NOTES 1: Hello! I'm back. It seems that I just can't part with Enoch and Olive yet, so I ended up writing another chapter. This time though, it's from Olive's perspective. I haven't really proof-read it because it's already so late here and I've to a class early in the morning tomorrow. So yeah. Tell me what do you think :)

"Tell me what you're thinkin'
Always over thinkin'
I just wanna love you
I got you
Don't have to be so guarded
Let's finish what we started
It's all I ever wanted."

- I Got You, Bebe Rexha

Their relationship was an odd one. Even more so than that of Hugh and Fiona. Since Hugh couldn't possibly talk too much without having the bees inside of him swarming out of his mouth, it must be rather hard for the two of them to have a proper relationship. But, then again, Fiona could grow a full-grown tree from mere seedlings with the touch of her hand, where Hugh could send his bees to rest. Not to mention, despite their age, physically they were much too young to be romancing each other. So, they could worry more about it later on. Because in the end, their relationship was rather normal, even with their Peculiarity to count.

Unlike Olive and Enoch.

The girl who couldn't touch and the boy who didn't like to touch.

"For God's sake, Millard; put some clothes on!" Enoch yelled at lunch time as he glared at the invisible figure sitting on his seat.

"Okay, okay!" Millard's voice was heard as he pushed Enoch's chair backward so he could get off it. "Just don't throw anymore porridge at me. The last time you did that, it took two hours to get it off my hair, you know."

Enoch didn't bother to respond and simply sat on his chair, nodding curtly when he saw Miss Peregrine flashed him a grateful smile. Being the oldest and Miss Peregrine's first child, it was an unspoken agreement that he was the ymbryne's right hand. That was part of the reason why he sat on the other end of the table, across Miss Peregrine. In the past, the ones who sat on his right and left were Victor and Bronwyn, as his oldest friends. But after Victor died, his position was taken by Millard, much to Enoch's utter displeasure, although the invisible boy liked to move around to annoy people. However, with the latest development that happened, that spot was now reserved for Olive. At first, she was a little apprehensive about whether she should take the seat beside Enoch. But when her usual seat, which was between Fiona and Hugh, was occupied by Horace, and Millard took Horace's old seat, Olive (happily) had no choice but to sit on Enoch's right.

As the oldest two girls, it was up to Olive and Emma to help Miss Peregrine prepared the food. On the other hand, Enoch and Jacob prepared the table with help from Fiona and Hugh, while Millard and Horace were watching the younger kids. Once the food was served, everyone took their seats and began to eat their food in silence. It had been three weeks since her talk with Enoch, when the two of them declared their love to one another. She knew that the necromancer was still having problems with showing affections toward her, but he was trying, at least. They would still spend a lot of time together in Enoch's room with his projects, but whenever Enoch felt like letting off some steam, they would soon find themselves snogging each other's brains out. Then when they joined the others for meal, Olive would often find Enoch's hand grabbing hers from under the table, his thumb softly tracing circles on her glove-covered knuckles.

And it was making her mad.

Olive wanted to feel Enoch's hand on her own. She wanted to hold his hand without her glove getting in the way. She wanted to touch him freely without fear of setting him on fire. True, the first few times they kissed were a little sloppy. But as time passed, they were getting better at it and more than once Olive wanted to know what it was like to feel Enoch's skin right under her bare hands. They hadn't crossed that line yet, and she wasn't sure when they would be ready for it. But Olive feared that they never would. Sure, they could…try it with her gloves on. But she hated the thought that even in their most intimate, their Peculiarity would still get in the way. And the thought to do it without the gloves was just too scary for her to think about. The last thing she wanted was to burn the man she loved just because she couldn't keep it together.

(Like that time you burnt your house down? When you killed your sister?)

(Stop it.)

(Do you remember that, Olive?)

Suddenly, everything was getting too much for her. She didn't even realise it when she pushed her chair back abruptly, causing everyone to look at her in surprise.

"Olive, dear?" Miss Peregrine asked, tilting her head to her side in a very bird-like manner. "What's the matter, child?"

"Nothing, Miss P," Olive said, forcing a smile as she tried to avoid Enoch's eyes. It didn't help that the boy was holding tight onto her hand, refusing to let her go. "I just…I just need some air."

"Olive – "

"Later, Enoch," Olive said, yanking her hand forcefully from Enoch's grip before she half-ran toward the dock, tears were already falling freely from her eyes.

But it was the look on Enoch's face that made her cried. He looked betrayed, as if she had cheated on him. But, she might as well. One of their agreements was to have no secret any longer between the two of them.

And Olive just broke it.

Olive used to have a twin sister. Her name was Viola, and she was the younger twin by three minutes. Except for the fact that they were born one the same day just minutes apart, they had no other similarities between them. Viola was the one that their parents loved the most because she was the prettier twin with her brown hair and doe-like brown eyes that made her looked like a doll. But they were very close to one another, and nothing could ever separate the two of them. Wherever Olive was, Viola would definitely be by her side. When they were little kids, a lot of children teased Olive for her vibrant hair. Viola would be her knight-in-shining-armour, coming to her defense even when she tried to convince the brunette that she was fine with the teasing. On the other hand, Olive was always there for Viola when the other girl struggled with her grades, wouldn't hesitate to spend hours teaching her twin until she could get the hang of it. In all her life, Olive never thought that she would ever live a life without her sister.

When her power first manifested, Viola was the first and only one to know. Olive was only fourteen back then. She had accidentally set her dress on fire, and if it wasn't for Viola's quick-thinking to dump the dress into the tub in their shared bathroom, she'd probably burn her room. It didn't take them long to figure out that whatever Olive touch would burst into flames. That was when Viola sneaked out into their father's shed, and grabbed their grandfather's old leather-gloves for Olive. The gloves were a little too big for her, but at least they worked. Everything went on as if nothing had changed. When their parents asked about it, they said it was the trend for young girls to wear. When their teachers asked, they said it was because Olive was allergic toward dust. When other kids asked them about it, they wouldn't even bother to answer. For the next two years, it all went well.

Until that night.

Olive could barely remember the details anymore, but she remembered she had fallen asleep downstairs in the living room when suddenly, she felt her father woke her up roughly. When she opened her eyes, she saw that her right hand was no longer covered, and there was fire everywhere. Her father told her to go outside with her mother, but Olive knew her twin was still upstairs in their room, so instead of following her father's order, she made a bee-line toward the stairs to her room. Her father was very quick though, because he caught her before she could get all the way to the second-floor. Throwing her over his shoulder, he ran out of the house as fast as he could, ignoring Olive's cries to please please go save Viola because she's still up there, Dad! But before her father could even consider of going back to get his other daughter, the house exploded.

("I can't wait to grow up," Viola had said one day as she braided Olive's hair. "I want to get married soon so I can have children. Then our children will be the best of friends just like we are, Liv.")

The pyromancer no longer remembered what happened next after the house exploded. All she knew was her mother had bought her a pair of leather-gloves that covered her skin to her elbow, before selling her off to a freakshow.

("Easy for you to say that, sis. You're awfully pretty," Olive replied but there was no malice in her tone. She was never envious of her sister. "No boy would ever look at me when you're around.")

That was the last time she saw her parents.

("Someday, there will be, my dear twin. And when that boy comes, I'll be giving you a big, fat 'I-told-you-so'.")

"You've been up here for hours," a voice said behind her. Without having to turn around, Olive already knew who it was. They spent so many years in each other's presence after all.

"I know," she said in a small voice. "I've counted the seconds up to ten thousand, seven hundred and fifty six."

