A Type of Peculiar

Chapter Seven: A Type of Recognition

My leg bounced up and down as my anxiety rose. My chest tightened as I realized I was stuck, surrounded by people. With Bronwyn on my left, Claire on my right, and Emma, Victor and Horace who's names I learned earlier in front of me. My lungs felt weak as I looked and saw the space between my shoulder and elbows bare. I was suffocating, and yet there was plenty air to breathe. I looked down at my thighs as my eyes welled with tears, I took a deeper breath as I brought my glass to my lips.

A soft muttering pulled me from my distant state. "Thea?" I heard Claire whisper.

"Yes Claire?" I asked looking to my right.

"Can you reach the chicken leg for me please?" She said shyly as her big blue eyes looked anywhere but mine.

"Of course." I smiled at her, trying to ease her nervousness. I leaned forward and grabbed the leg for her, my tears slowly dissipating as I took deeper breaths.

Bronwyn leaned closer to me, as if noticing my anxiety she pulled my gloves hand into hers and leaned towards me to begin speaking. "It's alright, when I was new here I was scared too. You don't have to be scared though, because me and Claire will be your best friends." She smiled as she told me this, and my heart melted.

I knew deep inside that I couldn't get close, but it wasn't their fault. They just hadn't seen the monster inside of me. They didn't know what I could do.

"Yeah! We'll be your friends!" Claire chimed in from my right.

I smiled down at them in appreciation. "Thank you both very much, I'd be delighted to be your friends." I said, taking another deep breath, just to calm my ever present nerves.

"Will you play dolls with us tomorrow?" Claire asked, as Bronwyn squealed in excitement. The Twins, who sat next to Bronwyn looked up from their drink and hummed in response.

"Of course." I said giggling at the sheer excitement that bounced between the children.

"Could I join?" Olive spoke up from the other side of Claire.

"Certainly." I smiled, and she grinned back in response, the girls and the twins were clearly over joyed at my words but I was scared, what if I hurt them? What would I do? Where would I go? I could only hope for the best as we finished up our food.

Before we could do anything however Miss Peregrine lined everyone up. "Alright children, while Emma and Fiona clean the dishes from dinner we are going to set up for our movie night!"

Claire seemed confused for a minute, "Miss Peregrine, why are we lining up though?"

"Since Miss Black is new to movie nights I assumed she would be more comfortable with everyone setting up together, instead of us just making chaos in the living area." Miss Peregrine explained as the sounds of sloshing water and light clinking met my ears.

I glanced at her in appreciation as one by one people headed into the living room. Olive walked up to Miss Peregrine and began touching mugs before Miss P began handing them out. Once she reached me I leaned in and whispered into her ear, "thank you so much." I smiled at her as she nodded.

"Of course dear." She smiled as she moved on to the next person.

A thump was heard beside me and I glanced to my right as my eyes met none other than Mr O'Connor himself. I grinned as his grumpy face seemed more upset. "Oh Enoch what are we going to do about you?" I smiled as he glared at me.

"Oh shut up." He replied.

"Hmm I quite enjoy this." I softly said and poked his cheek. He smiled a little before anger took his features. He quickly grabbed my hand as I flinched back.

I could tell in his eyes that he noticed, as an upset look crossed his face. "I'm sorry, just stop bothering me." He mumbled, quickly releasing my hand. He turned his head to look at the cloth that hung from the mantle.

I sat back in shock, Enoch had just apologized. From what I had heard from Emma, she had never heard Enoch apologize in all their years in this house. She had also never heard him be nice or say thanks, or please. Basically Enoch was a giant potato head. As Horace placed his monocle in the film seemed to play. It appeared like a movie.

I sat and watched as the dream version of Horace tried on hat after hat, before finally settling on a beautiful navy blue. The children around the room laughed before the scene changed.

All of a sudden it showed a dark room, light shown from above in streaks like a paintbrush stroked through the background. Then it showed two people their bodies pushed close together. A male voice spoke first. "I don't understand you, you make me feel. I don't even know what it is that I'm feeling, all I know is that I want to feel more of it, I want you to be mine, forever."

"If I do this, will that clear anything?" A female voice softly whispered before they leaned in, their lips molding into each-other.

From the romantic scene, it became light. With the light however came horror. I heard a gasp from the other couch as I looked down. What was displayed was something personal. I was sitting in the middle of a huge room, with a dozen or so wights and hollows behind me. The leader of the hollows and wights stood in all his glory before me, Barron. There he was in all his might grinning evilly down at me. He took out a knife and before he could stab me right above my collar bone, the lights flipped on.

Miss Peregrine stood near the light switch, a horrified look plastered on her face. Some of the younger children had began crying from the horrific scene. Others appeared shocked. "Alright children, let's prepare for the reset." Everyone slowly stood and exited the room, I followed behind hoping to forget the dream Horace had. "Except you Miss Black." Miss P startled me by speaking through the silence. I nodded and walked up to meet her.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, as well as your children." I mumbled, embarrassed and disappointed about what occurred.

"Dear you are my child now." She said calmly kneeling to look at me, she wasn't much taller than me but I didn't want to look and meet her gaze. "I will always protect you, and what happened is in the past. However I need to speak to you in somewhere a little more, private. Perhaps after the reset" She smiled nodding towards the door, where a few little heads vanished once they noticed we had seen them. I giggled as she stood and walked with me to the backyard. She placed her hand out in front of me and after I tightened my gloves I clasped my hand in hers.

I stood in the rain, a large gas mask placed on my face. I could only watch in a mixture of fascination and horror as a bomb headed straight for us. It was a strange loop, but it was incredible to see. Just as the bomb touched the tip of the bush everything stopped. My ears listened as the music that once played a jolly tune warped with the rest of the time. I watched amazed at the change. As everything cleared the children headed up for bed in their orderly fashion. The younger ones bounding in first to see who could get to their bed the fastest.

"Miss Black, I do believe my office will work best." Miss Peregrine said from behind me as she put away the masks.

"Yes ma'am" I responded as I walked towards her office, my emotions confused about how I should feel.

After sitting in one of her chairs I waited for a few minutes before Miss P came into the room. She hurriedly locked the door behind her, and spun to face me. Panic sliced through my heart, thick and deep as she sat and looked up at me. Her face displayed that of grief. "Miss black I called you in here today to discuss a matter that is an emergency."

Worry clung to me thick and the room was tense, a knife couldn't cut through the situation we were in. "Miss Peregrine, whatever it is I'm sure there's a solution." I tried to sneak around the ever looming problem.

"My dear theres not a solution for what I wished to discuss." Her face tightened "Miss Black, I know who you truly are."