We were making our way quietly toward the house when we saw Hugh and Fiona approaching. As they neared, they caught sight of us as well. Knowing there was no chance of avoiding an awkward conversation, we stepped out from the trees. "What are you two doing out here? Have you seen Emma?" Hugh asked, concern on his face, though I was sure it wasn't for Millard and me.

"Yes, she and Jacob were by the lighthouse, last we saw. And we were just talking. How about you? Has something happened?" Millard replied, pushing aside the topic of our meeting.

"One of Miss Peregrine's friends flew in about an hour ago with the devil in her eyes screaming bloody murder. Before we could gain any information, she passed right out. Something terrible has happened, I can feel it. You two best be heading off to the house now and see what's going on. We'll be back around soon." Millard and I nodded before he took my hand and we ran off towards the house.

When we arrived, the children - all stirred from their slumber - we bustling about around the door to the sitting room. I took one look at Claire and Olive, both terrified of what might have happened, and made my way over, sitting between them and letting each burrow into my sides. Before long, Jacob, Emma, Hugh, and Fiona returned.

We began discussing what might have happened, though due to our lack of knowledge of nearly everything to do with these people, Jake and I remained silent. There were various theories: they forgot to set their loop, some children escaped and aged too far forward, and one rather unsettling idea from Enoch that hollows had managed to devour each and every one of them

"Shut up!" Hugh cried to him, noticing the horrified looks on the girls' faces, and sent him running off down the hall by a swarm of bees.

"What on earth is- was that Mr. Apiston? Where are our four deserters?" Emma cringed and I glared at Hugh.

"You told her?" Emma whispered angrily.

Hugh shrugged. "I had no choice." He then looked to Millard. "When she found out you two were gone, she nearly had a heart attack, thinking you two had been abducted. I had no choice, I'm sorry." With little more to be said, the four of us 'deserters' headed into the room, Millard resting a hand on my shoulder as we went to calm my growing nerves.

The fire in the hearth was the only source of light in the room, but it was enough to illuminate the three figures already inside. Bronwyn was there - I had been a bit worried when I hadn't seen her outside - standing next to a frail looking woman wrapped in a blanket sitting in a chair, her face looking as pale as snow. Miss Peregrine was next to her, balancing her weight on a fragile looking footstool, feeding the woman some soup.

"By God," Millard began, recognizing the woman.

"It's Miss Avocet!" Emma concluded, then the pieces fell into place. I'd seen this woman a couple times now, once when Miss Peregrine showed Jake and I some pictures from her past, and a second occurrence when Millard had taken her photo album to show it to me. She had looked so strong, though, and now she looked like she'd break into a million pieces with one touch.

Miss Peregrine gave the older woman something to drink from a flask, and for a moment, she looked like she was alright. Unfortunately, she quickly returned to her former sullen state. Miss Peregrine then turned to Bronwyn and ordered her to fetch some wine and brandy, and to also prepare the fainting couch. The girl promptly left to do so.

At last, the Headmistress turned to the four of us, still standing by the door. "Miss Bloom, Mr. Nullings, I must say, I'm incredibly disappointed in your actions. Of all the nights to sneak off, you two choose this one." Millard, always a little suck up, took a tentative step forward.

"In our defense, how were we to know anything would happen? Even I didn't see this coming, nor did Horace, I suppose. He would tell me if something like this was to happen." Miss Peregrine disregarded Millard's completely logical explanation and instead began patting down Miss Avocet's messy white hair.

"I ought to punish the both of you, but it hardly seems fit, considering the circumstances. Miss Avocet would never leave her wards unattended unless something terrible had happened." I frowned, confused and concerned. What could have happened? If Miss Avocet was anything like Miss Peregrine, surely she would never leave her charges' sides. I thought back to what Millard had told me only about an hour ago - could it really have been wights? Then, another thought dawned on me.

"Miss Peregrine, when were you going to tell us?"

At my question, the Headmistress grew confused, though, after a glance between Millard and Emma, she seemed to understand what I meant. "Soon, Miss Sanders. I knew that if I had told you two right away, it might have scared the both of you off for good. I just couldn't take the risk."

"So, what? You didn't want to lose us, so you seduced us with all that fun, and food, and - and girls while you kept all the bad stuff to yourselves?" Jacob seemed to have reached his limit. Emma clearly looked offended, though.

"Seduced?" she cried, bitterness and sarcasm obvious in her voice. "Well, it's nice to know you think so highly of me, Jacob. You certainly know how to make a girl feel special." She then turned to me, pointing an accusing finger at my chest. "And what about you? Is that how you think of Millard here?"

