SIGNAL ~ Doctor Who fanfiction

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - The Man From Her Dreams

Olivia opened her eyes and looked at her surrounding. She was still laying down on the floor in the middle of the empty classroom, but this time, a teacher stood on her left. She then turned to the right and saw Arthur kneeling on the floor nearby.

The blinding light came into view. "Olivia, can you hear me? Are you okay?" Arthur immediately jumped up and squeezed her hand. The teacher motioned for him to give her space.

The teacher bent down to check her breathing and pulse. "Don't worry, I've called your parents — they're on the way. Just hold on for a while. Has this happened to you before?" She asked.

Olivia shook her head in response. She slowly pushed herself off from the hard floor despite their strong protests, standing up back up on her feet. She drew in a few deep breaths. "How long have I been out for?"

"About a minute or so," Arthur replied. "You really worried me." He chuckled, pulling her into a hug. "Don't ever faint like that again. I was terrified."

"Won't happen again." She smiled weakly, hugging him back. "Also, call me Livia."

"You should rest," the teacher advised. "Your parents will come to pick you up from school any moment now."

*****

"Mum, dad. I'm fine. I really am." Even though Olivia had insisted that she was fine, her parents thought otherwise. She was confined to her house for a few days — well, that might be a little exaggerated, but still, the curiosity of the mysterious person's identity was swirling in her mind.

The ticking was still stuck in her head, louder than ever, but over the few days of staying at home, she learnt to get use to it.

Her parents brought her to the doctor right after they fetched her from school, but apparently the scans showed that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her. It was just a normal headache and the doctor told them it may be caused by stress.

She was told to rest even though she was clearly and perfectly fine, and now all she could do was sit in her bedroom and stare at the view outside her window. She had nothing better to do other than read books, do her homework, and maybe watch a few episodes on television.

Cars, trees, people, buildings...

She sighed, resting her head in her arms as she looked dreamily at the beautiful sky. It was afternoon, and the sunlight shone upon the Earth. Then suddenly out of the blue, something caught her eye. Something strange and just absolutely crazy.

She thought she saw a police box flying through the clouds, coming closer and closer towards the ground. It seemed to look bigger and bigger, as if it were about to crash onto the surface of the Earth at any moment. The exact same police box from her dream.

She rubbed her eyes, and then suddenly the blue police box disappeared from her sight. She pursed her lips. She didn't want to admit it but her hallucinations were getting worse. Maybe by tomorrow she wouldn't even know the difference between dreams and reality.

She sighed and continued gazing at the view outside the window.

*****

After a few days inside her house, she was finally allowed to go back to school. It was break time and she was back in the library again, but this time she couldn't bring herself to go back to the discarded classroom, nor did she feel like reading about the history of Redford. Her mind was a mess and she just needed...

She didn't know what she needed.

She walked aimlessly to one of the many bookshelves in the library. "You sure you don't need help to take the book?" The librarian offered, typing on the computer.

"I'm sure I can manage," Olivia said as she walked towards the novel section of the library.

She tip-toed as she reached for the novel from a bookshelf. The book shelves were so tall she could barely see the other side. So tall it almost seems like huge brick walls surrounding and closing on her. She finally managed to get the book, and she hugged it in her hands, spinning around.

That's it. A nice book to take her mind off things and —

Suddenly a wheezing sound could be heard in the distance. Olivia turned around, and a whoosh of air appeared out of nowhere, making her hair dance in the strong blow of wind. She feared that if she was slightly lighter, she might just be swept off her feet.

Just then, a blue police box appeared before her very eyes, almost crashing into a bookshelf. The wind started to dial down, and her eyes widen. She took a few step backwards, bumping into the wall. What the hell...?

"Are you okay?" The librarian's faint voice was filled with concern as he heard a thump.

"M' fine." She replied, unsure of the answer herself.

The door creaked open slowly, and Olivia's heart was racing. Could it be...? No, it can't be. The dream was just a fraction of her imagination, just a mere dream. She held the book tightly above her head, prepared for whatever awaits for her.

"Ah, hello there. I'm the Doctor."

A man wearing a brown suit came out of the police box. His eyes darted around the room, landing on the young middle schooler who stood before him. It was as if instinct that Olivia immediately swung the heavy book towards his direction, slapping him right on the face.

"OW!" He said, obviously in pain. "What did you do that for? That hurt, you know."

It's him, Olivia thought to herself as she put the book down. She backed away.

It's the man from her dream.