Chapter 26:
Augusta's POV

Okay, let's run though this one more time," the nurse with bluish skin said. She wore a starch white uniform. She sat on a metal chair near my bed. I stayed leaning back in the bed, looking at the ceiling with a unreadable expression on my face. "What is your name?"

A short silence, then, I spoke up, "... Augusta." My voice was quiet, it has been getting quieter for the past few weeks I've been here. Soon, I'll be talking in no more than a whisper.

"Good," the nurse smiled. Fake. It was a fake smile. Everything was fake. Nothing was real. Not Jessie, not Isobel, not Rose or the Doctor when—

"Why are you here Augusta?" The nurse continued. What was her name again? Mai'bes? That was probably a fake name. Fake like her, fake like this.

"Isobel and Jessie made me." Now, she frowned. This wasn't different; she was still being fake, but now she was fake and concerned. "Isobel and Jessie, they... They threatened to—"

"Augusta," the nurse cut in. "There is no Isobel. There is no Jessie. You weren't made to do that; you jumped, remember? You attempted sui—"

"No!" My hand slammed down on the bed. I expected the woman to flinch away from me. To be scared. Like everyone else. They were all scared because I am a mo—

"You're not a monster," she whispered. "You're just confused. It's okay to be confused, remember? There is no Jessie or Isobel. You made them up. They're just—"

"NO!" I screamed, "No! They're real! They're going to come an—"

The nurse moved to the collar of her shirt, "Can I get a doctor in room 203? She's having a fit again."

My eyes blazed with anger, "I am not having a fit!" I screamed, "Listen to me! She's going to come and—"

"Calm down, Augusta. There'll be a doctor here in a second, and—"

"No!!" I screeched, my heart beating rapidly. I felt my temperature rise dangerously and my ungloved hands.

"August—"

"Leave me alone!" I screamed, holding my hands to my chest. Control it! Control it!!

"She's losing control," the nurse said into her collar. "Get him in here! Now!"

"I don't want to be here," I muttered, curling into myself. Memories of when Isobel and Jessie threatened the Doctor and Rose's lives filled my mind, except these are different outcomes. What could of happened if I waited too late. If I didn't accept her deal. If she took me to—

"Stop," I whispered to myself which soon grew into rising paranoia. "Don't take me back! I don't want to be here. I don't want to die. I—"

"Auggie?" A sudden feeling of relief filled my chest, "Oi, it's me. You need to calm down for me alright? Can you do that?"

"I can't control it. I can't I—"

"You're not going to hurt anyone. Remember that. You're going to be just fine if you stay calm, got it?"

"I... I can't do it. I don't—I can't I—" I heard the door open and close quickly, but I don't care. Listen for his voice. The Doctor will be here soon.

"Do this for me. Be good for me. The doctors are here to help, nobody's going to hurt you here, you're safe."

I felt something sharp stick itself in my neck, and I flinched, needle?! Was that—"Lie down, Miss Augusta," I heard the deep voice of one of the doctors say as my mind begins to blur together. My panicked thoughts merging.

"Doctor..." I murmured as someone gently pushed down on my chest, making me lie down. I try to protest but my limos feel like jelly as the room grew fuzzy.

"Don't forget... I love you, Auggie... Be... Good..." Then time seemed to slow down as my eyes drifted shut.

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Doctor's POV

"The attacks haven't gotten any better. If anything, they seem to be getting worse," Doctor Haunk reported to him. "She's been slowly getting quieter, I'm afraid she might go mute, but that's also unlikely. She refuses to socialize with the other patients her age, probably because of her abilities. She barely eats, unless we put on the recording of you reminding her to do so. Those tapes have been working rather well, actually. I don't know what I would have done if we didn't have such a thing."

He hummed in response, "Thank you, for everything."

"It's my pleasure," Doctor Haunk replied. "I would like to get her stable mentally as soon as possible, really. She is such a bright young woman. It's such a shame to see such a mind go to waste."

"And what about the two people she keeps talking about?" The Doctor asked, his voice lowering.

