Three Perculiars Sitting in a Tree

Chapter 2

I stand on shaky legs before I stagger over to answer the Phone for the first time in a long while. Miss Peregrine came into the hall as I answered the Phone. "Hello, this is Abe." His voice flooded my ears and I cover my mouth to extinguish the sob rising in my throat. "(y/n)?" I hear him curiously as I feel MissPeregrine touch the small of my back. "I can't." I whisper before handing the Phone to Miss Peregrine.

She smiles at me proudly. It had been a long while since I had talked to Abe and it had taken a lot of courage for me to say something to Abe. I quickly went upstairs and pulled on a pair of Abe's old pants and snuck into Enoch's room and stole one of Enoch's shirts and his patchwork blanket from his bed. Then I went downstairs for movie night. When Olive saw me she made room for me to sit next to Enoch.

"You spoke to him on the Phone, didn't you?" Claire asks, earning looks from everyone. I opened my mouth to say something but it came out as a choked sob. Claire climbs up onto the couch and I opened my arms to welcome Claire to snuggle. Horace started playing his dreams, aka, the movie. I think at some point I fell asleep because the next morning, Miss Peregrine woke me up from my sleep on the couch.

"So, to catch you up. We have a new ymbryne with us, (y/n). Miss Avocet." She informs me, showing me the ymbryne. "Enoch suggested due to your state, we simply leave you to sleep." Miss Peregrine says softly as we started making breakfast. Cheese and Ham toasties. I said good morning to everyone. I even snuck a kiss on Enoch's cheek. "Where's Olive?" I question Emma, who shrugs.

Signing, I climb the stairs to Olive's room. I had always told Enoch that it he broke up with Olive, I would pretend that I didn't know for her sake. Not his. So, when l knocked at Olive's door and found her tear stained face, I cooed at her. I listened to her cry about breaking up with Enoch. I told her that I had no idea that they were dating and that I was so sorry that this happened to her. "Buck up. No one else knows, and it'll be horrible if people start asking what's wrong." I inform her.

This earns me a smile and a thank you. Once I was finished with Olive, I headed into the sitting room to work on my knitting. Then, there was a knock at the door. Bronwyn went running to answer it. Then I hear her excitedly chattering. "Jake. You're back! Come and play!" She squeals, as I place down my knitting. I smile lovingly at the two as Bronwyn picks Jake up and spins him around.

"I need to see Miss Peregrine first." He says kindly, glancing up at me. A faint blush blooms on his cheeks as well as mine. I hold out my arms, giving him a gentle hug he reciprocated. He was different to Abe but the hug, the hug was the same. "Follow me, Miss Peregrine is this way." I say as I tuck my hand into the crook of his elbow. I'm constantly careful around perculiars because of my gift.

And I didn't know his peculiarity, which made Jake even more dangerous. I was intelligent enough to know that he would want answers, answers Abe could give him, hidden on Emma's boat. She didn't know what was in the box Abe mailed me, but I knew. I rushed to find Emma, touching the skin of her elbow softly. She didn't even notice and I put on my own pair of lead shoes.

Just as I was about to head downstairs I heard Jake and Enoch talking, Olive's head only just visible. "Oh, how frustrating for you. Between Miss Peregrine's rules and my housemates' little pact not to scare you off, it's like no one's telling you anything." Enoch's thick accent reverberates through the hall, earning a blush from me. They were similar, Enoch and Jake.

And they react the same way when angry and frustrated. By picking a target and hitting that target hard. "Why don't you, then? It's not like you want me here." Jake growls, his own American accent just as nice. Then I felt it. Victor, Enoch was going to have him meet Victor. Olive's soft voice could be heard trying to convince Enoch not to do what I knew he was thinking about.

As both boys reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw me. Me, with my disapproving look and lead shoes. Jake's eyes trained on my shoes, confused. "Oh, I brushed Emma's elbow." I explained to Jake. "It's my peculiarity." I say softly as Enoch pushes past me. Jake follows him, and I follow them with Olive following me up the stairs after them.

"Enoch, don't do this! Please!" I shout after him and I nudge Olive to go ahead of me to stop Enoch. "You two want to spend time with me and Jake? We can all play together, that's what you said." Enoch states, earning the attention of the younger children who were playing. Olive managed to push past Enoch and held up her hands across the door in an effort to stop Enoch.

I follow the trio, stopping by the door, just in view of the younger children. "Well, here we all are." Enoch practically purrs before looking down at Olive. "Move Olive." He growls, Olive's eyes filling with tears. "If you're going to be like that, then I don't want to be your friend." She almost cried as she rushed off, tears streaking down her pale pink cheeks.

It was at that moment that Fiona came out of the bedroom they were playing in. "Enoch, leave Victor alone. It really upsets Bronwyn." She defends as we both reach the two boys. But, Enoch brushed her off taking Jake into Victor's room. I didn't want to go into Victor's room. So, I went to the children to head downstairs for the daily walk. Poor Enoch was so jealous of Abe.

Now that Jake had my attention, he was jealous of Jake. But, horribly my heart was being pulled in two different directions. One direction was held by Enoch, my heart calling for that bad boy exterior with a loving heart. The other direction was held by Jake, my heart calling for the cutely confused American. But they both had something in common.

They were both protective of the perculiars around them. Suddenly, Jake rushes out of Victor's room, looking terrified. I head into Victor's to chew Enoch out. But I didn't get much of a chance because Enoch had taken my waist and pulled me close enough that I could feel his breath on my face. "Enoch..." I breathe out softly before he gently presses his lips against my own.

I lift my arms and slowly wrap them around his neck, holding him close to me. His lips were softer than I thought they would be. Like soft pillows, leaving his love wherever they went. We both pulled away, Enoch looking down at me while I looked up at him through my eyelashes. "Come on. It's time for our walk." I inform him, holding out my hand to him.

The two of us reach the top of the stairs as we hear Miss Peregrine. "There you are. Is Enoch and (y/n) with you? It's time for our daily walk." She states as I place my hand on Jake's shoulder. We all head out, though I trailed behind the group with Jake, who stares at me for a long while before finally speaking up. "(y/n), who killed Victor?" He questions curiously as the wind blows at my (h/l) hair.

I don't answer and for a short while it was silent between myself and Jake, but the next question made me stop in the middle of the road. "Was it the people with the white eyes?" He questions again. I turned to look up at Jake. "Emma asked you not to ask questions." I remind him softly as I glance up at the small group ahead of us, smiling as Enoch scoops Claire into his arms, as he often did on these walks.

Then Jake pulled the double whammy. "I saw one the night my grandpa died. A man." He admits. I stop and look up at him, causing him to stop too. "If it really was one, you have to tell Miss Peregrine." I informed him harshly. Then I had an idea. "Could you recognise him from a photograph?" I questioned him curiously as I look up at him. He looked confused for a moment and then the lightbulb went off.

"Do you have one?" He asks me. I sigh before peeking at the group ahead. Then I lace my fingers with his. "Come on. There's somewhere Emma and I go to be alone." I explain in a whisper before I began leading him away from the family. Leading him toward the beach. I knew that soon the others would be home and Enoch... Enoch would know I was off some place with Jake... And I knew, that he would hate me for it.

The way he hated Abe. For trying to make me fall in love with him.