The three of us approach the door of a normal stereotypical looking house. A small golden bear like knocker on the black front door. I raise my hand slamming the metal three times before returning to the Doctors side. The young lady dressed as a maid answered the door, her eyes glinting with recognition when she looks over me,
"I'm sorry, sir's, madame. We're closed." she apologizes falsely, her eyes shifting as she lies.
"Nonsense. Since when did an Undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule." Charles states, sending a disapproving look towards the young girl. "I demand to see your master." I roll my eyes at his audacity.
"He's not in, sir." she replies, smiling uncomfortably. I smile gently, hoping to catch her eye and persuade her. She starts closing the door only for it to be shoved open again as Dickens shouts,
"Don't lie to me, child! Summon him at once." I raise a hand which thankfully seemed to work and shut the obnoxious man up. Well you know what they say, don't meet your heroes.
"Please miss, all we want is the blonde you took. We assure you nothing else. We just want our friend back." I say, my voice gently as I ease towards the startled girl. She glances around desperately but doesn't make any move to close the door or move away from me.
"I'm awfully sorry, Mister Dickens, but the master's indisposed. And forgive me miss but I can't allow you in. It's my orders." she tries to explain. I nod finding a loophole, if you can even call it that.
"It's alright you don't have to let them in." I say, running straight under the girls arm and between her and the wall. She lets out a startled gasp. I was close enough to get past her before she reacted, the men tried to follow but the woman stood her ground.
"Having trouble with your gas?" I hear Doc say before I continue down the hallway. Not long after I hear Rose cry out. Begging to be let out. The Timelord and I don't even hesitate to run to the sound. An older man with white hair intercepting our path, he grips my forearm in a painful grip.
"How dare you, madame. This is my house!" he cries out, he doesn't stay long though, as I swing my leg up and between his legs. Effectively taking the man down.
"Piss off." I grumble down at him, the Doctor taking over and follows the sound of Rose's yells. We arrive to a door, Rose banging on the wood. Doc doesn't hesitate to kick the door down, uncovering a scene I wasn't expecting.
Rose stood with two pale, corpse looking creatures. One, a male, with his arm around her throat and hand over her mouth. The other, a lady, stood nearby about to do something to our friend.
"I think this is my dance." Doc quips, taking Rose by the arm and pulling her away. She falls into my arms shaking slightly. I rub her arms, noticing she was missing her cloak. I take mine off, resting it over her shoulders. This earned me a grateful smile from the blonde who stood on my right gripping my hand. Charles Dickens on my left started to complain about how this wasn't real. Effectively making me zone out.
"Our twin planet, Gallifrey is in need of our help and abilities," the commander begins, everyone knew what was happening. The war between Timelords and Daleks has not went well for our twin planet, leading to them asking for our help. We had all watched as they arrived. Their obnoxious gowns and frowning faces. We had all watched as Rassilon exited the TARDIS his head held high as he greeted Khiatthe as an old friend. The two share a look before disappearing back into the palace, the heart of Kastraya. We all felt the arrogance and time vortex radiating from the Gallifreyans.
"I trust that our armies, our soldiers. Will do everything in their power to help those from Gallifrey, defeat our now common enemy. And restore the balance the timeline and universes need." Commander continued, elighting a cheer from the cadets and squadrons. My fellow cadets cheer whilst I stand there debating. I didn't sign up to be dragged into a war between something we didn't start. But after all what was I expecting when I joined the military. "We're send a mix of cadets and lieutenants at first light tomorrow. The list will be found near the Base on the front of dorm doors."
I walk away from the crowds of cadets, gathering to talk about whether they wished to go or not. Heading straight to these lists. I walk down the familiar corridor and meet the dorm door.
-Esmoru Nochei
-Dalnae Ronde
-Cancuk Aldriast
-Ruxtica Selkonn
-Feppae Unmangi
-Droran Dideiss
My name catches my eye, at the top followed by a few of the cadets in this dorm. My body tenses at what was to come, I hear the scuffling of shoes as the rest of them head to the door. I push it open returning to what I was originally doing before the wake up call and 'inspirational' speech. Sleeping.
I slowly come back to reality. The Doctor gently shaking my shoulders, I look around to see Rose staring in concern whilst the rest of them seemed to have buggered off.
"Alula. Alula. What's wrong? Come back." Doc says gently. I blink rapidly, my eyes burning from them staying open. "When you say you zone out. What exactly happens?" he questions, worried and slightly panicked.
"How long was I gone?" I question, ignoring his. He huffs in aggravation.
"Too long for it to count as just zoning out. Did you see something? What was it?" He tries again.
