Some Strange Type of Peculiar Love

The Hero

Fiona's POV

After Caul disappeared, Hugh groaned in pain.
His ankle was dangling at an odd angle. I was cradling his head and Jake ran to find help. Miss Peregrine flew over almost immediately.
"What happened? Are you injured?" She prodded. Hugh nodded through clenched teeth.
"He needs help!" I turned and saw Jake pointing towards Hugh with someone we all knew as Raffael the Bone Mender. He quickly made his way over. Soon behind him were guards with a stretcher.
"I'll take him first," he glanced at Jake. Suddenly I was grateful for the praise and favoritism he received. Bronwyn helped lift Hugh onto the stretcher and carried the front part of the wheels over the steps. The stretcher made a loud creak sound and buckled under Hugh's weight.
"Got to lay off the ham, mate." Millard chuckled nervously. Raffael blew the same powder on Hugh that the wights used to knock Marcus, Esmerelda, James and I out between transporting us. Hugh was now sleeping peacefully. I'll let go of the breath I didn't even know I was holding.
"I'll bring him back within the hour, do you still live in the house adjacent do the ditch?"
"Yes, I'll come with you. Children," she turned to us, "please go home."
I shook my head.
"Miss Fraunfeld, go now at once!"
But I stared ahead at her. She sighed, "I know you two are coupled," I blushed and someone behind me laughed, "but you must go back home!" Horace linked his arm with mine and led me out of the dome.
"Don't worry, you turned out fine didn't you?"
I sighed and nodded.

We got back to the house a half an hour later. We passed dozens of injured peculiars in the streets being carried away by stretchers or their friends. Not long later Miss Peregrine came home with Hugh in her arms. She handed him to Bronwyn and she brought him into my room. He was still sound asleep and snoring.
"Children, come down here."
I walked back down the creaky wooden stairs and saw 6 large crates.
"Jacob, Bronwyn, Horace, Millard, Enoch, Emma, and Noor are leaving tonight."
"But isn't there a new curfew in place?" Horace asked nervously.
"You don't have to come, Horace." Jake reassured.
Horace stood up straight and strong, "I was just asking." I could tell he was still afraid.
Suddenly there was a panicked knock on the door.
"Mr. Portman!"
"What?" Jake said annoyance masking his voice.
"There's a hollow, but something is wrong with it!"
What isn't wrong with a hollow?
I peered out the window and gasped. Even I could see this one. It was black with a white face and 4 black tongues. It had eyes like a spider but they had no soul inside. Before I even knew what I was doing, I dashed outside.
"Fee! What are you doing!" Jake shouted. My bare feet hit the cobblestone ground with such force I was almost certain they'd leave a mark. I ran down the street and in front of the 10 foot creature from Hell. Jake was hot on my heels. I decided to grow my vines and oak roots and wrap them around the beast. It lashed it's slimy tongue on my wrist but I pulled back fast enough for it only to leave it's acidic residue. My devices held his limbs together.
"Fiona! You could have gotten killed!" Jake yelled. Emma patted my back but let go when I let out a grunt.
"Keep him like that." Jake said. I nodded. He spoke to the hollow in his raspy hollow speak that Millard told me about.
"Anything?" Emma asked.
"Nothing." He turned to me, "Fiona, kill it."
And I did. It's blood splattered throughout the streets and people leaned out of their windows and cheered. But for some reason, I didn't feel good. I've never really killed anything before, and I know that this was different, that it was going to kill us, but it still felt against my nature. Bronwyn patted my back as we trudged back to the house. The sun started to rise and I felt the most exhausted than I ever had been before. The house came into view and I saw that Miss Peregrine was smoking her pipe furiously on the steps.
"I never said run into danger!" She screamed. My eyes were drooping with exhaustion.
"She saved us, and gave me a chance to study it." Miss Peregrine turned away from me and then to Jake replacing her anger towards me with confusion.
"And?"
"I couldn't get through it."
Miss Peregrine and Jake started to talk but I headed up the stairs and into the bed I shared with Hugh—who was still sound asleep— and pulled back the covers and flopped into bed.

When I woke up, everyone was gone except Olive and Claire. The clock on our side table said it was 12:45 p.m. Hugh was no longer next to me. I opened the door and light shone into my face.
"Morning." Hugh said drowsily, he was still running the sleep from his eyes.
"Where is everyone?" I asked meekly.
"Left this morning."
"Oh. How's your ankle?"
He lifted up his foot and moved it around.
"Good as new." But he winced when he walked on it. He hobbled over to the coffee table and set down his tea.
"Olive and Claire went with Miss Peregrine to the present."
I turned my head sideways. He swallowed a hill of tea and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
"They went to get some food."
I nodded. I noticed feathers were littered around the ground.
"Oh... Enoch killed one of your chickens to resurrect V."
I saw red.
"But the other two are fine!" He said nervously.
"And around here somewhere...I hope." He said under his breath. My eyes stung with tears but I wiped them before Hugh could notice.
"They ended up getting more out of V, though."
I turned my head to the side again.
"I didn't pry, but Noor said it was important."
I nodded.
The door flew open and Olive and Claire came in carrying large brown bags.
"Fiona! You're awake!" Olive said dropping her bag. She threw her arms around my waist. Claire never really hugged me anymore, I think she was more afraid than anything. I wish she wasn't, but I'll just have to work towards it. Hugh grabbed Olive's bag off the ground and started to empty it.
"Where's Miss P?" Hugh asked.
"She told us to bring these home and she'd be back soon."
I nodded.
"You're so brave Fiona!" Olive said. I smiled and blushed.
"Hugh! Miss Peregrine said you need to stay off your foot!" Claire demanded. I went to his side and ruffled his hair.
"No need to fuss, I'm fine." He protested. The girls ran upstairs talking about something called a dough-nut. Apparently it was "the best thing ever made." I brought Hugh a banana and went to the stove to try to cook an egg.
"Thank you, Fee. What would I do without you?"
"Starve."
Hugh laughed.
"So why are you a hero, did you fix a doll?"
I laughed and shook my head.
"Fiona killed a hollow!" Claire shouted. She was at the top of the stairs with a potato sack doll. Hugh laughed.
"What do you mean?" He said smiling.
"There's new ones now!" Cried Olive, she was more scared than amazed.
"What do you mean, I though Jake killed or took control of most of them?" Hugh's smile faded.
"We can see them!"
Hugh's face turned dark and grave.
"They're so ugly!" Claire was upset now too, as if right now was when the realized the true horror of our situation.
"And you killed it? How?" Hugh asked. I stood still in the kitchen, my face was red and hot with embarrassment.
"She used her ropes-"
"Vines." Claire corrected. Olive huffed and continued.
"Then she split it in half!" She spread her arms apart with such force I was worried she'd topple over.
"Fee! You could have gotten yourself killed! What were you thinking?" He yelled. I've never seen him so angry. The girls ran back into their room.
"Well Jake couldn't control it! It was going to kill someone!" I protested.
"Why must you constantly put yourself in danger?"
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't go to London with us! You wouldn't go on the boat! And now you try to play hollow hunter? Why must you always try to save everyone?"
My face was growing hot with anger.
"What was I supposed to do? I'm not exactly useful here anyways!" Tears started to form in my eyes, whenever I grew frustrated I cried. I hated that.
"You're right, you aren't useful." He said bitterly.
I took in a deep angry breath like Marcus told me to when I was angry at Grace or Jonathan, but this time it didn't help.
"Well great, I'm happy we can agree with something." I said quietly.
Hugh huffed.
"I'm taking a walk."
"Ok."
"Yep."
I stomped out the front door and slammed it behind me.

3/28/21