Home || Enoch O'Connor

11 // History

When we reached the home, everyone was already back.

I made my way to the living room, or something, and Enoch followed quietly behind.

In the living room, we found Miss Peregrine, Jake and Emma. They were talking. Upon hearing our arrival, all three looked to us.

"There you are," Miss Peregrine smiled. "I was beginning to wonder where the two of you ran off to."

"Why do you have sand in your hair?" Jake asked, giving me a weird look.

"I don't know, why do you exist?" I replied dryly.

Jake rolled his eyes.

Before any of us could say anything else, Olive pushed past me, alarmed. "Miss Peregrine, Miss Avocet is awake."

At Olive's words, Miss Peregrine got up hastily, making her way out of the room. Everyone else did the same.

"Who's that?" I wondered aloud.

Jake informed me it was the Ymbryne that Emma had found yesterday. Or the day before. Honestly, I couldn't keep track of time here anymore.

We made our way to the parlour, where I stood quietly by the side, watching Miss Peregrine exchange a few words with an elderly lady. Miss Avocet, apparently.

Turns out, her loop had been raided, her kids dead. How awful.

"We need to leave," Miss Peregrine announced, after Miss Avocet had told her that the 'Hollows' were coming for us. "Pack what you need. Quickly."

"When are we coming back?" Fiona questioned, panicked.

Enoch shook his head, "Never. If Miss Peregrine isn't here for the reset, the house gets bombed."

Claire cried out at his words, before Miss Avocet comforted her.

I watched as everyone hurried off, grabbing things to pack. I stood there, confused and lost.

"What are Hollows?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Bad guys." Horace told me simply, but his expression scared me. Something told me they weren't just 'bad guys'.

I didn't have anything to pack, so I hurried to a bathroom, rinsing the sand and sea water out of my hair.

Was I supposed to go home? Back to 2016?

I sighed, troubled.

I couldn't just leave them.

When I was done washing out my hair, I dried it, and asked around for Jake.

I found him in Emma's room.

Emma had left in a hurry, pushing past me.

I stared after her, wondering what the hell had happened. I got my answer soon after.

"You're leaving." I stated, knowing from Jake's expression.

Jake gave me a helpless look, "Jacqueline, I can't just stay. I have a life back in 2016."

I smiled sadly, nodding. "I know." I told him shortly, understanding.

Jake smiled, before he slowly frowned. "You're staying." He muttered, looking confused, and scared.

I swallowed.

What was I supposed to say?

"I can't just leave them." I told Jake softly, looking away.

Jake stared at me, seeming at a lost for words.

After a while, he spoke up. "So you're just going to leave your entire life behind?" His voice was strained.

I didn't want to fight.

"Jake, I'm not like you," I said, tired of this already. "I don't have friends back there. I don't have a job, I don't have a house. I don't have a family."

"You have me."

I inhaled sharply at Jake's words, muttered so quietly, but I heard it. I looked up at him, feeling myself tear up.

"Am I not enough?" Jake asked, frowning, as though to keep his emotions in.

"Why would you ask me something like that?" I breathed out shakily.

Jake gave me a sad look, "Jacqueline, come back with me. Please."

I turned, my back facing Jake, as I inhaled deeply.

This was suffocating me.

"Is it Enoch?"

I tensed, when I heard Jake's question.

"Are you staying for him?"

I whirled around to face him, appalled. "This is not about Enoch," I snapped. "This is about the kids here. Millard and Hugh, who are constantly bickering, yet so close. The Twins, who can't lose each other. Fiona, and Bronwyn, who had already lost her brother. Olive, who still hates me, but that doesn't matter. Horace, who dreams of clothes, who has been nothing but kind to me. And Emma."

Jake physically flinched at the mention of Emma.

"You've known them for what, two days?" Jake tried again, desperation seeping into his tone. "Jacqueline, you've known me for ten years. You're my best friend. And more than that."

"So what, I go back with you, and I continue living on the streets? I continue looking for my parents, parents who didn't want me? I continue being looked down upon by your parents, because I don't have a home? I don't belong there, Jake. Don't do this to me."

Jake was quiet. I fell silent too.

Jake shook his head, grabbing his things off the bed, before he started towards the door.

"Jake," I called, making him stop in his tracks. "You know I love you. You're my everything, too. But I'm my everything as well."

Jake looked down at the floor, before he nodded, and left.

A tear rolled down my cheek.

×

I entered Enoch's room.

He was facing the shelves, grabbing jars off them.

"Hey." I greeted softly.

Enoch tensed.

"Why are you here?" He asked stiffly, proceeding to grab more jars.

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

Enoch turned, his face hard. "Why didn't you leave? With Jake?" He demanded curtly.

I gave him a look. "Should I have?"

Enoch scoffed, "I heard everything. When you were with Jake. Why didn't you leave? Isn't he your everything? You love him. So why didn't you leave?"

I stared at Enoch blankly. Sometimes I really wanted to kick him.

"We're not having this conversation right now," I told him firmly. "I chose all of you over him, and don't make me regret it. The Hollows or whatever are coming to murder us, and I'm here as well. So, before I get cruelly murdered, let me help you with those jars, and let's get the hell out of here."

Enoch blinked at me silently.

Then he slowly passed me three jars, and we made our way downstairs to pack them.