Strange Worlds [Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children] Enoch O'Connor

twenty

"You promised me that you would think it over!" Jacob snapped angrily. As she had done precisely that as they spent their nights talking before their father came up, the two's conversation always stopped when he came in.

"And you promised me that we wouldn't bring it up again." I snapped back, frustrated that he was deciding to leave behind everything Grandpa Portman had left us. All for a girl that was still in love with the idea of Abe Portman.

"Yeah, whatever." He mimicked my previous statement with a sigh.

When we made it through the cave, Emma and Fiona were there smiling on the other end, the two having snuck out of bed the past two mornings to greet us, so we weren't walking to the house on our own.

"Sophie!" Fiona called as she flung her arms around my shoulders. I laughed, seeing Jacob give me a pointed look that I knew meant 'I told you so', meaning that he believed my friendship with Fiona would be a valid reason to stay.

The only problem with Jacob's reasoning was that we didn't belong here. We never have, and unfortunately, we never will.

As much as I didn't love my family, as few friends I had. I couldn't just vanish on them. I've seen far too many crime shows to know just how many people a vanishing of a person could affect those around us. It wasn't something I was willing to do, but I also didn't want to lose the one family member I had left.

"Hi." I smiled, wrapping my arms around the girl and hugging her back. She took my hand, and we walked back towards the house, the younger kids playing tag this time around. I could hear Millard complaining to Olive that she was cheating by floating to the top of the trees.

Fiona was quick to create a staircase of vines which allowed for the clothed 'invisible' boy to climb the tree to tag the girl before quickly running back down the stairs before tripping on the last one and falling. I couldn't help but let out a laugh which caused the boy to curse me.

Fiona and I were situated in the sitting room with Hugh as well. We, two girls, were on the floor with our legs tucked beneath them while Hugh was on the couch. We were enjoying a plate of shortbread as we talked when I noticed two clay men walking past the foyer just behind the two's line of sight.

The miniature clay figures were both holding either handle of a bit of the wicker basket. I was quick to excuse myself from the two as I followed the clay figurines I figured were carrying a basket of shortbread.

"What, your legs don't work?" I asked as I opened the door further for the figurines to walk in and climb up the staircase of books to sit the basket on the work table.

"No, they don't." He was quick to answer, eyes not moving from the ceramic doll he has been fixing up since I brought it back in secret from our timeline, found in a charity bin by the docks.

"How are you ever to get down the stairs?" I asked in mock horror. "You'll be stuck in your room forever!"

Enoch sighed and put the doll down, removing his eyeglass before looking to me where I had now taken to leaning against the door frame. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Absolutely nothing. I can only talk about plants and bees and their importance for so long before I get bored." I sighed, taking to pushing myself off the door frame and moving towards the red armchair that I had claimed as mine for the week after Enoch had apologised for what he had done.

"But didn't you know? We need bees to live." Enoch laughed as he mocked Fiona's voice, obviously having heard that statement one too many times. I loved Fiona, and I understood her ideals and the importance of nature. However, It wasn't a topic I was overly interested in, especially since I knew that I would eventually slip up on the future talk sooner rather than later. Knowing my luck, Miss Peregrine will be right around the corner just as I do.

"Oh, I know, but they're dying anyway." I sighed, stealing another shortbread from his basket and flopping back in the chair, taking this as my cue that I wasn't leaving and that I was doing a good thing by giving Hugh and Fiona space.

"You shouldn't be talking about the future." Enoch reminded me.

"Why? Is miss peregrine around?" I asked, faking paranoia. "Anyways, how is the fallen soldier coming along?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Still a little beat up. I'm surprised you were able to bring it through." He laughed as he reattached a makeshift claw to its missing arm. She watched as his eyes squinted behind his glass, tong between his lips as he threaded black cotton through the eye of a needle.

"To be fair, it's most likely from this generation." She answered when he was done, face blushing slightly as she was caught out for staring. "It did restore when we came through the loop."

"I wouldn't be surprised. From what you've said, there are no children on this island. Not little ones, at least." Enoch commented as he took up a piece of terry cloth and fashioned a makeshift sling to support the claw as he glued it in place.

It was silent as one of the clay figures brought over another piece of shortbread for Enoch, another copying the action by handing me a bit. I smiled, a little too wide. I had realised yesterday that the way Enoch showed his care and friendship was through indirect acts of kindness. Enoch, not surprisingly, was a shy boy and used his clay figures to enact the way he felt as to not embarrass himself as those he brings back from the living are their personalities, but his homunculi were his thoughts, feelings, and actions.

"Did you see Emma and Jacob come back in?" I asked, playing with the edge of the tassel of a worn velvet cushion. I didn't miss the scowl and the look of distaste in his features as he stopped what he was doing and peered out of his ajar door.

"No." He answered though I wasn't even sure whether he would've even realised if they had. "Don't you find it all and little..."

"Odd? Gross? Untimely? Fast? Disgusting? Slightly incestuous?" I rattled off as I remembered a picture of Emma and Granpa Portman I had found once in his stash. They were in the trees before the house, I was never sure who had taken the photo, but Emma was sitting in Grandpa Portman's lap while he was kissing her. They looked honestly in love. And now Emma was parading around and dating a boy under half her age. Not only that, but the said boy happened to be her lover's Grandson.

"Not the words I would've chosen, but you're not far off the mark." Enoch laughed, having previously announced his disdain for Emma's remarkable turnaround in Jacob.

"You know he wants to stay here." I started, testing the waters slightly. I had previously planned to do the same thing with Fiona, but Hugh had joined us shortly after getting comfortable in the sitting room.

"in Cairnholm? Couldn't imagine why." Enoch scoffed.

"No, I mean in the Loop." I sighed, reiterating my words. "I mean that he wishes to live the remainder of his life in this day and age... In the Forties."

"oh," I watched as Enoch took precise and measured moves as he dunked the brush back into a paste pot, then pulled it out and hovered the heaped brush over the newspaper-wrapped desk as his eyes slowly shifted to mine then back to the doll and slowly putting paste to the area of attachment. "And what do you think about it?" he asked, finally.

"I don't know," I answered honestly with a sigh.