Out of Time | Doctor Who |

An Introduction, of Sorts

Sora Sparks jogged down the sidewalk of Overland High to get to class on time. She was balancing a briefcase on her head while holding multiple folders, along with a cup of coffee; she was late, as always. She stormed into the classroom, her breathing heavy and labored.

Sora was normal. Yes; normal indeed, exceedingly so. She was a normal- if not clumsy physics teacher that loved what she did, nothing more, nothing less.

"Hello class" Sora greeted, her thick Welsh accent cutting through her words as she smiled and dumped all the folders onto the desk along with the briefcase. Sora then took the coffee from her head and sipped it, her eyes closing as the tasty drink stimulated her taste buds.

"Good morning Ms. Sparks," the class coursed, slightly amused at their teachers' odd behavior.

"Alright then, let's get started." Sora said, starting the class by writing a equation on the board. She continued on giving lectures throughout the day until lunch.

Sora sat down in her desk chair and gave out a loud sigh, teaching the future generation was harder than it looked. She closed her eyes and relaxed, just a second- just one second of peace was all she needed.

Sora groaned as the all too familiar beep of her cell, interrupted her peace. Keeping her eyes closed, she flipped open the phone and sighed.

"Hello?"

"Sora!" Sora held the phone away from her ear and blinked.

"That's my name, Sparrow, don't wear it out," She sighed, slowly bringing the phone back to her ear, "what do you want Sally?"

"Wester Drumlin's."

"Wester Drumlin's? You mean that that creepy old place at the edge of town? Why do you wanna go there?" Sora asked, a little confused by her friend's motives.

"Oh come on! You know why I want to go. Old things!"

"Right, old things, sadness, got it; why are you calling me then?" Sora said tiredly, her eyelids slightly drooping. Although she was happy to hear her old high school friend's voice, Sora was exhausted and her throat was sore from scolding the trouble makers.

"Remember that thing we used to do when we were kids?"

"Midnight sneak out?" Sora questioned.

"Exactly that. It'll be like old times," Sally replied happily. Sora vaguely remembered cool Autumn nights as she lay in her bed, waiting for the gentle tap of Sally's fingers on her window. The excitement bubbling up in her stomach, the rapid rise and fall of her chest.

"Sally, we're not fifteen anymore." Sora's voice was flat. There was a long pause after that. Neither knowing what to say.

"I'll pick you up at 11:45, don't make me wait."

"Wait Sally--"

"Oh come on Sora, live a little." The line cut off leaving Sora to her own devices.

***

Why was she here? She obviously did not want to come, right? Then why was she here?

Sally and Sora stood at the foot of a large intricately designed gate, that would've been beautiful if it weren't for the "KEEP OUT" and "DANGER" signs that had been plastered onto the cold metal. Sally went up to the gate and pulled, of course, they were locked. A harsh wind blew in, cutting through the thin fabric of Sora's pathetic excuse for a jacket.

"Well, guess we should go then, door's locked, it's cold, and I honestly don't feel like being that one stupid girl in a horror movie that always goes towards the danger." She said, pointing at the warning signs to prove her point.

Sally didn't even seem to hear Sora speak, she looked to be in her own thoughts.

"We climb over it then," Sally said with a sense of finality, a smirk making its way onto her lips. Sora was stunned for a second, why did I come here?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Sally's booted feet landing on the ground on the other side of the fence.

"Sally," Sora warned.

"Sora," Sally mimicked, and put her hands on her hips, "come on Sparks, old things are waiting." She then turned around and started walking towards the the house, as if expecting for Sora to follow. At first, Sora just glared at the back of her friend's head, silently hoping she would turn around and forget about going inside that creepy house, but as soon as Sally's blonde head disappeared inside the building, Sora knew all hope was lost.

With a sigh, Sora griped the cold metal bars of the fence, and started to make her way over it, albeit, with more difficulty than her younger friend.

"Two years older," Sora muttered, "and I'm already losing it."

After she managed to heave herself over the gate, Sora sauntered over to the front doors of the house. Off white, led pained, oak doors greeted her, and Sora grimaced at the sight. She wasn't a fan of old things. Her preferences were things that didn't break when you touched them. Shaking her head, Sora gingerly reached out, clasped her hand around the cold brass handle and took a step forward.

Her senses were greeted to the smells of mothballs, rotting wood and mildew. Sora turned her head and covered her nose as she took another step into the house. The floorboards creaked under her weight in protest, adding on to the already eerie environment. A draft came through an open window to her left, and she figured that's where Sally had entered.

Of course she would use the window, Sora thought, Sally had always been the more daring of the two. In fact, in high school it had been her most iconic characteristic. Sally Sparrow: The Dare Devil of Overland High. Rolling her eyes and tightening her thin jacket around her body, Sora made her way deeper into the house.

Sora passed many rooms, but almost all of them were empty, it was next to impossible to tell which room had been a sitting room, and which room had been a bedroom. Although, the rooms that did have furniture were easy enough to guess. Sora paused at what she assumed used to be a music room. She looked at the grand piano in the middle of the room, obviously the main attraction; but now the piano's glory had been muffled by dust, and a white sheet that left only a ghost of what it used to be. For a moment, Sora understood Sally's love for old things; as she gazed upon the piano, she realized the sadness and the beauty of it all.

Sora snapped back to reality when she heard a not so distant creek. She looked across the room to find a figure standing behind the piano. Sora jumped.

"Sally, is that you?" She asked, slightly annoyed, "You know, it's rude to sneak up on people."

There was no reply, the figure simply stood there, unmoving. Sora leaned forward and squinted, the figure was cast in complete shadow and she couldn't quite make out what it was. But it stood there, watching, waiting-- for what, Sora had no idea, but she squinted right back at it. Sora had the feeling that she should be afraid, but she wasn't, she was too curious to be afraid; the way it stood, so still-- too still.

Sora blinked.

The figure was gone.