Aurora made her way through the fog to the metal trash bin on the curb, she didn't see the point in taking out the trash anymore; there was a war going on for crying out loud! But her mother had insisted so she had smiled and picked up the smaller bin from the kitchen and made her way outside.

Aurora turned at the sound of metal hitting the ground. Across the cobblestone street in a small alley was a tiny white kitten, playing with an old tuna can trying to get a meal out of anything that was left. The poor little thing had black patches of soot staining his fur making his blue eyes jump out at Aurora. She knelt down to make herself look smaller and held out her hand calling to the kitten. It gave a small meow and dashed down the street toward the small wood that lay between neighborhoods.

Letting her curiosity get the better of her she followed the kitten without a second thought. Her feet splashed through puddles as she dashed into the woods. Eventually she lost sight of the kitten and slowed until she was walking at a normal pace again. She pushed small branches out of her way searching for the tiny cat, she was about to turn back to town when she heard the small meow again. As she climbed a small hill she found the kitten, actually she found more than just the kitten. The soot covered fur ball was rubbing back and forth along someone's trousers, but when Aurora moved another branch aside she was shocked, she could see clothes but no person. A floating cap, which seemed to be on the strange person's head angled downward to look at the kitten as it purred, then they crouched down and the arm of the brown jacket began to move repeatedly over the kittens back as the invisible hand pet it. The kitten purred more and Aurora heard a soft chuckle come from the invisible body.

Her breath caught in her throat as she gasped, perhaps a little too loudly. The arm stopped moving instantly, the floating cap tilted in her direction telling her that the invisible person not only heard her but now was staring right at her. Timid and afraid Aurora took a few hesitant steps backward as the person stood up, the kitten forgotten at their feet. They took a step closer to her and she turned and ran.

"Wait!" she heard a young male voice call after her, but she ignored it and kept running. She pushed past branches and shrubs and only looked back once but in that split second her foot caught on a tree root and she went tumbling down the small hill into a ditch and landed in a muddy puddle. She pushed herself up but when she moved her leg a sharp shooting pain made her stop. Her ankle, now throbbing, must have been injured in her fall.

"Wait." She heard again, only now much closer. She looked up to see the invisible boy standing at the top of the ditch. "Please don't run off." His smooth English accented voice begged her.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He tried to get closer to her, angling his leg so he wouldn't fall down the wet hill too.

"Here." He stretched his arm out to her offering his unseen hand, "Let me help you out of there." Aurora tried to crawl away from him but even the slightest movement caused her ankle to scream in pain. The boy clearly saw her discomfort.

"You're hurt, let me help you."

"Qu'es tu? Je ne peux pas te voir." She replied, her voice trembling. "C'est impossible."

"Do you even understand a word I'm saying?" he asked as he shifted closer to her again.

"It's alright."

Aurora looked from the cuff of the brown jacket up to the floating cap then back down again. She obviously couldn't get up on her own, much less make it back to the town. The boy also seemed genuinely concerned for her and wanted to help, cautiously she raised her left hand out of the mud, supporting her weight with her right. She kept slowly reaching forward for the sleeve since she couldn't see anything else and froze when her fingertips touched skin. Warily, she traced his fingers with her own marveling at how he was so there when her eyes were telling her he wasn't, he couldn't be.

When her hand was fully in his he tightened his grip and pulled her up to where he stood on much more level ground. The second she put any weight on her foot she stumbled forward in agony. The boy quickly caught her as she toppled toward his chest.

"It's okay, I've got you." He said as he steadied her, helping her get her balance back. She stood only on her good foot, the other leg bent at the knee, as the invisible boy held her tightly in his arms to keep her from falling. There was an uncomfortable silence before the boy spoke again.

"I'm Millard." He said, shyly introducing himself.

"Aurora Abbott." She replied quietly, just above a mere whisper, and gave Millard a small smile.

MILLARD P.O.V.

