The next day was a beach day, that had started years ago and become an annual thing. They went every year on the same day in present time. You watched as the children played in the water. Hugh, and Millard continuously tried to drown each other and others. Enoch kept picking them up and throwing them into deeper water, away from him. Fiona eventually get Bronwyn to use her peculiarity to throw Enoch further away. Horace sat on a rock, not wishing to mess up his hair. Olive and Emma sat a bit further down on the beach talking, likely about some mischief they'd cause later. Opal was helping Claire and the twins build a sand castle, but looking immensely bored while doing so, putting on a clear plastic smile for them. Alma sat beside you, resting on her elbows as she looked over each of her children.
She was uncharacteristically wearing a two piece much different from her usual outfit that covered near every bit of her. She'd never admit that she was only wearing the suit because her wife had told her to, and she didn't want anymore bruises. Every visible one had faded by the beach day, thank the birds, so she didn't mind going. She expected the children to beg her to swim later, and likely wouldn't deny them.
She sat up fully to get a closer look at Opal, just to reassure herself that she was being alright with the children, especially the younger ones. You gasped, causing her to look back at you with a raised eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes. Yes there is." You were staring at her back. And it took her a moment before she realized she'd forgotten to check for any recent bruises there. It had only been a few days since Opal had kicked her and the marks were probably still there. "What happened to you.?" You looked back into her eyes, worried beyond belief.
She smiled a bit, in an attempt to hide the truth. "You know I walk in heels. Took a misstep on my way back from.. a chore." She carefully avoided mention of the hollow that'd killed Victor. "Took a tumble. I didn't realize it had bruised." She gave a small laugh to try and sell it.
"I hope you understand how suspicious everything you just said was. What chore? And if you do it daily, and have been for over a hundred years, I'd think you well know each step to take just as you do the rest of the island. But I'm choosing to ignore your obvious attempt to hide whatever actually happened for now. How long ago did this happen?"
"Only a couple of days." She said, looking back at the water where her children played to avoid your eyes. She hadn't expected to be caught so quickly.
"They're still awfully dark, they should've lightened a bit by now. Not something you'd get falling down a hill." You rested a hand on her shoulder to keep her from moving as you closely inspected the marks. You pulled away soon after. "I think it's best you don't allow the children to see, they'll be worried."
She nodded as she leaned back onto her elbows once more. "I wasn't planning on letting them. Though I wasn't aware the bruises were visible." You hummed, no longer looking at the woman, she followed your gaze to Opal.
"Has Miss Smith been acting off lately or is it just me? I know I haven't known her long but she seemed much more well, I'm trying to think of a word better than 'happy', before. I can't help but feel as if my presence upsets her."
"No, no, it's not you. She has been off a bit, I suppose you're not wrong there. I'm not quite sure what's the matter. Opal has never been so good at expressing herself." That was a lie, though you were none the wiser this time. Opal's foul mood had been caused by not only your arrival, but Alma's fondness of you.
Opal had been going about everything the wrong way, but if she knew, she didn't give a single shit. When she hurt Alma, both mentally and physically, she wasn't driving the woman further away from you, but rather closer. It only made her want to seek out comfort from you, even if it was just by talking, more often. Though her wife thought that perhaps the closeness was cause by giving Alma too much. She thought that if she distanced herself that Alma would chase her, as many before her have done in the past. It was a true shame to find out that Alma wasn't like every other woman.
It didn't take long for Bronwyn to bound over, begging the headmistress to play with her. "I'm sorry, my dear, I fear I have an awful headache and I doubt swimming would make it much better."
"Oh, okay." The girl seemed upset but understood as she walked back over to the water. Miss Peregrine lent over to her discarded jacket and pulled out her pocket watch. She yelled out to the children, just loud enough for them all to hear.
"Ten minutes until we have to head home!" You caught her wincing slightly at her own voice, leading you to believe that her lie about the headache had in fact been true.
"Are you alright?" You asked, though she shot you a confused look. "I know you've probably lied a lot about your well being, not only to me but to everyone. I hope you know that I'd never do anything to worsen any pain you'd ever be in. You can talk to me if you need, however I understand if you'd prefer not to."
"I'll uh.. keep that in mind." She said, only sparing you a small glance.
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How Did It Come To This?
قصص الهواةA book in which Alma has to escape a toxic relationship and eventually meets the real love of her life.
