Home || Enoch O'Connor

09 // Voodoo Dolls

I stayed a distance from the group of kids.

I was at the tail of the group, watching everyone.

In front, Jake was chatting happily with Emma. Millard and Hugh were chasing each other around, while Horace shot them disapproving looks.

I swear, that kid acted way off for his age.

Bronwyn and Fiona were laughing to themselves.

I narrowed my eyes as my gaze fell upon the dead-riser in front of me, walking alongside Olive, who was holding Claire's hand. Olive was talking to Claire, occasionally speaking to Enoch, who'd just give her a short reply.

He must've felt me glaring holes into his soul, for he turned, and slowed his pace.

He resumed walking only when he was directly beside me.

"Good day, Jacqueline." He greeted sardonically, exaggerating his words.

I kept quiet.

"You're ignoring me?" Enoch muttered, incredulous. "Unbelievable. One day you talk too much, and the next, you don't talk at all."

I crossed my arms, pinning my glare, which had now become a constant expression, on Enoch. "I'm not supposed to talk to potential serial killers." I told him simply.

He shrugged, "Look, how was I to know you were watching when I brought Victor to life?"

I arched an eyebrow, "Would you have done it, if you knew I was watching?"

"Perhaps." Came the reply.

I shot Enoch a look.

"Yes." He added.

I stopped walking. "You know what, I'm leaving. I'm going back." I grumbled, before turning to the group.

"I'm heading back!" I shouted, just so Miss Peregrine would know I had gone back, not that Enoch had murdered me.

I didn't wait for their response, I started towards the direction we had come from.

"You don't even know where's the home." I heard Enoch say from behind me, but I continued walking.

He can kiss my defiant ass goodbye.

I got a moment of silence to myself, before I heard footsteps hurry behind me.

"Really?!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in frustration.

Enoch merely shot me a look and said nothing else.

I had entirely zero clue on where I was heading, and Enoch didn't object, so I assumed that I was going in the right direction.

Only I wasn't.

After ten minutes of walking, I came face to face with a rock wall. A dead end.

"Oh, for the love of everything holy," I groaned, irritation getting the better of me. "Give me a flipping break!"

I turned to Enoch, who was watching me with a smug look.

I wanted so desperately to slap him.

"Get me home, Enoch, or so help me, I will steal every single one of your jars in your room and you will never find them." I hissed at Enoch, who didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

"Was that supposed to be threatening?" He questioned flatly, starting to walk in the opposite direction.

I didn't reply, trailing after him.

After minutes of walking, we came up to a beach.

"Where's home?" I asked dumbly, looking around.

"It's not your home." Enoch told me, before he disappeared into a cave.

I scurried after him. "Well, Mr I-Hate-Everyone-Cos'-Everyone-Hates-Me, in case you haven't noticed, the mansion leads to the loop, which is where I get to go home." I huffed, glancing around at the cave.

It was kinda cool. It was a tiny cave, so it wasn't that deep, just a small, open space.

"I don't want to go home." Enoch stated simply, before plopping down on the sand.

I didn't press any further. This cave was cool.

I was about to sit down, when Enoch took out one of his creepy clay figures out from his shirt pocket.

"Oh, my God," I gaped. "You brought one of your creepy, weird, stupid, tiny voodoo dolls?!" The adjectives were unstoppable. This boy was unbelievable.

Enoch glanced up to shoot daggers at me, clearly offended.

I left the cave without another word. I didn't really want to get lost again, so I just decided on walking to the end of the beach, and walking back.

The walk cleared my head.

I hadn't really intended to come off as rude, or mean. I just have this problem where I don't really have a filter. I just say what I want to say.

I knew why people stayed away from me back in school. Years and years I've heard them talk about me behind my back. The girl who thought she was better than everyone else. The one who looked down upon everyone else.

All those jokes about Jake being the loser, when people only avoided him because of me.

That was why I kept going back to annoy Enoch. Because no matter how dark, and offensive, or rude he was, he hadn't really avoided me. He didn't act like I was different. He didn't fear me.

I heaved a soft sigh, entering the cave again.

Enoch was sitting at the far end, legs crossed, immensely focused on operating on his tiny voodoo doll.

He tensed at the sound of my footsteps, but didn't look up.

I quietly sat down beside him.

"I'm sorry I called your voodoo doll creepy. And stupid." I muttered softly, staring at his side profile.

His jaw clenched, but he remained silent.

"Are you going to ignore me?" I asked, disappointment blossoming in my chest.

There was no reply.

I reach out a finger and poked his cheek. He recoiled, but said nothing.

I poked him again. And again. And again.

"Wow, you're really annoying." He muttered, and I grinned.

"I didn't mean to insult you," I continued with my apology, once I knew he was listening. "I mean, it's creepy, but your peculiarity is cool. I think it's brilliant."

Enoch paused, and his hands stopped moving. He brought his eyes up to meet mine, and I saw uncertainty there.

"Really?" He questioned, a hint of surprise in his tone.

I nodded, smiling.

We were silent for a while. I didn't mind that we were just looking at each other. Enoch was really attractive.

But in a dark sense.

"They're not voodoo dolls." Enoch spoke up all of a sudden, turning back to his voodoo doll.

A tint of pink coloured his cheeks.

I shrugged, before I lay down on the sand.

Enoch looked up, startled by the sudden motion.

"I'm tired." I commented, and closed my eyes.

The sand will come off later.

As for now, my mind and heart were at peace, and I wanted to sleep.