{Pic is mine}
{ Edited - 3rd Nov, 2020 }
{ Edited - 25th April, 2024 }
Everything was peaceful and hushed as the white glow vanished, revealing that I had somehow ended up in Miss Peregrine's room.
What the heck am I doing here?
How did I end up here?
What time is it?
When did this happen?
Does Miss Peregrine know I'm in here?
I was so disoriented at first, but then a chilling thought crossed my mind - what if I sleepwalked here? I have to leave before Miss Peregrine walks in! I swiftly sat up and spotted Miss Peregrine at the foot of the bed. I felt my soul left my body. "M-MISS PEREGRINE?!" I shouted in surprise. Not gonna lie, it felt weird saying that. I swiftly moved away from her bed and retreated a couple of feet, causing me to trip backwards, but I quickly regained my footing.
"Please, accept my apologies," she said. "I should have better prepared you," she said.
"What?" I said, confused.
"It appears that you have fainted right at the beginning of the transition. I believe this may be due to the physical strain of moving around with a stitched wound, experiencing blood loss, and feeling exhausted all day long. It is imperative that you take some time to rest," Miss Peregrine beckoned me over with a gentle pat on her bed, inviting me to join her. "I am required to arrange a suitable room for you. However, for tonight, you may utilize my bedroom,"
"Where would you sleep?"
"Downstairs, of course," She smiled. Suddenly, she stood up and headed towards the door, before halting to glance in my direction, "Goodnight, Miss Wilde," she whispered, and like that, she left.
* * *
The following morning greeted me with a chilly, fresh, and clear day. The sky displayed a reliable pink hue, with clouds taking on shapes that brought a sense of comfort and familiarity. My usual routine had me waking up at 5 am, but today was different. I hesitated to go downstairs, as Miss Peregrine might still be asleep or possibly awake. If she were to spot me, it would undoubtedly lead to numerous questions.
... Meh, who cares, yolo. As I rose from the bed, my limbs ached terribly, except for my shoulder which made me wish for a swift end to my suffering. Waves of excruciating pain continued to assault me, but that didn't deter me from getting out of bed and tidying it up for Miss Peregrine.
This was her room, and I wanted to show her the respect she deserved, regardless of my own discomfort. I made my way to the door, opened it, and left her room, descending the stairs with caution and silence. "Who is awake at this early hour of the morning?" As I paused in my tracks, a powerful female voice boomed out of nowhere.
I was right about before, Miss Peregrine was awake, how could I be so stupid to think she wasn't going to be up, she's the goddammed headmistress looking after her peculiar wards, of course, she has to be up earlier than them!
"Uh . . . It's me? Anita?" I whispered as I hurried down the stairs and headed to the kitchen, where I found her cooking scrambled eggs with bacon.
"Oh my, why are you awake at this ungodly hour? Did the pain rouse you from your slumber?" she asked.
"Umm... Well.. Not really, but I do tend to wake up when I'm sleeping somewhere new, and I felt the need to wake up early," I said, watching for her reaction. Miss Peregrine abruptly halts her activity and gazes up at me. "And I also just feel like going outside this morning," I said.
"You felt the need to wake up early?? Specifically at 5 am?" Miss Peregrine said as she resumed cooking.
"Yeah?"
"Do you mind if I asked what is your peculiarity?" She asked.
I guess it was safe to tell her, after all the old Kira she knew didn't have a peculiarity. "I can manipulate the weather but it's controlled by my emotions," I said.
"I was under the assumption that you possessed the capability to communicate with or sense spirits." As I looked on, the sparkle of hope vanished from Miss Peregrine's eyes. "Cause if you did, maybe it's her spirit or ghost you're sensing,"
"But may I ask, why at 5 am?" I asked, even though I deadstraight knew the answer, because I'm me, and I know me. But for the sake of not being caught out, I'm going to have to go along with the act.
