Shadow Girl (A mphfpc Fanfiction)

Mealtime

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I walk aimlessly down the halls, following the voices. The house is larger than I originally speculated. My body feels practically nude without its usual coating of dirt and grime. My hair kept dripping, leaving little spots of water down the halls. An amazing smell that is somewhat familiar but I can't place is wafting down the hall. It startles me when my stomach rumbles. I hadn't eaten in four days and even then it was just a scrap of burnt roll. The bread I stole was dropped and forgotten when I ran to the bog.

I caress my stomach to soothe the rumbles. The voices are loud now, so I know I'm close. I open the door which I assume is to the dining room. The chatter falls silent and all eyes are upon me. I freeze up but will with all my might to not turn into a shadow. Isn't exactly the best first impression, I think to myself. The room is full of children who are sitting around a long wooden dining table. I see Miss Peregrine at the head of the table. She is smiling at me.

"Children, for those of you who are unaware, this is Elizabeth James. She has decided that she will be staying with us. You will treat her with respect and kindness, am I clear?" Miss Peregrine says in a calm tone.

I give them a small forced smile. The children nod and mumble 'Yes' and 'of course Miss P.' Millard stands up and helps me find a seat.

I end up seated between him and a girl who was also in boyish clothes and who looks to be a few years younger than I. "Names Bronwyn Bruntley." She introduces in a gruff tone. The boy next to her chuckles. "Wyn's just grumpy because of the shoes. My name is Victor Bruntley." I shake both of their hands. They have a very tight grip which hurts my hands but I'm too polite to say anything. They must be siblings. Victor is obviously the elder. They have the same brown curls and serious expression.

The table was already filled with silver trays that were covered. I was wondering what lay beneath until I finally discover the truth. The silver is taken away to reveal all sorts of food I cannot name. I recognize bread and roasted vegetables. I recognize other such thing but have never seen them cooked in this way. It's the best food I've ever seen.

After being told to 'dig in', I take small portions of just about everything. I'm terribly hungry but don't wish to be rude by taking too much. I would feel guilty. I don't know where this sudden need to be polite came from but it must have been from my mother trying to make me a 'normal' girl all those years. As I gobble down my meal, my eyes wander about the room.

For some reason, a girl with a tiara upon her head and long curls is bolted to her chair. I am unsure why because she is such a small little thing, it seems completely unnecessary. She eats with bubbly vigor while talking to a small girl beside her with sandy hair.

A boy with dark bags under his eyes keeps glaring at me for no apparent reason. When no one else is watching, I stick my tongue out at him then continue eating. His expression is a bit shocked then the boy looks a tad embarrassed.

I see Horace down the table, next to Miss Peregrine. I give him a small wave as we make eye contact.

Emma is sitting next to a boy with a thick accent. I can hardly comprehend what he is saying. Emma finds him absolutely hilarious and dashing. They keep looking at each other like they're about to snog. That must be the boyfriend Millard was speaking of, says a small voice in the back of my head.

I feel bad for a boy sitting alone at a table in the corner. He has a insect net over his head for reasons unknown and I swear the bees that are for some odd reason swarming around his head are coming from his mouth.

The table is filled with lively chatter but I keep almost silent. Millard tries multiple times to strike up a conversation but I push them away.

The meal itself was excellent. I don't think I've ever eaten anything that good. Chicken was what I discovered the main
course to be. It was heavenly. I complete my meal and sit quietly. A few minutes later, I hear a large boom, then more, getting closer. I gasp. Bombs. Bombing is common during the war but for some reason the children are a bit too giddy and calm. Shouldn't we be seeking shelter? I suppose we will all just appear once more when the loop happens. Or will we? Is that even how a loop works? I start to panic.

"Woah there Lizzy. Its only the changeover. No need to panic." Millard attempts to calm me.

The change what now? I panic even more.

"May we go show Elizabeth the changeover?" The tiara girl asks, practically bouncing in her seat.

"If you've finished with your meals, then you may go outside. Remember to wear your masks children." Miss Peregrine chides like a mother goose with her little gooses. Is that the right term?

A few kids with halfway full plates groan. A couple stuff in one last bite then race toward the exit. Victor pulls me after him. We race down the halls to the front entrance where Emma and the heavily accented boy are handing out gas masks. Gas masks? I place the mask over my face and Emma helps me.

We then run outside where everyone is gazing toward the sky. Black smoke drifts along lazily and I hear the airplanes but cannot spot a single one. The Jerries are coming to blow us to bits. The children seem oddly calm and gaze up in wonder and enchantment. The heat washes over us from the explosions. I can hear bombs exploding. The noise is getting nearer and nearer. The Jerry tracer bullets light up the sky and oohs and aahs come from the group. I gasp in horror and begin to shudder.

Of course then it chose to rain, as if it couldn't get any worse at that minute. The bombs became less and less which gave an illusion that it was ending. The children start to scramble toward the back yard and I get the feeling it isn't over yet. I jog after them.

They are arguing about something. I get bits and pieces like 'it's over here' and 'no it's here'. Eventually they give up and return their gazes skyward. The sky is dark and smokey, you can see firelight in the distance.

One of the planes is getting closer. The foreboding buzz gets louder and louder. The realization hits that I am going to die. Instead of panicking, a unnatural calm sets over my body as I watch for the bomb I can hear coming. I watch as it goes to land but about 3 meters above the ground, it stops. As does the entire world, just frozen. The trees are wind bent and the rain is froze midair. Whichever child that happened to be underneath the bomb, cheers. I assume they won some sort of bet.

White washes over the world and when it disappears, the bombs are gone with not a trace. There is no rain, only a full cloudless night. The child who won the bet was still jeering their own praise as the others groan. I am froze in shock on what just happened.

I feel a hand rest on my shoulder and look over to see Miss Peregrine with a slight smile on her face.

"That was what we call the changeover," she explains, "It is when the loop resets and becomes September 3rd once more. Well if we are being technical it's September 2nd for a little while."

I nod slowly which says I understand but I hardly do. I keep my gaze toward where the bomb was.

"Why don't we get you some rest, hm Miss James?"