Timeless (Enoch O Connor x OC)

23: Ten Children, Three Boats

"JUNE," I screamed, "JUNE."

Calls of desperation lost to the sound of the sea. The last I saw of her, as she hung over the railing in an attempt to jump off before the wights carried her away. I felt as though a piece of my heart had gone with her and it left me hollow. 

I wasn't sure what happened next but I found myself back on the shore of Cairnholm, around me were Emma, Jacob, Bronwyn, Millard, Hugh, Fiona, Horace, Claire, and Olive. I saw that in Emma's hands were Miss Peregrine in her bird form. 

"Where's June?" asked Olive innocently.

"She- uh she was taken by the wights," said Jacob. Everyone's faces fell.

"We'll go after her as soon as Miss Peregrine turns back," said Emma. 

She set Miss Peregrine on the floor to let her transform but she merely hopped around and cawed worriedly. 

"Has she been injured? Maybe that's why she can't turn back?" asked Horace. 

"Who knows what that wight did to her," said Emma, "we're going to have to manage on our own."

"Let's head back to the house," suggested Bronwyn. They didn't care, I thought, June was gone and they were just going back to the house, we had to follow that ship right now.

"But June," I said hoarsely from all the screaming, "we have to go after her."

"And we will Enoch," said Emma, "but we can't follow them in this storm with no clue where we're headed."

I was angry but I stayed quiet. As we left the rocky beach I spotted a shape behind a bush. A suitcase. Stumbling over, I picked it up and examined it. 

It was June's. 

On the top was a tag that read 'June Ksenia Juliette Myristica'. She never had told me her full name, I realized. 

By now everyone else had stopped to see what I had found. They peered over my shoulder as I opened it. Inside lay her favorite green dress, her worn-out copy of Alice in Wonderland, and the doll I had made for her. I was filled with so many emotions as I saw the doll; anger because she was taken, sadness and grief because she wasn't beside me to hand it to her, and lots of regret. She had packed to take this with her but now she was all alone without anything or anyone. 

"You can give it to her when we see her again," Emma said putting a hand on my shoulder. 

"What if we never do?" I burst out, "those wights took her and we have no clue where they're going and Miss Peregrine can't even help us."

"Listen, Enoch," said Jacob rather awkwardly, "I understand how you're feeling right now but we will get her back and you will see her again."

"Oh yeah means a lot coming from the person who caused her to be taken," I lashed out, I was taking my grief out on others but I felt too angry to stop. 

"Hey! It's not his fault, Enoch," said Emma, "I know you're upset right now but getting mad at others isn't going to help we're all on the same boat." 

"Whatever," I said angrily and kept walking back to the house with the suitcase in my hand. 

The rain finally stopped as we trudged through the bog, injured and exhausted. 

As we arrived at the house, I saw a sight I had always wished to never see. 

Before us lay the ruins of what was once a beautiful victorian house. The front part had collapsed taking the garden with it. The lack of walls made it look like a dollhouse and I could see the top floor hallway and gashes into the bedrooms. 

Claire and Olive ran to the ruins in tears while everyone else followed behind slowly in shock. Miss Peregrine squawked in alarm at the home she'd lived in for the past several decades of her life. 

Millard immediately jumped into action, even though he was injured, searching through the remains.

"I need to find- where is it- ah!" with a grunt he pulled out a large and heavy book, covered with soot and dust. 

"It's the Map of Days," he announced, "one of the few copies to survive. Inside it holds information on every loop there is."

"How do we know where we're going?" asked Jacob. 

"I know where they're going," said Horace, "I had a dream."

He grabbed a piece of coal and began drawing something on a rock nearby. He looked at his masterpiece proudly as he stepped out of the way. His drawing depicted a bunch of squiggly lines which somewhat resembled a jail. 

"Looks like a jail," declared Bronwyn. 

"Now we'll have to figure out not only where it is but when it is," said Millard, "and before we can do that we have to find an uninvaded loop with an ymbryne to help Miss Peregrine transform back before she stays in her bird form for too long and loses her humanity. We also have to find those wights and get June and Miss Avocet and all the other ymbrynes back."

"Long list," sighed Jacob, "so it's a good thing I'm coming with you all."

"Oh you are?!" gasped Emma and hugged him. 

We all said our goodbyes to our house. The one I had lived in for decades. It was like losing another part of my heart. So much loss. 

I wished June were here, I thought, she would have wanted to say goodbye too. 

Claire, Olive, and Fiona all found keepsakes such as bricks and rocks from the ruins. I found it silly but I knew June would have liked it so I found a piece of brick that had broken into the shape of a very wonky heart. I placed it into her suitcase with the rest of her stuff. 

I took a final look at the ruins I was leaving behind. The vines torn and on the floor, grass ripped out exposing dirt, shattered windows, an empty nightmare house. 

Maybe I'd get to see it again one day. 

But I was a realist, and that was unlikely. 

And so that day the village watched as a group of ten children walked towards the rocky beach and rowed away on small boats. They were an odd bunch, everyone thought, with strange clothing and empty faces. 

In fact, the only word they could use to describe them was peculiar.

Hello everyone! thank u sm for 3k! this story is literally so long but I kind of love it. it's like being able to rewrite the entire series but with a twist. anyways hope u enjoyed enochs perspective and vote if you like it.