Penelope hummed a pleasant tune as she leaned against the railing of the boat. Her knee length chestnut brown hair whipped in the wind around her face, and her deep blue eyes were shut in euphoria. This was the first time she had ever been on a boat.

"Is that Judy Garland I hear," Abe asked as he moved to stand beside her.

"Yes, Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart specifically," she said as she smiled wider but kept her eyes shut.

"How come you don't sing it out? Based on that hum I'd venture to say you'd have a lovely singing voice. Are you embarrassed with all the other people around," he conjectured.

"Heavens no," she laughed as she turned to him, "I don't believe in singing a song unless you have felt it's lyrics before. It's a bit of a lie, don't you think?"

Abe chuckled, "You take music very seriously, Penny."

"Penny," she repeated, "I've never had a nickname before."

"How does it feel," Abe grinned.

Penelope took a few minutes to think about it before she responded. "I prefer Penelope, but I won't mind it so much if you call me Penny - but just you! It's only fair considering you rescued me," she concluded.

"Fair," Abe questioned.

"Yes, nicknames denote a sort of intimacy don't they? While we don't know each other - and are far from in love despite what you told everyone else - you still saved me," she paused a moment before continuing, "Please don't misunderstand me when I say these things. I love helping people, and I love my peculiarly. However, having people take from me what I would give freely hurts my heart in ways I can't even explain. Not being able to know when I'll get sick or hurt - or be able to guess how based on what I'm healing - is terrifying. Thank you."

Abe's eyes watered a bit thinking about how things had gone for this sweet and strange girl before him. It took him a few moments before he trusted his voice enough to say, "You're very welcome, my dear Penny."

She smiled brightly at him and asked, "So what can you tell me about what's hurting you?"

Abe was taken aback by her words and found himself stuttering in response. Penelope giggled and explained, "When I'm aware of someone's presence, my body and mind responds in a certain way when they're hurt or sick. It's like it tickles my brain and I get goosebumps on my skin. I'd guess your hurt is more of the heart than physical illness or injury."

Abe bowed his head, "That is a rather amazing gift you have."

"So who is she," she asked plainly.

Abe gaped, "Are you sure you don't have a touch of a seer in you?"

Penelope through back her head and laughed heartily, "Dearest Abe, I'm an 18 year old woman - and a romantic. I read far too much Edgar Allen Poe and Shakespeare, I see heartbreak and tragedy everywhere."

Abe stood dazed for a minute before the laughter took him. He laughed so long and so loud that he got dizzy and had to grab the railing for support. His stomach hurt and tears were pouring down his face, but he felt wonderfully light - more so than he had in a long time. "Penny, you are the most peculiar girl I've ever met, and I mean that in the best of ways."

Penelope smiled at him before looking up at the sky. The sun had finally peaked its head over the clouds. As it began to beam down she opened her maroon umbrella, and looked at her companion expectantly.

Abe sighed, "Her name is Emma, she was my sweetheart."

Penelope gasped, "What happened to her?"

"Oh she's fine, alive and well, well perhaps not well. I fear I've broken her heart," Abe admitted sadly.

"You must've had good reason, you don't seem like the heartbreaker type," she encouraged.

"My peculiarity, well...I can see things...invisible things," he explained, "Specifically creatures called hollowgasts, or hollows for short. They mainly kill peculiars. Having this peculiarity, as much as I love Emma, I could not in good conscience let others of our kind be murdered by something I could see and stop. This war, they're using it to their benefit, they're killing more than just peculiars and I have to stop as many as I can or die trying."

"And you left Emma behind so she wouldn't get hurt," Penelope conjectured.

Abe nodded, "And now I'm afraid I'm a bit too old for her. It was a necessary evil, leaving her, you know."

"You don't have to convince me, only yourself," she pointed out as she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He smiled and asked, "Did you just -"

"No, I can't heal emotional trauma I'm afraid, that's beyond my limits," Penelope confirmed, "so how about you tell me about this Emma, and the others."

The rest of the day Abe regaled her with tales of his peculiar family. She was amazed to hear of all the different abilities, and how they operate on a daily basis. Perhaps living in the same day wouldn't be so bad.

"There is one I should warn you about," Abe said carefully.

