Echolocation (Enoch O'Connor / mphfpc fanfic)

Chapter 1 - Out of Breath

I run.

I feel the pressure growing and expanding in my lungs with every breath I take. In through my nose, out through my mouth.

I run.

I feel it's presence behind me, I am the last one standing. I feel as though if I continue running, I will die of exhaustion before it latches on to me.

Yet I continue to run.

Tears rolling down my face, blurring my vision, and rolling down my neck. How long have I been running? Minutes? Hours? I know what it wants. I know what it craves. It is my eyes that it needs, no matter how long it takes, it will not stop until it reaches me. Until my eyes, are it's own.

"I need to stop," I tell myself. "Think, Rosemary, think!" I run for a few seconds before it comes to me.

I stop, and I wait.

I turn to face the apparition, once it reaches me, staring into wherever its eyes may be.

I extend my arm until I find its skull, it's rough, disgusting skin meets my own. I concentrate, as my veins begin to glow, and I absorb its thoughts. This creature, although it is a monster, it too, has emotions. In close proximity to the beast, I begin to notice that it reeks. It reeks of smells that make me want to keel over and gag, but I know that if I do, it surely will kill me.

I feel the beast calming down, it's breathing synced with my own, and all falls silent.

I hear a quiet clicking.

And so does the beast.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere an arrow strikes the beast, the beast shrieks in agony as it plunges one of its many, sharp tongues into my thigh, I begin to bleed, and my vision darkens as I hear the beast die.

All is dark.

•//////•

I awake in a large room.

The walls are a light lavender color, with dull white trim. Through the windows, light spills onto the floor, and a breeze blows through the wispy curtains. I look around the room, a tall mirror is in the corner across from my bed. Against the wall across from me is a beautiful vanity, and a bookshelf filled with books. Finally, in the farthest corner of the room sits a woman in a tall backed chair. She looks to be in her mid-thirties, her raven black hair pulled into a tight bun, and her face stone cold as she observes her watch.

She suddenly looks up at me, noticing that I have awoken. A smile forms on her face as she stands up and crosses to greet me. I begin to sit up, and as I place my feet on the floor, a sharp pain erupts up and down my right leg, I let out a gasp. The woman comes to my aid, and says, "Do be careful dear, your wound hasn't fully healed yet."

I cleared my throat, realizing how dry it was, "My wound?" I managed to whisper.

"Yes, dear, your wound. Do you not remember? The hollowgast attack nearly cost you your life." Her eyes filled with concern, and she soon sits on the edge of the bed.

"Who are you?" I asked. "Where am I? What year is it?"

The woman sighed deeply, "My name is Alma Lefay Peregrine and-"

I cut her off, "Peregrine, you're an ymbryne?" The woman nodded.

"As I was saying, my name is Alma Lefay Peregrine. Your loop was raided by hollowgast, and I received word from your ymbryne, Miss Plover, that your loop was in desperate need of help. When I finally reached your loop, I discovered that my mission was no longer a rescue mission, but it had become a salvaging mission. I heard your shrieks and soon found you with a hollowgast. Since you had distracted it, I took advantage of that and killed it, but not before it attacked you."

I nodded, taking in all of this information, "the others? They're all dead, aren't they?"

She looked away, before solemnly nodding her head.

"And Miss Plover?"

Alma looked me in the eyes, "She was a brave woman, who saw the danger and put herself between the hollowgasts and her wards, she too sadly perished." A single, silent tear rolled down her cheek, she quickly wiped it away, as if to hide her moment of weakness. I instinctively placed my palm on her shoulder.

An echo of bright sparkling blue emanated from her skin, showing the sadness that enveloped her body. She couldn't see what I could, I closed my eyes and released my echo to her. I opened my eyes after a minute and removed my palm from her shoulder. She looked at me in awe.

"How did you do that?" She demanded.

"Do what?"

"I don't know how to describe what just happened, you placed your palm on my shoulder, and as you did, a rush of calmness washed over me..."

"It's my peculiarity... when I sense emotion, I place my palm on whoever the person is, and I can sense their feelings, and I can either change their echo's frequency or mimic their echo to connect with them..." I looked down at my hands in embarrassment. 'I shouldn't have done that,' I thought to myself. I had no right to change her echo without permission.

"What are 'echos?'"

"Oh, I'm sorry that's just what I call them. You probably know them as 'auras,' but I think that word is too mainstream to describe what exactly it is that I can do. I saw that you were emanating sadness, so I did what I could do to try and help..."

"Truly fascinating," she said, grabbing my hands in hers, squeezing them.

"I think you'll fit in with us here if you choose to stay with us."

I looked at her again, "where is 'here' exactly?"

She smiled, stood up, and then said, "Welcome to Cairnholm, Wales. Our loop is September 3rd, 1940."

Suddenly a thought seemed to have crossed her mind, she swiftly reached for her watch, glanced at it and headed for the door, but not before saying, "Dinner will be ready in an hour, I will be sure to have either Fiona or Emma bring you your dinner, as you will not be able to walk until at least tomorrow morning. I will check up on you once more before curfew. Until then, goodnight."

Before she left the room, I quickly called after her, "Wait! Miss Peregrine, you never even asked for my name!"

She pivoted on her heal, poking her head in the door, "I needn't ask Miss Davenport, for I already knew. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have to cook dinner for the 12 of us, and I only have, 54 minutes to do so."

And with that, she left. As she exited the room, I caught a glimpse of what looked to be 10 pairs of eyes looking at me through the crack in my door, each set bearing an echo of excitement and wonder. All that is, except one pair, that pair seemed to emanate resentment and spite.

"How, odd," I whispered to myself.

(Hi All! Thanks for taking the time to read my first chapter! I plan on having the chapters be about the length of this one, though some may be longer or shorter than others. Stay tuned for chapter two, where we will finally meet all of the others, and ultimately discover who holds the resentment for Rosemary, though I bet you can probably guess who it is ;) XOXO - IlliterateIguana)