Anna Peregrine--A Map of Days

Chapter Eleven

    We drove past Philadelphia, and then we were closing in on New York City. I thought present day London had horrible traffic, I had no idea. Driving into the city through New Jersey was giving me a panic attack. It felt like every minute we had to change lanes, and we had to shout at Jacob to watch out for something. I was able to admire some of the buildings of New York though, especially One World Trade Center. What a beautiful building that was.
    Eventually, Jacob's phone got us a block away from our destination: J. Edgar Hoover High School. The area was kind of sketchy, the buildings being a little dingy. We found the school easy enough, it wasn't that hard finding a high school in America apparently.
    We parked across the street and sat watching the building, trying to figure out what to do.
    "So, how's that detailed plan of ours shaping up?" Enoch asked.
    "Perhaps we just go and have a look around. See if anyone catches our eye. Anna? Sensing anything?" Bronwyn asked
    I shook my head, "No, I think the pull is blocked by buildings if a peculiar is inside of it. But once I get in, I can possibly figure it out."
    "Thousands of kids go to this school, it might be hard," Jacob said.
    "We don't know until we've tired," Millard yawned. "I mean tried."
    "I'm tired, too. My brain feels like mush," Bronwyn said.
    "Mine too," Jacob said.
    Bronwyn offered Jacob the thermos of coffee Paul had given us, but he refused. I rubbed my eyes as the bell rang. In thirty seconds, the doors flung open and students flooded the courtyard.
    "Anna, here's your chance? Anything?" Bronwyn asked.
    I shook my head, "Nothing."
    "Maybe we should, I don't know, ask people," Emma said.
    Enoch laughed, "Yes, excuse me, we were looking for someone with strange powers or abilities? Or perhaps an extra mouth in the back of their head?"
    "Maybe there's a loner in this building that isn't here today," I said.
    "Then we'll come back tomorrow, when we've had some rest," Jacob said.
    "Excellent plan. If I don't get some sleep soon, I may start hallucinating," Emma said.
    "Someone's coming!" Bronwyn said.
    I looked out the window to see a man walking towards us, dressed nicely. He wore a black polo tucked into khaki trousers, and sunglasses with a walkie–talkie in his hand. As he got closer, I got a sharp pain in my stomach, one that I've started to come accustomed to whenever we were in danger.
    "Names!" he barked.
    "Hi there," Jacob said in a friendly voice.
    "What are your names? Let me see your driver's license."
    "We don't go to school here, so we don't have to tell you," Bronwyn said.
    Enoch's face fell into his hands, "You idiot."
    The man peered inside the car and raised his walkie, "Base, this is perimeter, I've got some unknown youths here." He walked to the back of the car and started reading the plate number.
Jacob started the car and gave it a little bit of gas which made the engine bark loudly, making the man jump and stumble back. Before he could regain his footing, Jacob pulled away from the curb.
    "He gave me a bad feeling," I said.
    "Most vice principals do," Jacob said.

    We found a place to rest through a stack of postcards from Abe that Jacob brought along with us. On the picture side, it had a bland photo of a hotel room with the hotel's name and address in the back, along with a note Abe had written.
    "Looks like I'll be staying here a few days, just
    Outside of NYC. Nice, quiet place, great amenities. I'm seeing
    Old friends. If you ever come to New York, I recommend
    Particular hotel. Ask for room 203. Much love, Grandpa."
    And right away, I knew what this was. Oh, thank the Birds for Abraham Portman.
    "Notice anything about his note?" I asked, trying to see if the others did.
    "It's a bit random. Why did he bother saying what room he stayed in?" Emma asked.
    "It's the simplest code there is. An acrostic."
    "A what?" Jacob asked.
    "Read the first letter of each line. What does it spell?" I asked.
    "L-O-O-P."
    "Oh my wow goodness," Bronwyn said, leaning forward to look.
    "He was leaving you coded messages," I said. "Good old Abe, looking out for you even beyond the grave."
    Jacob shook his head amazed and whispered quietly, "Thanks, Grandpa."
    "But we don't need to stay in loops," Emma said. "We're not running from hollows, we're not in danger of ageing forward, and it could be more trouble than it's worth."
    "Yes, you do meet some strange people in loops, and I don't mean to be antisocial, but I just want to sleep," Bronwyn said.
    "I think we should give it a try," Millard said. "We need to find out where loop ten thousand forty-four is, and perhaps someone there will know."
    Enoch sighed, "As long as it's got a bed. My neck is half broken from trying to sleep in this car."
    Jacob decided on the casting vote of going to the hotel. We drove through Brooklyn and crossed a bridge to Staten Island. Within twenty minutes we were at a motel called The Falls. It was an older two level building with rooms that opened onto the busy street. There was a sign that said there was a TV in every room.
    We went into the office and requested room 203.
    "Why do you want that room?" the clerk asked.
    "It was highly recommended," Jacob said.
    The clerk took his feet off the desk, "What clan you with?"
    "Miss Peregrine's," Bronwyn said.
    "Never heard of it."
    "Then, none."
    "You must not be from around here."
    "Isn't that the point of a hotel?" Emma asked. "To accommodate people who don't live nearby?"
    "Look, usually we only rent to people who are clan–affiliated, but we're almost empty, so I'll make an exception. I'll just have to see some proof of identification first."
    "Sure," Jacob said, starting to get out his wallet.
    "Not like that. I mean, proof."
    "I think he means proof that we're peculiar," Millard said. He lifted a business card holder and twirled it before setting it back down. "Invisible here, hello!"
    "That'll do. What type of room you want?" the clerk asked.
    "We don't care," Enoch said. "We just want to sleep."
    The clerk pulled out a laminated binder and set it down, opening it, starting to list the different options, "Now, of course there's your standard room–nice, but nothing fancy–but what we're famous for are the special accommodations we offer our peculiar guests. We have a room for the gravitationally challenged. The floaters love it. They can relax, dine, even sleep in total comfort without need of weighted garments or belts. There's pet-friendly rooms where peculiar animals of most persuasions are welcome, so long as they're house-trained, under a hundred pounds, and are certified nonlethal. And we have a special room for our, eh, combustible guests." He looked at Emma. "So they don't burn down the rest of the property in their sleep."
    Emma was offended, "I never combust spontaneously. And we don't have pets, and we don't float."
    "We also have a room filled with nice, loamy soil for guests with roots, or the partially dead–"
    "We don't need any weird rooms!" Enoch snapped. "A regular one is fine!"
    "Suit yourself," the clerk snapped the book close. "Regular room. Just a few more questions."
    Enoch groaned as the clerk started filling out a form, "Smoking or nonsmoking?"
    "None of us smoke cigarettes," Bronwyn said.
    "I didn't ask about cigarettes. Do you emit smoke from any part of your body?"
    "No."
    "Nonsmoking," the clerk checked a box. "Singles or doubles?"
    "We'd all like to be together in the same room," Millard said.
    "I didn't ask that. Do any of you have doubles? Doppelgangers, replicants, mirror brothers. We'll need an extra deposit and photo ID for each one."
    "None," Jacob said.
    He marked the form and looked at me, "How many years will you be staying?"
    "How many years?" I asked.
    " . . . Will you be staying?"
    "Just one night."
    "Extra charge for that," he muttered, marking the form. "Right this way."
    He slouched out of the office. We followed him down an exterior corridor before coming into a dim utility room. It was a loop entrance that led to a room. The man helped us get settled before leaving.
    Right away, I collapsed onto the bed, allowing my thoughts to wander away from the peculiar we were trying to find.