Misfortune: A Time Travel Romance (Ball and Chain Book 1)

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Misfortune: A Time Travel Romance (Ball and Chain Book 1) Page 2

by David L. Hilton


  "You knew the TARDIS was bigger on the inside?" He frowned.

  "Well, its not hard to see a gigantic, glowing, blue police box," I rolled my eyes. "She stuck out like a sore thumb." I went through his fridge, pulling out the supplies to make a large sandwich.

  Once I finished, I sat at the table where Amy and the Doctor was sitting, and pulled out a sizable chunk of my sandwich, handing it to the woman. "Huh? What do I do with this?"

  "Eat it," I ordered.

  She scrunched up her nose, "Why?"

  "I want to know if it's poisoned or not," I explained.

  "So why would I eat it?"

  "She's using you as a test subject," the man frowned. "Why not me?"

  "You're alien; I don't know what immunities you could have, and you could use that to your advantage. She's human. She doesn't," I explained.

  "Is this supposed to make you trust us?" Amy questioned, taking the sandwich.

  "Actually, it goes both ways," I said. "I had my back turned for at least twenty seconds while making that sandwich and I made about five different suspicious gestures during that time, suggesting that I might have poisoned it. You don't know if I poisoned it, and I don't know if you did."

  The man narrowed his eyes, "Clever. Very clever. Except I know that I don't keep poisons in my pantry. There's no way you could've poisoned it."

  "Poisons are very easy to make," I shrugged. "In fact, I know fifty poisons that I could make in seconds from five things that I saw in your pantry. They vary from a stomach ache to death."

  He glared at me, "Amy, don't eat that."

  "Making Amy not eat that would suggest that you don't trust me, which makes me think that you're working for the School," A lazy yawn escaped my mouth. "In that case, there ten ways that I could knock you out and eleven ways I could kill you just from where I'm standing. I also have several weapons on my person, currently."

  He gritted his teeth, realizing that he was between a rock and a hard place. "I'll eat it," Amy said, making the man raise an eyebrow at her.

  "Why? It could very possibly be poisoned," the man objected.

  "I want to help her," she said, bringing the food to her mouth. "And if that means that I have a chance at being poisoned, then so be it." She ate the sandwich, I watched closely as she chewed it.

  Once she swallowed it, she shot up and ran to the fridge. The man's eyes widened, as Amy screeched, "What did you put in this?!" She pulled out a carton of milk, downing it easily.

  "Hot sauce, why? You don't put hot sauce in your sandwiches?" I asked, taking a bite out of it. It was actually very good. After a few minutes, she sat back down.

  "You didn't poison it," the man noted.

  "Course I didn't," I rolled my eyes, finishing my sandwich. "It's perfectly good food. I don't get to eat very often, so I'd be an idiot if I poisoned free food."

  Somehow, he found this funny and managed to let out a chuckle, "Clever."

  I shrugged, "You're a doctor, right?" He nodded. "Of what?"

  "Just the Doctor," he clarified, and I nodded.

  "Just to be sure, you two aren't working for the School?" They both nodded. "Okay... I don't trust you, but I'm holding you to your word. If I find out you're lying, and you bring me back, I'll hunt you down and kill you." I gave them a sickly sweet smile and both their eyes widened.

  "You don't trust us after I ate your hot-sauced sandwich!?" Amy said angrily.

  "I trust you. You're not a doctor, scientist, or a nurse. I don't know what you are, actually," I shrugged. "It's him I don't trust."

  "Why not?" The man -- the Doctor, frowned.

  "You're a doctor -- the Doctor -- and I hate doctors."

  Chapter 3: chapter three:

  Hazel's POV

  I watched as the Doctor held Amy by her ankle. Her red hair floated around her head like a fiery halo. She laughed, and seemed to reach for the stars that were all too far away for her to touch.

  "You really didn't have to hit me," he muttered, rubbing his head that was sore from earlier.

  I rolled my eyes, "You're the one who almost pushed her into space!"

  "I was going to catch her," he argued.

  I crossed my arms over my chest, and looked away, "Sure..."

