Morning was drawing to a close. Ten peculiars, and Addison, were gathered around Jacob Portman's living room in a circle, in front of the fireplace, blabbing about virtually anything that came to mind. Jacob's parents were out shopping and Miss Peregrine was napping in his room. Conversations ranged from gossip to learning about one another's taste in the 21st century, especially since they can access practically everything online. Enoch enjoyed listening to a Japanese rock band called Ling Tosite Sigure as, according to him, they were aggressive and "evil." To no one's surprise, Millard and Horace liked classical music, though each had their own different preferences for different eras. Horace liked Mozart, as he was "sophisticated," and Millard adored Beethoven as well as Bach. Arguments between which composer was better were fairly entertaining to watch. Addison liked most types of classical music, and liked to listen to it in order to seem sophisticated. The rest of the peculiars weren't as enthusiastic about music as they shifted the conversation to Millard's obsession with Jacob's gaming console.
"We never had any of those in the 20th century!" Millard said defensively. "You would've reacted the same way!"
"Yeah!" Emma said. "But the difference is that you're a big nerd who cares too much about research!" "Nerd" was a slang term that Jacob taught her, which, he explained, didn't start becoming popular until about 20 years after Miss Peregrine's loop. It meant someone who was fairly smart and obsessed with video games or something along those lines.
"I may be a 'nerd,' but at the very least I use my head over letting my emotions succumb to me."
"You're saying that I'm an emotional dim-wit, aren't you? Oh, you just wait until I burn you!"
"You wouldn't be able to see me," Millard said tauntingly. Emma seemed about to get up and walk towards Millard when the front door, that was connected to the living room, rang.
"I'll get it!" Jacob said as he walked swiftly over to the front door to open it. He was met with the sight of a tall teenager, around six foot, with green hair, wearing a black shirt with Slipknot scrawled above the band members. A family member of his was one of the people expected to be visiting, but his best friend? Even after a long time he didn't believe all the stuff about a hollow killing his grandfather?
"Hi. Is Jacob Portman her—" Ricky cut himself off as he stared down at Jacob, staring back at him in shock. The Jacob Portman. He hasn't seen him in—what, years? God, it's been so long! What a miracle that he isn't dead. He's been searching for him since forever and finally, here he was, standing in front of the porch of his excessively expensive house. The geek that he's protected from bullies since grade school.
"Ricky? Uh…" Jacob said, stuttering. Clearly not expecting his former best friend to suddenly appear at his doorstep. What were you supposed to say to someone you haven't seen in months?
"Jake?" Ricky had to fight back tears. No way he's gonna show his emotions to Special Ed, even if he's his friend. "I missed you, buddy!"
He quickly bent down to embrace Jacob in a hug, making the peculiars "aww!" collectively. Jacob's face grew warm as he blushed. He hasn't been hugged by Ricky since they first met, so this was definitely new. And awkward at best, especially in front of peopl—
Ricky grabbed him aggressively by the shoulders. Jacob glanced at his face and surprisingly, it was shaped into an angry grimace. Slight dread bubbled in his gut. Why would he be angry all of a sudden?
Ricky shook him back and forth. "Goddammit! Where were you?! Why did you leave me?!"
"I-I, uh…"
"You little…" Ricky trailed off as he gazed blankly at a circle of children, staring back at him. They all wore outdated clothes from the 1940s and one of them wore a brown tuxedo and had a brown fedora hovering over what should be a head. And they also had a dog who wore sunglasses? He let go of Jacob's shoulders and kept gazing. Why are they wearing stuff from the 1940s? And why is one of them invisible? Why are they in Jacob's house, out of all the places in the world? Why not in an abandoned house, where they do rituals or some shit?
He walked over by the circle of peculiars, who only stared back in curiosity. "Who the hell are you people?"
The peculiars stared at each other (including Jacob, who just walked near their spot after Ricky did), deciding whether to stay silent or reveal themselves. Eventually though, Millard decided to start off.
"Greetings, green-haired teenager!" he said, almost too enthusiastic. "I a—"
"What'd you just call me?" Ricky looked as if he were about to strangle Millard.
"Er, isn't that what you are?"
"Yes, but I—"
"And I'm Millard Nullings, at your service!" He stood up quickly and gave a bow. Everyone applauded, except Ricky. Already, not even an hour in, Ricky was starting to hate this kid. "I apologize for calling you a green-haired teenager. I was unsure on what to call you. What's your name, sir?"
"Ricky Pickering. But I'd prefer Ricky."
"Very well! Nice to meet you, Ricky!" He offered an invisible hand to Ricky, who felt for his hand and shook, forcing to smile.
"Nice to meet you, too," he said through gritted teeth. He suddenly had an urge to run and bail the fuck out of this house. This is feeling an awful lot like one of those horror movies, where the main guy goes into some creepy house and gets murdered by some demon or serial killer.
Millard released his grip and looked up at Ricky. "I notice that you're nervous and I apologize if I'm making you feel that way. I also happen to feel nervous as you're quite tall and I also don't know any of Jacob's normal friends."
"He's my only normal friend," Jacob said. Why do they keep using the word "normal" as if it was some new word they learned in a dictionary?
"That's quite sad," he said gravely, then brightened. "But at least you have us."
"It's cool. You don't have to feel bad or anything."
"And I forgot to mention this before, but 'Ricky' sounds like a strange name. It sounds more like a name you would give to a dog rather than a living person."
"Even I wouldn't name myself 'Ricky,'" Addison interjected.
"Yeah, well I didn't name myself," Ricky said disdainfully. God, does this Millard guy get on his nerves! He would happily slap him across the face if he had to.
Jacob chuckled and stared up at him. "It sounds more like a baby name to me, but now that I think about it, it kind of does sound like a pet name." Great! Now that's two people he'd like to slap.
He, once again, grabbed him by his shoulder and gave him a don't-fuck-with-me glare. "I'll show you a pet name if you don't stop talking about me."
Instead of cowering, he just gave a smile as if Ricky just said the funniest thing known to man. That little shit! He resisted the urge to grab him and throw him across the room. Special Ed's probably just messing around, is all. That's what little brats like him do all the time.
