Worlds Apart

Chapter Four

Doctor's POV

It's been two days since that meeting and we've had one hell of a time because of the press.

We had all met the guests, including the Dalek, whom Crystal had hid from when we first ran into it. The family was extremely nice, but they were also extremely busy, with a two year old and a seven month old, and they were always someplace. Jenna's sister was nice, but worried too much about her hotel, and the Ood, well, it was just busy trying to make me comfortable. Emma and I were avoiding each other, not because we wanted to, but because we didn't want to give Mortivia the satisfaction. We had told Crystal and Clara about this, and just about everything flew over Crystal's head and it took a lot of explaining before she understood we weren't in love.

Speaking of Crystal and Emma, they had gotten into another argument. This was about Dragon getting lost in the hotel. From what I heard, Crystal was watching over it and got careless. Crystal denied it. It took me to separate the two of them, which was good, because Emma looked like she wanted to kill her sister, but was also bad, because Emma had forgotten to clip her nails, and as a result, I had several long deep scratches on my right arm. Fortunately, Dragon chose that moment to show up, and after an extremely dirty look to Crystal and me, she ran off, cooing to the tarragon.

Crystal and I were walking around the town when the title for an article in front of the local newspaper. I grabbed it from the man and read the article, getting angrier and angrier. It was all lies, complete lies, lies about Emma and I.

Emma had decided to take her sister to the ice cream parlor and I offered to come, because I had nothing to do. At the ice cream parlor, Emma and I were talking about Mortivia and how annoying she was. But in the article, we were flirting and doing other ridiculous stuff. I don't know where Mortivia makes up lies in the little brain she has, but I hated them nonetheless. They twisted every day things into stuff like that. I chucked the newspaper in the trash, forgetting it wasn't mine, and muttered to Crystal, "Let's go back to the TARDIS."

Once were back to the TARDIS, Crystal said, "How would that have been true? She obviously doesn't know you, because you're not the flirting type. Mortivia doesn't care about anything but popularity. If any of that was true...well, I heard what you guys were talking about. Mortivia clearing doesn't know when she's being insulted. But if what the article says is true-"

"It's not," I snapped. I sighed and leaned against the console. "I'm sorry Crystal, but it's just... they're all lies. Nothing in that is true, well almost nothing, but I don't care what they say, they could, oh I don't know, hurt me every second of my life until I declare love for your sister, and I'll take that pain to my last day, because I'll never give Mortivia that, she can lie about me all she wants, but I know that's what they are. Lies, all lies, just to get viewers. Crystal, do me a favor, if you see anything suspicious, just bring it to me or Emma, because we have to know this stuff..."

She nodded, then said, "Why not give Mortivia the exact opposite of what she wants?"

"Like?"

Crystal shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Fighting, saying I hate you, that kind of stuff. They'll publish it, and people'll know that you guys don't love each other." Then she added under her breath, "Cause that would be just plain creepy if you were..." She looked at me.

"Or just- just saying I'm not in love would work," I mused.

"Knowing Mortivia, she won't hear the 'not' part," pointed out Crystal. I nodded, then hugged her tight. "Crystal, you are brilliant!"

She struggled against my arms. "Put me down, put me down!"

I released her. She crumpled in a heap on the floor, but got to her feet quickly. "I'm okay!"

Emma's POV

I ran to the Doctor and Crystal once they left the TARDIS. I held up the newspaper. "Did you read it?"

They nodded. "Flirting, holding hands under the table, sharing a smoothie... I wonder if one of them has halluctionations?" I said.

"I didn't read the whole thing. I stopped once I heard 'flirting'," said the Doctor.

"Yeah, well, don't. This is going in the fireplace at the hotel," I balled it up and stuffed it in my pocket, then grabbed Crystal's hand. "Come on, before Mortivia thinks of something new."

Clara's POV

"I read it," I told Emma and Crystal once they got into the hotel.

"Where did you read it? I want to make the fire in the fireplace warmer and bigger," Emma said, chucking in the ball of lies into it. The hungry flames leaped up at the feast, then settled down again.

"Jenna chucked it out," I told them. Emma said, "That would've been perfect for the fire!"

"You're really angry, aren't you," I commented as we made our way to our room. Emma nodded. "It's lies, all lies. If there's one thing I hate, it's rumors. Gossip. Ninty-nine percent of the time it's not true. This is one of those times." Emma jammed the key into the lock and turned it. Once the door was opened, Emma pulled out the key and flopped onto her bed. She opened the Ender's Game that was laying on her bed and began to read. I knew she wanted to escape the lies to a school set in the stars, where they learn about fighting Buggers.