Thanks to WillowTree1221 for your review, hope you like this chapter to!
Millard supported Aurora on one side and helped her to a small cabin in the forest she hadn't known existed. He kicked the door open with his foot and helped her hobble inside. It was pitch black and Aurora couldn't see a thing, luckily Millard seemed to know his way around. He had her sit on something soft, a bed maybe? Then he moved to the corner and lit a small oil lamp, then he lit a few candles that were scattered around the room. Now lit Aurora could take in her new surroundings. The cabin was only one big room with the exception of a small door opposite from where they entered, a bathroom perhaps. She noticed the room seemed to be split in two; on one end was a bed, a dresser and a nightstand where the oil lamp sat. On the other side was a small kitchen with a sink and an icebox, there was also a small sofa on that side of the room with a pillow and a rumpled blanket on it; it looked like it had become a makeshift bed. Did Millard share this place with someone else? And in the center of the room was an old wooden table with two mismatched chairs, her heart leapt into her throat when she noticed a knife on the table.
Millard approached her again, dragging both of the chairs with him, he placed a pillow on one then gently lifted her injured ankle onto it to keep it elevated. He took a seat in the second chair and pulled an old rag from his jacket. He tore it into strips then unlaced her boot and slid it off her foot as slowly as he could. Using the strips of cloth he began to wrap her foot, Aurora looked on in amazement as the cloth seemed to move by itself just a few inches from the sleeves of his jacket, but every now and then she'd feel his fingers brush her skin and flinch, she still wasn't used to being touched by something she couldn't see. Millard took her flinching for pain and got up and made his way to the icebox, he came back with another rag only this one he'd turned into a makeshift pack of ice. He sat down again and gently placed the ice on her ankle where it was starting to swell.
His cap tilted in her direction again as he looked at her, he gave a small cough as he cleared his throat, "Any better?"
Aurora nodded shyly in response before murmuring a small 'thank you'.
"So where are you from?" Millard asked hoping to get to know the girl better.
"England." She replied as she played with the ends of her hair avoiding looking at him. "My father moved us to France in the fall of 1939 just when the war started. The Germans had just invaded Poland and he hoped we could stay with family here. He didn't think that by the following spring they'd overtake the country, but they did and we haven't had a chance to leave since."
There was silence as Millard tried to think of something to say.
"My home was bombed in 1940."
Aurora looked up at him, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." His jacket shrugged, "My friends and I weren't affected by it much."
More silence. This time Aurora broke it.
"So after the bombing you moved here?"
"In a manner of speaking. This place belongs to my friend, he's out right now, probably will be back in a few days."
"Is he like you?"
"Yes. But he's not invisible."
Aurora paused, "There's other things people like you can do?" she asked timidly.
"Peculiar." He corrected her.
"Beg pardon?"
"People like me are called peculiar, and yes, we do all different kinds of things."
Letting her curiosity get the best of her again she asked, "What kinds of things?"
"Are you sure you want to know?" Millard asked cryptically.
"Yes." Aurora answered sitting up a little straighter.
Millard decided to start off easy, "Emma can float, she has to wear shoes made of lead so she doesn't fly away."
Aurora's lips curled up slightly, "You're making that up."
"What makes you say that?"
"It's just. . .impossible." she said breathlessly.
Millard started to laugh, which confused her.
"What?" she asked perplexed.
"You realize you are talking to an invisible boy." He managed between chuckles.
"Alright, alright. So what can the others do?" she asked now smiling widely.
"Fiona grows plants, we've had carrots for dinner that were ten feet long and as wide as a tree trunk. Then there's Bronwyn and her brother Victor, they're each as strong as ten men. Olive can make fire in her hand. Horace dreams of the future."
"How many are there?"
"In our home? Twelve including myself, thirteen if you count Miss Peregrine –"
"Who's Miss Peregrine?"
"Our headmistress."
"Can she do anything?"
"She can turn into a bird, a peregrine falcon, among other things."
Aurora shook her head in disbelief, how was it possible that these peculiars could have lived among them all this time and not one person noticed? Her disbelief soon turned to sadness, did they always live in exile? Hidden from the rest of the world? How many other people like Miss Peregrine were out there, housing other peculiar children?
"What else?"
"Hugh can –"
"Not what the others can do. You."
She seemed to have stumped him, his jacket shrugged again, "I'm invisible, I can't turn it off, I'm just always –"
"Not about your. . . ?" she trailed off looking for the right word.
"Peculiarity."
She nodded, "Right. Not about your peculiarity. About you, what else about you? There has to be more than just the invisibility. What's your favorite color? What do you like to do?"
MILLARD P.O.V.
Her question made him pause, she wanted to know about him? The real him? He felt something swell in his chest he'd never felt before. Even around other peculiars Millard never felt like someone wanted to know the real him, not this quickly at least. He couldn't help but smile, he only wished that she could see it.
"I like to read." He began, "And write, I was thinking of writing a book when I go back home. And I like to study things."
"What kinds of things?"
"All kinds of things, history – both normal and peculiar – science, the arts, anything really. I just like to learn new things, I fully believe that knowledge is power. If I could I'd be a teacher, if I hadn't been born like this."
There was another silence as she absorbed his words.
"I believe that the skills we are born with are given to us for a reason. That we're meant to do something meaningful with our talents. No matter how big or small they may seem." She said.
"The most I've been able to do with my talent is spy and pickpocket."
"That's just with your invisibility, have you ever thought about what you can contribute to the world with your mind?"
Before he could answer there was a rumbling noise and Aurora put a hand on her stomach and blushed a deep red.
AURORA P.O.V.
She looked back at the floor as her stomach rumbled, what was even more embarrassing was that Millard had seemed to hear it too.
"You're hungry, I'll get you something." He said as he got up and made his way to the small kitchen.
"Millard, really, it's alright. You've already done enough, I don't want to trouble you."
"It's no trouble at all." He assured her, he returned a few seconds later with an apple in each hand.
"It's not much I'm afraid, but with the war –"
"It's very thoughtful of you, thank you." She said as she took the apple he offered her. He took a bite of his own and sat back down in his chair. They continued talking as they ate, putting together the pieces of the puzzle that was the person in front of them. When they'd finished eating Millard took her apple core to the trash and inspected her ankle. He lifted the ice pack and checked her injury.
"The swellings gone down, with a good nights rest you should be right as rain."
Aurora looked out the window and noticed how late it had gotten, the sun had set and the stars were out.
"I need to get home." She said, though reluctantly, "My family will be worrying where I've gone."
As he did before Millard helped support her weight as they made the trek back to the town. Luckily her home wasn't too far and they made it there fairly quickly, even with her hobbling. He left her at the front steps of her house, bid her goodnight and began walking down the sidewalk the way they'd come.
"Millard!" she called to him and she watched the set of clothes he wore turn, "Will I see you again?" she asked, her earlier shyness returning. Millard put his hands in his pockets, an image of carefree nonchalance and asked in return, "Do you want to see me again?"
She looked down at her feet then up at him again and nodded with another shy smile.
"Then I suppose I could stay in town for awhile."