"We're sorry that we offended you, Ricky," Millard said sheepishly. "Our banter is all in good fun."
"Just get on with it!" he said, feeling like punching someone.
"Er, right." He turned back to face the rest of the peculiars. "Does anyone else want to go next?"
"Me!" Addison said haughtily. The dog can fucking talk? What even is this place? "Greetings, fellow American! I can tell by the expression on your face that you are flabbergasted that a domesticated animal, such as me, has the ability to speak. Well let me assure you that that's no reason to be afraid. I don't bite, unless provoked, since I still have animalistic instincts. And I'm one of the smartest peculiar dogs out there. I might even dare go as far to say the smartest peculiar." A few groans emerged from the children. Ricky doesn't blame them. This dog talks way too much that it's starting to aggravate him.
"Good for you, I guess," he muttered. "You want a cookie?"
"'Cookie'?"
"If you're so smart then how come you don't know what a cookie is?" Ricky snapped.
"Because they're called 'biscuits,'" Addison said, sounding annoyed. "Not 'cookies.'" He groaned, which sounded strangely human. "You Americans and your inconsistent slang."
"I wanna kick you."
Addison barked, which made everyone in the room jump. "I said I don't bite, unless provoked." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "You seem like a fairly dim-witted individual, so I'm not surprised at the slightest that you missed my warning."
"Whatever. You're a dog so you're the one who's stupid."
He turned to Jacob. "Jacob, are all Americans like this?"
"Some of them, I guess." Jacob looked up at Ricky. "Though I do agree with you. He's one of my dumb friends."
Ricky shot a death glare at him and he just snickered. "Think you're so funny, huh, Special Ed? Think you're so smart?"
He shrugged. "I guess so."
Before Ricky could react, Addison said, "Before this situation escalates, I would like someone from the crowd to come up and introduce themselves, please."
"Me!" Enoch called out as he raised his hand and walked in front of Ricky. "Greetings, dear friend Ricky. My name is Enoch O'Connor, but you can simply call me Enoch."
"Alright… Well, since that Millard guy is invisible and this dog can talk," Ricky said, "can you do something? Or at least have something?"
"For me to demonstrate my peculiarity, I must have a sacrifice, though you are a normal, so you would be an excellent example." Jesus, is everyone here this annoying? "I'm a necromancer, by the way. I revive dead people by using the hearts of animals."
"Nice to meet you too," he said surly.
After that, it was pretty much the same. The rest of the peculiars (except Jacob), one by one, greeted Ricky as their new normal friend and displayed, or at least explained their peculiarities. Fiona used a dying potted plant to show her ability ("Can you even talk?" Ricky asked, annoyed. She shook her head. Well, that settles it, he thought.). Hugh called his pet bee Binky (the fuck?). Olive had to take her leaden shoes off and have someone hold on to her, and Browynn had to lift Ricky up near the roof, which was quite uncomfortable for him. They were very peculiar for sure, Ricky thought. The most peculiar out of all of them has got to be the Millard-guy. He can't get over the fact how fucking creepy he looks. That kid's basically a ghost.
"So…" he started, "yeah. You guys are cool…and weird, I guess."
"Peculiar, in fact," Millard said.
"Yeah, that too."
"What about you, Portman?" Enoch asked, smirking. "You haven't said a word the entire time we were giving our introductions."
Damn, I just realized that, Ricky thought. He turned to Jacob's direction, and to his mild surprise, he looked red on the cheeks. Why does Special Ed look so embarrassed? And is he like any of these kids?
"Um…I can see hollows," Jacob said. "And control them too."
"What the hell is a 'hollow?'"
"This is gonna be a bit hard to explain, but they're, like…weird, naked human-like things that have black eyes. And they have tentacles out of their mouth. I'm the only one that can feel and see one."
Ricky stared at him in absolute disbelief. Ever since he first met him, he never expected Special Ed to be this weird, able to control a Lovecraftian-like beast as if he were a goddamn X-men superhero. Sure, he was always a big nerd, and he suspected something strange about him too, but this? Just unbelievable. And the fact he made new friends that are just about as creepy as him.
"Ricky, are you okay?" Jacob asked tentatively. Noticing Ricky growing pale.
"I need a moment," he said blankly, before turning away from everyone. Just take it slow, alright? No need to freak out. "So let me get this straight: you've hidden this 'peculiarity,' or whatever, from me for such a long time, and the time you finally tell me, you invite all your weirdo friends to torment me?!" As he was talking, his voice steadily rose in anger until the last word "me." At that point, he was glaring at Jacob. He didn't know what to feel at that moment: angry? Scared? Confused? It was such an overwhelming collection of emotions that he kept himself still, in fear of doing something erratic.
"I'm sorry," Jacob said, once again, looking red on the cheeks. He swallowed. "You remember that time when I told you about that hollow monster I saw a few months ago?"
Ricky stared blankly.
"Well, I guess now you believe me." Jacob uttered a nervous chuckle.
Ricky kept staring. After an awkward pause, he said, "I honestly don't know what to do to you."
"Our goal is not to torment you," Horace said, "and we apologize if you feel that way."
Ricky grumbled.
Millard mused, "This looks like a terrible case of teenage mood swings to me. If I were you, I'd recommend not trying to use logic. Teenagers can't be persuaded through reason and are better watched from a distance."
"Agreed, Millard-boy!" Addison interjected. "American teenagers can be very strange."
Ricky shot a glare at Millard. "I'm gonna kill you!"
"Likewise."
He grabbed Millard by the shoulders and lifted him slightly, glaring at him. "Please don't hurt me, sir. I was only joking."
"Then you'd better start by shutting that smartass mouth of yours."
"Right! Er, could you let me go now?"
Ricky did so.
"Why are you always so angry?" Claire whined, crossing her arms. "I thought Jacob's normal friends were supposed to be nice?"
"Yeah!" Olive butted in.
"Now, now, little ones," Browynn reassured. "Our friend Ricky is having a bad day, is all."
"I was also wondering why he's so mad," Jacob said thoughtfully.
