Chapter 4: Peculiar Roommates

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.


After that display, there were a few more awkward introductions before people split off and engaged in small conversations with one another. Apart from Horace, Enoch, and Emma, Magnolia had managed to be introduced to everyone else, including Hugh, Fiona, Olive, Bronwyn, Claire, and a set of extremely untalkative twins. Dinner ending nearly an hour later, Miss Peregrine tasked Emma with the responsibility of setting Magnolia up with one of the available rooms in the house.

As the two of them made their way upstairs, Emma asks her, "So how did you come to meet Millard, exactly?"

"Well as you know, there was the. . . incident with the farmers who-" Magnolia began but was cut short by Emma.

"Who were going to beat him into the next century? You know, he's always fantasized a damsel in distress scenario but I seriously doubt that's what he meant," Emma concludes with a laugh.

Giving her a withering look, Magnolia counters, "I'm sure under different circumstances my intervention would have been unnecessary, but I will admit it was pretty funny."

"I knew it," Emma grins before rapping her knuckles against a wooden doorframe. "This is your new room. Mine is right next door so if you ever need anything you know where to find me. Um, the bathroom is the at the very end of the hall on the right. As for everyone else, Olive's room is on the other side of yours, Bronwyn's across the hall, Claire is on the right of her, Fiona on the left. As for the boys, their rooms are on the opposite side of the house so if you ever want to talk to Millard, that's where he'll be staying."

"That's oddly specific, signaling Millard out like that," Magnolia points out, crossing her arms.

Now it was Emma's turn to give Magnolia a pointed look. Mirroring her stance and crossing her arms as well she counters, "Right, then shall I give you a map to Enoch's room instead?"

Her nose wrinkling in disgust, Magnolia mumbles, "No thanks. I don't feel like being murdered in my sleep."

"But he could always revive you," Emma points out in a sarcastic tone.

Uncrossing her arms, Magnolia retorts, "As true as that may be, it's still a hard no from me."

"Unless Millard is involved of course," Emma says quickly before ducking into Magnolia's new room.

Running in after her, Magnolia shuts the door behind her and begs, "Please keep your voice down!"

Placing a hand to her chest, Emma feigns innocence as she inquires, "Why? You're obviously not interested in him. So what's the harm being done here?"

Leaning against her door, Magnolia mumbles, "Well I never said that, per se. But still, please don't go shouting that in the hallway."

"Shouting what?" Emma inquires at the top of her lungs before continuing, "That Millard is a hunk and you are totally into him?"

As she continued to rave, Magnolia's hair changed from pale blonde to bright pink, matching the color of the blush that was blossoming on her face.

After a moment, Emma finally stopped. "Okay, okay, it's obvious he likes you and that you like him but if you really want me to, then I'll stop. This is clearly something the two of you need to work out."

With an eye roll, Magnolia quips sarcastically, "C'mon, Emma, we've already known each other for nearly an entire day. If Millard and I are not married by the end of the week then something is clearly wrong here."

Arching an eyebrow, Emma critiques her. "I'm surprised at you. I mean, doesn't that seem a little late? Waiting until the end of the week and all? You'll definitely be engaged by noon tomorrow and married within the next three days."

As her hair and skin finally revert back to their normal colors, Magnolia suggests, "It's getting late. Would you be offended if I decided to go to bed?"

"Not at all. You've obviously had such a long day. I'll come to get you in the morning for breakfast. But until then, good night," Emma says, leaving the room and quietly shutting the door behind her.

Once she had vanished, Magnolia decided to explore the room. There was a dresser, a modest closet, a bed, and a desk. It wasn't much, but it was hers. Slinging her bag onto the desk, she empties its contents and puts them away. She hung her nightgown and spare clothes in the closet, stacked her few books on top of the desk, and slipped her notebook inside a drawer before hanging her bag on the desk chair.

Slipping off her boots, she pulled on the nightgown before sliding into bed. Magnolia could tell she was going to be there a while and wanted to start off her first official day well rested.