Typical of Enoch, he said nothing else, even as he settled himself standing behind her. Then she felt his right hand testily hovered around her waist, as if he was unsure whether he should touch her or not. Knowing the quiet necromancer very well, Olive took the initiative and did the work for him, taking her right hand off the railing so she could wrap Enoch's hand around her. When Enoch stepped even closer until his chest pressed tightly against Olive's back, she felt his free hand reached over to cover her left hand that was on the railing. Olive couldn't stop herself from smiling in contempt as she leaned back onto him, her head on his shoulder. If anyone was watching, they would be shock with the level of intimacy they were showing. But Olive could care less. She needed him, and he was right there with her – for her. The pyromancer hummed gently when Enoch kissed her hair, feeling much calmer in only a few minutes since Enoch came than the past three hours she spent alone. They basked in the comfortable silence for who knew how long. It surprised her when it was actually Enoch to broke the silence.

"It doesn't matter to me if we end up never doing that," Enoch said in a low tone, catching Olive off her guard. "I love you no matter what, with or without the physical part."

Looking up at her…boyfriend, she asked, "H-how did you – ?"

Enoch shrugged. "We've been together for almost a month now. Whenever our kiss gets too intense, you would push me away. At first, I thought you weren't ready. And really, I was fine with that. I still am. But then I noticed you'd look at me longingly as we resumed our work for the rest of the day, and I realised you want it too."

"Enoch – "

"But, you don't have to tell me why, though. I trust you enough not to force it out of you."

Olive sighed, turning around so she could bury her face on Enoch's chest. He had come so far from the boy who feared attachment, and that was the reason why she decided that he deserved to know. But she couldn't say it if she looked into his eyes, because what she was going to admit to him would probably send him running away from her. She had known for a long time that Enoch wasn't comfortable with physical contact. Even now, it was obvious that the only person who was allowed to touch him was her, and maybe Miss Peregrine. So she turned her back on him to look at the view in front of her, stilling herself for the worse as confession poured out of her mouth.

"I want to touch you, Enoch," the pyromancer said. "I want to touch you without the gloves. When we're that intimate, I want to feel your skin under my finger tips. I want to run my hand through your hair and feel the curly strands against my skin. But I can never do that without the gloves."

Enoch had gone so silent for a long time that for a split second, Olive thought he'd left. But when she turned around again to check whether he was still there or not, she was surprised to find his face just millimeters away from her own. Her breath hitched when she noticed how his pupils were dilated, and how his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed heavily. She felt, rather than saw, the necromancer tuck a lose strand of her hair behind her hair as he leaned closer toward her.

"So, what you were saying was that you…you wanted to…"

"Yes, Enoch," Olive said, blushing furiously. "I do want to make love to you."

With a possessive growl that was so typical of Enoch, he crashed his lips on hers.

When Olive first met Emma, she instantly felt like seeing her twin again. From the moment Emma introduced herself to her, Olive felt like seeing Viola talking to her. The way they talked, the way the smiled, the way there were always so sure of everything, was exactly the same. Olive knew that it was ridiculous, but she was rather convinced that when Viola died, she had actually gone to…live again through Emma. Maybe it was Viola's Peculiarity, that her soul could move and live on another being. It was crazy but Olive liked the thought. That was part of the reason why she and Emma got a long so well so quick, other than the part about the blonde being genuinely likable. When Olive found out that the reason Emma could fly was because she too had powers like her, Olive knew that their friendship would last forever. She knew that they would always be there for each other, protecting one another from harm. So, they planned their escape from the circus, and a little over a year later, they ran away together.

It was probably one the best memory Olive had in her life, despite the situation.

She remembered tying a rope around Emma's waist, then tying that same rope around herself; remembered how she double-checked Emma's lead-shoes as they got out of their shared-tent to the forest, and then setting off some properties on fire before running as fast as they could. The adrenaline rushing through her were the only thing that kept her running for a week, even as she dragged a floating and tired Emma behind, when the girl's feet started to bleed because her shoes back then weren't that comfortable. It was intense and rather terrifying, but the laugh they both shared at the taste of freedom was more than making up to it. When Miss Peregrine found them hiding in a barn, eating some stale bread Olive managed to steal from a bakery, they were actually afraid that they escaped the circus just to enter another kind of hell. Therefore, when the ymbryne brought them to her loop, the whole time explaining to them about Peculiars and Peculiarities, she was so very grateful. Finally, she was safe. Finally, she could stop running.

But the best moment of her life was probably when she met him.

Enoch O'Connor. The boy who frowned and scowled so venomously, even Death was scared of him.

She was enjoying Miss Peregrine's infamous hot coco, sitting rather stiffly with Emma on the couch, who was just as tense as she was, if not more, when she heard footsteps behind her. Olive turned around when the Bird told her that those were the rest of her children, ready to greet them. The first one she noticed was of course, the Twins who were covered completely from top to toe. The second one was the little girl named Bronwyn, who curtsied at her and Emma with a wide smile on her cute little face. The girl confidently proceeded to introduce them to the last two kids in their group, two boys who looked to be around the same age. She introduced her brother first, the late Victor who gave her and Emma a polite smile. But when she was introduced to Enoch, Olive felt her heart stopped beating. His deep brown eyes had found hers first, and he was looking her in a way that made her felt like the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world. She told him her name, giving out her hand long enough until she realised that he wasn't going to take it, and then nervously lowered it with a slight blush on her face. She felt Emma's continuous nudge on her ribs, and for the first time since she knew the girl, her protectiveness felt rather annoying. But the thought soon flew out of her mind when Miss Peregrine told Enoch to take them to their rooms.

The first few times Enoch shrugged her off callously hurt her so much, she often found herself nearly crying because of him. But after sometime, she learned that it was just how he was. She saw how he often shoved a clay doll or two (or five) toward Bronwyn after breakfast, silently accepting the girl's beaming gratitude when she told him. She noticed that he was always the first one to come to Miss Peregrine's aid when she needed him too, even when he was too busy perfecting his army of clay soldiers. Once or twice, she even managed to catch him smiled at the sight of Victor and the Twins running around the house, playing hide-and-seek. It was on her third year, when she was helping Bronwyn getting ready one morning, about year after Abe's arrival, that the younger girl (technically older by twelve years) gave her more insight toward the necromancer that she was having a crush on.

"So, how long have you been here, Bronwyn?" Olive had asked that day. Bronwyn looked contemplative as she counted under her breath, nodding at her chubby fingers for each of the year she spent in the loop.

"About eighteen years, I think," Bronwyn said casually, and it surprised Olive so much her hand froze midway brushing the strong-girl's curly hair. "It's not really easy to count the years when you've been living the day over and over again."

"Wow, that's a long time," Olive said once she got over a shock. "So, you're like twenty-eight, right?"

"Yep!" the girl said proudly, popping the p in a childish way that it made it even harder for Olive to remember she was old enough to have children of her own. "But really, I'm not that old. If anyone's old, it's Enoch. He'll be forty-three next month!"

The pyromancer nodded her head, trying her all her might to act normal when her heart started to beat faster as she realised that, if she wanted to know more about the boy – man, she had feelings for, Bronwyn was the perfect person to help her.

"You've known him for a long time then, for you to know his birthday. I mean, he doesn't seem like the kind of person to inform the world about it."

The little girl giggled, and the cute sound brought a smile on Olive's face. "Oh, I've known Enoch quite long, yes. And you're right about that. My brother had to literally wrestle the date out of him until the bloke relented. Long story short, they were playing cards and the bet was they'd tell each other's secret. Enoch being Enoch refused to tell Victor his birthday when he lost, so my brother tackled him to the floor and threatened he'd destroy all Enoch's clay-dolls if he didn't tell. So yeah. Enoch's birthday is on December third."

