Another month had flown by.
For Emma's birthday, I had made her a painting of us together with some watercolors I had found. I had forgotten how much I missed painting.
Now it was December 2nd and I was panicking about what to get Enoch for his birthday, which was tomorrow! I couldn't think of anything to paint and there was nothing I owned that he would like. So I ran up to Miss Peregrine's room at the end of the hall and hesitantly knocked.
"Come in," she said in her usual calm tone.
"Hello Miss Peregrine," I said nervously, "I know it's a bit last minute but may I please go into the village today? It's Enochs birthday tomorrow and I have been in a frenzy trying to decide what to get him to make him."
"Very well," she said immediately to my surprise.
"Really?" I asked.
"I trust you June and along as you come home before dark and bring a friend with you it should be fine," she said, giving me a warm smile.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said jumping up and running out of her room.
"Wait June," she called out.
"Yes, Miss?" I asked.
"Pick a gift that's special to you because only then will it be special to him," she said.
I gave her a warm smile.
"The love guru trade is lucky to have you, Miss Peregrine," I said with a giggle as I shut the door. Before it closed I heard her laugh.
I went to look for Emma and as I peeked my head into the living room I found Horace instead, sitting at the piano.
"Hey Horace," I said joining him on the piano seat, "any new dreams I should know about?"
"I had one two nights ago, it concerns all of us really, but what I saw was a boy," he told me, "he had dark hair and blue eyes. There were also hollows in the dream."
"Oh no," I said darkly, the time was sooner than I expected, "anything else?"
"The boy, I saw flashes of him with us. He was in the garden with Emma, he was sitting with us at the dining table. I believe we'll meet him soon," he said.
"A new face can't be bad, I hope," I said.
"A good thing more like it," he said, "he's going to be very helpful in some way but I'm not quite sure how yet."
"Let me know if you see anything else," I said getting up.
"It's Enoch's birthday tomorrow," Horace reminded me, he had realized how close we'd grown.
"I know," I said excitedly, "I'm going into the village now to find him the perfect gift. Whatever you do, don't tell him."
Horace nodded giving me a secretive smile.
I found Emma in the garden and we quickly set off into the village.
"It has to be just right," I told her, "I don't want him pretending to like it."
"I'm sure we'll find something perfect," she said just as a branch behind us snapped and we quickly spun around.
"Who's there?" asked Emma, cautiously.
An imprint of footsteps appeared in the ground as Millard's voice came from the air.
"It's me, Millard," he announced, "I was feeling terribly bored and rather annoyed at aging another year in this monotonous loop so I decided to follow you."
"Oh right!" I said, "happy birthday Millard."
"Thanks," he replied unenthusiastically.
"I'm sure you'll enjoy your birthday when you get one of Miss Peregrine's delicious cupcakes tonight," said Emma.
"I suppose," he said with a sigh, "anyways, why are you to going to the village?"
"Uhhmm I- uh I just have to- uhh ," I stuttered. I hadn't gotten Millard anything for his birthday so I felt terrible telling him I was shopping for a gift for Enoch. After I had rejected him too.
"She's going to buy a gift for Enoch's birthday tomorrow," Emma said without hesitating.
"Oh," he said sadly.
"And- and a gift for you too, of course, but goshdarn now you'll know about it," I lied. Usually, my lies were convincing but this time it came out a little flat. It was enough to convince Millard though.
"I'll pretend to be surprised," he said joyfully, "I'll just stand outside the shop."
Now I had to find two perfect presents I thought dismally.
We entered the town and as usual, the civilians gave us a wide berth on the street. We passed a fishmonger and an inn named the Priests Hole. What an odd name for an inn, I thought. Finally, we came across an actual shop that sold all kinds of knickknacks.
I left Millard outside and Emma stayed with him to make sure he didn't follow me into the store secretly.
I entered as a little bell rang above the door.
"Welcome to Beryl's Boutique," an old lady announced. She had black hair that was going grey and a turquoise shawl wrapped around her neck with tacky big jewels on her rings.
"What can I help you with?" she asked, looking me up and down.
"It's my friend's birthday tomorrow and I'm trying to find the perfect present," I told her.
