moving in front of her, the man spoke haltingly, as if English were not his mother tongue. "Just a check, yes, to see all is proceeding right." Her own eyebrow twitched this time as he faced her. Raising his left fist to her eye level, the girl saw a dark ring on his finger. The darkness slowly seeped out of the stone and into her mind, sifting through her memories as though searching for something.
As he approached her thoughts of the pocket watch, the girl was struck by a sudden urge to hide what she thought she heard. Without thinking, she drew down a mental barrier, locking the watch out of his grasp. The darkness hit the wall of thought and the man hissed as if in pain. He quickly finished scouring her mind and the darkness withdrew back into the stone.
As the last cold tendrils left her, the girl slumped in her chair. She was exhausted and her hair was plastered across her face with sweat. The man rose silently and left the library without a word, the door standing open after he had departed. The teen took her leave and went upstairs.
By the time she had washed the sweat out of her hair, her memory of the man and his ring was faded into almost non-existence, but a feeling of unease remained, as it always did, surrounding her watch. Something big was going to happen soon, she could feel it. Whatever it was, it would concern the watch. And it would change her life forever...