Scorched Earth: The Prequel to Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children (editing)

Chapter Five

July 25, 1930

The past week had been filled with small adventures for me. I couldn't do much because I needed to recover, but with Alma LeFay Peregrine I was already healing much faster than I ever had before.

After we woke up in the forest she took me back to Dublin where she bought a cheap hotel room and started taking care of me. Up until that point I was too tired to ask questions, but as soon as I started regaining my strength, they came pouring out of my mouth. Prior to coming to the hotel, she had asked me some questions herself.

The first was my name. "Amelia de Priondragas," I had told her. She smiled at me and told me I had a lovely name. Honestly I was more curious about who she was and where she came from and why she rescued me.

"You're from England," was the first thing I blurted as we settled in the small hotel room and she began running bath water.

"Yes," she replied as she turned the water off and I shed my filthy ash covered clothes before stepping into the water. She tied my hair up and took a sponge soaked with water and ran it along my back and arms, being extra careful with my recently stitched lion claw wound and my broken ribs. She was so gentle I didn't know it was possible to be so comfortable while in so much pain. She hadn't even bothered to change her own clothes or clean the cut on her face. A purple splotch surrounded her left eye and it was quite swollen.

"You were bleeding," I stated. She obviously knew this. She just continued to soap the sponge and clean me. "Yes," she said without looking up.

"Who are you?" I asked again just as I had the night before. She gave me the strongest smile she could produce at the moment and let down my hair so she could wash it.

"I'm Miss Peregrine to you. I'm going to take care of you from now on," she told me and took the shower head to rinse out my hair and condition it.

"Where do you come from?" I knew the answer to this too.

"I was born in Cornwall, England, but that's not where I grew up."

Miss Peregrine finished washing my hair and rinsed it before helping me out of the tub and wrapping me in towels. She led me out of the bathroom to the small bed that sat in the middle of the room. A shirt that was most definitely too big waited for me. Miss Peregrine apologized and told me it was all she could give me at the moment, and she'd go find something for me later while I rested. I didn't mind. In fact I was just glad that I could have something clean to put on. I smiled for her and tried to show that I was thankful for what little she could give me. She then insisted I lay down for the rest of the day.

"Why did you save me?" I finally questioned her. She took a seat on the bed next to me. She looked rather sad now instead of serious and concerned.

"Because it's my duty," she answered.

"But you don't even know me."

"You're right. But I know what you are. I know that you can move things with your mind."

I slowly backed up against the headboard as fear washed over me once again. The last time someone found out about my mind powers I was put in a pit with a lion. Miss Peregrine's expression softened even more.

"Relax, Amelia. I'm not going to hurt you or sell you off to circus clowns. I'm just like you."

"You are?" My eyes widened and she laughed lightly.

"Oh yes. I can turn into a bird."

"Wow, you can?"

"Yes. Maybe I'll show you later. But for now you need to rest. Go to sleep and I'll return with better clothes and dinner," she disappeared into the bathroom and cleaned up her face and braiding her black hair in such a way that it hid the cut on the side of her head. Soon after she left I drifted into an easy and comforted slumber, dreaming of birds and such things.