Glass Jar Full of Stars

Surrounded by long grass swaying in a very synchronized wave, Ayla slept. The phoenix coloured hair splayed around like a blanket, tiny strands of grass peeking through like a surprise. The garnet roots of her hair faded to an almost white blonde. Single strands of white peeking through the dark root, winding and being lost into that blonde. Waves kinked in the mane haphazardly, and the breeze the Tardis liked to use in this room grew stronger.

A chunk of the hair fell into the sleeping woman's face. Thousands of tiny iridescent scales shimmering like dew as Ayla scrunched her face attempting to move the strand of hair with her nose.

She was unsuccessful, but still, those eyes were closed. The Tardis implemented the final step, that smell of rain before it falls.

Petrichor.

The efforts were rewarded with a musical yawn. Deep green eyes peeking through a curtain of thick lashes. Ayla loved waking up to the smell of petrichor now. The warm feeling of the sun on her face. It wasn’t a real sun. Ayla understood that now.

The ship that had saved her, the TARDIS...it was alive. She closed her eyes a grin fighting its way over her features. A living ship...

A very weird idea Ayla admitted to herself, but the vibrations that she could always feel through the floor of the ship? That was enough to convince her the Tardis was different. Not to mention the constantly changing hallways. Ayla had lived on vessels all her life but had never struggled to remember her way around.

One of the experiments her guardian first installed had been into the head. She always seemed to know East from West, North from South. Ayla named the experiment navigator because it let her escape situations with pinpoint direction recall.

Not so useful here, though.

No other dank metal vessel she had been on changed their insides so frequently. Only the Tardis.

It was strange, she thought stretching her limbs through the long fresh grass that filled the room, frowning as the sun seemed to disappear. She wondered if the Tardis had decided to add another tree for her to climb today.

It seemed to like introducing her to different things.

When she had discovered Harry Potter in the library (which was only a few 'days' ago, not that she could tell) Ayla stayed up devouring the series. All the while the Tardis seemed to have the most fun, setting the sun in her grass room on multiple occasions.

It oddly set the mood for Ayla in the darker moments of the adventure. Often too absorbed to pay attention.

Rory had gifted her his flashlight some time back when he noticed Ayla spent too much time reading in the dark. The little light certainly assisted Ayla in staying awake through the Tardis’ normal entertaining light shows.

As if the ship was talking to her about its journies.

Ayla liked to think the Tardis talked to her in its unique way.

She rolled to her side, snuggling into the soft grass squashed into a bed. Chasing a little more sleep.

Rory had been confused at Ayla’s reluctance to sit on the couches the library. Or the bed he shared with Amy Pond. Ayla frowned as her brain thought it over, the light of the false sun brightening once more.

Ayla hadn’t seen much of Amy since the beginning. Almost as if the woman had more important things to attend, and now that Ayla wasn’t a threat to her?

Ayla could do what she wanted.

Rory Williams, on the other hand, he didn’t seem real to her.

The kind smile, and encyclopedic knowledge he had of Earth. Ayla couldn’t believe it was a real place. She had grown up where Earth had been a story, so old it became a myth.

Her kind had been enslaved long ago. That’s what she was told, so with Ayla’s many questions Rory never hesitated with a smile and an answer. No matter how many more questions that seemed to bring on.

In many ways, Ayla was reminded of her brother from long ago. She didn’t remember what he looked like, only the feelings of happiness. Like she felt sleeping here in the Tardis.

But he is dead, her brain supplied dismally replaying those images she wanted to forget.

The experiments that had taken him from her.

At the same time, all light in the Tardis went out.

Even with eyes shut Ayla noticed everything change instantly, and she was awake in moments.

Pulling the little flashlight from where she had it tucked inside her uniform sleeve. Her eyes adjusted to the black. She clicked the flashlight eyes complaining at the sharp contrast.

It was exceptionally dark, and she couldn’t feel the vibrations from the Tardis as strongly.

Something was dreadfully wrong. It was the same feeling when her guardian had taken her for final testing. When she knew she had to escape or something dreadful was going to happen.

She did end up flying right into a black hole, so in a lot of ways that something dreadful did happen.

Ayla didn’t pause to question the feeling, digging her toes through the grass of her bed. She felt those vibrations so faintly on her tiptoes she wasn't even sure the Tardis was on.

Holding the light out and casting a short glance at her surroundings; the grass seemed to be lifeless in her room.

The only way to fix it is to find the problem.

Ayla managed to exit her room with no issues, the door needing only minor force to pry open. The hallway seemed dim, and as she stepped out the vibrations seemed different.

Urgent.

With a deep breath, she followed the vibrations, feeling oddly blind like when she first arrived. Should anyone have seen Ayla running, it would have looked more like she was speed sliding across the Tardis floor. Her feet never quite breaking contact, following the vibrations until they were so strong she slid into the console room door.

Gently flicking her hair over a shoulder, Ayla sniffed at the door as if to say, I meant to do that.

Her nose twinged a bit, but if she wanted to go exploring in the Tardis Ayla would need to pretend nothing happened. Just focus on opening these doors.

Carefully embedding her fingernails into the cracks of the door she began to work.

Her nails were always hard, and she didn't bring any weapons on her escape. Nor did she know where any were. Instead, Ayla wiggled her nails into the cracks until her fingers could fit. Then the rest was easy. Sliding her hand along the frame Ayla found her grip and pried the metal apart as if the door were fully operational.

Nice, her brain applauded only to halt instantly.

The console room was so much darker than she remembered it. Colder too, with blue light flashing in a warning. Medical, Ayla wondered as she attempted to read the light show.

Ayla hadn't entered the console room since her first day. And that glass floor still gave her those uncomfortable flips in her stomach.

Whatever was wrong, Ayla was going to need to step up.

So why was she wondering, where are my shoes?