"... She hasn't stopped. We believe it is a sign of trauma, but at her age and by this time, she should have gotten over it. Whatever happened to her in the past truly did quite the number on her mind, and there is no pulling her away from it now that it's been there for so long," Doctor Haunk gave a heavy sigh. "Her time here is still undetermined."

"Do you think I can pull her out soon? Just for a hour or so," the Doctor requested.

"I... I am unsure. As I stated, I don't know when she will be in the right mentality to do anything really. But, I will see what I am able to do," the doctor promised. "I will keep you updated, Mr. John Smith."

"Thank you, Haunk," He thanked as he heard a click on the other end. He sighed, setting the phone down, leaning his head against the console of his TARDIS. "What am I going to do with her...?" He mumbled, earning a low hum from the living machine in response. He smiled at her attempt of comforting him, rubbing the headboard soothingly.

The past few days had been very depressing for Rose and himself. After he left Augusta in the hands of Doctor Haunk and his staff, he left on the TARDIS with Rose, who seemed very upset about the fact of leaving the young girl, even if it was for her own good.

In order to lift both of their moods, he offered a trip, even bringing Mickey along, and left. At first, everything was going along swimmingly, the trio went on a few fun adventures that they all laughed about later. They tried new things, shared a few jokes, being a good friends in general. Then, as they were traveling the Time Vortex was just... Gone.

And if that wasn't enough, they were stranded in a parallel reality, everything being... Well, topsy-turvy to their own. Then, there were Cybermen, parallel reality Jackie died, and then the parallel reality Mickey died, so Mickey decided to stay back.

This absolutely devastated Rose, especially after what happened to Augusta, but reluctantly agreed to let him go. Now, she hadn't come out of her room since he had gotten her out of there. He wanted to go to her, but he honestly had no clue how to approach the young woman. She had lost her mother right before her eyes, and even though Jackie wasn't technically her child, she still probably felt a connection to her due to how similar the two were.

He sighed, running a hand trough his messy hair. The quietness of the TARDIS was killing him. He wanted to go out and do something; he needed to go out and do something! The bad news from Doctor Haunk hadn't really helped much either. I fact, it probably made it worse, actually.

He looked at his Captain's chair, almost able to see Augusta sitting in it, staring at the way he would weave around the console with curiosity. She's a bright girl, but dark things keep happening to her. Soon, she would overcome them, and be happy... Like she deserved to be.

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Augusta's POV

I stared out the window silently, lying down near the edge of the bed. I heard the door open and shut softly behind me. I didn't move. It was probably the nurse with another exercise. The fake exercises. The fake nurse. The fake hospital.

"What? I'm not going to get a hello for popping in?" I looked at the ground, not replying. I heard footsteps patter against the tile flooring until someone squatted in front of me.

"Hey there, kiddo," the Doctor smiled warmly at me.

"I..." I looked away, "This is all my fault..." I finally choked out. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't be here if—"

"Hey, hey, hey," the Doctor shushed, lifting me up to pull me into a tight hug. "Don't think like that! Look, I'm here, so don't worry!" I felt his gaze trail down to the sides of the bed where the restraints were. They were nearly burned, cracked, and even withered in a few places. Definitely worn, so used frequently.

"I thought you didn't want restraints..." The Doctor sighed.

"I... Almost burned a nurse..." I murmured, looking away. "Sorry... I can't... I couldn't control it... I had them give me it so I wouldn't hurt anyone..."

The Doctor gave me a saddened look, "Oh Auggie. Don't worry about that, okay? It's going to be fine," suddenly, a smile touched his lips. "So, I got permission to take you out for the hour! Where do you wanna go?"

"I... I don't know..." I muttered.

"C'mon! Don't be like that," the Doctor said in a upbeat voice. "We can go anywhere, so pick a place."

"W–Well, I heard one of the nurses talking about this beautiful place a few galaxies over.  I–I don't remember what it was called but—"

"Merianai?" The Doctor suggested, and I nodded. That was it. "Great! We can go there! Go get dressed while I go find Doctor Haunk," he said, patting my shoulder. "Your clothes are on that chair," I nodded, as he got up, leaving the room, and shutting the door behind him.

