Timeless (Enoch O Connor x OC)

4: Surprise, Surprise

As I ate the girl beside me, Emma, talked to me about the house and the people in it.

"Victor, he has superhuman strength," she told me to my surprise as he didn't look very muscular, "he's quite funny too and he's Bronwyn's older brother, actually he's looking over at you right now." I looked up to catch him staring at me and he quickly looked away.

"Anyways," she continued, "Hugh and Fiona are quite fond of each other however they are both too stubborn to admit it." I glanced over at them and saw them whispering among each other and giggling every now and then.

"Then we have Enoch," said Emma, "he's not so great. All he does is sulk around the house and spend hours in his room."

On my other side, Horace chimed in.

"You know, he's been staring at you all supper, I imagine he's trying to asses whether he should hate you right away."

Once again I looked up and this time saw Enoch looking at me. His expression wasn't annoyance anymore. He looked at me a moment longer, he had very nice eyes I remarked, darker brown than mine like chocolate, before looking away.

Emma continued to chatter about everyone for the rest of supper, I decided that I liked her and knew we would become friends quickly.

"Miss Peregrine, may we show June the reset?" asked the young girl who had introduced herself as Olive.

"Very well," she said, "but don't forget your masks!"

Everyone stood up and ran to the hallway as Emma and Olive led me by the hand. I notice that Olive wore very large shoes made of metal as though to weigh her down. They led me into a small hallway with hooks holding gas masks.

After putting on the mask which I was quite confused about they took me outside into the garden. The sky was filled with shining stars.

We simply stood there for several minutes and just as I was about to ask when it was going to happen Miss Peregrine strode out the back door and into the garden wearing her own gas mask. I heard the sound of a plane engine and began to suspect what was about to happen. My suspicions were confirmed when a Nazi plane appeared over the roof of the house.

Like in my loop in Russia, the reset happened mere moments before destruction. In this case, I imagined the plane was going to drop a bomb down on us and that the reset was going to happen before it landed.

From the corner of my eye, I saw almost all the children looking at me to see what I'd do, whether I would run inside or duck for cover.

But I simply stood there as the plane released the bomb and it came hurtling down on us.

A flash in the sky.

The sound got louder and louder as the bomb reached the tip of the finger of a tall topiary bush shaped to be Michelangelo's fresco of  Adam from the Sistine chapel. I watched in amazement at the spectacular display, the whole night sky lit up by burning metal.

Just as I thought the topiary would be crushed the world around me went white and the garden was normal again, just a peaceful night as any.

I clapped with excitement at what I had just seen. I saw that many of the children's faces
were surprised, that I had not run away, as they removed their masks.

"What you thought I'd be afraid?" I asked.

Olive and Emma the closest to me giggle and we walked back inside.

I had surprised them as much as they had surprised me.

I was beginning to like it here.

I was liking it very much.