Echolocation (Enoch O'Connor / mphfpc fanfic)

Chapter 6 - New Beginnings

Standing on the other side of the door was Enoch, still dressed in his clothes from today. He motioned for me to enter. As I stepped in, I saw the jars and looked around the room in awe.

"I was expecting you," He mumbled. He crossed over to his desk and sat down. I walked over to him, where he had begun playing with a ball of clay. I watched as he molded the ball into a figurine.

"What are you doing?" He looked up at me for a split second, before pointing to his wall of jars.

"Grab one of those small jars, and I'll show you." I crossed over to the wall, grabbed the smallest jar I could find, and brought it over to his desk and set it down.

He nodded to me, as if to say thanks, there he grabbed the jar. When he opened it, the faint stench of formaldehyde entered the room. With a small pair of tweezers, he grabbed the minuscule heart and placed it in the clay, carefully he closed the hole as not to damage the little heart.

He held the figurine close to his mouth as he whispered something to it. He gently pressed his thumb against the back of the figurine, and my eyes grew wide as the figure came to life. The figure moves around the desk, stumbling and dancing. He smiled as it fell over and managed to get back up on its own.

"What is that, Enoch?" I asked as I watched it crawl up his arm and into one of his pockets.

"I call them homunculi..." he said. He paused for a moment and then began again, "look I'm sorry for being so rude earlier, I'd like to explai-" I cut him off again.

"You don't need to explain. Just please stop acting like an arse." He breathed a sigh a relief and then nodded. "Friends?" He said as he extended his arm. "Friends," I said, shaking his hand In agreement. When our hands met, his echo began glowing brighter, and my veins began to glow as well.

"What the hell?" He exclaimed. "What is happening to your veins?" He asked, turning my hand and arm over in his hands, examining it.

I pulled my hand back, releasing his, and I watched as the bright glow of my veins diminished.

"So, that's your peculiarity, eh?" He said with a laugh. "You light up like a light bulb when you touch people?" He said, jeering me.

"That's not the half of it," I challenged.

"What else can you do? Shoot strobe lights from your eyes?" He said, laughing a little bit louder.

I knew exactly what to do, I knew just what would shut him up.

"May I?" I asked, extending my hand.

"Be my guest," he smirked.

I placed my palm on his forearm and concentrated. I closed my eyes and then began reading his echo. I began altering the frequency; I concentrated and focused hard until I could hear precisely what I was 'looking' for His memories.

When I finally found them, they were faint at first, barely audible, and blurry, but they began to increase in volume and become more clear. I felt his pulse quicken, as did mine.

As my vision became clearer, I realized the memory was one of him and Claire going to town. They were walking, Claire was holding his hand in her left hand, and a new doll in her right. I began to speak:

"Eleven days ago, you and Claire went for a walk to town. You bought her a new doll, she really likes it too." His eyes grew wide.

Another memory started to appear.

It was of him and Hugh as teammates playing soccer on the great lawn, they won the game.

"Seven days ago, you and Hugh beat Victor and Millard in a game of soccer. You won after you got Emma to distract Victor. That's cheating, you know." His mouth fell open.

I retracted my arm slowly and then crossed my arms over my chest with a smug look on my face. "Need I say anymore?" I gloated, taking pride in blowing his mind.

"How on earth did you do that?" He demanded. "That was amazing, you knew every detail of the memory, down to the day." He exclaimed. He started running his fingers through his hair and looking at me in disbelief.

"It's just my peculiarity. I can experience the memories of those I come into contact with..." I said. I sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at him as he sat at his desk.

"Truly incredible," he muttered, flashing me a small smile.

•//////•

Enoch and I stayed up talking for hours. We talked about everything and anything. He told me stories about the early years of the loop and how Miss Peregrine was on the ymbryne council. I told him the events of my loop, some of the happy memories I was able to share with him, but I didn't dare show him my final hours in my old loop. I told him about the hollowgast and how one day everything was fine, but by the next, it had become an utter hell for us all.

I don't remember when exactly I fell asleep. I was still in his room because I don't remember leaving. However, the next morning, I woke up in my own bed, and I was left wondering whether last night was just a dream or whether it really happened.

Nevertheless, I quickly got myself dressed, brushed my hair, and raced down the stairs to breakfast. Once there, my suspicion was confirmed, last night really did happen. When I sat down, Enoch was again sitting beside me, and as I sat down, he flashed me a quick smile before engaging in a conversation with Claire.

•//////•

Breakfast was uneventful, per usual. But today, when I went outside, I recognized a familiar figure, tall and well built, walking down the path to the gardens. I followed him.

It was as if he knew I was coming, for he left a space for me to sit beside him under the gorgeous elm tree. In the daylight, you could see the thousands of leaves that created a spectacular canopy for us to sit under.

We talked, and we laughed all morning and into the afternoon. When it was finally lunch, he and I walked back down the path together and met the others. However, when we greeted the others, I noticed a shift in Enoch's demeanor. He became more guarded than he had been just minutes ago.

It was genuinely peculiar if you asked me.

(Hello! If you liked this chapter, please give it a vote and stay tuned for chapter 7! XOXO - IlliterateIguana)