Chapter 1: the strange man

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"Aye! This life is so overrated, Liz," I said. I sighed as I looked at my resume. "I don't even get it. Why do we have to work anyway?"
Liz sighed and stared at me. "I wish you the best of luck, sweets. You can do this." Liz walked into the store next to mine leaving me alone in the street of London. We had both just moved from America and our British accents were a tad rusty. Hers was much better than mine anyday.
"Something wrong?" Someone said, interrupting my thoughts. I turned around and saw a hunky guy staring at me. His hair was pretty retro, but I loved it.
"Aye, this store blew up a few years ago and I'm interviewing for a job here. I'm taking Rose Tyler's place. Rumor has it she hobbled off with Mickey and jumped the broom." the man's eyes went from happy to sad like a race car goes from 0 to 160. His eyes were old and mischievous. They had seen too much, felt too much pain.
"I'm sorry, sir. Who are you?" I asked. His eyes lit back up. He grabbed his trench coat and pulled it down.
"Well, you see, Miss-"
"Abi," there was no way I was telling this stranger my real name.
"Miss Abi, I am the Doctor," he called. He smiled, and I felt my knees begin to buckle. His smile was perfection. Even if I had never met this man, he was the definition of perfect.
"Doctor who?" I questioned.
"Exactly."
"Umm where are you from, doctor?"
"A long way away. A very far place from here. I don't believe you would know where it was if I told you. Sorry Abi," his smile faded and he flapped his trench coat to cover his shirt.
"Ma'am, I'm afraid that you are-"
Someone screamed bloody murder, interrupting my thoughts again. "Hold that thought, Doctor." I called, as I ran towards the scream.
"Wait! Abi!" It was too late. I had already rounded a corner and seen the crime scene. A lady laid on the ground, scratches all across her body.
"Oh! Somebody he-e-e-elp," a man cried. "Help! Me wife!" The man's orange hair stuck straight up and his Irish accent was terribly thick. His breath was shaky, and he struggled for it. I took a step closer to him.
"Sir, what happened?" I asked. He turned to me, his eyes bloodshot.
"Ma'am, it all happened so fast. There was-was I-I-I don't remember. It was uh I-I'm sorry." He wiped his eyes. "W-why am I crying? Is something wrong officer?" He looked at me. His eyes faded from their red and returned to the normal white.
I stared at him. "Umm, sir. What's your name?"
"David."
"Last name?"
"Long."
"Who is this woman?" I pointed at the women and he stared in disbelief.
"It's my wi-. I-I don't remember. I thought I had seen her before, but I suppose not." His eyes told the truth. He had no idea.
"Sir, can you come with me please? I'm going to have to take you in for questioning."
"Officer, is there a problem?"
"No, Mr. Long. Not at all. Have you experienced any trauma within the past few weeks?" He shook his head. "Have you hit your head at all?"
He scoffed. "Absolutely not! I work with computers. This is the first time out of my house in the past 2 months. My wi-. Hmm... I did all the shopping, and got me here 'nough groceries to last me two months."
I heard a gasp behind me and whipped my head around. "Doctor, please this is a-"
"Job for a professional. I know." He flashed his I.D. and my mouth dropped open.
"You're part of the FBI? The American FBI?" I heard my British accent go away and I quickly scolded myself.
He looked at his I.D. "Yes, I suppose so. Youre american arent you, Abi? moving on." He pulled out a strange technological device that glowed.
"Do the American FBI use that device? It's a bit-"
"Strange? Yes, yes it is. But that's alright." His accent was strange for an American.
"So, what part of America are you from?"
He whipped around. "Vashta Neurada." He said. "But why wouldn't they turn him to bones? Hmm, I don't know. They always kill. They eat the flesh why does she still have some flesh?"
"Doctor, what do you specialize in?" I asked. He looked at me, suddenly at a loss for words.
"Homocide detective. It-uhh-took a doctorate degree for some reason. Now, the Vashta-"
"Doctor, what are the Vashta Neurosis?"
"So, much to explain so little time. Come with me," he grabbed my hand as he talked and dragged me to a police call box.
The box was royal blue with two sets of four square indents. It was terribly small for two people. I stopped in my tracks, and regained my accent.
"Aye, strange man!" He turned around. "There isn't enough room in that lil box for the two of us. And how's that tiny lil thing s'posed to help out?"
"Ye of little faith," and he opened the door. I walked in, and my mouth dropped open. I ran back outside and circled the box feeling everywhere I could for any form of trickery that wouldn't be noticeable, but there was none. Sure enough the box was smaller on the outside than the inside.
"The-the-the inside's bigger." I stuttered out. The doctor was running around pulling levers and pushing buttons.
"It's a time machine. We have to go now! If I'm right they should have all been destroyed, why are they still-" he stopped moving and stared at me. He put his hands up as if to shush me or tell me not to move.
"You have two shadows, Abi."
"Doctor, there must be two light sources."
"The Vashta Neurada are in the T.A.R.D.I.S. Abi, don't move."
"Doctor-" I said taking a step forward. He ran his hands down his face in frustration.
"This can't be happening again. Abi, I'm so sorry this had to happen to you. You had so much potential as a companion."
I sighed. "Doctor, I'm the one person in the bloody world that's important to nothing at all!" I raised my arms and felt tears roll down my cheeks.
"Abi, I have never ever met a single person in this 'bloody world' or any other that was unimportant, and I can see you're potential. You," he motioned to my whole body. "You are so special."
I sighed and shook my head. "Can you tell me why it's bad that I have two shadows?"
"The Vashta Neurada mimic a second shadow of their prey. They're going to kill you." A tear rolled down his cheek.
"Doctor..." I took a step forward. "I've lived my whole life with two shadows."
The Doctor stared at me for a long time. "It's you. You're the one." He turned and looked at his T.A.R.D.I.S. "We've got so many things to do right now. Come along, no time to waste." And he pulled down levers and pushed buttons like it was nobody's business.

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