Titanium-- Horace Somnusson [MPHFPC]

Chapter Seven- Memories

QOTD: Who's your favorite peculiar and why?

My answer: Enoch bc he's sarcastic and sassy like me, but has his sweet moments and is really cute

Horace's POV

I rubbed my eyes sleepily as I trudged down the stairs. Morning could never come soon enough, in my case. I woke up during the middle of my gruesome nightmare. I was sweating so much that I stuck to the sheets I was lying upon.

Making my way into the kitchen, I stopped when I saw a figure. It was that new girl, Iris. I wonder what she was doing up and about at this hour. Her blonde hair was tousled and she looked like she had been through hell. She reached for a glass when I decided to speak.

"Hey." I said in a monotone voice. The girl flinched, almost dropping the glass she was holding. When she turned around she looked absolutely terrified, but once she saw it was only me she relaxed a bit.

"Hey, Horace" she whispered. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I should be asking you the same thing. You missed the changeover. Ezra had to come up and slip a gas mask on you."

She looked down at her feet timidly. I noticed the small piercings beneath her lip. I wonder what other crazy things people have done since I left.

"I just- I had a few nightmares. Y'know, about my loop." Iris said.

"Me too." She looked at me funny. Then I realized that she didn't get to be introduced to the other peculiars.

"I get prophetic dreams. I can see into the future, or see recent events. It's actually quite useful, if you ask me." She nodded.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me", she asked, " what are everyone's peculiarities?" We walked into the parlor and sat on the leather couch. I saw Iris visibly relax as her body sank into the cushions.

"Well, Fiona, the girl with the dirt everywhere, can grow plants with her bare hands, whenever she wants. Her boyfriend Hugh has bees living in his stomach. Enoch, the antisocial one, can make dolls and stuff come alive." Iris nodded. I heard that Nico could control the dead, so maybe they would get along.

I continued with my explanation. "The blonde girl, Claire, has a back mouth. Olive, the redhead, is as light as air. And Millard, I don't think you've seen him yet. He's invisible."

After that, we sat in silence. She sipped at her water, and she looked very uncomfortable. I shifted in my seat, begging myself not to talk, but I was curious for answers. I decided to break the silence.

"I don't mean to pry, but I usually try to get to know the newcomers. I have a few questions. Is that alright?" Her steely eyes glanced up at me, shining in the moonlight that made its way through the drapes. I shifted uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Umm- your siblings. They're adopted?" She looked a little surprised.

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess, I suppose."

She took another sip of water. "My mother adopted them when I was eight, and they were only one. I didn't think she knew that they were peculiar until they got older. But honestly, I treat them more like my own children than siblings because she was never really a motherly figure towards any of us."

I looked down, thinking of my own mother for a moment. God bless her soul. Then I proceeded down my long list of questions. " And Ezra? He's definitely not your family."

"Ezra was born back in the fifties. He was sent by Miss Kingfisher in 2007 to retrieve Percy, Nico, and I and take us to the loop. The boys instantly took a liking to him, and he became very protective to us and became my best friend." 

I felt a tingling in my stomach. I didn't like the idea of him being around her. It made me feel weird. However I shook it off wen I noticed Iris lolling to the side a bit. She was no doubt tired.

"One more question. I'm sorry I'm so curious." She smiled softly. "It's alright, Horace." I liked the way my name sounded on her tongue. Her American accent was pretty. "Uh... I had this vision, around two years ago. I guess that would have been around the time Ezra brought you to the loop. All I really saw was a bloody handprint on a yellow wall. Does that mean anything to you?"

The once relaxed posture she has was now gone. Her eyes were shut as if she was remembering something painful, and her fingertips were beginning to turn to metal. I instantly knew that I had hit a nerve as a silver tear rolled down her cheek.

"Hey, Iris." I put my hand in her shoulder. " I'm sorry.. I-I didn't know." I felt so horrible. "I just- I didn't mean to. Please, please don't cry, I don't like seeing pretty girls cry."

At that she looked up. Her silver eyes were watering. She sniffled and relaxed a tiny bit. "Thanks- really. I'm so sorry, Horace. It's just a really bad memory, I don't really like talking about it. Maybe tomorrow, just not right now." I removed my hand from her shoulder and  set it in my lap. Iris looked up at me one last time. Then she stood up, setting her cup on the coffee table and walked out of the room and up the stairs.

Third Person POV:

Horace laid on the leather couch, staring up at the ceiling. He didn't mean to make her cry, but he couldn't help but wonder what had happened that made her so sensitive.

Meanwhile, Iris had climbed back into the bed, trying to calm herself down with thoughts of the cute blond boy with the top hat.

There you go! I've found myself with less interest in this story, but I'm willing to finish it this summer. I'm in the US, so we are on break right now. I've given you a little glimpse into Iris's past, and added some small cute moments. However, it'll take a little more trust to unlock her most painful memory.

If you find any mistakes, please tell me and I'll gladly fix them!

Hope you've enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for reading Titanium!