"it doesn't matter. Right now we have gas people to worry about. And I need at talk with that old man. He kidnapped Rose, he isn't getting away with that." I mutter, my voice loosing volume as the Timelord in front of me glares down at me. "I promise, we will talk about it. Just not now." I grit out. Lying through my teeth. He nods gently releasing my shoulders before walking down the corridor and into a sitting room.
The maid was pouring tea with Dickens sat at the table, the creepy old man on the other hand was sat in the armchair, Rose glides past us heading straight towards him. I tense as the man leans forwards.
"First of all you drug me, then you kidnap me, and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man." she rants, said man sits up straighter.
"I won't be spoken to like this!" he exclaims, glaring up at Rose.
"Yes you will, you'll sit there and listen to what she has to say. Because it's that or i'll deal with you." I shout angrily from my spot near the fire. He looks up, getting a good glance at me whilst slowly moving his hands over the spot I had kicked. I smile maliciously at him, before my gaze is interrupted by the maid, Rose continuing her rant in the background.
"What's your name?" I question lightly. Smiling at the girl.
"Gwyneth miss." she answers politely. "Here's you tea, we don't have coffee miss. Sorry for the complication." she says handing me a warm cup of tea. I furrow my brow, did they even have coffee in this time. I take a sip watching the old man starts talking.
"It's not my fault. It's this house. It always had a reputation." he starts, glancing around. "Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back, and then the stiffs..." he continues, his eyes meet mine which glowered down at him. "The er, dear departed started getting restless." he corrects.
"Tommyrot." Charles dismisses taking a sip of his drink. I roll my eyes at the man once more.
"You witnessed it. Can't keep the beggars down, sir. They walk. And it's the queerest thing, but they hang on to scraps." he explains, slightly exasperated by the fact that the author seemed to not believe him. My attention slides to Doc as Gwyneth walks over offering tea, The Doctor being on the other side of the fire.
"Two sugars sir, just how you like it." she whispers as to not speak over her master. Doc watches with furrowed brows as she walks away, I sip my tea also watching the young lady with curious eyes. She definitely knows things she shouldn't.
"One old fellow who used to be a sexton almost walked into his own memorial service. Just like the old lady going to your performance, sir, just as she planned." the old man explains, I huff. We get it, something is controlling the dead. How lovely. I turn to the Doctor about to ask a question when he shouts out to Charles who seemed to be having a problem with believing this.
"Oh, Charles, you were there."
"I saw nothing but an illusion." he snaps back, this seemed to piss Doc off as he retorts with,
"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up."
"Rude." I mutter.
"What about the gas?" the Timelord continues, questioning the old male.
"That's new, sir. Never seen anything like that." he admits, I nod absorbing the information. I had missed whatever happened with the zombie people so I was walking around blind at the moment.
"Means it's getting stronger, the rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through." Doc explains, I nod brows slightly furrowed as I wrap my head around.
"What's the rift?" I mutter.
"A weak point in time and space. A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time." the Doctor replies, my eyes snap to him which was already looking at me. How did he hear me?
"That's how I got the house so cheap. Stories going back generations." old man says, I really need his name, he was rather confused and seemed to be shocked as he sat back into his seat. "Echoes in the dark, queer songs in the air, and this feeling like a shadow passing over your soul. Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine." he continues, I roll my eyes at the mans dramatics. Doc seems to have noticed that Charles had walked out, he follows him whilst Rose and I follow where Gwyneth had gone.
We walk into the kitchen to find some washing and Gwyneth lighting a lamp. I wander of to the sink grabbing a cloth to start helping, Rose grabs a drying cloth and dries the already clean items.
"Please, miss's, you shouldn't be helping. It's not right." she complains, gently taking the cloths off of us. I step back seeing how important it was to her, Rose decides to start a conversation.
"Don't be daft. Sneed works you to death." so the old man is called Sneed, matches his attitude.
"How much do you get paid?" I question, resting against the counter.
"Eight pound a year, miss." she replies, Rose's mouth drops open in shock. That's a decent wage for this time period.
"How much?!" Rose exclaims, obviously not knowing about the differences between our time period and now.
"I know. I would've been happy with six." Gwyneth admits, wiping down a plate.
"So, did you go to school or what?" Rose asks, did she not listen during history?
"Rose. Of course she did." I state earning a small smile from Gwyneth.
"I did. What do you think I am, an urchin? I went every Sunday, nice and proper." she says proudly.
"What once a week?" Rose states, her voice full of disbelief.
"We did sums and everything. To be honest, I hated every second." the girl admits as if it was a big secret. I giggle at that nodding in agreement.
"Me too." I state, laughter in my voice.
"Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go and ran on the heath all on my own." she declares, a mischievous smile on her pink lips.
"I did plenty of that. I used to go down the shops with my mate Shareen." Rose says, I nod once again. I remember skipping classes. It was always with this girl, I can't remember who she is though. "We used to go and look at boys."
