Escape (ON HOLD)

Chapter Two

I grabbed on to the sides of the seat when the box began making the strangest of noises. Lights started to turn on and it seemed as though the whole box was suddenly coming alive. I didn't dare move until the noises stopped and there was a loud thud. Then I fell out of my chair and scrambled for the door without a second thought to my rather abused ankle.

"Oh!" I tumbled out of the box and into someone's arms.

"What? Who are you and why were you in my... What?!" I was tossed to the side rather harshly. "What-what happened! My... My Tardis! Oh... Poor thing..."

I looked up to see a man stroking the box affectionately.

"Doctor!"

The man turned around, frowning. "What?"

A woman knelt by my side and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Nothing? Really? Poor girl comes out and you toss her to the side!"

"But my Tardis!"

"Is here and will survive. Besides, the paint's been needing a touch up anyways." She turned back towards me, a smile on her face. "Sorry about that; don't mind him, he's always like that. The name's Clara. Clara Oswald."

I shook the hand she extended, more confused than ever before. I was about to reply with my own name when I suddenly realized something: the forest was gone.

"What.... Where did...." I looked around, stunned. There was no forest and hardly even a tree in sight. We were in between two buildings in a sort of alley and more buildings stood at the ends on the other sides of the streets.

"Oh..." Clara said, as if understanding. "You see, that box is a time machine that can travel through space as well..."

"A time... machine...?" I said, hardly believing any of it.

She smiled. "It's called the Tardis, and as you already know, it's bigger on the inside than the outside."

"Tardis..."

"That's what she said," the man suddenly spoke up. "Do you have to repeat everything she says?"

Clara sighed. "He's the Doctor."

I almost said Doctor, but then caught myself so I wouldn't get anymore annoyed looks from the man.

This was all... unbelievable.

I looked back at the other man, the Doctor, and couldn't help but feel intimidated. He had short grey hair that was somewhat curly and his eyebrows... You had to see them to believe them. His face was rather wrinkly as though he had been frowning his entire life. Overall, he was very intimidating but there was something in his eyes that said otherwise...

Clara on the other hand had shoulder-length brown hair and looked as though she were always smiling. She seemed to have a somewhat bubbling personality.

"What's your name?" Clara asked.

"Um, Zayta."

She smiled again. "Zayta, what a lovely name. So, why were you in the Tardis?"

"I was... trying to hide. I had been in the woods and I found the... Tardis, sitting there against a tree, so I went inside..."

"Well it wasn't yours to go inside of," the Doctor said critically.

"I-I know... I'm sorry..."

Clara frowned at him then turned back to me. "What were you running away from?"

"My... a house."

"A house...?" I nodded. "Care to expand on that?"

There was something about her kind expression that made me feel like I could trust her without regretting it. I carefully took my jacket off and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt, revealing bruises and cuts and scars, some new and some not. She gasped and I looked up in time to see the look she shared with the Doctor.

I rolled my sleeves back down and slid my jacket on again, slowly standing to my feet once I remembered my ankle. "If it's all right, I'd like to grab my bag," I quietly said, refusing to meet their gazes.

The Doctor opened the doors to his Tardis and stepped inside, followed by Clara. The door then shut and I heard whispering from the other side. Then the door opened again and Clara poked her head out, smiling, though something now seemed different.

"Why don't you join us?" she asked.

"What do you mean...?"

The Doctor stepped out and looked at me, still frowning but somewhat... kinder?

"She means come travel with us. Through all of time and space, see the stars and ancient civilizations. Experience different and new things. Explore new worlds." He paused. "Well, what do you say?"

I suddenly felt so out of place standing in front of him. Time and space? A time machine? None of it was making any sense and I was just so confused and unsure that I actually found myself agreeing to it.

Clara clapped excitedly. "Yes! I've been wanting another person to join us!"

The Doctor went back inside and I followed him slowly. "What's the matter with you?" he asked, turning around.

"I just... hurt my ankle is all..."

He sighed. "Of course you did." He walked up a set of stairs to the right and over to one of the bookcases lined up against the wall. He rummaged through the things on the shelves before pulling out a small, glass bottle filled with a light blue gel sort of thing. He walked back down and tossed the bottle to me. "Put that on it."

I nearly dropped the bottle. "What...?"

"Put that on your ankle," he said, making gestures between me and the bottle.

"Here." Clara led me over to the seat I had sat in the first time and had me sit down. She helped me take my shoe off and gently applied the gel to my ankle, then wiped her hands on her pants. "There," she said with a smile.

All of the pain immediately went away and I was relieved, but also even more confused and unsure. I put my shoe back on.

Clara walked over to the console and stood next to the Doctor. "Well, where to next?" she asked cheerfully.

He glanced over at me, his eyes narrowing momentarily. "I have just the place," was all he said before flipping switches and pulling levers, causing the box, the Tardis, to make the strange sounds again. As soon as they stopped the Doctor walked over to the doors and stepped out.

"Hm," was all I heard.

"What...?" Clara said as she followed him out.

I walked out last and I couldn't quite believe my eyes.