The Peregrines

Chapter 21

{ Edited - 8th Sep, 2020 }
{ Edited - 19th April, 2024 }

It was surprising that Miss Crow's song caused me to fall into a strange deep sleep that only a Ymbryne could wake me up from with a medical procedure. But getting back to the main point, Miss Crow transported me from the island to a new place with no memory.

Since I was quite intelligent as a child, it took me a few days to unravel the truth from the lies. Miss Crow claimed my mother had sent me, but it turned out that wasn't the whole story. My mother may have agreed, but Miss Crow wouldn't have taken me without her consent.

I used to be under Miss Crow's care, but once I discovered the truth about her, I began to steer clear of her, leading to the development of my reckless behaviour. I used to quietly slip out of my house around 3 am and find a secret spot in the woods to hide for a few days. Sometimes, if I was really lucky, I could stay hidden for weeks. I would have loved to spend even more time in the woods if they hadn't discovered my hiding place.

Miss Crow eventually realized that I had somehow discovered the truth, and she believed that this newfound knowledge was the main reason behind my sudden reckless behaviour. In an attempt to curb my recklessness and foster trust, she decided to transfer me under the care of Miss Raven and her wards.

After I came back to reality from the flashback, I couldn't help but berate myself for being so foolish. The immense trust I had suddenly shattered into irreparable fragments. The mere thought of it caused my heart to ache. It started to drizzle.

"Kira?" I heard Jake's voice.

"Let's move on,"

"I was gonna suggest going back since, um, it's starting to rain..."

I turned to Jake, "That's me doing it. My control over the weather reflects my emotions. When I'm sad, it rains. When I'm anxious, or feeling scared, it fogs up. When I'm happy or neutral, it's just another clear day," I explained and the rain went away on cue.

"No, that's impossible, you can't..." He still refused to believe me, and honestly, that's okay, cause if I find this loop somehow, find my mother, and once he sees her peculiar wards, he'll believe me then.

I carefully released myself from the tree and proceeded to move forward with Jake following closely. As I made my way through the bushes, I cleared away the branches to reveal an abandoned, ruined house in the distance. It seemed unlikely that anyone resided there now. Turning my gaze in the opposite direction, I noticed a cave nearby that triggered a vague memory. Curious, I approached the cave only to find a bog in front of the entrance.

I was set on reaching the other side, as that cave held the key to all the imaginary adventures my mother and I shared. We used to draw on the walls and she would tell me tales by the campfire, just the two of us.

As desperation consumed me, I dashed through the bushes only to stumble over them moments later. I quickly regained my footing and skillfully avoided the unfamiliar trees and stumps in my path. Navigating around the slimy bog, I entered a cave and cautiously made my way inside, noticing faint chalk marks on the walls that resembled my long-forgotten drawings.

"Kira, wait!" Jake yelled.

I glanced over at him just as he was stepping onto the muddy ground, which seemed to be turning into liquid beneath his feet. With one step, he began sinking into the bog, sinking up to his waist. Despite the challenging terrain, he was resolute in reaching the cave where I stood. Slowly, he waded through the bog towards me. When Jake finally made it to the entrance of the cave, I assisted him in pulling himself out of the muck. Together, we cautiously ventured into the cave, only to find ourselves at a dead-end.

Jake and I stumbled upon a dead-end, only to discover our family name engraved on the stone, surrounded by terrible-looking love hearts that I surely drew. The Peregrines

"Kira? You okay?" Jake asked and placed one hand on my shoulder.

"I just miss her, miss all the good times we had," I let out a deep sigh and all of a sudden, my ears popped.

"We should start heading back, you know, to unpack and make ourselves comfortable, and maybe, later on, you can give me a tour along with stories you can remember," Jake suggested.

"Yeah, why not, I got plenty of things to tell you," I smiled. Jake and I decided to head back, picking up our pace from when we first arrived. As we neared the exit, a brilliant light began to shine, gradually intensifying until it was too bright to see.

I thought I had fainted for a moment. However, the bright light gradually disappeared, and suddenly, I sensed various energies and a significant shift in the temperature. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and I couldn't help but feel bewildered.

Am I happy right now? What's going on? I don't feel happy....

As I stood there, a wave of sadness and darkness washed over me. The rocky beach stretched out before my eyes, and I couldn't help but glance at Jake. I couldn't imagine how his father would react to his arrival covered in bog-mud. Without hesitation, I firmly grasped Jake's wrist and urged him to come with me. "Where are we going?!" he asked, surprised.

"Getting you cleaned up before you give your old man a heart attack," As we made our way towards town, I couldn't help but notice how vibrant, inspiring, and joyful everything seemed. As we continued on, I could feel those positive vibes starting to rub on me too. Maybe I was happy and I didn't know it?

I led Jake towards one of the available docks by the beach to help him freshen up. However, I accidentally pushed him off the dock, causing him to plunge into the water. Surprisingly, he managed to grab my wrist on his way down, pulling me into the water as well. The water was quite chilly, and when I resurfaced, I couldn't help but notice that the water around Jake was murky, with mud floating all around him.

"Oh geez!" I laughed and swam back a bit to avoid getting any muddy bog on me in the water.

When I glanced over at Jake, I noticed a mischievous glint in his eyes as if he was plotting something. He began to move through the water with the stealth of a crocodile, inching closer and closer towards me. "JAKE! NO!" I yelled and laughed, trying to swim further away from him.

I had no idea how close we were to the shore until Jake jumped up and sprinted towards me. He managed to grab my ankle and pull me back into the water as I playfully tried to escape his grip.

I never even got the chance to react!

After spending a good amount of time in the water, we decided to stay a little longer and enjoy a refreshing swim. Suddenly, Jake turned to us with a mischievous grin on his face. "Race you to the priest hole over there," Jake said, pointing to the building. "And in order to win, you gotta go upstairs and tap the door to our room,"

"Last one there has to scare the life out of Mr Portman" I winked.

We both swam vigorously towards the shore, unintentionally pushing each other underwater in our desperate attempt to reach the shore. While I was still waist-deep in the water, Jake quickly made it to the shore and sprinted towards the stairs leading up to the main platform level in the village.

As Jake made it to the summit, I dashed across the rocks and followed him towards the stairs. I quickly sprinted after him, heading towards the priest hole. We both entered simultaneously, rushing up the stairs and accidentally bumping into each other before continuing our ascent.

"HEY! WHERE D'YA THINK YER GOING" We were startled when we heard someone's voice yelling at us, causing both Jake and me to stop and turn to see who it was.

"To our rooms! Duh!!" Jake exclaimed as we cautiously made our way back down the stairs, just in case we had to provide further explanation.

"That's so?" The large man made his way towards the stairs, moving slowly. The whole pub fell silent, and something just didn't feel quite right. Well, this moron knows how to kill a mood.

"This looks like a hotel to you!" He snapped at us.

"Yes, my father has the upstairs room," Jake explained. "Look, I even got the key," said Jake holding out the key from his pocket.

"Lemme see that" he came aggressively towards us and snatched it off from Jake's hands. "This isn't our key!" He yelled. "Now tell me what you really want up there and this time, don't lie!" he smirked as he crossed his arms.

"I told you already!! We rented those rooms! Just ask Kev if you don't believe me," Said Jake leaning on the rails like he owns the place.

"I don't know no Kev, and I don't fancy bein' fed stories," He said coolly. "There ain't any rooms to let around here, and the only one lives upstairs is me!"

"Ok, really funny guys, is someone setting off a prank here, 'cause I don't find it funny," As I took hold of Jake's arm, I gently led him away from the stairs and towards the exit.