Thank you for your reviews :) They cheered me up so much I immediately wanted to write a new chapter. And to clear a little something up: the romantic trip the Doctor was talking about was a reference to a Classic Who episode in which the 4th Doctor and Romana took a trip to Paris. He didn't view getting breakfast with Clara as a date ;)

Chapter 4

"I would like to speak to Mrs Flint," said the stern voice on the other end of the telephone, who had introduced herself as Mrs Miller, a secretary at Coal Hill.

Clara was a little taken aback when she found herself talking to someone who might have been a colleague – in another time, but it soon crossed her mind that it might be about Isabel.

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid Mrs. Flint is out of town at the moment. This is, uhm, her, her sister. Yes, Clara, uhm, Smith," she spluttered.

"Oh, I see. I take it that you're currently with Isabel Flint?"

"Yes, that's correct. Why? Is she in trouble?" Clara asked.

"You could say so since she missed out on school today. Again," the secretary told her.

"She told me she didn't have school," she said before she could stop herself.

"Well, Mrs Smith, I'm afraid you've fallen for one of the oldest tricks. I don't blame you. Isabel is, how do I put it? She gets into trouble easily."

"What do you mean? What kind of trouble?"

"I'm sure your sister told you before she left Isabel in your care," Mrs Miller said.

"I'm afraid there was no time. She had to go away on business very urgently. Please, tell me about Isabel. What kind of trouble is she in?"

"Oh, the usual teenager things. Skipping school, disrupting class. And her grades could be better. She's a bright girl, but she's selling herself short."

"I see. I'll have a talk with her about that. I promise it won't happen again," Clara sighed and hung up.

So, that was the reason Vastra and Jenny had asked them to come. There was no case in America. They didn't have to go anywhere. They were having trouble keeping Isabel under control. They were overwhelmed with parenting a teenage girl with mental powers.

Clara went downstairs to find the Doctor sitting in the study again.

"Doctor, we need to talk."

OOO

"Ah, I see," he said when Clara had finished, "Well, I doubt Isabel had a lot of success with Vastra. I think the problem was Jenny and Strax."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because a being like Vastra can't be mentally manipulated. She's like me in a lot of ways."

"Basically extinct?" Clara whispered, knowing she would hear a lecture about how superior Time Lords are to human beings.

"Drop the sarcasm, Clara. Time Lords and Silurians both have mental powers of sorts, human beings don't."

"And Sontarans?"

The Doctor laughed. "You're joking, right? Potatohead and mental abilities? Oh please. No, I think Isabel used her powers on Jenny and Strax to get what she wanted. And she'll attempt to do the same thing with you. But that's completely understandable."

"Understandable?" Clara thought she heard him wrong, "In what way is that understandable?"

"You're the teacher here, Clara. Tell me, if you were a teenager with the ability to manipulate any grown up, would you do it?"

Clara considered for a moment. When she was a teenager there had been a lot of things she wanted that her dad hadn't allowed.

"Yes, I suppose."

"You have to be careful around Isabel. And we have to earn her trust," the Doctor said and suddenly started tearing at his own hair, "Ohhh, I hate teenagers. Why? Why did they have to ask us? I'd gladly take on an entire fleet of Dalek ships. Filled with Daleks."

"Oh, come on. It won't be that bad," she tried to reassure him but couldn't stop thinking about the teenagers at her own school. She was lucky to teach the younger classes, some of the older students could be as bas as Daleks.

OOO

Isabel was taking Sammy for a walk in the nearest park. She could hardly believe how easily Clara had fallen for her "I don't have school"-bit. She was completely aware of the fact that Jenny had pleaded with Vastra to get someone to help them with their "wayward teenager". The Doctor and Clara had been a surprise, although she couldn't really say if it was a pleasant one or not. She liked the two of them very much. But she hated the fact that the only reason they were here was to straighten her out. She hadn't yet decided whether she was going to play this one nicely or rebel at any cost. Especially since the Doctor's mental powers greatly outweighed her own. If she wasn't careful around him, he would have no problem manipulating her instead of the other way around. He was something like the best guard dog in the world.

"Isabel Flint," a voice behind her called her name.

Isabel turned around to find a woman staring at her. She was in her 40s, her outfit a little old fashioned and her hair looked like that of a 19th century governess.

Isabel tried to read her thoughts but something was blocking them from her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Call me Cindra," the woman said. A very unusual name. "But who I am doesn't really matter. What I want is much, much more important."

"And what do you want?"

"We've been watching you since you were born. You have an incredible talent, Isabel. Truly magnificent."

"Are you with the aliens that chased me when I was a kid?" Isabel asked, completely sure of the fact that the word "alien" would not be strange to her.

"Heavens, no. We are in no way affiliated with those. . . brutes. No, we don't want to harm you. We want to help you," Cindra explained.

"Thank you, but I don't need your help," Isabel said and turned away to continue her route through the park.

"That's true. You don't need it, but you could benefit from it. You see, we run a school for people with all sorts of talents, like you. We locate them all over the universe and try to help create an environment for them where they can truly be themselves. Wouldn't you like that? Be a in a place where you'd be accepted for who you are without having to hide what makes you special?"

Now Isabel turned back around, eyeing the woman cautiously. "Where's the catch in that?"

Cindra laughed. "There is no catch. We are a family and we help each other out. But you don't have to decide right away. We've waited for 15 years. We can wait for a while longer. I'll be in touch."

When Isabel blinked, the woman was gone.