Something Peculiar (Enoch O'Connor)

3. Final Hello

Saying goodbye to her Loop was probably the hardest thing Antonia had ever done.  She'd lived there for decades, and she had to leave so quickly.  The corpses of her friends were laying on the ground, and Ms. Sandpiper was nowhere to be found.  She was probably captured, Miss Peregrine had told her.  She hated the idea of the woman that had been taking care of her for decades being in pain, or dead. 

"Hurry up, dear," Miss Peregrine called back to her.  "We only have a few hours until the reset."

"What happens if you miss it?"  she asked quietly.

"Well, in my Loop, all the kids die.  That's how the night ends.  Right before the reset, a bomb is dropped, and the reset happens a second before it hits.  So, I suggest we get going."

She nodded.  "I like that suggestion."

>< >< ><

"Where are they?" Horace asked nervously as he looked up at the planes, through his gas mask.  "They should be back by now."

"If you got her killed, I'm gonna kill you."  Enoch looked at Horace for a second, before looking back up to the planes as the bomb fell. All of the children shrunk down in fear, but the the bomb stopped.

"Right on time," Miss Peregrine said, pocket-watch in hand, with Antonia standing behind her.  She quickly reset the Loop, rewinding the last twenty-four hours.

"Did you pick that up on the way here?" Enoch asked, pointing to Reggie.  "Rabbit hearts are actually pretty good."

"No!" Antonia said as she stepped in front of Reggie's cage.  "He's my friend.  You must be Enoch."

"And you must be the one that we almost got killed for."

"Enoch!" Miss Peregrine scolded, but Antonia was looking at her feet.  "He's right," she said quietly.  "I-I think I wanna be alone for a bit."

Emma nodded and hooked her arm with Antonia's.  "Come on, we're gonna be sharing a room.  I'll show you."

She nodded and followed Emma inside, not looking at anyone.

"Enoch, that was so rude," Miss Peregrine said as soon as the door shut.

"A dozen kids just narrowly missed getting blown up so you could get her."

"You narrowly miss getting blown up every day, Enoch!  You have no idea what that girl went through today, and then you threatened to kill her rabbit!"

"I'm sure she's especially upset about you threatening to kill me," Reggie said.

"I didn't threaten, I asked a question!" Enoch yelled.  "Besides, is she really keeping a peculiar animal as a pet?"

"She has offered me freedom many times, murder boy.  I've been with her since the day I was born.  I stay with her because she's my friend.  I'm only in this cage because I was on my bed all day."  Reggie stood up in his cage, and nudged the lock.  "Now, let me out and get me inside."

Horace unlocked the cage and opened the door for him.  "Olive, go let Reggie in."

Olive nodded and ran off, Reggie trailing behind her.

"Look here," Horace said angrily as he looked at Enoch.  "My sister is here because she was in trouble.  I don't know what happened to her.  I don't know what she saw.  But you just asked to kill her best friend and use his heart to animate some stupid clay doll.  You better march up there and give her a formal apology."

"I didn't do anything wrong!  It's not my fault I have a terrible peculiarity!"  Everybody could see the fury on his face.  "This is what I do, Horace!  How the hell was I supposed to know that's her pet?!"

"And then you said that we almost all got killed because of her!  She was gonna be killed if we didn't get her!"

"Is one life worth a dozen, Horace?!"

Miss Peregrine stepped between the two boys.  "Enough, both of you!"  She turned to Enoch, her face showing rare anger.  "When I got there, that poor girl was in the grip of a Hollowgast.  Her ymbryne was captured, the woman who has taken care of her for decades.  And the corpses of her friends were all over the ground!  That girl went to hell and back today, the least you could do is show her some kindness!"

Enoch looked down at his feet.  "You never told us that."

"I didn't have a chance before you began to make her upset already.  At this rate, she's not going to want to stay!"

He said nothing, just continued looking at his feet. 

"Horace, go see your sister.  I'll deal with Enoch."

Horace nodded and ran inside, up to the room Emma and Antonia were now sharing.

"Reggie, Enoch has the same peculiarity as Wesley..." he heard his sister crying quietly, talking to her rabbit.  "It...  I can't."

"Antonia, he's not Wesley.  Wes loved you.  This guy...  I kinda wish he'd go jump off a cliff."

Horace recognized the name Wesley, from some of his sister's letters.  She might've sent a photo once.  He was from her Loop, he was her best friend.  "Antonia?" he asked.  "I'm gonna come in."  Without waiting for an answer, he opened the door.  His sister was sitting on the edge of her bed, her face already stained with tears, Reggie sitting on her lap.  He ran over to her and hugged her. 

"I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to say hello to you before starting to cry..." she said quietly as she moved Reggie off her lap so she could hug her brother.  "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," he said quietly as he sat beside her.  "It's nice to see you again.  You haven't changed a bit."

She chuckled as she wiped tears from her eyes.  "Yeah, Loops are great for my skin."

He laughed and scratched Reggie on the back.  "Hey Reg, long time no see."

"Hello Horace," the rabbit said. 

"I really hope this is our last hello," Antonia said as she hugged her brother tightly.  "And I hope we never have to say goodbye."