Soul's Shadow (Doctor Who - SI)

Part XVII (XII)

Things had changed. It took a while to find out where to actually go, since the address wasn't correct anymore. Some years ago they had moved into another village near another town.

The Master borrowed a car and it surprised me that he could drive, but then he told me more about the times he had been trapped on earth. New stories I had never heard before. It kept my anxious mind busy during the hour-long drive.

The buildings of the city came into view slowly. I had never been there before. Or so I thought. Suddenly I wasn't quite so sure anymore what was real and what wasn't. There was a faint memory emerging, of my little sister calling me to tell about the disappearance of our mother. There had been a search and missing-person posters. I remembered the guilt that had washed over me for feeling relieved instead of worry. I remembered the burning hope that she might never return. And still I had never visited. Still I hadn't kept much contact with my relatives. There had still been my then-boyfriend who had done his best to isolate me from everyone so he could manipulate every last part of me. With success. And later I never had the money to visit. I didn't even have the address or a phone number. For years I had no contact information for any of my family. And I had felt too anxious to reach out on social media or other means to find my sisters again.

"How come I have two sets of memories now?" I asked quietly, watching the buildings rush by. "I remember what happened after I changed things, but I also still have the memories of how it used to be."

That Master tapped his rhythm of four against the steering wheel. He was a surprisingly steady driver and didn't break too many rules. For convenience, he had assured me with a cheeky grin.

"You're outside of your own timeline. So to speak," he said after a while. "You've been exposed to atron energy and to the time vortex and also to the void. Let's just say, it does things to you." He smiled. "Nothing bad though. You'll be fine."

We found the right road soon and the Master smoothly parked in a tiny gap between two other cars. I envied him a little. I never had the chance to learn to drive.

I glared at the house next to us and felt anxiety rise up. They had moved, yes, but that didn't mean...

"Come on. You won't find out by staring a hole in the wall." The Master exited the car and walked to my side, knocking on my window with a grin.

I waited for a moment and then opened the door as suddenly as I could, hoping it would hit him right in the stupid grin. But he evaded with a snicker. He waited for me to climb out, only to reach out his hand towards me. I blinked at it, then at him.

"You're not going alone. Whatever waits there for you, you're not alone. Remember that."

I snorted. "Few months back and you'd have rather knocked all your teeth out than saying that."

A grimace spread on his face, but the hand stayed. An offer for me to take. "I'm not good at this," he said. "Never been. Each time I allowed anyone to get close to me it ended in more pain than it was worth it."

"What makes you think it will be different now?" I slipped my hand in his and stared at them for a while.

He drew me closer and his gaze burned into me, a small psychic wave underlining his seriousness. "Because of the moment I thought you were really going to vanish. That hurt. I don't want that. And if my only choice is to lose or to keep you... Well, I made my choice. And this is all for selfish reasons, mind you. That you benefit from it all is a mere lucky coincidence. And also," he leaned down to peck a kiss on my forehead, "you're stalling."

I huffed. "Yeah, I am. Still wanted to know."

"You felt it in my mind, little one. Can't get more true than that. Now come."