The only good memory Jake had from his childhood was his grandpa and the bedtime stories he used to tell him all the time. His favorite was always the same: Mrs. Calloway's home.
A children's home on the outskirts of Jake's town, eleven children in total, each child more peculiar than the last.
They say the house has been abandoned after World War 2 with no more traces of the children, though abnormal objects have been found in the ruins. Items from the 1940s, even though it was 2026, among other unexplainable happenings.
Jake replayed that story in his mind as he watched an old man and a young girl go about their day.
He was currently sitting in a coffe shop, absentmindedly drinking a cup of milk tea. Completely zoned out, he didn't notice anything around him, not even a young, beautiful girl rushing past.
Her shoulder collided with his, and Jake swore he felt a spark.
He hissed, but nonetheless stood up to apologize. But he was met with silence.
Looking up at the red-haired female, he saw her shocked face. She didn't speak, but she touched his arm one more time.
Again, a spark. This time it was as clear as day.
The girl's eyes almost popped out of her sockets as she quickly reached out to grab his hand. "Come with me."
She started dragging Jake with her, not even letting him speak. He tried to protest, but all his efforts were in vain.
They didn't stop until they reached a cave. Jake's eyes widened. "Hey, stop! What are you-" He tried to shout, but didn't get time to finish when she suddenly dragged him further in.
A cold fog surrounded them, and Jake felt a shiver run down his spine. The pull of the girl was so strong that Jake stumbled and scraped his arm rather harshly against some rocks. He hissed as he felt a stinging pain in his arm, but he didn't have time to think about it. All his focus was on the girl.
It was more of a tunnel rather than a cave, and upon exiting, Jake noticed his surroundings.
He was standing in front of the children's house. The one from his grandfather's story. But something was off.
The home had been destroyed in a bombing attack during World War 2, leaving behind nothing but destroyed bricks, broken glass, and shattered memories.
But he stood there, looking at the untouched building that towered over him.
How?
How was this possible?
Finally, the girl let go of him. Facing him, she huffed and bowed slightly as a way of apologizing. "My apologies for dragging you like that."
Jake was dumbfounded for a few moments. Finally, still in shock by what was happening, he let out a small "it's fine", not being able to muster anything else out.
Probably noticing Jake's confusion, the girl spoke. "Have you heard of the story of Mrs. Calloway's home?"
The boy's eyes widened. He slowly nodded, listening intensely.
"Well, the children in that home were... peculiar. Each had a power of their own. you probably know that the home was attacked during the war, and all the children presumably died..." She sucked in a breath. "They didn't."
Jake just blinked, still in disbelief, so the girl kept speaking. "Like I said, the children are peculiar. We made a time loop that replays this exact day over and over again, hidden away from the rest of the world."
After a few moments Jake finally found his voice. "So, you're saying...?"
"We never died, Jake."
Suddenly, Jake backed away. He muttered. "How do you know my name...?"
The girl smiled, reached her hand out, and spoke. "Come. I'll explain along the way."
Jake hesitantly grabbed her hand and started walking after her,
"I'm Hazel, by the way."
-
"So you're saying that you have powers, you made a time loop, you live here replaying this day again and again, and my grandpa was part of this?!" Jake practically shouted, repeating what Hazel told him five times already.
Hazel just nodded. Jake stammered. "But... You said only peculiars can enter the loop. I'm not..." He chuckled, awkwardly. "I'm not peculiar, I don't have any powers..."
"You control electricity." A voice spoke next to the two of them, making Hazel yelp.
"Oh my! Zeke! Can you stop teleporting everywhere?!" She clutched her chest. The said boy just gave her a sheepish smile before disappearing again, leaving only a few dust particles in the air.
"Sorry... That was just Zeke. He's a bit of a troublemaker..." Hazel rubbed the back of her neck.
If Jake hadn't already been stunned into silence, now he for sure was.
Hazel did all the talking for him. She told him all about the home and the children in it.
Apparently, Jake was the eleventh one, the one presumed missing. His grandfather also had that power, being able to control electricity. He could've stayed there, in the loop, never being able to age. But he didn't.
But now Jake could. And it was his choice whether to stay or not.
"You have to stay here Jake. You belong with us."
Jake's eyes widened and he immediately tried to defend himself. "What?! I cannot! What about my friends and family?"
The female gave him a look. "The friends that insult you as a joke and the family that don't notice if you're missing from your house?" Jake went quiet. "We know it all, Jake..."
Silence. A warm hand grabbed his. "Come on, let me show you around."
-
Since Jake was still processing all of this newfound information, Hazel tried her best to make him feel welcomed. They walked through their garden, surrounded by large green trees and pastel flowers. There were multiple kids playing around, some playing soccer, some tag, some just lying on the ground.
"It might seem like we're weird and unwelcoming, but trust me, we're all really ni- OW!" In the middle of her sentence, Hazel tripped over something seemingly invisible. And, indeed, that was it.
