A Peregrine's Peculiar

Chapter Four

On that night, it had been the first Toria hadn't informed her parents on what she been up to after school. Sure she'd told them that she was at the beach as usual and had been working on her Maths homework but everything regarding to her, hopefully, new bird companion was left unsaid and in regards to this Toria felt a little bit guilty.

She always loved telling her parents absolutely everything and her parents loved to listen to their incredibly imaginative daughter but she knew this was something to keep to herself, she wasn't quite sure what had made her feel this way, it was as if something out of Toria's control was making her mind think ten times harder about the matter of the blue feathered bird.

That night when Toria was meant to be asleep, she had instead stayed awake, the image of the blue bird would stay in her mind and then the remarkable event that concerned her Maths homework also plagued her thoughts and it soon became impossible for Toria to close her eyes and fall asleep.

Even when her mind forced the eleven year old to go to sleep, that night her dream world wouldn't let her rest easy. Toria was in the midsts of fighting off the pirates captain in order to save the Lady Lucinda who had been taken for her ability to navigate to any place in the world. Then everything started to go wrong suddenly her dream world characters began to slowly disappear and a loud noise erupted in Toria's head, the young girl couldn't describe the noise, it was slurring and definitely deadly. It was her monster trying to get through her barrier, trying to enter her safe space her safe world, her continuously perfect world but it wasn't like the other times when the monster had tried to get in.

This time was different it had never made itself quite so known before and suddenly she tried with all her might to make her world safe again and repel the monster. Soon the terrifying noises seised and things around her stopped being so blurry, her world was safe again, the monster hadn't made it's way through.

Yet this didn't stop Toria from waking up from the nightmare with a shriek. Quickly The emerald eyed girl began to dart her eyes around her room, making sure it was safe and then the lights switched on and her mother was standing in her room, with her father standing in the doorframe.

"Mummy, Daddy!" Toria exclaimed to both her parents as she tried not to cry and then there they were beside her. Her mother cradling her daughter in her arms, patting down her hair and her father rubbing Toria's arm.

"Was it the monster again?" Rosset asked her daughter gently, both her parents knew of her daughters dreams and her nightmares and though most parents would encourage their eleven year olds to grow up and get tougher when it came to nightmares, Rosset and Darren knew just how precious their daughter's imagination was and that one of her greatest comforts was her mind so they would never do nor say anything that may put such a beautiful gift in turmoil.

"Yeah," Toria's voice was breathless as she answered, she was trying so hard to push back the nightmare and to remind herself that though her dreams and imagination were real her nightmares and her monster were not and that they couldn't hurt her.

"Hey baby girl, why don't we get you up and ready for school, hm? It's almost time anyway." Darren suggested sweetly to his daughter, knowing how excited she got about school, especially when it was Friday, though Thursdays seemed to be becoming a quick favourite.

"Okay," Toria answered nodding her head and then proceeding to get ready for the school day ahead, doing her hair and putting on her uniform before going downstairs to eat breakfast and watch some TV.

Throughout the entirety of school, Toria was less responsive then usual, not being one of the first to answer questions like usual, then Toria only wanted to keep to herself at break and lunch and not spend time chatting about books and gossiping about teachers with her friends. Her nightmare had truly spooked her for the entirety of the day and when it came time for bed that night she slept with her fairy lights on and her curtains open to allow the natural light in.

Time Skip

Toria had never been so excited for a Thursday to come around in all her life. she hadn't seen anything to with the monster since last Thursday night and she couldn't be more grateful for it and she hoped she wouldn't see that monster for a very long time now.

Though on this Thursday there was a particular excitement once school had finished and the pace at which Toria had arrived at the beach simply proved just how excited she had been, seeing as she had ran the entire way, something Toria absolutely hated. She couldn't stand running and the worst part of her school year so far had been doing cross country in PE.

But never mind all that, she was here at her regular spot on the beach just as she had told the bird she would be yet when Toria began to look around for said blue bird, she couldn't see them anyway. Had she been wrong? Did she get her hopes up for nothing? Was it just a normal bird and nothing more?

Toria in a split second of realising that the bird wasn't here a part of her seemed to ache as she'd now realised how stupid she had been. Of course the bird wasn't going to show up, an idiot would've known that and she was now officially an idiot, wasn't she?

Toria was so disheartened that she quickly began to grab her school bag and school shoes that already had her socks stuffed in them and leave the beach for that Thursday. Toria had now passed her usual sitting spot, her brunette locks wafting in her face as she walked and she was almost leaving until the loud and annoying caws of a bird filled the girls head.

Quickly Toria whipped her head around and search for the bird but didn't see them on the sand and she began to leave again until another, slightly louder caw, made her stop again and this time she saw it, the blue feathered bird was sitting on Toria's usual boulder.

Toria now ran other to the bird, her heart no longer hurting and instead the pain was replaced with pure excitement at seeing her feathered companion. "Pretty Bird!" Toria exclaimed the nickname she had now claimed to call the bird, she ran up to the bird dropping her backpack and sat atop the boulder, the bird now taking a seat on Toria's lap.

"What took you so long? I thought you weren't going to show up," Toria asked exasperatedly whilst looking at the bird. Then the bird responded by catching Toria's attention as it tapped its beak atop the surface of Toria's watch. Upon seeing what it was doing Toria looked down at her watch and read the time that was on there.

"Oh," Toria began to chuckle as she felt her cheeks begin to redden from embarrassment, "I was just early, wasn't I?" Toria asked as she read the time on her watch matching the time she had told the bird to meet her at. The yellow beaked bird then nodded its head in an up and down motion, "You were actually on time," the bird then cawed in response and Toria was convinced it was trying to say something sarcastic.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry, Pretty Bird,' The bird then accepted the apology and the two spent the rest of the hour together.
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A/N: I tell you the nerve of Toria thinking Miss Peregrine was late, the cheek of it.