"Because YOU—!" Ricky took a deep breath and tried again: "Because you never told me that you were a 'peculiar.'" He turned to look at Jacob scornfully. "And you left me."
"I'm sorry, man," he said consolingly. "I mean, it wasn't like you would believe me anyway. Plus, it wasn't my choice since my dad was going with me to Wales anyway." That was partially a lie. He actually wanted to go. "If the circumstances were different, I would've brought you with me."
"Aww…" Ricky suddenly felt guilty for hating his best friend. "I guess I forgive you. I'm also sorry for acting like a grumpy idiot towards you."
"That's okay." Jacob smiled. "I like pissing you off anyway."
"Cheeky bastard."
He chuckled.
"I still love you, by the way. Don't forget that."
"Now kiss!" Enoch said.
Emma shot him a fire-filled glare. In response, he just shrugged.
Ricky turned to Enoch. "Goddammit! We're just friends!"
"That's what they all say."
He made it as if to grab at Enoch, to which he didn't flinch. "You may be big, but you don't scare me the slightest."
"You just wait," Ricky said ominously.
While Enoch smirked at Ricky, Horace looked around for seemingly no reason. He spotted an upright piano in the corner of Jacob's living room. "Jacob, I notice that you have a piano in your living room. May I play it?"
Jacob said, "I'm fine with that. We don't play it that much. One of my uncles bought it and they occasionally come here to play."
"Thank you very much." He bowed then walked over to sit in front of the piano.
"When did you ever learn to play piano anyway?"
"Before I was orphaned, my parents were very musical and wanted to pass their musical expertise onto me. Thus, they made me practice at least three times a week."
"That's honestly cool. I kinda wish my parents taught me piano earlier."
"You still have time, my friend." Horace positioned his fingers on the piano. "Now if you'll excuse me, I will be performing a piece, so sit back and relax everyone."
And he played, fingers dancing across the keys, making the piano emit vibrant noises (surprisingly for an old piano). Everyone in the room watched Horace in wonder as he breezed through Rachmaninoff's Etude Tableaux Op 33. No. 4 with ease, with some barely noticeable errors. Addison perked up his ears in delight, enjoying the sweet sounds of the piano. Ricky, who usually only listens to metal and punk, actually enjoyed it, despite the music not being his style. Emma, during the middle of the piece, muttered how beautiful it was and shed a tear. After the performance was over, everyone applauded, and Horace gave multiple bows while giving thanks to the many compliments.
"This song sort of reminds me of us," Emma said. "If this were a television show, this would be our theme song."
Most of everyone murmured in agreement.
Millard pondered, invisible hand rubbing his chin. "Now that I think about it, it has some relation to our personalities. We're peculiar, after all, and this piece reflects that perfectly."
"It's like a rainbow," Addison added dreamily. "All of our personalities blended into pretty little phrases of music."
"Exactly!" He turned to Horace. "I must say, I never expected you to be into post-romantic classical music. Not to mention, Rachmaninoff is notoriously difficult. I'm curious on how you gained all this prodigious talent."
Horace shrugged. "Like I said: I practiced three times a week."
"You're lying," Enoch growled. "That seemed like a full week of practice with no rest."
"Believe what you want to believe, I guess."
Enoch was about to retort when Ricky called out, "I have a better song!"
The peculiars all turned to look at him, slightly confused. Jacob started, "Like what? Something that'll make my ears bleed?"
Ricky turned to him sharply. "No! It's called music, Special Ed. Something you won't get."
"Why do you always call Jacob 'Special Ed'?" Millard asked.
"'Cause people who take gifted classes are disabled. That's why he's Special Ed."
"And most people I know," Jacob retorted, "who have names like 'Ricky' are total idiots. That's why his mom named him 'Ricky.'"
"I oughta strangle you," Ricky said calmly.
"I oughta kill you if you don't start playing a song," Hugh said.
"Boy, do I love arguments!" Enoch butted in.
Emma shouted, "Just get on with the song already!"
Ricky did so, begrudgingly, as he got his phone out and played a song. He raised the volume to max so that everyone sitting in the room could hear. The song was by Metallica and was called "One." As the song progressed, he felt less childishly irritated and focused on enjoying the song. The lyrics brought Jacob bittersweet melancholy, as it reminded him of his grandfather, who fought in WW2 against the Germans and the hollows. Once the song reached the machine gun riff, Olive, Claire, and Horace were covering their ears while Enoch was grinning devilishly, tapping his foot to every downbeat and casually nodding his head. Addison was whimpering softly. At the solo, Millard was practically hyperventilating. Everyone else, except Jacob and Enoch, was either wide-eyed or covering their ears.
The song eventually ended, and the peculiars had mixed feelings. Horace, Claire, and Olive were complaining about how the song was too harsh ("That's metal for ya!" was all Ricky said). Enoch however, loved it, and commented how "evil" it was.
"My dear friend Ricky, I seem to have underestimated your tastes in musical arts. Perhaps you have more music similar to the one you played?"
"Sure do, my friend!"
"Then you're forever my new music pal."
"That was quite an intense song," Millard commented, voice cracking. "My only complaint about it was how dry it sounded throughout its duration."
"Whatever, nerd!" Ricky scoffed. "You just don't get the song. Try listening to it a few times."
"I'll pass. It isn't to my liking."
"Why do you have to be such a lout?" Enoch whined. "Is the song not sophisticated enough for you?"
"No, I just don't like it." He turned to Enoch. "Though it seems that this song is heavily targeted towards dull and mediocre necromancers, such as yourself."
"You take that back or I'll clobber you!"
"I want to see you try."
Instead, Enoch looked away, stewing in his anger.
"That song was too much for my doggy ears," Addison said glumly.
"What about you, Special Ed?" Ricky asked.
"For once, I actually think the song you played is cool."
"Why, thank you, good sir!" he said in a mock-british accent. "I must also say that you are also cool in return."
In the same mock-british accent, Jacob replied, "The feelings are mutual, good chap."
Enoch sniggered. "You can't even do a good British accent even if a gun was pointed at your head."
"Shut up, Enoch!" Olive shouted. "They're trying to have best friend bonding time and you're ruining it!"
