"You're here for a reason – and it's not to fail and die." {Emma Bloom, pg 46 book 2}
They found a sea cave to drag the boats into, Bronwyn had used all her strength rowing the boat and could hardly manage to carry herself so the others all pitched in and pulled the boats with all their might. Halfway across Miss Peregrine let out a warning cry as two zeppelins bobbed over the dunes and into their line of sight. The adrenaline that coursed through them was enough to finish the job with the boats.
They all crouched in the sea cave wheezing and muscles throbbing. Emma kept whispering, "Please, please let them not have seen us."
"Ah, bird! Our tracks!" Millard shot up in realization. He stripped off what he was wearing, handing Aurora his jacket which she put on for warmth, and scrambled back outside to cover the drag marks and footprints they'd made. Aurora watched the cave entrance waiting for him to come back, his exiting footsteps the only sign of him now. Fiona scooched over to where Aurora was and rubbed her arm, "If anyone else had ventured out they'd be seen for sure, Millard knows how to use his peculiarity, he'll be fine."
A minute later –a very long minute for Aurora – he came back, shivering and caked in sand, "They're getting close now. I did the best I could." Aurora ushered him to sit next to her again and she wrapped her arms around his middle trying to get his shivering to stop.
Then they heard it, the engines of the zeppelins, getting louder and louder until the sound echoed through the cave amplifying it and making it seem like the wights were right on top of them. Emma leaned into Jake, the twins covered their ears and put their faces in their laps, Aurora hugged Millard tighter and he put his arm around her rubbing her back in comfort and to alleviate his own anxiety. Despite their peculiar powers they all felt utterly powerless, sitting together all hunched with bated breath waiting to live or die.
After what seemed like an eternity the engine's whine began to fade. Claire shook and with tears in her eyes asked to be read a Tale, Olive explained that this was no time for stories. The little girl sniffled and turned to Miss Peregrine, who had perched herself on one of the boats.
"What are we to do headmistress? Please turn human again, we're lost and in danger and getting increasingly peckish and we've got no home anymore, we need you!"
"She can't turn back right now." Bronwyn said moving next to Claire and putting her arm around her.
"But we'll get her fixed up." Fiona said hopefully.
"How?" Claire sobbed.
"I'll tell you how." Emma said standing up, "We'll walk. We'll walk and walk until we come to a town."
"What if there's no town for fifty kilometers?" Enoch asked, always the skeptic.
"Then we'll walk for fifty-one kilometers!"
"And if the wights spot us from the air?" Hugh asked from his spot beside Fiona, just close enough to her that their fingers touched.
"They won't. We'll be careful."
"And if they're waiting for us in the town?" Horace asked.
"We'll pretend to be normal. We'll pass."
"I was never much good at that." Millard said with a small laugh.
"You won't be seen at all, Mill. You'll be our advance scout, and our secret procurer of necessary items."
"I am quite a talented thief." He said with a touch of pride, "A veritable master of the five-fingered arts."
"The best." Aurora said smiling and kissing his cheek.
"And then? We'll still be out in the open exposed and vulnerable, entirely loopless." Enoch continued.
"We'll find a loop somehow, and an ymbryne who can help Miss Peregrine. There's clues everywhere when you know what to look for." Emma said with confidence.
"You make a nice rousing speech." Millard commented, "and I hate to spoil it, but for all we know, Miss Peregrine is the only ymbryne left uncaptured. Recall what Miss Avocet told us, the wights have been raiding loops and abducting ymbrynes for weeks now. Which means that even if we find a loop there's no way of knowing whether it still has its ymbryne, or is occupied by our enemies."
"Or surrounded by half starved hollows." Enoch added.
"Yes there is." Emma said smiling, "We have Jake." She said turning her glowing smile to him. But Jake looked unsure, Aurora knew Abe's legacy and knew it was a lot to put on his shoulders. But this was their hour of need, and Jake had become a part of their family, she knew in her heart that when push came to shove he'd have the same fight in him that Abe had.
"When they're close it kind of feels like I'm going to puke." He admitted with a shrug.
"How close do they have to be?" Millard asked, "If it's only a few meters that still puts us within devouring range. We'd need you to sense them from much farther away."
"I haven't exactly tested it. This is all so new to me."
"Regardless, your talent can be developed." Millard continued. "Peculiarities are a bit like muscles – the more you exercise them, the bigger they grow."
"I was the same way at first." Aurora added, "In the beginning I healed subconsciously, then after a while I could do it at will if I concentrated enough and as I practiced I could begin to do it without thinking, I would just will something to heal, then I could heal larger wounds in a shorter amount of time."
