The Peregrines

Chapter 13

"PT down!" With a voice that could only come from a man, the bear placed a man down in front of me. As he reached into his pocket, his hand retrieved his wallet. With a gentle motion, he opened it up and carefully extracted a photo. Raising the photo, his eyes alternated between the picture and me, back and forth. "Are you Kira Peregrine by chance??" He asked, his hand dropped slightly and I was able to see the photo.

I eyed him suspiciously, "Who the hell are you?" I snapped. The man didn't reply, his blue eyes were studying mine. 

After a moment of silence, the man's gaze softens and he smiles gently. "Why . . . isn't it my niece?" He crouched down to my height, took hold of my wrist, and helped me stand up before releasing it 5 seconds later.

"Niece?" I blinked rapidly. "So that means . . . -Hold up are you Miss Peregrine's brother?" I asked.

"Older brother, yes," he said.

I heard the sound of footsteps hitting the wooden floor as someone came up the stairs. "Sorry sir, this girl has been giving all of us trouble, shall I get mother dust to subdue her??" As Sharon placed his hands on my shoulder, I instinctively spun around. Without hesitation, I swiftly pushed his hand away and confronted him with my peculiarity, resulting in him being zapped down the stairs.

"Don't you EVER touch me! or EVER go near me!" I gave a warning. I quickly turned to confront the man. "SUBDUE?! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY SUBDUE?!"

"Calm down, Miss, calm down." The man placed his hands on my shoulder. "My name is Myron Bentham, I mean you no absolute harm by all means," Myron looked over to Sharon. "Sharon, would you please look after the children downstairs while I talk to my, long-lost niece?" 

"I would be happy to," Sharon let out a sigh of annoyance as he dragged himself up on his feet, seemingly just recovered from my attack and trudged down the remaining steps.

Once he was out of earshot, Myron and I chatted about how he found out the news and his reaction to it. Then, he had his bear carry him with its two front paws as we strolled down a hallway that resembled a museum.

"BEEEEAR AAAAAAAAAAAH!!" shouted a familiar voice.

"PT down," Myron softly whispered, and the bear obediently followed his instructions, "Go say hello to them," Myron and I found ourselves in the centre of the hallway, observing PT as he strolled down the corridor. Suddenly, something darted out from its hiding place and tumbled right in front of the bear. The sight was so amusing that Myron and I burst into uncontrollable laughter. We made our way towards PT and his newfound friend, still chuckling heartily.

It was Jake and Emma.

"Calm yourself, he won't bite!" said Myron, and Jake lifted his head and was met with the sight of a lengthy, furry snout and large, warm brown eyes peering directly at him. In response, Jake couldn't help but make a silly expression towards the bear, wondering if it had actually spoken. 'Had the bear spoken? Do bears talk about themselves in the third person?' 

"His name's PT," Myron said again, "And he's my bodyguard. He's quite friendly, provided you stay on my good side. PT, sit!" Ordered Myron. PT sat down and decided to clean his paw instead of giving Jake's face a lick. 

Jake caught sight of me and Myron. Myron gave a small bow and tipped his hat. "Myron Bentham, at your service," he said.

With a sudden whisper, Emma prompted Jake to stand up with her and sidestep out of the bear's reach. "We don't want any trouble, mister. Just let us and the girl next to you go and no one gets hurt." Jake said.

Myron and I shared a glance. He opened his arms wide and grinned. "You're free to leave anytime you like. But that would be such a disappointment. You've only just arrived, and we have so much to talk about." he said.

"Yeah?" Jake said. "Maybe you can start by explaining that girl in the case over there!" Jake pointed.

"And the Siberia Room!" said Emma.

"You're upset, you're cold, and you're wet. Wouldn't you rather discuss all this over a pot of hot tea?".

"We're not going anywhere with you until we know what's happening here," said Emma.

"Very well," Myron responded, with his good humour still intact. "That was my assistant you surprised in the Siberia Room—which, as you likely gathered, leads to a time loop in Siberia," he said.

"But that's impossible, Siberia is thousands of miles away," said Emma

"Three thousand four hundred and eighty-nine," he replied. "But making interloop travel possible has been my life's work." He turned to Jake. "As for the case you uncovered, that's Sophronia Winstead. She was the first peculiar child born to the royal family of England. Fascinating life she led, if a bit tragic in the end. I have all sorts of notable peculiars here in my peculiarium—well known and unknown, famous and infamous—any or all of which I'm happy to show you. I have nothing to hide." he smiled.

"He's a psycho," Jake muttered to Emma. "He just wants to stuff us and add us to his collection!" he said. 

Myron chuckled while I giggled. It seems that our hearing is quite keen, considering that all of us in 'The Peregrine Family'. We possess sharp hearing and keen eyesight, among other abilities. "They're only wax models, my boy. I am a collector and a preservationist, yes—but not of humans. Do you really think I waited so long to meet you, only to pull out your insides and lock you in a cabinet?" he said.

"I've heard of stranger hobbies. What is it you want with us?" said Jake.

"All in good time," he said. "Let's get you warm and dry first. Then, tea. Then—"

"I don't mean to be rude," Emma cut in, "but we've spent too much time here already. Our friends—"

"Are all right, for the moment," Myron said. "I've looked into the matter, and it isn't as close to midnight for them as you might imagine," he said.

"What!?" I quickly moved away from Myron, taking a big step to the side, as if he would suddenly grab and turn me in.

"How do you know?" Emma said quickly. "What do you mean, it isn't close—"