Empyrean Intellect || Tenth Doctor x OC

1. The Idiot's Lantern: Part 1

Isabelle hissed through her teeth, pulling her hand back with a jolt after the needle of the sewing machine lightly caught her finger. She had not been paying attention, not noticing her hand being drawn nearer and nearer to the sharp pin end as she attempted to repair the frays in the soft cream net kitchen curtains. All of this work just so the house would look nice for one silly day. She did not understand it, it was not like the coronation would be taking place in their own front room.

Tutting under her breath, Isabelle lifted her foot from the squeaky pedal and tucked her dark brown hair behind her ear before beginning to rethread the needle and continue her work.

The wireless was playing lightly in the background, out of it spewed some comedy show they followed through the days. Mrs Connolly and Tommy Connolly sat behind her on the settee laughing along lightly with the voices. Gran was trying her best to munch on a toasted crumpet in her armchair while mumbling all sorts of nonsense, like all those of an older generation did. 'Chocolate will make you slow', 'electricity will be the end of us'. You had to laugh at her otherwise you'd go mad. 

"He's a caution, that one! He does make me laugh." Rita Connelly laughed freely with a wide smile on her face, knitting along in time with voices. However that carefree grin soon dropped when the living room door opened and the man of the house entered.

Eddie Connelly; a fierce man, with a wild temper and the strict bossiness to go along with it. He was stocky, broad, and could only be found wearing a suit whether he was at work or down the working men's club. He kept up appearances, from his hair to the shine of his shoes. The way the rest of his family presented themselves was a main focus of his as was the upkeep of the house. One loose thread or, god forbid, one ornament be out of place, and it wouldn't be worth trying to make up for it.

Isabelle saw Rita crawl into the shell she hid within when he was around. The woman wore it like a suit of armour, she wouldn't be laughing at anything else this evening; she would barely say another word.

"Oh our lord and master." Gran quipped sarcastically from her place. Isabelle kept facing the window, looking out into the storm, if she didn't move and didn't make a sound then maybe he wouldn't notice her.

"Rita, I'm off out." His heavy southern accent ran through the house, at the volume he spoke she bet even the neighbours could hear.

Tommy, magazine in hand, turned in his seat on the sofa to call his fathers attention to a certain inky page. "Dad."

"Oh, how many times, son? We'll see." Isabelle did not know for sure what Tommy was showing his father behind her back but she could take a good guess as it seemed to be all anyone was talking about these days, especially the children.

"But everyone's getting a telly, dad." Tommy sighed. "Even Mister Gallagher, and the Bell's at number sixty seven."

"Well, perhaps we'll get one for the Coronation. If you're lucky. We'll see." That made the young boy smile and turn back to listen to the radio, the crinkle of the page turning in his lap filling the room.

She thought she'd got through it after that, thought Mr Connelly would turn and head out. But the lack of noise coming from the sewing machine still caught the man's attention as he looked over and glared hard into the back Isabelle's head. It seemed that even when she was silent she was a problem.

"As for you girl." Her body tensed and slowly, Isabelle removed her hand from the machine and turned making sure not to dare meet his eyes. She kept them focused strictly on the ground as Mr Connelly stopped a few few away, grimacing at her.

"Yes sir?" She whispered as the rest of the family tried to ignore what was happening around them.

"I did not let you into this house so you could sit and stare into space day and night!" Eddie shouted, speaking down to her like she was one of his troops. "Sitting in that chair, looking out that window...that's all you have ever seemed to do since you got here!" Like a showman, he marched closer and tore the curtains across the window, hiding the night sky she had, unknowingly, been distracted by. "Nothing's there."