A Motherly Love - MPHFPC

|Chapter 1|

Willow Emaline Fernsby had lived on the island of Cairnholm since she was born, and her life wasn't really interesting. She had normal parents and normal friends and she was going to school, like a normal kid. But the summer when she was thirteen years old, everything changed. On her first day of vacation, Willow didn't really know what to do. Her friends were all gone somewhere and her parents were working.

    She decided to go outside, it was sunny, and she would find something to do. Walking on the side of the road, she saw a white rock with small holes on it that looked like a sponge. Willow took the rock in her hands and she gave it a look. She had found what she was going to do today, she was going to search for rocks and find the prettiest one.

The little girl continued to walk along the road, but the rocks she found weren't spectacular; they were as ordinary as any other rocks. So, Willow decided to leave the road and to walk into the forest. She knew a place near the beach that might have prettier rocks than on the side of the road, and to go there, she had to pass through the forest.

    She continued to walk, looking around in case she'd found something, until shine caught her attention. On the corner of her eyes, she could see something reflecting the light, inside a cave. Willow had never been in that cave, people here liked to tell stories about it, horror stories. That's why the girl never wanted to explore the cave. But now that she was older, she knew it was only stories and not reality.

Willow walked in the direction of the light, wondering what it could be. She entered in the dark cave, only seeing the reflecting object, and once she saw what it was, a smile grew on her face; it was a rock. She took it in her hands and started to look at it with attention. She had never seen a rock like that, it was shiny and pink, transparent like a bottle made out of glass.

    Willow put the rock inside her jeans pocket and she continued to walk, maybe she would find more rocks like that. The cave seemed to have no end, but finally, the little girl saw light and she got out. She hadn't found other rocks, but what she saw was more impressive than any transparent pink rock; she saw a Gothic manor, and in perfect condition.

It was odd because Willow had already been there, but she came from another path, and the house in front of her was in ruins. Everyone on this island knew the story of the bomb that landed on the orphanage and killed every kid, including their headmistress. So, when Willow saw that the house wasn't destroyed, she got a little confused. Instead of being scared or panicked though, she was intrigued, the little girl was very curious and she wanted to find the answers to everything.

    That's why she continued to walk, determined to discover how all of that was possible. Bypassing the house to go in the backyard, she found a lot of kids playing and having fun. She wondered who they were, she knew everyone on this island and it was definitively the first time she saw them.

When the kids noticed her presence, they all ran away and went straight inside the house except one. She was a teenager, had blond hair, a blue dress and weird, metallic shoes. She looked at the little girl weirdly before a voice behind Willow told Emma – the teenager – to go inside. The girl with metallic shoes obeyed and Willow turned around to see who the voice came from. At the end of her movement, she saw a woman wearing a deep blue suit and her hair was a really dark navy.

    The woman was looking at Willow with furrowed eyes, her hands partially hidden inside her jacket's pockets. The woman tilted her head to the side and she introduced herself; Miss Alma LeFay Peregrine. Willow said who she was and she started to ask questions about the house. Miss Peregrine didn't answer at first, still observing Willow's face features and that's when the girl realized who all these people were: the orphans and their headmistress.

''You're the headmistress, aren't you? But you're supposed to be dead, you're all supposed to be dead...'' Miss Peregrine moved to the side, raising her hand in the direction of the house.

''Shall you follow me? Since you are here, I'll tell you a story.'' Willow, curious as she is, nodded and followed the woman inside the house.