Lost In Time: A Doctor Who Fanfiction

Chapter 86 - The Love Experts

Lyssa was up far earlier than anyone had a right to be, and she wasn't entirely sure it was a good thing.

"It's five o'clock in the morning and I am wide awake. Why am I wide awake?" she hissed at the ceiling, standing in the middle of her bedroom with a pout. "I didn't go to bed 'til like midnight last night. That's five hours! Five! Why do I feel rested?"

She felt a hum of amusement in the back of her mind and glared up at the ceiling again. "This is you, isn't it? You had something to do with this, didn't you! You are way too smug for you to not be involved!"

The hum turned admonishing and she sighed. 

"I apologize if I sound ungrateful. I'm not trying to be. I'm glad I feel rested, really I am. It's just - five hours is not enough sleep for anyone to be rested! Except for maybe the Doctor," she added thoughtfully.

The hum turned into a nudge. 

"Did he have something to do with this? But why would he mess with my sleep? Not to mention how would he... Of course, if I question him he's liable to actually make something that could mess with my sleep just to show off," she muttered. "But that doesn't seem like him... unless..."

"You'll need less food and water and sleep to survive, and can last longer without oxygen, though I wouldn't recommend tryin' to find your new limits unless you have to." The Doctor's voice floated through her mind along with another nudge and she sighed, shoulders sagging.

"This is because of that change thing, isn't it?" she muttered. She nodded mournfully at the affirmative hum, trying to accept what were likely now permanent changes. "Is this going to be my new normal, not sleeping more than like five hours a night?" She glared at the ceiling again when the hum became teasing, not confirming or denying, and flopped onto her bed, spreading her limbs wide. "What's the point of living longer if I can't sleep through it?"

She lay there for a moment before narrowing her eyes. "You know what, no. This is one of my first days off in like forever, I'm going to sleep in and enjoy it!" She crawled back under the covers and tugged them over her head, closing her eyes and stubbornly ignoring the amused hum in the back of her head. Just because her body was changing didn't mean her sleep schedule had to change!

She managed it for about three minutes before her resolve gave way and she reluctantly threw off her blankets. "Fine. I'm getting up, but I'm not happy about it," she grumbled, making her way to the closet and reluctantly putting away her pajamas. "I'm going to be sulky all day and there's nothing you can do about it!" She tugged a shirt over her head and pulled on the first pair of jeans she found before stumbling out of the closet as she tried to walk and put on her socks at the same time. 

She tied her hair back in a simple braid as she glanced about the room uncertainly, unsure if she wanted to stay or go, before the question was decided for her when her bracelet began to flash. Quickly settling onto her bed, she pressed the little charm once to answer it, watching curiously as the screen popped into existence once more.

It was just a few seconds before Vina appeared, looking markedly different than she had when Lyssa saw her last just a week or so ago. Her hair hung limply around her pale face, which seemed slightly fuller than it had last time, and she kept shifting uncomfortably as she sat. 

"Vina?" Lyssa asked hesitantly, watching in concern as the older woman's attention snapped to her. "Is everything okay?"

Vina hesitated, looking more uncertain than Lyssa had ever seen her. "Yeah, sorry, I just..." She shook her head. "I'm fine, sorry. Just... a little nervous."

Lyssa sat up straighter. "What is it? What's going on?"

Vina took a deep breath. "I have something to tell you."