The Peregrines

Chapter 10

It was like the doctor had a death wish - he just wouldn't stop talking, even after I told him to shut up. "Although it's nothing we couldn't handle in the end. But you, miss—you were nearly dead when you arrived."

"That's fantastic, are you finished now?" I asked impatiently.

"How do you feel? You look better," Emma softly smiled.

"Yeah, it honestly feels like I got a new body," I returned the soft smile.

"You're lucky you didn't need a new head," A new voice said. My eyes dart across the room and my gaze landed on a mysterious figure propped against the door frame, his arms tightly folded. The man stood towering at a height of over seven feet and had to duck down to fit his full height through the doorway, his face completely concealed by a black cloak that blended seamlessly with the shadows. EXACTLY like the Grim Reaper's attire. His hood was so dark that not even a glimmer of light could pierce through its depths. 

The first thing that struck me was his fingers, elongated and looked chilling to the touch. As I glanced down, I couldn't help but notice his bare feet, which seemed out of place for a human. They seemed odd, with toes resembling tiny hotdogs with thick yellow nails that curled like menacing claws.

I looked back at him, "What the fuck are you??"

Without hesitation, Emma's hand came crashing down on top of my mouth, effectively muffling any sound I could make. "Erhm, sorry about that, she's usually not like this, she is suffering from a double concussion and will blurt things out without thinking," Emma explained which left me confused. As Emma withdrew her hand from my mouth, she started speaking to me in a calm and slow tone like I was some dyslexic baby. "Kira, this is Sharon. Sharon is... the guy who helped me, Jake and Addison, to get to this...treacherous loop we're in now,"

"In fact, it's a shame they didn't give you one, because apparently, the one you've got now is full of sawdust." Sharon muttered. I frown and intentionally send a tiny bolt of electricity his way, making sure he understands who he's dealing with here. But I gotta say, seeing him yelp from the zap was surely entertaining. 

"Kira, no," A disapproving expression washed over Emma's face as she delivered a swift slap to both of my hands, unimpressed with my actions against Sharon. "You cannot just zap people because you can!" She snapped at me. Emma turns to Sharon, "I'm so sorry about that Sharon. Unfortunately, she does that a lot," 

"You should be more than just sorry for her actions," Sharon pointed a long finger at me. "But disappearing and running off without a clue where you were going—and after all my warnings about the Acre! What were you thinking?" Emma and Jake looked up at the mini giant as Sharon loomed over them, his long white finger wagging in a disapproving manner.

"Hello, Sharon. Nice to see you again." I saw Jake beamed a smile in his direction.

"Yes, ha-ha, it's all smiles now that everything's rosy, but you nearly got yourselves killed out there!"

"We were lucky," Emma said.

"Yes—lucky I was there! Lucky my gallows-rigging cousins were available that evening and I was able to catch them before they'd had too much Ditch lager at the Cradle and Coffin! They don't work for free, by the way. I'm adding their services to your tab, along with my damaged boat!"

"Fine, fine!" Jake said. "Settle down, okay?"

"Woah woah woah! You kids managed to damage his boat?!" With a mischievous grin, I couldn't help but blurt out my thoughts for all to hear. If you saw Emma's face right now, she looks like she wants to kill me. "How did you tiny tots manage that?!" I attempted to stifle my giggles.

"Long story short - Hollows," Jake grumbled under his breath, folding his arms tightly across his chest, clearly unamused by being referred to as a toddler. 

"What were you thinking?" While Sharon was talking, a faint green mist wafted out with each word he uttered. The repugnant smell of his breath quickly filled the room, leaving all of us, including Nim and the doctor, desperately craving fresh air.

"I'm starting to think if you had ever heard of a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, and perhaps scented bleach??" I coughed and waved my hand to disperse the smell from my nose. Sharon didn't acknowledge my remark, as he was more interested in Emma and Jake's response.

"That you were an untrustworthy lout!" Jake fired back. "That it's only about money with you, and you probably would have sold us into slavery the first chance you got! Yeah," Jake continued, "we looked into it. We know all about the shady things you peculiars get up to around here, and if you think for a minute we believe that you"—Jake pointed at Sharon—"or any of you"—Jake pointed at the doctor—"are helping us purely out of kindness, you're nuts! So either tell us what you want with us or let us go, because we've got better things to-"

I was hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion, causing my vision to blur and my other senses to falter. I attempted to stand up, but the room started spinning uncontrollably and I was quick to lose my balance, "Oh shit," I muttered. I felt Emma grab my arms for support, while Jake carefully lifted me up and laid me back down on the bed, making sure my head was resting on the pillow for support. 

Meanwhile, the doctor's voice could be heard from the corner of the room. "We're helping you because Mr. Bentham asked us to," he said tersely. "What he wants with you, well, you'll have to ask him yourself."

"Like I keep saying, Mister whoever can kiss my mmmff—" Emma swiftly covered Jake's mouth with her hand, silencing him in an instant.

Emma turned to the doctor and Sharon. "Jake's also not feeling himself at the moment," she said. "I'm sure what he meant to say was, thanks for saving us. We're in your debt."

"That, too," Jake mumbled through her fingers.