Enoch glared malignantly at her. "I'll show you bonding if you don't shut your hole."
"Now, now, Enoch! Nice persons don't threaten others." Everyone turned, in shock, to see Miss Peregrine standing in front of the living room opening. Enoch was the only one who's face turned red in embarrassment.
"Yes, Missus Peregrine," he muttered, feeling chastened. Olive shot Enoch a look of triumph while Enoch just glowered at her.
"Hi, Miss Peregrine!" Jacob greeted eagerly. Afterwards, everyone did the same, except Ricky, who looked confused on why an old woman, with clothes from the 1800s, is living in Jacob's house.
Miss Peregrine smiled. "Greetings, everyone. It seems that a new guest inhabits this household." She stared at Ricky. "What is your name, sir?"
"Ricky Pickering," he replied bemusedly. "Um…who are you?"
"I am Alma LeFay Peregrine, but you're welcome to call me Miss Peregrine, as that's what the children call me. Very nice to meet you, Mr. Pickering."
"There's no need to be fancy. You can just call me 'Ricky.'"
"Very well then, Ricky." She glanced at Jacob, sitting beside him. "Do you happen to be one of Jacob's normal friends?"
He smiled awkwardly. "Pretty much."
"He's my only friend," Jacob added. "We met in grade school."
"What's 'grade school'?" Miss Peregrine asked.
"It's pretty much another word for elementary school. I think you guys call it 'primary school' in the U.K."
"I see."
"Why are you wearing clothes," Ricky asked, "that look like you're from the 1800s?"
"Because I'm not from the 1800s but from the 1940s. Though I was born during the late 19th century."
"That doesn't answer my quest—wait, you were born during the 1890s?"
"Yes, somewhere around that. But if you're wondering why I'm not dead it's because, in a literal sense, I came from the 1940s. Essentially: time travel."
Ricky paused, slack-jawed. "So that's why you guys were wearing old clothes? Because you…time-traveled?"
"Indeed so."
He sat there, still slack-jawed. Jacob waved a hand in front of his face and received no reaction. "Uh…guys? I think Ricky's gonna lose it again."
Ricky grabbed Jacob by the shoulder and stared at him intensely. "You better shut your mouth, Special Ed, before I really do lose it."
Jacob stared back timidly and held up his hands in a defensive posture. He smiled nervously.
"Fairwarning," Alma said, "if you happen to try and hurt any of my peculiar wards I will be forced to kick you out of this household."
"Nah, he's cool!" He turned to his best friend. "Right, Ricky?"
Ricky's face looked vacant for a moment, as if his soul was sucked out, then turned away and covered his face in his hands.
"Are you okay, dude…?"
What Ricky muttered was fast and almost unintelligible. "Is this a dream? This has to be a dream, can it? There's no way this is real. No fucking way. I'm either dead or I'm in some fucked-up dream. If it is then why does it feel so real? Why is Special Ed in this dream? Why am I in his house? Who are these people? Angels? Ghosts? No way! No goddamn way…"
Over his long-winded and random mumblings, Millard marveled, "Ah! A classic American teenager in distress. You rarely ever get to see any of that in the Panloopticon."
"What did you say?" Ricky was now looking in Millard's direction.
"Er…what did I say? I'm not quite sure." Millard faked a chuckle.
"You wait until I get my hands on you!"
"What did I just warn you about?" Miss Peregrine said.
"Fine! I'll take it back!"
Alma nodded in understanding, but once she looked away to see if anyone else was in the house, Ricky leaned over to whisper in Millard's ear, "You're on my last nerve."
"Miss Peregrine!" Millard called.
"What is it, Mr. Nullings?"
"Mr. Pickering just threatened to murder me," he said, like a tattling little sibling.
She stared sternly at Ricky. "No, I didn't! I told him to back off and not make fun of me!"
Miss Peregrine nodded while Ricky shot a glare at Millard, who was most likely smiling. "Very well then. I will be going out for a walk. So if anyo—"
"I would like to go, Miss Peregrine!" Olive and Claire shouted simultaneously.
"There's no need to yell. I was going to ask any of you anyway."
"And I would also like to go," Addison said. "A doggo with superior intellect like me deserves some exercise."
Apparently, all the girls, and Addison, wanted to go with Miss Peregrine, as they stood up and announced it. Soon, they went out the front door to accompany Alma in her exercise. That only left the boys.
"Well then, lads," Enoch said, "I will be playing around with toys in the basement."
"Count me in," Hugh replied. "I can use my bees to fight against your action figures. It will be a war."
Horace agreed to watch and all three of them walked out of the living room to Jacob's basement, leaving only Millard, Jacob, and Ricky.
Ricky looked at the two of them and grinned malevolently. "It looks like it's just the three of us. You know what I'm about to do to you, invisible boy?"
"I'm sorry, sir," Millard said meekly. "Please don't kill us."
Jacob suggested, "We can just go down to the basement and he won't kill us."
"Like hell you are."
He put his arms out in defense and smiled jittery. "Listen, Ricky, you're probably just losing your mind from earlier. We can talk this out."
"You calling me crazy?" he asked warningly.
"Uh—no…?" Jacob furrowed his brow.
Ricky made a grab for him and he backed away. He and Millard took that as a cue to run, and so they did, all while Ricky was yelling threats and obscenities at them. They didn't run directly to the basement but instead ran around the house, just to mess with Ricky for a bit, and eventually ran to Jacob's Dad's closet to hide from him. Apparently, Ricky didn't notice any of them run and hide, so he kept running down the hallway, past the room Millard and Jacob were hiding in.
Once Ricky's footsteps faded away, Jacob laughed. "Dude, we lost him!"
"Very well. I suppose we should head out?"
"Nah!" he said, lying in a pile of jeans and jackets. "I kinda wanna chill out here a little bit. Never knew my Dad's mess of clothing would make his closet comfortable."
Millard chuckled. "You do have a point." He turned to Jacob. "So, what's wrong with your friend Mr. Pickering?"
Jacob paused, pondering. "If I'm gonna be honest, I have no clue. He scares me sometimes, you know?"
"He frightens me as well, but you seem to be his best friend so I get the feeling there's some underlying reason for why you feel so."