I backed away from the hostile girl, afraid her peculiarity would send my sweatshirt to flames. I looked up at Millard, his eyes widening in shock at the idea, though I could have sworn I saw hurt as well. "Of course not, that's crazy! Do you even hear yourself?" My answer sounded more defensive than anything - it was as if I was lying, even though I wasn't. I looked once more at Millard, but he'd turned away.

"I'm afraid you've been mistaken, Mr. Portman," Miss Peregrine finally spoke again. "You may see it as seduction, but this is, truly, how we live. We have not intended to deceive you, but merely retain some more dangerous information, is all."

"Well, here's some information for you," Jacob started and I could tell already that he wasn't about to make things any better. "My grandfather was killed by one of those creatures. It would have been a hell of a lot more helpful to my mental state if I had known that sooner."

Miss Peregrine was silent, unsure of what to say, searching through the flames in the fireplace with her eyes, looking for a response. "I am sorry to hear that," she said at last, but Jacob didn't seem to be quite as finished as I had thought.

"I've seen one of those monsters with my own eyes. Everyone made me feel like I was going crazy. But I wasn't, was I? Neither was my grandpa. He'd only ever told me the truth, but I never believed him. Maybe if I had, he'd still be alive." Jacob was shaking when he finally finished talking. Miss Peregrine shared a look with Millard and me, letting us know it would be best if we left the three alone - well, four, including Miss Avocet. Miss Peregrine offered Jacob a seat, then turned to us once more before we shut the door.

"Feel free to come back in when Miss Bruntley returns," she said, then turned back to the rest of her company.

When Millard and I stepped back into the hall we were bombarded with questions, though we only had an answer for one: the ymbryne inside was Miss Avocet. It was less than helpful to the children, though, so they quickly returned to their prior topic. Not ten minutes later, Bronwyn had returned with the supplies Miss Peregrine had ordered her to fetch. As the Headmistress had requested, Millard and I re-entered the drawing room behind the strong girl.

As soon as she had the brandy and wine, Miss Peregrine sent Bronwyn away and began mixing the two alcohols together in a teacup. Then she headed back over to her old friend and patted her cheek gently.

"Esmerelda, Esmerelda, please, wake up and drink this tonic," she said, her voice calm and inviting, awakening the old ymbryne from her slumber with a moan. Miss Avocet took a meager sip from the teacup, then another and another until it was all gone, coughing between each sip. She looked about ready to settle back down into the chair, but then she suddenly lurched forward with a surprised look on her face, causing me to jump a little at the sudden burst of newfound energy.

"Oh, dear, I've fallen asleep. How immodest of me," she said, her voice croaking with every word. Her surprised eyes looked over each of us as if we hadn't been standing there for the past several minutes, then finally, something must have registered in her brain. "Alma Peregrine, is that you?" she asked, her eyes squinting at her fellow ymbryne. Perhaps she needed glasses.

"Yes, Esmerelda, you've come quite a distance, and in the middle of the night, no less. You've given us all a great frighten," Miss Peregrine responded, a worried tone in her voice as she gripped Miss Avocet's hands tightly in her own.

Miss Avocet's eyes narrowed as if she was trying to remember her flight to our loop. "Dear, me, have I? I must apologi..." she trailed off as her expression darkened, appearing as though she'd come face to face with her worst nightmare. "Of course, I've come with a warning for you, Alma, to be on your guard. I can't let you make my mistake."

"What mistake?" Miss Peregrine asked, growing even more worried. Miss Avocet looked deeply troubled at that point, but she continued explaining the tragedy of her experience regardless.

"Wights," was all she said at first before she took a deep breath and began to elaborate. "Two of them came to our loop as council members. There are no male members, of course, but my wards were just tired enough to forget that fact. It was hardly a minute and yet the wights tied them up and took them away." Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered the event, and I couldn't help but feel immensely sorry for what she'd been through. Miss Peregrine was about to say something, but Miss Avocet continued her story.

"Miss Bunting and I were awoken by their cries, thank goodness, or we would never have found out what had happened. It was merely a trap, though, as we were barricaded inside the house. As soon as we'd unbarred the doors we began following the wights' stench out of the loop. Then the hollows attacked. The children were only the bait. It was terrible, Alma, just terrible."

Miss Peregrine was more worried than ever, and I could have sworn I'd seen tears in her eyes. "Oh, Miss Bunting! Where is she?" At the mention of her partner, Miss Avocet let out a loud sob.

