It seemed like hours before anything really extrodinary happened. Miss Avocet and I did nothing but sip tea and talk about the war between peculiars and Wights. We jabbered on throughout the rest of the night until, eventually, we both ended up drifting off into sleep. I was so comfortable in the chair that sleep overtook me heavily. I was curled in a ball, a blanket thrown over me. I smelled of lavender soap and wet hair. The house fell completely silent for hours.

I was awaken in the morning by the sound of Miss Avocet. I sat up and stretched, the blanket that was on me tumbling to the floor. Miss Avocet sat on the settee, feeding Miss Peregrine drops of water with the eyedropper. The falcon looked much healthier than she had in previous hours. She did not look her absolute best, but she did look better.

"Ah, Miss Stonington!" said Miss Avocet. "You've awoken just in time to prepare breakfast for the rest of the wards."

I was puzzled. I thought that is what she came for. I would be her ward soon, so I decided to obey her. I rolled up my sleeves and headed for the kitchen. Once there, I found Jacob, Emma and Bronwyn all seated at the table. The other children must have been in bed still.

"I'm going to prepare breakfast," I told them.

"We wanted to know if we could help," said Bronwyn.

I smiled. "Absolutely!"

I put Emma to work mixing flapjack mixes. Jacob was making scrambled eggs. And Bronwyn was the one who was flipping the flapjacks. She laughed loudly as she flipped one too hard and it hit the ceiling before it flopped back down into her pan. We had found a phonograph in the other room and had it playing some old cheery music I had never heard. I danced around the kitchen to it, wearing Miss Peregrine's apron as I did. We weren't even done making breakfast when the record stopped.

"There's more in the library!" said Emma. I took it as a cue to go fetch some more.

I found a huge case of records and I began shuffling them excitedly. Miss Peregrine had quite the collection from old musicals, to recent (well, 1930's) film sound tracks. My heart stopped when I found the record from the Wizard of Oz.

Returning to the kitchen, I placed the record on the phonograph, placed the needle, and we listened as we cooked. The children new the lyrics to all of the songs, surprisingly. I took it that it was one of their favorites to listen too. When the song "Merry Ol' Land of Oz" came on I found myself whirling around the kitchen with the children. Bronwyn began flipping flapjacks to the beat as she sang. Emma tapped a wooden spoon on the counter and Jacob started to dance as he whisked the eggs. Soon the four of us were caught up in the music and we began to stray away from our duties. We all became dazed in dancing and were whirling around the kitchen as if it were a Broadway stage. The next thing I knew, all of the other children rushed into the kitchen to join our dance. Claire and Olive were holding hands and were spinning around in circles. Millard, Enoch and Hugh were standing, arm-in-arm and were singing. Fiona and Horace were attempting to Irish tap dance.

Once the song was over and we all stopped to catch our breath, Claire fell on the floor and giggled. "I'm whipped now," she stated.

I caught my breath then clapped my hands together, like I was trying to reverse a curse. "All right, children! Back to work!" I sang. I was to be a ymbryne, so why not begin to practice now? "You young ones go up and freshen before breakfast," I ordered.

"But Minnette-," began Olive.

"Now!" I ordered.

When the meal was served and we were all readying to sit, I took it upon myself to take Miss Peregrine's seat at the head of the table. To my surprise, not one child questioned me. They all just ate and talked among themselves. Feeling much like Miss Peregrine herself as I sat in her spot, overlooking her children, I felt as if I could pull out a pipe and light it. However, it was rude to smoke at the table, and especially not in front of the children. I ate my breakfast in silence.

"Miss Stonington?" asked Claire, as if I was her headmistress.

"Yes?" I asked.

"When can we have Miss Peregrine back?" she asked.

Then all of the children began to beg me for news of the headmistress. They grew quite loud and I couldn't quiet them enough to speak. I began to loose my patience. So, as hard as I could, I smacked a fist onto the table surface and yelled: "QUIET!"

The room then fell silent and the children seemed a little intimidated.

"Now," I began. I wiped my mouth gingerly with my lapkin. "Miss Peregrine has been through quite the ordeal in the past few hours. Miss Avocet is watching over her. I can assure you that she will be perfectly fine and everything will be back to normal soon enough," I said calmly.

"What do we do about the Wights?" asked Millard.

Good point. I focused on Jacob. "Mr. Portman, I assume that you would be willing to make patrols around the perimeter, just as before?" I asked.

Jacob nodded. "Of course."

"We musn't loose ourselves, children. Miss Avocet is here to offer her assistance until Miss Peregrine is well enough to resume her duties. Until then, I will have to take Miss Peregrine's place as your ymbryne," the word practically choked me. "That means that what I say, goes."

"What about the loop?" asked Horace. "It will slip without Miss Peregrine and we'll all be blown to smithereens." At that the youngest children looked at me worriedly.

"I can assure you that Miss Avocet and I will handle it." I paused and pushed a piece of hair from my face. They all remained silent. "Any more questions?"