Jake paused, once again, thinking. "I guess whenever he gets angry, sometimes I think he secretly wants to kill me or something like that. There was this one time I kept making fun of his hair color and he started chasing me around his house."
"That is sort of amusing that he would do that," Millard mused.
Jacob smiled. "I gotta agree with you there. Ricky's scary but he can also be an idiot. That's why I like making fun of him all the time. It makes him mad."
"I see what you mean. I don't exactly fear Enoch but I always relished making him subtly go insane."
"How exactly?"
"Well, since I'm invisible, I purposefully misplace his toys or constantly follow him, whispering things in his ear occasionally. It confuses him at first, but his reaction is absolutely priceless once he finds out I'm behind his apparent schizophrenia."
Jacob tittered. "Honestly, I love making people mad. Especially my Dad. And the best part is I get away with it and he can't punish me for it because it's usually not a big deal."
Millard shook his head in mock disgust. "You sneaky boy, you."
He laughed. Afterwards, Millard laughed a bit along with Jacob.
They stopped laughing a while later. Jacob asked, "Do you ever get mad at me?"
"Not at all, Jacob. Though if you were to do something that would make me angry, then yes."
"Like what?"
"Not many things make me angry, but rather annoyed, like when someone acts like a doofus or a pretentious twat." Millard paused. "I think what truly makes me angry is something personal, like when a friend betrays me, or when someone really close to me is murdered, and their death is never justified."
"I guess that makes sense. I'm sort of like you, that not many things make me angry. I remember the last time I was mad was when my parents and best friend never believed me when I saw a hollow kill my grandfather." Saying that brought bitter memories of before he met Miss Peregrine and her peculiar children. "My best friend thought I was crazy and pushed me while my parents brought me to a psychiatrist, who didn't know jackshit and turned out to be a wight anyway. But I think you get the point now."
"Bloody hell, Jacob," Millard said soberly. "That must've been hopeless for you."
"Agreed."
"Even my parents never acted like that when they found out I was peculiar." This conversation was not steering in a good direction, so he ended the subject. "At the very least, you have us, and that your best friend and parents believe you now."
"You got a good point." Jacob smiled cheekily. "Though Ricky and my parents are probably questioning their sanity right about now."
"Don't we love watching people go crazy."
Jacob laughed.
They sat in awkward silence. Millard said, "You want to know something, Jacob? I personally find you one of the most outgoing people to hang out with."
Jacob raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I…what?"
"I'm serious, out of all the peculiars, you're one of my favorites. I tended to keep to myself the majority of the time because no one felt interested in what I said or did, so it made me feel very lonely. You're one of the only people that feel genuinely interested in what I say, and it makes you come off as an exceptionally curious person, which is something I admire a lot." He paused for a moment. "And it's relatively simple to connect with you because of how much our personalities coincide. I think, all in all, I'm extremely grateful to have you here."
Jacob's cheeks were red (for how much? he wondered briefly). "Wow, um…I have nothing else to say but thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"I also admire how smart you are and that you have a lot to say."
Millard brightened. "Thank you, good sir! I find you quite intelligent, as well. Understandably, it might not seem so as people mistake intelligence for book smarts, but I sure believe it. The smartest people I've studied in history have always been the curious ones."
Jacob now had a dumb smile plastered on his face. "Dude, you gotta stop. I'm gonna faint from embarrassment."
The invisible boy laughed. "We'd make an excellent team if we were to ever compete against other people."
"The dream team," he said dreamily. "That'd be awesome. You, me, Emma. Just imagine that."
"And I suppose Addison would also make a fine addition. Even though he is quite irritating, I appreciate what he has to say."
The closet door jerked open and enter Ricky. "What about me, you filthy nerds?"
Jacob and Millard stared up at Ricky, almost jumping out of their skin. "That sounds like a good idea," Jacob said hastily.
"But then it wouldn't be a dream team, because you think I'm stupid." The word stupid being spit.
"I suppose you are the dumb one," Millard interrupted. "If you were a part of our team, you'd be the comic relief."
Ricky walked over to Millard and shook him vehemently by the throat. "I've just about had enough of you."
Jacob stood up and kicked Ricky in the shins, resulting in him releasing the grip on Millard's throat. Ricky yelped in pain and anger while the two peculiars made their escape. He chased them down to the basement, where Enoch was playing with live figurines on the pool table. They were eventually cornered, where Millard and Jacob stood looking up at Ricky in apprehension.
"I finally caught you, you little brats."
"Listen, man, don't hurt us," Jacob pleaded. "We're sorry, we were just messing around."
"You guys were trying to drive me insane!"
"We promise we'll be nicer," Millard said.
"I'll show you 'nice,' you—"
"Oi, mate!" Enoch shouted near the pool table in the room. "What're you three fellows up to?"
The three of them turned to look at Enoch. Hugh, and Horace were staring back curiously. "Play fighting," Ricky said.
"He was gonna kill us," Jacob said.
"That sounds like fun," Enoch said jovially. "You don't know how much I've been wanting to kill you rat bastards."
Jacob stared blankly.
Enoch shrugged. "But, I figure, there wouldn't be any point, and you aren't as insufferable as you look." He stared at the pool table. "Anyways, we're staging a war, as you can see."
"I love war games!" Horace chimed in, enthusiastically.
Enoch gave him a look then continued. "Right…anyways, I'm winning."
"No, he's not," Hugh interrupted. "My swarm of bees have already invaded your side, therefore, I win."
He sneered. "You technically haven't won yet unless you were to take down and eliminate my entire army or If I were to surrender. Don't you know how a real war works?"
"You were the one to claim the winning side when my army already invaded yours, losing you an advantage. Clearly, you don't know how a real war works."
He grunted. "Whatever, you bloke." He turned to the three in the corner. "Anyways, we're playing war."
"Isn't this just glorified chess?" Jacob asked.
Enoch grinned devilishly. "Technically, yes. But this is more fun, as Hugh and I get to show off our peculiarities."
"I'd argue it'd be more fun to just play chess," Millard said. "It's a strategy game, after all, and I live for strategizing."