"Hey! Watch it!" A small girl formed on the spot where Hazel tripped, a scowl on her face.
Hazel scurried to apologize and quickly grabbed Jake's hand, dragging him further into the garden. She muttered to him. "That's Ivy... She can turn invisible. She might seem cute but, trust me, don't get on her bad side."
They then passed by a pair of boys. Twins, Jake assumed, since they looked identical. "That's Will and Liam, they're twins."
Jake watched as 'William' played tag, swapping places with each other and other random objects that were close by in the blink of an eye. He was stunned.
There wasn't a single thing that didn't amaze him in that place.
A cry was heard as they turned a corner. Jake looked over to see a small boy, a small girl and another girl, approximately as old as Hazel, crouched in the corner next to a few flower beds.
Hazel spoke. "Did Hugh and June fight again?" The other girl nodded and moved closer to the smaller girl; June, Jake supposed.
He watched in astonishment as a bruise, by the looks of it a burn, disappeared with a mere touch of the older girl. She turned to the two youngest. "Don't fight again, okay?"
The younger boy tried to argue, but before Jake could hear more, Hazel was already on the move.
"That was Hugh, June and Olive." She let out a deep sigh. "Hugh can control fire, Olive can heal any wound and June has strong hair."
Jake's brows furrowed. "Strong hair...?"
Hazel smiled. "Yes... Strong hair. Do you know those ancient Japanese legends where the creature captures humans with her hair? That's practically June."
Jake laughed when suddenly, a black silhouette ran in front of them, causing Jake to tense up and halt. What surprised him was that the silhouette seemed to be kicking a ball as it ran by.
Hazel just groaned. "Finn! Control your shadow!"
Another boy passed by them. "Sorry! I can't seem to control it today!" He ran after the silhouette.
"That's Finn, his shadow acts like a person. He can mostly control it, but sometimes..." She triled off with a sigh.
Jake let out a laugh. "That seems so cool."
The female followed with a chuckle. "Not when you're trying to sleep at night, see something move and think you're going crazy."
Jake laughed harder at that. "Any other resident of this astral circle I should know about?"
Hazel doubled over in laughter. "Astral circle is one way to put it... Well, theres Fiona, she's probably trying to push a boulder down a mountain again. She has super strenght. Oh, and Liora! She has 'pocket stretch', she can fit anything she wants in one pocket."
"That's... useful." Jake grinned while glancing at the female.
"It is, until you pull out a rat or something similar." The air buzzed with light laughter as the duo arrived at a beautiful fountain. It was surrounded by flower beds and large bushes, making it look like a scene from a fairytale.
Hazel smiled widely and tugged on his sleeve. "Come on!"
Jake hesitantly stepped into the fountain, sitting on the edge while his feet dangled in the cool water. Hazel followed shortly.
"Take them off." He vaguely gestured towards the the shoes Hazel was wearing.
Thick black boots, each with a zipper, three buckles and extra chains. Pretty edgy, especially for the 1940s.
Hazel smiled. "I can't, my peculiarity is being super light." With a laugh she lightly tugged on one of the chains. "They're lead. I'll float away without them."
Jake also gave a genuine smile. "You're like a helium balloon."
"Yeah, only balloons pop when poked with a needle, I don't."
Another laugh. "How do you know? Did you try it?"
"Fiona did, multiple times. It wasn't a very pleasant massage to be honest."
They laughed harder, almost toppling over into the fountain.
Once the laughter died down, Hazel looked at him seriously. "Have you thought about staying here? You are one of us..." She gestured vaguely behind them. "The boys would love an older brother."
Jake sighed and looked up at the sky. He saw a crow fly above them.
Mrs. Calloway.
He knew that was her. He remembered that detail from his grandpa. The caretaker of the children in the home could turn into a bird, a crow, specifically.
He let out a sigh. "I don't know..."
The silence was comfortable for a long while, until Hazel broke it. "Please... It's not like you have a perfect life to go back to anyways." She grasped his hand. "You're one of us. We need you..."
Jake looked back at her and after a few moments, the corners of his lips tugged upwards into a small smile. "It's a tough call... I'll have to think some more. But for now, it's a yes."
Hazel grinned widely and jumped up, tugging the startled boy with her. "Really?! Great! Come on then! I have to introduce you to everyone properly!"
Again, Jake let himself be pulled back towards the garden.
At one point, he felt another, smaller hand, grab his. "We have to get that cut on your arm to Olive."
The two of them jumped at the sight of Zeke next to them.
"Zeke! You have to stop scaring everyone!" Hazel let out an overdramatic sigh.
Zeke gave her a boxy smile in response. "Why? That's what I do! What else can I use my power for?! Other than getting to the bathroom quicker."
Jake groaned, but smiled nonetheless. "I did not need to know that..." They all shared a laugh.
It was safe to say that his life changed for the better after that day...