"I can only imagine the look on his face," Olive said, laughing a little as she imagined Enoch glowering at a smug-faced Victor.

"It was hilarious, really! Enoch's probably the most anti-social human being on Earth, even more than my brother – and that's saying something. I think it's got to do with the fact that he's got a rough childhood, but then again, my brother and I grew up with an abusive step-father. But at least we had each other, and Enoch had none. So, maybe that's why."

Miss Peregrine then called out for the two of them to come down for breakfast, and the two quickly obliged. But the whole day, all Olive could only think about was Bronwyn's words, over and over. She finally understood why Enoch wasn't entirely comfortable interacting with people. Although her parents sold her to the circus once they found about her Peculiarity, at least they didn't do much damage to her. In fact, for most of the time, even before her power manifested, they mostly ignored her. Olive couldn't imagine having to grow up in constant abuse from her parents just for something she couldn't control. If it were her, she'd probably kill herself long before she had the chance to escape. It was one thing escaping a circus, where everyone was mean to you because not only the feared your power, but because they had no relation at all to you. But to escape your own parents, the people you should be able to trust without fear, who had abused you for years, was something else entirely. No wonder the boy was so closed off.

Call her a stupid romantic, or a masochist even. But, maybe that was the reason why Olive was so attracted to Enoch. It wasn't his darkness that attracted her. It was the fact that despite everything else, he still found it in him the will to live when the whole world turned their backs on him. She admired him for that because she knew how it wasn't easy. When Viola died, Olive felt like following her. It was only luck that she met Emma. But, as far as she knew, Enoch didn't really have anyone until that day he left his parents and met Miss Peregrine. He held on for years, on his own. So, when Olive saw Enoch sat on the other end of the table across Miss Peregrine, she made it a mission to always be there for him. To be his friend.

Even if he didn't need her.

They were lying in his bed that night, her head on his shoulder, face buried against his chest as he wrapped his hand around her. It was probably her favourite part of the day since they got together, because it was the only time when they could be together without fear of anyone interrupting them to heat up the machine or to make sure the skeletons were working again. When Enoch moved Olive's things from her room into his, just two days after he recovered fully, Miss Peregrine threw a fit. She said how it was improper when two teenagers of the opposite sex shared a room together. She even talked about how she hadn't allowed Emma sharing a room then with Abe, and she still hadn't allowed the floating girl sharing her room with Jacob now; much to Emma's absolute embarrassment. But Enoch ignored the woman. He barely blinked at Miss Peregrine's loud yelling. The necromancer merely waited until the Bird stopped talking, the whole time never stopping filling up his room with Olive's things. Once she was done, he said the one argument that led the ymbryne to relenting.

"I need her, Miss P," he had said solemnly. "I need Olive to keep me sane and whole. I've lived seventy-three years treating her poorly as if she didn't matter to me, when she was the only reason I have to keep on going. I've never asked you for anything before, so please, just once, will you do this for me? I promise I'll behave."

It was known among everyone that their headmistress had a soft sport toward her first charge, and it was seen from the way her stiff composure relaxed, from the way she let out a tired sigh, that she would not deny Enoch's request. Carefully patting the boy's shoulder, the woman said, "Fine. Just promise me you won't do anything that you two will regret, all right?"

That was how Enoch got what he wanted, and why Emma had been throwing daggers at the necromancer for every time she saw him.

Not like Enoch cared though.

"Have you ever thought of learning to control it?" Enoch asked as he absentmindedly played with the loose strand of Olive's hair. "Like, have you ever just touched anything without your gloves, on purpose, and tried to not set it on fire?"

"Yes," Olive answered, looking from Enoch's chest so she could look at him in the eye. "Well, not really. I mean, I found out the hard way that whatever I touch would burst into flames. So, after awhile, I stopped trying."

Enoch hummed gently, his brown eyes looked thoughtful. "I was thinking… Never mind. I know you won't do it."

"What?" Olive said, shifting around a little bit to sit up. "What were you thinking about?"

The necromancer shrugged. "It's nothing. You won't agree."

"If you think it can help me control my power, I think I have the right to know." She crossed her arms in front of her chest in annoyance, glaring at Enoch who looked amused. "I promise I'll at least consider it. So, tell me."

"I have a theory," Enoch began, relenting after sometime when Olive wouldn't stop glaring at him. "That the reason you can't control it is because you believe it's uncontrollable. I mean, you said it yourself. You stopped trying after awhile. Maybe that's the reason why."

"That can be true," Olive agreed regretfully, thinking how she even became scared of herself after she accidentally burned down her house, killing her twin in the process.

"I think, if you believe that you can control it, the outcome will be much different. So, if you…want me to, I can help you to learn to control it."

The thought that her grumpy necromancer actually cared enough about her to want to help her with her power made Olive's heart bloomed in both love and joy. Leaning forward so she could reward him with a kiss, she said, "Thank you. That's very nice of you, Enoch."

"It's the least I can do after everything I've done to you," Enoch said with a sad smile as he returned the kiss, one hand cupping her cheek gently.

"I think 'you're welcome' is more than suffice," Olive said, rolling her eyes despite the grin on her face. Resuming her place on Enoch's chest, she then said, "Can we start tomorrow?"

"For you, my little flame, we can start anytime you want."

Almost all of the rooms on the ship were damaged really bad, so a lot of the kids had to share their rooms. They needed to move a few of the beds though, because not all the beds were big enough for two people. But at least there was Bronwyn to help them all, though she still demanded for the boys to help her as well. So, Olive ended up with Emma, Fiona was with Bronwyn and Claire, Hugh was with Millard, Jacob bunked with Horace, and the Twins were obviously together. The only ones who got their room to themselves were Miss Peregrine (obviously) and Enoch, who flat out refused to share his room with anyone because he needed the space for his work. Thus, it was only understandable when everyone was shocked to find him bustling in and out of his room and the room Olive shared with Emma to move her things, because they remembered he wanted his room all to himself. This led to a decision between Jacob and Emma that they would be doing the same thing. Jacob didn't right out bring all of his stuffs into Emma's room the way Enoch did though, to avoid confrontation. He started out little by little. In a short matter of time, all of his stuffs had moved into the room Emma now occupied alone, what with Olive moving into Enoch's. If Miss Peregrine knew about it, which Olive didn't doubt, the Bird actually ignored it and went along with everything.

It was not long after she first moved in with Enoch that Olive felt the need to talk about something, girl-related, with her oldest friend. One day, when Enoch was off discussing with Miss Peregrine about where they should dock next to set their loop, Olive headed off to her old room, where Emma now shared with Jacob. The lanky boy was the one who opened the door when Olive knocked on it. He politely smiled at Olive, telling her that Emma was just about to finish taking a bath. It was a minute later when Emma walked out of the bathroom, wearing the fluffy bathrobe that Olive had as well in her own room. Jacob and Enoch nicked them from a store just minutes before they departed from Blackpool, along with a few new clothes for everyone. When the two young men showed everyone what they brought, Miss Peregrine had a look on her face that was between unapproval and amusement. Thankfully, she said nothing about it, because Olive rather liked the robe and the cute dresses Enoch had gotten her. But, Olive suspected that it had something with the fact that Enoch and Jacob had bought the Bird a beautiful blue dress, using the old money Abe had given Jacob before he left, along with an exquisite pipe that had her name ingrained on it.

"Olive!" Emma said, beaming at the sight of her ginger friend, rushing to hug Olive. "It's so nice of you to finally visit me. Finally getting bored with your Doctor Frankenstein, huh?"