"Chess is dull and boring compared to this. Why think when you can just attack?"
"Sounds like something a moron would say."
Enoch stared at Millard, looking as if he was going to beat him to a pulp. "You're lucky I'm nice enough to let you live."
"I sure am. Mother always said I was a lucky boy."
He laughed. "Sure must be a shame always believing your mother."
"It sure must be a shame not having a mother."
"Why you…." Enoch growled, after unsuccessfully coming up with a proper insult.
"Enoch," Horace told him, "your army's about to be destroyed."
"Thanks for noticing," he grumbled, as he controlled his figurines into action against Hugh's honeybees.
"Yo, invisible boy." Millard jerked to stare at Ricky, who called his name. "Or whatever your name is."
"Millard, sir."
"Yeah. Millard." Ricky paused to think over what to say. "You know, Millard, how about we come upstairs and talk over what happened, okay?"
"Er…you nearly strangled me, so I don't exactly trust to be alone with you."
"I won't kill you this time, alright?" he said hastily, which was partially a lie. This kid was more aggravating than Jake. "Let's just talk this over upstairs."
"And what if I don't comply?"
Fuck! Why didn't I think this through before? "Then…I'm gonna…have to drag you then. How's that sound?"
"I'm still not going."
Stubborn little prick.
"Why does he have to specifically go with you alone?" Jacob asked.
"Because this is private, Special Ed!"
"But you guys just met."
"Goddammit, Jake! Why do you have to ask so many questions?"
"Why are you always so mad?" he asked meekly.
"Because you're annoying!"
Jacob frowned, eyes looking as if about to burst with tears. "How?"
Ricky almost bent down and slapped him. One more question and he just might lose it. "Because ever since you introduced me to your friends you've been extra annoying lately. And how am I supposed to deal with you, now that I know you're some 'peculiar'?"
He paused. "Well, I'm sorry if you feel that way. I don't mean to be a nuisance to you just because I'm peculiar. Or that I purposely annoy you as a joke."
Ricky's expression softened to a frown. "I hate to think of you that way." He paused, fighting back tears. "You know what? I'm sorry. You're my best friend and I love you. I've lost my cool on you multiple times, but I don't want you to take it the wrong way and think I hate you. That's just me being an asshole who can't control his temper. You're a cool guy and no matter how weird or peculiar you are, I'd never hate you."
Jacob smiled. "Well, I'm glad to know that you don't hate me or want to kill me." He thought for a moment, then said, "Um…hug?"
"Sure, I guess," Ricky stammered, blushing. And they did, with Jacob silently shedding a few tears on Ricky's black Slipknot shirt. Everyone in the room stared at them, Enoch and Hugh temporarily pausing their game.
"Quite nice," Enoch said sarcastically, "that they decide to have a special bonding moment in front of three people."
"Mind your business," Ricky snapped.
"As I said, a special bonding moment in front of three people."
He just scowled.
"Magnificent!" Horace said enthusiastically. "I never knew Mr. Pickering was a homosexual…or whatever Jacob calls it when you have intimate feelings for the same gender."
"I'm not gay," Ricky said through gritted teeth. "And if you ever say that again I'll personally go out of my way to make your life as miserable as possible."
"You're not 'gay'?"
He facepalmed.
"Jacob," Millard teased, "I never knew you had homosexual feelings for your friend."
"I…don't," Jacob said awkwardly.
"Yeah, you do!" He pointed at his face. "You're blushing! A tell-tale sign of embarrassment."
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Ricky growled. "We're just friends!"
"Which is what they all say before kissing each other."
"I'll kill you all. Especially you, invisible boy."
Millard backed away. "Now, now. We're only teasing, is all."
Ricky sliced a finger across his throat.
"Alright! You're not a homosexual. I'll just take your word for it."
He nodded suspiciously.
"And," he asked tentatively, "isn't it a bit odd that you got angry at Jacob and then apologized to him twice? Seems a bit inconsistent."
Ricky's eyes bulged with exasperation.
"I was just asking. My apologies."
"Are you people gonna keep yammering or watch the game?" Enoch asked.
They all ended up watching the war between Enoch's figurines and Hugh's bee swarm.
"Mr. Pickering fellow?" Enoch asked.
Ricky turned to face him. "Yeah?"
"Would you mind playing some of your music? I liked that song you played earlier and would like to hear similar styles, so please do."
"Roger that."
"Thank you, dear friend Ricky." Ricky almost leaned over to ruffle Enoch's head. He just met him and he's already starting to connect with someone other than Special Ed. Take a chill pill, he thought to himself.
He played the songs that Enoch thought he would like, all while he was fighting against Hugh. They mostly consisted of thrash and death metal. Enoch especially liked "The Frayed Ends of Sanity," "Master of Puppets," and "Blackened." He briefly asked which album the tracks were in and Ricky replied that they were from …And Justice For All and "Master of Puppets" was from Master of Puppets. He thanked him once again and resumed playing.
"Your songs sure are quite long," Enoch commented.
"That's what makes them good."
After winning against Hugh's swarm of bees, to which he complained about his army having a small size ("Stop your whining," Enoch said. "You had a lot more bees than my army, so it's not like them being small mattered a bit."), he suggested borrowing Ricky's phone to play some of his music. Everyone sat down to listen to Enoch's Ling Tosite Sigure.
"Quite an interesting band," Millard commented. "I did enjoy the guitar solo in that one song. I don't know what it's called."
"They have plenty of well-crafted solos, so which one is it?"
He shrugged. "I suppose the song you call something along the lines of 'seven days.'"
"'A Seven Days Wonder,'" Enoch corrected. "And yes, the song has quite the solo."
Everyone, except Hugh, took turns in borrowing Ricky's phone to play some of their music. Hugh didn't like music that much, but listened anyway. Jacob played some of his grandfather's favorite classic rock songs along with his Nirvana and video game soundtracks from the video games he plays.
"Damn, Special Ed!" Ricky said, while music was playing. "I never knew you liked those bands."
Jacob smirked. "I'm full of surprises aren't I?"
