Hello everybody out there who's still reading this story! I want to thank you all for your continued support! Especially, ChicagoPDFire, plengpoonyapa and Pearlislove but of course also to all the others and of course all the guest reviewers.
As Enoch stepped out of Miss P's office it was as if he had stepped right into hell. He had never experienced such chaos before. Without Miss Peregrine there to coordinate their actions everyone was running around heedlessly. There was a big chest standing right in front of the door to the basement. If he concentrated just on the door he could hear their prisoners slamming their fists against the door from inside. The others probably had chosen to use the chest to prevent them from kicking in the door. He walked over to the door and slammed against it as well.
"Be quiet!" He shouted. "If you behave you'll be out of here in no time, I promise. We just wait for Miss Peregrine's-" For a moment he considered what to call Miss Avocet. Actually she was Miss P's ymbryne sister but considering that the bird had once been Miss Avocet's charge and the way she often talked about her mentor indicated that Miss Peregrine considered Miss Avocet more a mother than a sister. In the end Enoch still settled on sister. That was at least the official term. "-sister. She will know what to do and she will deal with you."
One of the two kicked the door especially forceful. "Ey! Behave, otherwise there will be consequences."
He quickly marched into the parlor where Miss P was still sleeping in Emma's arms. Enoch closed the door quietly and nodded towards their ymbryne to inquire how she was doing.
"She has not yet woken up" Emma answered. "Has Miss Avocet arrived already?"
Enoch shook his head with worry in his eyes. Time was running out. Like sand it was slipping through their fingers and they had no way of slowing it down. One and a half hours before the bomb would blow their home into pieces together with all of their belongings.
"What is taking her so long?" Emma whispered angrily trying to keep her voice down as not to wake the bird. "She promised to come, didn't she?"
"She did. Maybe she was delayed by something or someone?" Enoch suggested vaguely. He could understand Emma's desperation all too well. After all he could feel panic gnawing at the pit of his stomach. Both of them looked at Miss Peregrine and tried to assess the odds that she would recover quick enough to reset the loop herself. But those chances were slim. Too slim to rely on.
"We still don't know what happened to Miss Peregrine" Emma said quietly looking out of the window at the sky with hopeful eyes. But she was immediately disappointed when no bird could be seen. "Maybe the same happened to Miss Avocet and she is hurt, lying somewhere in a ditch and needs our help as well?"
Enoch gulped. "We mustn't think like that. She will come! She is fine" He knew that his words could not sooth the fear that Emma felt.
"What are we going to do with the police officer and the pub owner?" Emma asked. "If Miss Avocet doesn't arrive in time, we'll have to take them with us out of the house. We have to find a way to prevent them from contacting the mainland. Otherwise we will be shipped off to the mainland and we will end up at some orphanage, most likely we will be separated. Can you imagine what they will do to the twins? They are not only peculiar but also dangerous if provoked."
Enoch buried his head in his hands. "And Hugh and Millard. They will try to find out what their secret is. Claire will be so frightened."
"We will all be frightened." Emma said.
Suddenly they heard a noise. It was a loud screech. Miss Peregrine was up!
She flapped her good wing furiously and continued to screech. "Shh" Emma said trying to calm her down. Enoch kneeled down next to Emma and grabbed the bird around her body. He pulled her close.
"Ssh, it's okay. We are sorry. We know that you would never let that happen. We know that" Enoch whispered and then placed a kiss on her head.