A Peculiar Time in 1944 - A Millard Fanfic (Miss Peregrine's Home) #wattys2020

Chapter 18

oOo oOo oOo Five Years Later oOo oOo oOo

In the years that followed things only grew more tense between Millard and Victor. Knowing his strength gave him the advantage Victor always seemed in the mood to pick a fight, Millard however, refused to give in to Victor's goading and always took the higher ground. When things started getting so tense Millard started to lose his grip on his self control he decided it would be more prudent to simply avoid Victor altogether.

Even Aurora was growing tired of it, Victor was acting childish and although he'd still give her a small smile as he passed her in the halls she had come to stop returning them. She'd only turn her head and look the other way. Luckily when Millard and Victor were apart life in the loop was fine, and when Bronwyn was around Victor tried to be more well behaved. But even with Bronwyn in the room it didn't always stop Victor's remarks.

One night at dinner they were all having a lovely evening until the telephone rang with Abe's daily call. Miss Peregrine had left the room to answer it and the moment she left Enoch made a comment which included calling Aurora and Millard 'that lovely couple.' To which Victor muttered - just loud enough to be heard across the table - how he 'couldn't understand how anyone could stand not even seeing the person they were dating.' Which struck Aurora's last nerve.

"All right that's it!" she cried slapping her silverware on the table, standing up and making her way to the bureau and digging through its drawers.

"Aurora, what are you doing?" Emma asked with a look of concern on her face as she turned as best as she could while being belted to her chair.

"I am so sick and tired of you thinking that looks mean everything!" she yelled at Victor as she pulled a pair of scissors from the drawer.

"Aurora, I don't think – " Olive began but paused halfway through her sentence as Aurora swung her long hair over her shoulder, grabbed the ends and cut a good few inches off. There was gasping from some of the peculiars, while others dropped their utensils causing a symphony of clattering. Victor's jaw was open in complete and utter shock as Aurora passed him the handful of hair she had just chopped off. He barely had the motor skills required to grab the strands but he did, still staring at her wide-eyed and mouth agape.

"Am I any different now?" she asked as she pulled more hair over her shoulder and kept cutting. Hugh was the first one to come to his senses enough to be able to speak.

"Well, you're much more impulsive than we all originally thought....you...were..." his words drifted off as he and the others watched in amazement as Aurora kept cutting her hair off. When she was finished her hair was choppy and a mess and its new length rested about an inch or so below her collar bone. Still considered long, though not nearly as long as it had been before. She smiled seeming pleased with herself, her point now made as she put the scissors away and proudly strode from the room.

Later, Aurora was in her bedroom looking in the mirror, her fingers running through her hair when Emma walked in.

"I can't believe you did that." She said in awe. Aurora smiled again and turned to the blonde.

"I actually like this length, just one thing. . . " she turned to her nightstand and grabbed another pair of scissors holding them up for Emma, "Could you even out the ends for me?"

Emma smiled, "Of course." She replied pulling over a chair, "Sit."

oOo oOo oOo

The next morning Aurora ran into Millard in the upstairs hall. He seemed a bit out of sorts to her but before she could say anything he ran a hand through her shorter hair. Aurora blushed as she suddenly became self-conscious.