The crude statement seemed to shut Gwyneth down who returned to her washing immediately afterwards.
"Well, I don't know much about that, miss."
"Come on, times haven't changed that much. I bet you've done the same. You too Luna." Rose says, attempting to make friends with the maid. I shake my head, not really recalling doing that whilst in school.
"I don't think so, miss." Gwyneth replies, a small smile still on her face.
"Gwyneth, you can tell us. I bet you've got your eye on someone." I say, smiling brightly at the girl.
"I suppose. There is one lad. The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday. Such a lovely smile on him." she admits, a smile on her face.
"I like a nice smile. Good smile, nice bum." Rose says, turning to me. I giggle at the horrified look on Gwyneth's face.
"I prefer the eyes, they're the window to ones soul." I say. "I do like a smile though, and hands." I admit.
"Well, I have never heard the like." Gwyneth says, smiling at us.
"Ask him out. Give him a cup of tea or something, that's a start." Rose offers, I wince at the advice. It didn't seem very 19th century.
"I swear it is the strangest thing, miss's. You've got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some sort of wild thing." she says, I smile at her.
"Maybe we are. Maybe that's a good thing. You need a bit more in your life than Mister Sneed." I say, smiling at her.
"Oh, now that's not fair." Gwyneth mutters, "He's not so bad, old Sneed. He was very kind to me to take me in because I lost my mum and dad to the flu when I was twelve." she explains when she sees our distrusting expesssions.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Rose says, sympathy and understanding in her voice.
"Thank you, miss. But I'll be with them again, one day, sitting with them in paradise. I shall be so blessed. They're waiting for me. Maybe your dad's up there waiting for you too, miss." she addresses Rose. Who freezes at the subject.
"Maybe." Rose replies " Um, who told you he was dead?"
"I don't know. Must have been the Doctor." Gwyneth replies, turning away from us again.
"My father died years back." Rose continues.
"But you've been thinking about him lately more than ever." Gwyneth replies, her voice almost void of emotion.
"Suppose so."
"And you miss. No relocation of your past, only bits of importance. Faces in your dreams, the horrors you see as you sleep." she talks to me, I freeze. What the fuck is going on.
"How do you know all this?" I demand, the niceness in my voice gone.
"Mister Sneed says I think too much. I'm all alone down here. I bet you've got dozens of servants, haven't you, miss?" Gwyneth changes the subject again. Smiling at the both of us.
"No, no servants where I'm from." Rose says, I shake my head still disturbed by what just happened.
"And you've come such a long way." she says, her eyes distant once again. She turns to me, "Especially you miss, furthest away out of all."
"What makes you think so?" Rose questions, her smile dropping slightly.
"You're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about half naked, for shame. And the noise, and the metal boxes racing past, and the birds in the sky, no, they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People are flying. And you, you've flown so far. Further than anyone. The things you've seen. The darkness, the big bad wolf." she spiels, turning back to me again. "You, your from further, seen further, fought more. Memories disguised as dreams. Head suppressing the truth. You've seen darkness. You've been the darkness. Trapped inside, peaking through the cracks. The burning phoenix." she continues. Snapping away from the both of us. What the fuck?
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, miss's." she apologizes, her face full of regret. I stand there in shock, what the fuck. What the actual fuck.
"It's all right." Rose assures, I nod unable to speak. Did I just get my mind read or something. I'm confused and scared.
"I can't help it. Ever since I was a little girl, my mam said I had the sight. She told me to hide it." she babbles, her voice squeaking at the end as her emotions got the best of her.
"But it's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?" a voice adds from behind me. I skreech, jumping on the spot and spinning around. Holding a hand to my rapidly beating heart as I gasp for air. The familiar leather wearing alien stands there hands in pocket.
"Ass hat, I just had a heart attack." I complain. "I'm ready for bed." I mutter, dragging a hand down my face. How long has he been stood there?
"All the time, sir. Every night, voices in my head." Gwyneth replies, clutching the cloth to her stomach.
"You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key." he explains.
"I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts." the maid discloses, obvious distressed by the whole situation.
"Well, that should help. You can show us what to do." he says, all of our faces twisting in confusion, what has this man got planned?
"What to do where, sir?" Gwyneth questions.
"We're going to have a seance." he answers. I shake my head. Nope, nope. Has he not watched horror movies. This is how they begin.
"No, no sir. I refuse, I aint dying because you want to do a seance. This is how they die in horror movies. This is how it begins." I ramble, shaking my head. Doc huffs grabbing my arm before dragging me down the corridor and into a room with seats all around the table. "When I die, cremate me please." I state, causing me to be shoved into the closest seat. "Rude." I grumble.