Ricky ruffled his hair, to which Jacob grinned awkwardly. Afterwards, Millard played some of Beethoven's piano sonatas and symphonies, which consisted of the first movement of his fifth symphony, "Appassionata," and "Tempest." Enoch, surprisingly, seemed to enjoy them and commented so. Millard thanked him and in return, played Rachmaninoff's Op. 23 No. 5 Prelude in G minor.
"Millard, lad! You're spoiling me."
"Never expected such an insolent chap like you to appreciate the classics. And I mean that as a compliment."
"Classical music isn't my style," Jacob said, "but I do appreciate it. I like your tastes, Millard."
"Thank you, Jacob. I might add that you seem to have excellent taste in rock music, despite it not fitting my tastes."
"What about me?" Ricky asked eagerly.
Millard thought for a moment, then looked at Ricky. "Some of the songs you played were mediocre at best. They also sound way too aggressive."
Ricky pouted and Jacob laughed at his face. "Shut up, Jake!" In response, Jacob laughed harder. Ricky only sat there, growling and glaring at him.
Enoch patted Ricky on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, I'm quite fond of your music." He grinned malevolently. "I love how diabolical it sounds."
"At least someone appreciates my music."
"I liked some of it too," Jacob said.
"Oh really?" Ricky said mockingly. "Then why were you laughing in my face when that Mill'-guy said my music was bad."
He shrugged and smiled. "I don't know. You made a funny face."
"I'll show you a funny face when I'm done with you."
Jacob suppressed a chuckle. "You made another funny face." The face was a mix of a scowl and a smirk.
That little brat, Ricky thought. Though, I have to admit, Special Ed is especially adorable when he's teasing me.
Horace dramatically faked a cough. "Excuse me, but that music sounded like regurgitated nonsense." Everyone stared at him in disgust as he held out his hand. "Allow me the phone, por favor?"
"Why do you have to be such a stuck-up?" Millard asked, annoyed. "It's only music."
"Because my music is clearly superior," Horace said, scrolling through performances of Mozart. He played some of his lesser-known pieces, to which everyone groaned. A few minutes later, everyone was bored out of their minds.
"You'll lull us to sleep with that nonsense," Enoch complained.
Horace paused Mozart and pouted. "Fine! You people don't want to listen to sophisticated art? Then I'll just give up the phone."
Ricky stared up at the ceiling in relief. "Thank you!"
"Horace," Millard said, "I thought you liked Rachmaninoff since you performed to us earlier."
"Him, I do like. But Beethoven is simply rubbish."
"Your face is rubbish and Mozart is rubbish."
"You better take that back!"
"I don't feel like it."
Horace sat there, scowling.
Everyone used Ricky's phone to play their songs, except Horace, who only pouted and reluctantly listened to his fair-share of rock, metal, and Beethoven. Hugh actually decided to play a song for once, which was "Strawberry Fields" by The Beatles.
Millard commented, "For a person who doesn't listen to much music, you sure do have good tastes."
"Thanks, Millard," Hugh replied. "The Beatles are very exquisite persons."
"Unlike you," Enoch said sulkily. In response, Hugh pinched Enoch, to which he yelped and slapped his hand.
They eventually got bored of music and switched to idle conversation, talking about things they found interesting during the 21st century. In the midst of the conversation, Millard stripped his clothes, unnoticed, and snuck up behind Ricky.
"I just found out," Ricky said, "that you can drink applesauce with a straw."
"Eww," Jacob said, grimacing.
"What the bloody hell is applesauce?" Enoch asked surprisingly. "And who's bright idea was it to create a sauce out of apples?"
"You know what apple juice is?"
"'Course I do. I'm not stupid."
"It's sort of like that but in puree. I'm not sure how to describe it so I'll probably show you later in a store or something."
"Puree apples?" One of Enoch's eyebrows went up. "Rather disgusting, innit bruv?"
"It's not as disgusting as it sounds, trust me." He pointed his thumb at Ricky. "Though Ricky is the one you should be disgusted at."
"For drinking applesauce through a straw?" Ricky asked incredulously.
"Dude, everyone knows you eat applesauce with a spoon."
"A straw is less messy than a spoon. Your lips get all gross with a spoon."
"That's your problem then."
Ricky opened his mouth to retort when something smacked the back of his neck. It was a hand. He turned sharply behind him, saw nothing, then faced Jacob, who was smirking. "Special Ed, did you slap me?"
"No…?" Jacob chuckled.
"You dirty liar! You did slap me!"
"I didn't!" He held out his hands in self-defense. "Honest."
Ricky narrowed his eyes. "Well, if you didn't slap me, then who did? Huh?"
Jacob shrugged. "I don't know…."
He gritted his teeth. "So you are lying."
"Wha—no. I swear."
"You just wait, Special Ed. I'm gonna make you wish you never slapped me."
Jacob smirked. "You're all talk but no bite."
Ricky was about to grab him when something smacked his neck, again. "Goddammit, who keeps SLAPPING ME?!"
Jacob laughed, along with Enoch and Hugh. "See! I told you!"
He grabbed him by the arm. Jacob was still smiling, which made Ricky want to smack that damn smile off his face. "Don't think you're getting away."
"He is," a soft British voice said from behind. The voice uttered a giggle. Ricky turned back. It's that invisible boy, isn't it? Damn prick. "I swear to God, Millard, I'm gonna murder you."
"I would like to see an attempt." Ricky did make an attempt, by lunging at the direction the voice came from. His arms fell uselessly against the floor. "It sure is quite fun making you angry." I'll show you "fun," you little shit.
After a bunch of chasing around by Ricky and giggling by Millard (which was quite a show, making the three other peculiars laugh), he finally got his hands on the invisible boy's arms. "Gotcha!"
"Quite surprising for a big dumb gorilla such as yourself."
Ricky closed his hands on what would've been the boy's neck, but he was too swift for him and ducked, getting away in the process. "Damn you."
"Children!" Miss Peregrine called from upstairs, startling Ricky. "It's time to come upstairs. I have something important to tell." Lucky bastard.
All the peculiars, including Ricky (who was reluctant, lest the invisible boy magically showed up), in the basement, walked upstairs. Millard was last, putting his clothes back on and running up. Once everyone was sitting down in the living room, Miss Peregrine said, "Greetings, children!"
