About an hour later, lunch was ready and had been served. When Riya was offered some, her face crumpled and she turned away, much like Miss Avocet had. Except she could reply. "No, thank you."

Miss Avocet have her a little disapproving nip. Riya gave her an appraising glance. She picked up the dropper. "I will if you will."

A few minutes after the children were permitted to go play, Jake walked in.

Miss Peregrine had been washing dishes and she looked up to see him. Wiping her hands on her apron, she turned to greet him. "Jake, you're back. How wonderful!"

Jake looked at Riya who didn't even spare him a glance. She was still giving Miss Avocet some water from the dropper. "Dad was freaking when we got back to the Priest Hole and you went there."

Riya just kept rocking. "Oh, yes. I'm sure he was worried sick," she inflected sarcastically.

Jake glanced at the bird, giving Riya a weird look. "You're a bird nurse now?" he asked.

Riya gave him a glare. "I'll have you know, injured Ymbrynes require special care. That's what Miss Peregrine said."

"Alma," the blue haired Ymbryne sang in correction.

"Well, how's it doing?" Jake redirected.

Alma walked over to stand beside Riya, stroking the bird a little. "She, not 'it'. Ymbrynes are always female. And she grows stronger by the moment, in the arms of her imprint."

Jake's head jerked up.

Riya let out a laugh. She covered her mouth quickly. "Familial."

Jake nodded as if he understood. "So who is...?" He gestured to the bird.

Alma had one hand on Riya's back and the other using its finger to stroke the bird's chest. "This is Miss Avocet," she introduced, in a way.

"Her loop is in Blackpool, England," Jake said, seemingly explaining to Riya. He pulled a letter from his pocket, holding it out to Riya.

Alma watched her take it with an ever-paling face. She wanted to snatch the letter up and make sure neither sibling ever knew the dangers of their world. She wanted them to feel safe with her and to let her shield them from all outsiders, all non-peculiars.

Riya read the letter quickly and aloud.

"Dear Miss Peregrine: January 2016.

I don't wish to alarm you, but one of my informants sent me this. It would appear that some of Mr. Barron's group were in Blackpool, England. If I recall, Miss Avocet has a loop there. Please warn her and suggest that she make a new one right away. Well hidden. And take the greatest care yourself.

With Love,
Abe"

Riya looked down at Miss Avocet and moved her finger to stroke the side of her face.

"That was a private letter, Jake," Alma scolded.

"Who is Mr Barron?" Jake asked.

Alma turned back to the sink, plunging her hands into the water. Luckily, her sleeves were rolled up. She started scrubbing a random dish.

Riya ceased rocking and leaned forward.

"Miss Peregrine, if my grandpa and aunt were involved with dangerous people, I need to tell the police," Jake exclaimed.

Alma paused. She turned to face Jake once more. "To the police? Are you implying Abe or Annie died an unnatural death?" she asked.

Riya stood up, furious that Alma would knowingly withhold information on her favorite people. "I found grandpa in the woods with his eyes missing. I'd say that was pretty unnatural," she yelped.

Miss Avocet nipped her disapprovingly again.

Riya glance down at her. "Oh, you stay out of this."

Alma had dried her hands by now and snatched the letter from Riya. She knew she only had herself to blame for their fury, but she would not falter now. "Unless essential, I don't discuss unpleasant matters. An Ymbryne's duty is to protect children." She with that, she stormed from the room.

Riya groaned, running after Alma. She secured the bird in her arms and bolted. She caught up with the Ymbryne in human form and placed her hand on the arm, aware she was just touching a puffy sleeve. "I'm sorry I yelled."

Alma pulled her pipe from her pocket, lighting it. When she let out a puff of smoke, she sighed and allowed an amount of tension seep from her shoulders. "It's quite alright. I do understand. You loved Annie."

"More than words can express."

*

Later, Alma lead Riya back inside. She stood with the children and Alma. Jake walked into the landing and Alma turned to him. "Ah, there you are. Is Enoch with you? It's time for our daily walk. The oldest wards will lead the way while Riya and I tend to Miss Avocet."

Enoch did come down and all the children went for their walk.

Alma smiled at Riya after a few minutes. Miss Avocet had just dropped off to sleep. "Are your arms cramping yet?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah," Riya replied like it was obvious.

"Here." She led Riya to a sort of sun room. "You can lay her here. I want to show you something."

When Riya did set the sleeping bird down, Alma led her through the house slowly. Usually, she moved like a whirlwind so Riya knew something was up.

"You saw how Enoch was with Jake before the walk."

Riya nodded once.

"Well, there's only one reason they would be upstairs and I don't want you to find out from Jake." She led Riya to the end of the hall and up to the attic.

In a bed covered with gossamer netting, a boy lay.

Riya made sure she was quiet when she walked over to him. Alma was tidying the room, but Riya could tell there was a nervousness to her. Riya was drawn into the tension of the room and refused to break it. Not only was it not her place, it would be impossible. The boy had no aura and that left Riya feeling cold. She stood beside the bed and stared at the gaping holes in his face. She felt something behind her and turned. It was the boy. He had his eyes and he was translucent. It occurred to Riya that she'd missed her pill time.

Alma pulled his blanket up and sat beside him.

Riya felt like she were intruding on a personal moment, but found herself unable or unwilling to move. The spectre-Victor walked around Riya and stood beside his body. A tear ran down his left cheek and another slipped out of his physical left eye, down his face.

Alma wiped his tear and lifted his body to sit up. She held him against her and just sat there. Her aura turned dark purple and it occurred to Riya how close Alma's natural aura color was to this one. She lied him down and checked her watch. "Emma'll be telling Jake all about your grandparents now."