"I managed to escape. She was not quite as fortunate." Even though I'd never met Miss Bunting, the pain in Miss Avocet's voice - even Miss Peregrine's - was enough to get me teary-eyed at the news of her capture. I didn't want to hear anymore, but leaving would be immensely rude, so instead I buried my head into Millard's side. He almost immediately wrapped one arm around me and began stroking my hair with his free hand in a calming way. I could only imagine how he'd feel about this news, though - he'd known these two probably seventy years more than I had.

"Was she killed?" Miss Peregrine asked of Miss Bunting's fate. Miss Avocet - thank god - shook her head.

"No, she was abducted, just as Miss Wren and Miss Treecreeper were a fortnight ago from their perspective loops. Alma, they're aiming to capture ymbrynes. I can't stand to imagine just what they're doing such a terrible thing for," Miss Avocet said, shuddering.

Miss Peregrine's expression suddenly changed from a worried one to a grave one. "They'll be coming for us, too, then." Miss Avocet nodded, then spoke once more.

"You're fortunate to have such a secluded loop entrance, Alma, but still, you and your wards must be ready." At this, Miss Avocet shifted her gaze to the four of us, who hadn't said anything at all since before she'd woken up. She looked confused at the sight of Jacob and me but was probably too exhausted to make the effort of asking who we were. I didn't blame her - there were much more pressing matters at hand. Instead, she looked at her trembling hands in her lap, her eyes sad and dull. "Please, Alma, pray for my children. They have no one now." With that, she finally broke down in tears and turned away, willing none of us to see her cry.

As soon as Miss Peregrine tucked a blanket around her old friend, she ushered us all out of the room, leaving Miss Avocet to mourn in privacy. It didn't take long for us to find the children - mere seconds really, as they were still waiting by the door, anxious for news from Miss Avocet. They must have been eavesdropping, but even through the thick door, they must have heard enough. Olive and Claire both had tears in their eyes.

"Poor Miss Avocet," said Claire in a small, trembling voice.

"Poor Miss Avocet's children," Olive added, huddling into Bronwyn's side, who'd taken my place comforting the girls on the floor.

Horace stepped forward next, asking if the wights would come for us next. This sent the boys - Millard included - into a frenzy of coming up with various weapons they'd need in case of an attack. Miss Peregrine, however, was quick to settle them all down.

"Please, stop all this talk of weapons! We must all stay calm. What happened to Miss Avocet and her wards was immensely tragic, but we need not have the same tragedy repeated here. We must be watchful, though. From this point on, only with permission and a partner will you be allowed beyond the yard. If you happen to come across someone unknown to you, regardless of how peculiar they appear to be, you must come inform me at once. I shall expand on this tomorrow morning. For now, though, I believe we could all do with some sleep. To bed with all of you!"

With some grumbling, the children made their ways to their beds. Millard seemed reluctant to leave me behind, but I shooed him away - I could see the dark circles beginning to appear under his eyes. At last, Miss Peregrine addressed Jacob and me.

"As for you two, I believe it would be best for the both of you to stay. It wouldn't be safe to venture out of the loop - not at this hour with such a threat over our heads. Until things calm down, I feel it would be the best decision." Jake's eyes widened.

"But we can't just... just disappear. People would notice! There have already been animal attacks - people may think we've been added to the body count. And besides, all our stuff-" Miss Peregrine cut him off.

"What do you mean, 'animal attacks'?" she inquired, her tone growing slightly alarmed.

Jacob turned a rosy shade of pink, realizing he probably just gave her another reason why they two of us should stay in the loop. "A couple days ago some sheep were murdered, right inside their pen," he explained, and Miss Peregrine seemed to become immediately more agitated.

"Well, it would be safe at least to stay for the night, then," she said, and it startled me how nervous she sounded. She clearly suspected something was up on our side of the loop. I was about to agree when Jacob spoke again.

"On one condition - " he waited for Miss Peregrine to nod, willing him to go on. "You tell me everything you know about these monsters that murdered my grandfather." Startling me once again, Miss Peregrine seemed more amused than anything at the proposition.

"All right then, Mr. Portman," she then turned to me. "Miss Sanders?"

I shrugged under her gaze, as nervous as I always was when she looked at me. "I was going to stay, anyway. Actually, I'm surprised Jacob objected in the first place." I swear, if the situation at hand hadn't been so grave, she would have chuckled.

