Stuck in the moment

Chapter fifteen

We were in the middle of the fair and Jake pulled down Emma. I handed her the shoes and she put them on. "Let's go." Jake stated, grabbing my hand. We entered the loop and Jake pulled me with him. We arrived in 1943 and Enoch was already waiting for us. "Enoch. Now!" Jake shouted. "We need to warn the others." I told him, running back to 2016. "Fire!" I exclaimed. The kids began to throw snowballs in the general of the Hollows. "Emma, go!" Jake told her. Olive took off the lid and Emma blew candyfloss at the snow and candy-covered Hollows. "Don't just stand there, get them!" Barron's friend commanded. "Not so fast..." I mumbled. Just then, our skeleton army emerged from the loop. "Well done, Enoch!" I yelled. He just smirked at the sight of his creations killing Hollows.

"Bronwyn, dear, come back!" I shouted at the young girl. She jumped on the merry-go-round and unlatched the unicorn statue, pointing it at a Hollow. She fired it at the thing, sending it to a watery grave. I ran towards her and grabbed her hand, pulling the girl towards the meeting point. "Alright. Good job, guys. It's time for step two." Jake told us, holding the crossbow steadily. "Save miss Peregrine!" Bronwyn exclaimed. "That's step three, I'm afraid." I told her. "She's right. First, we've got to deal with Barron." Jake added.

"They should have been back by now..." the man said. We were in the theatre once again, all spread across the room. I was with Olive, hiding. "I said it was a trap." the woman stated. "If that's true, perhaps we should move the Ymbrynes now." Barron told them. "You're not serious?" the woman asked surprised. "Do I not look serious?!" Barron shouted at her. "Do I not look like a man who has searched the globe looking for just one more eye to eat in hopes of regaining sufficient humanity to return to his research? A man who spent years hunting Ymbrynes in preparation for this night and two, no, three days in Wales, pretending to look at birds! I assure you, I will not stand idly by to see my destiny derailed." he finished.

Emma blew Barron against the huge target and Jake fired the crossbow, missing him by mere inches. "Hugh, do it now!" I heard Jake yell. Hugh released all of his bees, occupying the man and woman. The woman pulled off her skirt, revealing her cat like body. "Neko..." I growled. She climbed up some pole while the man dived into the small pool. "Come back here! Get them!" Barron shouted at them. The Neko grabbed a bucket of knives and began to throw them at the others. "You think you can stand in my way?" Barron asked us.

"You, Jake, content to age and die as if you had not the gift of peculiarity at all?" "Now, Olive." I whispered to her. Enoch attempted to knock Barron unconscious, but failed. Instead, he was the one who got knocked out. Barron chuckled and spoke up again. "I am a higher being. I hold the secret to eternal life!"

"Sorry to interrupt." Olive told him, touching his jacket with her bare hands. The fabric caught fire and Barron stared at it in fright. He took off the coat and threw it down, leaving Olive on her own. I saw another arrow wiz past Barron. "Huh. You missed me again, Jake. I take accuracy is not you peculiarity." Bronwyn threw a chair at the shapeshifter, knocking him to the ground. Jake took aim again, but Barron transformed his hand into a whip, taking to bow from Jake's grasp. He attacked Barron with a pocketknife, but he was pushed to the side and Barron screamed in rage. "Abe was a much worthier adversary." he told Emma.

Jake turned around and spoke to Horace. "Don't let him get to the birds." he gasped. Horace placed the dream projector to his eye. I knew it wasn't going to work, but we had to do something. Barron pretended to get hurt, but laughed evilly. Horace looked down, disappointed in himself. "Ooh, you must put me in contact with your tailor." Barron told the boy. He pushed Horace aside and walked backstage. "Ymbrynes, Ymbrynes, here I come!" the white-eyed man shouted.

Jake got up and grabbed the crossbow. I ran towards him, as did Emma. We ran backstage and heard Barron whistle at the Ymbrynes. Jake shot another arrow, missing again. I stayed on the bottom of the stairs, knowing I'd be better as an element of surprise. That had been my job back in the arena, so it was now. "Jake..." Barron breathed out. "I'll hold him off as long as I can." Emma told Jake. "When are you going to realise you are a terrible shot with that thing?" Barron finished. Emma blew him against the back wall as Jake walked towards the room with the Ymbrynes. "Get the others. I'll meet you at the loop entrance." Jake told Emma.