A strange peculiarity || Enoch O'Connor

chapter three

"Ethan he's alive." Jeanette stated, her eyes not straying from the unconscious body of the boy who lay in front of them. Her voice was full of love, a love she had that never prospered, and a pain, a pain at seeing him hurt, a pain at seeing him at all. She knelt down beside him and pressed her fingers to his neck, checking his pulse. He was alive, just. She let out a sigh of relief, letting out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. A tear left her eye, she could not believe he was really here.

"Is he okay?" Ethan asked, as Jeanette brushed the boy's hair away from his face. She nodded, before shaking the boy awake, it took a few minutes for her to awaken the boy, but she managed it, somehow.

"He's alive." Was all she said in answer to the question Ethan had just asked her, as the boy opened his eyes and stared at the girl in front of him in shock. She stared back at him, and then hugged him tightly, he returned the hug, resting his chin on her shoulder and relishing in the warmth radiating from her body. He had missed her, that was evident in his body language.

"Jenny how did you get down here?" He croaked, but the relief in his voice was not easily hidden, he was watching her closely, checking for any sign of the feelings she once held, he was pleased to see the spark still there, dim and forgotten about, but with enough kindling it may still become a roaring fire once more.

"A trapdoor by the pier." Jeanette answered happily, helping the boy sit up, he frowned at her, before laughing lightly, remembering her love for mysteries. He was half surprised it had taken her this long to find him.

"Cameron." Ethan seemed shocked to the core, he had not expected to see his cousin alive, after all everyone had assumed him dead. Cameron seemed equally as shocked to see Ethan, but that soon turned to happiness as he realised that the appearance of his friends meant he would be able to escape. Then his face fell.

"You have to go, if she finds you down here- "Cameron stopped himself, shifting his weight and causing the chains to make the terrible sound that is heard when two pieces of rusted metal rubs together, Jeanette winced, and Ethan rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

"Who? Not-" Jeanette whispered, she didn't dare voice her thoughts lest they be wrong, but she had a pretty good idea of who it was already and she had a feeling it was right, Ethan's face held the same expression as the girl's voice did, both were just hoping that they were wrong, but unfortunately that was not the case.

"Yeah, it is." Cameron nodded, he knew what she meant, he had always been able to figure out what she meant, even if she didn't always articulate her words very well. Jeanette went pale at once.

"Oh god. "she sank to the floor again, only just having gotten up to assess the situation. "We have to get you out of here." She added determinedly.

"No, if she finds you down here..." Cameron trailed off.

"We'll work fast, and if she comes, Jenny and I can fight her." Ethan said, Jeanette nodded and smiled comfortingly at Cameron.

"We're not going back there, Cam, we can't." She told him, both boys nodded in agreement to her statement.

"I think I may be able to get you out of these shackles." Ethan said, crouching down beside his best friend and his cousin. Cameron nodded, and Jeanette gave him a hopeful smile. "Jenny I need more light; I don't want to kill him." He added. Cameron didn't look convinced at Ethan's statement, but neither of the other two noticed his uncertain expression. Jeanette made another ball of light appear. Cameron stared at it in amazement.

"I didn't know you could do that!" He explained, causing the girl to smirk at him.

"Neither did I." she said, making Ethan snort, before he carefully wrapped his hands around his cousin's wrists, where the chains were, and closed his eyes. Ice formed from his hands, and spread through the chains, freezing the metal to the point of breaking, until they shattered.

Cameron looked at his wrists in shock, and then he moved, pushing the frozen, broken metal away from him, relishing in being free. "thank you." He whispered, Jeanette smiled at him.

"Let's get out of here." She smiled, Cameron smiled back, but then his face fell. "Cam? What's wrong?" she asked anxiously, scanning his face for a clue as to what he was worried about.

"If she finds out I'm not here, and that you helped me... I don't want you to get hurt." He told them, both shook their heads at once.

"We'll be fine, I promise." Ethan nodded, earning a smile from Jeanette, who also nodded.

"Ethan is right; besides it is not like we would leave you here anyway." She added. Cameron agreed reluctantly.

"Let's go." He said, he was still nervous about possibly risking his friends lives, but the fact that he was free outweighed the possibility of a fight.

"Which way to we go?" Jeanette asked after and awkward silence had ensued. Cameron grinned at her.

"Follow me." He said, offering her his hand so she didn't get lost, she was always the one who would get lost, and he knew that. She took it, following him down the many twists and turns of the corridor, Ethan trailing behind them, not liking the fact that their close bond still seemed to have survived, even after all these years. They stopped underneath a trapdoor.

"This is it, this will lead to the tower, the one I gather you managed to get for yourself Jenny." Cameron laughed. Jeanette nodded and then frowned.

"Are you sure this is it?" she asked, Cameron looked slightly hurt.

"You've never doubted me before, why now?" He asked back, she shook her head.

"Never mind." She smiled at him. "Shall we go?"

"Ladies first." Cameron smiled, "Right Ethan?"

Ethan nodded. Jeanette looked at him anxiously, earning a reassuring smile, before she climbed up the ladder and entered her room. The boys followed her.

"I shall go and get some breakfast." Jeanette said, after handing both Cameron and Ethan a blanket, as both were shivering, but she did not feel the cold in the same way, so she put it upon herself to get anything the three needed, and at that moment it was breakfast.

She took the servant stairs, not wanting to be caught by miss eagle, the servants stairs went straight into the kitchen, and Velma, the cook was more than glad to give her plenty of food, without expecting an explanation.

On her way back, she had to hide in a store cupboard, lest she run into Miss Eagle. Luckily for her, she didn't. making it back to her room in record time, both Ethan and Cameron looked relieved at her entrance. She had a feeling they had been arguing before she entered, but didn't voice her concerns, instead she handed them their food and sat in between them, smiling at Ethan as he wrapped his blanket around her shoulders, so they were both feeling the benefits of it. The three ate breakfast in silence.

It was half an hour later, after Cameron had fallen asleep, and Ethan and Jeanette were sat enjoying each other's company, when there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Jeanette asked, looking at Ethan in concern.

"It's Miss Eagle, are you alright? You were not at breakfast this morning." The ymbryne said.

"I am tired, so I'm going to rest for a while." Jeanette lied quickly.

"Very well, and do you know where Ethan is?" Miss Eagle asked.

"I believe he went for a walk in the woods."

"Alright, thank you." Miss Eagle said, they waited for her to walk back downstairs, before speaking again.

"That was much too close." Jeanette sighed.

"Indeed." Ethan sighed.

"What do we do Ethan?" She asked him desperately, he sighed and hugged her tightly.

"I don't know Jenny; I really don't know."