The Doctor

Chapter 1: The First Encounter

"There are plenty of good looking bachlors out there Kristin." The mayor's wife winked and danced away with her husband. Kristin let out another chuckle and shook her head. What a cute couple.

Suddenly the music came to an abrupt halt and the doors upstairs burst open, causing startled gasps and shrieks from the people. All eyes wandered to the source and soon so did Kristin's. They could see a figure at the doorway that was soon to be revealed as a man. Tall, lean and brought with him an air of confidence. He was very well dressed in his crisp black suit that matched his black hat and mask, which had a long beak attached to where his nose and mouth should be. Kristin stared into the mysterious man's eyes through the holes of his mask but couldn't seem to find them due to their distance. He seemed to exude an aura of authority with every step he took down the stairs and she got a feeling that he was looking at her too but she stood her ground on the bottom left of the staircase where as some people took several steps back and cleared a path for him.

Everyone stood still and waited for some kind of sign, which granted them to move again, the clock ticked painfully slow. His steps became more purposeful and his eyes never left hers. Kristin wondered who the man could be as he stopped, in front of her and gave her a curt nod, to which she replied with one of her own. The tension in the room was palpable, everyone was definitely looking in their direction, trying to figure out what was going on. Kristin was startled to find that even though his mask had two holes carved for his eyes, she could not see them. But even so, she felt the intensity of his gaze upon her. Suddenly, he took her hands in his and brought it up to his beak and gave it a warm peck, making Kristin stiffen her hands at the sudden action. He lets go of her hand and briefly straightening his posture before bending down a little closer and whispered something in her ear in a voice so deep and drawl that it made her heart beat unexplainably fast.

"Do not be afraid my dear, I promise I will never hurt you." He pulled away and looked into her eyes once more. "Would you give me the honour of this dance?"

Kristin didn't know how to respond. On one hand she wanted to accept because she didn't want to seem rude, but on the other hand, she was afraid of this mysterious man. She had never met him previously, and with how he looked, how he carried an air of mystery, and a hint of danger, she would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't a tiny bit afraid of him. But the weird thing is, she felt safe, that she could somewhat trust this stranger. She decided that she would dance with him and timidly nodded her petite blonde head and allowed the mysterious man to lead her to the centre of dance-floor and the music proceeded to play itself again. They both danced to the record and so did everybody else. Lord Benson and his wife watched their daughter dancing with the odd man from afar. They weren’t entirely happy with the thought that she was dancing with him, but they were glad that their daughter was having fun, so they left her be. Of course with vigilant supervision.

All eyes were on them, the new couple Kristin and mystery man. Some looking on with jealousy and some in awe as he pulled her deeper into his embrace; he leaned in and whispered gently in her ear, "Hang on tight my love." Kristin scrunched her eyebrows in confusion but decided to hold on to him a little tighter and he held her in a protective manner. And she felt something stir inside her which she could not explain, how did this man manage to make her feel things she has never felt before just by doing something she wasn't unfamiliar with. She's danced with lots of men before but nothing could compare to this man's embrace.

He then continued.

"Whatever happens my love, do not let go of my hand." His breath sent tingles down her spine as he spoke. "Oh, and close your eyes." He said. She didn’t know what was happening but she did as she was told. She trusted him. She clung on to him as he wrapped his arms around her little bit more tighter and she couldn’t help feeling that there was something wrong within his words, that something sinister was coming.

"Kristin!" Her father's voice bellowed in a panic along with a shrill shriek that erupted from beside her and many screams that came after.

I turned around to see what was going on, but before I could see what was happening or who the shriek had come from, I was pulled into the chest of the masked man and He bowed his head close to my ear and said,

"My dear, I told you not to look, you will listen to what I say or you shall suffer the same fate as your dearest mother and father".

That safe feeling I felt moments ago instantly disappeared and the feeling of fear and the need to run overcame my senses. And I pushed him away. I ran as fast as I  could in this blasted gown and headed towards my bedroom, I hastened my pace as I heard someone pursuing me. I quickly turned a corner and went into the secret passage to my room, which I discovered while roaming the halls as a little girl. Quickly I ducked through the thick tapestry, which was hung there in order to conceal it, and set forth to my room; little did I know that my rival was awaiting at the exit. I opened the doors, which lead to my room, and was startled to find him lying on my bed, hands behind his head as he lazily said,

"What took you so long dearest Kristin?"