I slowly got out of bed, and went to the chair. Getting dressed was a slow process, because my movements were sluggish and weak, but eventually, I finished and minutes later, the Doctor came into the room. I carefully put my gloves on as he led me out of the room, holding my hand.

I kept my head down, but was still able to feel the looks that the nurses and patients gave me as I left. After I nearly set that nurse on fire, I... Well, nobody really liked me much.

Fake. It's all fake. This isn't real. The nurse isn't real. The Doctor isn't real. Soon, she will come and soon... I'll be dead and—

I felt the Doctor pull me by his side, and I tensed, "Touch telepath," he murmured as he walked. He rubbed he side of my arm, making my stomach twist again, no. No, it's happening again I—

"Hello Miss Augusta," Doctor Haunk greeted. We were at the front of the facility now. He kept a smile on his face, "Are you ready to go?"

I gave a small nod, I didn't like Doctor Haunk. I don't like the doctors...

His smile only grew at this, "Good! I'll see you soon," he replied, then a nurse called his name, so he gave the Doctor a small wave before hurrying off.

"Come on," the Doctor said, pushing me along. The TARDIS was on the side of the building, near the parking lot. We easily went through to find Rose standing at the console, her back turned to us.

"Oh, you're back. If you were going to visit Auggie, why didn't you—" she froze after she turned around to look at us. Then, a loud squeal was released from her mouth and she dashed over, squeezing me tight.

"Auggie! What are you doing here!? Did they let you out?" Rose smiled, releasing me, but holding my shoulders.

"N–No, the Doctor just got me out for the hour," I answered, mustering up a smile for the blonde haired woman.

She looked at the Doctor, a wide smile on her face, "So, where are we going?" She grinned.

"Wherever she wants," the Doctor answered, going to the console, "It's her holiday." He started up the TARDIS, causing familiar jerky movements to fill the ship. I grabbed onto the side of the console, a small smile appearing on my face.

"Do you really think we could go?" I asked curiously.

"Of course! It's your holiday, Auggie," the Doctor beamed. "Today, you are the captain of the TARDIS. You get to decided where we go." He carefully grabbed my shoulders, bringing me to the side of the TARDIS. The Doctor instructed me to turn several knobs one way or another, flipping a green switch, and pushing three buttons.

"Okay, now pull that lever and we're off," The Doctor grinned. My eyes darted from him to the lever excitedly, a smile growing on my features. Slowly taking the lever in both hands, I yanked down and then the TARDIS began to rumble. I stumbled back, but the Doctor caught my shoulders laughing.

Placing a hand over mines, he grabbed the console and we were off. Rose was beside us, laughing cheerfully as well. My eyes widened, staring down at my hand that he held willingly. Why didn't I pull away? What if my powers flared again and—

Don't worry about that, a different voice I didn't recognize said in my head. Enjoy this, you deserve it. I stiffened, thousands of questions running in my head, but then the Doctor ruffled my hair, and I realized that it was him.

A laugh found its way out of my mouth and I put my head on the Doctor's shoulder. Just this once... Maybe I could enjoy this...

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Merianai was a beautiful planet. The majority of the planet was of water with a few select islands here and there. The water was where most of the community was, living  in large communities with features that allowed them to breathe underwater, such as gills.

After looking around the island, the Doctor and Rose decided it'd be great to go to a 'beach' on one of the islands that was supposedly banana-shaped. Of course, I had no clue what that was.

What's a beach anyway?" I asked curiously as Rose laid out the swimsuit I haven't wore in what seemed like forever.

"You'll see," Rose assured, smirking at my unamused expression.

After we finished getting ready the Doctor parked the TARDIS on the supposed beach, and we walked outside.

The first thing I took notice off was the grainy feeling under my bare feet. It felt strange, and I crinkled my nose. The next thing I noticed was the salty smell of ocean water that reminded me of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson's house in Florida, which was near the ocean, but I never got the chance to see it. Finally, it was the crystal blue waters that lapped at the shore. Waves rose in the distance with white foam at its crest before dropping down again, creating huge waves in the distance.