"This is madness!" Enoch shouted, "Are you all really so desperate that you'd stake everything on him? I'll admit the plan at Blackpool was clever but I'm not about to risk my skin on a peculiarity he's just discovered and has no idea the difference between sensing a hollow at fifty meters and gas pains!"
Jake stayed quiet, Enoch voicing the doubts that surely weren't helping but Emma was getting angry, "You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Whatever you thought of Abe this boy isn't him."
"You're right." Jake told Enoch standing up, "I'm not my grandfather." He started making his way out of the cave, when Emma tried to stop him he muttered, "I need some air." And pushed passed her. It didn't stop her from running after him though.
"If we're lucky he'll swim back to America." Enoch grumbled.
oOo oOo oOo
Millard's shaking had stopped and the sand that had clung to his skin dried enough to brush most of it off. He'd put his clothes back on for warmth, leaving his shirt unbuttoned and his suspenders hanging at his side so he could strip in an emergency. Aurora was leaning against him, his arm around her as she listened to his heartbeat. She felt his lips in her hair and he whispered in her ear.
"Do you remember that night in the hayloft?"
It had been after they left France and they were making their way toward Cairnholm where Millard had told her his loop was located. They had bunkered down for the night in an old barn, climbed its rickety latter and nestled in the soft hay. Their clothes were dirty from constant wear and as the nights grew colder Millard had offered his jacket to Aurora to keep her warm. It was about a size too big for her and hung loosely from her frame but she didn't mind, it was warm and smelt like Millard and was comfortable to snuggle in.
Together they sat in the hayloft and from her bag Aurora pulled out a stale loaf of bread, some apples, and a mason jar of still warm-off-the-stove broth Millard had been able to nick earlier that evening. They enjoyed their small dinner in silence, dipping the hard bread into the broth to soften it before taking large bites. When their bellies were full Aurora nestled herself in Millard's lap as they looked out the loft door at the stars. It didn't take long for the pair to take advantage of the moment and Millard pressed his back to a hay bail as Aurora straddled his lap and they kissed.
After many long minutes their kissing had become quite passionate but their sweet moment was interrupted by a loud BOOM! Startled Aurora pulled away from Millard and sat up, they both turned to the open loft door and saw far in the distance bright orange light illuminate the town on the horizon. There was the sound of multiple engines roaring as planes flew overhead dropping bombs on the unsuspecting townsfolk.
"Should we move to the cellar below?" Aurora asked him with worry.
"It wouldn't matter." Millard said calmly, knowing anything less than a bunker wouldn't protect them should the planes target the farm.
"How are you so calm?" she asked, her voice shaking.
Millard took a moment to collect his thoughts as another bomb fell with another loud BOOM making Aurora jump in fright.
"I just think that if fate wanted us dead then the hollow would have killed us months ago. Instead Abe showed up just in time, I hardly think that's coincidence."
"I thought you were too logical to believe in fate."
"Normally I am." He agreed, "There's just something – "he trailed off thinking it might sound silly.
"What?" Aurora pressed.
"I just think that fate has a plan."
"For us?"
"For you." He corrected.
"Me?"
"With your peculiarity. The gift of healing, I truly believe you're meant to do something great with it."
oOo oOo oOo
The next morning Aurora woke with her limbs all tangled up with Millard's. Once she was able to break free of his grip she tried her best to work her fingers through her hair so she wouldn't attract unwanted attention when they passed through town. Millard, who had woken up shortly after her, told her not to worry she looked fine.
"I'm a mess." Aurora scoffed, careful not to talk in his direction, knowing her breath (and other smells) couldn't be good first thing in the morning after several days without proper access to a bathroom.
"Beauty is measured by more than appearance." Millard told her from his place in the hay, "Your soul is beautiful no matter how you look on the outside."
oOo oOo oOo
Later that day Millard surprised her when he pulled from his pocket a key to one of the rooms at the local inn.
"We should have a few hours before the manager realizes its missing." he told her.
"Millard, you little thief." Aurora scolded in a playful tone.
"Well, do you trust this thief enough to share a room with him?" he asked in the same playful manner.
"Depends."
"On?" he inquired.
"If that thief is going to steal my clothes while I bathe."
Aurora smiled at the memory, her face heating up with her blush. She nodded against Millard's chest but before she could reply there was a loud voice outside shouting, "STOP! DO NOT RUN!"
Everyone shot up in fear as Emma and Jake burst into the cave. Olive scooped up Miss Peregrine, the others grabbed the few things they still had and they ran out of the cave.