Echolocation (Enoch O'Connor / mphfpc fanfic)

Chapter 4 - Something about Rosemary

Dinner came and went quickly. The only event that took place was when Enoch traded places with Emma to get further away from me. Although it just confused me even more, I just let it go.

After dinner was over, we all resigned to a rather large parlor that had a few couches and chairs to sit on. Emma and I sat on one of the couches, with Claire taking her usual spot on my lap.

I had begun to observe the differences in everyone's echos. Claire had an echo that represented her capricious nature, it shines bright pink when I touched her, whereas Emma's echo was a dark crimson that emanated her personal strength.

Everyone else seemed to have taken places on the floor. Fiona, Olive, and Bronwyn all sat together while Victor, Hugh, Enoch, and Millard all sat together. Horace took his place in a chair that faced the far wall of the room and held a projector for him to show his dreams with. Everyone was chattering and laughing while we waited for Miss Peregrine to join us.

When Miss Peregrine finally walked in about 5 minutes later, she took a seat, grabbing a book and motioned for Horace to begin his "projections."

Horace wore a monocle, and when he held it against the projector, it showed his dreams.

His first dream showed him admiring himself in the mirror. He appeared to be wearing a new tux, with shiny shoes and a green pocket square. In the dream, he did a slow spin and then said:

"A fine, fabric indeed." He grinned from ear to ear.

Emma leaned over and whispered in my ear,

"Horace often dreams of his wardrobe, He takes great pride in it." At that, I giggled, and so did she.

The room became eerily silent when the next projection began. I looked up at the wall to see myself facing a door, with dark green light spilling from under the door and into the hallway. My veins appeared to be glowing and sparkling with a thousand different colors. The projection then showed me knocking on the door, and then walking in; the room was filled with hundreds of jars containing different sized hearts. The projection abruptly ended. Everyone stayed silent.

Suddenly the entire room erupted with laughter; others began to whisper. It appeared everyone knew something that I didn't. I felt someone glaring at me, I started looking around the room, trying to find the source of the negative feeling when my heart sank in realization and embarrassment. It was Enoch.

Enoch swiftly got up without a sound and left the room with both of his cheeks a dark crimson color. My cheeks began growing hot as well, and I gently moved Claire off of my lap, I too left the room.

I was determined to end this, once and for all.

•//////•

Enoch was quick in his exit from the parlor. Had I not heard the back door swinging shut I would not have been able to find him. I chased after him, down the stairs and straight into the gardens.

I never lost sight of him as I followed him out into the gardens. Finally, he stopped and just stood there. He heard my approach and sharply turned around to face me, his face said it all before he even opened his mouth.

"What were you doing in my room?" He asked, clearly angry and confused.

"You seem to forget that Horace predicts the FUTURE, not the past. I haven't been in your room. What is your issue?" I retorted, crossing my arms.

He let out a heavy sigh and then continued walking down the path. I stood where I was holding my ground with impatience. He was gone for almost a minute, and I was preparing to turn back and go back to the house when I heard him say:

"Well, you've followed me out this far, you might as well just come here." He shouted- angrily, might I add.

I was Sufficiently intrigued and equally pissed off, I continued on the path until I found him sitting at the base of a large Elm tree. I accompanied him, and we sat in silence for a few minutes. In those few minutes, I studied him. He had dark, curly brown hair, and warmest brown eyes I had ever seen. His cheeks remained a rosy pink color, and his face softened before he finally said:

"Look, I'm sorry for my previous behavior. Don't take it personally, but I'm not a people person. I find myself enjoying the company of those that are dead, more than those that are living. Call me a freak already, everyone else does." He sighed, seeming to look for pity from me. But I knew all too well, his act wasn't holding up.

"We both know that is a lie." I angrily said. "I saw you laughing and talking with Victor and Hugh, so clearly you aren't usually this stuck up." I crossed my arms and turned away from him.

"Ok fine, I lied-" I cut him off.

"Clearly, you did. Now please tell me what I am doing that makes you act like such an arse becau-"

"Would you let me bloody finish?! Jesus Christ. I get it, I lied. Look, do you really wanna know why I'm as rude as I am? I'll tell you why; I don't like you, ok? I was just trying to spare your feelings, but since you seem so set on annoying the bloody hell out of me, I might as well just say it to your face. Now, if you're done interrogating me, can you just leave me alone?!" He finished with a huff.

"Fine. If that's what you really want, then I'll leave you alone." I stood up, brushing myself off, and I then sprinted back to the house, with tears welling in my eyes. Asking myself the question:

"What did I do that made him hate me in the first place?"

•//////•

• Enoch's P.O.V •

After she left, I suddenly felt a pang of regret throughout my body. 'Why did I do that?' I asked myself. I leaned back against the tree. She didn't deserve such hatred, but it was for her own good. She just seems too kind to want to be around me. I'm not the kind of person a girl like her would want to be friends with anyway.

I began rationalizing it all. 'I'm weird. I scare people with my peculiarity, and had I not done what I just did, I would have ended up either hurting her or scaring her, just like every other person I meet. She deserves better people in her life.' I kept repeating this in my head until I genuinely believed it, though, I know that I didn't believe it.

I stayed under the giant oak tree until the air raids began. I then quietly snuck into the house and up to my bedroom, and after an hour of thinking things over, I decided the do something crazy. Something I knew I was going to regret later.

"Dear Rosemary,

I'm sorry for being so rude. You did not deserve all of the hateful things I said to you tonight, and I was wrong in saying them. I hope you can forgive me and possibly give me another chance to make it up to you. And if you're willing to, maybe we could even be friends...

Best,

Enoch"

I stuffed the letter into a small envelope and walked over to her bedroom door, I quietly opened it and peered in. The room was empty. I placed the letter on her desk and went back to my room.

After laying down, I realized that maybe I shouldn't have done that. I never would have done that for anyone else, but there was something about Rosemary that just told me that I should. I guess only time will tell if my decision was a good one.

(Hello! Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for chapter 5 to find out how Rosemary responds to the letter, until then goodbye! XOXO - IlliterateIguana)