Muddy Waters / enoch o'connor {Slow Updates}

act one | part eight

act one | part eight - from ashes we rise

The morning was cool and crisp, fog still hovered low above the grass as I emerged into the garden's. I sat down on the porch, running my hands along my face. I hadn't slept much that night, too consumed in my thoughts and too afraid of nightmares to even think about it. I was running on zero energy, but none the less determined. 

It dawned me, at four-am that morning, that I had never finished my bidding with Enoch. As much as I didn't want to see or speak to him, I still wanted to know about his loop. I'd heard from Emma that he was an early-riser. Maybe that was why I was up so early - because I secretly wanted a convinent excuse to talk to him alone. 

Just as Emma predicted, Enoch's heavy foot-steps fell against the back porch at exactly 6 AM. He was carrying a rolled up blanket, much to my confusion. 

"What are you doing up?" He asked, moving slowly past me. 

"Couldn't sleep," I lied, "what are you doing up?" 

"I'm always up at this hour," He scoffed, "but you aren't." 

He bounded off the porch and took off. I followed behind him wordlessly. He took a single glance back at me along the way. I was looking at him, despite the fresh bruise on my heart caused entirely by him. 

I tried not to look at his lips, to think that I had kissed them no less than forty-eight hours ago. A lot can happen in forty-eight, repeated hours. 

"Tell me about your old loop." 

The demand spilled so easily from my lips that it took even me by storm. Enoch stopped in his pursuit, a cold worry stretching across his features as he took a shuttering breath.

"Who told you?" He asked, eyes wide with worry. 

I stepped back, moving away from him as my back pressed against one of the hundred trees surrounding us. 

"Someone," I replied, frowning. 

The corner's of his mouth were turned down and it was hard to miss the pain in his features. I'd known it was a tricky subject, but I wanted to know as much as he wanted to know about me. It was the deal we made, and it had remained unbroken.

"Emma?" He countered, raising his eyebrows. 

"It doesn't matter, stop stalling," I said. 

My fingertips were digging into the park of the tree to hide my inner anxiety that had begun to show through. I was starting to believe I asked him the wrong question. No matter what though, it would always seem like the wrong question, asked at the wrong time. Maybe with Enoch it always would be. 

"Why do you want to know so badly?" He questioned. 

"Because," I answered, "the first week I was here you were asking me the same question repeatedly." 

Enoch raised his eyebrows and looked around. He still held a sliver of fear in his eyes that made my heart crack a little more. As much as I was hurting, I still didn't want him or anyone else to be hurt. 

"Wights," He said, frowning slightly, "we were one of the first loops raided. We didn't know what to do, most of those from mine died, end of story." 

"How did you find Miss Peregrine?" I asked, shaking my head. 

"Same way you did, I was searching. Not for her, directly, but for another loop. Found this one, settled down." 

I tried to imagine Enoch in another loop, something I hadn't done in awhile. I wanted to picture him laughing, actually open to people instead of being so cold and closed. It was easier to think that something tragic happened, and that Enoch wasn't naturally so harsh and cruel.