Song of the Peculiars

Chapter 2

After a month, with many teary-eyed goodbyes, I was stepping out of a small airport in southern Scotland.
"Alright, let's get you to your uncle's house," Ms. Dregman said with a clap. We climbed into a rental car and began the 45 minute drive to the house.
***
Before I could even knock on the door, a tall and bearded young man swung it open. His huge grin was infectious, wiping the bewildered look off my face.
"Cassidy, darling! I'm so glad to finally meet you!" He exclaimed happily. He had a thick Scottish accent.
"Im your Uncle Lou, your mum's brother."
"I'll keep in touch, let me know how things go," Ms. Dregman half-shouted from the driver's seat. She gave a small wink and drove off.
"Come in, come in. You must be dreadfully tired." Uncle Lou ushered me inside.
"I am, flying for nearly nine hours was absolutely mind numbing," I sighed. He sat me down on a loveseat in a cozy living room.
The house was quaint and felt welcoming.
"Tess, get in here! Cassidy's arrived," Uncle Lou shouted. I heard a small 'Oh!' and soon a lanky woman with dark hair shuffled in.
"Hello, love, I'm your aunt Tessa," she squealed excitedly. I grinned as she brought me into a bone-crushing hug.
After getting tea and a small snack set up, the three of us sat in the living room talking for hours. I was extremely happy to be with my family.
***
It was only three days later when Uncle Lou and aunt Tessa sat me at the dining room table. They had solemn looks on their faces. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion.
"What's going on? Are you alright?" I asked. My eyes widened slightly. "I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"
"No, darling, it's nothing like that," Uncle Lou started. He sent a glance to aunt Tessa.
"We have some things to tell you about your family, about us." Aunt Tessa said firmly. I nodded for her to continue.
"You grew up thinking you were completely ordinary. That is far from the truth. You are special, like your mother and grandmother," she explained. More questions swam around in my head.
"It was always the females in our family that got the gifts. Your grandmom made the most wonderful art pieces I'd ever seen. And your mother could see everyone's feelings as colors," Uncle Lou sighed in wonder.
"But, I can't do that. I'm not special," I argued.
"Yes, you are," aunt Tessa smiled sweetly. "You have a very, well, peculiar gift."
"But... I'm just ordinary. I've never done anything special with my life," I exclaimed in frustration. I rose from my chair to pace the room.
"Let's do an experiment. Just so you can see," Aunt Tessa suggested.
"Sure, fine. Can't hurt anything, can it?" I chuckled humorlessly. Aunt Tessa and Uncle Lou shared a look.
"Now, put in your earbuds. Choose any song, and sing. We'll record you so you see what we can," Uncle Lou instructed. I nodded and turned on Roger Rabbit by Sleeping with Sirens.
About halfway through the song Aunt Tessa signaled that I could stop. I sat down and watched the video. My eyes widened. Everything I was hearing in my earbuds was projected out loud. The only thing missing was Kellin Quinn's voice, which was replaced with my own.
"That's your gift. It's your voice, music," Uncle Lou explained,. I stared at them in disbelief. Aunt Tessa giggled at my reaction.
"That's... that's amazing!" I exclaimed. I was special! Uncle Lou looked down, almost in tears.
"Yes, yes it is. But it's also dangerous," Uncle Lou choked out.
"What do you mean? It's just a harmless parlor trick," I asked, looking between the two.
"That is just the fun part of your peculiarity. There is much more of it to discover," Aunt Tessa explained.
"It's something you can't really experiment with here. We won't be able to protect you." Uncle Lou wiped at his face.
"But we know someone who can protect you. We can't let the same thing that happened to grandma and your mum happen to you." aunt Tessa placed a gentle hand on mine.
"You mean, I have to leave?" I asked, knowing I was unconsciously pulling my puppy dog face. Aunt Tessa nodded with tears in her eyes.
"Believe me, if I could choose, I would keep you here. I love you so much, sweetheart. But I can't lose you." Uncle Lou sobbed.
I sprung up and pulled him into a hug, with Aunt Tessa joining us. We stayed there in our little group hug for an eternity.
"Where will I be going?" I asked after finally pulling away. Uncle Lou wiped away stray tears from his cheeks.
"You'll be living with Miss Peregrine in her time loop. You'll be safe there," he explained.
"I only wish we had more time with you. We've held you here long enough, though. And the longer you're here, the more danger you're in," aunt Tessa spoke soft yet strong.
"When do I leave?" I asked with a steady voice.
"Unfortunately, now," aunt Tessa answered. "Well, in ten minutes to be exact." I nodded and went to the room I was staying in.
I packed up my things neatly, feeling hollow in my heart. I had just found my family, and now I had to leave them. I jumped when a sharp knock hit the front door. I wheeled my suitcase out to the front foyer.
In the doorway stood a blonde haired girl in a sky blue dress and metal shoes.
"Hello, Cassidy. I'm Emma. We must be leaving for the ferry soon, Miss Peregrine hates when we are late," she introduced quickly. I said my goodbyes to the only family I had left. We promised to write letters as often as possible.
On the ferry was when I spoke to the girl for the first time.
"Where are we going?"
"To a little island called Cairnholm. It's a short ride, we'll be there soon," Emma explained. I nodded and put my earbuds in. The rest of the ferry ride was spent in silence.