Updated: 06/Jan/2020:

Chapter 67

Doctor Roth, I presume?

Keeping a good distance from the Doctor and keeping him within sight was not difficult. He stood out like a sore thumb in that frock coat getup.

The Doctor swivelled the mirror so he was facing it, and eccentrically checked his teeth in the reflection. Lights danced over the mirrored surface and a stream of paper printed from the side, which the Doctor picked up, checked, and then pocketed. He then began pointing the mirrored surface around the trees, like he was trying to pick something out.

When the Doctor turned to face them Raven quickly dragged Russel behind a tree. The tree was rather narrow, so they had to squeeze up against each other to avoid being seen.

"You could've taken me out to dinner first." Russel said as she pushed him into the tree. Carefully, Raven inched her way around the tree, across Russel and over the side to look at the Doctor. "There's a good fish and chip shop in the village."

"I hate chips." Raven commented. She really did hate them. They were soggy, usually doused in salt and vinegar, and though they did have a good taste what Raven disliked about them was their texture. "I prefer fries."

"You really are an American aren't you." Russel said playfully smiling. Raven mentally rolled her eyes.

"Technically, I'm not. I just sound like one." Like the Doctor, who sounded English, but really wasn't. Speaking of the Doctor, he jotted down some notes into a book and set off again, checking the mirror as he went.

"Come on." Raven gestured for Russel to follow.

"I love a woman who takes charge." He said as she moved off.

"Shut up!" Raven hissed.

"Hey, you pulled me in close and pinned me to a tree. I'm only human." He shrugged, and Raven groaned.

"Get your head out of the gutter!" She hissed. Russel was no threat, she'd come to accept that. He could've tried anything on right now, especially back there while they were squeezed up against each other.

The Doctor was, maybe, at least seventy feet away and gave no indication he thought he was being followed. Raven kind of felt betrayed by this behaviour of his, going at some sort of investigation on his own. She was supposed to be the Doctors bodyguard, they were almost partners in this 'saving people' business, she guessed. So why was he leaving her out of this?

"I used to go camping in these woods when I was a boy." Russel said, "You'd love it. It gets really dark and creepy here on a night, it's almost frightening."

"I don't do fear, and I don't do camping." Raven said. She preferred a solid roof over her head, and she hated nature, she hated the outdoors. "Are there any dangerous animals in the woods?"

"What, in England?" Russel laughed at the idea. "The most dangerous thing in this country are squirrels, and they aren't exactly known for hunting large prey down in packs. Come to think of it, the wildlife in this country isn't really that wild."

Again, Raven and Russel had to hide from the Doctors scanning machine. So again, Raven forced them both to squeeze up against a tree. Thankfully this time this tree was so large Raven didn't have to squeeze up against Russel. Neither of them minded, but Raven just wanted to avoid any more of Russel's flippant responses or flirtations.

But please, don't stop. Thought the girly-girl part of her mind. Raven wished that part of her was personified in front of her right now, so she could shoot it! Raven had long-buried memories of when that girly-girl side of her got her hurt in pursuit of its desires and fantasies. Raven had denied it the desires it wanted for years, she wasn't about to give into them now. But still, something about his flirtations made her feel attractive, and that felt nice. But she recognised that feeling for what it was, it was like a drug, and like all drugs it'll blind her.

Raven's attention went to Russel as he too peered over the side of the tree. Despite the way he made her feel she didn't dislike him. But maybe it was a mistake to bring him. Not because of his flippant responses, but because he might get hurt. The more they followed the Doctor, the more Raven began to worry, the more her desire to keep Russel close began to give way to the logical realisation that she was only selfishly keeping him close because... reasons.

But he might die, and she didn't know if she could live with herself if she led this guy to his death just because of her own selfish desires for... for company. This thought seemed to sober the girly part of her mind.

"Russel." She said, "Things might get dangerous. You don't have to be here if you don't want to." She wanted him to go, to leave, but just for his own safety.

"I can't leave you by yourself." Russel protested back to her. She didn't need his protection, she could handle herself.

"Russel." Raven said looking into his eyes. "Please go, please just be safe." If this tactic didn't work, then she'd have to resort to something more drastic. She'd feel wretched, but if it made him go home and be safe then she'd have to hurt him, she'll have to insult him, threaten him, anything to kill any attraction for her he might be feeling so he'd leave her...

He'd be safe, at least.

You don't need him! Her mind insisted again.

Don't start that all over again!

"Why, what danger are you expecting in this sleepy slice of Wiltshire where nothing happens?" Russel asked. God, why wouldn't he just obey her?! She'd gladly meet him later, she just wanted him to be safe. "What does your Dad do that's so secretive?"

"Russel!" Raven closed her eyes. She didn't want to, but she was going to have to resort to this. She began to open her mouth to speak, but Russel cut across her.

"You expect me to just walk away now? This is rather fun and exciting." Oh god, the ignorant idiot! "Anyway, you're the first girl who's taken me out on a mystery for a first date." That made Raven flare-up.

"This is NOT a date!" She insisted a little too loudly. She froze. There followed a deadly silence as she waited to be discovered, and with her pressing Russel up against a tree like this embarrassing misunderstandings were going to follow. But nothing happened, at first.

"Hello, is someone there?" The Doctor called.

SHIT, SHIT, SHIT! She could hear him slowly coming towards their hiding place!

Russel put his hands on her shoulders to grab her attention. "You don't want your Dad to know you're here." Russel knew the answer to that, "Does he know about me?"

