Miss Peregrine had been acting oddly since the arrival of the wounded avocet. There hadn't been an instance in which she had been seen without the wounded bird in her arms for more than a few hours, and the children of the household, perhaps less observant than the older ones, had been more than a little confused at her sudden concern for an injured bird. However, Jake knew that the bird wrapped in the woman's arms was more than a bird - and that the bird was, in actual fact, a woman, particularly a peculiar, known as an Ymbryne (of the same species as their very own Miss Peregrine). Jake and an array of the older children - Emma, Enoch and Olive - often spotted her feeding the bird, muttering soothing words to it in an effort to assist the bird.

" - hurry, Miss Peregrine, Miss Avocet's awake!"

The Ymbryne, who had been partway through explaining the queries that had been bothering Jake since his arrival into the peculiar household, shot up from her seat and sprinted into the other room. Jake followed quickly, Olive just behind him, and when he came into the doorway, he spotted the woman who must have been the avocet, sitting upright on the loveseat, talking swiftly and animatedly to the wide eyed children.

In an instant, Miss Peregrine was sitting beside Miss Avocet. Miss Avocet wasn't tall, but she was broad-shouldered and plump, with a motherly, careworn face and salt and pepper hair. Jake felt as if he could trust her from the moment that he spotted her frantic movements and dark, imploring eyes.

Jake listened intently to what the woman said. Her children had been murdered, all the peculiars deceased and devoured, and it was through pure luck that she herself managed to escape the chaos; the Wights and hollows had invaded her loop and the nearby Blackpool tower, where they intended to continue experimentation to turn them all immortal for good, thanks to their recent feast and collection, and full inventory of Ymbryne peculiars. Meanwhile, hollows were nearby, and Jake was certain that dread was bubbling in his stomach, the ever growing threat of death growing with every moment he remained there; but there was also a spike of fear, of courage, because his friends, his newfound friends and allies, were to be slaughtered if they were found.

That was something that Jake could not stand, not after losing his grandfather.

"What of Rebecca Hawk and her children?" implored Miss Peregrine urgently, when the younger children had been shepherded from the room. Enoch, Emma and Olive, who had been lingering in the doorway waiting for Jake, froze.

"I do not know, Miss Peregrine," replied Miss Avocet quietly, remorsefully. "I fear they have been targeted next. But Miss Peregrine, they are powerful, more so than any other group of peculiars than I have found elsewhere, and I know from information passed to me that they are more than capable of holding their own against the likes of hollows."

"But you don't know?" Enoch demanded, arms folded, brow furrowed. "You don't know if - ?"

"No, my dear boy," agreed Miss Avocet. "Only due time will tell."

Jake frowned when Enoch cursed and stormed from the room, shortly followed by a pale-faced Olive, who looked like she was about to start shaking. He turned to ask the two Ymbrynes about their harsh reaction, only to find Miss Peregrine looking as if she was about to begin crying. Her face was pale and drawn, more so than usual, and his chest felt tight and his skin flushed and a sense of awkwardness gathered across his brain.

" - children, you're to pack up everything you own," said Miss Peregrine, eerily calm, when she came to the doorway. "You must only take what is of importance, and afterwards it's sandwiches and off to bed. We leave first thing in the morning tomorrow."

There was not another word shared. Jake felt the overwhelming need to leave.