Clay and Blood | Enoch O'Connor

Chapter 3

As soon as they entered the pub the commotion happening before their very eyes.
"No, I'm not... I'm a tourist!" Jake insisted with the owner.
"I say, we should get the truth out of him...The old-fashioned way" the man proceeds to swing at Jake but Millard decided to take matters into his own hands, creating a bit of commotion himself.
In a matter of seconds, plates began to fly left and right as Jake looked at the scene with a grin on his face until he felt a tug on his jacket leading him out of the pub.
To make sure they wouldn't be followed Dalila and Olive simultaneously removed their gloves, and as Olive set fire to the walls to creat a distraction, Dalila kneeled to the floor completely freezing it as people began to slip and fall on the ice covered floor.

The group quickly hopped on the carriage and sped off to the Children's Home. "I can't believe you're real. You're all real!" he said.
"We've been trying to tell you" Dalila said as she dusted off her white dress. He then noticed that a small trail of blood was making its way out of her nose. Olive took a handkerchief out of her pocket and handed it to Dalila,
"Oh, thank you" she grabbed the cream colored handkerchief and placed it against her nose as the white piece of cloth slowly turned crimson red.
"But I'm special too" he grinned looking at the back of Emma's head.
"What?" She asked.
"In the pub, all of you saw it, right?
Everything was flying and breaking
and that was me. I was doing it with my mind." he insisted.
"No, that was me." A voice came from besides Dalila.
"Millard?"
"Yeah"
"Are you naked?"
"Yeah"
The three girls lightly chuckled as Emma threw Millard's clothes behind her.
"But- A bomb dropped on you in 1943." He said confused.
"This is 1943" Olive replied
"September 3rd, 1943" Millard struggled with the collar of his shirt.
"All day everyday" Dalila added as she straightened Millard's collar.
"It's our loop" Emma concluded, leaving Jake even more confused than before.

The five of them stood in front of the door to the Children's Home awaiting for Miss. Peregrine to greet them. The door suddenly swung open.
"Right on time." a tall woman with a pipe extended her hand towards Jake.
"Miss Peregrine. Delighted to meet you." he looked at her stunned as he shook her hand. Her gaze almost immediately shifted to the people behind him.
"I do hope I'm not going to have the pub landlord knocking on my door with the police again? I've had to kill them twice this month. It's been terribly inconvenient." Miss. Peregrin said as she crossed her arms in front of her. "Well we may have broken a few things..." Emma said while looking down at her shoes. "And Olive might have started I tiny fire...and Dalila might have frozen a thing or two" she continued as they all fiddled with their clothes. "But they were going to hurt Jake!" Millard defended. The children followed Jake and Miss. Peregrine towards the kitchen as she explained with great detail how she knew at what time they would precisely arrive.

"Now then, do you take sugar?" She asked Jake referring to the tea that Olive was boiling with her bare hands. "Oh that will be enough Olive, nobody likes over boiled tea" Olive carefully poured hot tea into two distinct mugs. Jake brought the cup to his lips but as soon as the burning liquid touched his lips he jolted back slightly. "Is everything alright Jake?" Miss. Peregrin asked. "Y-yeah it's just a bit too hot" he said as he desperately tried to blow on it to cool it down.
"I think I should be able to help with that" Dalila hopped off the kitchen counter and placed herself right in front of him.
With her index finger she lightly touched the rim of the cup and the steam that was once coming off the cup began to die down. "Wow" he looked at her in admiration as she jokingly bowed.
"Oh Enoch!" Olive beamed as a tall boy with dark brown hair stood in front of the kitchen door holding many jars that he was somewhat struggling to hold. "Oh, Enoch, let Dalila help you with those" Miss. Peregrine suggested. At the mention of her name he frowned. "Don't bother, wouldn't want to interrupt her little tea party" he said with pure venom laced in his voice as he left the room with Olive following. "Wouldn't want to interrupt your littler tea party" Dalila mimicked in annoyance as she made her way up to her room stomping furiously on the stairs. She looked at herself in the mirror and in that moment she noticed she was crying. "No no no no" she said furiously wiping away the tears that were already falling on her cheeks. She stared at her reflection feeling dizzy and torn, when then it came to her

"Children! Children! come and see the boy with six arms! The girl who runs faster than the speed of light! the girl who cries snowflakes! And many many more!" The circus music pounded in her ears as she saw kids, teens, and adults taking a seat in the tent where she along with other 8 kids her age or younger were trapped in small tall cages.
It was November 5th 1914, the day of her 17th birthday, and like almost every day of every week she was trapped in that stupid circus tent. "LADIES AND GENTLE MAN THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!" In the course of the past seven years, after Dalila's mother left her in the office of this very scary old man, this is what would happen every other weekend, the 9 kids with different ages and different backgrounds were exhibited like freaks in front of countless people would come to witness "the freak show" as it was commonly known across Europe. Today they were "performing" in Crainholm a small town in Wales.
"I THINK WE SHOULD BEGIN WITH MY PERSONAL FAVORITE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WHICH IS MARYANNE JONES A 7 YEAR OLD THAT COULD OUTRUN ANY MAN! BUT TODAY! WE ARE HERE TO TEST ALL THESE WONDERFUL CHILDREN'S LIMITS! SO LISTEN LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THIS CHILD IS FAST, BUT WILL SHE BE FASTER THAN A CHEETAH?!?" Wait what? Sir. Buckles would always exhibit them but never put them in this kind of danger.
2 men with completely masked faces opened little Maryanne's cage and forced her out. The screams of Diana and all the other Children echoing all through the tent. "NO DONT!" "STOP" "HELP HER!!" Where the only sounds you could make out in that tent other than the hysterical laughter of the audience. And with that poor Maryanne began to run for her life...too bad it was not enough "AHHH!!" And with that, her poor limbs were ripped out of her body.

The song that was playing that night...is the song that follows Dalila in her dreams every night. "Stupid clown music" she whispered to herself as she furiously tried to ease her headache. She took out her pocket watch 14:30:02s "oh no" she sighted as she sprinted down the stairs in a rush.

"I'm here!" she announced as she made her way across the field.
Miss. Peregrin pulled her pocket watch out and showed Dalila "20 seconds late, Dalila?" She asked "I am sorry Miss. Peregrin, I was cleaning up my room and lost track of time" Dalila said as she held her side that was now in excruciating pain. "Very well then" Miss. Peregrin said with a smile. "What is he doing here?" she asked as she just now notice Enoch standing next to Miss. Peregrin with a board expression. "I know that usually you complete this chore with Mr. Nulligans but he is already doing something else so I asked Enoch to help you today" she said as she handed him the heavy chained rope. "And actually I was thinking to make Jake go with you, if he decides that this is where he wishes to stay I think this chore will suit him perfectly. Although for today, Enoch, I want you to assist this operation since it can be quiet delicate" Miss. Peregrin took a long drag out of her pipe.

Enoch and Dalila just looked at each other for a bit, this being one of the longest times they have held eye contact for more than a couple of seconds in so many years.
"Your shoe" he simply said as he parted his gaze. Dalila just gave an extremely confused look. He sighted and kneeled down on the grass. For a moment she thought that he wanted to tackle her down or severely hurt her but instead he just simply tightened her black Maryjanes. She looked at him oddly, not knowing what to make of this interaction, but Dalila knew better. He was probably simply trying to look caring in front of Miss. Peregrin.
"Oh Jake finally you are here!" Miss. Peregrin exclaimed bringing the two back to reality.

"Yes umm, I was told I had a chore?"