"Upon realizing that little Kira would consistently wake up before her elder brother or me, and venture outside the house, I was taken aback. The shock was so intense that I felt as though I had suffered a heart attack, fearing that she had been abducted." It was evident that Miss Peregrine was trying to hide her smile as if the memory was still crystal clear in her mind.
"Well, I'm gonna go and see where Spirit Kira wants me to go," I said as I was about to rush out of the kitchen.
"Not without breakfast you won't!"
"Can I snatch the bacon strip and be on my way?" I asked.
"Certainly not, Miss Wilde, you're the last child I need to feed," she said, which made me cringe. 'You're the last child I need to feed' Her voice echoes in my head.
"Are the others up already?" I asked.
"Yes, because we're running a show," said Miss Peregrine. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Brilliant," I lied. I felt like the aching pain would eat me up alive.
"I assume that was a lie, so I'll ask again. How are you feeling this morning?"
"Like I just woke up,"
I caught her smirk for a brief second, "I know you're accustomed to highly advanced medicine in the modern world, so I went out to get you some pain tolerance tablets,"
"You mean . . . Painkillers? . . . Right,"
"Same thing," She handed me the painkiller box that she had pulled out from her pocket and slid it across the bench.
"Thanks," I said as I made a move to grab it.
Miss Peregrine also shifted the plate with food next to the box. "Miss Wilde, I won't allow you to skip breakfast,"
"Wasn't planning to anyway," I said as I grabbed the plate with my other hand and headed into the dining room. I quickly wolfed down my breakfast and popped in the appropriate amount of tablets. After finishing, I left the dining room and placed the plate in the dishes. Finally, I slid the box across the bench towards Miss Peregrine. "I'm leaving this with you if you don't mind-I'm going, byeeeeeee," I said as I ran towards the door.
I had intended to return to the modern world to distance myself from Miss Peregrine and her ward for a while. The sight of the cave initially eased my fears, but that changed when I spotted Emma there. I came to a sudden halt, feeling wary of her presence. What's the bet Miss Peregrine sent her here to see if I would go back to the modern world?
I turned around to go back, but Emma called me out. "Wilde?" she said. I turned to face Emma, noting her passive behaviour which sent a shiver down my spine. I peered at her hand and saw it was bandaged. As soon as Emma caught me looking, she swiftly concealed her hand behind her back.
"Were you going to go collect Jake?" she asked.
Just as I was about to respond, I noticed that Jake had abruptly left the entrance of the cave, which immediately grabbed Emma's attention. "About time!" Emma cried, jumping to her feet from leaning on a tree. "Come on, everyone's waiting for you."
"They are?"
"Ye-es," she said with an impatient eye roll, taking Jake's hand and pulling him after her she suddenly paused and looked back, "You coming, Wilde?" she raised a brow.
I glanced back at the cave, reassuring myself that I would leave soon. But then again, who knows if Emma is plotting something for Miss Peregrine? I turned back to look at her. "I'll be right behind you," I said.
"Let's get going then," As I followed closely behind them, I couldn't help but wonder who would be starring in the show? We hurried across the bog and through the forest, feeling like characters in Alice in Wonderland. Finally, we arrived at the house where Emma guided us to the backyard. There, a small wooden stage had been set up, and kids were busy preparing for the performance. An orchestra consisting of an accordion, a trombone, and a musical saw played by Horace who was warming up.
"What's this?" Jake asked Emma. "Are you guys putting on a play?"
"You'll see," she said.
"Who's in it?"
"You'll see."
"What's it about?"
As soon as the whistle sounded, we all hurried to find seats in a line of folding chairs positioned towards the stage. Emma, Jake, and I managed to sit down right before the curtain lifted, exposing a straw boater hat perched on a flashy red-and-white striped suit. It was only when I heard a voice did I realised that—of course—it was Millard.
"Ladieeees and gentlemen!" he crowed. "It gives me the utmost pleasure to present to you a performance like no other in history! A show of such unrivalled daring, of such accomplished magicianship, that you simply won't believe your eyes! Good citizens, I give you Miss Peregrine and her Peculiar Children!"