Home || Enoch O'Connor

13 // Collide

I looked around at the children.

They were all silent, eyes downcast. I mentally sighed.

Beside me, Enoch was quiet as well. His face was pulled into a frown, jaw clenched.

I wanted to say something, to him and the kids, but what? What could I possibly say?

So I kept quiet too, as we walked along the beach, away from the home. Or what was left of it.

And this beach, the same beach Enoch and I had been at, just mere hours ago.

"Hey," Jake said, walking over to the group of us. "Any sign of Barron of Miss Peregrine?"

"No. Barron must've gotten a boat." Millard answered solemnly.

"Well, we have to go after them. We know he's taking her to Blackpool." Jake told us, determine.

"But Blackpool's miles away," Fiona informed, discouraged. "The next ferry doesn't leave for hours. We'd never make it in time."

Jake shot us a reassuring smile, "Not if we go by boat too."

Turns out, Jake and Emma had a boat.

Well, a shipwreck.

But with all the peculiarities we had, we got it working again.

"You know, I still hate you." I reminded Jake. Just in case he had forgotten.

"Yeah, well, you can hate me later. We got a mission to complete." He replied simply, patting me on the shoulder.

I rolled my eyes, walking away.

I spotted Enoch lugging a huge suitcase into a room.

"How did you even—" I started, wondering if it was even worth it to ask how he had managed to grab that thing all the way here. "You know what, never mind."

Enoch shot me a dark look, before he dumped the suitcase aside, and pulled me over to a door. The rest of the kids followed after us.

He pushed the doors open, revealing Emma and Jake. Who seemed really surprised and flustered at our arrival.

"Is this bad timing?" I called to them. "It's fine, we can just come back later, you know. Like, later, when we're all already murdered by the Hollows."

Jake gave me an exasperated look at the sarcasm in my tone, while Emma blushed.

I caught Enoch smile for a moment, before he quickly composed himself.

"Found Miss Avocet's loop yet?" He questioned.

Jake hurried over to us, map in hand.

I frowned.

Did they all have a plan and decided not to fill me in? This entire event, and I've been clueless throughout.

"It's here," Jake pointed to a location. "But it's new. It's in 2016. If we don't get out in time, we're stuck there."

Enoch arched an eyebrow, "So, if we're not out in time, we all die, except you. Plan?"

I wanted to add that I wouldn't die as well, but I figured it really wasn't the time.

Jake let out a frustrated sigh, "Look, the loop closes at four-thirty. We get the Ymbrynes, and we get out."

"If we're not already dead by then." Enoch added.

"Wow, what a load of sunshine you are." I told him dryly.

He wasn't amused.

"Miss Avocet mentioned that the machine is indoors," Enoch continued, crossing his arms. "We'll be indoors, with a bunch of Hollows."