Some Strange Type of Peculiar Love

The Desolations

Hugh's POV

Emma and Bronwyn surprised Fiona with a few chickens they found wandering the acre. They weren't peculiar but it didn't matter to her. Miss Peregrine forbade them from any of the bedrooms so Fiona decided to sleep in the kitchen with her chickens near the furnace. She'd only been home for two days and already helped stabilize the house with greenery. Speaking of two days, where was Jake and Noor? Surely if everything was alright they'd be back now, right?
"You've got to see this!" Yelled Horace. I shut my bedroom door gently as slamming it shook the whole house. I ran into the living room and saw Fiona with her hand over her mouth and a chicken in her arm.
"It's raining?"
"That's not even the weird part, look at what it's raining. I frowned and peered more closely, the sidewalks were covered in red.
"Eeek! It's raining blood!" Olive cried. She dashed behind Bronwyn.
"We need to find Miss Peregrine!"
"She's been with all the other Ymbrynes all day and won't be home until 8 tonight!"
It was 11:26 a.m. now, so it would be long before she came home.
"We need to go get her!"
"In this weather?" Horace rebutted.
"Yes in this weather, Horace." Emma hissed.
"Well I'm not going." Horace crossed his arms and frowned. Fiona laughed and raised her hand.
"You've been here for two days, you don't even know where to go." I laughed. Fiona shrugged and retreated back into the kitchen.
"You guys, you think she hasn't seen outside? She knows. As long as the birds know, we're fine." Emma cooed. Olive was still shaking and Claire was a crying mess.
"Do you think this has anything to do with Noor and Jake being gone for so long?"
"Probably with Lily." Millard muttered bitterly.
"Bird knows it does!" Enoch threw his arms in the air.
"Let's not worry until we need to, ok?"
"So before, after, or during the blood rain?"
Emma smacked Enoch and I snickered.
"Well you're just mad because I'm right!"  Enoch grumbled.
"I'll get started on lunch."
"I'll help."
Horace and Bronwyn were eager to keep the peace, they both equally hated confrontation unless absolutely necessary.

For lunch we had slimy ham sandwiches with stale bread.
"I'm getting increasingly tired of the terrible food here!" Horace whined.
Fiona leaned next to me and whispered.
"I can grow something,"
I shook my head,
"You need to rest"
Fiona rolled her eyes, "it's not exactly strenuous."
I relented, "Fiona can grow us some fruit and potatoes."
"Carrots?" Asked Claire. Fiona nodded. She left the table and got her coat.
"It's still raining out!" I called out, but she was already outside.

Fiona came back 20 minutes later completely dry with an abundance of food.
"Has it stopped raining? Horace asked.
Fiona shook her head no and sat all the food on the counter. Horace and Bronwyn started to wash and prepare supper, which would hopefully be better than that poor excuse for lunch.
"How are you dry then?" I asked. Fiona motioned towards the window. She grew a large topiary to keep her dry.
"Wait, I have an idea!"

While Bronwyn and Horace were preparing dinner and watching the young ones, the rest of us followed Fiona as she grew large banana leaves above us. Tiny droplets got through here and there but we were mostly left unscathed.
"Good thing Horace isn't here." Enoch said.
"And why is that?"
"Oh my monocle! Oh my suit! Oh don't be daft this is suede!"
Everyone giggled and Enoch cracked a smile big enough for all of us to see from space.
"Take a left here, Fee." Emma pointed to the building and Fiona nodded.

Pretty soon we were in the headmistress' building. I liked to call it the hive. We ran up the stairs dodging any ymbryne in our way, but non of them stopped following once they realized who we were. Ever since the Library of Souls, we've had a lot of 'fans' as Jake called them. Emma practically ripped the ancient mahogany doors off their hinges.
"Miss P!"
"Emma? What on Earth are you doing here?"
"It's raining blood outside!"
Miss Peregrine's face drained of color. She rushed towards a curtain covered window. She pulled back the purple satin curtain to see what we were talking about. Miss Peregrine regained her composure and cleared her throat as she patted her dress flat.
"Children, sit."
I didn't notice the other ymbryne's in training until now. They stopped working on their typewriters and clamored at the outside weather.
"It appears Caul has gotten everything from his list."
I heard an audible gasp echo the room, mine included.
"But don't worry, we still don't know if this theory would even work."
"But Bentham tested it!"
"Yes but he was brilliant where as Caul and his minions aren't."
I tried to find comfort in Miss Peregrine's words but it didn't help that she didn't look too confident herself.
"Now, please go home and don't discuss this matter with anyone outside our loop."
I was about to argue and tell her that there were thousands in this loop, but I realized she was talking about the one back in Carinholm. I missed our house, it was always sunny and warm. I took it for granted all those years and now it was gone and we were here stuck in this endlessly grey and gloomy hell. Well, maybe hell was a stretch, but it was far from our old loop.
"We won't tell another soul." Emma promised.
Everyone in the room seemed to be in shock, even the ymbrynes. Time stood still.