Eyes Of Conscience

Illusion

ILLUSIONS

Australia

Nancy had come home from a very long walk out in the Australian Outback.  Frowning when she spotted Tegan was standing there, on the porch, with her arms folded.   No need to worry, Nancy thought as she saw Tegan biting and chewing her lower lip. This was the fifth day in a row Nancy had returned home as the sun began to set.  Nancy stepped inside the house, avoiding Tegan, without saying hello and stamped up to her bedroom.  Something had to be done, Tegan thought, this was not the young girl that had shown such strength by killing The RANI in such dramatic fashion.  Please, she sighed as she followed the younger woman up the stairs, Doctor, why can’t you turn up - Luke and Nancy need you.  

Tegan saw Nancy sprawled on her bed staring at her ceiling her eyes conveying no emotion whatsoever.

“I wish you would just talk to us,” Tegan said, “please, Nancy!”  Nancy turned her back, redirecting her gaze to the poster filled wall.  Tegan was not going to be put off that easily.  “Sulking won’t bring your mother back!”

Tegan felt so hopeless.  Really, what had gone wrong? Why had Nancy suddenly decided to cut off all ties?  Why can’t she just talk?  What does she do when she is out there in the wilds?  Tegan felt guilty but she had even hunted the girls room for a diary to no avail.  She must suffer a wild headache keeping all that hurt locked inside her mind.

“Nancy if this carries on I may have to take you to a psychiatrist!”

“That won’t help any!” Nancy snapped.  “How can that help when I am the only person that can turn into a cat!”

“You are not the only person.”

“Oh yes, dearest mama does too!” Nancy’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Tegan stood up: “THAT IS NOT HER FAULT NANCY!” she shouted.  “Unless you have forgotten it only happened to her her due to an act of kindness,” the older woman folded her arms, “Luke is sitting in her house all on his own waiting for any news that she has been spotted!”

“Wherever she is must be better than Planet Earth with much better people!”

“You know that is not the case!” Tegan exclaimed.  “Has the thought ever occurred to you that she may have jumped into the Thames?”

Nancy kept her eyes on the wall as she considered what Tegan had said but left it at that.  Once the older woman left Nancy got up and lifted her mattress.  Underneath was her diary.  Forever locked.  The key hung round her neck, she reached it over her head and opened the heart shaped locket then pressed it in the groove on the front jacket, flicking through she stopped to read the entry from nearly a month ago:

December 8th

Tegan has just told me to phone up my mum.  I did so only to be told by my ex... (here her writing had gone a bit spidery) that she had not come home and that she only lives inside the house now.  That is not like her.  I do want to go home, I am missing her so much.  I love my mother, I love her so much but how can we be in the same house when we are what we are?  

The same with Luke, does he not realise that I am doing this because I love him.  I have two hearts, and both are smashed to pieces.  Luke is everything to me.  We both have similar reasons for being here.  Neither of us were born the conventional way and we both chose our own mother - who incidentally, had travelled with father.  Luke’s mother travelled with Four and Three.  Three was a lovely dear... Would love to meet him again! and Four - Four scared me a little, his eyes seemed to have a life of their own.  

Then my mother travelled with a man I call father.  Number Seven.  I wish I could tell you his name but he is either very protective of his name, or it has been so long ago that he actually used it he has forgotten it himself.