A/N: Hi, I can't believe I can finish this chapter so soon, but I want to give all of you this before preparing for my coming exam, so here it is!

As always, thank you for every review. They mean so much to me. Thank every guest as well. It's so kind of you to leave some sweet comments that urge me to be able to write faster.

For terralove, yeah, I love Miss P and Enoch's relationship so much and I can't tell you what's gonna happen next, so just wait till you see it.

For Soup4222, thank you so much for commenting every chapter. I'm glad you like this story.

For 1920alice, yeah I'm going to make more of it. I've plotted the whole story already and it might be like about ten chapters long. Thank you very much for your question.

Thank you for other readers who have an account, too. I love all of your comment.

Ummm...again, after finishing this, please tell me something-what you feel, which scene you like, or even what you want to see. I've plotted everything already but if I can adjust my plot a bit for your idea, I'm definitely willing to do so.

Now! I'll just let you enjoy this chapter. It's a bit shorter than the previous one, but a lot of things are going on in here. Enjoy!

Chapter VI

Alma thought it can't be worse, but it can, and it is now. While her cut is burning, she is forced to watch three of her children preparing their supper, using her kitchen equipment and stove. Enoch worries about her wound, yes, but he should have thought about a heart attack instead since every time Emma chops the carrot, Alma's heart skips, and every time Olive heats something, Alma's heart beats so fast. Yes, she knows what Olive's peculiarity is and how old her children are, but she can't just sit there quietly and let them cook. She just can't.

Emma is very upset when she knows how her headmistress got herself cut. She doesn't understand why Miss Peregrine had to be so angry with Olive. Can't she see that they are not children anymore? That they can look after themselves and can help her? The floating girl hates herself every time she wears the sullen look upon her face but in her opinion, Miss Peregrine needs to know this. She needs to know that she is not alone, that it's fine to relax, and that they are willing to help her no matter what.

Olive stirs cream soup in the pot slowly without saying a word. She feels so uncomfortable like someone is strangling her right now. Never before has she been in any rooms as silent as this one. All she can hear are the chopping, the boiling, and the cranking sound. No one talks.

Enoch isn't in a bad mood like Emma. In fact, it's quite obvious that the boy is in such a very good temper that he could whistle but he chooses not to for he still wants to have his head on his shoulders. He knows his ymbryne is boiling inside and she can explode anytime soon, so he better keep his mouth shut and keep low profile as much as possible. Anyway, the boy often glances at Miss Peregrine's cut. It's still bleeding and that's not a good sign. But judging from her stern face, Enoch doesn't think he can ask for more. So the boy just lets this go for now, hoping he can talk her into getting her hand stitched after dinner.

Dinner is served beautifully as always, although today it was cooked by the new three chefs. Miss Peregrine has tasted everything, making sure that all dishes are edible before giving her three oldest wards a nod.

'It's quite good, I must say.'

Olive smiles and Enoch grins. But Emma's lips protrude in a sulky pout and she dashes to the dinning room door, shouting,

'Children! Dinner is ready!'

Then, she stomps back to her chair and manages to sit there, not even giving her headmistress a look.

Yes, Alma knows her girl is angry with her but she has no idea why? Why Emma has to be upset after Olive told her what had happen? For all Alma can recall, the girl even gave her an assuring smile when she left the conservatory and why this grim face now? If and only if her cut were not throbbing like this, she would ask her girl straightforwardly and end this intolerable atmosphere at once. But now, Alma just feels a bit lightheaded, so she decided this may not be the right time to deal with her girl's temper.

The rest of the house gradually step into the dinning room, sitting on their chair. Little Claire, Bronwyn, and Fiona are the last ones. The youngest is on the tough girl's back, her hand holding Miss Maggie. When Bronwyn and Fiona are about to help Claire sit on her chair next to Miss P's, the little girl quickly climbs down and climbs up on Miss Peregrine's lap, wrapping her arms around Miss Peregrine's neck.

It's her own maternal instinct that drives Alma to catch her little girl, making sure Little Claire will not fall down and hit herself. She completely forgot what had happened to her right hand and when she grabs her little girl, Miss Peregrine cries out.

'Ouch!'

Little Claire jumps. She looks at her headmistress's face and sees a grimace on it. The little girl quickly turns to see what happen to her Miss P before anyone can stop her.

It's even redder than hers, that bandage on Miss Peregrine's hand, and it's so damp. At first, Claire doesn't realize what she's looking at, but when she does, tears begins welling up in her eyes. She doesn't even look back at her Miss P for she fears to her heart that she's going to hurt her ymbryne again. The girl climbs down and runs out of the room, ignoring Miss P calling her.

'Claire!'

Alma stands up at once, wanting to follow her little princess, but a sudden dizziness attacks her and the whole dinning room just spins like it's a carousel. Emma is the nearest and she grabs Miss P's arms just in time. Enoch rushes to his headmistress and helps her sit on her chair.

'Claire, follow her.' Miss Peregrine says and some of the children including Olive do as she asks right away.

Alma is about to stand up again but Emma sends her ymbryne a dangerous look that, usually, is Miss P's signature not hers.