My answer was the shaking of heads.

"Good! Now, since Miss Peregrine is unable to teach, lessons are canceled until further notice. You may venture outside, but not past the yard. And I beg you, please do not bother Miss Avocet. In fact, I better not catch any of you going into the drawing room. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Miss Stonington," they all said in unison.

"Excellent! You may go off and play."

Their chairs all made loud noises as they all dispersed from the room. Only me, Jacob and Emma were left. I placed my hands on my temples and leaned my elbows on the table. Emma and Jacob just sat looking at me. "What?" I asked.

Emma shook her head. "Oh, nothing. You just sound a lot like the bird is all," she replied.

I sighed. "This is not going to be easy," I remarked. "Would you two please keep a eye on the rest of them? I have to help Miss Avocet."

They nodded.

"I'll let you know if I feel the Wights around," Jacob said assuringly.

"Thank you."

"Want some help cleaning up?" asked Emma.

"No thank you. You two have already done enough. Go enjoy your day!"

I spent the next two and a half hours cleaning up the kitchen and dinning room. I scrubbed plates and pans until my hands were so soggy that they hurt. I swept both rooms, dusted and scrubbed the counter, the stove and even the sink. By the time that was done, I had around three hours until I had to serve the children lunch. It wouldn't be that difficult- these children ate just about anything.

I then made my way into the drawing room, where Miss Avocet was knitting. She had Miss Peregrine snuggled in her lap.

"How is she?" I asked.

Miss Avocet looked up. "She gets closer to normality ever moment. How are the wards?"

I wiped my hands on Miss Peregrine's apron, which I was still wearing. "Unruly," I replied. "However, with a little guidance, they are actually quite well-behaved. Miss Peregrine has done a phenomenal job with them."

Miss Avocet began to stroke Miss Peregrine's back. "You hear that, Alma? You have a ward that mothers-over your children just as intently as you do," she told the falcon.

"Miss Stonington has the makings of a great ymbryne, Esmeralda," said Miss Peregrine.

Miss Avocet froze. She narrowed her eyes at me for a second, then looked at Miss Peregrine, then looked back to me. "Ymbryne?" she asked. She scoffed. "No. You couldn't possibly be-,"

Miss Peregrine fluffed her feathers. "It is true, Esmeralda. Young Miss Stonington is a fledgling."

Miss Avocet looked as if she had just eaten a ghost pepper. Her jaw fell agape and she began to fan herself. She had to know sometime, and I rather that Miss Peregrine tell her than myself. Miss Avocet just stared. Then she straightened her posture and put her nose on the air. "Tell me, child, what species of bird are you?"

"A corvus corax," I replied.

She gasped. "A raven? Why, how unique! No wonder Alma finds you so special! Has she been teaching you?"

I nodded. "Yes. She taught me how to assume my alternate form," I said proudly.

"My, my, my," she remarked. "Can you speak the ymbryne language?"

I pursed my lips and began to coo. "Absolutely. I learned from Miss Peregrine, as well."

Miss Avocet then clapped her hands ecstatically. "Oh, wonderful! Alma, why on earth did you keep her hidden from me?"

Miss Peregrine squawked. "In truth, Esmeralda, I became much too attached to Miss Stonington. It is not fair to my other wards, and, I apologize." She folded a wing over her face shamefully.

"Nonsense, Alma! Do you think that I was not fond of you? Why, you were my best behaved student."

"I do not have time to dawdle with inappropriate behavior," she snapped. She was beginning to sound like her old self again.

Miss Avocet began to stroke her again. "You'd be quite the addition to my new group of students next semester," she bragged.

I smiled. "Do you really think so?"

"I do. In fact, I do not receive my next group until an utter six months from now. You will have plenty of time to spend here with your Miss Peregrine."

Six months was a long time, and I hoped that it would be even longer in the loop. Miss Peregrine had taught me so much about ymbrynes in a manner of just a week and a half, I could just imagine where I'd be six months from now. I knew that I had the mannerisms, the ability to act authorative and, of course, the bird form. I knew that I was lacking time-manipulation skills, and lord knows what else.

"Miss Raven," said Miss Peregrine from Miss Avocet's lap. "Come here."

Miss Raven! My new name!

I knelt down in front of Miss Avocet's lap. Miss Peregrine presumed to stand up and flap her wings a few times. Her wound looked healthy and clean. I held out two fingers and she perched on them.

"Have you got the children under control?" she asked.

"Yes, Headmistress. They have eaten and I've sent the out to play- not past the terrace, of course, and Mr. Portman is continuing his patrols for Wights and Hollows," I informed her.

"Excellent. Now, do keep on them strong until I am back to human form."

"But, Alma, would you like me to assist her?" asked Miss Avocet.

"Of all you've ever done for me, Esmeralda, I couldn't ask you to bother with my wards. Besides, I believe that they will thrive well under Miss Raven's wing temporarily."