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

Chapter 53

"Every moment that ticked by felt like another nail in Miss Peregrine's coffin." {Jacob Portman, pg 126 book 2}

They all looked to one another with the same silent question: fight then run or play normal? Then dozens more appeared from their wagons and circled them, many holding knives of their own and any chance they had to fight vanished. The men all wore layers of knit clothes while the women behind them wore bright scarves and flowing dresses.

Jake was next to hop off the wagon and stand next to Emma, then Horace, then Hugh. Soon all of them were standing like herded sheep, all but Millard who had slipped away unseen to lurk nearby, waiting and watching. As much as Aurora knew it was the logical and best decision a part of her wished he'd stayed beside her, she always felt so much better when she had him close.

"Who are you? Where do you come from? Where are your elders?" The first man – Aurora assumed was their leader – began asking in rapid succession.

"We come from the west." Emma said calmly, "An island off the coast. We're orphans, as I already explained. Our houses were smashed by bombs in an air raid and we were forced to flee. We rowed all the way to the mainland and nearly drowned. We have nothing." She sniffled and managed to produce some crocodile tears, "We've been lost in the woods for days with no food or water. We saw your wagons passing but were too frightened to show ourselves. We only wanted to ride as far as the town. . . "

"Why were you forced to flee your island after your house was bombed?" The leader asked studying her closely, looking for holes in her story, "And why did you run into the woods instead of following the coast?"

"No choice." Enoch spoke up, "We were being chased." Emma gave him a sharp look that said: Let me do this. Aurora hoped the leader didn't see the exchange or he'd know they were keeping information from him.

"Chased by who?"

"Bad men." Emma said resuming her role.

"Men with guns." Horace added, "Dressed like soldiers, though they really aren't."

"If soldiers are after them then they're trouble we don't need." A woman said, "Send them away, Bekhir."

"Or tie them to trees and leave them!" Another man said, the leader looked them all over again with a cocked eyebrow; they hadn't gotten pity from him like they had hoped, only peeked his curiosity.

"We'll do nothing until we find out who you are, and what your worth."

oOo oOo oOo

Ten men holding knives led them to a flatbed wagon with a huge cage mounted on top.

"You're not going to lock us in there, are you?" Olive said in horror.

"Just until we sort out what to do with you." The leader said, "Go on, get in, all of you!" he roared as they piled inside, their feet shuffling through the rotten smelling hay that covered the floor. After the leader had locked them inside the gypsies began setting up their camp, pitching tents and starting fires to cook their dinner. Soon the smell of cooking meat and stew filled the air, Aurora's stomach grumbled in desire, her hunger now growing. She tried to distract herself by listening to the others quarreling.

"Hear that?" Enoch asked.

"What?" Bronwyn replied.

"The sound of Miss Peregrine's life slipping away!" they all continued to argue in hushed tones while Aurora kept to herself in the corner. She looked around the campground looking for footprints in the dirt, the branch of a shrub moving without wind, anything that would give away Millard's position to her but she saw nothing. Of course she wouldn't, Millard had mastered his invisibility decades ago and in a situation as dire as this he wouldn't leave anything to chance.