13 Novella 1

Hiding

Three days later you are standing in a new room of the Tardis filled with comfy sofas and calming imagery on the walls.

You pace backwards and forwards, trying to relax your shoulders as you've been told.

"Are you ready to try again?" Offers The Doctor, leaning nonchalantly against a cream wall. You stop and turn to face her, then nod.

"Ok, when you're ready I want you to approach me. I will not move, and I will not react. Just reach out and hold my hand" She says calmly.

The very thought has your heart racing but you swallow and breathe. Slowly, in shuffling steps you approach the time lady. She stands like a statue, completely in control of her muscles, eyes staring straight ahead with a measured expression.

You take another step and another, getting closer and closer, your breathing becoming sharper and sharper.

You stop in front of her, convinced she will lunge at you any second. Of course she doesn't, and you force yourself to reach out your hand until it is just inches from hers.

She is holding her own breath now and you close your eyes.

You reach a little further until your index finger brushes lightly against her hand, chills emanating from that very spot. At that exact moment you hear a knock from the door.

You have crossed the room away from The Doctor before either of you have opened your eyes. She opens her bright eyes in concern and confusion and steps in your direction. That does it.

You fall against the wall, hands clasped over your ears and try to drown out the racing of your heart. Your breathing is beyond erratic, and you feel your chest burn with the effort.

"(Y/n) I need you to focus on my voice for me, you're having a panic attack but you're ok, you're safe, I promise, breathe with me" says The Doctor calmly, and you begin to follow her breaths with your eyes still squeezed tightly shut.

Finally you feel your heart begin to slow, and you unclench your hands from your hair, looking up to meet The Doctor's gentle eyes.

She raises her eyebrows in question and you nod that you will be alright. She smiles genuinely then looks over her shoulder. It's Yaz at the door (you hope she hasn't been here long) with a huge smile on her face looking extremely excited about something.

The Doctor questions her but Yaz simply says.

"There's someone at the door for you" then disappears to the console.

Standing up, you follow The Doctor interestedly into the main console. Nothing seems out of place except two men stood smiling. One younger with dark skin and a full grin, and one older with greying hair and a warm smile. The Doctor stops when she sees them, then runs full tilt to embrace them with a distinct cry of "my fam!", And it clicks, Yaz had told you about Ryan and Graham before and why they left, but somehow they're back.

They hug her back and you stay in the shadows not wanting to ruin the moment.

The presence of two men near you in a confined space is making you uncomfortable, and you hope they don't notice you.

"I've missed you both so much! I've got so much to tell you but how are you, actually wait first question how longs it been? No actually are we in Sheffield then? How did we get her? Did I land her here? Did we-"

"You haven't changed much have you?" snorts the younger man, probably Ryan from the way Yaz had described his cheeky nature. The Doctor pouts in response and everyone laughs at her. She grins again and glances at Jenny.

"Graham, Ryan, this is Jenny" says The Doctor proudly

"Hiya nice to meet you, how do you know my mum?" She asks politely.

Both freeze and turn to The Doctor

"Mum?!" Graham exclaims.

"Ah yes sorry long story, this is my daughter Jenny" says The Doctor dismissively.

"Absolutely barking, Nothing changes" mutters Graham as Yaz hugs him tightly. "I've missed you too my dear" he says kindly and she smiles. You consider retreating and begin to back off to an available corridor on your right when someone bounces up behind you, scaring the shit out of you.

"Hi I don't think we've met, what's your name?" you whip round to find Ryan mere feet away from you and feel your heart drop.

"No wait Ryan don't-!" Yells The Doctor urgently but you have run too far and too fast to hear the rest.

Blind panic engulfs you as you run, and you don't stop.

You fly down corridor after corridor, convinced you are being chased, that he wanted to hurt you, that he would be waiting for you if you turned back.

Your thoughts move even faster than your legs, and The Tardis clearly understands your urgency for she opens up door after door for you, probably knowing full well you weren't stopping, and if she didn't, you would inevitably run flat into a wall and potentially hurt yourself.

Your heart is pounding and you feel your pace slowing, until eventually you can run no more. You rest your hands on your knees, coughing and wheezing, tears threatening to overflow down your cheeks.

A sympathetic rumble comes from beneath your feet and you nod to tell her you're ok.

Knowingly, she opens up a door to your left and you smile knowing what you will find.

Sure enough you are back in the library, surrounded by the books you so loved to observe. One particular book bound in red leather catches your eye as it falls 12 feet off its shelf and lands in front of you, making you jump. It has parted dead down the centre and you step towards it for a better look- what you don't expect is the ghostly grey mist rising from the pages.

Sensing danger you turn to run when suddenly you feel too weak. The mist surrounds you and you feel a strange pulsing in your head.

Find the heart of The Tardis it whispers inside your head and you comply, your own thoughts wiped entirely clean.

You set off out the library, following some strange sixth sense and feel of the ship's energy. You are powerful and controlled. You are unstoppable.