"Can you tell me a story?" a 6-year-old Riya asked.

"The usual?" Annie asked. 

Little Riya nodded. 

"Okay." Annie was happy to indulge her. She turned around and grabbed a chest. It was identical to the one in Jacob's room and the pictures were exact replicas. "Once upon a time there were a set of twins: Abe and Annie." 

"You and grandpa." 

Annie nodded. "Me and Grandpa. And they lived in a lovely children's home on an little island near Wales. The sun shone every day. It was a home for special children. Like Bronwyn... and Victor." She picked up a picture which had Bronwyn on Victor's left shoulder. "They were both as strong as ten men." He picked up the picture of a boy with bees covering half of his body. "And Hugh. Hugh had bees living inside him. Then, there was Abe's first love." 

"Emma! She could float," Riya commented.

"She was lighter than air. She had to wear special shoes made of lead to keep her from floating away." Annie made a wavy hand motion. She picked up Riya's favorite picture. 

"The Headmistress, Miss Peregrine... was very clever and she smoked a pipe."

"She turned into a bird!" Riya commented excitedly, unaware of the actual bird watching from her window. "Where is she now?"

"She's still on the Island, I believe," Annie replied.

"Why'd you go the Island?" Riya asked.

"Where we lived in Poland, it was not safe. There were monsters."

Riya hid deeper under her covers as though she were hiding. "What kind of monsters?"

"Huge ones. With long arms and no eyes. And tentacles." She laughed at the awe/fear on her grandchild's face. "But I'll protect you." Annie lifted young Riya to lay her down. She tucked her in. "And so will the headmistress." Kneeling beside her bed, Annie put her hands on Riya's check, bopping her nose. "Always remember, My Little Vision, you are so unique. You have abilities like no other. You can see things that aren't there. And you do things no would even consider. Never doubt yourself. And now, Mała Wizja, it is time to sleep."

*

They were in Abe's house. Jacob sat adjacent to Abe. Annie sat beside Abe. And Riya was under Annie's arm.

Jacob gave him the box of pictures. "My teacher says they are trick photos," he said somberly.

"And did you believe her?" Abe asked.

Jacob didn't answer. "Dad says you probably you found in junk stores some place when you were traveling."

The same bird from earlier was watching through the window. A tear flowed down her beak as she watched the children lose hope in magic. That was the doorway to believing in Peculiarity if you didn't see it in yourself.

"I would never lie to you, Tygrysco," Abe promised.

"But you did it. About the home... the monsters. Dad told us," Riya said.

The bird ruffled its feathers as a tear ran down Riya's face. She needed to believe more than anyone.

"Your father knows very well we went to live in the children's home," Annie declared.

"He said there anywhere monsters in Poland. Just not the kind with tentacles. He said you got sent away to Wales because there were bad people. People who wanted to kill anyone who was different."

"The Nazis," Riya summed up.

Abe sat straighter. "I do not want to talk about this anymore."

"He said children were special. But not the way you said," Riya whined. How could they lie.

The bird wanted to cry at the desperation on the poor child's face.

Abe moved over to hug Jacob and Riya was pulled onto Annie's lap. They hated that they couldn't tell the children the truth without putting them in danger.

*

It was a month and a half after their deaths and it was currently Riya's birthday.

No one was coming over. Apparently, it would be "too stressful". With her schizophrenia meds, came seizures. So, she stayed in her room, looking out her window. 

There was a box from Abe and Annie, Aunt Susie had found, on her bedside table. 

Riya couldn't bring herself to open it. Tears streamed down the now-18-year-old's face. A bird flew over to her window and landed in her flower bed. It didn't look like a normal bird. It didn't cock its head. It just nestled there, burying itself within its fur.

Riya frowned. She unfolded, pulling her knees from her chest. Slowly so as not to frighten the creature, she removed the hook from its loop. She opened the window. The bird had an glow around it. Like humans did. Riya had never met an animal with a glow. Maybe she was truly losing it. The bird didn't flinch. Rather, stood up and just stared. 