Olive frowned. "What? No, I'm never bo – "

"Of course, you're not," Emma laughed, showing that she was joking. "If you're not bored for the past seventy years, I don't think you're giving up now… Anyway, I'm glad you came. You were right on time for sleepover. Jacob was just leaving actually, and he'll go fetch your stuffs so you can stay the night here with me. He'll be bunking with Enoch."

"I am?" Jacob asked, surprised. When Emma glared at him, immediately he corrected himself. "Oh, right! I uh, I'll be leaving now. Don't worry about your things, Olive. I'll go get them."

(A few minutes later, when Jacob went to get Olive's things, they all could hear Enoch yelled, "What do you mean you're sleeping here tonight because your girlfriend kidnapped my girlfriend, Portman? No, you're back to sleeping with Horace.")

"So!" Emma said with a smile on her face after she got dressed. "What is it you want to talk about, my friend? Has Enoch been treating you good?"

"He's been wonderful," Olive answered with a shy smile. "He still has problems with expressing himself, but he's getting there. At least now he's not denying his feelings anymore. I mean, he actually tells me he loves me every morning and every night. Isn't that amazing?"

"Oh wow, that is amazing," Emma said, tilting her head to the side. "I'm not even sure we're talking about the same Enoch O'Connor."

"Emma," Olive warned her, her tone half-joking and half-serious. The other girl giggled, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Okay, I'll stop. But, really, I'm so glad he treats you the way you've always deserved to be treated. And it's nice that he seems to change for the better now, all because of you." The blonde then lowered herself on her bed, pulling Olive to lay down beside her, and the ginger was reminded of all the times she did the same thing not only with Emma back in the mansion, but also with Viola. "But, I think that's enough for jokes. Now, we get on a more serious topic."

"About?" Olive asked, even if she already knew what Emma wanted to talk about. After all, it was the reason she came to see Emma.

Emma wiggled her eyebrows before she continued. "How good a kisser is Mr O'Connor? And I want an honest-to-God answer, Olive. So, don't even think about giving me vague explanations."

"I think he's perfect," Olive said, fully aware that she sounded stupidly dreamy, but she had long stopped caring. "You probably think I'm bias, and maybe I am. And the fact that he's the only boy I've ever kissed isn't really helping my argument, I know. But, it's true."

"Care to elaborate, Liv?" Emma prodded gently.

Olive felt herself blushing even as a huge smile made an appearance on her face. "Seriously, he's like the perfect gentleman. Biologically speaking, he must be wild with all those teenage-hormones raging in him. But, that never happens with Enoch. He never forces himself on me, always respects me when I want to stop. I mean, I fully understand it if he loses control. He's been seventeen for a century after all."

"Yeah, that must be a lot of self-restraint on his part," the floating-girl agreed. "You must not tell anyone about this, but even kind and gentle Jacob sometimes finds it hard to keep it in his pants."

There it was.

The perfect opportunity for Olive to ask the question.

"Have you done it though?" Olive quickly asked, before she lost the nerve. "Have you…"

"Yes," Emma said, her face flushed red at the same time Olive's eyes went wide. "But don't tell anyone about it! The Bird will probably kill the both of us if she finds out I've had sex with Jacob."

"H-how was it? And uh, I mean no offense, but you can't exactly stay put long enough to… Well, you know what I mean."

"Please, don't make me go into details," Emma begged, her face flushed even redder, if possible. "I won't ask you about the details regarding what you do in the bedroom with Enoch if you don't ask me about mine."

"Ah…" Olive trailed off, biting her lip. "You see, that's the thing, Em. We uh, we haven't done it."

Emma's enormous hazel eyes widened in epic proportions as she stared at Olive in disbelief. "Hang on a sec. When you said he never forces you, are you saying that…"

"Yeah…" Olive faltered a bit, and she was thankful when Emma said nothing else, probably sensing that she still had something to say. "Don't get me wrong. I want to, and Enoch surely does to. But, the thing is, I want to do it without my gloves on. And you know what will happen if I take them off."

"That's problematic, yeah…" Emma looked contemplative for a moment, before continuing. "Have you talked to the bloke about it though?"

"Are you kidding?" Olive said, rolling her eyes when Emma merely stared back at her. "We're talking about Enoch; the same person who yelled at you when you tapped him on his shoulder to tell him dinner's ready."

"When you put it that way, I can see why you don't… But I still believe you have to tell him though. Maybe, he can give you a solution or something."

"If only it was that easy, Em..." Olive sighed.

"I don't think we should do this in a such enclosed space, Enoch," Olive said, eyeing what once was the cooler room warily as Enoch closed the door behind them.

"Why not? It'll be safer here, where no kids will be wandering around, rather than up there. Everything is made of metal here. This is pretty much the most indestructible place in this ship."

"Yeah, well, what if I lose control of my power? We're locked in here."

"Then we'll die together."

"Enoch!" Olive hissed, slapping the boy's arm in annoyance, who merely stifled a grin. "I am serious here! If I accidentally set you on fire, we won't have enough time to go get help."

"Because we won't," Enoch said with a small smile. He took a step forward before leaning to give gentle peck on Olive's lips. "I trust you and I know everything will be fine."

Looking into Enoch's deep brown eyes, Olive knew she lost the argument already. Letting out a deep breath, she relented. "Alright, we'll do it here… What do you want me to do then?"

"Take off your gloves first."

"Done."

"Now, I want you to touch me."

Olive instantly recoiled, backing away hastily until her back hit the wall, which she soon regretted when Enoch advanced forward, cornering her effectively. "Are you mad? No, don't answer me because I know you'll just get smart with me and answer me with your usual sarcasm."

Enoch cocked an eye brow but kept on reaching out to Olive's uncovered hands. "Then you know I'm bloody serious about this. So, give me your hand, Olive."

"But, why? I thought…I thought you wanted me to hold something and see if I can hold my fire in. I certainly did not expect it to be your hand."

"It won't work if it's not my hand. You're scared of your powers, so we need to make sure that your powers won't hurt anyone you care about. What better way than using me?"

"No. If this is the only way for me to be able to control my powers, I rather not. I will never risk anyone, let alone you, just so I can – Enoch, what are you doing!"

Too busy trying to convince Enoch that his idea was an awful one, Olive didn't see it coming when Enoch lunged forward and grabbed for her hand. Before Olive could pull it back, the necromancer had tightened his grasp around Olive's hand, barely flinching when Olive set his hand on fire. It must be hurting him though because after awhile, he let her hand go, revealing the burnt mess that was once his right hand. Olive was near hysterical at the sight of his hand, and she would have screamed if she had the energy to. Instead, she quickly grabbed for her gloves before immediately went to check for Enoch's hand.

"You – stupid – suicidal – idiot!" Olive yelled, reaching out for Enoch's hand, which he hid behind his back. "Give me your hand, Enoch. Give me your hand now!"

"It's fine, Olive," he said, letting out a tired sigh when he finally showed her his hand. Olive nearly had a heart attack when she saw that his hand, despite the angry red-mark that would scar him probably forever, looked perfectly alright.

"How in the world…?" Olive whispered. Her moody necromancer merely shrugged.

"It comes with my powers to give life, I guess. I have high pain-tolerance, and I can self-heal, although not entirely. I've tried to heal others though, but it seems that I can only heal myself."

"Does it…does it hurt?"

"Yes, but I can take it. Don't worry about me."

Olive thought about objecting, because there was still this feeling in the back of her mind that kept on telling her how Enoch was lying. But she wanted to be able to control her powers so bad, she decided to ignore it. Besides, the beaming smile on Enoch's face when he saw her taking her gloves off again, which quickly disappeared when Olive took a moment to blink, was more than worth it.

