Honeybee [Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children FF]

Chapter Seven

“It should be around here somewhere,” I called over my shoulder. Hutch had already slipped into the forest, and likely through the loop. I, however, was stuck with Noah- I’d introduced Abe to my aunt, as he was the calmer of the two, and she gave me permission to go walking with him, as long as that was all that happened (I am engaged, after all- no impropriety could happen). I assured her it would be, but now I had to find a way to slip off.

The forest seemed to do this for me.

There was a sudden sharp bark, followed by a growl. From a patch of shrubbery a red fox crawled, baring its teeth in a snarl.

“Iris, run!” Noah shouted, taking off. I took a few steps to make it seem I was going to, and then stopped and turned around. I knelt down so that I could see the fox more closely.

“Well, hello there,” I greeted it. The fox shook its head.

“Now’s not the time, Iris Thorne. I am Daley, patron to my den, and we’re in need of your help,” he said quickly. I brought myself to my feet.

“What’s happened?”

Daley bent his head a bit, shaking it. “My love, Cherry, seems to have vanished, as have several sheep- we found them slaughtered. We pulled them into the woods so that the humans wouldn’t worry too much, but it seems there are larger problems on our hands. Animals don’t just die, and vixens don’t just vanish. Do you think you can help us?”

I paused, taking a deep breath. “I might be able to- but it won’t just be me. I’ll need other help. Can you walk me to the cairn?”

Daley cocked his head, looking at me without understanding. I took a deep breath and tried again. “The pile of stones with a tunnel going through it? On the edge of the bog?”

“Oh! Yes, the Oldstones,” said Daley, seeming to understand now, “I can get you to those. Who was that other human?”

He began to trot briskly and I walked next to him at a fast pace. “That was Noah, I’m here on this island to visit my aunt, and she required I have an escort. I assume they’ll be quite upset that I vanished, but I can’t see how anything else would work.”

Daley nodded. “So what do you need in the Oldstones?”

“I have to cross through them- they move me to another world of sorts.”

Daley eyed me warily. “Shamanism?”

I shook my head. “It’s a bit more peculiar.”

~*~

We crossed around the edge of the swamp, as it was still partially flooded despite the cloudless sky- all the storm clouds had been carried away by strong gusts of wind that now shook the trees in their roots. We reached the cairn before too long, and I thanked Daley for walking me there and promised I’d find him help. Then I dropped to my knees in a dark brown skirt this time, a light blue button down that I rolled up the sleeves of, and crawled quickly down. When I got to the bottom, the chilly, musty air shifted and my ears popped, and I began to crawl back up. I reached the top before too terribly long at all to see an unexpected sight.

Hugh stood there, panting, and had a crazed look in his eyes. “I-Iris,” he panted, “You- you have to, to get back to Miss P, fast.”

And just like that, we were sprinting. We reached the orphanage in little time at all, and inside, all the children sat at the table solemnly. Miss Peregrine was at the head of the table, her expression grim. Hugh and I paused, catching our breath, and I wheezed a greeting. She looked up at me nervously.

“Iris, there’s a bit of a situation we need your help with.”

“You’ll probably want to sit down,” Bronwyn advised, and I did so. The large girl was intimidating- she could’ve told me to sit on the roof and I likely would’ve. Miss Peregrine took a breath, and then began.