"No." Raven said a little too sharply.

"Alright, stay hidden." and he gently swung her so she was against the tree, and he stepped out into the open without her.

"Hello there." Russel waved cheerily at the Doctor. Raven pressed herself up against the tree and waited.

"Hello, who are you?" The Doctor asked as the two guys approached each other. Raven watched from the tree as they interacted.

"I'm Hopkins, Russel Hopkins." Russel held out a hand and the Doctor shook it.

"Russel 'Hopkins'?" The Doctor asked, "Any relation to old Matthew?"

"God, I hope not." Russel laughed, "He's not exactly known for his humanitarian efforts."

"Nor his ales. Which was a pity, because they were rather good." The Time Lord smiled. "I'm the Doctor by the way."

"Doctor?" Russel asked fishing for a surname.

"Just the Doctor will do." The Doctor looked at the boy up and down. "What are you up to if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh... I'm a twitcher." Russel said, and from his jacket he pulled out a small pair of binoculars. "I'm hoping to see a Yellow Wagtail."

"I had no idea they nested in this forest." The Doctor said, clearly trying to catch Russel in a lie.

"Oh yes, they do." Russel lied. Then pulled out his sketch pad. "I'm also a sketcher." and he showed the Doctor some of his drawings.

"Really? May I see?" The Doctor sounded excited to see the book. "My, my. You're a very talented boy." The Doctor said, clearly impressed.

Ask him what he's doing! Raven insisted of Russel.

"What are you doing here with that contraption on?" Russel then asked, looking at the apparatus around the Doctors shoulders. "Looking for ghosts?"

"Yes, something along those lines." The Doctor said, then turned the mirrored surface to him. "Say cheese."

Raven couldn't see the screen, but Russel was taken momentarily off guard by something. A blue hue over his face told Raven it had just scanned him. Paper spooled out of the machine and the Doctor scanned it himself.

"My-my, you are an interesting fellow." The Doctor said, "Though, you'd better wash your face more thoroughly, you're about to have a bad outbreak of acne. I'd also control that Demodex population, you're on the path to developing rosacea."

Russel was taken aback, feeling his face. "Is that bad?"

"Just wash your face more thoroughly and you'll avoid it." The Doctor reassured him, "Better to keep on top of skin problems. I had really bad acne when I was a teenager and it didn't clear up for fifty-six years."

"Umm... okay." Russel shrugged. "You haven't exactly answered my question."

"No, I haven't. Annoying, isn't it?" The Doctor said in a charming and mysterious way while being totally secretive.

"Do you need any help?" Russel offered, "I know this wood like the back of my hand."

While the Doctor looked at the printout further Russel moved around his side to pretend to look at it. In reality, he was looking up at Raven and her hiding spot to make sure she was okay.

"That shouldn't be necessary." The Doctor waved a hand dismissively, "unless of course, you know of anywhere where a psychokinetic semi-material apparition might hide; or a none-reactive manifestation of dimensional permeable dark matter might pool?"

Russel, at first, didn't speak as he tried to grasp what the Doctor had said. Russel's confused face looked kind of cute.

Shut it!

"Not off the top of my head, no." He answered. "Do they usually hide in fox holes or burrows?"

"It's a possibility. Do you know many?"

"I've found a few. Come on, I'll show you. This way." Russel gestured, and he and the Doctor began walking away.

Behind the Doctors back Russel looked over at Raven's hiding place and gave her a thumbs up and gestured that he'd catch up with her later.

"One's just down this way," Russel said, "Doctor Roth."

"Huh? Doctor who?"

The rest of the conversation was inaudible because they were now too far away.

What did the Doctor say he was looking for? Either a 'psychokinetic semi-material apparition'; or 'a none-reactive manifestation of dimensional permeable dark matter'. Raven had hung out with the Doctor long enough to learn how to decipher techno-babble. 'Psychokinetic' suggested something psychic, 'semi-material' suggested something that could be both material and yet immaterial, and 'apparition' suggested it was something which manifested unexpectedly and without prior warning. Okay, the other thing was 'permeable dark matter'. Raven had heard of that. Dark matter was a type of matter which interacted with the universe gravitationally, but didn't interact with light or radiation, hence it couldn't be seen, it would be invisible, but its effects could be felt. Permeable Dark Matter, therefore, must be Dark Matter which is spilling out from a higher dimension into this plane of existence.

Going by that, Raven guessed the Doctor was looking for something that was invisible, possibly able to phase in and out of the material world, and could interact with the material world somehow.

And it was somewhere in this forest.

With them...

Raven looked around the wood. Trees in every direction, closing in around them like the walls of a giant maze, and there was something here which was invisible, and could potentially harm them.

I'm not afraid! Her mind insisted. The cawing of an actual raven in the trees made her spin around, her heart rate was rising. Gingerly, she began to follow the Doctor and Russel at a distance. I'm still not afraid...

But I will admit I am a little creeped out!

To Be Continued...

Authors notes: Now, we're getting into the Doctor Who mystery. If this wasn't strictly being told from Raven's perspective then I would've written that the Doctor had detected something strange in and around Devils End, and given his past history with the town he felt compelled to investigate it to make sure it wasn't a threat to the local population. It's probably for the best, because there is a reason why he doesn't want Raven involved, but if I told you it might spoil. ;)

Demodex are small, mite-like creatures which live on our skin and face and are linked to causes of acne.