"Fine. We'll do it again. But if this ends up killing you, Enoch O'Connor, I'm going to find another necromancer to bring you back and then I'll kill you myself."

"Deal," Enoch said with a smirk. "After all, I doubt there is another one like me."

Enoch and Miss Peregrine had agreed that they would set off the new loop in America. According to Abe, there used to be an abandoned house just south to the California loop, and when Jacob checked it during his trip to go back to them, the house hadn't been touched since 1943. Miss Peregrine thought it was perfect, and told Enoch to set course to America. Enoch, on the other hand, wasn't very keen on their destination. Firstly, he thought that anything American gave a bad taste in his mouth. Secondly, he knew exactly why Jacob told Miss Peregrine about the house. It was obvious, and even Olive had an inkling. It took a few nudges on the ribs from, and a warning glare that said 'keep quiet or I'll move to bunk in with Emma', for Enoch to keep his thoughts to himself. The only person that agreed with Enoch was Emma, and it was a given. When the ship docked, the tension rolling off Enoch and Emma were so thick, it was a wonder no one was suffocating because of it. Even Jacob seemed a little antsy, despite it being his idea.

"Enoch? You there?" Jacob called, knocking on the door to Olive's and Enoch's room one day. He blinked when he saw Olive there instead of Enoch, but quickly managed his trademark polite smile. He had been gone for a few days and just returned the other day from doing a few errands Miss Peregrine told him too. "Oh, hi. Sorry to bother you, Olive. Have you seen Enoch anywhere? Miss P is asking for him."

"No," Olive answered stiffly, eyeing the spot on their shared bed that Enoch had left early in the morning. "I haven't seen him since last night. He wasn't even at breakfast, remember."

It had been two weeks since they first started their lesson on controlling her fire, and Olive noticed that each morning, Enoch would leave her and wouldn't come back late in the evening when they would continue on their lesson. For obvious reasons, it worried Olive a lot. But she couldn't determine what exactly was wrong with her necromancer. Every time she wanted to ask him about it, she always lost the guts to do it, especially when she noticed how tired he seemed after each session. She couldn't blame him though. The amount of time she set him on fire was worrying that more than once Olive wanted to tell on Miss Peregrine. But Enoch always managed to convince her that everything was fine, so she agreed to go along with it. Not to mention, she did get better at controlling her powers. She no longer burned him, except when she was caught off guard. So, things did seem to be going well after all.

"…you know? Um, Olive? Were you listening?" Jacob asked, cutting short Olive's train of thoughts.

"Sorry. I got a lot on my mind," Olive said sheepishly. "You were saying?"

Jacob tilted her head to the side, with a knowing look in his startling blue eyes, and it reminded Olive greatly of how Abe used to look at her in the same way whenever he caught her watching Enoch from afar. Back then, Olive used to be close with Abe because he was the only one who didn't judge her for falling for someone like Enoch. Probably that was why Enoch disliked him so much, if what he said regarding his feelings toward Olive was true. Now, with Jacob, the pyromancer tried to be more careful, knowing how possessive Enoch could be. In the end, it resulted to minimum conversation between Jacob and herself. But she had always felt closer to him, and maybe that was because he shared so much similarities with his grandfather.

"I uh, I know I'm not Emma," the raven-haired said awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "But Emma's helping the girls tidying around the ship, and I can... If you want me to, I'm more than willing to hear what's bothering you. I can't give good advice like Emma does, though."

"It's okay," Olive said, laughing a little. "Sometimes an ear is all you need."

Jacob smiled and took a seat beside Olive when she scooted over for him. He testily grabbed for her hand in a supportive manner, and Olive was surprised at how the gesture seemed to scream Abe Portman. Turning around, she found his blue eyes had found hers first, and he was looking at her in worry. It was not for the first time that she noticed how tall he was, even taller than her towering necromancer. He grasped her hand gently, urging her to tell him what was bothering her. Taking a deep breath, she finally did.

"You can't tell anyone yet, but Enoch's been helping me to learn how to control my powers," Olive began. When Jacob kept quiet, giving his silent promise, the ginger continued. "At first, everything seemed to be going well. It took sometime, but after awhile, I managed to hold my fire in. But then I began to notice that if he wasn't helping me with our lesson, he would avoid me, like today. He wouldn't even let me help him doing his projects anymore. I keep on thinking about what I did wrong, but I always come up with nothing. A-and I'm afraid he just…he just stops caring. That he has second thoughts after all. That h-he…that he…"

Olive didn't even realise when she started crying until she felt Jacob pulled her into a hug, and let her to cry her eyes out on his shoulder. "I understand your fear, Olive. The guy ignored you for over seven decades after all, treated you horribly too. But, we all know that's because he has problems showing affections. So, I doubt that it's true. I mean, you didn't see him when he talked to Emma. That man down there was perfectly fine to die because he knew he'd lost his chance with you. I don't think he's letting you go anytime soon, Olive."

"B-but why – "

"He's right," a voice said, and the two friends pulled apart, finding the necromancer himself standing by the door, his eyes devoid of emotion. "I'm not letting you go, Olive. Not now. Not ever. Period."

Olive looked at him, with tears still falling profusely from her eyes. She vaguely heard Jacob excused himself, but both she and Enoch ignored him. When Enoch entered the room, shutting the door behind him, it was for the first time in weeks that Olive noticed that there was something wrong with him. She never really took notice of him during their lesson, seeing that the cooler room was rather dimly lit, and Enoch preferred the lights were out when they slept. But now, Olive could see what she'd missed for weeks. Enoch was never as stocky as Victor was, but he wasn't as lanky as Jacob either. He was always somewhere in between. But now, standing in front of her, he looked even thinner than Jacob. His face was sunken, making his jaw and cheekbones more pronounced than ever. The circles under his eyes made his eyes looked abnormally bigger, almost as big as Emma's. But the worst part was, the part that scared her the most, was how he didn't seem to be able to hold himself on his feet. Even as he brought himself closer toward her, it looked like every stepped he took was giving him a lot of pain. When he dropped unceremoniously on his knees in front of her on the edge of their shared bed, Olive let out a small shriek, thinking that he was going to faint. Warning bells began to sound in her head, and Olive knew that there was something she should have known, but she couldn't, for the life of her, know what it was.

"Enoch, love," Olive whispered, cupping his face in her hands. "Enoch, tell me what's wrong. Why are you… What happened to you?"

"'M fine," he said, giving her a small smile before leaning forward to kiss her. He frowned when Olive turned her head slightly. "Are you mad with me? Because I haven't really been around?"

"I'm worried, you numptie," Olive said, rolling her eyes despite the situation. "Honestly, won't you just tell me what's wrong with you? You look like… Like you're…"

"I'm fine," he repeated, before going forward to kiss her again. This time, she let him because she too missed him. A lot. But when Enoch began to push her forward to lie on the bed, she pushed him away gently.

"Enoch, what are you doing?"

"Hm?" he hummed absentmindedly, one hand reaching forward to play with her hair. "Don't you want this, Olive? I thought you wanted it."

"I do, but – " slapping Enoch's hand away when he tried to pull her gloves off. " – I'm still not sure I can control it. Besides, you don't look well enough for…for such strenuous activity."

Olive eyes widened when Enoch let out a sound that sounded far too close to giggling. He gave a peck on her kiss once, and there was a grin that she rarely saw on his face. "You're hurting my ego, my dear. Really, you wound me."

"Enoch, I'm serious!"

"So, am I," he said, and this time, he did look like he meant it. "I trust you, my love. I trust you with all my heart, my life, and my soul. Even if you end up killing me – "

"Enoch," Olive began in a warning tone, but Enoch lifted one hand up to silence her.

