Thin Ice (MPHfPC Fanfic)

Chapter Fourteen:

I knocked on the door of the apartment. The wood was worn and a bug skittered down the hall a few feet away.

"Who is it?" A scratchy voice came from inside, the door muffling the sound very little.

"Alma." I answered. My heart pounded.

"Go away!" The door banged open, revealing a woman with old, wrinkly clothes and unclean hair. "We don't want you here!"

"Mother," I begged. "Please."

"You're a daughter of the devil," The woman says, gritting her teeth. "You did this to us. I ain't gonna heed any of those words you say."

The words hurt, but her eyes are soft and sad. I can tell she doesn't have all her heart into the words.

"Can we just talk?" I say softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"You've already hurt us. The town drove us out becaus'a you." But she stood aside and let me in.

The inside is just as run down as the outside, with bugs and paper-thin walls that you could hear the neighbors through. I feel guilty, living in a nice room and having regular meals at school, while they lived in this, not knowing what their next meal would be.

Not a second later than I came in did my father barge in. He looked tired, angry. When he saw me, he froze and his mouth twitched.

I didn't know what to say. It had been years since I had left, since the town had decided that our whole family were cohorts of the devil.

"What're you doing here?" My father asked. His voice was hoarse as well. Whether it be from lack of water or something else, I didn't know.

"I wanted to see you," I said. "I missed you."

"I... did too," He said hesitantly, but it felt like the truth. No one made a friendly gesture, though. But then he seemed to collect himself. "No, I didn't. Get outta here! If anybody sees ya here, we'll be damned the rest of our lives!"

"No-" I started to say, but then thought better of it.

Then there was a banging on the wall and a shout of "Who's in there, Bentham? Who'd visit you?"

Then my mother whispered softly. "Just... get outta here. You ain't doin' us any favors."

My heart sank, but I didn't move. I didn't know why.

"You know what?" My mother continued when I didn't move. "Curse the day you were born! CURSE IT!"

She kept on screaming and my father took an iron from the fire. I felt the cold snap of betrayal in my heart and backed away, turning around and running as he headed toward me, yelling over my mother's screams for me to get out.

Over the pounding of my heart and the clunking of my shoes, I could hear the soul-crushing sound of my parents, who would never understand.

"CURSE YOU! CURSE THE DAY YOU WERE BORN!"

. . .

I jolted upright, tears streaming down my face, shaking. My heart was still tight, hurting.

As if those were really my parents.

"You're awake! Finally!" Horace exclaimed.

"We thought you went into a coma or something!" Emma added.

"Sorry," I said. "It was just... a really odd dream." It was still dark in the van. We were still driving.

My foot was touching someone, but the person wasn't moving. Maybe it was Miss Peregrine, and that was why I saw her memories.

Somehow. I thought I already knew my peculiarity.

"What was it?" Asked Horace. "You know it's my specialty when it comes to dreams."

"No, no," I tried to explain. "It was...more like a memory, actually."

"One of yours?" Jake asked.

"No." I said flatly. I didn't say anything else.

It was quiet for a minute. Then Emma broke the silence.

"Well then?" Emma said, excitement and interest in her voice. "Who's was it?"

"Miss Peregrine's," I said, unsure of whether to elaborate. "I think."

"Oh," Horace seemed confused. "But how is that possible? I thought you could only have one peculiarity."

"So did I," I agreed. "My foot's touching her, though. If that has anything to do with it."

"This may seem a bit nosy," Jake said. "But what was the memory of? Maybe that has something to do with it, too."

"The memory was of Miss Peregrine going to see her parents after going to Miss Avocet's school for a few years. The visit ended with her mother cursing the day she was born and her father chasing her out with iron from the fire."

"Oh," Was all Jake could think to say.

"The funny thing is, now I feel as if it had been my own memory, all this time." I said. It was true. The hurting felt like it was permanently mine, the memory nestled tight into my head.

"Do you think your peculiarity is something that has to do with seeing the past AND future?" Horace said. "In that case, all I can think to say is: I wish my peculiarity was more like yours."

"Maybe," Emma said. "Or it can be accessing different stories. The stories can just be from any time."

Then there was a groan and I looked toward Miss Peregrine.

"Emma," I said quickly. "Could you make a light please?"

Emma obliged, creating a small fireball over her palm. Now we could see.

Miss Peregrine lay face-up, her eyes blinking open. We all held our breath, waiting to see her reaction.

"Oh dear," She said slowly, sitting up and looking at the four of us. "Where are the others?" She had regained herself well, but I couldn't help but flash back to her visit with her parents, the crushing pain and the sadness. You would never know just by looking at her.

Emma, Jake, and Horace took turns explaining everything that had happened up until when I passed out.

"That explains why your book is still there," Miss Peregrine commented, gesturing toward me. I was holding my book against my chest again, hands plastered on the cover. "Have you tried checking it again?"

"No," I was surprised at myself for not thinking of it. "There wasn't any time before you woke up." I opened the book.

Everyone crowded around me, although they couldn't see anything anyway. I turned each page carefully, and I gasped when I saw.

"What? What is it?" Emma asked, everyone looking as though they were about to explode.

"It's updated!" I said, thoroughly thrilled. I skipped through everything that already happened, but as I turned the last page of the past, I reached a charred section. The pages were burnt and written in crude lettering:

PAST: DECIDED.

PRESENT: UNREACHABLE!

FUTURE: REQUIRED?

Disappointment and confusion surged through my body as I recounted the development to everyone.

"Curious," Miss Peregrine said. "Perhaps it's a warning."

But before anyone could reply, the van lurched forward, then stopped.