Thin Ice (MPHfPC Fanfic)

Chapter Nineteen:

A group of wights burst in, stopping as fast as they could when they realized whose room this was.

"Have you happened to notice any peculiars wandering around here?" One of the wights asked, trying to sound tough. But you could tell he was scared of Miss Peregrine. I wondered if she had killed anyone with the strange time warps before.

Obviously she had because she gritted her teeth and said, "Come in and find out."

"No, I ain't," Said the wight in front. "And don't come any closer, or we'll kill your charges."

"No you can't," Miss Peregrine amended, smiling. "They're the peculiars you're looking for." She shakily got to her feet and took a step forward. The wights took a few steps backward, then turned around and ran.

"Now go!" Miss Peregrine gestured toward the door. "Before they come back!"

"Not without you." I said.

"I will only pose a greater danger toward you and the others. And look, Mr. Somnusson is reviving." It was true- Horace was waking up and recovering from his faint. But I wasn't going to leave Miss Peregrine behind. Not this time.

I took a step toward her, willing myself not to succumb to the odd sensations. Then another step. And another. Nothing happened.

"See?" I said. "You're not hurting me. Just stay a good distance from us. We'll be fine."

Miss Peregrine, finally seeing I would not be swayed, gave up trying to argue. "Very well. I will not stay close, though. And you must make sure everyone stays back."

"I will." I said.

"What's happening?" Horace asked, confused, standing up.

"Not enough time to fill you in." I told him."But come on. And stay away from Miss Peregrine."

We headed out the door, Miss P staying a great distance behind us.

We set out into the other hallway, where Jake and Emma had headed. Jake and Emma were heading our direction.

"August! Horace!" Jake said. "We were just heading back."

"Did you find anything?" Emma asked. Then they both noticed Miss Peregrine, standing at least twenty feet down the hallway.

"Miss Peregrine!"

They both started to rush forward, so I lept in front of them and they stopped.

"Wait!" I said. "You can't get close."

"Why not?" Emma asked.

"It's a bit of a time-consuming story," Miss Peregrine said. "But stay far away and everything should be fine. I'll explain later."

Emma and Jake were confused, but Miss Peregrine was right- there wasn't time.

"Do you have any idea where the others are?" I asked Jake and Emma.

"We heard some voices that sounded like them, but they were coming from a locked room. We tried to talk, but the door was too thick. Emma couldn't burn through it." Jake told us.

"Sorry." Emma apologized.

"It's alright," I said.

"Where is it?" Horace asked.

"Here," Jake led us a little farther down the hall, stopping at a room with two locks on it instead of one.

I uncurled one arm from its awkward position and touched the first lock. It disappeared. Then I did the same thing to the other lock. Miss Peregrine groaned.