Scorched Earth: The Prequel to Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children (editing)

Chapter Seven

Loop Date July 15, 1867

We entered the castle shortly after Miss Avocet and the first sight took my breath away. The entrance hall was huge and two marble staircases led up to a large hallway leading away in two directions.

Between the staircase another hallway led to two closed doors that Miss Avocet slipped behind. A large glass chandelier hovered above our heads. The marble staircase looked like it was carved from the hands of God himself. I had never dreamed of anything so magnificent.

Miss Peregrine emitted a smile of her own as she watched me gaping at the grand staircase.

"It's beautiful isn't it? You should see the rest of the castle. I'll give you a full tour myself," Miss Peregrine beamed and ushered me up the ivory colored staircase.

We took a turn to the right and entered a long hallway that was barely lit with candles that lined the walls. Old paintings hung with wrinkled faces of Duke's and Duchesses and Earls and Countesses glaring down upon us and I felt slightly uncomfortable like these portraits were alive.

We turned down several more hallways and everything was becoming an impossible maze. How would I ever find my way around? This place was huge!

We passed several people wandering through these hallways. Some were adults, others were young either around my age or a little older. They all walked in groups and laughed at things with each other. None of them payed attention to me, but some noticed Miss Peregrine and whispered amongst themselves.

We got to a section of hallways where doors lined up each wall. Most of them were closed, but I saw children inside those that were open. These were all of the rooms.

"My room is the Queen Mary. Students share rooms, but I want you to stay in mine," Miss Peregrine told me.

I was glad for that. I didn't want to share a room with any stranger. I was quite nervous when I saw all the others with their group of friends. I felt shy like I didn't know how to talk to anyone. I've never had any other friends besides Emmett. Apart from that, I still looked sickly and I didn't want anyone to see. I held onto Miss Peregrine's hand for dear life as we passed by a group of older looking students sitting in the hallway. One of them smiled and waved to Miss Peregrine, who returned the gesture.

We came upon a room with the door wide open. It was mostly empty, with a tall white dresser and a vanity, along with a large bed in the middle. It was a big room, much bigger than the one I used to be locked in. The walls were a gorgeous garnet. Our trunks were already set down at the foot of the bed, waiting for us.

Miss Peregrine closed the door and I immediately walked to the bed where I laid down and planted my face into a soft pillow. It was so luxurious.

"Miss Peregrine?" I asked, voice muffled from the pillow.

"Yes, love?"

"All the others that we saw? Are they like me?"

She looked up from the trunk she was opening and paused for a moment.

"Yes. They are all Peculiar. Each and every one, and I'm sure you will make many friends," she answered. For some reason I doubted that. But I was glad I could be somewhere where moving things with your mind would not be strange.

"How long are we going to stay here?" I asked Miss Peregrine. She shrugged and bit her cheek a little.

"I'm not sure. At least long enough for you to learn how to read and write and to learn some of Peculiar history. I need to take you to the infirmary so we can heal you," she said.

I followed her out of the room and back down the massive corridors. I couldn't believe how big this place really was.

"I thought it was an academy for Ymbryne's," I mentioned.