  -•••/•/•-••/---/•--

  "It's amazing," Amy awed, looking into the starry space. I smiled, leaning against the console, as the Doctor had called it. Outside the white doors was the vast outer space, filled with bright, multicolored stars.

  The Doctor stepped behind her, "Maybe you should get a closer look." Before I knew it, he pushed her out of the box. I shot up, racing over, and practically throwing him across the room. I caught her leg before she could drift off into space, I breathed heavily, looking at her with wide eyes. She was floating in space, but she wasn't dead!

  "Ow!" The man cried, "What'd you do that for!?"

  "You're the one who pushed her out the TARDIS!" I shot back, bringing her back into the ship.

  "You didn't have to throw me across the room! I was going to catch her!!" He shouted, standing up.

  "How was I supposed to know that?!" I huffed, shifting my wings. "Amy, are you okay?"

  "Yeah, fine " she laughed. "No need to worry. This is beautiful..."

  -•••/•/•-/•••/-

  "Come on, Pond," the Doctor said. "Do you want a turn, Hazel?"

  "My wings are still sore, I wouldn't be able to fly. And I'd rather not fly over top a city... I'm sure they don't have bird kids in space..."

  "I'll hold you," he offered, but I shook my head.

  "My wings would still be visible," I pointed out. He opened his mouth to saw something, but I interrupted him. "I like the view perfectly fine from here, anyway."

  "Okay, your box is a spaceship," Amy said, interrupting our small argument. "It's really, really a spaceship. We are in space! What are we breathing?"

  "I've extended the air shell. We're fine," the Doctor answered. "Now that's interesting. Twenty ninth century. Solar flares roast the earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations." The Doctor turns away, and goes over to the console, and the doors shut, Amy on the outside.

  "Doctor?" Amy says outside the door.

  "Migrating to the stars," he says to himself, awing.

  "Doctor!" I said, but he still didn't notice. I saw a small smile on his lips, he was teasing her!

  "Amazing, don't you think?" He turns to me, and frowns, going over to the doors, and swinging them open. "Well, come on. I've found us a spaceship. This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland. All of it, bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal. That's not just a ship, that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and shopping. Searching the stars for a new home!"

  "Can we go out and see?" Amy asked hopefully.

  "Course we can. But first, there's a thing," he said. A condition?

  "A thing?" Amy asked, seemingly having the same thoughts I did.

  "An important thing. In fact, Thing One. We are observers only." Ah, so it's a rule... "That's the one rule I've always stuck to in all my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets."

  A image of a girl waiting by what seemed like elevator appeared on the screen. "Ooo, that's interesting!" The Doctor grinned.

  "So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah?" Amy says, staring at the screen, not noticing that the Doctor had left the room. "Because if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it, they've got to keep filming and let it die. It's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard, being all, like, detached and cold?"

  He appears on the screen, gesturing for us to join him.

  •/•-••/••/--••/•-/-•••/•/-/•-

  "Where's Hazel?" I heard the Doctor ask from around the corner.

  "She's over there," Amy replied.

  I heard footsteps comi
ng in my direction and soon, the alien emerged from the corner. "What are you doing, dawdling about? Giant spaceship, and you're hiding here, in the shadows!"

  I glared at him, "Yes, Doctor. Gigantic spaceship filled with god knows how many people. You know what I have?! Friggin' wings! Might as well put up a flashing sign that says 'Hey! There's a bird kid over here!'"

  The Doctor sighed, "You can go back to the TARDIS and grab a coat from the wardrobe if you want to."

  "I have no clue where that is," I frowned. "You need a coat rack."

  "I had a coat rack!" He whined. "I don't know where its gone to now!"

  I sighed at the man, "Can I just wear your jacket?"

  He frowned, "Fine. Just don't mess it up."

  I rolled my eyes, taking the jacket from him, and putting it around my shoulders, covering my wings. "You guys go ahead. I'll meet up with you in a few minutes."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "Tying my wings down so no one can see them," I answered, taking the bandage, that was rather dirty, off my wings and tying it around my body tightly. Once I finished, I sighed.