After Abe had left their loop Millard found himself spending a great deal of time wondering about the world outside Miss Peregrine's home. He couldn't stop thinking about what a great adventure his friend was having, sure it was also quite dangerous; spending all your time fighting a war while secretly hunting hollows and wights. But just the sheer fact that Abe was out there, he was in the real world where time kept moving forward. Each day went on, every moment unexpected, never knowing what will happen. Millard decided he wanted that, he didn't know how much time had passed out there, he also didn't care, he wanted to know what it was like to live again, to really live again.

So he'd left a note for Miss Peregrine and the others explaining his desire to leave, not forever of course, he could never leave them forever. Just for a few years so he could explore the world, he didn't have to worry about wights and hollows as much as the others, his peculiarity helped him there. He'd be able to walk freely through the world and when he'd had enough he'd come back home.

He had spent a year or so in England before moving on to the rest of Europe. By early 1944 he found himself in a small town in France, it was quaint but currently occupied by the German army. The people clearly lived under the tyranny of Hitler's forces but were making the most of their lives while waiting for hope. Millard had intended to pass through the town and move on, that's how he found himself at the crest of a hill looking out over the French countryside. His attention was diverted when something soft started brushing against his leg, he looked down to see a small soot covered kitten looking up at him with bright blue eyes. Millard bent down and started petting the tiny creature, only a moment later he heard a sharp intake of breath. He looked up to see a teenage girl, she had porcelain skin, long light brown wavy hair that fell to her mid-back, and she was wearing a white short sleeved sweater with a green plaid skirt and suspenders. Her green eyes were wide as she stared at him and he slowly stood and began to walk toward her. But only after his first step she took off.

"Wait!" he called after her as he ran to catch her. Part of him wasn't sure why he followed, the other part wanted a chance to explain himself, but explain what? That he was invisible was obvious and was clearly the reason she had ran off in such a fright. But what else could he say to her? Beg her not to tell anyone? To pretend like she never saw him? As he pursued her his mind decided it would have been better to just let her run, eventually she'd think that she'd just been seeing things, but was it too late? He'd called after her, only further confirming that he was indeed real and not just a figment of her imagination. As his mind debated itself his feet decided to keep moving forward, eventually his feet led him to the girl. His mind, upon seeing her, decided that following was the better option especially seeing where she'd ended up. She had fallen down a small slippery slope into a muddy puddle, she hadn't seen him arrive yet as she tried to push herself up.

"Wait." He called again and her head snapped in his direction, "Please, don't run off. I'm not going to hurt you."

He started to slowly make his way down the slope toward her but she recoiled, "Here." He held out his hand to her, "Let me help you out of there."

She tried to move and he saw her wince in pain, "You're hurt, let me help you."

"Qu'es tu? Je ne peux pas te voir. C'est impossible."

Nice one, Millard. He scolded himself, You didn't think for a moment that she might not speak English? Idiot. Unfortunately, he didn't know much French and the last thing he wanted was to mess up and say something that might frighten her more than she already was.

"Do you even understand a word I'm saying?" he said hopelessly, If she doesn't understand English then she won't understand that question either genius!

"It's alright." He said in the softest tone he could manage. A moment or two passed in complete silence, the girl still looked scared but held out her hand nonetheless. She moved slowly and flinched when her fingers grazed his invisible hand, he held still letting her come to him in her own time and when her hand was fully in his he tightened his grip and hoisted her to her feet. She stumbled toward him and he held her firmly against his chest until she regained her balance.

"It's okay, I've got you." He reassured her. "I'm Millard."

She was silent for a moment as she looked at him, she kept blinking like she was trying to get her eyes to adjust, then finally she spoke, with a British accent no less.

"Aurora Abbott." She smiled, though still seeming unsure of the situation she found herself in.

Alright, just a quick note, so in the book Millard is physically 15 years old, in the movie he looks much younger so I had his younger self leave the loop for a few years so now he's 17.

Also Miss Peregrine's loop is in 1940, the same as in the books (I don't know why the movie felt the need to change it to 1943 but whatever)

If it wasn't obvious this takes place before the first book. Please leave comments, I'm open to criticism, anything to help me improve my writing.

French Translations

Qu'es tu? Je ne peux pas te voir. C'est impossible

What are you? I can't see you. It's impossible.

I also don't speak French, if there's anyone who does feel free to point out any errors.