I stared at the scene before me, my eyes wide. "Luckily, I was able to rent out the entire beach for us and—"

I didn't hear the rest as I began to run through the beach and to the water, giggling madly. I jumped in the water, creating a huge splash. The water was so clear, I could see the sea floor that was littered with growing sea weed and other unusual sea creatures.

"Auggie!" I heard Rose call above me, and I swam to the surface. Rose was wading in the ocean smiling at me. I grinned up at her, walking over. "Do you like it?"

"I've never seen so much water!" I admitted, and it was true. The last time I saw this much water in one concentrated area was when I went swimming in the TARDIS.

"So... You're having fun?" I rose an eyebrow, about to respond when an idea popped in my mind.

I splashed her with water, splaying it all over her swim suit. Her eyes widened and I grinned screaming, "You're it!" Before swimming away frantically.

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

After we finished playing in the ocean, we sat on the sandy beach, on a blanket the Doctor provided for us. We didn't use it very much because we we're too busy playing in the sand making what Rose called, 'sandcastles'.

"Wait, I don't understand the point of this," I frowned, confused. "You want to mold the sand into...?"

"A castle!" Rose cheered, passing out multicolored buckets, "Here, I found these on the TARDIS. Use the sand and water to create a castle." She demonstrated with the sand, creating a sloppy mold of the shaped bucket.

"Is that what castles look like?" I asked curiously and the Doctor barked out a laugh.

"Ah... Well, no, something like that, I guess..." Rose replied rubbing the back of her neck.

I rose an eyebrow, "Oh... Okay," I touched the sand and closed my eyes, in seconds, I created a mound identical to Rose's. "Is that okay?" Rose stared at the sand, flabbergasted.

I took a step back, "Did I do something wrong?"

Rose quickly snapped out of it and laughed, "N–No, not at all. I just didn't know..."

"That I could do that?" I finished, "I–I didn't know either, but the sand looks like really small rocks and earth is much easier to control because it doesn't move, so I assumed..."

"That's brilliant, Auggie!" The Doctor exclaimed, smiling brightly at me. I smiled back shyly, looking at the ground.

"Thanks..." I frowned for a second, remembering that big structure we saw in those Disney movies we'd watch. "Doctor?"

"Mhm-hmm?"

"Remember when we watched... What was it... Uh... Ella? Cindy? Uhm..."

"Cinderella?"

"Yeah! That one! Remember that big building and you said it was your favorite Disney castle?"

"... Yes?" He didn't seem to know were I was going. I smiled giddily, remembering the building in my head, and slowly made it out of the sand. It was small, no bigger than Rose's but the Doctor grinned.

"Is this it?" I asked and he nodded, stooping down to look at it.

"That's amazing, Auggie!" He praised. "It looks really realistic! You even got to towers perfect too! Although the flag could be a bit to the right, that's still..." The Doctor pause do, noticed a growing shadow behind him.

I exhaled once I finished, "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to be so small, I know it was bigger in the movie but—"

"Oh... My..." The Doctor murmured, his face growing with excitement.

"... D–Do you like it?" I asked hesitantly. Maybe I should just get rid to of it before he—

"Like it!? Auggie, I love it!!" He laughed before grabbing my hand and running towards the castle. It wasn't very interesting on the inside — I didn't have time to make stairs, bedrooms and whatnot. It was hollow, actually, but you could see where the rooms would be, and the detailing on the outside.

The Doctor smiled, and hugged me around the shoulders. "You're brilliant, Auggie."

I stared at my hands for a second. Was I brilliant, or were my abilities brilliant? What was my importance? How was I—of all people—brilliant? I've–I've hurt people... Murdered people... But, I was brilliant? To him?

My mouth felt as dry as the sand, but I slowly
slowly nodded, accepting his compliment, "... Thank you..."