"Oh," she asked confused.

"Enoch, he's a good soul underneath it all I'm sure, but..." he began.

"Enoch is the young man who can bring things to life right," she asked excitedly.

"Yes," he confirmed before continuing, "he was always jealous of Emma and I. I think being a teenage boy and having only two choices of teenage girls was difficult. He was so close with Victor that Bronwyn became more like a sister to him by osmosis. So..."

"That only left Emma," Penelope finished.

"I just wanted you to know that he may be a bit sour, but -"

"Abe, have no worries fill your mind, I won't even notice," she said halfheartedly.

"Come again," Abe asked puzzled at her change in demeanor.

"My parents always said that I could see sunshine in a black hole and befriend a den of vipers before I used my common sense about people," she paused and looked sadly at the ocean for a moment, "I love them, and I know they meant well. It's just, I can sense when people are in pain and distress. Some of the nastiest people I have encountered carry the greatest pain in their heart...it's almost unbearable. They need love even more than everyone else in my opinion; and if I'm the only one to give it than so be it."

Abe gave her a gentle smile before nodding at the darkening sky, "We should head down below to get some sleep. We should be at our next destination by morning."

"Penelope! Wake up," Abe whisper shouted as he shook Penelope's sleeping form.

"'Tis the morn already," Penelope asked groggily in an English accent.

"No, but we've got to go," Abe insisted and when she wouldn't respond further he added, "there is a hallow on board!"

Penelope shot straight up and grabbed her umbrella and bag. "What do we do? You've got to kill it, what if it hurts someone?"

"I think it's been following me, or at least it's master has. They love nothing more than to discover the locations of loops. We've got to get out of here," he explained.

"You can't let it live, Abe, people could die," Penelope begged.

Abe looked back and forth, considering his options. He growled and dig out a piece of paper from his pockets. "Go to the life boat on the starboard side. Wait for me there. If I don't come back in 10 minutes time. Release the boat and follow these instructions," he instructed curtly, "now go!"

Penelope quickly slunk to the topside of the boat and around the starboard side. Carefully and quietly she removed the cover and hopped inside. All was quiet as she began counting to six hundred in her head. It was too quiet and she felt uneasy. The tickling in her brain and the goosebumps on her arms let her know that someone was not well close by. Did Abe get hurt?

260. No sign of Abe, but the goosebumps now covered her legs too.

415. All is still eerily quiet save for the lapping of the waves against the boat. The goosebumps have traveled up her neck, and the tickling in her brain has become a dull ache.

528. Where could Abe be? Her head felt like it was about to split in two.

556. She slowly and sadly began to put her hands on the ropes. "Abe," she whispered like a prayer.

"GO," Abe's voice shouted out as he crashed through the window of the sight seeing cabin.

Penelope made quick work of the ropes and soon the life boat crashed to the water below. She wasted no time in pulling out the oars and doing what she thought was right. At first, she seemed to be going in circles. The fear caused her to focus though as thuds and inhuman screeching rang out, and she soon got the hang of it. She got about 150 feet away from the boat when she felt something pull on it. A scream tore from her throat and she raised one of the oars with the intention of slamming it down on what she hoped would be the hollow.

"Penny it's me," a choked voice came out.

Penelope opened her eyes and saw a drenched Abe clinging for life to the side of the boat. She helped pull him in, and immediately started looking him over frantically.

"Penny, I'm okay, I'm okay," he promised.

"Something is not okay," she exclaimed desperately.

Taken aback by her harsh tone he stared at her in confusion and slight fear.

"Never. Not in all of my life, have I ever felt what I did while waiting in this boat up there. By my senses you should be torn a part, but there's only minor scratches and bruising. What is going on," she demanded.

Abe sighed, "I didn't think that you may be able to sense them."

"What? The hollow," she guessed.

"Yes," he affirmed.

"What on earth did you do before you killed it? Torture it," she asked.

"No, in a way it's already tortured," he said carefully.

"Abe," she insisted him to continue.

She needed answers. Her mind and body were still coming down from being torn so.

"Penelope," he sighed, "hollows used to be peculiars."

"What," she gasped.

Abe rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, "...and apparently after what you say you felt, underneath the creatures they have become, they still are."