I've decided to step away from the actual story for a little bit and take a look back in the past. Enjoy! All credit to rightful owner!
"Good morning," I said sitting down next to the headmistress on the couch. "Did you sleep alright?" The headmistress looked at me and smiled.
"Yes, what about you?" Miss. Peregrine asked. "Did you have any nightmares?" I shook my head as I grabbed the book I was reading from the stand beside the couch. I leaned back and opened it up. "Breakfast?" Miss. Peregrine touched my arm lightly. I looked at her and nodded with a smile.
"Why do you think people suffer?" I asked closing the book after a few minutes. I put it back down on the table again.
"That's a broad question, Miss. Fern." Miss. Peregrine said getting up from the couch. I followed her as she briskly walked out of the parlor.
"Honestly, I can't understand why."
"There are a lot of things unknown, Miss. Fern. Sometimes it's better left that way."
"But what if we could change it?" I asked. "What if that's why we were put on this Earth? To change it for the better?"
"You are a bright girl, Miss. Fern. I'm quite sure you know by now, a lot of things do not make sense. Some of those things are not fair. But some things are extremely fair. I hope one day, you'll understand the difference. As for now, you're changing my world drastically, and I love every second of it."
"Miss. Peregrine, don't you think there's something better out there for you?"
"Like what, dear?" Miss. Peregrine asked. I could tell she was annoyed. "Miss. Fern, I am an Ymbryne because I want to be, not because I have to be. I would never choose anything different." She looked at me.
"You'd never give up on me?" I asked. "Even if you found something better?"
"Is that what this is about?" Miss. Peregrine walked over to me, and bent down. "Mary, you mean more to me than you could ever imagine. You are the reason I wake up every morning. Don't ever doubt my love for you." I sighed satisfied with her answer as she leaned in and kissed my forehead.
Olive always knew how to pull on my heartstrings. The girl had already been through too much and she was only a few years younger than me. I felt bad for her everytime I would hear her cry out at night. I knew Miss. Peregrine was taking care of her, but it still didn't make me feel good when I would hear her scream out. It never made sense to me how someone so sweet could have such a horrible past. She was so innocent and sweet. Yes, she had accidently burnt her bed once and almost set fire to her room. And yes, she had burnt Miss. Peregrine and I at least twice already, but we knew she was learning. Poor thing had thought the headmistress was going to kick her out when she had burned her. Though, Miss. Peregrine eased her fears easily by laughing at the fact that she got burnt. She had promised the girl she would be there for life. Olive seemed content with that.
"Do you know what time it is?" Miss. Peregrine asked sitting on the couch beside me.
"That's an odd question coming from an ymbryne." I said smartly. She glared at me.
"Everyone else is in bed. Rules still apply to you." She said as she stood up. "To bed!" She pointed toward the stairs.
"Please let me stay up a little longer. I'm a lot older than them." I whined. "I turn 18 next month."
"Emma is only three years younger than you. Go to bed." She said pointing up stairs again. I stood up defeated. I wasn't going to win this fight.
"I'm not five, you old bird." I muttered walking past her. I walked toward the steps.
"No, you're not, but I'm still your guardian and I still demand your respect." I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned around to face her.
"Did you hear me?" I asked.
"I hear everything, Miss. Fern. Remember? I'm just an old bird." She said smirking. "Go before I come up with a clever punishment for your disrespect." I ran up the stairs and into my bedroom, closing my door behind me.
"Emma, I swear, I've thought of every possible scenario," I said as I brought her back down to the ground. I could hear Emma sigh in frustration.
"That just can't be right, Mary."
"Then why did he send you that picture?" I said as she landed on the ground. She bent down to buckle her shoes. She knew I was right. Abe had found someone else to share his life with. "He's living his life. Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Yes, but-"
"Emma, you're here, he's there. He's happy, right?"
"He could've told me."
"He's telling you now." I said as Emma hung up her rope around the tree. "Emma, I'm sorry. I do wish-"
"Don't." Emma said holding up her hand to me. I sighed as we began walking to the house. We walked up to the front door and opened it. "You best wash up before supper." She said looking down at the dirty dress I was wearing.
"What time is it?" I asked as Emma looked at her watch on her wrist.
"Almost 5." I sighed as I walked up the stairs.
"Emma," I said stopping and turning around to look at her. "Everything will work itself out." Emma only nodded as I finished walking up the stairs.
"Miss. Peregrine will know what to do!" I heard Fiona say.
"The bird is busy with that hollowgast." Millard said. I could see him pacing the parlor, even though my head was down. "She should almost be done, but then it'll be time for her to make supper. We have to think this through ourselves."
