Escape (ON HOLD)

Chapter Eight

I was hesitant to tell them anything. Especially when all I had to tell were painful memories.

"Just... I can't remember anything before the orphanage. There's just... blackness. Absolutely nothing."

The Doctor sighed. "Then your memories aren't hidden, they've been erased. Completely. Thoroughly. Permanently. Bu-bye memories." As he said this he started pacing around the center console, occasionally flipping a switch or hitting a button.

"Wow. Mr. Positivity, aren't you?" Clara said with a frown.

"What? Do you want me to lie? To tell her everything will be all right?"

"Isn't that what you normally do?" He just glared at her in response.

I had been pacing as well, absentmindedly listening to them. It was another one of my poor attempts to keep from completely freaking out.

"Zayta. Zayta?"

"Hm?" I looked up to see them both staring at me.

"Why are you rubbing your throat like that?" the Doctor asked.

I hadn't realized it, but I had been rubbing my throat, as though it were sore. And it was strangely. It was even burning.

I shrugged. "Just sore is all. Maybe thirsty."

The Doctor waved me off and Clara sighed, standing to her feet.

"I'll show you where the kitchen is."

I followed Clara down the hallway to the right. I tried to memorize the path she took me down, but I lost track after about the fifth turn and we still hadn't arrived at the kitchen yet.

"Here we are."

I walked through the kitchen, trying to ignore its size, and searched through the cupboards until I found a glass. Then I walked over to the sink and started to fill the glass up with cold water.

"Oh!" I dropped the glass when it started to burn.

"Are you all right?" Clara asked, sidestepping broken glass to get to me.

"Think so... That's just so... weird."

"What is?"

"The cold water burned... Unless I was just imagining things..." I carefully and quickly ran my hand under the running water. I jumped back and hugged my hand to my chest when it burnt even worse than before, probably due to direct contact.

Clara gently looked at my hand. It was all red and blotchy and burnt. "We should go tell the Doctor..."

"I need something to drink first." My throat was still sore and burning and it seemed to increase by the minute. "I guess I'll try warm water then." I tested the water, but even warm water still burned slightly. It was only the water that should have been scalding hot that didn't hurt at all. Clara even tried touching it, but the water burned her. Yet it felt perfectly fine going down my throat, and even soothed it some. "Yeah, we should probably tell him,' I agreed.

I followed her back out into the console room, still holding the glass of water.

"Um, Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Zayta... Well, you tell him."

I sighed. "Cold water burns." I held out my hand to show him.

He walked over with a frown and looked it over. "You said cold water?"

I nodded. "And burning hot water is perfectly fine." I held the glass up a bit and he touched it, but pulled his hand back immediately. He pulled out the device he to me he called his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at me. He frowned when he saw the results. Then he began pacing again.

"Care to explain, Doctor?" Clara asked.

The Doctor suddenly stopped pacing and spun around to look at Clara. He was frowning. Then he turned and looked at me and marched right up to me, standing right in my face. He stood there for several moments in silence, frowning and staring. Then he finally spoke.

"What are you?"