" – even if you do end up killing me, then I'll die with a smile on my face. I've been cold for so long, searching for the warmth and light that only you can provide, my dear, and if I have to die because of your fiery fire, then so be it."

Olive looked into his brown eyes, saw all the earnest love and adoration in his eyes, saw that he was telling the truth. If she was to be honest, she'd been thinking about it for the past couple of days since she realised she had better grip on her powers. But there was something that always seemed to hold her back. Even now, when Enoch begged her for it, she still felt like she shouldn't have done it. But the way Enoch's eyes pleaded for her to relent was slowly breaking her resolution, like he always did. In the end, she took her gloves off and threw it across the room. The blinding bright smile on Enoch's face was enough to erase all doubts in her head as he dipped his head lower to kiss her deeply and passionately.

"I love you, Olive," he whispered between kisses. "I love you now, forever, and always."

"You have so many scars," Olive said sadly that night after their wonderful love-making. She was tracing the numerous scars on Enoch's back, who was lying sleepily with face buried into his pillow.

"Do you love me less because of them?" Enoch asked, his tone as emotionless as always as he turned around. But if one listened more carefully, they could hear the worry in his voice.

"Of course not," the ginger said, settling herself to lay her head on his chest, giving a gentle kiss on where his heart resided. "I love you more because of them."

Olive blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, when she heard someone dragged a chair beside her. Without turning around, she knew it must be Bronwyn. If there was anyone who was just as devastated as she was, it would be the girl with incredibly strength. After all, Bronwyn had accompanied her for the past two months when everyone else felt too awkward to come up to her. Even Emma, her best friend, who she knew was blaming herself, even though Olive kept on telling her that it wasn't her fault, couldn't find it in her to sit beside her. Olive lost count how many times she told Emma that if there was anyone to be blamed, it would be Olive herself. Emma wouldn't listen to her though, and she ended up avoiding Olive in her guilt. But Bronwyn, she was different. She was as stubborn as her brother was, if not more. Although they never said a word during the hours they spent together sitting in silence, Olive was grateful for her presence. True, she still preferred the solitude nowadays. But deep down, she realised she would go mad if she spent it alone, staring at his unmoving form lying on their bed.

At Enoch's unmoving form lying on their bed, looking more dead than that time he truly died.

Olive woke up that morning with a huge smile on her face, feeling sore but happy nonetheless. It was a little over breakfast, and she hoped no one really noticed her and Enoch's absence yet. Turning to her side, she saw that Enoch was already awake, and he seemed like he'd been watching her sleep for who knew how long. His features were still as horrible as before, and Olive would have nagged him to talk to Miss Peregrine about it. But the sneaky prat silenced her with a mind-numbing kiss that made Olive incapable of coherent thoughts, and the cocky smirk on his face convinced Olive that maybe, he was just tired, and that Olive was just being paranoid. When they heard Claire called for them, saying that Miss Peregrine wanted to talk to them and Jacob and Emma, the two quickly got ready, knowing that if they were late, Miss Peregrine herself would come barging into the room. The whole time she was getting ready, Olive did it without her gloves, and she was so proud of herself when she didn't set anything on fire. If there was anyone who was prouder than herself, it would be Enoch. Going to the ballroom where they usually had their meal, the two held hands all the way there with identical smiles on their faces. But the moment they reached the ballroom, and saw that there was someone there other than Miss Peregrine and their two friends, Enoch's smile faltered and turned into an unpleasant scowl.

"Well, well," Enoch drawled sarcastically at the figure sitting across the Bird with sitting by his side. Emma, Olive noted, was sitting on the farthest seat in the room, glaring into her hands. "Look who's finally graced us with his presence after seventy-three years. What, you're getting bored with your life already, Abe?"

"Hello, Enoch," Abe Portman said, his aging face looked both defiant and amused as he looked back at the necromancer. "I see that you haven't changed one bit. Still as pleasant as ever after all these years, it seems."

It was never a secret between everyone that Enoch had never liked Abe. They used to get along, when Abe first came to the mansion. But Enoch turned vindictive and awful when he noticed how Emma and Olive got along really well in a really short period of time with him, and everyone knew Enoch was possessive. The only person who kind of shared his sentiment toward the Polack was Victor, and that was because he was paranoid that someone would take over his place in his sister's eyes. When Abe left, leaving Emma heartbroken, it just sealed Enoch's dislike toward him. The feeling was mutual though, because Abe seemed to return the feeling wholeheartedly, whose smart-mouth and stubbornness was so different than Jacob's quiet and reserved nature. Now, seventy-three years later, it didn't seem that both had changed their minds about each other. Olive lightly warmed Enoch's hand as a warning, to which he replied with a murderous glare. But, she merely glanced at him with a deceptive blank look, and because Enoch could be the most petty human being on Earth, especially when he was irked, he decided that he would ignore the warning.

"How's aging been for you, old man? All those wrinkles suit you, by the way."

"Enoch, behave!" Olive hissed, slapping him on his shoulder. Enoch rolled his eyes in return.

"I'll behave however I want, Olive dear. But for you, I guess I'll make an exception. I'm not staying a moment longer with him though," he quickly added when Olive began to grin. "I'm going out to buy some food. I think we're running out of stock. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Do you need help?" Jacob asked. Sweet and gentle Jacob, always so willing to help even thought it was obvious he preferred to spend his time with his grandfather.

Enoch, bless his soul, seemed to realise it as well because when he normally demanded Jacob to help him, now he politely shook his head. "No, you go catch up with your Grandpa, Jakey boy. I think I can manage by my own."

"I'll go with you," Emma said, making a sound for the first time since Olive and Enoch entered the room. "I'm not staying here either."

Enoch cocked an eye brow at her, to which Emma merely replied with a defiant tilt of her head. Luckily, the necromancer said nothing else, and nodded his head at Emma so she would follow him. Olive could feel Jacob sagged in his seat, and she smiled sympathetically in his way, knowing just how much he wished Emma and his grandfather would get along.

"Well, some things do change, it seems," Abe commented once the two friends disappeared. "I never thought I'd be able to see a time where Enoch O'Connor listened to anyone that easily. I guess, it's all thanks to you, isn't it, Olive?"

"Abe!" Olive greeted, quickly putting her gloves back on just to be safe, before hugging the old man. "It's so good to see you, old friend. It's been too long."

"Good to see you too, Livvy," Abe said, chuckling as he stroked the girl's hair. "How's everything, my friend? I trust all is well with you being the only sane one here to help Miss P."

Olive chuckled, settling herself beside Miss Peregrine. They talked about what had been to their lives for the decades. Then Miss Peregrine told her to go get the other children sometime near lunch time, and it was only then did Olive remember she and Enoch hadn't eaten since morning. With Fiona's and Jacob's help, she began to serve lunch for everyone, including Abe. The rest of the kids, especially the younger ones, yelled Abe's name in absolute excitement as they ran toward him. Olive noticed the old man grew teary eyed when Bronwyn, Claire and the Twins hugged him around the waist. It was only when they were about to sit, when Bronwyn pulled an extra chair for Abe, that Olive realised it had been around six hours since Enoch left with Emma. Judging from the way Jacob and Miss Peregrine kept on moving restlessly in their seat, she knew that they too felt just as worried as she was. She was sort of thankful for the momentary distraction Abe provided when he asked her a question.

"So, Livvy," he said, using the old nickname that only he had ever used. "I noticed earlier that you were holding Enoch's hand without your gloves on. Does it mean that you can control your powers now?"