"And dogs!" Addison said, panting eagerly.
She stared at him for a moment. "Yes, and dogs. Anyways, I hope you've had an excellent morning. I have returned from my morning walk and during that walk, I've decided to gather everyone for a meeting." She glanced at Ricky. "As you can see, we have a new guest and I'd like him to introduce himself. I'm sure most of you are already familiar with him since I witnessed you all conversing with him, but I'd like for him to do a speech for us. It would make him feel welcome among our family."
The peculiars applauded and Addison barked as Ricky awkwardly stepped up and stood in front of everyone. "Um…hi. You guys know me already. My name's Ricky, in case you didn't know. Uh…" What's he supposed to say in front of everyone? Some lame introduction, perhaps. "I like you guys, I guess." This was met with a random round of applause, which Miss Peregrine silenced quickly. "I don't really know most of you too well except Jake, but I appreciate being here. Yeah…" He nervously chuckled.
"We love you, Ricky!" Emma shouted. Everyone else followed suit by applauding for the hundredth time. They all suffocated him in a huge hug, which he afterwards pleaded to be let go. Later, everyone was eating lunch, which was beef casserole (cooked by Horace), and all the peculiars chatted away to Ricky, telling him about their recent adventures, Emma leading the conversation and letting him know how brave and gifted Jacob was to be able to fight against the wights with an army of hollows (Jacob, of course, was blushing). Multiple times she explained some of the peculiar terminology to Ricky as he didn't know what ymbrynes or wights were.
The peculiars each took a turn in telling the story. A few of them went on tangents, Addison especially as he continually bragged about his "superior intellect," but were interrupted by the other peculiars to get on with it. After the whole story was over, Ricky was left in bewilderment and mild confusion.
"So all of this actually happened to you guys?"
"Pretty much," Jacob replied.
"I can't believe this is real," Ricky said dreamily.
"Exactly what I'm saying."
Horace suggested, "If it helps, you could slap yourself on the cheek a few times to see if you wake up."
"That's so funny I might just laugh," Ricky said sarcastically. "Ha…ha."
"Very hilarious indeed."
"I wasn't being serious."
"Oh." Horace frowned.
Ricky turned to Jacob. "You wanna know something, Special Ed? I feel a bit jealous of you."
One of Jacob's eyebrows went up. "Oh?"
"You're so much better than me and you went through all of these cool places and fought a bunch of monsters while I've been living through hell, thinking you were dead."
All the peculiars were at a loss for words. Millard said, "I'm deeply sorry for that, Mr. Pickering. If there's any way we can repay you, please let us know."
"I'm sorry too, man," Jacob said, looking soberly up at Ricky. "And I'm sorry about what happened before I left you. My grandpa died and my mind was not a good place. I wish I could take back what I said and start over."
Olive saw that Enoch was going to say something rude and said, "Don't even think about it, Enoch?"
"I wasn't going to say anything?" he whined.
"I'm sorry as well," Hugh said. "I don't know you all too well but I hate the fact that you were in pain while we were traveling through loops, having fun. I sincerely hope you can forgive Jacob, and us."
Ricky was speechless, heart melting at all the apologies. "You guys are so sweet." His voice cracked at the word "sweet." "God! Jake, I love you so much! And yes, I forgive you."
Jacob looked about to cry. "Thanks, man."
Everyone, one by one, gave their apologies to Ricky and hugged him. Addison licked him by the cheek and apologized also. "Mr. Pickering," Millard said, "despite being a normal, you're still a part of our family and you're welcome to stay or visit anytime you like."
Ricky forgot all his hatred towards the invisible boy once he heard those words. "No words can say how much I appreciate that. You guys can be annoying sometimes but I still love you."
This was greeted with applause. They all hung out until evening. Jacob's parents came back from their travels to inform everyone that they've already eaten lunch (which were subway sandwiches) and will eat Horace's left-over casserole for dinner. It was pretty late so Ricky took that as a sign for departure.
"Bye, Ricky!" Olive shouted once everyone, except Jacob's parents (who were gossiping with Miss Peregrine), was gathered at the foyer.
"Bye, y'all," Ricky said back. Before leaving, he said to Jacob: "See you later, Special Ed." Then patted and ruffled his hair as if he were a dog. He stood there, flustered, while Ricky walked away from his house and onto the sidewalk. The peculiars stared in wonder and shock.
"Wow," Addison said hesitantly. "That sure is something."
Jacob glanced at Emma and saw fury in her eyes. He was afraid she might burn the foyer down. "Are you serious, Jake?! You like some green-haired punk over me?!" She stormed off.
"Wha—?" A loss for words he was. It all seemed to happen at once.
"How are you going to explain this, lover boy?" Enoch teased.
"Uh…honestly if she thinks I'm in love with Ricky, then she can go on ahead, because she's mistaken."
"Just like that?" He sneered.
"I guess."
Before everyone settled in to sleep that night, Jacob tried to explain to Emma that he and Ricky were not showing any sexual feelings towards each other and there's no reason to break up over that because they're simply best friends. Best friends, he said, act like they're into each other since they've known each other for so long and grown close, but it's strictly platonic. Emma thought that was all bullshit and told Jacob to screw himself before pushing him out of her room.
"I guess there's no reason to reason with the unreasonable," he muttered.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Emma screamed angrily from the other side of the door.
"Nothing." And ran to lock the door to his room before the situation escalated into her starting a house fire. As he lay in bed, drifting to sleep, he thought about how exciting it was that Ricky came over and got to meet his new friends. It was months since he's seen him, so it felt especially refreshing to hang out with him once again. There was a possibility that maybe he did have feelings for Ricky, but that was unlikely since the thought of making out with him made him sick. The way he patted his head left him wondering if they were gay. He may not have feelings for Ricky but he might have feelings for him.
Nah! Ricky's love for Jacob is probably just platonic. Why is he even thinking about this stuff anyway? This is just stupid.
After an unnecessary internal monologue about his sexuality, Jacob Portman went to sleep, dreaming sweet dreams and anticipating the next day.