Following her impulse, she slowly held out her hand. She was almost within biting reach when her meds screwed with her and sent her spiraling into a seizure. Her eyes rolled back and she fell off her bay window, sprawling out on the floor.

Panic filled Alma and she squawked as loud as she could. She flew to Riya's door and clawed at it. It took ten minutes for her parents to realize something was wrong and come running up the stairs.

By then, Riya was still, but there was foam emitting from her lips. However, her parents focused on her, trying to swat her. Alma flew over and landed by Riya before leaving, hoping they'd focus on her then.

Franklin sighed. He walked over, picked her up, and almost set her down on the bed when he realized, "She's not breathing." 

*

A week later, Riya was released to go back home from the hospital. Her parents wanted to get her on more meds for the symptoms, but Riya refused to take them, just turning her head away. She threatened to stop eating and all the adults stopped pestering her about it. 

As Riya walked up the stairs to her room, she saw her father unscrewing the hinges from her doorframe. "What are you doing?" she demanded. 

"We can't risk your door being shut next time you seize." 

"It's not her fault you didn't hear her fall!" Jacob defended. 

Riya turned in shock. She thought she was all out of helpers. He usually voted against her. 

Franklin obviously didn't really care since he stopped and left the door alone.

*

Three months after the tragedy, it was Jacob's birthday. Franklin, Jacob, and Riya were going through boxes that were in Abe and Anne's attic. 

Riya found an old picture she didn't even know had been taken. 

"Riya," Jacob whispered. 

Said girl looked up and saw the picture in his hand. Abe and him. She made a sympathetic face. She lifted up the picture she found too. 

Jacob's mimicked her face. He wasn't meaning to be sardonic. They both knew how the other one felt. Annie had the same relationship with Riya that Abe had with Jacob. Only hers was more intense because of the illness. Once it got out that she had schizophrenia, Annie became her rock. Her parents were ashamed and Jacob really didn't understand. 

"You find something good?" Franklin asked. Once he saw the photos, he commented, "Aw. Look at that. That's awesome. You should take that." He walked toward the door. "Come on buddy, let's roll." 

"How are you so okay?" Jacob demanded. 

Franklin turned back to them. He approached Jake and ignored Riya like always. "Jake, you were a lot closer to him than I ever was. He was a wonderful grandpa. But not... not such a great dad, you know? Never seemed to pick a job that didn't involve late nights and long trips away though. Me and Aunt Susie always kinda thought he was maybe cheating on our mom. I am sorry, buddy. I know how much you worshipped him but there it is."

"You should've had more faith in him. And.... Bad or not, he was your dad. I'll mourn you when your dead even though you basically ignore me," Riya lied, pushing past him. She wouldn't mourn. He meant nothing to her. When they got home, Riya was instructed to go to her room. She couldn't party at all. She would be alone again. Because why wouldn't this time be different. 

Only it was because she was without the company of her new friend this time. No bird visit today.

However, her cat, Nafarion -

- crawled onto her bed. She laid down, ensuring she could feel Riya and vice versa. 

*

At their next therapy session, Jake revealed a postcard.

"My dearest Abe. I hope this card finds you well. The children and I yearn to hear your news. I do hope you will visit us again soon. We should so love to see you.

"With admiration,

             Alma Peregrine."

Dr. Golan flipped the postcard over. "Hmm... Only two years ago. I suppose it's possible she could still be still be alive."

"Right. And we could meet her. Maybe even find out what it was Grandpa wanted me to know," Jacob said, getting ahead of himself.

"But what if she's dead?" Franklin asked. "Dr. Golan, we're concerned with Jake's state of mind right now."

'Like Hell you are,' Riya argued mentally.

"And there is no way I'm putting my life on hold to take you to Wales," their mother interjected.

"Dad could take me. And he can even look at birds... work in his book. It means you get a break. And as Dr. Golan said maybe I can move on. Like closure," Jacob totally manipulated.

"Having an opportunity to see this Children's Home and separate fantasy from reality, may be helpful and at the very least a trip like this provides a chance to say goodbye," Dr. Golan stated.