Anna Peregrine--Library of Souls

Chapter Five

When I found out the location that Sharon brought me and Jacob to, I was perplexed, trying to figure out who exactly the owner was. They said it was Mr. Bentham's house. Bentham was the surname my mother was born with.

There were only four people that surname belonged to that were still alive. Caul Bentham, Alma Bentham, Anna Bentham, obviously me, and . . . Myron Bentham.

Myron was the middle child out of the three siblings, Caul the eldest, Mum the youngest. I don't know much about him, never as much as seen a photograph of him but one from when they were all younger. However, it may not be him, or bird forbid, Caul. The four of us were related to Jeremy Bentham, an English philosopher who died long before I was born. Perhaps it was someone related to us from that side of the family that we all know nothing about?

A man named Nim gave me a clean white dress to change into, which I did quickly. I was then brought to a woman named Mother Dust, who was a healer, but not your average healer. She would cut off one of her fingers, and break it down into a dust that healed any wound. After that peculiar discovery, I went right to bed.

A day passed and my boyfriend still wasn't awake. I walked through the halls, deciding to go visit him. That's when I heard a horrible sound.

"ANNA! WHERE ARE YOU?" Jacob screamed for me.

I started running, my peculiarity coming into aid. Peregrine falcons were the fastest animals on the planet, the top speed being 386 kilometers per hour, 240 in miles, that weird American measuring system.

I came to the door that Jacob was in as Nim came running out. I stopped at the door, balancing myself along the door frame as I gasped for breath, "Jacob?"

"Anna!" he said, clearly not hurt, but probably more scared.

"You're awake!" I said, rushing over to him.

"Careful with him, he's delicate!" the doctor that sat with him said.

The doctor went to the other side of the room as I carefully hugged my boyfriend, sitting on his bed at his side, "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. They said you'd be out for hours more . . ."

"It's okay. But where are we? How long have we been here?"

I looked at the doctor who was was writing a note, but I could tell he was listening. I turned back to Jacob before saying quietly, "We're at a home in Devil's Acre owned by a man named Mr. Bentham. Hidden. Sharon brought us here a day and a half ago."

"Is that all? You look almost healed!"

"I only had a few nicks and bumps . . ."

"No way. I remember what happened out there."

"You had a broken rib and a torn shoulder," the doctor said.

"They have a woman here. A healer, her body produces a powerful dust . . ."

"And a double concussion," the doctor said, finishing my list of injuries. Mum was going to have a field day when she found out. "Nothing we couldn't handle in the end. But you, boy--you were nearly dead when you arrived."

Jacob patted the areas that he was injured in before, realizing that he was no longer in pain, "It feels like I've got a new arm."

"You're lucky you didn't need a new head," Sharon said, joining us. "In fact, it's a shame they didn't give you one, because apparently the one you've got now is full of sawdust. Disappearing like that, running off without a clue where you were going--and after all my warnings about the Acre! What were you thinking?"

My boyfriend grinned, "Hello, Sharon. Nice to see you again."

"Yes, ha-ha, it's all smiles now that everything's rosy, but you nearly got yourselves killed out there!"