Outsiders (Enoch O'Connor X Reader)

Chapter 3

"Jake..." you could barely whisper. You took a couple steps back. Jake stepped through the doorway.

"What's going on?" he asked.

You pointed at the girl standing at the end of the hallway. Jake turned to her and gasped.

"Abe?" the girl said. You and Jake looked at each other, then ran down the stairs. You ran through the dining room, spotting faces along the way that disappeared without a trace. Jake got ahead of you and tripped over someting on the floor, faceplanting in a huge pile of dirt in the conservatory.

You turned around and gulped. The blonde girl in the pale blue dress stepped out of the shadows.

"What's going on?" you asked, "how did you get here?"

"There's too much to explain in too little time," she said. She kneeled next to Jake. "Bronwyn!" she yelled.

A younger girl with brown curls ran out.

Bronwyn, you heard your grandpa's voice, she has strength of ten men. "Wait, you're the children?" you raised an eyebrow, "but you're dead."

"We're very much alive," a boy said. He didn't have a head, or hands.

Millard, your grandpa said, he's invisible.

"But your house blew up," you insisted, "how did you all survive?"

"We'd best be going," a redheaded girl wearing rubber gloves came through the doorway. Bronwyn lifted Jake and threw him over her shoulder.

"Go where?" you asked.

"Into the loop," the blonde girl climbed over the dirt and out of the conservatory. You followed her through, the other children close behind. You walked to the entrance of a cave, Bronwyn stopping to put Jake on the ground, who had regained consciousness. He sat up and blinked. "What..." he looked around. You helped him up. "Where am I?" Jake asked.

"Don’t ask," you said. You and the children went into the cave. Dust gathered around you. Something changed in the atmosphere. Light came through the entrance. "What just happened?" you asked.

"We're in our loop now," a girl standing below you said, giving you a bright smile.

"Have I gone crazy?" Jake asked you.

"I don't think you have," you answered. Jake turned around and tried to make a break, but he was stopped by you grabbing his shirt collar. "No you don't," you pulled him back, "I want to see what's going on."

Jake shrugged off your hand. "Fine."

"We're going this way," Millard went deeper into the cave. Up ahead was an exit, leading straight to the children's home. The sky was brighter, the grass was green and controlled. The house was still in one piece. The orange bricks seemed to glow in the sun. You looked around in awe.

"Miss Peregrine is waiting for us," the blonde girl walked towards the house. You followed, lagging behind to look at the sights.

Once you got to the door, you noticed the shoes the blonde girl was wearing. They were bulky and metallic. The girl was Emma, from what you remembered.

She was lighter than air, your grandpa would say, she had to wear shoes made of lead so that she wouldn't float away.

Emma knocked on the front door, the framework still in tact and full of color. It slided open and revealed a woman wearing all blue. In her hand was a wooden pipe, smoke billowing from the end. "You're early," the headmistress said, "I was expecting you to have some trouble getting Jake here, but apparently he wanted to stay. Come in, please." She stepped away from the door, letting the children inside. She turned back and faced you and Jake. "I recognize this to be Jake, but who do we have here?" she asked.

"I'm (Y/N), Jake's little sister," you said.

"Abe never mentioned he had a granddaughter," she said, "I'm Miss Peregrine, delighted to meet you both. Our tea is getting cold, please come inside." She walked to the kitchen. You and Jake followed her inside. The redheaded girl had her hands on a teakettle, bright orange light coming from her palms. You recognized her to be Olive. She lifted the kettle and poured its contents into the cups set out on the table.

Someone shut a cupboard in the next room. You turned to see them. The boy was tall, had dark, curly hair. He was holding a couple jars, some of the jars from the room upstairs. This was the boy who collected hearts.