Olive blushed slightly when all eyes fell on her, especially when she felt Miss Peregrine's piercing stare. She cleared her throat nervously before she answered him. "In a way, yes. Enoch's been helping me to learn how to control it. We've been trying for quite sometime now, and although it wasn't easy at first, I finally got the hang of it."

"That's amazing!" Fiona exclaimed, nodding in excitement with Hugh and Millard.

"But, why are you wearing them now, Olive?" Claire asked. From the corner of her eye, Olive saw Miss Peregrine cocked her head to the side in a very bird-like manner, and it just made her even more nervous.

"Well um, Enoch's the first and only thing – I mean, person, I touched without my gloves on. He believed that the reason I couldn't control my fire was because I feared it, and the only way I could learn to control it was to see whether I could control it when I had my hands on someone I…I love."

"Hang on," Jacob interrupted, looking shocked even though he knew already about Olive's little session with Enoch. "Are you saying that he volunteered to get burnt thousands of times until you could stop yourself from setting him on fire?"

"Yes," Olive said, her face flushed furiously, going almost as red as her hair. "I didn't immediately agree to it though. I only said yes when he revealed to me that he could heal himself. Even then, I sometimes still felt like it was wrong."

"Wow," Millard whistled, and if he was visible, Olive knew he'd look amazed. "I didn't know Enoch could do that."

"That's because he shouldn't," Miss Peregrine said in a sharp tone, causing everyone except Abe, who had paled a little, to flinch. "Heavens, now I know why he's been looking awful lately."

"Wait," Olive said, feeling her heart beat quickened. "What do you mean by 'he shouldn't'?"

"He shouldn't heal himself, at least not for serious injuries," Abe said, sharing a look with the headmistress before continuing his explanation. "Enoch's Peculiarity is one of the rarest kinds in this world, like myself and Jacob, or like Miss Peregrine. Therefore, there some downside to his Peculiarity. Ymbrynes are obvious. You know what happened already when their powers were taken for heinous plans. Mine and Jacob's Peculiarity is the rarest, because it only developed ever since the first existence of the Hollows. Enoch's though, it was a little bit different. His powers come from his life, so whenever he uses his powers, that means he uses his life-force in favour of his powers."

"That's why I always make a fuss when he's spent too much time with his clay," Miss Peregrine said. "Healing himself is pretty much the same thing as animating objects. Maybe it doesn't use much of his life-force, but when he uses it continuously…" She bit her lip, eyeing Olive closely. "How long exactly have you been learning to control it?"

"Two months," Olive whispered, her insides felt cold.

"And you did this every day?"

The ginger nodded her head. "Every afternoon at 5, once we were done with all chores. We only stopped shortly before dinner."

Everyone fell silent, and Olive felt guilty. She knew she shouldn't have agreed when Enoch suggested it, but she was too selfish. If this meant that she would end up losing him, Olive swore she would pitch herself off the ship and into the ocean. It didn't help that everyone realised it had been hours since Enoch and Emma left, and the two hadn't come back yet. When Jacob suggested that he and Olive better went to check on them, Miss Peregrine flat out refused, saying that she couldn't afford losing anymore of her children, and that it would be better if she was the one who went to look for them. They had never seen Jacob argued Miss Peregrine before. It was always Millard, and sometimes Enoch. But they didn't have the energy left to feel surprised when the ymbryn and her charge went back and forth about who was supposed to go. Olive was about to sneak out herself, knowing that the two would be two busy arguing, when suddenly, Emma came literally flying through the windows, landing harshly on the wooden floor.

"Emma!" everyone yelled, running to her side. The right-sleeve of her dress was torn, and her blonde hair was matted with blood. But she didn't seem to care about her injuries.

"Olive, I'm sorry!" she whispered as she rushed toward the ginger, collapsing in Olive's arms. "I am really sorry. Oh, please forgive me…"

"Emma, what are you talking about?" Jacob said, quickly wrapping his hands around his girl so he could hold her. "Are you okay? Where's Enoch?"

Even before Jacob had even asked her all those questions, Olive already knew what was her answer.

"They got him! The remaining of Barron's lot got Enoch!"

According to Emma, they were just about to finish their shopping when Wights ambushed them. They both put up quite a fight, that was until someone hit Emma in the head, which rendered her unconscious. When she woke up, she found herself in an old factory, bound to an unconscious Enoch. It took her a few tries to wake him up, and even then, he seemed extremely weak. He asked her whether she still had her lead-shoes on, and when she replied in the affirmative, he told her to reach for the small button located on her right heel. Unbeknownst to many, Enoch was the one who made Emma's shoes, with instructions from their beloved headmistress. So, Emma wasn't entirely too shocked to find a secret compartment in the heel of her shoe, where a small blade, not much bigger than her ring-finger, was stored. The blonde used the blade to untie herself and Enoch, but when she tried to take Enoch with her to leave, the necromancer vehemently refused, saying that he would only slow her down. Emma insisted that she wouldn't leave without him, but Enoch was just as stubborn as she was.

"I can carry you!" Emma had nearly yelled in frustration. "No offense, but you're thin enough for me to be able to carry you out of here myself, Enoch. So, zip it and just get on my back."

"Like hell I would," the boy said angrily, even if his voice was no more than a tired whispered. "You go on, tell Miss P to take the others and leave. They want her, Emma. They want Miss Peregrine. We can't let them have her."

"So, you want me to leave you?" Emma said, her heart felt like stopping. When Enoch said nothing, her infamous temper flared and it took all her will power to stop herself from slapping him. "What the hell do you mean, O'Connor? I am not leaving you here! Come on, we can still make it. Just – ""

"Emma. Emma. Emma!" Enoch snapped, cutting the blonde mid-sentence. Emma was about to argue some more when he pushed a heavy object made of metal into her hand. "Listen to me carefully, okay? I want you to get away from here – no, don't interrupt me! I want you to get away from here, and warn the others about the Wights' planned to capture Miss Peregrine. We're not that far from our ship, I think. Then you take off your shoes because it'll be much faster if you float. Press that button on this magnet first though. It's strong enough to keep you down as long as you're close toward something made of metal, no matter how small it is. But you have to be careful. If you run out of metal on the way to the ship, you'll float away. Do you understand me so far, Em?"

"Yes, but – "

"Once you get close enough, preferably when you hover atop the ship, press this other button so the magnet-force will pull you down. It's going to be a powerful jolt though, so make sure you're ready. If it's possible to rescue me, and only if it's possible, you come back here sometime before dawn, when the Wights are still asleep. And don't bring Olive with you. Just take Portman and that's it."

Emma told Olive how she eyed the metal object in her hand for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "You know that once Olive found out they got you here, she'd probably set the whole world on fire to rescue you. I can't possibly stop her, Enoch. If it were Jacob, I'd probably do the same thing."

"I know," and the way he said, the dejected yet solemn tone he had, was like warning bells in Emma's head, telling her that Enoch didn't see himself walking out from all of it alive. "That's why you have to make sure she's not coming."

The two didn't waste another moment because Enoch had ushered Emma to get going. From the moment she landed on the ship that afternoon, the girl tried her best to control herself so she could tell everything that had happened. The whole time Olive listened to her story, the pyromancer was all silent. But on the inside, she was burning in fury. Emma was right. Olive would tear the world apart and set it ablaze to save Enoch, no matter what the consequences were. It was only because Bronwyn noticed her gloves were smoking that she realised she was slowly setting herself on fire in her anger. Everyone was staring at her, watching her reaction closely as if they were worried that in her rage, she would accidentally let loose of her fire. But Olive had enough of practice, and her anger was enough motivation for her to control her power completely. Yanking her gloves off her hand, she told Miss Peregrine that she would go save Enoch, with or without her permission. From the looks of her face, the Bird seemed conflicted on whether she should allow her or went to sacrifce herself. But Abe, wise as he always was, convinced the Bird that the kids could more than take care of themselves, seeing that they did rescue her before. Once it was settled that the ones who were going to rescue Enoch were Olive, Emma, and Jacob, the trio left to go back to the factory, leaving the rest of the kids with Abe and Miss Peregrine.

