The Peregrines

Chapter 34

{Pic is mine}

{ Edited - 27th April, 2024 }

"I never left," Jake replied, looking up at Emma. "Miss Peregrine wouldn't let me." Everyone listened as he explained his dilemma. "I'm banished if I try to leave."

"Damn," I said.

Olive's notebook burst into flames out of nowhere, causing her to glance at Jake in disbelief. Meanwhile, Emma soared up to the ceiling and desperately searched for something to stabilize herself. Reacting swiftly, I leapt to my feet and reached out to grab her hand, guiding us both down gently. "She can't do that!" Emma cried.

Emma nudged her foot downwards, signalling Bronwyn to hold it in place while Emma released my arms. Bronwyn then guided Emma's foot into her shoe, and I secured it with a buckle to ensure Emma remained stable on the ground.

"She can do what she likes," said Bronwyn. "She's the Bird."

Olive threw down her flaming book and stamped out the fire.

"I just came to tell you I'm going, whether she wants me to or not. I won't be held prisoner, and I won't bury my head in the sand while my own father might be in real danger."

"Then I'm coming with you," Emma said.

"Emma!" I said, a bit gobsmacked.

"You ain't serious," replied Bronwyn.

"I am."

"What you are is three-quarters stupid," said Enoch. "You'll turn into a wrinkled old prune, and for what? Him?"

"I won't," said Emma. "You've got to be out of the loop for hours and hours before time starts to catch up with you, and it won't take nearly that long, will it, Jake?"

"It's a bad idea," I said.

"What's a bad idea?" said Enoch. "She won't even know what she's risking her life to do."

"Headmistress won't like it," said Bronwyn, stating the obvious. "She'll kill us, Em." Emma stood up and shut the trapdoor. "She won't kill us," she said, "But those things will. And if they don't, living like this might just be worse than death. The Bird's got us cooped up so tight we can hardly breathe, and all because she doesn't have the spleen to face whatever's out there!"

"Or not out there," said Millard.

"But she won't like it," Bronwyn repeated.

Emma took a combative step toward Bronwyn. "How long can you hide under the hem of that woman's skirt?"

"Have you already forgotten what happened to Miss Avocet?" said Millard. "It was only when her wards left the loop that they were killed and Miss Bunting kidnapped. If they'd only stayed put, nothing bad would've happened."

"Nothing bad?" Emma said dubiously. "Yes, it's true that hollows can't go through loops. But wights can, which is just how those kids were tricked into leaving. Should we sit on our bums and wait for them to come through our front door? What if rather than clever disguises, this time they bring guns?"

"That's what I'd do," Enoch said. "Wait till everyone's asleep and then slide down the chimney like Santa Claus and BLAM!" He fired an imaginary pistol at one of my pillows. "Brains on the wall."

"Thank you for that," Millard said, sighing.

"We've got to hit them before they know we know they're there," said Emma, "While we've still got the element of surprise." - Emma

"But we don't know they're there!" - Millard

"We'll find out." - Emma

"And how do you propose to do that? Wander around until you see a Hollow? What then? 'Excuse me, we were wondering what your intentions might be, vis à vis eating us.' " - Enoch