A Type of Peculiar

Chapter four: A Type of Story

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" Her hands made a shuffling noise as she clasped them together. We were sitting in her office. After breakfast she had decided to take me upstairs so we could talk about housing arrangements, more specifically why we needed them. The cold room felt somber, and anxiety rose within me. The clocks slow ticking fell to deaf ears with the surrounding noises. Children laughing outside. Birds singing harmonies. And then my quick breathing as I tried to relax and yet failed. I hated confronting problems. I always have and yet I seem to run into plenty.

Her pen fell from her desk. The soft thud brought me back to reality. My eyes darted around the room and finally made their way to hers. "Which beginning?" I mumbled so softly and yet she heard.

"Whichever you wish to start from. Could be you riding a horse as a child. Maybe a meal you enjoyed. The start of your life up until you sat in this room." She smiles widely as if it's so simple.

"Can I start at the end? If I don't wish to share other parts." As I said this her smile sunk slightly. The ticking of the clock still tuned into my hearing range.

"If that is what you wish to do then of course." She paused a moment. "How about you start at how you came to be here. You were at another house before this one, yes?"

"Yes, my other ymbrne, Miss Kepler had been feeling Ill the past few weeks. I was the eldest and since she was unable to function properly I was left in charge. She would always be the one to shoot the hollow though. It came everyday at midnight. She would kill it, not me. I can't even look at a gun." I trembled as vivid visions flashed through my head. Sirens reminded me of things I couldn't protect myself from. I looked down at my shoes, which seemed to be so fascinating.

"What was your house like? Who did you live with and what type of relationships did your ymbryne form?" She asked realizing I was very uncomfortable.

"Our ymbrne was delightful. She understood my need to be alone. She made sure everyone respected my space. Except Rose, that girl could never listen." I said, my eyes filling with tears. "Rose was wonderful." I whispered. "Anyway, Miss Kepler wasn't well enough to move. Every step she took she faltered. I should've grabbed the gun and shot the hollow myself. Instead I had fallen asleep, I woke to the screams of the children. I walked into the room. There were seven already dead, along with our ymbrne. She hadn't gotten up in time to shoot the hollow, because she was already dead." I slid my gloves off as the temperature in the room increased slightly. I sighed as my hands felt much more free.

The clock ticked in time to my heart, and I tried desperately not to stutter. "She said she kept feeling as though she was being watched, as if something was off in our loop." I blinked back my tears hoping to hold them in long enough to finish. "I ushered the six kids from their rooms. We were chased to the safe house, and met with two more hollows. The kids ran ahead and couldn't feel the hollows presence. I knew and tried so hard to grab them back." Miss peregrine frowned. "Two more kids were plucked right out of my hands. I ran with the five kids I had, including Rose to the river. Turns out for weeks a Wight, had been watching us."

A Wight was an advanced Hollow, one that had eaten enough eyes of peculiar to transform into a human. Although their food intake increased. "She brought three Hollows into our loop, just to see which kids would get picked of first. She slammed my head into a tree and I lost my consciousness. Once I regained it, it was just me and Rose."

I smiled remembering how she had saved me, even small she was very protective. The clock still clicked to each word I spoke as if mocking me. "She could talk to animals and called a bear to come save us. We hid by the barn and..." I couldn't say what had happened. It was Roses last moment and I was about to give it away. My head throbbed as the clicking noise grew louder and louder I could faintly hear Miss peregrine tell me to continue whenever.

I shook my head. I looked up at the giant clock, my anger trained upon it. The clock exploded as I jumped out of my chair and ran out of the room slamming the door behind me. Energy cracked from my skin as it seeped into boards below me.

I felt bad for ruining her clock but I was about to have another freak-out and I'd rather not destroy her house. The wood creaked as I stomped down the stairs. It's rustic smell filling my sense as I broke into hyperdrive my body running out of the old house. The sun beat upon my back, and I ran past children who stared upon me with piqued interest. I sprinted past them and could hear Miss Peregrine call out for me.

Stray tears fell from my face as I remembered their faces as they sobbed. How the people I lived with for years, who no matter what happened I loved, laid dead in my arms. The cliff that lay the my left was steep and I ran shakily trying not to fall.

I wasn't sure why I was running, maybe it was because I was scared. Scared of my past, of my monsters maybe of myself. Maybe I was scared I would lose someone else, I wouldn't put anyone else in pain.

I heard quick footsteps behind me and knew someone was running after me. My mind raced as I thought of what monster could be after me. Now I wasn't running because I was about to freak out. Or because I was scared. I was running because something could be after me. I ran faster than I ever had, hoping it wouldn't catch up. I released a bloodcurdling scream as my foot latched onto a long and spindly root.

I lunged forward as the air was crushed from my lungs. I rolled down the side of the hill. Rocks and branches ripping through my hair and tugging against my face. I kept tumbling as the hill grew steeper and I realized in that moment I didn't know what this island looked like. I also recognized I had just fell off the side of the cliff and was rolling down the hill.

Whatever was chasing me had either stopped or was silently stalking me from above. I skidded off a large ledge and my fingers grasped onto the side. It was at least an eight foot drop, I gasped as my stupid idea of running suddenly came to my mind. I had just wanted to be alone. I knew Miss Peregrine probably wouldn't allow me to be alone now, if I ever came back. I didn't want to share my story in the first place, but I couldn't run from it.

At that moment a face appeared from the ledge, Mr frowny face looked down at me with a glare. I realized the thing chasing me was Mister O'Connor himself, most likely sent by a worried Ymbrne. "This would've been so much easier if you hadn't run!" He yelled panting. It suddenly clicked in my mind, it was him chasing me. His thick curls were tossed about wildly and his angry face looked so cute. I smiled at him, forgetting the solemn memory I had just thought of. This boy was making me feel weird. Butterflies erupted in my stomach as he groaned in annoyance and complained. I felt like laughing even though a minute ago I felt like sobbing. I giggled as he glared at me and continued his rant.

My hands were clammy and my strong grip on the rock slipped, making a loud scraping noise as I fell farther. "Crap, crap, crap!" I shouted trying to pull myself up. His head suddenly spun around his brown eyes opened wide in concern as he leaned down to help me up. His face glistened with sweat and his scent was entrancing.

"Give me your arm!" He yelled.

Coming to my senses I immediately froze. I took my gloves off and left them in Miss Peregrines room. "I can't do that Enoch." I mumbled.

"What are you deaf? I said give me your arm." He complained before lunging forward to grasp my hand.

My blood turned cold and it felt like time froze as he reached for my hand. The rocky ledge felt like sand and crumbled under my hands as I pushed back away from the rock and Enoch. The thin surface cracking and caving under my weight. I flinched away from his nearing body as I slipped back and fell. The sounds of rocks crumbling made horrible scratching noises as I dropped down. I heard a click as something else fell. The rocks met my face and before I blanked I briefly wondered what Enoch's lips would feel like on mine. If only I could touch him.

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I'm sorry this chapter was shorter than the others. Hope everyone enjoyed this sorry please let me know about any misspellings or errors. Also sorry Thea hasn't met everyone yet she might get to next chapter, or maybe not hehe you'll never know. Thank you all so much!!