~Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children~

Chapter 14

           I had checked my watch, it read 5:46 pm. The peculiar children and I had been in the same dim school room for almost around 2 hours now and it was getting kind of boring. I hadn't talked to anyone except for the headmistress all day and there were many kids in the same room as I giving me many opportunities to introduce myself, but I am to shy to introduce myself and not must presentable at the moment for the dirt everywhere. And it was so nice and sunny outside that day and I didn't want to stay inside. I had been stuck in one place for a very long time, being isolated and feeling trapped. And I was feeling trapped again, and I felt like I couldn't escape. I wanted to enjoy the light and the open and fresh air. The last couple days weren't good enough for me to get trapped again. Yes, I had gone to many new places or places I haven't seen in years, like the beach, mini stores in the town, and trying new and different types of fruits. I heard my stomach growl, I was slightly hungry, I hadn't ate all day today and it was close to supper time. And I had missed food, I hadn't had a good sit down meal in forever, let alone with someone. I would eat meals with Cindy when I was much younger, but now if I was home I would be forced to make her something to eat. If I was home at the moment, I would probably get beaten. Beaten by the witch and forced to make her pleased. To pour her a full bottle of white wine and make a good meal, like a seasoned chicken, green beans, and white rice. And for myself I would shortly eat after and have her left-overs or the extra food that would be in the fridge. Then I would quietly make myself some food while Cindy would be watching the black and white tv and hope I wouldn't get caught for eating and get punished to 30 minutes of being beaten. I had been beaten so much that I've had bruises that would last for weeks sometimes even months. She had broken my nose, broke or sprained my arms or wrist, and wiped me to the point that I wouldn't wake up for days because of the blood lost. I was secretly scared of people. To be frightened of what they would do to me, to beat me, or to yell at me. I was searching for some purple or blue bruises from not remembering when the last time I was beaten by Cindy when I was interrupted by my thoughts when the young rude boy with big eye bags sighed really loudly. "Ugghh, how much longer do we have to be in here?" The young boy said quite loudly dropping his clay soldier from his crisscross sitting position landing on his dark brown short pants. "Miss Peregrine I think Enoch's right, they would have been back by now." This manly looking little girl had said. "Children Mr. Portman, Mr. Apiston, and Miss Bloom had to search the entire town. It will take a long time, we all have to have patients." She said smiling then dropping her smile shortly after. Everyone went to their own business afterwards. I could tell the headmistress was faking her smile, she was nervous too. She was afraid of their dangerous trip and hoped for a safe arrival. Then suddenly all three of them arrived. Emma swung open the door causing everyone to jump and the headmistress to jump up from her seat and to give Emma a hug. It was a long hug between the two before Hugh spoke, "We didn't find any wights on the island." he said taking off his coat. "Or any hollows." Abe finished as he was coming threw the door. Everyone was relieved to have Abe, Hugh, and Emma back safely, but also mostly to be free from the school room. I could tell everyone wasn't use to being stuck in the same room for a long time, but I was. I was still trying to get use of seeing so many people. "Alright Children you are excused to leave, but like I said we will all stay inside for a couples of days. Just to be safe." Miss Peregrine had said causing, who I assume, Enoch to push his way threw the door and leaving having the rest of the kids to shortly follow. Miss Peregrine was sort of like a mom figure, she just wanted everyone to be safe and I really liked that. My mother could have cared less of my safety and the headmistress being an over-protective "mom" it was really nice to me. Everyone had left the room except for me, I was to much into my thoughts. So much was happening to me and my life. It's like I had a new beginning of life and I knew for sure I wasn't going to mess up this one. I had a new home with many friends, I was bound to make a new me. A better self. I was the last in the room again, is it always going to be like this? Alone? The last one to get picked? I shook the feeling, I had been so negative lately I wasn't use to it. I always try to be confident and happy and to think positive, but it's hard when my mom would be so rude and tell me constantly I'm worthless. But I wasn't with her anymore, I was with a new mom and family. I starting to get up from one of the desk's chairs that I was sitting on when I had applied pressure on my left foot. There was pain and a lot of it, it was from stepping on something when I was in the forest. I squealed in pain saying "ouch" and then "the bloody hell" shortly after. I heard footsteps running to the room I was in a little after. Someone must had forgotten something. I assumed as I sat back down on the chair rubbing my left foot. "Are you alright?" I heard a British accent say. "Yeah, thank you, I'm quite...." I paused to find no one there, but a floating multi-colored of blue, green, and purple sweater vest, with a long white sleeve underneath, with dark blue pants, a hat, and shoes expecting to see a person. I was frighten, had someone been pulling a prank on me. "Hahah, don't be frightened, I am invisible." The voice said again. I stood up from the chair being frighten when I squealed again. "Ouch" I said out loud and holding my left foot. "Is something wrong with your foot?"
