The Peregrines

Chapter 27

**Trigger warning - ABUSE**

The blue flashes appeared in various shades, then gradually began to diminish and fade into the black backdrop. Just as it was about to disappear completely, it transformed into a navy blue feather and gently drifted down to join the other navy blue feathers in a pile.

Stepping towards the pile, I saw my body covered in feathers. Blood gushed from my mouth, my skin as white as a ghost, devoid of any vitality. My face bore bruises, and I could only manage to take shallow breaths, barely clinging to life.

What the hell happened here?

The next moment, the setting transformed into something different. The room I was in became increasingly bright until all I could see was whiteness, but after a minute, the white vanished and I found myself back inside the Carinholm house... Did I finally wake up? It was quite odd to find myself in Miss Peregrine's bathroom, lounging in the bathtub, specifically.

I was taken aback when Miss Peregrine stormed into the bathroom, fixing me with a deadly stare. "Hi?" I said as I rose to my feet. She gradually moved a few steps closer to the bathtub until our faces were only inches apart.

"Hello?" I waved my hand in front of her face to see if she would react, if she didn't, that meant I was dreaming. She suddenly grabbed my wrist so tight, I thought my bone would snap in half. "Oww!" I said in a sarcastic tone, but I wasn't exactly sarcastic about showing pain.

"You're hurting me," I calmly told her as I started to twist my wrist and pull it back from her... It appeared that my mother was unwilling to let go of me. "Mum!"I raised my voice. A word I haven't spoken in her presence before. 

Her face remained expressionless, showing no emotion... All she displayed was anger and hatred in her eyes, as she glared at me with the intensity of those emotions. "Mum, what are you doi-" Before I could even complete my sentence, my mother swiftly punched me in the stomach with her free hand.

I huddled in the tub, curling into a ball, completely shocked. How was I feeling this pain? I thought that this was some kind of nightmare I was trapped in. This can't be real life - my mother would never harm her children, let alone her own daughter. Why did she do it this time? Why am I feeling the pain?

I had so many questions swirling in my head, but I couldn't respond quickly before another blow landed, and this time, it struck the bridge of my nose. "Stop!" I shouted while keeping my eyes on her, trying to anticipate her moves and defend myself as best as I could. 

As she approached once more, I swiftly grabbed her ears and headbutted her with force, pushing her away so she released my wrist and staggered back - I had a moment to get up and jump out of the bathtub, tears welling up from the pain as I moved away from her. She stared at me in shock. "What has gotten into you!?" I yelled. She didn't reply. "Say something goddammit!" I yelled again.

Miss Peregrine stood up straight and kept glaring at me. "This is your fault, Kira," she said.

"What's my fault? I didn't do anything to deserve this!"

"You are mistaken in that belief; Your entire existence is your fault!" 

"What about Bryce huh?! He's firstborn, not me!"

Miss Peregrine reached into her pocket, swiftly brandishing a knife and charging towards me. I tried to evade being stabbed in the heart, neck, or head, but I wasn't fast enough. Instead, my arm was pierced by my mother's blade.

I let out a groan, a yell, and a scream as I fell to the ground and landed on my knees. This gave Miss Peregrine the chance to kick me in the face twice, but on the fourth kick, I managed to grab her ankle. With all my strength, I twisted it, causing her to tumble over.

I sprang to my feet, but Miss Peregrine was quicker. She seized my shirt collar and lifted me into the air, then flung me across the room. I collided with the wall and slumped to the floor. As I scrambled to stand, my mother kicked me back down, keeping me from rising.

The kicks just wouldn't stop, and soon enough I was coughing up blood. I swiftly pulled the knife out of my arm and aimed for my mother's leg. She screamed, fell to the ground, and clutched the leg I had struck. 

"I don't want to hurt you or fight you, but you're leaving me with no choice, please... Just stop!" I calmly explained that it pained me to hurt my mother, but I felt like I had no choice but to defend myself. She wouldn't stop, and I couldn't help but feel guilty as the situation escalated. I had to keep reminding myself; This is life and death, Kira.

"I'm sorry... I-I shouldn't have done that... L-let me help-" I gasped for breath as I got up, but I quickly spotted Miss Peregrine, but then out of nowhere, a vase appeared and smacked me in the face, causing me to stumble and fall into the bathtub with the broken pieces of the vase. 

I was feeling lightheaded, numb, and dizzy, but I saw Miss Peregrine leaning over the edge of the bathtub, gazing down at me. Before anything else could happen, someone suddenly burst through the door, grabbed my mother, and pulled her away while she yelled and screamed for them to let her go.

Suddenly, a man burst into the room and paused at the bathtub to peer down at me. I realized it was Caul, and I instinctively moved away from him as he knelt down beside the tub. "I'm so sorry she did all this to you, you see, Alma does suffer from a few mental illnesses," he said. After that, everything returned to complete darkness. I'm quite familiar with the dark, it's where I always seem to end up.