Enoch sat in a chair at the kitchen table, trying to ignore the queasiness in his stomach that still persisted. Hugh sat next to Fiona across from him, and Horace sat on his other side. Miss Peregrine remained standing, leaning slightly against the wooden cabinet that held all of their dishes and cups. Enoch noticed with keen eyes how badly Hugh was trembling, and he almost thought that he felt sympathetic for his loop brother.

"Hugh, would you like to begin? Or do you want me to show everyone?" Horace asked after a moment, gnawing on his bottom lip like gum. Hugh's face paled more than it already was, if that were even possible, and he quickly shook his head. Horace nodded in understanding and the occupants of the kitchen turned to Hugh, waiting for him to start, Fiona giving Hugh's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I always knew about peculiarities because both of my parents had them, and my older brother. His name was Liam," Hugh began. "When I was about ten years old, a hollow broke in to my home, and killed my mum and dad. It attacked me, blinded me, and was going to kill me, but Liam was just in time to save me," Hugh continued, his voice nothing more than a whisper. Enoch's eyes widened slightly and he tried not to show his concern, hiding his shaking hands under the table.

"The next four years or so were spent in our home, and nothing really happened. We ran into a few hollows, but Liam always managed to kill them. I met Fiona during that time, but we didn't actually become... you know, a couple until later." Both Hugh and Fiona's faces had flushed slightly, and Horace smiled as he remembered Hugh and Fiona's first kiss. Enoch looked curious, but nothing more.

"Liam got word from a friend that there were more hollows, and even wights coming after us, and we made a plan to escape. We knew about this loop from mum and dad, and the general direction to go in. We were making good time, and we were almost out of Ireland, but..." Hugh's voice trailed off and he closed his eyes, starting to shake again. Horace quickly embraced the older boy in an attempt to calm him, which worked somewhat. Enoch glanced between the three wards in front of him and that same queasy feeling returned.

"A hollow found us. It dragged Fiona away, and it was killing her. I ran after her and left Liam. I was... I was so scared, I didn't want her to die. When I found her she was hurt so badly I thought she wouldn't make it," Hugh whimpered, tears brimming in his clouded eyes. Enoch tensed, his eyes wide, and he hesitantly reached out and firmly grasped Hugh's shoulder. Hugh blinked, staring down at the teen's hand for a moment before looking back up at him. The bees in his stomach were buzzing loudly, and at first Enoch thought he had done something wrong. He quickly withdrew his hand and was about to apologize when he saw the small smile Hugh wore through his tears. He immediately relaxed, and was ready to listen once again.

"A wight came out of the trees and tried to take Fiona. I told him to take me instead, and to bring the hollow with him so I knew it wouldn't hurt her anymore. He agreed and told me we'd have lots of... lots of fun together. As we were leaving I saw Liam. He'd seen the whole thing. After healing Fiona he followed us, but I lost track of him for a while. Then we reached the wight's home." Horace went rigid, his eyes clenching shut. Hugh glanced at him forlornly, shaking his head slightly and sighing.

"The wight experimented on me," Hugh whispered, "and I never felt so scared in my life. He cut me open and stole my bees, keeping them in a jar. There was a hollow chained to the wall the whole time, a-and it kept trying to eat me, but the wight wouldn't let it kill me." Miss Peregrine tried to keep her face neutral, but even she had begun to look sick, her face turning green. Hugh was breathing raggedly and clutching the arms of his chair, shaking slightly and whimpering.

"T-The wight tested my physical and mental limits, doing pretty much anything to me its twisted mind could think of. Name any torture, and I'll bet you he did it on me," Hugh said, his voice starting to crack. Enoch felt anger begin to bubble up in his chest, and he resisted the urge to get up out of his seat and shout at Miss Peregrine. She knew everything. She could detect peculiars, she must have known where Hugh was. Why hadn't she saved him?! But Hugh wasn't finished, so Enoch remained frozen in his seat, his expression hard.

"Liam found us. He killed the wight but got me out before he could get the hollow. He healed me as best as he could, but I still have bad scars, and the place where the wight cut me open still hasn't quite healed," Hugh murmured. He lifted up his shirt slightly to reveal an angry red line going from the bottom of his stomach up to his chest, disappearing under the fabric. Enoch felt bile rising in his throat and put a hand over his mouth, trying to make the move look like he was in a thinking position.

"Y-You... You said Liam died. What happened? Did the hollow get him?" Enoch croaked, surprised at the emotion his voice held. This time, he knew he made the wrong move. Hugh started to sob and gripped at his hair, looking down with his elbows resting on the table. He was shaking and gasping, his eyes clenched shut as if he were trying not to panic. Enoch leaped to his feet and rushed to his side, not really knowing what to do, but wanting to help somehow. He hugged Hugh to his chest like he'd seen Miss Peregrine do to Horace whenever he began to panic, cradling his head with one hand and wrapping the other firmly around Hugh's waist. Hugh tried to pull away but Enoch wasn't giving up that easily. He held firm, and almost shouted for joy when Horace and Fiona joined the embrace. Their grips were much gentler, and Enoch followed their example, easing his grip on Hugh slightly. Said boy sobbed, surrendering to their affections and burying his face in Enoch's shoulder.

Enoch hesitated before burying his face on Hugh's hair and gently rubbing his back, reminding himself of what his mother used to do to him when he had a nightmare. He closed his eyes and concentrated entirely on trying to get Hugh to calm down, and ignored the fact that a few tears had escaped the confines of his eyes and were slowly tracking down his face. This was about Hugh, not him. He realized with a start that he actually felt compassion for the other boy, and maybe even love. Purely platonic love, but love all the same. Was this what Hugh and Horace felt for each other? The thought made Enoch almost scowl. Of course not. Hugh wouldn't begin to feel this way for him in a million years. But as Hugh clung to him like lifeline as he cried, Enoch was able to pretend, just for a moment, that he did.