WillowTree1221: Thank you again for your review. It means so much to me to see them after each chapter! And I completely agree with you Millard is such a sweetheart! Part of me wishes that Ransom Riggs would write a book just about Millard, I'd love to hear his backstory in depth.

Millard had ended up walking Aurora back to her home. When she'd unpacked her bags and headed off to bed she opened her window and snuck him inside. From there they'd continued their discussion on time loops in hushed voices.

"Alright, yes you're invisible, but Millard what you're talking about is straight out of science fiction!"

"I give you my word, it's all true."

"They just invented penicillin two years ago, but time travel? That's decades, if not centuries away!"

"It's not. It's just more peculiar than it is scientific." He shrugged and looked around her bedroom, "What's this?" he asked picking up a photograph from the dresser.

"Oh, my mother took that years ago. She thought it looked cute, father said it just proved what a strange child I was." She explained looking over his shoulder at the frame in his hand. She was probably five or six when it was taken, dressed in a short sleeved shirt and a white skirt with suspenders; her light brown wavy hair just below her shoulders. Her mother had been walking through the garden with her when a blooming rose bush had caught Aurora's attention. It was early spring so the flowers were just blooming, in the photograph young Aurora had bent down and shoved her nose entirely in the petals of a flower and taken a deep breath of the natural perfume. Her mother had giggled at the sight and took a photograph, she told Aurora later in life that innocence fades as people grow up but photographs can preserve innocent moments forever.

"Well you grew up stunning." Millard commented but immediately after saying it he froze, as if he was weighing the words he'd just said. His cap turned, revealing that he'd looked away from her in what she assumed was embarrassment as he coughed to clear his throat. An awkward silence fell over them before Millard got the courage to speak again.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to be invisible? To not just feel like you can't be seen, but to know that you can't?"

She shook her head slowly unsure where he was going with this.

"I learned to observe people, read their thoughts through their facial expressions, to learn their feelings through their actions. Seeing how the people around them effect their mood and personality." She stayed silent as she listened intently, she never heard Millard talk in such a serious tone before.

"Do you know what I've observed about you?"

"What?"

"That even with a father who has no respect for you, or perhaps because he treats you like he doesn't care, that you've never felt that love; that has given you the greatest capacity to love. The greatest that I have ever seen."

She was silent for a moment before asking, "Do you care for me, Millard?"

He took a deep breath, "I'm not sure. I'm a very logical person, my mind is best with facts, so much so that all of my friends call me a genius, a know-it-all. But when I look at you all of that goes away and I start feeling things that facts can't explain."

"Facts and feelings can sometimes go hand in hand. My mother says that conversation is the most important part of any real relationship. And you and I have had some pretty amazing conversations."

The heavy silence returned as they both thought about each others words.

"Millard?"

"Yes?"

"Why have you been holding my hand this entire time?" she asked squeezing his invisible fingers that were intertwined with hers.

His jacket shrugged, "I don't know. . . evidently I don't know everything."

oOo oOo oOo

They had agreed to meet the next afternoon at the cabin for lunch. After they had finished eating Millard asked her if she would like to go for a walk through the forest. It was much different from the day they had met, this time the sun was shining, the birds were chirping and there was a lovely breeze that swept through the leaves around them. Millard held her hand as they walked, their fingers intertwined again like the night before. Aurora listened as he talked on and on about someone called Perplexus Anomalous, Aurora gathered that he was Millard's hero, as he talked about how the peculiar man had created what was called the Map of Days; a book that cataloged every known loop in the world. Millard even owned a copy – one of five – but had left it back at Miss Peregrine's due to its immense size and weight.

Their walk had led them to the top of a hill that overlooked a wide valley, flowers speckled the grass, which without care had grown to be at least two feet high, Millard leaned against a tree trunk and Aurora tugged on his hand.

"Tell me something about you that no one knows."

"Like what?"

"Anything, anything at all."

"Alright, uh. . . um. . . I'm allergic to almond butter."

"Almond butter?"

"Mm-hmm."

"How did you come to discover that?"

"Hugh thought it would be funny to throw some at me one day. I couldn't stop itching for hours, luckily Miss Peregrine had concocted a remedy for me." Aurora couldn't contain her laughter and giggled freely, "And that allergic reaction was nothing compared to when I'm near grimbear dander." He continued, turning his head, looking past her and down to the valley.

"What's a grim-"

"We need to leave."