"Well, what does your friend like?" she asked, "jewelry, books, art, music?"
"Uhhh," I said, unsure of what to say since I couldn't exactly tell her that he enjoyed harvesting organs, "I'm not very sure, I want him to love the gift though. Any suggestions?"
"So it's a he?" she asked wagging her brows, "well, we have several items of men's clothing such as scarves, hats, shirts, and so on. We also have records for a phonograph if you own one of those, and we also have an assortment of books, cookbooks to biographies to classics."
"Hmmm," I said wandering the store. There were so many choices and I was quite indescive. I shut my eyes and spun in a circle and chose an object at random. What would make the gift perfect was not what it was but how it made me feel so choosing anything could work, I decided. I opened my eyes and saw what I had picked up.
It was a porcelain statue of a lion, its eyebrows were raised inquisitively and its face was much too human looking for a lion. I quickly set it down, it was too creepy to feel special.
Once more I shut my eyes and walked up to an object. I opened my eyes to find a mirror in my hand. I stared at the reflection of myself, my hair in waves framing my face. The back of the mirror was a coral color with gold embellishments. I doubted Enoch was the type to look at himself in the mirror for hours plus I could never afford it if it was real gold.
I shut my eyes again for the last time and walked in a different direction. This time the object I picked up was cold and smooth. I opened my eyes to find a beautiful brass heart-shaped pocket watch. The metal that wove around the watch grew warm as I held it in my palm. Its long chain moved around as I twisted the watch in my hand so I could see all of it. I felt in my chest a special connection to the pocket watch. It was a mix of Enoch and I, the heart for his powers and the watch for mine. It was perfect.
I was about to walk up to the counter to pay when I realized I hadn't picked a gift for Millard yet. I quickly glanced around the shop and my eyes landed on a bookshelf. A shiny new copy of Little Women lay there. It was a special 70-year edition with a hardback and beautiful illustrations.
I went over to the counter where Beryl stood who had given up trying to help me.
"Ah, the lovers pocket watch," she said picking it up, "and a copy of Little Women?" she asked.
"The books for another friend," I said.
She charged me and I paid with the money Miss Avocet had given me before I had left her loop. Beryl wrapped both the presents in polka-dotted gift wrap and handed them to me. Just before I shut the shop's door I heard her speak.
"What a strange girl," she muttered and I smiled to myself.
Outside I saw Emma waiting for me.
"So? Did you find it?" she asked, "the perfect gift?"
"I did," I said happily, then I turned to where I assumed Millard was standing, "I'll give you your gift at dinner."
"I'm quite excited," he said happily.
We set off back towards the house. As we passed the inn I heard a commotion as a boy ran out with several men chasing him. They called him a spy as he ran into an alleyway.
"How curious," I exclaimed, "let's intervene."
"Who was that?" asked Emma concerned.
"I have everything that goes on documented and that has never happened before," Millard said as we ran down the alleyway.
We saw the boy hurtling towards us, looking behind him so he did not spot us.
"I've got this handled," said Emma as she, to my surprise, drew a blade from her skirt. She caught the boy by the shoulder and pressed the knife against his neck. He pulled him around the corner so the men chasing him wouldn't see us.
"Wh- what's going on?" he asked, panicked.
"Who are you and who sent you?" Emma demanded.
I finally got a good look at him. He had dark hair and blue eyes, just like the boy Horace had described to me. Was this him?
"M- my name is Jacob," he said through heavy breathes from running.
"Show me your eyes," commanded Emma.
"My eyes?" he asked, widening them as much as he could.
"No not those fakes, your real eyes," she demanded. Emma thought he was a wight, I could tell her about Horace's dream but what was unfolding before me was very funny.
"These are my real eye!" he insisted.
"Well, who sent you?!" she asked.
"My grandfather," he stuttered, "his name is Abraham Portman."
"What?" asked Emma sharply, pressing the knife tighter against his throat. Her expression got angrier. This was the boy Emma had told me about, the one who she had been in love with but had left the loop. I could only imagine what she was feeling right now. "Your lying," she said angrily.