"Millard," I said through gritted teeth. "It's in our best interest to just tell the bird everything that happened." I said. We had just come back from one of our 'Raid the Village' game and Olive had set fire to the pub. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but this time, someone was killed.
"You know that's never a good idea, Mary." Olive said. I could hear the panic in her voice. "Miss. Peregrine hates when the police come knocking on the door, and if we tell her someone died on the account of one of our stupid games that we aren't even allowed to play..." Olive shivered. "We can't tell her." She said. "She'll be so angry."
"She'll be angry if we don't tell her." I said. "She's bound to find out anyway." We could hear footsteps walking into the parlor. First Emma came in and then Enoch.
"What happened?" Enoch asked.
"Mary misjudged the timing." Olive said folding her arms.
"No I didn't!" I argued standing up. "You could totally see that someone was IN the pub before you-" Olive shoved a hand over my mouth.
"How bad is it this time?" Enoch asked. No one answered him.
"What happened?" Emma asked. Millard looked at me hoping I'd be the one to spill our secret. "Someone say something, or I'll go fetch Miss. Peregrine."
"Nothing TOO bad." Millard said hoping that make him be quiet. I groaned as I leaned my weight on my other leg. I crossed my arms as Olive took her hand off my mouth.
"Enoch, it's really bad." I said looking down at the ground.
"Mary did it!" Olive said.
"You're the one who set the bloody pub on fire!" I shot back at her. "If you would just learn how to control your fire, maybe we wouldn't be in this situiation."
"Maybe if you weren't so bloody ignorant we wouldn't be." She shot back. The parlor doors opened and Miss. Peregrine walked in. "Now you've done it." Olive whispered to me shoving me in shoulder with her own.
"What is going on?" She asked walking up to us. Her eyes were wide with concern. She looked at each of us individually until one of us broke. I felt my breath drop down to my feet as she turned to look at me. "Miss. Fern?" She said narrowing her eyes at me. "Do you have something to say?"
"No." I said shortly. She looked to Olive.
"Mary did it." She grumbled.
"Would you stop blaming me?" I said hitting her in the arm. Miss. Peregrine's stare shot back to me. She was glaring now.
"One of you has better speak up or there will be no dinner for any of you tonight."
"It was Olive and Mary." Millard said. I could see his arm raise up toward Olive and I. "Olive set the pub on fire and-" I hit in him in the arm.
"Someone died in the fire, Miss. Peregrine." I spoke up. Miss. Peregrine at me.
"Olive set it." I mumbled.
"Why was she setting a fire anyway?"
"It was Millard's idea!" Olive said. Miss. Peregrine crossed her arms.
"You are all grounded." She said.
"I had nothing to do with this, Miss. Peregrine." Emma said.
"Who was there?"
"Olive, Millard, and Mary." She stared at the three of us.
"I am extremely disappointed in all of you." She said. "To your rooms. I don't want to see any of you out of your rooms unless you are directed to be."
"Can we at least eat supper?" Millard asked. Miss. Peregrine glared at him. And that would be a no. I sighed as we walked past her and up the stairs.
"Miss. Peregrine!" Olive cried. "Miss. Peregrine!" This was a more desperate cry,
"Olive!" Emma cried running into her bedroom. "Mary!" She must've seen me on the ground and rushed over. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," I mumbled as I put my hands on the ground to try to lift myself up. I instantly regretted that decision and decided it would be best to stay on the ground. "Please leave." I said to Emma and Olive. I groaned as I felt my stomach do another flip. I clutched my stomach hoping that would calm it down.
"Mary, what's wrong?" Emma asked as I gasped at the sudden pain I got in my head. I could feel the tears falling. "Mary!" Emma had launched herself toward me, giving me a hug.
"Olive," I managed to cry. "Can you please get the bird?"
"There's no need." Olive said as I felt Emma's embrace release.
"Thank you girls." A voice said. It was Miss. Peregrine. I felt her take my hand. "Mary, take three deep breaths." She said gently rubbing my back slowly. I could feel myself struggle to take the three breaths. My chest throbbed as I felt myself clutch it in pain and cried out. Miss. Peregrine made soothing sounds as she rocked slowly. "Match your breathing with mine, Mary." She said pulling me into her lap. I placed my head on her chest and listened to her steady heartbeat. I felt my arms reach around her neck as she pulled me in closer to her. "Just let me know when you are okay. I won't leave you until I know you are."
...
Jacob Portman walked into the dinning room with Emma. Miss. Peregrine was standing at her seat and turned to look at the pair. Jake went to sit down beside Emma as she buckled herself into her seat.