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

By the time we got back to the hospital, Rose had been in tears, which terrified me. "Why are you crying?" I asked her. The Doctor had already parked the TARDIS and we were waiting out the last few minutes. "You–You can visit me whenever you want and—"

"I know, I know, sweetie," she laughed. "It's just... Oh, c'mere." She pulled me into a hug — the third one she had given me that day. I went stiff for a half-second before wrapping my arms around her, hugging her back. Agee a few minutes, Rose finally pulled away, sniffing.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I... I mean," I squirmed a bit. "He told me about Jackie, well, the other Jackie."

Rose was silent for a second, but then she smiled and ruffled my hair. As her hand came my way, I held my breath in a feeble attempt to keep myself from flinching away, then smiled at Rose. She laughed, wiping at her eyes. "You're getting so tall. Soon you'll be towering over me, yeah?" Rose placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled, "We'll be back before you know it, okay?"

I smiled, a bit of hope lifting in my chest, "Yeah... Yeah, okay." Rose hugged me again once before letting the Doctor step over.

"You're always hogging her," he teased wrapping his big arms around me.

"Because she likes me better," Rose shot back with a laugh. Before the Doctor could argue this questionable statement, Rose spoke again. "I'm gonna check her back in." Rose quickly stepped out of the room, winking at the two of us before leaving.

The room was silent for a few moments, before I spoke up, "Doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"You won't forget me, right?"

"What?"

I twisted my gloves nervously. "When I... Go, you won't forget about me, right? You'll–You'll remember to visit and—" The Doctor interrupted me with a laugh.

"Of course we won't forget you, Auggie. We're not just gonna leave you there, that would be horrible! I'll make sure to visit you whenever I can, we can do whatever we want, together?"

I looked down, "Right... Okay..."

I felt the Doctor lift my head, and smile at me, "What's wrong?"

"I... It's just that... With you traveling with Rose now, I–I thought that... You'd forget to visit me because you'd be so busy and—"

"Auggie, we have a time machine for goodness sake!" The Doctor laughed, "I'll be back before you'd even know it! The time would barely pass for you. You won't even—"

"That's not the point, Doctor!" I snapped, tears growing in my eyes. The Doctor went silent at my outburst, staring at me. "I might not feel it, but you will! What if something happens to you and... And you don't come back!? What if l you–you regenerate and you don't remember me!? I don't want to be alone! I don't want you to be alone! I... I don't want to be forgotten, Doctor. I don't want to be left. You and Rose are the only people I have left and... And what if the Director comes to take me again? Or if Isobel and Jesse came back and you weren't there to protect me? I don't want to be alone anymore! I want to be with you!"

The Doctor was silent for a few second, and my eyes widened. I... I said something wrong, didn't I? "I'm sorry, I—"

"Auggie, nothing's gonna happen to me," the Doctor finally said. "And, nothing's gonna happen to you either. I won't forget you, I'll always be there if — and when — you need me to. I'll never let anything happen to Rose, and I assure you that the Director won't be coming back to get you, and neither will Isobel and Jesse either."

"But, once they find out I'm alive, they—"

"They're not real, Auggie," He sighed, and I stiffened. "I don't know how else to tell you this, but they're not real. I don't want to see you put yourself through that anymore. I can understand that it's a psychological thing and–and you're healing, but—"

"STOP IT!" I screamed, squeezing my eyes shut. Not him too! Anyone but him, please! "Stop it! Stop! You can't be fake too! I can't — you can't!" I ran a hand through my hair, my hysterical tone turning to pleas. "They're real, Doctor! I swear, they're real and–and they were going to kill you! You have to believe me, Doctor, please!"

The Doctor's brown eyes softened, his lips turning into a small frown. He looked... Sad. I winced when my chest began to hurt again. In that moment, I realized that I was doing this to myself. All these times, my chest hurt because of something I did. I couldn't stop it because I didn't stop the thing I was doing! It wasn't because of love, like the Doctor said. It wasn't him that was fake, it wasn't the doctors or the nurses or the hospital or he beds or the food! It wasn't any of that...

It was me. I was fake.

My shock wasn't allowed to last much longer, because the Doctor tapped my forehead, and I slumped to the ground.

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

When I woke up, I was back in my hospital room again. The straps were replaced, though with fresh, new leather. I glanced to my side. Expecting someone to be sitting there, but instead was met with an empty spot.

