". . but making that man look stupid felt good, didn't it?" {Horace Somnusson, pg 158 book 2}
Nine horses were rounded up and nine Gypsy riders – one for each of us. Bekhir said that horses would get us to town faster than a caravan of wagons would. Aurora approached a horse with different patches of tan and white coloring its coat, she held out her hand flat, palm up while the horse sniffed her. Then it nuzzled against her hand and she took that as a sign to pet it, carefully avoiding the eyes she gently stroked up and down it's long face. She hadn't been near a horse since she was a little girl long before the war had started. She looked over and saw Millard by a chestnut brown horse with a white stripe going from between its eyes down to its nose. The gypsy riding it made sure the horse was calm enough for Millard to get on, not wanting the horse to startle at the invisible boy. He hopped up easily, like he'd been riding everyday of his life. Aurora realized she was staring and quickly brought her attention back to the horse in front of her.
When they were all mounted one gypsy yelled, "Giddyap!" and they were off at full gallop. Bekhir led the pack with Radi riding behind him in the saddle; his back was straight and arms at his sides, confident and unafraid – much unlike Jacob who was already bear-hugging the gypsy controlling his horse. But Radi, he was so different from last night, he was in his element, among his people.
Eventually they slowed to a trot when they had left the forests and entered wide open fields. They were about to descend into a valley where a town sat in the middle no bigger than a postage stamp. Aurora could see puffs of white further in the distance making a dotted line headed for the town – a train. They continued until they were almost at the gates of the town, then Bekhir stopped.
"This is as far as we go. We're not much welcome in towns. You don't want the sort of attention we'd draw." He explained and they all dismounted. Just as they were about to go into town Radi jumped off his father's horse and cried,
"Wait! Take me with you!"
"I thought you were going to talk to him." Emma said turning to Millard.
"I did." He replied as Radi pulled a knapsack from the saddlebag, packed and ready to go.
"I can cook and chop wood and ride a horse and tie all sorts of knots!"
"Someone give him a merit badge." Enoch muttered earning an elbow to the gut from Olive who was looking at Radi with big sad eyes.
"I'm afraid it's impossible." Emma said to him gently.
"But I'm like you – and becoming more so all the time! Look what's happening to me!" he shouted unbuckling and dropping his trousers.
"Keep your pants on you depraved lunatic!" Enoch shouted covering Olive's eyes, but there was nothing to see. Now it wasn't only his feet, he was invisible from the waist down.
"Look how much I've disappeared since yesterday." Radi said, his voice shaking with panic, "Soon I'll be gone altogether!"
"If circumstances were different, we'd welcome you with open arms." Emma said trying to let him down gently. Radi still looked heartbroken, his knapsack falling from his shoulder and into the dirt. "But as it stands, our entire civilization and way of life are in danger of being snuffed out. So it's rather bad timing you see."
"It isn't fair. Why couldn't I have started disappearing ages ago? Why did it have to happen now?"
"Every peculiars ability manifests in it's own time. Some in infancy, others not until they're quite old. I once heard of a man who didn't realize he could levitate objects with his mind until he was ninety-two years of age." Millard explained visible to the others thanks to the coat and boots he now wore in addition to the fresh shirt and trousers he had on last night. He approached Radi and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"What does your father think about all of this?"
"Naturally, we don't want him to go." Bekhir said, "But how can we properly care for our son if we can't even see him? He wants to leave – and I wonder if perhaps he'd be better off among his own kind."
"Do you love him?" Millard asked.
Radi's father paused and Aurora had to keep from rolling her eyes. What was it with men not wanting to express their feelings? What about it made them feel unmanly? If anything showing your love, your passion for the things you care for should be something others should envy. Aurora was glad Millard always told her what he felt, the good and the bad. It took a moment but Bekhir finally answered.
"Of course. He's my child."
"Then you are his kind. The boy belongs with you not us." Millard said.
Bekhir obviously did not want to show much emotion in front of his men but Aurora could see it in his eyes, the idea of his son leaving hurt and he knew this would be a struggle but his love for his son wouldn't change.
"Come on, then. Pick up your bag and let's go. Your mother'll have tea waiting."
"All right, Papa." Radi replied.
""You'll be fine." Millard assured him, "Better than fine. And when this is all over, I'll look for you. There are more like us out there, and we'll find them one day, together."
"Promise?" Radi asked his eyes lighting up with hope.
"I do."
Radi then hugged Millard before climbing back on the horse. Then they all turned and made their way to the gates of the town.
oOo oOo oOo
It was called Coal and Aurora assumed it was the town's main export seeing how the stuff was everywhere, even smeared on the clothes and faces of the dreary people who lingered about the streets and doorways.
"Quickly now. No talking. Eyes down." Emma said as they made their way through the town. This was nothing new to Aurora or the other peculiars, eye contact always led to conversation and conversations led to questions and to peculiar children there was nothing worse than answering questions from normal people.
When they reached the train depot Aurora was surprised by how small it was, there was just a small ticket booth with one man sitting inside sleeping while his glasses slid slowly down his nose.
"Nine tickets to London!" Emma said as she knocked on the window to wake the man.
"So sorry, the train is full." He said taking his glasses and wiping them with a cloth from his pocket. Given that there were no people around Aurora could tell the man was simply against letting a group of un-chaperoned children, who looked like they'd been wandering the countryside, buy themselves tickets to a major city in the midst of a war.
"That's absurd!" Emma complained stomping her heavy lead shoe.
"Well there is a war on you know, and there are more important things to be hauled about the majesty's countryside than children."
As he spoke a train rolled into the station and the conductor yelled, "Eight-thirty to London! All aboard!"
A man in a grey suit pushed past them and handed the clerk some money and received a ticket before hurrying off toward the train.
"You said it was full!" Olive shouted, "You can't do that!"
"That gentleman bought a first class ticket. Now be gone with you pestilent little beggars. Go find pockets to pick somewhere else!"
Then Horace stepped up to the ticket counter, "Beggars by definition, do not carry large sums of money." He said slapping a fat wad of bills down in front of the man. "If it's first class tickets your selling then it's first class tickets we'll have!"
The clerk looked shocked and wiped his glasses clean again making sure he was seeing correctly, "Why this is enough to buy seats to an entire first class car!"
"Then give us an entire car!"
"Yes sir. Sorry sir. Right away sir." the clerk mumbled still in shock as he passed Horace their tickets. As they made their way to the train Aurora noticed a sign on the ticket booth that read NO ANIMALS and tapped Bronwyn. The girl took one look at the sign and moved Miss Peregrine from the crook of her shoulder into her large trunk.
"Ever so sorry ma'am." She whispered before shutting the lid and following their group. The train had started to pull out of the station so they all hurried as best they could. Luckily it was just inching along but with each turn of its wheels it sped up a bit more. They were able to run up to the door to a first class car, Jake pulled it open and Bronwyn pushed her trunk inside but before any of them could get on a voice behind them shouted, "Stop! Get away from there!"
"I swear, "Enoch complained still keeping pace with the train, "if one more person tries to stop us from getting on this train. – " he was cut off by a gunshot ringing out and the voice bellowed again, "I said STOP!"