Some Strange Type of Peculiar Love

Cuthbert

Hugh's POV
Fiona came running from the shed and threw her arms around me. I palmed the back of her head and felt the intricate pattern of her braids.
"Hugh! Good job!" Jake patted my back.
I hugged everyone and smiled.
"You're the man in a pinch!" Enoch smiled.
I smiled back but deep down I was in a depression. I did have thousands of bees from the fields, but I had to send out my own men, too. All I had left was Henry, and he had a broken wing.
"What about the train?"
Millard came out —fully clothed— with the gypsies.
"Take that motor cart!" Bekhir pointed to the same vehicle the other wight took. He had a bandanna around his stab wound and his arm around one of his men.
"What about Radi?" I asked.
"He got off with one of my men, he's safe and everyone at camp."
I nodded and slung my arm around Fiona who wrapped her arms around my waist.
"What about our train!" Cried Olive.
Bekhir's man went on his knees and reached for a stick and drew us a map and traced the rut as he spoke.
"There's a town called Coal, take Manchester street and turn at Austria. Then take 3 lefts and you'll be at the next stop the train makes.  I nodded and we ran to the cart.
"Wait, how will you get back?" Asked Emma. Bekhir laughed despite being in what I can only assume as immense pain.
"Don't worry syndrasti."
"Thank you for everything you've done. We won't forget you." Emma had a sincere look on her face, but Bekhir laughed again.
"I'm sure this is far from the last time I'll see you!"
Enoch hot wired the car and we sped off.

We reached coal just as the train appeared. We left the cart running and jumped on the train before it even fully stopped. The conductor gave us a confused glare but rolled his eyes anyways. We sat on the left side of the train that had single seats with tray tables. The right had booths with long tables and windows. Millard put his clothes back on and wore a trench coat on top with a deep hat to hide his face.
"According to the itinerary we'll be in the outskirts of London in about 4 hours."
"Four hours! But it just turned noon!"
"Well then we'll be there at four!" Emma let out an exasperated sigh as Millard snickered.
"We can't even get to London London?"
"No, besides it would be of no use anyways."
"How do you know what?" Asked Horace.
Fiona's eyes were ping pinging between those two and I smiled and laughed to myself.
"I was reading the tales last night and I came about a story."
"Cuthbert!" Cried Claire.
"Sort of, I noticed that Cuthbert's alleged location was near a loop on Miss Peregrine's map before..."
"Before our house blew up." Jake said.
"It wasn't your house, you were there for less than a week! We some of us were there for eighty years!" Enoch growled.
Jake mumbled a quick sorry and leaned into Emma, who shrugged him off and got out of her seat to the other side of the train car.
"Sorry mate." Millard said.
"Oh don't bother, you know she'll take him back! Anything to get back to precious Abe—or his knockoff version."
Jake shoved past Enoch and gave him the cold shoulder.
"Stop bickering!" Shouted Bronwyn, who was by her trunk staring into the holes she cut so Miss Peregrine can get some air.
"She's right, we need to get sleep."
"It's noon!"
"Yes but we need to sleep when we can."I said. Fiona nodded and grabbed my hand and led me to the booth on the other side.
"Are you alright?" She asked quietly. I nodded and shrugged. "I just miss my regular bees."
She nodded and leaned her head on my shoulder. She kissed my neck and drifted off to a deep sleep. Suddenly I was too.

We woke up 3 hours later in Crookham.
"Wake up! We're here!"
I groggily yawned, Fiona was awake and alert scanning the area.
"We got here early, it's only 3:11!"
"Let's go find this bloody loop already!" Emma seemed exhausted. I was too despite my 3 hour nap. Olive and Claire whined about being hungry and Bronwyn told them they'd have a snack soon, though we had no way of knowing when our next meal would be. We got off the train when the conductor stopped us and cleared his throat. We turned to see Miss Peregrine perched on one of the clothes racks, she must have gotten out while we were asleep.
"I am wondering, where did you get that doll? My daughter would just love one."
"I'm sorry sir, I'm afraid she's one of a kind." Bronwyn picked her up and kissed her head.