The TimeLord Who Changed

1

My name is Clara Oswald. I died in a Dalek ship, and came back to life wearing a new face. I am The Impossible Girl. These words run through my mind over and over again. It's been a month since the regeneration, but the shock of it all is only now registering. I take the mirror off of my nightstand. I see long black hair and blue eyes, and I am reminded that none of this is a dream.

I hear a knock on my door. "Come in," I mumble. The Doctor walks into my bedroom, and comes over to me.

"Are you coping okay?" he asks softly, laying a hand on my head.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm doing better, I think," I reply. "It's just so hard to believe all of this. I mean, coming back from the dead? Having a brand new body? How do you deal with it?"

He scratches his beard. "Unlike you, I was born with the ability to change. Growing up, I watched kids who died of illness and adults who died of old age regenerate. It was all around me. You've only seen me regenerate two times," he explains.

I nod, trying to grasp all the information. "I think I'll be okay in a day or two. Just...don't go anywhere until I'm ready. Please," I say.

The Doctor lightly kisses my forehead, and leaves my room, closing the door on his way out. I think about what he said. His whole life was centered around change. He's used to it. I'm not, which is why this is so hard for me.

I woke up one week ago, and went to the mirror. Then...when I saw myself, I realized how impossible and totally weird the whole thing was. And a wave of shock slammed into me. What I said is true; I am doing better. Everyone's always telling you to be more comfortable in your own skin. And who I am right now? It is my own skin. In my opinion, I'm becoming more accepting of that. I get out of bed. I don't need to cope any more. I think I am ready to live.

I walk to the console. The Doctor spots me and smiles. "You're okay now?" he asks.

"I am," I reply confidently. I slide down the railing and wrap my arms around the Doctor. "So, where to?"

He says, "I was thinking about the planet Transylvania."

"Uh...Doctor, Transylvania is a country in Europe."

"That's completely different from the planet. In the planet, Trans is short for transitioned. Everyone on the planet is switched. Girls are born like boys, and boys are born as girls."

I blink. "So you mean...Girls have low voices, an abundance of body hair, and man boobs? And boys have high voices, almost no hair at all, and large, round breasts...?"

"That's ridiculous! Girls have normal-pitched voices, an abundance of body hair, and man boobs, and boys have normal-pitched voices, almost no hair at all, and large, round breasts," the Doctor tells me matter-of-factly.

"Okay...let's not go there," I say, weirded out.

"Fine. How about...Seeria?"

"Doctor, Syria is also a country on Earth," I sigh, rolling my eyes.

"No, Seeria. As in seers. Everyone on the planet has the power to see the future. They can tell you the exact time of your death, what year the Earth will perish, or who will win the next Super Bowl!" he explains.

I think about it. "Sure, why not?" I say.

The Doctor flips a switch and pushes a few buttons. The TARDIS whirs and whooshes, but stops a moment later. I hop onto the Doctor's back, and he piggyback rides me to the doors. I get off so he can open the door. When does, I gasp. Weird, glowing, human-like figures are walking around in a completely dark planet. The Doctor pulls out two flashlights, and hands one to me. I switch it on, as does the Doctor. We step out of the time machine, and all the figures look at us. They're...humans.

The Doctor steps forward, and a girl about 10--or 10,000, who knows--pulls him toward her. She whispers something in his ear. The Doctor's eyes widen, then he looks at me. He whispers something back, and she replies. The Doctor nods. I walk over to him. "What exactly was that? What'd she say?"

"Clara...trust me, as much as I'd like to tell you, I can't. When humans hear something about their future, they always want to interfere, and that never ends well," he tells me solemnly.

I stare at him for a moment. "Okay..." I wander away from him, passing all the glowing seers.

While walking around, a middle-aged man pulls me aside. Before I can protest, he whispers to me: "Everything will change, Clara Oswald."

"What does that--"

"Horrifying obstacles are coming. Nothing is as it seems. The end is near. Don't ask me anymore questions, and don't interfere with the future. Goodbye, Clara Oswald," the man says. His aura starts to get brighter and brighter, until I can't look anymore. When the glow dies, the man is gone, but his words echo in my mind.

Everything will change. Obstacles are coming. Nothing is as it seems. The end is near. What did he mean? How will everything change? Everything already changed when I regenerated. And what obstacles? After dealing with all those aliens only a month ago, what else is there? Why is nothing as it seems? Am I going to face some kind of betrayal? Also, how is the end near? The Earth has nearly ended almost a million times; what's supposed to end it all?

Suddenly, everybody's glow dies, as does my flashlight. I'm left in complete darkness. "Doctor?" I yell. "Doctor, where are you? What happened?" My flashlight turns back on, and everything is gone. Including the TARDIS. Including...the Doctor.