Time and Earth: A Doctor Who and PJO Crossover (Bk 1)

Chapter 3: Across the Bay

Chapter 3: Across the Bay

The walk back home was the most unpleasant stroll down the block I'd ever been on.

Away from the crowds and the gossip mill of Coal Hill, Daniel was actually a quiet kid. Or at least he was when with the school's token nerd. I'd tried to start a conversation with as many topics as I could think of: The Great Gatsby, school, sport, the weather. But he'd always give answers that I couldn't build off.

He was probably regretting his decision, devising a way to get out of this now that Will wasn't around.

If Dorothy were here, she'd scold me for being unable to function socially. And then tell me I was nice to try.

Sighing, Daniel tugged on the straps of his backpack, pulling his navy woolen jumper up with the movement. I wrenched my gaze away, to the park where Will and I should have been.

"This is the park?" Daniel asked, voice hoarse from not using it in so long.

I gazed out at the large expanse of pale grass, the sickly set of play equipment in its center, partnered with a meager basketball ring. In this part of London, the empty space alone was impressive, but the play equipment was not.

Daniel's mouth curled into a snicker at the pitiful nature of it, at the bench coated in bird droppings that he probably assumed was where Will and I sat. He'd be wrong in that, we sat on the grass.

"Yep," I answered, and turned to the row of houses on the other side of the road, "But it's probably best to do our work inside."

Daniel looked as though I'd ripped the air from his lungs. "Right, of course."

"Unless you'd prefer to stay-"

"No, no, I'm fine with whatever-"

"No seriously, if you'd prefer to stay out here-"

"Lucy."

That shut me up. The sound of my name from him was like setting up a correct electrical circuit, the tiny globe shimmering with electricity. My veins sizzled with it.

"To the house it is."

I turned to the road and crossed, Daniel on my heels.

The whole situation was a fever dream, far too akin to the stories I played in my head like blockbuster movies. The clouds pressed in on a periwinkle crusade, the wind was stagnant, the aroma of daisies and flowers from Dorothy's front yard twinkling. The only part that was imperfect about the scene was the awkward buzz between Daniel and me.

He smiled softly at the sight of my house when we passed through the emerald gates separating the footpath from the miniature garden.

Our front yard was small, but Dorothy had managed to squeeze fifteen types of wildflower and make it all look stylish. The grass we stood on was no longer pale but saturated with color, and the buds waved up at us as if we were returning from years of war.

A hand tickled the base of my stomach as we stepped over the threshold.

The bricks of the narrow two-story house looked down on us like a condemning monarch. I gulped, wondering how Dorothy would react when she saw Daniel if she'd manage to control her tongue.

"Your place is nice," Daniel stated a meager attempt at conversation.

"Thanks, I'm sure Mum would instantly love you for that."

He laughed softly as I gripped the curved door handle, searching through the translucent window, and when I saw no silhouette inside, I pushed.

Daniel's shoes squeaked on the timber floors when he entered my home. The dark colors of his uniform made him look like a cut-out figurine against the tan and cream spread through the room.