"Quick, in here," I said, the voices of the men got louder as we entered an empty house.
Emma left the boy on the floor by the armchair after tying his hands together. He slumped, his head falling limply onto the seat of the chair.
I cackled.
"Did he just faint?" I asked through my laughter.
"He's clearly pretending," said Emma, "after all he's a wight."
"Are you sure, Emma?" asked Millard, "he doesn't seem to know anything."
"It's just an act, he doesn't really know Abe," she said determinedly.
"He looks a lot like him," said Millard quietly.
"WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?" burst out Emma. Her shout stirred the boy, Jacob, and he woke up.
"Where am I?" he asked fearfully, "why is everything so old looking? Wait, what year is it?"
"See for yourself," I said as I pointed at a calendar on the wall.
"September 3rd, 1940," he said, "oh my god that means-"
"What?" Emma asked sharply, "what does it mean?"
"My grandpa told me to come to September 3rd, 1940 but I didn't realize-" he went quiet.
"Stop lying Abe is not your grandfather," Emma said.
"Wait," I said. I walked up to her and whispered in her ear, "Horace had a dream about him, I don't think he's a wight, I think he's really Abe's grandson," I told her.
"But if he's really his grandson then there would only be one reason for him to come alone," she whispered back solemnly.
I turned to face the boy again.
"My name Millard and this is Emma and June," Millard told him.
"Don't tell him our names!" said Emma.
"Don't listen to her," said Millard to Jacob, "she's a little paranoid."
"Wait- wait how can I not see you?" asked Jacob, "are you invisible?!"
"I'd be concerned if you could see me," replied Millard wittily, "I am invisible."
"Took you a while," I said to Jacob, Horace had first dreamt of him more than half a year ago.
"A while for what?" he asked.
"To get here silly," I said as I walked up to him.
"You were expecting me?" I asked.
"I was," I said, "I don't think they were though."
The voices of the men got close again.
"We have to get back to the house," said Millard.
"And take him with us?" asked Emma, disgusted by the idea.
"Don't worry Emma," I said soothingly, "we can trust him, he's not a wight."
"A what?" he asked, as he got up off the floor.
"All right, I have everything recorded," said Millard going through his notebook, "we need to step out right now."
"Are you crazy?" asked Emma, "they'll see us."
"Not unless something even more interesting happens," he said as he stepped outside.
Just as I left the building a cart passing the street bumped over a rock and all the hay it held flew out. Some of the hay landed on top of the men while others were too distracted by it to notice us.
"This way," said Millard as he grabbed my arm and I grabbed Emma's who grabbed Jacob's tied-up wrists.
"On here," declared Millard as another cart passed us. We climbed on and hid under all its merchandise. The cart bumped up and down on the rocky road and soon the sky was blocked out by the trees.
"That was genius," I told Millard.
"How did you know what was going to happen before it happened?" asked Jacob, "are you psychic as well as invisible?"
"Pfft," replied Millard, "just very studied up."
After a while, Millard told us to jump off the cart. In the distance, I saw the house.
Emma looked very upset and annoyed as she kept kicking at the rocks. We passed a giant log on the forest floor and she decided to take out all her anger on it as she summoned a flame and brought it down on the log and left it in cinders.
"WOAH," exclaimed Jacob, "how did you do that?"
"It's like Millard's invisibility," she grumbled, "I'm pyrokinetic."
"That is so cool," he said.
"It's actually not cool at all," she said.
"You know what I mean," he said, I knew he was from the present because of his American accent and the words he used.
"I would know if you spoke properly," she said annoyed.
He turned to me next.
"If he can turn invisible and she can make fire," he said pointing at Millard and Emma, "what can you do?"
"I'd tell you but I'm afraid I'll blow your mind," I said with a smirk.
"No no, I want to know," he said shaking his head, "my heads been blown several times already today, it can handle one more."
"Whatever you say," I said as I picked up a large branch from the floor and chucked it into the air. With a clap it froze.
"Wow," he said, "that is so awesome."
I snapped my fingers and the branch began falling back down very slowly, which earned me another praise from him.
"I can do that to people as well," I told him.
