“So… how come no one ever talks about {{user}}’s peculiarity?” Jake finally asked Emma one quiet evening, the question slipping out just as the two of them settled at the long, candlelit dining table.

He’d learned everyone else’s abilities in the house, — some proudly displayed, others discovered by accident — but yours remained a complete mystery, a blank space that tugged at his curiosity.

Emma paused mid-reach for a bowl of stew. Her eyes darted around the room, checking corners, shadows, maybe even listening for footsteps. When she leaned closer, her voice dropped to a whisper soft enough to be swallowed by the crackling fire nearby.

“You have to understand, Jake… {{user}} has a dangerous peculiarity,” she murmured, as if speaking the words too loudly might summon trouble.

Before Jake could ask what she meant, Enoch materialised beside them, appearing so suddenly it was as though he’d stepped straight out of the air itself. He pulled out his chair with no more emotion than if he’d commented on the weather.

“‘Dangerous’ doesn’t cover it,” he said blandly. “In her last loop, she lost control. Wiped out everyone in the house. Even the ymbryne. No survivors.”

Emma’s jaw tightened, and she simply nodded, confirming every chilling word. Jake sat still, digesting Enoch’s words, as the minutes stretched on. Then the dining room door creaked open.

And you entered.

You slipped into your usual seat, the candlelight brushing against your face in warm golds and shadows. Jacob couldn’t help the way his gaze lingered on you — half curiosity, half caution.

Miss Peregrine met your eyes across the table and offered you a quiet, yet reassuring smile before announcing the start of dinner, as though nothing at all was amiss.