A Distant Memory - A MPHFPC Ending

~Chapter 1: A Newfangled Awakening~

Miss Peregrine blinked, confused. 'I beg your pardon?'

'Who are you?' Myron Bentham repeated himself, growing impatient.

'Brother, if you're trying to play tricks on me, I must say that-'

There was a sudden scuffle not far away, and both Miss Peregrine and her brother turned to look at the unanticipated distraction, all else forgotten.

Caul had awoken.

Miss Peregrine stood, then quickly called for Sharon to gather the few wights that were still alive, and escort them to her brother Myron's house. She nodded at the ones who were making their way back toward their master, who was rousing himself. Sharon understood, then busied himself with rounding the remaining wights up with his cousins.

Miss Peregrine turned to Myron, offering him a hand to help him up. She found that she couldn't leave him behind. If he wasn't lying, and he truly doesn't remember his own sister, he might turn out to be a danger to himself.

Myron simply contemplated her hand for a few moments, weighing his options, before taking it to haul himself up. Miss Peregrine waited until he'd steadied himself, before gesturing for him to follow her.

She turned and walked briskly toward her brother, Caul, who was picking himself up from the ground, whilst taking in his surroundings. She wondered if he'd remember all that he'd done. She was tired, scared, and mostly defenseless. If, bird forbid, he recalled everything, he'd be able to overthrow her easily, and that was the last thing she wanted.

The closer she got to him, she realized that something was evidently different. Caul didn't wear his usually egoistically confident expression, instead adorned one of confused pondering. He looked like a little kid lost in a crowd. His usually flawless clothing was muddy and torn. These 'minor' dissimilarities might seem almost unnoticeably insignificant to most, but these were the things that had almost rigorously described the appearance of her brother, and it was quite the anomalous experience for her to see him like this: so... vulnerable.

As Caul heard two sets of footsteps approaching him, he turned to identify them, meeting their eyes.

Miss Peregrine stopped, followed by Myron stopping, too. Though the former in shock, and the latter in oblivious imitation.

Her brother, Caul, had... pupils.

His eyes weren't a blank, pupil-less, consuming, shade of white anymore. They were a scintillate green, holding a startling similarity to her own. As much as she had referred to him as her brother, the truth of their relationship had never really sunk in.

She'd somehow failed to notice how similar their dark hair was, or how his now vivid green pupils were almost the exact copy of hers. It was a twisted sense of cruelty, how different they really are, even though their appearances were almost an exact look-alike as in a physical attribute, if not in mannerism.

She shook herself out of her stupor. Her brothers presumably needed her help, and she wasn't going to let them down.

Like they did.

She could sense Myron's attention wavering. The battlefield's remains were a terrible scene that engrossed you to the extreme. You'd have to be in a terrible hurry to not risk a look around. Her brothers didn't have another pressing engagement at hand; or, they did, but they just didn't know.

'I'm Alma Peregrine.' She said, introducing herself to Caul. It felt strange introducing herself to her own brother like... like they'd only just met. She reluctantly offered him a hand to shake.

He took it without any sign of hesitation, then flashed a genuine smile, yet again breaking his usually harsh, but sly, demeanor.

'Hello!' He exclaimed.

The strangeness of this situation was beginning to weigh on her, even though she was trying not to show it. When Noor Pradesh had taken their light, she'd hoped that they'd reach their end. It might sound cruel, but the world is a horrible setting. Wherever they'd forever be exiled to by their demise could only be a much better place.

Miss Peregrine realized that she couldn't handle this situation by herself. Though she felt guilty- since she'd always considered her brothers as her responsibility- she decided to lead them to Myron's house. Although they wouldn't remember it anymore, it would be a safe refugee until a solution was derived. Furthermore, it was also a standard zone for finding someone to help you with your peculiar problems.

She briefly wondered how her brothers felt: experiencing everything for the first time, not knowing all that they'd worked their whole lives to know, anymore. She shook her head vigorously, dispelling her thoughts.

She could ponder over them later.

Her attention swiftly fell to her brothers, both of whom were looking around now. They utterly resembled children, now. It was disheartening to see someone so new to a world they'd once known better than others.

She nodded at them to follow, her expression morphing to one of authority. Knowing better than to argue, her brothers followed silently behind her. Every so often, she'd glance back at them, only to find them distracted by the smallest incidences.

She sighed, exasperated, gesturing yet again at the path they were supposed to follow. They'd grin sheepishly, only to have their attention stray once more.

She incessantly felt like she was herding little kids through a funfair. The circumstances vaguely reminded her of her brothers when they were children; young peculiars in Miss Avocet's Ymbryne Academy.

She was roused from her reverie when she noticed that they'd arrived at their destination. She motioned toward the now crumbling structure, making toward the large doors.

As the three Bentham siblings approached Sharon- who was standing guard at the entrance- Miss Peregrine realized, in all her years handling children, she'd never felt so quiet, so stolen of words.