A Peculiar Time in 1944 - A Millard Fanfic (Miss Peregrine's Home) #wattys2020

Chapter 38

"We were twenty feet underwater, inside an old shipwreck, and we were breathing. . . there was no sound but our breaths bubbling up and obscure thuds from deep inside the ship, pieces of the broken hull knocking in the current." {Jacob Portman, pg 238 book 1}

Jake had told them all to take whatever they could salvage from the ruined house, they wouldn't be coming back to the island. Luckily, the bomb had blown the top floor off but they'd already moved their most precious things into the trunks downstairs. The first floor didn't have much damage to it, Olive was able to snuff out the fire and other than blown out windows the only real change was that everything was covered in debris from the second floor. After they did some hurried digging they'd found their trunks scattered about and salvaged what they could: Bronwyn insisted on bringing her three volumes of "Tales of the Peculiar", Millard dragged along his soot covered Map of Days, while the others grabbed things like bags of food, apples from the tree and any descent clothes that survived. Aurora found her trunk in the kitchen and after lifting the splintered pieces of the table off of it was able to take nearly everything she had originally packed, the most precious being Millard's book 'a compilation of an entire day on Cairnholm' which she had stuffed all the pictures Noah had sent her between its pages when she packed it. She hugged it to her chest for a moment before collecting herself and joining the others at the beach.

Jake had them pile all their things into a small motorboat before piling in themselves and setting off into the sea. Aurora thanked bird above that the small boat didn't sink but was puzzled when they stopped not that far from shore.

"The Augusta is straight down from here." Emma told them, though Aurora had no idea why that was relevant. "Everyone jump in after me and find an air bubble, don't question it just follow me." She instructed before jumping off the side of the ship. They all looked to Jake who nodded, "Trust us." he said before jumping in after Emma. One by one they followed – except for the twins who clasped hands before they jumped – and didn't stop swimming until they were inside the old ship.

Then Emma began to blow air in every direction, Aurora – who was grasping the steering wheel next to Millard – felt the ship tilt beneath her. As the ship filled with more air it rocked harder as it separated itself from the ocean floor. The water began to drain from the room they were in until Bronwyn and Jake were able to close the door keeping the rest of the water out. Olive had gone down to light the boilers and that's when things really took off. Aurora could hear the old metal whine as the engine began to move again and the propellers turned pushing the ship forward. As the Augusta seemed to come to life it began moving faster as its nose lifted toward the surface. Enoch, Claire, Fiona and Hugh fell back into the wall and a moment later Millard's hand slipped from the slimy metal and he tipped back as well.

Then the ship broke free of the ocean and leveled out and they were all able to regain their balance. The hull slammed back down into the water rocking the ship a final time as sea water splashed around them. Emma and Olive joined them on deck as they all looked out the sandy windows. It was Horace who had caught sight of the small motorboat and they brought the Augusta alongside it as best they could, then they tied old ropes and chains to the boat and Bronwyn hoisted it onto the Augusta.

They fished out a map and Jake and Emma went to find what course they would take while the others unloaded the motorboat and organized their things inside the Augusta. When they had finished piling their things in the old skeleton filled dining room Enoch opened the door to the room where Jake and Emma were.

"So, have you found Miss Avocet's loop on the map yet?" he asked impatiently.

"It's here." Jake said bringing the map over, "But it's new, she made it early this year. That's my year, if we don't get out before it closes, we're stuck in January 2011."