The Hidden Room in the TARDIS

Chapter 1

Christmas Eve 2016

I am seriously regretting having left all my Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve. But then again, how was I supposed to get all my shopping done when I was doing chores for everyone? Still, maybe I could have found time to buy something before.

Honestly, I don't like going to the mall that much, but today I am thankful for the multitude of selection it provides. It's fairly abandoned because everyone else was responsible and got all their shopping done early. I headed into a small sweet shop to buy something for my aunt first. Maybe I will get her some makeup later too, if I have time.

It took me a while to sort through all the displays in the windows. I have to resist buying a bag of blue jelly beans (my favorite). Next, I head to a store that sells scarves, gloves, hats, and other winter apparel. I pick out a beautiful silken scarf for my mother and nice dark blue gloves for my father. Every shop there is always something soft or fragile that almost breaks my resolve to not go over a small budget I set for myself earlier.

After a few stores I am exhausted, and I am about to leave the mall, but then I remember that I have to buy a gift for my grandma. I hurry back inside and rush into an antique shop, piled high with discarded furniture, worn rugs, and cracked dishes. I fish through a few items, but look away quickly to other places.

Finally, I find a suitable old piece of jewelry and I head towards the cash register in the back to pay for the gift. On the back of the wall there is an old grandfather clock with a shinning pendulum swinging back and forth, keeping time. I'm not sure why, but I keep staring at it. The pendulum goes back and forth, back and forth. It's shinny. It keeps getting brighter, my surroundings getting duller.

A harsh voice says, "You want to buy that item?"

The voice seems wrong, and vaguely familiar, but nonetheless I reply, "Yes."

The beeping and click of the computer barely register in my mind. The clock on the wall is so bright and shinny. Back and forth. Back and forth.

The person at the cash register reaches out, to hand me the bag I think. There is another figure behind him. Another man, probably coming to check on the shop or something. He also has his hand raised. Something is pointed at the back of the other person's neck. But I can't tell what. It's too blurry. The clock is shinny and clear though. Back and forth.

Suddenly a harsh clang registers in my mind and the person at the cash register crumples. Still, I stare at the clock. Back and forth. Everything else is blurry now. The man says something, but I'm not sure exactly what.

Suddenly, the world is too bright and my eyes hurt. The shinny clock is gone, but everything else is too bright and I have a bad headache. I bend over a bit as I cradle my head a few seconds with my eyes shut tight to block out the colors.

"Sorry," the man says. His voice is too loud. Every sound made reverberates a thousand times louder in my head, causing it to ache wherever it touches.

"Don't close your eyes or it will make it worse. I shouldn't have taken the clock so suddenly, but it would have just gotten worse," he says.

Reluctantly, I open my eyes and the sight makes me dizzy for a few seconds and I almost fall, but then it passes and the colors return to normal slowly and the sound of snow falling outside can no longer be heard.

"Hello," I say. Always a good start.

"Hello," he responds. He has a Scottish accent.

For the first time, I glance down at the crumpled figure. It has dark brown skin and a grey suit or armor or something. In the back of it's neck is a small vent which looks smashed. I know what it is, but I don't want to know. Because I have seen this before, but not in real life. So this man can't be-

"I'm the Doctor," the man says. "Uh... I actually just regenerated, so..."

I am almost ready to believe him. The figure below us must be a Sontaran. It must be happening again. Like all the other times. But there is one thing. This is a new regeneration-the thirteenth doctor. But I'm having trouble believing it. There is something that seems surprising for the Doctor.

"I do have an important question though," he says.

"YOU'RE GINGER!" I shout, louder than I intend.

"AM I REALLY?" he shouted back, louder than me.

"Uh... Yeah..."

With that, he took off parading around the store. "I'M GINGER!"

After doing a whole loop through the store he finally came back to where I was standing open mouthed.

"So let's start this over. I'm the Doctor and I'm ginger. Now run for your life."

Sounds about typical for the Doctor. So I ran. There would probably be more Sontarans soon. As we ran I tried to ask him a few things.

"What are Sontarans doing here?"

"Probably trying to reinstall a cloning devices around the world or establishing a manual labor factory to produce rheon carbines-wait a second. How do you know about Sontarans?"

"Uh... How would I not? I know about Sontarans, living plastic, the Slitheen family, the Vashta Nerada. Oh! And the Weeping Angles," I shivered at the last one.

"But HOW?" he asked.

"I've been there, haven't I?"

"What? But people, just forget. Things are erased from existence, gone. No one remembers."

"I do. Saving the world with your children of time. I always see you. I just wasn't sure I didn't imagine it until now. Actually, I'm still not sure that I'm not dreaming or something."

"How do you know about the children of time?" he interrogated.

"I've seen them, met them."

By this time we had reached the TARDIS, which was outside in a patch of wet snow. Now I was simultaneously cold from the weather and too warm from the running. Can you actually shiver and pant at the same time?

"I didn't know," he said. "Okay well nice meeting you... Uh... What is your name?"

"Lily."

"Lily," he said. "Like the flower?"

"Yes."

His smile suddenly fell into a frown and I knew he was thinking of Rose, another flower. He quickly smiled again and said "Well nice meeting you, Lily. Gotta go."

"Wait!" I cried. "I want to help."