Birds Of A Feather

Chapter Two

A/N: Time skip to leaving for Cairnholm
because I can't generate quality content.

The air was light as I was packing my suitcase for our trip to Cairnholm. It's beyond me how Jake convinced our father to take us; normally anything even remotely connected to Abe was out of the question. But I digress, we were leaving for the airport in half an hour, and I was still scrambling to pack the essentials.  Taking in mind the style back in the forties, I packed moderately modest clothing, nothing too flashy or over the top, nothing showing too much skin. Other than one outfit, a short black dress with thigh-high stockings, that is. Along with an ample amount of clothes, I also packed large amounts of cash, a few of my favorite pieces of jewelry, a single cap, and my golden pocket watch given to me by my Grandpa. Not that I would need any of this.
I continued mindlessly packing, as my thoughts wandered yet again to Miss Alma Peregrine. It's going to be quite the shock for her to meet Abe's grandchildren, and to hear the news of his passing. He was like a son to her, and I can't imagine this is going to be easy. Further still, my thoughts wandered, this time to what she would think of me. Would she approve? As long as I keep my mouth shut about my feelings, I should be fine, but in the past I've proven to have a difficult time in doing just that. Perhaps it's not just my words, but my whole demeanor that changes around a woman whom I have feelings for. I get this lopsided grin, and a furious blush, which usually gives me away before I even open my mouth. With any luck, I can keep myself together for the duration of the trip, to avoid any unnecessary heartbreak. Pushing such sapphic thoughts from my mind, I begin organizing a small carry-on bag with the usual earbuds, phone charger, and like times inside. I realize that none of our technology will work once in the loop, but for the brief time I'd be spending with my father, I'd quite like a way to entertain myself.
   It's not that I don't like my father, it's just that ever since the day I was born, he has kept me at a distance. On the rare occasion that we do talk, it's tense and awkward. I'd prefer him to just leave me alone, but I play nice, when it's required of me. Although I recognize he financially supports me, and hasn't kicked me out yet, he is still really a bother to be around. Perhaps he resents me, and Jake for that matter, because we are both peculiar like Abe. Or perhaps I'm looking to far into things again, and the awkwardness is nothing more than his way of communicating with me, or lack thereof.
   My mother, on another hand, is a completely different story. Unlike father, she doesn't hide the fact that she hates either of us. I mean she doesn't straight out say it, but her actions make it crystal clear that Jake and I are more of a burden than a blessing. She was more than happy to send us off to Wales with father, if it meant she would be rid of us for two weeks. More so me than Jake. My peculiarity is so much more forward than Jakes. I'm so much easier to point out as different. From my jet black hair, with a strangely natural white under layer, to my mannerisms that subtly mimic a bird of prey, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I guess I would be the black sheep of the family, but that is a title I carry with pride. If Abe taught me anything, it was that my peculiarity is a gift, and I shouldn't be ashamed of it. No matter how much my parents felt otherwise. In fact, they seemed to hate it so much that entering bird form was forbidden. I still did it, often at night, or when they weren't home, but still, it was not allowed. As I look back, I see that they might have been trying to remove aspects of my peculiarity, in an attempt to eliminate the peculiarity itself. Or maybe birds are just very messy, and no one likes cleaning up after them. I will admit, the molted feathers can be a bit overwhelming at times.
   Speaking of my parents, father entered my room and pulled me abruptly from my thoughts.
   "We leave in five minutes, get your stuff in the car"
   I nodded and began gathering all of my luggage items.
   He glanced back with a concerned look on his face,
   "While we're in Cairnholm, the same rules apply"
   I smiled and nodded again, holding my tongue from voicing the spicy comment I had in my head. Father then turned on his heel, and left without another word.
   ________________________________

After a long flight, and a seemingly longer taxi ride, we finally arrived at the ferry that would take us to Cairnholm. It was a small, rusty boat, with only one other passenger aboard. It appeared seaworthy, but still, the boat made me quite nervous. I would do anything to shift and fly across to the island myself, no matter the distance. If not to stretch my wings, to avoid the shoddy old boat and the creepy man who will be riding with us. After boarding, we sat across from him, and conversed amongst ourselves for a while. Every once in a while, I would cast a glance over to the man, who seemed to be watching my brother and I intently. It certainly added to his creepy demeanor, and did nothing to soothe my growing discomfort.
Soon, the silhouette of the island came into view, and the captain notified us that we would be arriving shortly. I looked out over the water, and noticed several birds flying about, including a beautiful Peregrine Falcon, who appeared to be following the boat. I quickly nudged Father, and gestured to the creature.
"Oh wow, it's a Peregrine Falcon" Father said, quickly getting his camera to take pictures.
"Peregrine, like the headmistress" Jake asked excitedly.
Dad signed and put one hand on his forehead.
"Sure buddy"
I looked up and the bird, and waved to it, adding to dad's annoyance. Jake took it to a whole new level..
"Hey Miss Peregrine, I'm Jake, Abe Portman's grandson. Please don't crap on us"
With this, father gave us both a death glare, then sighed deeply. We both giggled and grinned.
Not long after we arrived at the island, Jake and I were waiting outside on a stone wall while dad was getting us checked in to a hotel with the most unfortunate name, The Priest Hole. I was on my phone, trying to get some service when the very same Peregrine Falcon landed next to me on the wall. I was startled at first, but realized soon after that no real Peregrine would land this close to me. This was most likely an Ymbrene. Or perhaps the bird is very stupid. Nevertheless, Ymbrene or not, she was beautiful. Something inside of me told me to reach out to her, but as soon as I tried, father was walking up next to me, and the bird flew away.
  "Come on kiddos, the room is ready, and Desiree, don't touch the wildlife"
   I sent a scowl his way, gathered my belongings, and followed him and Jake into The Priest Hole.
    The room was small and musty, as expected. Cairnholm wasn't accustomed to guests, so I suppose lodging wasn't very high in their priorities. At least they had a bar downstairs.
   I chose the bed closest to the bathroom, and set my stuff down at the foot, making sure to keep it organized and out of the way. Before long, Jake and I were ready to go to the children's home, or what was left of it. I would have to do some searching around to find the loop entrance, because I doubt Miss Peregrine would put the entrance in the ruined house. The tricky part would be keeping Jake calm whilst searching, because he never got Abe's explanation like I did. My hope is that when we find Miss Peregrine, she can explain because I feel as if I can't do it justice. The concept of loops is still foreign to me, never have been taught how to create or maintain them. Wether we find her today or tomorrow, it matters not, but today would be preferred. On this note, I dug through my suitcase and pulled out my pocket watch, shined it up a bit, then tucked it safely away in my pocket. Following this, I checked my appearance in the dank bathroom mirror, and headed downstairs to meet Jake.