Anna Peregrine--Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

Chapter Five

Jacob looked back at me before lowering his voice to a whisper, "I can see them, too."

My eyes welled up, the first peculiar that I was able to sense without someone telling me that they were. The night I first saw Jacob, I picked up on it, and ever since he came to the island, the sense was stronger than that night.

I pulled him into a hug, "I knew there was something peculiar about you. And I mean that as the highest compliment."

"And you can't see them at all?"

"Only their shadows, which is why they hunt mainly at night."

"What's stopping them from coming after you right now? All of us, I mean."

"They don't know where to find us. That and they can't enter loops. So we're safe on the island--but we can't leave."

"But Victor did."

"He said he was going mad here. Said he couldn't stand it any longer. Poor Bronwyn. Abe left too, and--"

"I'm really sorry to tell you this--"

"I know Jacob. I found his body before you did. I knew what happened. Everyone knows, even Emma. I knew they'd get him eventually," I whispered.

We were quiet again.

"Forgive me for asking this but . . . we all know who your mom is, but your--"

"Dad? Don't even get me started on it. Mum won't tell me anything about him. He has, or had, to exist at some point."

"Could he have just been an ordinary falcon?"

I shook my head, "I was born human, not a bird. There was no egg laying, just a normal pregnancy. Mum couldn't turn for those nine months. That's how she found out that she was pregnant, actually."

"How did she keep it secret then?"

"All the meetings for those nine months were done here. I was actually a tiny baby, so the pregnancy was very easy to hide visibly. I was born at home, actually. Mum did it all herself, she had a feeling I would have a peculiarity, and that I would be a ymbryne. Knowing that, she knew my hair would not come out a normal hair color. She was right, the little hair I had was the black into blue you see today," I said holding up a lock of hair.

"Right after I was born, Mum told Miss Avocet that she had taken in her first ward. When Miss Avocet came to visit, she was shocked, but happy for my mother that she had 'found' a ymbryne. However, she was suspicious because I was a falcon. Despite the same surname, Miss Avocet thinks I just took the surname on because of my bird identity, just like all the Ymbrynes do."

"So besides then, no one has suspected a thing?"

"No, but they might in private. Mum and I resemble each other a lot."

He nodded in agreement.

We walked for hours until it started to get close to sunrise. We made our way back to shore to find Fiona and Hugh waited for us.

"Something's happened! You've got to come back with us!" Hugh said.

I started to slide on my clothes over my bathing suit as Jacob started to pull on his trousers only for Hugh to stop him, "Not him, though. This is serious."

"No, Hugh. The Bird and I were right. He's one of us."

"You told him?!"

"I had to. He'd practically worked it out for himself, anyway."

Hugh was taken aback for a moment before turning to . . . I guess my boyfriend, shaking his hand, "Then welcome to the family."

"Thanks," Jacob replied.