"Who are you?" I barked. "Oh, pardon me, I hadn't introduced myself I'm Nullings, Millard Nullings." He said sending his long right sleeve up in the air right in front of me. "Wait, your real? What are you?"
"Yes, and I'm like you, but only invisible. That's my peculiarity." He said lifting his arm up a little higher being obvious that he was waiting for me to shaking his hand. "Oh I'm Onie, Onie Brookes." I said accidentally grabbing his wrist instead of his hand, but fixing my gripping shortly after. "Sorry, um I...I justt...."
"It's quite alright miss." He said. What is this place?, I thought "The bird had sent me to run you a bath to clean up, but I started to run when I heard you squeal. Are you sure your foot is alright?" He said, I just nodded, but he didn't seem to believe me because he said after my bath he wanted to check my foot. I stood standing there watching his clothes move to the door. He looked to be around 16 or 17 by his clothes on his body, but he seemed older. He talked like he was older with respect and maturity. He then opened the door and held it open when he caught me studying him, like a book. "Are you going to follow?" He said, I again just nodded probably looking mad or frighten to death. I was walking incredibly slow, maybe there was something wrong with my foot? My left foot was hurting so bad with each step, I began to limp when I came to the doorway. Millard had noticed me limping and was about to say or do something by my guess, but stopped himself by his choice of movement. He then shut the door behind me and made his way around me to lead to the bathroom. I was watching his every move, how astonishing! He was actually invisible! I had to pinch myself over and over again before actually realizing that this WASN'T a dream and I was awake. I continued to walk, but it then processed to a limping walk threw the hallway, but I would start to push threw the pain when I walked pass each open door. But if no one was in their room or a door was shut I would fail and start to limp again. I didn't want to catch attention to myself, but if there was an invisible boy living here and no one cared, then maybe I was fine. Millard would stop every 2 or 3 feet to make sure I would be fine or wouldn't get lost around the house. The house was pretty big for the 15 people who lived here, there was a living space, bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom. There was probably more room, but I hadn't discovered nor been here long enough to find them yet. When Millard would stop here and there for me I felt bad. I hoped I wasn't wasting his time, but the headmistress did say he had too start me a bath, I guess. I wish I could see his face to see if he was annoyed or not, but I didn't think he was at least. He wouldn't grown or complain he would just lean his back against something like the wallpaper or a closed window or he would stand there patiently. He wouldn't either tell me to "hurry up" nor a "we don't have all day" so it was pretty nice not to rush and to relax. I was just glad that, that Enoch boy wasn't sent from the headmistress to run me a bath. Millard seemed to be really nice and I really wanted to be friends with him. Once we got to the bathroom, it had been about 10 minutes later. He held the door open for me to go first. "Miss Brookes." He said, holding the door with his right hand and putting his left arm up to show that he wanted me to go in the bathroom. I said a quick and soft thank you. The bathroom was slightly small for 15, but now 16 people. But it had what was needed like a tube, sink, and toilet. Everything in here was the same color, white. Except the tile on the floor which was brown, black, and white patterned tile, and the tube's outside was the same color brown as the tile on the floor. The wallpaper was a light grey color, smelling of freshly paint. The toilet was also really small and short, probably for the young ones to reach, I thought. There was also a stool, probably also for the young ones, and small mirror of a 15 x 15 above the sink and one light bulb in the middle of the ceiling with many unlit candles. Sitting on the toilet was a stack of clothes waiting with a weird shaped hair brush. "I see Emma has brought you some new clothes to wear, how nice." He said, putting his hands behind his back, "She was probably told by the bird." He finished. I just nodded. "Why was I brought new clothes?" I asked confused, the clothes I was wearing was fine. It was the best wardrobe I owned. "Well I think the bird wanted you to wear something a tad nicer." He said extending the word tad. "But where will my clothes go?" I ask. "They will be sent to be washed and sewed." He said, moving closer to the door. "Sewed?"
"There are two big holes in your shirt.....on the back." He said in the door way. "I will see you at supper and after, I will check your foot for open wounds. See you at supper Miss Brookes, oh and the bird said to take your time." He said door shutting the door behind him.