  "It's like you're wearing a corset," he frowned, as we both walked away.

  I rolled my eyes, and met up with Amy, who was sitting down at one of the tables. Once she saw us, she got up, and the three of us began to walk down. "Welcome to London Market," a voice over some kind of P.A. system said. "You are being monitored."

  That's fantastic, I thought to myself. Thanks creepy P.A. system for reminding me that you were stalking me...

  "I'm in the future," Amy whispered in realization. "Like hundreds of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries."

  I scoffed. "Oh, lovely," the Doctor said sarcastically. "You're a cheery one. Never mind dead, look at this place. Isn't it wrong?"

  "What's wrong?" Amy asked as we passed another one of the creepy statues with a clown-like face in it.

  "Come on, use your eyes," the Doctor encouraged. "Notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?"

  "Is it the bicycles?" Amy asked, "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles."

  "Eh, not really," I shrugged. "It's a spaceship. It wouldn't need cars. Bicycles would help the environment, seeing that they probably already have to worry about the fumes ruining the clean air. And besides, you're in your PJ's. You probably stick out more than the bicycles do."

  "Oh my god!" Amy exclaimed in horror, "I'm in my nightie!"

  "Now, come on, look around you," the Doctor said. "Actually look!"

  I sighed, but looked around, my eyes scanning the room for any sign of suspicious movement. The only thing that really stuck out was the creepy booths...

  Wait.

  I looked back at the tables, where someone's glass of water was, glaring at it. "London Market is a crime-free zone," the P.A. said again.

  "Life on a giant starship," the Doctor said. "Back to basics. Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps. But look closer. Secrets and shadows, lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state,," he turned to one of the people sitting at the tables, who has a glass cup in front of them that they were probably drinking, "Excuse me." The Doctor seemed to notice this too, and took the glass, placing it on the ground. I watched it my eyes narrowed. The water was still; it didn't even so much as shudder.

  The Doctor put the cup back, "Sorry," he apologized. "Checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish. Where was I?"

  "Why did you just do that with the water?" Amy asked as we walked. I crossed my arms over my chest, glancing at the statues, its de-voided of life eyes seemed to follow us as we passed it.

  "Don't know," the Doctor said. "I think a lot. It's hard to keep track. Now, police state. Do you see it yet?"

  "Where?" Amy asked.

  "There," I said, pointing to the small girl that was sitting on the red benches.

  We walked over to her, the Doctor was walking past her, bumping into her four times, until finally, I saw her drop a wallet out of her pocket, and he picked it up.

  "One little girl crying. So?" Amy asked, as he glanced at the wallet.

  "Crying silently," he pointed out. "I mean, children cry because they want attention, because they're hurt or afraid. But when they cry silently, it's because they just can't stop. Any parent knows that."

  "Are you a parent?" Amy asked.

  "Hundreds of parents walking past who spot her and not one of them asking her what's wrong," the Doctor said, totally dodging her question. "Which means they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows, whatever they're afraid of, it's nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state."

  I watched as the girl walked into the elevator, noticing that the creepy statue was watching her too. "Where'd she go?" Amy asked.

  "Deck two oh seven. Apple Sesame block, dwelling 54A. You two look for Mandy Tanner. Oh, er, this fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her. Took me four goes. Ask her about those things. The smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere."

  "They're just things," Amy frowned.

  "They're more than that," I said, and she looked at me. "This whole place is dirty except for those booths. There's not a single footprint within two feet of those booths. We need to ask her why the people are scared of them too. How could a creepy, wooden puppet cause so much fear in a city of people?"

  "No, hang on," Amy said, still not satisfied. "What do I do? I don't know what I'm doing here and I'm not even dressed."

  "It's this or Leadworth. What do you think? Let's see. What will Amy Pond choose?" He asked jokingly, "Ha ha, gotcha. Meet me back here in half an hour."

  "What are you going to do?" I asked.

  "What I always do," he grinned at us. "Stay out of trouble. Badly."

  I rolled my eyes as Amy said, "So is this how it works, Doctor? You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there's children crying?"