"So you could have frozen me just now and I wouldn't have known?" he asked.
"I guess so," I told him with a smile.
He shook his head in disbelief as we arrived at the house. All the children were gathered at the door, they all wanted to know who this strange American boy was that we had brought back with us.
"Top secret," said Millard.
"We're taking him to Miss Peregine," Emma told the children.
"Is he peculiar?" asked Olive.
"Is he going to stay?" asked Bronwyn.
"He looks a lot like-" said Horace.
We rushed past them all, heading to Miss Peregrine's study. Emma knocked sharply and was let in. Millard, Jacob, and I waited for her to finish explaining everything to Miss Peregrine.
"So Jacob," I started, "you saw all of our peculiarities, what's yours?"
"I'm not like any of you," he said, "I can't do anything like making fire or stopping time or being invisible."
"But you must be able to," I insisted.
"June's correct," said Millard, "only peculiar can enter loops, a loop is what you're in right now."
"A loop? So like time traveling to the past?" he asked.
"No, a loop is here, where the same day repeats itself forever," Millard explained.
"So it's always September third?" Jacob asked cluelessly. How did he know so little when his grandfather was a peculiar, I wondered.
"Well it's September second for a little bit but yes," I told him, "how come you don't know any of this?"
"It is certainly odd that you know barely anything," piped in Millard.
"How would I know-" began Jacob but he was interrupted as Miss Peregrine's door was slammed open by a very angry Emma.
"Come in," she said.
Jacob walked in and we followed close behind.
"Oh my, what's this?" asked Miss Peregrine, "why have you bound his wrists together? Release him this instant."
"But Miss," whined Emma, "he could be a wight."
"I don't know what these wight things are but I'm not one of them," Jacob said.
"He is indeed not," said Miss Peregrine sternly, "untie his wrists."
Emma sulkily untied his wrists.
"Now everyone who isn't Jacob or I may leave my study," she declared.
"But-" said Emma.
"No buts, everyone out," interrupted Miss Peregrine.
I walked out but I could tell neither Emma nor Millard followed me. A few moments after the doors shut I heard Millard babbling some excuse for still being inside and the door opened as he came out.
"Got caught?" I asked.
"Sadly," he said.
"Don't worry Emma's still in there and I refuse to leave without any information," I told him.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
I grinned mischievously.
"I believe you've forgotten my abilities," I said as I clapped my hands. It was more difficult to freeze Miss Peregrine and Jacob as I couldn't see them but I pinpointed where they were in the room and clapped. I also froze Millard and Emma, they didn't have to know where I was I decided.
Four people were a lot of people to freeze though and it required immense concentration. I pushed the door open and found a spot to hide behind a large cabinet. I clapped again and everything unfroze.
Their conversation was a long one, they discussed more about how the loop works and peculiarities. They discussed how he had gotten here and Jacob told Miss Peregrine that he had come to Cairnholm with his father who was still on the present-day island. Finally, they reached the topic of his grandfather, Abe. I prayed that he was still alive because or else Emma would be absolutely crushed.
"Your grandfather, Abraham," Miss Peregrine said, "he used to live in this loop before he left to fight in the war."
"Yeah he's the one who sent me," said Jacob quietly.
"Where is he?"
"Well- he- he was getting old and his senses weren't as good as they used to be and- and he ran into the woods-," Jacob stuttered, I could tell he was trying to hold in tears, "he- he was attacked by a pack of wild dogs...
he's dead."
Oh poor poor Emma, and poor poor Jacob, I thought.
I heard a sob from the cupboard across the room.
"Ms. Bloom?" called out Miss Peregrine.
Emma burst out of the closet and ran out of the room before Miss Peregrine could chastise her for following. I decided it would be best I left before she caught me.
The last thing I heard them say before I froze time was...
"But I'm not peculiar."
"Oh no you are peculiar, you're just like your grandfather."
I clapped my hands.
Hello! Thank you for 400 views! Also, you may notice that this isn't exactly how they met Jacob in the book but I didn't want to copy Ransom Riggs so I changed it up! I hope you liked it and if you did vote and even comment if you want to.
- Elle