For some reason, this hurt, and I bit my lip, choking back a sob. I could hear the Doctor's words echoing in my head.

I'll always be there if — and when — you need me to...

Tears stung my eyes, he left me. He thinks I'm crazy too! I'm–I'm not! Isobel is coming and she's–she's going to kill me!!

The door creaked open and I screamed, startled. On instinct, I waved my hand, sending a blast of fire from my palm. A nurse stepped through the door, and the fire collided with her starch white nurse uniform. She screamed, patting herself, but the flames only grew, and soon, she was engulfed in them.

I stared in horror as several other people came into the room, some holding fire extinguishers, spraying down the nurse. Blood pounded in my ears at all the yelling and shouting. I squeezed my eyes shut, gasping for oxygen that didn't seem to be making it's way towards my lungs. I killed her. I killed her. Oh no, oh god, I killed her! I–I...I actually—

I felt something graze against my skin, and I immediately flinched. The notion proved to be useless because the doctor plunged the needle into my forearm. The sedative worked near instantly, and in seconds, I was out.

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

I stood silent as the body — or what was left of it — of the nurse was turned upside down before being ceremoniously burned. I heard a few people bitterly scoff at the irony, others send sharp glares my direction for being the cause of it. I had gotten angry scowls from the nurses peers and families. They almost didn't invite me to the funeral, actually.

I hadn't heard from the Doctor or from Rose in months. I assumed that the Doctor lied when he made that promise all that time ago — he always lies, why is this any different?

I got up. I didn't deserve to be here, not after I murdered that lady. Hell, I didn't even know her name. I was the reason that she was dead. I was the reason that hundreds, maybe even thousands of people were dead. What did going to one person's — one victim's — funeral change? If I really wanted to change, I needed to hide. Leave. Die. I needed to die.

And I was going to do exactly that.

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Third POV

The Doctor hummed happily to himself as Rose emerged from the hall and into the Console room. Her hair was tied up and she wore a baggy shirt with a flowery design on it with shorts underneath. "Morning!" She yawned with a stretching and popping several joints.

"Good morning," the Doctor greeted. Rose stroked the console board a few times to greet the TARDIS as well, who hummed cheerily.

"What're we doing today, Doc?" Rose teased, plopping herself down on the edge of his captain's chair.

"Hmm... What do you think about... Intergalactic snowboarding?" The Doctor mused.

"Sounds exotic," Rose agreed with a happy grin. Before the Doctor could start speaking again, they heard a few knocks on the TARDIS door. Rose being the closest the door and slowly opened it. A box floated in and settled itself in Rose's hands. "What's this?" She asked, and held it to the Doctor. He hurried over, taking the box from her and pulled out his glasses.

"Mail," he said, his eyes scanning over before pressing a small button on the side.

There was a bit of static before a man began to talk, "I'm calling it... In 12-apple.670.Maple, August 18, year 20X0134, Augusta Smith died of drug overdose..."

The box began to rattle off more facts about her death, but didn't get to finish. The Doctor pulled out his sonic, quieting it, then chucked it out the door and into space. He ran his hands in his hair, swearing under his breath. Rose had a hand covering her mouth and released a choked sob.

"She's... She's really..." Rose whispered, her body trembling.

The Doctor didn't reply as his own brown eyes began to fill with tears. Auggie, his Auggie... Was dead.

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Well I mean... I never promised a happy ending :1.

Please don't kill me, I still have to write the sequel!

Yes, yes, the sequel, which will be announced and posted as soon as I scrub this poor book free of errors, and most likely change a few things. I may rewrite a chapter or two if I feel like it, but that's probably not going to happen until I finish my other books and I find time to do so, lol.

I hope you like the ending! After months and months of procrastinating and ehhing and wondering whether or not I would actually write it, I did 😁!

I hope you enjoyed reading about Augusta, I certainly enjoyed writing very heartbreaking, tear-shedding scene, lol. I'll see you all when I post the sequel, and remember...

Don't melt~!
~Happyritas <OOO