  The Doctor stepped closer to her, until they were inches apart. His dull green eyes bore into her striking green ones and he gave her a short, one worded answer.

  "Yes."

  •--/••••/•-/•-••/•

  We were following the girl down the hallway, our footsteps leaving footprints in the ground. I sighed, she does know we're following her right? Why do I feel like a stalker...?

  "You're following me," the girl spoke up. "Saw you watching me at the marketplace."

  "You dropped this," Amy says, holding out the multicolored wallet to the girl.

  "Yeah, when your friend kept bumping into me," she replied sarcastically, taking the wallet.

  "What's that?" Amy asked, motioning to the large red-and-white tent that was circled by a yellow border, and a large white 'KEEP OUT' sign. I noticed that there was a also one of the creepy booth puppets beside it.

  "A what? A hole?" Amy frowns, going over to the tent.

  "Are you stupid?" The girl frowns. "There's a hole in the road. We can't go that way. There's a travel pipe down by the airlocks, if you've got stamps. What are you doing?" Amy had went in anyway, and I saw a large lock on it.

  "Oh, don't mind me," she says, noticing the padlock. "Never could resist a keep out sign. What's through there? What's so scary about a hole? Something under the road?"

  "Nobody knows," the girl says. I notice that she keeps glancing at the puppet, and I narrow my eyes at it. "We're not supposed to talk about it."

  "About what?" I asked.

  "Below," she says.

  "And because you're not supposed to, you don't?" Amy laughed, "Watch and learn."

  "You sound Scottish," she frowned. "And you're American."

  "I am Scottish. What's wrong with that? Scotland's got to be here somewhere."

  "No. They wanted their own ship," she answered. "And the Americans only took the rich people. I heard everyone else had to get off themselves... I don't think they did..." />
  I frowned, "Never likes America that much, anyway..."

  "How did you get here?" The girl asked, changing the subject.

  I hear a mechanical whirring and the smiling puppet turned to a frowning one. "Oh, just passing through, you know," Amy answered casually, "With a guy."

  "Your boyfriend?"

  Amy frowns, stopping for a second. "Oh."

  "What?"

  "Nothing," Amy laughed. "It's just, I'm getting married. Funny how things slip your mind."

  "Married?" The girl and I said, simultaneously.

  "Yeah, shut up, married," Amy rolled her eyes. "Really, actually married. Almost definitely."

  "When?" The girl asked.

  "Well, it's kind of weird," she chuckled. "A long time ago tomorrow morning. I wonder what I did?" Then the lock clicked off, and she grinned, "Hey, hey. Result! Coming?"

  "No!" Mandy exclaimed.

  "Suit yourself. How about you, Hazel?"

  "I'll stay out here with her," I said. "Shout if something goes wrong."

  She nods and heads into the tent. I glanced to see the puppet's face turn from frowning to a demonic scowling one. My eyes fractioned, and I turned back to the tent, hearing a thud. "Amy!"

  I turn to the girl. "If I don't come back, I want you to get out of here, okay?" She nods reluctantly and I storm into the room.

  I see black figures dragging Amy's body away, and quickly, I run over, kicking him under his legs so he trips, and falls into the pit below. I run after Amy, but my hand is caught behind me, I turn to see another man-in-black, holding my arm with a very tight grip. "Amy!" I screamed, as the man sprayed something in my face.

  I felt my body become heavy, but I fought it, pulling away from the man, and running after the woman who only seemed to be dragged away farther and farther. "Amy..." I murmured before the spaceship went black.

  •••/-/•-/•-•

  My eyes snapped open, and I looked around. I was in a enclosed room, in a metal chair. There were four screens in front of me, and then two buttons, one said forget, the other protest.

  "Welcome to voting cubicle three two C," a computerized voice says. "Please leave this installation as you would wish to find it. The United Kingdom recognizes the right to know of all its citizens. A presentation concerning the history of Starship UK will begin shortly. Your identity is being verified on our electoral roll. Name, Unknown. Age, two hundred and ninety-nine. Martian status: Unknown."

 

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