"Hey!" A voice yelped. "Excuse me!"
"Millard," Miss Peregrine scolded, "Go and put some clothes on. Polite persons do not take their supper in the nude."
"Alright, alright." Millard said. We heard the chair being moved and watched the dinning room doors open. I held in a laugh as Jake began to sit down again.
"You can sit here, Jake!" Olive offered showing him an empty seat beside her. Jake ignored it and continued to sit in the seat by Emma.
"Look at Enoch." Horace said with a smirk. "He's jealous."
"Why would I be jealous? Olive can go marry Jake for all I care." Enoch said.
"Don't be mean Enoch she doesn't want to, she's just excited to have a visitor." Fiona said trying to get the boys to stop arguing as usual.
"No one is marrying anybody." Miss. Peregrine said sitting down in her seat. "Now eat up your food before it gets cold."
"Hugh!" I cried as a swarm of bees filled the air.
"Where's your net?" Emma asked swatting at bees. Hugh sighed as he grabbed his hat from underneath the table and sucked back his bees.
"Are there spaceships in your time, Jake?" Olive asked leaning forward. Her eyes grew bigger from excitement.
"It must be weird for you, Jake to be eating supper with your grandfather's friends." Fiona said.
"How long are you staying, Jake?"
"Uhm..." Jake looked at Miss. Peregrine as the room filled with chatter. "Tonight or?"
"Forever! You should stay forever!" Claire sang, her eyes lighting up. I smiled at her.
"Claire why aren't you eating?" Miss. Peregrine asked when she saw her plate of untouched food.
"She's embarrassed in front of Jake." I said to the headmistress.
"Don't be! Please!" Jake said encouraging her to eat. Miss. Peregrine and I smiled at her. The headmistress gave her a wink. Claire smiled as she picked up on of the goose legs on her plate and moved her curls with her other hand. She put the leg behind her head and let her back mouth eat it. Miss. Peregrine leaned over to wipe her mouth with a napkin.
"So Jake what's your peculiarity?" Horace asked as Miss. Peregrine leaned back in her seat.
"Oh." Jake stood up straighter as if he was uncomfortable. "Um, I'm, I'm not peculiar." I gave a questioning look to the headmistress and Emma who both just smiled.
"Then how is he here?" I asked Emma in a low whisper. She just shrugged.
"And that my friends is why he will not be staying with us, no matter how hard we try to persuade him." Enoch said placing his hands on the table. Everyone began talking at once, demanding Jake should still stay. "Why would he if he doesn't have to?" Enoch continued, "He can live out there. Grow older, have a good time instead. He'll leave, just like his grandfather did."
Emma looked up, defeated. She slammed her silverware down and unbuckled herself from the chair. I grabbed her arm but she shook me off as she walked out.
"Emma!" Miss. Peregrine called after her.
"Excuse me." Millard said as Emma rushed past him. "Where is she going?" He asked as he sat down beside me now, in the empty seat Emma had left.
"That wasn't nice Enoch." Miss Peregrine scolded. "You know perfectly well why Abe left us."
"To join the army." Hugh said pointing to us.
"And then he met a lady and had a nice wedding cake and a lovely little baby." Bronwyn said with a bright smile.
"Children." Miss Peregrine said obviously trying to keep herself together. "I know you'd all like a new friend, but I'm sure Jake has plenty of his own back in Florida."
Just then the phone rang. We all smiled at each other, knowing exactly who it was. Abe. "I think, you should all get ready for movie time while I answer that." Miss Peregrine said standing and heading for the door.
"But you always let us stay for it." Claire whined, causing the headmistress to turn and look at her sharply before continuing out of the room. When she left we all got out of their seats and went to put our pajamas on.
"Abe!" Claire exclaimed as Miss. Peregrine walked into the dinning room with the phone.
"How are you, Abe?" Horace asked.
"I'm alright! It's very muddy out here." Abe said. "How is it down there? Is Emma there?"
"I'm here, Abe!" Emma called. "We're doing well. Nothing too exciting has happened."
"Abe, when will you visit?" Claire asked. I smiled at her concern.
"I hope to very soon little Claire." Abe said. I could sense him smiling. "Is Mary still there?"
"Of course." I said with a smile. Leaving my home was never a thought that occurred to me. As much as I hated the time loop sometimes, I never wanted to leave.
"Alright guys, I've got to go." Abe said sadly. We all begged him not to as Miss. Peregrine put the phone to her ear. We heard her say goodbye while she left the room.
"Okay, it's time for a movie!" She said coming back in. "Go get ready!"