"Very well. Mr. Portman, we shall discuss the topic in the morning if that is alright with you. You really should get some sl-" it was Jake's turn to cut off her sentence.

"No. I want to know now. Please. I've waited years for the truth behind everything, and I'm not going to shy away from it now." Miss Peregrine shook her head, the same amused smile on her face.

"Sometimes, my dear boy, you are a mere sliver away from crossing the border between agreeably stubborn and stupidly obstinate." Nonetheless, she turned to leave the hallway, Jacob following after her. Before she turned the corner, Miss Peregrine turned to face me once more. "Will you be joining us, Miss Sanders?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, no, I'm alright. Jake's right - he's been waiting for ages for this. I'm fine with learning all this in the morning." Miss Peregrine nodded, then gave me directions to a spare room next to Emma's, as there were no extra beds in any of the other girl's bedrooms.

When I woke up the next morning - later than everyone else - they were all surprised to see me make my way into the dining room for breakfast. I, on the other hand, was surprised to not see Jacob among them - I thought he said that after Miss Peregrine told him everything, he would stay the night. She informed me, however, that after she had told him what he wanted to know, he wanted time to think on our side of the loop.

The only empty seat was next to Millard, and even though he was the only one I really wanted to talk to aside from Jacob, I shied away from his attempts at starting a conversation. Was I alright? Yes. How was I feeling? Fine. Why wouldn't I eat more than a slice of toast with jam and a slice of bacon? I'd lost my appetite. After all the excitement of the previous night, nobody remembered that we were going to hang up Millard's newly painted portrait in the front foyer of the house.

Miss Peregrine went over the new security rules she'd thought up during the night, though I hardly paid attention. I left soon after we'd finished breakfast, eager in the most apathetic way to hear about what Jacob had learned from Miss Peregrine. She ordered Millard and Emma to guide me back to the loop, ensuring that nobody would be alone at any time. Emma wasn't as hostile towards me as she'd been before, so I assumed Jacob had clarified the night before that he and I were just friends. In other circumstances, I feel she and I might have even been good friends, which I felt everyone needed at that point, though it was hardly the time for making new friends.

Jacob was asleep when I arrived back at the Priest Hole, but from what I'd heard from Miss Peregrine, he'd had a rough night, so I let him sleep. In the meantime, I grabbed some Advil from my bag - which I'd brought, just in case - and got him a glass of water for when he woke up, then got to reading one of the two books I'd brought with me - Fahrenheit 451 and Catcher in the Rye. I liked reading banned books, because they typically held more meaning than those which weren't. I mean, they were censored from the public for a reason. I just hated the idea of their wasted potential of teaching kids about the real world.

I doubted I would even get around to reading the books at all, but seeing as Miss Peregrine was strict about being careful on both sides of the loop - with good reason, of course - I really had nothing better to do while I waited for Jacob to wake up. That time came in the mid-afternoon, and I had just finished reading the second part of Fahrenheit 451 when Jacob came into my room. He stretched one arm, careful not to spill the glass of water he carried in his other hand. I set my book down.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," I teased, "sleep well?"

"Well enough," Jake grumbled, then sat down on the edge of my bed. "I'm surprised I got any sleep at all." I nodded then looked at the page number I'd just finished, memorizing it for when I picked it up next.

"Are you feeling well enough to tell me what Miss Peregrine told you?" Jake thought for a second, which was understandable, given the gravity of the subject - only a lunatic would want to talk about the thing that killed his grandpa. Thank god for us, though, as neither of us were entirely sane.

Jacob nodded, then slowly began to tell me the information he'd been given. It turned out that Miss Peregrine had a second photo album with darker contents than the one Millard had shown me. Inside, the second photo album held terrifying pictures of men with pure white eyes - the wights Millard had told me about. The very thing Abe Portman had warned me about my elderly 'friend', Carl, back in Circle Village. The very monster Emma had accused Jake and me of being upon our first entry to the loop.

I didn't gain too much new information in terms of how hollowgast became wights - eating the souls of peculiars - Millard had informed me fairly well on that. I did learn, however, how and why they came into existence in the first place - the attempts of the peculiar men who wanted to achieve complete immortality backfired. Then, Jacob dropped the biggest news of all.

"Miss Peregrine thinks there's a hollow, or maybe a wight, already on this island." This came as a shock, but it made sense - it would explain the sheep killings. Jake also told me how, a couple nights ago, he went down for a late snack from the bar and a large man came in and ordered an incredibly raw piece of steak. He was right; all signs pointed to a wight. All we needed was to see the eyes of the large man.