Strange Worlds [Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children] Enoch O'Connor

thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
PRACTICALLY DEAD

Miss Peregrine took her time to explain everything to us, including how everyone like themselves (those who call themselves peculiar) lives. Everyone lives in a Loop, of sorts, with a Ymbryne (which is what Miss Peregrine is), Ymbrynes having the ability to shapeshift and control time. This was a safe place for peculiar to live without the threat of the outside world. Over and over, these peculiars repeat the same day. How exhausting.

When Miss Peregrine excused us for the evening, we were asked to stay for supper, which we gladly agreed towards doing. We were told to wash before coming down for supper, so Jacob and I took turns taking a bath and changing into more appropriate clothes for the time. Jacob being given old clothes Abe once left behind, and Emma gave me a blue dress she had to spare, though she seemed pretty reluctant at first.

Once finished, Jacob and I laughed at each other and looked in the older style clothes, it seemed rather fitting for the time, but for what we are used to, this was like dress up, my newly cleaned docs not suiting the outfit too well.

We walked the hallways together, taking our time to meet at the dining room, both walking off on one another at some point when I wasn't paying attention. Distracted, I walked into a room whose door was open a crack. After all, an open door is always inviting in an unknown dwelling unless it opened itself in a creepy horror movie sort of way.

The room itself seemed relatively harmless from the outside, but once walking in... it was anything but. It reminded me of the basement, though in vibrant colour. The window, albeit a little dirty, allowing enough light to shine through that I could see the countless glasses lining the shelves to the far right wall of the room, the same organelle contents being found inside.

The middle of the wooden-floored room belonged a large desk with all sorts of dolls, clay, fabrics and even a few dead rats in containers. Slightly disgusted, I couldn't help myself but step forward and picked up a glass case that had a rat safely preserved from within. I wrinkled my nose, wondering how old it was. Perhaps it was only a day old, caught the fateful morning before the Loop was put into action.