Tonight I found myself in bed waiting for Jacob to come home from his night shift at Smart-Aid. The silence around me was disturbed by my phone buzzing. The sounds that came after I answered the call made my blood run cold.
"Hello?", I asked, curious as to whom may be calling me at such an ungodly hour. What? It's not like I had friends to interact with.
The panic-stricken voice of my grandfather filled my room. "Lilia tygrysia, where did your father put the keys to my gun safe?"
"The last time I saw them, they were in his pocket. I think I heard him tell Jake that he didn't want you to be able to access it."
"Well what does he want me to fight them with? A goddamn BUTTER KNIFE?"
Dread started to pool at the bottom of my stomach. Hoping I was wrong I asked, "Fight who grandpa?"
The only response I received was a muffled scream.
"Grandpa! Don't worry! I'm coming over!"
He managed to choke out, "No! Please stay where you are Kayla. I thought we were safe here in Florida. Go to the island, find the bird, she'll explain everything."
"I don't underst----"
The line cut off and silence filled the air.
That was the last time I heard from Grandpa Abe. Jake found him later that night, dead, with his eyes gouged out. My mind immediately thought back to the tales of faceless monsters who ate the eyes of peculiars. Hollows. I shuddered. Jake told the police that a tentacled monster attacked grandpa. The police called him crazy and he was prescribed therapy. If only they knew what lurked in the shadows.
My heart shattered at the realization that Abe Portman was dead. He was my hero, my supporter and my lifeline. Now, he's an eyeless corpse.
A month has passed since his death. My parents don't seem bothered by his death. In a way, they almost seem joyful that he's gone. They claim that he was a terrible father and that he belonged in a mental hospital.
Today my father brought us to grandpa's house to rummage through his old things so that we can pick out the things that we wanted to keep. It was almost too painful to enter but I ventured on, knowing that if I didn't take anything, everything would end up in the garbage.
"Hey dad?" Jake called out.
"Yes son?"
"How are you so calm about all this?"
"Abe may have been a great grandfather but he was a terrible father. He was always out on long business trips and your aunt Susie and I suspect that he was cheating on your grandma."
At that point, I lost it. I dropped the pile of photos that were in my hands and stormed out of the house with tears racing down my face. How could someone say something like that about their own father? It's absurd! I mean, I don't have the best relationship with my father but I don't go around accusing him of having affairs.
With all the angry thoughts swirling through my mind, I failed to notice the swarm of guests arriving at home for Jake's birthday. I ran up to my room and slammed the door.
An hour has passed since I laid down and started staring at the wall. My peace was interrupted by my little brother bursting through the door with something hidden behind his back.
"Jake! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be enjoying your party?" I asked curiously.
"I never went. Our family didn't even notice we were missing," he said pulling out an old book from behind his back, "Aunt Susie came and gave me this. It's grandpa's."
He held it out for me to read the cover. The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I opened the book and a letter fell out. It was from Miss Peregrine.
Dear Abe,
I hope everything is going well. The children miss you. E has been heartbroken since you left the loop. Nobody's been the same since you joined the army.
Please visit soon,
Headmistress Alma LeFay Peregrine
"Look at the date!" Jake said in a hopeful tone, "It was written two years ago! They could still be alive!" In my head, I scoffed. If they were alive in this timeline, they'd be very old, if not dead. He won't find anything in this timeline but if he found the loop...
"I think I'm going to show Dr. Golan this letter and the postcard when I see her next time," he continued, breaking my inner musings.
"What postcard?"
"Oh! I forgot to tell you! I found this old postcard from a little island in Wales called Cairnholm. It was signed the same way this letter was so I'm hoping that she's still there."
"Do you really think they'd let us go? I mean, mom and dad think that you're mental and they barely bother to look or talk to me..."
"I was hoping that I can convince dad to go bird-watching for his book while we go and look for Miss Peregrine."
"Good luck with that."
"Goodnight Kayla."
"Goodnight Jacob."
I went to sleep with hopeful dreams of meeting other peculiars. I was so tired that I failed to notice a Bird sitting by the open window.
YOU ARE READING
September 3rd, 1943 (SLOW UPDATES)
FanfictionKayla's life has never been as easy as a normal child's should be. Her and her brother Jacob have always been social outcasts. There were two things that kept her from succumbing into depression. Her grandpa and hope. Hope that one day everything wi...
