Muddy Waters / enoch o'connor {Slow Updates}

act two | part eight

act two | part eight - to build a home.

The constant of our lives was on fire. We could do was watch as bright flames flickered over the home. Flaming embers fell down around us, but none of us could do much to notice them. The tree closest to the house was in flames, fire consuming it's every square inch. I decided that I hated the fire. I hated the heat that emitted from the destruction. 

I despised the smoke that rose above, choking us as the smell of melted plastic, wood, and various other substances threatened to make me pass out. I despised Constantine - my friend, now my enemy. 

"That tree was as old as me," Fiona said quietly. 

"What do we do now?" Claire asked quietly, clutching Bronwyn's hand. 

I released a sigh. There was a variety of options available for us, but each was riddled with its own set of risks. We could try escaping to another loop. We could try to save Miss Peregrine. Escaping to another loop meant that we would have to face hollows, with the added possibility of Barron, Caul or Constantine. Saving Miss Peregrine, meant definitely facing them. 

None of us could see the Hollows - our biggest issue. 

Besides the physical dangers, we had little time. 

We grew up our entire lives with copious amounts of time. We never had to worry about running out of it. But now the loop was closed and soon the years would start catching back up to us. We had to get to another loop - that was obvious, but we also needed to save Miss Peregrine. 

"We need to save the bird," Bronwyn gruffed. 

"And we need to find another loop," I added, "if it was Rosalie was talking to on the phone the first time, then they're at Miss Wren's loop. She said something about Cuthbert, I couldn't remember." 

"From the tales!" Olive piped.

We were left with a slew of mixed messages with scrambled meanings. I couldn't be sure that it was even Rosalie I'd spoken to the first time or that there wasn't a trap waiting for us at Miss Wren's loop. I could only guess, and hope that our careful observations were enough to save our skins. 

"We go to the docks," I said, "and we save Miss Peregrine. Afterward, we find Miss Wren's loop." 

It was the simplest way to say it. Even then, the details were scrambled. How we would save Miss Peregrine, we had no idea. How we would even be able to find Miss Wren's loop, also a mystery. There was no grand map or record of it besides simple knowledge passed from ymbryne to ymbryne. 

"Maybe when we rescue Miss P, she can tell us where to go," Bronwyn said.

"Let's go, then."

---

"Is that it?" Enoch questioned besides me.

"I'd guess so," I replied. 

The large boat took up a majority of the empty harbor. It floated gently in the distance, the ocean blissfully unaware of the chaos that was about to entail. The sun had fallen over the horizon long ago, and soon after leaving the house, we discovered that even navigating through the woods was a challenge at night. 

We had Olive's light, but our paranoia led us to avoid using it all together despite her encouraging us. 

"I still don't like this plan," He muttered, a grumpy look crossing his face.
"It's the best one we've come up with so far," I replied, letting my fingertips press against the edge of his jaw.