The Peregrines

Chapter 6

{ Edited - 13th August, 2021 }
{ Edited - 4th May, 2024 }

You know, if given the opportunity, I would absolutely seize the chance to see Miss Peregrine fully healed once again. I truly miss conversing with her and engaging in interactions, even though it was quite challenging to maintain my facade as a clueless peculiar who unintentionally stumbled into a Ymbryne's loop.

I wasn't actively searching for my birth mother, but because of that unexpected encounter, a flood of memories was triggered all at once. It became incredibly difficult for me to process the kind of childhood I had, the very one that was deliberately taken away from me. This period of self-reflection isn't progressing smoothly. Perhaps it's simply due to grief, or maybe I'm experiencing some sort of shock?

I lean my elbow on the chair's arm, supporting my head with my hand while closing my eyes. I try to avoid overthinking, focusing instead on the weather outside. I don't want to inadvertently alert the gypsies, peculiars, and wights to my location.

I was jolted awake by a sudden noise in the camp, only to realize that I had dozed off. I glanced out the tiny window and saw that the sky was dark as night. What time could it be? I sprang up from the couch, rushed to the door, flung it open, and leapt out of the carriage.

To my surprise, I found gypsies running in all directions, children hiding behind their parents, and guard-like figures inspecting the chaos. The camp had turned into a complete frenzy.

I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder, but when I turned to look, there was no hand to be seen. I scanned the area where someone could have been standing, only to find it empty. Initially startled, I managed to calm myself when I heard a voice whispering softly. "Kira, is that you?!"

"Millard??!" I whispered as I looked around to see if anyone was watching me talk to myself. "Come with me," I whispered again as I jogged over to Bekhir's carriage where no one could see me interact with a bloody ghost in front of me. "What are you doing here!" I snapped.

"What am I doing here?! Your new friends put my friends in that cage!" Millard slightly snapped back at me as if I offended him. "Why'd you run away from us??!"

"I had my own reason why I ran away and it's personal!" I snapped back.

"Not this again, you can't keep running away from everything and expect things to get better because they won't!" said Millard. "Kira, we need you, your mother is in danger and we're trying to save her, but we don't have time to spare especially when everyone's locked up!" Millard argued.

"Fine! I'll try, no promises," I let out a deep sigh as I moved away from Millard in search of Bekhir, wherever he might be.

I located Kezia and inquired about her husband's whereabouts. She pointed me towards the carriage where many gypsies were gathered for an investigation. Upon finding him, I heard a boy screaming nearby.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! A GHOST!!" I glanced over at the boy just in time to catch him gesturing towards the area beside the cage. Dammit, Millard!

I witnessed hands coming through the cage, a person from within had seized the boy's arm and yanked him off his feet, pressing him against the bars. "HEY!" I yelled as I began to run towards the cage.

"Haaaaalp!" he screamed. "They've got mmmfff—"

The boy's mouth was abruptly covered by a hand, but unfortunately, the person had silenced him a little too late. "Galbi!" a woman shouted. "Let him go, you savages!" The cage was surrounded by Gypsy men, their knives glinting in the dimming light.

"Free us or the boy dies!" I recognised that girl's voice, it was Emma.

The Gypsies surrounded them, shouting threats. "If you harm him in any way," the leader yelled, "I'll kill every last one of you with my bare hands!"