I take my earbuds out of my jacket with my phone. I put them in my ears and want to turn the music up, but my phone stays black. I throw it at the wall in frustration. Why isn't this the 21 century? Why has this place to be so old? I let the earbuds fall on the ground. It has no use to have them here. They don't have this kind of technology in this year.

Well, if I can't hear music to calm me down, I suppose I can make it myself. Singing always helps me forget. I take a deep breath and start of the song that comes first up in my mind.

{Birdy-Shelter/ if you want to listen while reading.}

My voice shakes after the first chorus, but I don't mind. I keep singing the lines that I know so well, but never had meaning before. I close my eyes while the song keeps filling the room with clear tones. Only when I'm finished I open them and let the sudden silence take care of me.

I sit down on my bed and pick up my phone and earbuds. I shove them into my jacket, save from a hysterical attack. I walk into the bathroom checking if my face is okay. Expect from the corners of my mouth that point at the ground, there's nothing wrong. I put on a fake smile and go back to the room. They won't need me for breakfast. They saved themselves more than fifty years without me at breakfast so one more day won't hurt.

My thoughts go to Damon. I can't stop them and I don't want to. I project him in the room. I let him sit on Bronwyn's bed. I stay on mine. I know I can't hug him or lean on him to cry, he's just one of my illusions.

"How are you, Damon?" The illusion smiles sadly at me, his eyes the same bright green as our mothers. They go over my features.

"Long time no see, sis. I thought you would never call me up again. And to answer the question: I'm still death so I could be better." It's just my imagination. He's not saying anything, only his mouth mimics the words. That's a lack in my power. I can't manipulate sounds, I can never hear Damon's sweet voice again. I just hear a replica of it in my head.

"Well, I just fucked up, but I'm actually pretty good here in my new home. Most other children are very nice to me." Most. "Is someone bothering you, Alex?" He remarked the 'most' too. Probably because he's my imagination. "Oh yeah, Emma clearly doesn't like me and I have already pissed of Enoch after one day. So you could say I didn't make a very good first impression."

I force a smile at my older brother sitting at the other side of the room. He smiles bright back. "That are only two people, there are so much more friends to make." He stands up from Bronwyns bed and strokes a piece of hair after my ear. The thing is that my hair doesn't move and his fingers don't stroke my ear. His hand goes through my head, because he's a projection of my imagination.

"Horace and I have a click. You would probably like him, he's just as good-dressed as you." My friendly elbow goes through his not existing side.

"He sounds amazing. I hope we can see each other one day."

"I hope it too."

With the sound of footsteps on the stairs I let him disappear. He flies away in a coloured fog, through the open window. Miss Peregrine enters the room on the moment the last piece of Damon fades away.

"Hello, dear, we missed you at breakfast." I bite my lip nervously. "I... I'm sorry..." I can't bring out a whole sentence under the eye of the headmistress. Her eyes looking at me like I'm prey.

"Don't be. One little mistakes doesn't matter." She smiles sweetly at me. "But don't let it ever happen again. This is 1940, not 2017. The children will never live in your time so don't give them hope." I nod. I'm glad she doesn't make a problem out of it. Next time it will be, but for now I haven't lost anything.

"Good, dear, I think it's time to find out what you can do with your peculiarity. Other than changing my ceiling in a night sky, of course."

I follow her to the magnificent garden. She takes me to a place that's out of sight from the other children, but she can't provide Olive from joining. The little girl grabs my hand from behind. Her eyes clinging on my face.

"I missed you at breakfast." She hops next to me. Her tiara almost slipping of her head. "Yeah, probably." I say sarcastically.

"Really, Horace missed you too. And Bronwyn. Millard and Claire looked disappointed too." I tweak her hand for the sweet words. She is one of the nicest kids around here. Miss Peregrine stops when were on a flat piece of grass surrounded by bushes and trees.

"Olive, you can go now. Miss Archer has to be trained in private." I thought I was just going to show what I can. But some training won't be that bad, will it?

"But miss P, I reeeeeally want to see the show."

"It's not a show." I throw between the two, even if they just ignore me completely.

"Dear, this house is no freak show."

"One time, pleeeeeease."

"No."

Olive starts spilling her tears to get what she wants, what works. She backs of to the bushes to find a comfortable place to stand- since she can't sit down without a belt. Miss Peregrine faces back to me with a serious expression.

"A flat illusion is the easiest. It may be spectacular, but it's easy." She begins. "The real struggles come with the dimension and the lighting. Today we will focus on the dimension, because that's more important." She steps around me with steady moves.

"Give me the first thing you can think of." The first thing is the radio that stands in my room in the present, but I should probably take something else. I concentrate and let a pile of books show up. They came out of nowhere and I didn't even close my eyes yet. Olive claps enthusiastically from where she stands. Miss Peregrine on the other hand doesn't seem impressed.

"More books." She just says. I have to add books to the pile until they reach as high as the house.

"Splendid, now you can let them fall. Next phase, movement, very tricky."