'Not now, please,' the floating girl hisses. 'Sit!'

For a second, Alma thought she is looking at her own reflection, the other her or something. Emma's eyes are so sharp that the Bird has to stop struggling to get up and sits on her chair like a good girl. A few minutes after, the room stops spinning and Alma feels a bit better and can see more clearly. That's when she notices that Enoch is sitting in front of her now, one of his hand holding her wounded hand and another, a needle, ready to stitch.

'No!' Miss Peregrine pulls her hand back. It hurts so bad but she doesn't give a sound for what is in the boy's hand is ten times scarier.

'Miss P, you have to. Otherwise, the bleeding will not stop.' Enoch tells her. He seems serious now, no smirk left on his stern face.

'There's something more urgent, I'm afraid, Enoch.'

Just that and she rises up and walks out instantly to find her little baby girl. It's not your fault, Claire. It's not your fault, my dear.

Everyone searched through the whole house for almost an hour before finding their Little Claire hiding in Bronwyn's closet. The twins found her and squawked to call Miss P since the little girl didn't wake up.

When Miss Peregrine comes, her face looks so pale like there's no blood left under her skin. She bends down and calling her girl a few times but Claire doesn't respond. The Bird's heart drops when she touches those little cheeks. They are burning. Her little girl is burning with a fever.

'Oh dear,' she mutters while carrying her girl up. 'Millard, a bowl of warm water and a flannel to my room now! Bronwyn, get Claire's sleeping dress. Horace, a bandage, please.'

Apparently, Miss Peregrine ignores the oldest charges. She doesn't have enough power to fight with them now. That's why she chooses to take shelter in her bedroom, the only place in the house she truly owns. Now, she doesn't care how painful her cut is for her priority is the little girl on her bed.

'Claire, can you hear me?'

The girl remains unresponsive and that frightens Alma. She needs to cool her girl down and thank every birds that finally, Millard has brought her some water and flannels.

Miss Peregrine thanks the invisible boy before sending him out. Bronwyn and Horace have been treated the same way. All of the children gather in front of their ymbryne's room, waiting for something to happen or, actually, for someone to tell them what to do. Enoch and Emma really want to get into the room but it's Miss Peregrine's and although leaving two injured persons alone in the same room like this seems to be the worst idea one can come up with, both of them are still standing outside, not daring to even knock the door.

'Children,' Olive speaks out when Enoch and Emma remain silent, 'I thought you should go back to finish your dinner first at least. Standing here doesn't help at all.'

They don't want to leave, of course, but as young as they appear to be, all of them are reasonable enough to see how important it is to do as Olive said. They slowly walk away, one after another until there are just Enoch and Emma there.

'You go first. Just in case, she needs help.' Enoch tells the floating girl.

'No, you first. I'm not hungry.'

Olive almost rolls her eyes. Sometimes, it's hard to believe that the headstrong could be found this easily like here, under this roof, there are three of them for sure, two standing here, and another in the room.

'It's okay. I'll go get something for you to eat here, alright?'

Both of them give her a nod.

'What are you doing here?'

It's Miss Peregrine. She is wearing her coat, obviously going out to reset the loop. Admittedly, it's quite shocking to have two or three children in front of your room, so it's really frightened to have ten of them there, waiting for their headmistress to come out. But Miss P tries to be as calm as possible before declaring to all of them slowly and clearly,

'Children, nothing is to be worried now. Our Claire's fever has already gone down. She just needs to rest a bit, that's all.'

Enoch's eyes move from his ymbryne's face to her wounded hand, but nothing can escape the Bird's eyes, so she raises her right hand up,

'I've changed my bandage already as well, Enoch. Nothing is to be worried now.'

She repeats her line and emphasizes every word to make sure her children can hear them all.

'Now, off you go. All of you, please.'

'But Miss P,' Millard calls out, 'what if you need help?'

'Of course, I'll call you without hesitation.' Every pair of eyes scrutinizes her. They don't believe my words?

'I did ask for your help, right? When I need one.' Still not believe?

'Fine. I promise, I'll call you if I need something. Is that better?' It should be for she has no time to waste. That bloody missile is about to drop down on their head in 5 minutes 2 seconds and she better be prepared.

Fortunately, the children nod and slowly move to their bedroom. All of them, except the most stubborn, of course.

'Are there any possible ways I can assure you three that right now everything is fine?' Miss Peregrine raises her eyebrow, eyeing three of her oldest charges.

'You're going to reset the loop. I will be there as well.' Enoch sounds so determined.

'I'll be here with Claire, but I need your permission first. It's your room after all.'

Miss Peregrine is a bit amazed that her floating girl asks her first. It's not because she thought Emma is rude but since now Alma feels like she is these three's prisoner, so being asked politely by her wardens are, to be honest, quite unexpected.

'Sure.' She answers.

'I'll watch over the rest, then.' Olive gives her headmistress a smile. Today is not Miss P's day at all, so the girl thought her ymbryne might need some support. Good luck, Miss.

Please, leave some reviews. I would like to know which scene you like, or what you think. Thank you in advance.