Your Hand In Mine - Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Kos?" whispered Theta "Hey, Kos?"

"What?" Koschei whispered back, slightly irritated.

"What did you get for number sixteen?"

"I thought you said you studied!"

"I did, just not what Borusa asked us to study."

Koschei rolled his eyes, but Theta could tell he was suppressing a smile. "Loop quantum gravity," he finally answered.

"I'm not going to count that answer." said a heavy voice behind them. They looked up to see Professor Borusa staring down disapprovingly at them.

"But I knew it, Professor, I swear," Theta pleaded. "I just get loop quantum gravity and quantum string mechanics mixed up sometimes. I was just making sure."

Borusa looked skeptical. "The point of this test is to prove that you know the difference between the physical forces of the universe. If you get them mixed up, you wont pass the test. I'm not counting the answer."

Theta pouted, which was acceptable as he was only twelve.

"Serves you right for not studying," Koschei teased.

"I'm not counting your answer either," said Borusa.

"What?!"

"You gave him the answer. I consider it a lenient punishment for both of you."

Ushas snickered in front of them as Borusa walked away. "Shut up, Ushas!" Koschei hissed. He glared at Borusa at the front of the class. "Someday I'll be his boss. Then we'll see who makes the rules," he grumbled.

Theta smiled, "You say that about everybody. You can't be everybody's boss."

"And why not? The President is everybody's boss."

"Even the President has to answer to the High Council."

"Quiet," Borusa warned gently.



"Are you going to Lungbarrow for Omega Day weekend?" Koschei asked when they got out of class.

"No," said Theta. "My uncle said he doesn't want me there this year."

"What?! Why?"

"Oh, you know none of them ever liked me. I guess they just decided to stop pretending."

"That's disgusting," said Koschei. "Hey, maybe you could come to my house! I'm sure my father wouldn't mind."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Wait 'til you see our land. It's at the foothills of the mountain, and there's a big mara tree right in the yard. Sweetest maras you'll ever taste!"

"It sounds brilliant!" Theta was very excited at the prospect of spending the long weekend with Koschei's family. The Oakdown chapterhouse was the most prestigious house on Gallifrey. Most of it's members claimed to be direct descendants of Rassilon.

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Three days later they arrived at Oakdown house. Koschei's father greeted his son with a hand on his shoulder and a smile. A commonly acceptable family greeting for Time Lords. "My son. I hear you've been getting high marks!"

"Yes, father."

"That's my boy."

Theta watched this with a twinge of jealousy. He had no parents. His mother and father died when he was a baby. When he asked, they told him it was a TARDIS accident. When he asked what they were like, no one would tell him anything more. Most of the family avoided him. He'd only ever really had contact with his Uncle Modrem, who was the head of the house. His uncle had never touched him, even something so simple as a hand on his shoulder. He'd never smiled at him. Even as a child, he could tell his uncle detested him. Nothing was ever said, but he could see the way his face soured when he looked at him. The only person in his family that had ever shown him love was his caretaker, Shadra, who raised him before he entered the academy. He didn't get to see her much anymore. She had other children to care for now.

When Koschei's father's smiling face turned to Theta, something flickered in his eyes, something similar to the way his uncle looked at him, but it happened so quickly that Theta could have imagined it, then he had a smile on his face once more and was shaking Theta's hand. "And you must be Theta Sigma," he said. "My son talks about you all the time. I hear you've been getting him into some trouble."

"Um, no sir! I mean, yes sir. Sometimes."

He chuckled. "That's alright. Better to get it out of your system now, so you can grow to be respectable Time Lords. Call me Sestrin."



At the dinner table that evening, they talked about studies, then to Theta's surprise the conversation turned to politics. He knew that Koschei's father had a seat on the High Council, so certainly he would expect him to discuss the topic with his friends and colleagues, but as a twelve year old child he had absolutely nothing to add to the conversation. Theta was again surprised to hear that Koschei had so much to say on the subject. Kos had never discussed politics with him. He suddenly felt himself feeling as invisible as he did at his own family gatherings. "…so, I'm a shoe-in for Castellan. But, Theta," Sestrin added. "Your uncle Formrin has his eye on the position as well, doesn't he?"

Theta was vaguely aware he had an uncle on the council. "I'm not sure. He might."

Tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap-tap

"Well he has some very left-leaning ideas."

Tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap-tap

"I don't know if he has what it--"

Tap-tap-tap-tap

"Son!"

Koschei stopped tapping.

"What did I tell you about that rhythm in my house?" said Sestrin through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry father."

"He just does it unconsciously," Theta defended him.

"Well then, he'd better become more conscious of it, now hadn't he?" he said with a false cheer and a plastered smile. "Right, son? Remember what we talked about?"

"Yes, sir."

"But it's bound to happen sometimes," Theta continued. "What with that rhythm in his head all the--"

"There is nothing in my son's head!" Sestrin shouted.

Everyone was silent. Koschei had his eyes closed and Theta felt terribly that he had humiliated him.

"Now," said Sestrin after a moment, another false smile plastered on his face, "I think it's time you boys went to bed."



"I'm sorry, Kos," said Theta later in Koschei's room. Theta was lying on a cot set up next to Koschei's bed.

"It's alright," said Koschei. "My father doesn't like to talk about the drumming. He likes to pretend it doesn't exist."

"I didn't know you knew so much about politics," said Theta, changing the subject.

"My father talks about it so much, I just picked it up. He hasn't told anyone yet, but he has ambitions for the presidency. He says you have to aim for one star at a time, so he's just focusing on becoming Castellan right now."

"Oh."

"He's wrong, though," Koschei said suddenly. He turned his head toward the window and the night sky. "Why not aim for all the stars?"

Theta smiled wide. "Yeah. All the stars. I'm gonna see 'em, Kos! As soon as I grow up and get my TARDIS license, I'm gonna see every star in the universe."

Koschei laughed. "That would take all your thirteen lives. And you still wouldn't have seen them all!"

"Well, I can try! I want to see all the times and places there are to see."

"We could be masters of the universe."

"I was thinking more like tourists."

"Pfft, where's the fun in that?"

"I think it would be a lot of fun."

"We'll see," mumbled Koschei sleepily.

"Yeah," said Theta, closing his eyes. "Someday."