I take a deep breath before the pile begins to tilt dangerously. The books on top flatter down first in a storm of paper and ink. The pile tilts in a bow, over Miss Peregrines head. The books then eventually decide to all fall down from top to bottom.

"Stop!"

I stop the books suddenly, like they froze in the air.

"Come here, Miss Archer." I walk in her direction with unsteady steps. "Do you see that? One of your books is out of proportion." I have to come closer to see what she means and yes, between all the falling books there's one. Only one that is thick on one side and tin on the other. I fix it while I blink. Miss Peregrine must have sharp eyes to see such a little detail.

"And for you children." She turns to the bushes where Olive took place. She got company. All the peculiars, except Emma, stand beside and behind her or sit in front of her feet. They probably saw the pile of books tower above the trees. "Give the lady some privacy."

Olive pouts and this time it's Claire that uses the cry technique. "Darlings, when did we stop listening to Miss Peregrine?" They don't give a kick.

"You know, I don't mind." I shrug my shoulders a little bit. I don't like the eyes that follow all my moves, but it's also encouraging to have a public. The children look hopeful at Miss Peregrine and she has to give in because of my comment.

I back of to the place where I can see the whole pile. My nerves are coming up, but I supress them. With an automatic wave of my hand the books continue falling around Miss Peregrine's feet. She doesn't stop me before they all lay on the ground, some with open pages other with their old covers to the sky.

"Very good, miss Archer. Very good, for a first time. If I can say one thing, it was on the slow side." I nod and wait for further instructions. "Reverse the whole process as fast as you can." I want to protest, but... the peer pressure! I sight a little too dramatically in my ears and start the show. While the falling lasted for at least twenty seconds, the reversing only takes a second. It takes all of my willpower to give the books a free way to the top without waking them fly through each other. The peculiars burst out in clapping.

"Good work, Miss Archer. Clean them up and then you're ready for today."

We gather around the front door of the house, everyone, except me, knows what's going to happen. Well, after one day you can't expect me to know everything that happens around here. The kids look excited, what's a good sign, I suppose. We're standing in a half circle in front of the door. To my surprise Horace is the one that stands in the middle with Miss Peregrine.

He pats some imaginary dust of his suit before he starts talking. "Dear Peculiars, you all know why we brought you here today." No, I don't. He takes a few steps while he stretches the pause unnecessarily long.

"Why we're standing here all together…" I want to yell that he has to get to the point, but some wisdom or shyness keeps me from opening my mouth. He glares in my direction and I just know he does this on purpose. "in our last moments of unity." I raise my eyebrow.

"From now on until later this noon we will act as opponents, as enemies, as-"

"Just get on with it!" Emma interrupts him annoyed. Horace keeps up his dramatic act and pretends he didn't hear her. "As rivals! Only one team can win!"

Olive squeezes my hand from next to me. Her fingers wrapping around mine. "I hope we're a team," she whispers enthusiastically. I grin back at the jumping child.

"I would love to be on your team." I ruffle her hair even though she tries to push my hand away.

"Ladies and gentleman, I think it's time to announce the teams I put together." The peculiars yell enthusiastically.

Horace begins with Hugh and Fiona who were obviously going to be a team. The love birds look each other deep in the eyes. The next team is Millard and Claire. There are disappointed sights all around me and Olive tells Millard to not take off his clothes again, that would be cheating. Everyone surely wants him on their team. I can see why.

"Our following team is Bronwyn and Olive." Olive squeezes my hand again and begins whining about Horace's choice to put her with Bronwyn and not me. Her voice hurts my ears and I don't understand how Horace can take it.

"No, no Olive, I've made the teams and you have to deal with it." They exchange violent gazes before Horace continues.

"Alexis and Enoch are partners for today and Emma is teaming up with me." Now it's my turn to give Horace a violent look. Enoch, of all the other peculiars he could choose, he chose Enoch. He just returns a vicious grin.

Olive loosens her grip on my hand and heads to Bronwyn who on the other hand seems to like her team. I turn to search my 'partner' but I don't have to look far. He's standing right behind me with a mischievous smile plastered on his face. That he's standing there and the smile both give me a minor heart attack.

I don't take the time to think about what I'm saying when I blurt out: "Stop that, you're creeping me out." His smile only widens and I regret my outburst.

"Really? I'm scarier than a basement full of hearts and puppets that are brought back to live?" I role my eyes as respond.

"You know, I already wondered when I would get my doll back after tonight." He holds up the clay figure as a little trophy. I automatically pet on my pockets to be sure and yes, the doll is gone. He just took it out of my pocket without me even noticing. I shoot him a death glare before Horace begins to explain the plan.

"We're going to the village peculiars. We're going to steal as much as we can and Miss Peregrine," he makes a hand gesture in her direction, "will judge our founding on utility, preciousness and beauty. Steal what you can but remember…" The dramatic pauses that Horace naturally makes are killing me. "Every team for itself." The children shout in enjoyment while we start parting into our teams and heading to the village.

"Can your doll stealing fingers also smuggle anything else?"

"I've done this plenty of times before. I have a plan, trust me."

"Yeah right." I mutter sarcastically.