How Did It Come To This?

Chapter 11-Family

For the remainder of the morning you locked yourself in your room, flipping through a scrapbook you'd made before you came to the loop. It was filled with all sorts of pictures from your old life. Some happy, most just sad. Eventually there was a knock on the door and you yelled for whoever was there to enter. "What have you been doing up here, Y/n?" Alma walked into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Oh, I've been looking through this." You held up the book as she walked over. "It's filled with pictures from my old life. You can have a look if you want." You handed her the book when she sat down on your bed next to you.

The older woman took it, flipping through a few pages before stopping on one. "What's this?" She pointed at a photograph with you as a child, wearing a backpack, grinning despite looking like you'd been crying hours beforehand. You stood next to an old man wearing a uniform with a name tag that read 'Dale'.

"Oh, that's me on parents day in fourth grade, with the school's janitor, Dale. He was pretty cool, always cheered me up. Died the next year though, hit by a bus."

"Oh, I'm sorry. If you don't mind my asking, where are your parents?"

"Oh, they didn't want to come. That's why I'd been crying, see? That's why you asked about the picture anyway, right?" She nodded hesitantly. "There's more where that come from. Please, keep going." You said, laying back on the bed, allowing her to continue. She gave you a worried look but did just that.

"Who are these people?" She asked pointing to a picture with five unsmiling faces.

"My mother, father, brother, and two sisters." You said, pointing to each as you said their titles.

"And these girls?" She asked, pointing to a photograph right next to that one that featured around twenty or so girls, yourself included, all wearing the same uniform.

"Oh that was my class at the boarding school my parents shipped me off to when they decided they'd had enough of me. It was a living nightmare." You sat up again, shrugging. "Everyone wants to get away from me eventually. I suspect it won't be long now before you and the children want the same, and ask me to leave." You said nonchalantly, standing up and walking over to your desk, keeping your back to Alma.

"That's not true. I'd never ask you to leave."

"Incorrect... For the first time ever, you're wrong, Miss Peregrine.."

"Alma." She corrected. "And why on earth would you think that?"

"Tomorrow, at 8:00 You'll figure everything out by then."

"How ominous." She joked, though you weren't laughing. She stood up, walking over to stand behind you, placing a hand on your shoulder. "Y/n? Is everything alright?" You spun around, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Everything is fine." She sighed, wrapping her arms around you in return.

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The next day Alma couldn't help but grow more and more anxious as 8:00 approached. She was constantly checking her pocket watch. When the time finally came you were stood at the front door, waiting. And then a knock echoed through the main hallway. She stepped into the hall just as you answered the door. "Y/n, who's there?" She asked, walking forward.

"My family." You spoke, stepping aside to reveal your mother, father, and three siblings.

"Miss Peregrine, a pleasure to meet you." Said your father, stepping forward with his hand stuck out towards the woman to introduce himself. "My name is Jackson L/n. We'll be staying the night if you don't mind, sleeping in my daughters room. Lead the way, Y/n." He turned to you. Alma didn't even get a word in before you walked off, uncharacteristically silent with no real emotion showing on your face as you led them away.

A few minutes later she trailed behind, taking off her heels so as to be quiet. She stood outside your door, listening. "Well we're in the home, good job Y/n. Didn't think you'd actually be able to do it." A new male voice spoke, one of your brothers.

"Of course you didn't." You responded. "Must we actually go through with this?"

"What, have you grown fond of these fools?" Your other brother spoke.

"No!" You said a bit too quickly. "They've been through a lot in the past few days, especially the headmistress."

"You do realize that, that's a good thing, right?" Your father spoke up. "We prefer them to already be weakened of some sorts."

You sighed and Alma snuck away. There was no way your family was up to anything good. And you were helping them?

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