Olive felt like exploding, sparks of fire were dancing in fingertips, waiting to be released. The factory was huge, but it didn't take them long to find where the Wights kept Enoch. Unfortunately for them – or maybe for the Wights, depending how you saw it – the scene they walked in was of the Wights trying to get the information regarding the whereabouts of Miss Peregrine by torturing Enoch. Olive had no idea how long she froze as she watched a Wight used pliers to pluck out Enoch's nails, her eyes set on the bleeding and swelling face of her beloved, her ears ringing at the sound of his screams. But the next time she blinked, it was as if there was a switch on her. She barely gave enough time for her two companions to go save Enoch when she thrust her palm forward, shooting fireballs toward the Wight with the pliers. There was seven Wights in total, and long story short, Olive set them all on fire like meat for barbecue. When she saw Jacob and Emma were holding an unconscious Enoch between them, taking him out of the factory, she set the whole place on fire before she followed them out.

By the time they got back to the ship, Enoch's breathing had gone ragged and his heartbeat was weak. He was missing seven of his nails, and his face barely recognisable anymore, even after they'd cleaned all the blood. It was obvious that his condition was critical, but they couldn't risk taking him to the hospital, lest they'd start asking questions. They had no choice but to settle with tending to his fingers and face, making sure he was well taken care of, even if they spent each second wondering whether this time, Enoch would simply give up and…move on. When Abe left a week later, he promised that he would bring back all medication he could get his hands on that hopefully could help Enoch. He came back nearly a month later, with Jacob carrying a huge suitcase filled with all kinds of medicines. But whatever they tried to put into Enoch's system didn't seem to work. In fact, Olive started to worry that all those medicines were cancelling out on each other. But she wasn't giving up on him yet, even if she gave up on all the modern medication. So, for the next two months, she spent all her time cooped in the room she shared with Enoch, each day wishing for him to open his eyes and give her his rare smile again. She'd even accept him scolding her for crying over him, if that meant she could hear him talk again.

("Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived her whole life alone," Olive's mother once read a story to both of her daughters, back when Olive and Viola were little. "She never cursed her life about the unfairness that she kept on dealing with, never regretted the fact that even her own parents abandoned her. One day, she met a boy with sad brown eyes, who was just as lonely as she was. The two fell in love and although not everything was easy for them, they managed to get by it. But then the sad boy was cruelly taken from the lonely girl, and only then did the girl began to hate her life. So, when she couldn't take it anymore, she decided that she would follow the boy. Because really, her life would be nothing without him.")

(Little did Olive know, the girl in the story would one day remind her of herself.)

"Hey," Olive whispered on the eighty-fourth day. She reached for his bandaged left hand, holding it firmly in her smaller ones. "It's almost three months now, Enoch. I miss you. I miss so much. Please, wake up. I beg you."

Her green eyes kept on a close watch at Enoch's face, expecting her to open his eyes anytime. But, as it had always been for the past two months, he didn't react. Sighing tiredly, she gave his hand a gentle kiss before she continued with her routine of talking to him about her day. Jacob once told her that someone who was comatose would wake up much easier and sooner if they were being spoken to on a daily basis. That was exactly what Olive had been doing for months. Only this time, she didn't tell him about her day. She told him about her past.

"I used to have a twin, you know," she began. "Her name was Viola. She looked nothing like me, but I loved her. She had brown hair and brown eyes, and she was the pretty one out of the two of us. My parents loved her more than they loved me, but it didn't matter to me. As long as we had each other, nothing else mattered. You see, Viola was the first and only one who knew about my power, even before my parents. She was my saviour way before you came into the picture. To be honest, she was a lot like Emma in a way. Same stubbornness, same fierceness, same bravery. Probably that was why I got along really well with her. She reminded me a lot of my twin."

She imagined Enoch tilting his head to the side in his usual way when he wanted her to continue her story, so she did. "I fell asleep one day, and somehow my glove rolled off my hand. I ended up setting the whole house on fire. My father was too busy rescuing me when he was supposed to be saving my sister instead. I know that when my parents sold me to the circus it was because they blamed me for my sister's death. And I know it's my fault. I blame myself too every single day for the past seventy-five years. If I was more careful, she wouldn't be dead."

Olive stopped for awhile when she felt Enoch's hand twitched in her grip. But after she waited for a few minutes, she knew she must be imagining it. "So, you were right when you said that I'm scare of my powers, because I am. It was my fire that killed my sister. I've all the reason to be afraid of it. But, thanks to you, I can now control it. I get even better now. You should see me do the trick for the kids. You'll love it."

For some reason, the thought that Enoch wouldn't be around to see her doing tricks with her fire brought tears to her eyes. Before she knew it, she was sobbing hard, tears falling down onto her clasped hands profusely. "Enoch, I understand if you feel too tired already, if you feel like moving on. A century isn't exactly a short time, and your life hasn't been a walk in the park either. But please, Enoch, wake up. I… I've lost my sister once, and I don't I can make it if I lose you too. Don't leave me, Enoch, please… I can't imagine myself living alone without you by my side. You might be so ready to die, but I am not ready for you to leave me yet. So, come back, Enoch. Come back to me, my love."

She leaned forward to give her a soft, gentle kiss. When she looked up, she was half-expecting Enoch to open his eyes, hoping that her kiss would be enough to wake him up like in stories. But when she saw that Enoch lay just as unmoving as he had been for the past two months, she knew she was being silly. Only in fairytales would true love's kiss be able to wake someone up from after months of spending it in a state of comatose. In reality, especially in Olive's reality, there was no such things as kisses that would wake dying people up. In her reality, people died, and then they left her all alone. Still with tears falling down her face, Olive suddenly felt like she was too tired, she felt like sleeping into the next century. Pushing Enoch to the side as gently as she could, the pyromancer then lay beside him, her head on his chest where his heart was so she could listen to his beat. It was still beating, and the sound sounded more beautiful than that piece Miss Peregrine used to play back at the mansion. But Olive had no idea how long would his heart stay beating.

"I love you, Enoch," she whispered as she felt herself falling into a deep and much needed slumber. "I love you now, forever, and always."

She had no idea how long she'd been asleep. It could have been an hour, a day, or probably a year. The truth was, she didn't care. Not at all. But she remembered being awaken to the feeling of soft fabric crossing her collar bone, felt long fingers caressed her cheek softly. The lights were dim in that room, as it had always been because that was how he liked it. Her eyes were glazed with sleep, but she forced herself to pry them opened, knowing that she would regret it if she didn't.

She raised her head barely an inch off his chest, reluctant to leave the sound of his heart beating underneath her ears. The side of her face that was pressed against his chest was red, and it felt a little numb from the time it spent lying down for so long. She felt a cool hand on cheek, the same hand that she'd been dreaming of to touch her again for the past two months, and she recognised it immediately. After all, she'd spent months memorising the pattern of his fingers on her skin, of his gentle and loving touch, despite his coarse mannerism.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long, love," he said, smiling that beautiful smile he only reserved for her. "But I promised you that I wouldn't ever leave you, and I'm keeping that promise."

Green eyes met brown ones, and she burst into tears of happiness.

NOTES 2: And nope, they're not dead. I repeat, in case some of you don't understand it, Enoch and Olive are not dead. They're both alive yippie!