manipulate // enoch o'connor

09 // the talk

MISS PEREGRINE HAD CLARA INSIDE HER OFFICE. Clara knew she focused more on Jake Portman than her, but she felt as if Miss Peregrine knew she was up to something bad. Clara sat down on the chair across Miss Peregrine, facing the ymbryne. "So, Miss Prescott, how is your stay at my home? Has anyone done something to you? Do tell. I'm concerned for your well-being because of the past you've spoken about. My dear, I am very sorry about what has happened to you."

Clara's heart felt as if it ripped apart. Most of her previous ymbryne were kindhearted, but Miss Peregrine was the most kindhearted one yet, she seemed intimidating at first yet she was concerned about Clara's well-being.  She's suddenly doubted her said loyalty to Barron. She gulped, "My stay.. So far, uh, It's lovely. You have a lovely home. I've already found comfort here yet something.. Never mind."

"What troubles you?" The ymbryne asked, looking at her. 

"I know I shouldn't... But since I ran away, I wrote a letter to my former ymbryne. I figured I needed to give her a note, to tell her I'm safe. I stayed inside Enoch's room because I didn't want to leave him sick, and when I came back, just this morning.. I found the letter I wrote, already out of its envelope. Someone has been inside my room without my permission. I don't want to blame anyone, but my peculiarity showed me that they were there. I trust my peculiarity more than myself."

"Tell me, Miss Prescott, how?" Miss Peregrine questioned her, "How do you know?"

"I used to practice my peculiarity with different situations. My former ymbryne helped me with controlling it. She taught me everything I know now."

Miss Peregrine nodded, "Who was it? The one sneaking inside your room?" 

"Emma and Olive." 

✧ ✧ ✧

"ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS," Miss Peregrine said exasperatedly, facing both Emma Bloom and Olive Elephanta, "You made our new peculiar feel unsafe with what you did, What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"Miss, I overheard Enoch telling you he's suspicious of her," Emma defended, "What if he's right? What if she's not who she says she is? You trust her word more than ours? You believe her, more than us?" 

"She has shown many potentials of being powerful. We need her, she might be a big help to us, especially the threat of Barron, in which, I know both of you know," Emma and Olive nodded. "She could be our weapon against him. Which is why, we need to be careful with what we do around her."

Olive burst out into tears, "W-we didn't me-ean to!" She sobbed, "I saw her with Enoch.. I was just jealous. I never intended to go this far. Please don't tell her that! I just.. I just love Enoch too much!" She leaned over to Emma to cry some more.

"Oh dear. Miss Elephanta, it's alright. No need to cry." Miss Peregrine tried to comfort her, "Very well. I would like you to apologize to her."

✧ ✧ ✧

ENOCH WAS FEELING BETTER TODAY. He went back to his usual chores and tasks. While carrying a handful of jars of hearts, Clara checked on him. Enoch's attention was always the one hardest to catch, but to Clara, it was different. "You feeling better, Enoch?"

He glanced at her, "Yes. Thank you, Clara." Clara's eyes widened in surprise, but smiled, "Wow, that's a first. It was always Prescott, or bitch, right?" He remembered bidding her good night using her first name, but she didn't. 

"The bitch was one time." Enoch chuckled, but immediately flustered and stopped. Why was he feeling like this? Like, uneasy?  Clara laughed, she must have noticed his sudden change of reaction. 

"Forget it, it was a rhetorical question anyway." Enoch wanted to say something but he saw Olive and Emma approaching them. Emma smiled at the both of them, "Why, good morning, Enoch. Feeling better?"

"Yes." Was his only response. Enoch saw Olive staring at him and rolled his eyes. 

"I-- uh, did something happen between you two last night?" Olive asked, her eyes filled with worry. Enoch left no emotion but Clara gave her a disgusted look.

"No." Enoch answered, before Clara could even burst out. "And if there were, I doubt it would be any of your business." He scoffed. 

"Listen, Prescott," Emma started, "We're here because Miss Peregrine asked us to apologize. For what we did last night." She gave Clara a sheepish smile. It looked fake to Enoch, but Clara seems to accept.

"It's alright. It was just alarming." What was? Enoch thought, then he asked, "What did both of you do last night?" Out of sheer curiosity. He was one who was not always curious, but this time, for the first time in a while, he was.

"We-- We.." Olive stammered, she sulked and looked down, avoiding his gaze. He turned to look at Emma, who gave him a sharp, piercing look. Without blinking, she said, "We went inside Clara's room without her permission. I overheard you were suspicious of her and yet, here you are, sleeping with the new peculiar. Is that how you'd like to fill the void within you, Enoch?"

"Emma!" Olive exclaimed, giving the blonde a dirty look, "You're being rude to him!"

She looked at her, "And? He's being rude. A bit unfair, don't you think? Just because you love him doesn't mean he can treat you like garbage." 

"Can both of you stop attacking each other?" Clara said, sounding exasperated, she turned to Emma, "You were here to apologize, right? I've accepted it. Leave him be, yeah?" 

"I don't need protecting, Prescott." Actually, he was starting to think about what Emma said to him earlier, leaving him speechless. "Get back to your chores. The next time you hear something from me, don't go on making conclusions by yourself and go straight to me. You rely on my word too much, I may be wrong, don't you think that?" 

"You're wrong, I don't rely on your word, not at all." Emma scoffed.

"Bloom, did you just admit it was an excuse to fucking barge into my room like that, reading the letters I write and wearing the clothes you gave me? What, you want them back?" Enoch was not surprise of Clara's outburst. She was hot-headed and ill-tempered, based on his assumptions. He was right. Sarcasm dripped around her words, and he knew, she didn't like the sudden actions Emma and Olive took by their own hands.

"I never wore anything from the clothes I gave you!" Emma answered back, offended. "All I gave you was the ones that never catch my eye. Suits you, because you," She walked forward to her,  "don't," She placed her hand in the middle of Clara's chest, "catch my attention." She pushed her back. Clara wasn't able to manage her balance and fell. 

"The next time," Enoch knew she was mocking her, "you say bullshit like that, I'm going to have you get more chores than usual. Got it?" Clara only nodded, and avoided her gaze.