Thin Ice (MPHfPC Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Two:

I quickly dressed (which is quite the task without the use of hands). I found a vile-looking porridge by my door, which was basically what I'd had last night (food in Devil's Acre is revolting). I sniffed it, and decided that food was overrated.

I found the others in a big, open room down the hall. I walked over to Miss Peregrine, who was distanced far from the others (as usual). We had found that I was now immune to her 'bubble of doom', as Enoch liked to call it, and Miss Peregrine had used me as a messenger between her and the rest of us whenever she herself couldn't get through to them during our discussions last night.

"Miss Peregrine?" I said. "Horace said you wanted to speak with me."

"Yes, yes," She said distantly. She was watching the others talk, though she looked a bit lost in thought.

"I have something to tell you too," I told her. "Though maybe we could move to a different room?"

"Of course."

We vacated the room, Miss Peregrine telling everyone that we'd be right back, and moved into the next one. She closed the door behind us.

"Mr. Nullings," Miss Peregrine said into the empty-looking room. "Don't even attempt to eavesdrop."

"Oh, alright," A voice said from the far corner of the room, making me jump. Millard must have rushed in before us. I had no idea how Miss Peregrine was able to tell he was in the room. "I suppose I'll be caught up later then?"

"If I see fit," Miss Peregrine answered. "Now out you go. And for Bird's sake, put on some clothes!"

Millare didn't answer, but I could hear his footsteps lead straight out the door, opening and shutting it. The footsteps trailed away down the hall.

Miss Peregrine continued as if nothing had happened. "Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

"I had weird dreams last night," I began. "They were my memories, but they were different." I proceeded to tell Miss Peregrine about the lights, the feelings, the scenes. "What do you think it meant?"

"Perhaps these lights were your reaction from your different emotions." Miss Peregrine said slowly. "Invisible to the regular human eye, but significant."

"In what way?" I ask.

"I'm not sure," She admitted. "But the color of these lights seem to be an important factor, as well as the areas it's coming from and moving to."

"I- I think I accidentally stole some of Horace's second soul," I said. "The white light that I saw in his foot that moved to mine."

"But he's still having dreams," Miss Peregrine stated. It wasn't a question. "So if it was his second soul you saw- and I'm not saying I know for sure that it was- then you only took a small sliver. Perhaps that's why your peculiarity seems to revolve around dreams and visions now, especially after that moment with Mr. Somnusson."

"That's what I was thinking."

"As for the rest of the scenes, you recall being excited and interested in them, yes?" She didn't wait for an answer. "It seems that different emotions cause different reactions. You say that you only received happy or peaceful moments from Mr. Portman, as well as his grandfather telling his stories- which is what you were wondering about when you first met him."

Everything was starting to make a bit more sense now, but not much. My mind felt like it was being twisted into knots.

"And you had no physical contact with him when you met. With me, you did. So, possibly, physical contact also plays a factor."

I was still trying to catch up. "You came up with all of this right now?"

"Of course," Miss Peregrine said. "I may be called a time traveler, but I don't know the future. If I did, my life would be much easier."