MILLARD P.O.V.

A small movement had caught Millard's eye. Down in the valley beneath them something was moving, blades of grass were pressed into the ground by what appeared to be nothing. A hint of a shadow in the grass confirmed what Millard feared it to be.

Hollowgast

Aurora was mid-sentence when he interrupted her.

"We need to leave."

A look of confusion swept across Aurora's face, "Why? What's – " Millard saw the shadow move in a circle before the grassy footsteps began coming in their direction, much faster than they were moving a moment ago – the hollow had spotted them, and was now on the hunt. Millard tightened his grip on Aurora's hand and pulled her back in the direction they came. Thoughts raced through his head at lightning speed as he tried to think of a plan that wouldn't end in their deaths. They couldn't go back to the cabin, the hollow would tear it to pieces. They could head for town but then they would be bringing a hungry hollow upon innocent people and there was no guarantee they would get away; the town wasn't crowded like a city would be, that would be ideal, but there were no cities within running distance. They could try to find a place to hide, but that could easily backfire.

"Millard what is it? What's going on?" Aurora asked as they stopped to catch their breath, Millard looked around in circles trying to get some kind of idea – anything!

"It's a hollowgast."

"What's – "

"The most vicious creature in all of peculiardom." He answered as he changed direction and pulled her along as they started running again. "They're beasts driven on instinct, the only thing they crave is killing."

"But I didn't see – "

"They're invisible, that's part of what makes them so dangerous, we can only see their shadows. They're much taller and much bigger than people, with razor sharp teeth and a mouth full of tentacle tongues they use to pull you into their jaws."

They were now in a small clearing, the town to their left, more forest to their right, the hollow behind them. That's when an idea struck Millard like lightning.

"Head for town. Don't stop running for anything. Lock yourself in your home."

"What about you?"

"I'll run in the opposite direction. Hollowgasts desire the flesh of peculiars more than they do common folk. If it has to decide it will pick me, I'll lead it deeper into the woods while you get to safety."

"How will you get away?"

"I won't. But you will."

AURORA P.O.V.

Her eyes widened in shock as Millard told her his plan. He was going to sacrifice himself? Use himself as live bait?

"No."

"Aurora – "

"No. I'm not leaving you to be killed in the middle of the woods by some monster!"

"It's the only way. We can't outrun it, we can't hide and we most certainly can't fight it!" she grabbed his arm firmly.

"I'm not leaving you."

"Aurora – "

"I'd rather die beside you than live knowing I did nothing while some demon devoured you!"

"I – " he stopped and she knew why. She could hear the heavy footsteps of the giant beast. Millard grabbed her hand again and they took off running into the woods. They ran and ran until their lungs burned with each short breath, they gave it all they had, but it wasn't enough; they were slowing down and the hollowgast was hot on their heels and didn't seem to be tiring in the slightest. Aurora knew it had caught up to them when Millard fell, invisible face first into the dirt. She stopped and turned seeing him being dragged backward by the unseen creature. It must have lassoed his ankle with one of its tongues. Small lines were forming in the dirt where Millard's invisible fingers clawed at the ground, trying to put distance between himself and the monster that wanted to make a meal out of him.

"Aurora just run!" he begged her. Instead she did the opposite, she ran forward and grabbed his hand and tried to pull him free. She didn't expect the demon to be so strong and ended up being pulled closer to it along with Millard.

She felt something tighten around her waist and was suddenly lifted into the air. The tongue unwound itself and she plummeted to the ground in a tried worn out heap. She rolled onto her side as Millard was struggling, his left leg and arm pulling as the hollowgast wrapped more of its tongues around Millard's limbs.

Suddenly something cut through the air just above Millard's head and impaled the creature. It was a wooden arrow and it appeared to have pierced the hollow right through its skull. There was a mighty howl before they heard the sound of its body collapsing into the dirt. Aurora looked around until she saw who had launched the arrow. It was a man, he looked very plain and ordinary, except for the crossbow he carried at his side. He jogged up to the pair unfazed like this was nothing out of the ordinary.

"All right there, Millard?" he asked casually.

Aurora heard Millard chuckle from where he lay in the dirt, a puddle of black blood pooling next to him, "You're timing is impeccable, Abe."

The picture Millard and Aurora talk about is the cover photo I used for this story.

Millard's allergies (almond butter and grimbear dander) is information I found on the wikia page.