They had been on the boat for about a week when they had started to see the island in sight. Jake got super excited and had to distract himself so he started reading a book about Cairnholm that Cheyenne had found in her parents library.
"Cairnholm, population of 92." Jake said aloud.
"Sounds like it's abandoned." His dad chuckles.
"What if it is?" Jake asks suddenly worried.
"That would be a shame," his dad said not really bothered. "Just pack up and go back home." His dad shrugged.
"It's not abandoned, Jake. Abandoned is when no one lives there." Cheyenne said with disinterest while holding her phone up to the sky.
"You waiting for Jesus to bless that thing?" His dad asked.
"With some signal, yeah." Cheyenne answered.
Jake rolled his eyes and looked back to the book. "Best known for its proximity to the final resting place of the cruise liner Augusta, which sank in 1915."
"Yes! Signal at last!" His cousin yelled in victory.
"Okay?" Jake asked. "Anyways." He looked back to the book. "There is just one hotel. That's us." He said looking back up at his dad.
"Yeah. I hope there's bourbon." He says in a hopeful tone.
Cheyenne chuckles. "Alcoholic." She teases.
"Phone addict." His dad shot back.
"Touché." Cheyenne grins.
His dad looks up suddenly. "Oh, wow!" He exclaims. "Jakey, check it out." Jake could hear Cheyenne chuckle at the nickname his dad used. "That's a peregrine falcon." He says with genuine interest.
Cheyenne and Jake look up.
"What a beauty." Cheyenne smiles.
"Peregrine, like the headmistress?" Jake asked with hope, wondering if she was here looking for him.
His dad sighed. "Yeah, sure." He said in defeat. "You know that's probably how grandpa came up with that whole turning into a bird thing."
"He didn't come up with it." Cheyenne defends.
"Come on, Chey. You're 33 years old, don't tell me you believe him?" His dad says with disappointment. Cheyenne ignores him and his dad sighs again, taking the silence as a yes.
"Hey, Miss Peregrine!" Jake suddenly yells at the bird. His dad and Cheyenne look at him funny. "It's me, Jake! I'm Abe Portman's grandson!" He shouts with pride. "Please don't crap on us!" He adds.
The birds caws back at them before flying away quickly.
Cheyenne rolls her eyes and shakes her head. His dad keeps staring at him as if debating turning the boat around and booking a session with Doctor Golan straight away, so Jake quickly stops that train of thought. "Oh my God, dad I'm kidding."
They've finally reached the island and Cheyenne practically bolts out the boat as if she can't stand another moment being in it. Which was probably the case for a dramatic person like Cheyenne. She does a big stretch before grabbing her stuff and walking toward where she seems to know where the hotel is. His dad and Jake follow her and Jake shrugs it off as just seeing it above the rocks. They walk in and it looks old but well kept at the same time. Although you couldn't step anywhere without a creaky floorboard. Jake finds himself exploring and sees framed pictures in the wall and a news report about the Augusta. But one picture captures his attention, it's a scribble off a human but with no eyes by the looks of it. However his thoughts were cut short by hearing a laugh behind him.
A man with dark glasses in a wheelchair with a man behind him had suddenly appeared. Both of them old. "Oh, hey." His dad says as if it was normal for people to just appear out of the blue. "Any idea where I'd find the manager of this place?"
The man who was behind the other man stepped forward and offered his hand to shake. "That's me." He said in a thick accent. "Sorry to keep you just helping Uncle Oggie to the loo." He said. His dad shook his hand and nodded in understanding. "I'm Kev." The man introduced himself. "There's room upstairs." He adds. He goes to head upstairs when he catches a glimpse of Cheyenne and he quickly asks. "How many rooms?"
"Two, please." His dad answered. Kev nodded and headed upstairs.
His dad turned to Jake. "Kev's just getting our suite ready." He said with a smile.
"No, really?" Cheyenne asked in a sarcastic voice. "Didn't know that one." She adds.
Jake chuckles but then turns back to his dad. "While we're waiting I thought we could go check out the beach." He said but Jake's smile fades.
I thought we would go to the children's home." He said quickly, defensively. "Is the beach where the birds nest?" Jake asked.
"I thought we could just check it out real quick." His dad says.
"Well, I could go to the home with Cheyenne. And you can really take your time, and enjoy it." Jake said, obviously trying to give his dad a distraction.
"Come on, Jakey, you know your mom would freak." His dad said worried.
"But I'll be with Cheyenne." Jake said.
"Yeah but, Cheyenne is new to the island too and even though she's an adult you'll both still need someone to help you." His dad said thoughtfully.
"Well, what if we could find someone to take us?" Jake asked.
Before Jake knew it they were outside the pub walking toward a group of teenagers. Jake quickly tried to stop his dad but his dad shushed him and says that he got this. "Hey, dudes!" His dad greeted. Jake looked for Cheyenne to help him but he saw that Cheyenne had decided to stay back to save herself the embarrassment, Jake now wished he did the same. "I was just wondering if any of you guys, might be interested in taking my son here to the other side of the island."
The teenagers looked Jake up and down with judgement on their faces. Jake added for his dad, "and your niece." His dad turned around and pointed to Cheyenne. "Oh, yeah and my niece." Cheyenne was too busy on her phone to notice the pointing. Two boys quickly volunteered and Jake cringed became he knew the reason why, he had seen the way their faces lit up the moment they saw his cousin.
His dad turned to him and smiled reassuringly before tapping Jake's cheek and walking away. The teenagers cast one more judgemental look at Jake before signalling him to follow them. Jake did so and Cheyenne looked up from her phone and walked over to walk beside Jake.
YOU ARE READING
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
FanfictionOC insert of Mphfpc, Cheyenne Zieliński, Jake Portman's cousin. She joins him on his visit to the Children's home with him and his dad and as a result becomes drawn to the loop and finds herself wanting to stay. But when Barron comes along her thoug...