manipulate // enoch o'connor

  ENOCH WANTED TO HATE CLARA SO MUCH, BUT HE KNEW IT'S THE LEAST THING HE CAN DO NOW. The peculiars left by Miss Peregrine found their way to be able to survive and leave the loop. The house he's lived for a hundred years, gone forever. Without Miss Peregrine, no one restarted the loop. 

They were inside the shipwreck that Emma restored into a proper ship. While Portman and the rest construct a plan, there he was in the corner, returning to his old self; the emotionless prick. Enoch couldn't remember a thing before Barron had called them. 

Enoch woke up laying onto Olive's lap, there was a wet cloth beneath his head and they were upstairs hiding. He sat up quickly, making his head hurt. He tried to touch it but he winced, "Emma hit you with a frying pan. I thought the cloth could lessen the pain on your head.." Olive said. 

"What the hell?" Enoch asked, "Where is she?" He asked again, "Emma, I mean." 

"Outside the room, eavesdropping to the conversation, I'm guessing." Olive told him. 

"And Clara?" Olive refused to talk, but he knew that look. She knew something but didn't want to speak up, he assumed it's 'to protect him from pain'. "Look, Olive. Stop trying to protect me. What is it?" 

"Clara's with Barron." Olive bit her lip anxiously, "You and Emma were right about her. She's here as an accomplice of him, Emma told me." 

Enoch felt as if he'd been shot straight to the chest and left to where he stood before, to die. He found himself having a hard time to breathe, "No."  He refused to believe the truth. The truth that he knew all along; that he knew from the beginning of it all.

"Promise me you'll trust me no matter what." He remembered Clara saying. It finally made sense to him. She ended up manipulating him after all. He felt like a fool, knowing that he was right at first, he should've trusted himself more. He shouldn't have opened the emotions he couldn't understand.

All of the peculiars heard Miss Peregrine call them. He didn't want to go, if he had to see Clara differently, he would rather die. Olive helped him up, "Can you walk--?"

"I'm fine, don't treat me like I'm a fucking--" He noticed he was taking out his pain toward Olive again, "I'm fine," He sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm just--"

"I understand. Let's just go for now." 

Walking down the stairs, he saw a fiercer, braver-looking Clara. He couldn't recognize her, nor stare at her in awe like he used to do. She was different, and he knew she toyed with him good. She got him swept off his feet without even realizing it until it was too late. 

Clara looked up and immediately saw his shocked expression. To his surprise, her fierce look soften, as if tears would start falling down to her cheeks. She looked away, pulling Portman as what Barron told her to. 

Miss Peregrine bid goodbye to him last, giving her a hug. "Miss Avocet is in there." She whispered to him as quiet as she can. She broke the hug and let him walk inside before Barron closed the door. Enoch looked near it and saw Miss Avocet shushing them. Not long after that, Clara was whispering something to Portman, who was itching for her to let him go, and she left. This time, she avoided Enoch's gaze. That was her first goodbye to him, without ever kissing him in a while now. The goodbye he knew would happen, but ignored it. Love made him blind, he was sure.

Looking back now, he wondered what Clara told Portman. Even with his heart broken, he promised her that he will trust her no matter what. And that was what he was going to do. 

Enoch was able to get Jacob away from the rest, "Say it straight, what did Clara tell you before she left you with us?" He asked straight-forwardly.

"Use your peculiarity and think as fast as you can. I'm sure he left something here to make you all perish.. That's all I can tell you." Jacob repeated Clara's words, "I said it as she did." Enoch heard Clara through the words, even if Jacob didn't say, "I couldn't really forget it after, she gave me a hint. Despite my resistance, she somewhat helped us escape the loop."

Enoch felt a rush of relief inside of him, he felt a little of ease. "Then, she must've turned against Barron. She must be helping us now--" 

"No, Enoch." Jacob said, "You didn't go through what I did in her grasps. She manipulated me all this time, and used my emotions against me. I was right, but she made me think that I wasn't." 

A part of him agreed with Jacob. But most of him hated Jacob more, for being so dense, "And you think she manipulated you, and only you?" Enoch asked, anger lingering in his tone. 

"Listen to me, Portman, you're not so special," He glared at him, "She manipulated all of us! Heaven's sake! And if she 'somewhat' helped us escape, then that means she's with us!" 

"You're in love with her, you don't see her the way we do!" Jacob argued, "She's tricked us more than I could even count it. We don't even know if she is who she says she is!" 

Enoch was frustrated, "She won't lie that far. If your plan fails, and she saves us, I'm making sure to put your heart up in a jar." He left Jacob and went outside the compartments to breathe some fresh air. 

Even the breeze reminded him of Clara. He remembered when she tricked him into seeing her fall into the cliff. It wasn't the best experience with her, but his heart ached more, missing her lips, her touch-- everything about her. It was an agonizing feeling; to miss someone you love so much. It felt like there was a growing hole inside of him and it continues to grow as time ticks by. 

Enoch wondered, how could he even love someone so much in such short time? Almost a month ago, he didn't knew his emotions well. He didn't even know he was capable of love. A part of him blamed himself, for being unable to stop Clara nor change her mind. He knew she was up to something, but his suspicion faded as his emotions grew for her.

Enoch went back inside and shoved his hands inside the pockets, and felt a crumpled paper inside. He took it out and read it. It was the letter Clara left him before everything started to fall down.

Enoch,

I'm leaving today.
You may finally know some things now,
I hope you forgive me. Please keep your 
promise to me, I'm with you.

Yours, Clara