"Tell him what?" Riya asked quietly.

Alma led Riya back downstairs, into the drawing room where Horace projected him dreams. She explained as much as she could before she checked her watch once more, leading her away. "You are not a child, Riya. And I have no right to protect you from the truth, no matter how much I may wish to." She grabbed a crossbow from the inside of a grandfather clock. She led Riya outside and told her exactly where to stand. "I must demand that you do not move or speak until this interaction is over."

Riya nodded her understanding. She frowned at the taped outline of a strange body. Alma checked her watch and Victor stepped up behind Riya.

The tension from earlier was gone and now Victor was talking. "Come on, you bastard. Time to die... Again." He bent and put his hands on his knees. He was swaying a bit like a baseball player did.

Riya saw a glob of black step over the hill and her eyes got wide. She resisted the urge to gasp or step back. It was huge. It waded through the grass, toward Miss Peregrine. She checked her watch again and leveled her crossbow.

"You got this!" Victor yelled. He was jumping and cheering and running around. Right when Alma fired, he disappeared and reappeared in front of the black outlined monster. The arrow went through him and he groaned.

Riya gasped. Could he feel? Was this more than a schizophrenia induced hallucination?

Victor fell back, beside the black glob which was limited to the tape outline, and stuck his tongue out. "Ugh!" he groaned dramatically.

Riya giggled.

Victor lifted his head, peeked his eyes open, and looked up at her. He gave her a charming smile and fell back down, flopping dramatically.

Alma walked over to her, her crossbow on her shoulder. She was smiling because she heard Riya's laugh. "What's so funny?" she wondered vaguely. Her eyes jetted off to the side where she saw her first and her potential wards watching.

Riya sobered quickly, covering her mouth. "Nothing," she responded. It was the same response she gave her parents.

Alma felt a little hurt by what she knew was a lie, but knew this would be a difficult process. She'd told Riya that only Peculiars could enter loops, but had witnessed the heavy amount of doubt on her face. She guided Riya back up toward the house and stopped just inside the brick wall. "How did you like it, Mr. Portman?" she asked.

Jake and Emma stepped out of the shadows. "I still don't understand," Jake said.

Alma sighed, knowing what she had to do. She led all three of them inside, ordering the children they were not to be disturbed and to be careful around the sleeping Ymbryne.

*

Alma sat down on the arm of a chair while Emma was off looking for some book. She took a breath from her pipe, not letting the smoke travel far before sucking it back in to speak. "We call them 'Hologast'. Hollows for short." A bit of smoke escaped when she spoke the nickname.

"Annie and grandpa told us about people who turned into monsters," Riya said guilty.

"Is that what they are?" Jake asked.

"I will explain everything. I fear it's my duty now considering..." She pointed at them with the mouth-end of her pipe. "But you should know that in doing so I'm breaking a solemn promise. I knew you were peculiar when you were born. But your grandfather forbid me to tell you anything. His dearest wish was for you to have an ordinary childhood." She was speaking directly to Jake.

"I definitely had that." Jake glanced at Riya. "Well, as much as I could have."

Riya gave him an amused glare.

"He intended to tell you the truth when you turned 18. He hoped his bedtime stories would pave the way. But the normal people in your lives crushed your beliefs. I watched it happen." A sad look overcame Alma and she glanced over at Riya. She heard Emma's boots stomping as she re-entered the room with a large tome. "Ah." She propped her pipe between her teeth and moved to sit between the siblings, taking the book. "Here's my book."

It had 'PECULIAR HISTORY' written across the cover and Alma opened it. There was a section labeled 'PECULIAR SCIENTISTS'. Alma put the book on Jake's lap. Riya had to lean in front Alma to see.

Deep blue eyes watched the dark hair hover just below her chin. She took a deep breath and withdrew her pipe from her mouth. "Many years ago, a splinter faction emerged among our people disaffected peculiars tired of living in loops."

Jake pointed to a dark skinned man in the middle of a picture. "That's... That's Mr. Barron."

"And Dr. Golan."

Jake looked up at Riya, confused. "Huh?"

Riya looked up at him as well. "Remember? Mom upped my dosage because I said Dr. Golan wasn't a woman. He was black with white hair." She put her finger right next to his, pointing at Barron's face.

"He had the peculiarity of shapeshifting," Alma said as a form of explanation, crushed with fear that Barron had gotten so close to the two of them. "He believed that by harnessing the essence of an Ymbryne's powers, he and his cronies could gain immortality and be able to live outside loops. He devised an experiment." She turned the page. "He kidnapped an Ymbryne, not knowing or caring whether she would survive at the experiment. But the fate of Barron and his group was more horrifying still." She turned the page again to show a picture of a crater. An explosion had happened.

"Why didn't Barron turn into one?" Jake asked.

Alma took a puff from her pipe. "He did. But years later he found a way to reverse the effects... to regain humanity. They had become not immortal gods but Hollows. Invisible beasts. Dangerous, cold-blooded, deadly!"

"Remember I told you they raided loops? This is why," Emma explained, pointing at the next page when Miss Peregrine turned it.

"Barron discovered that, by consuming the eyes of other peculiars... especially children, he began to change. Consume enough, and a hollow can fully regain its human form. Just as Barron and some of his friends did."

"The rest of them are stuck as Hollows," Emma added.

"Are you saying that Barron ate my grandp..."

"He needs no more eyes himself," Alma jumped to soothe him as best she could; at the very least she would never make him say it, "but I fear he led a Hollow to your grandfather, yes."

"Why grandpa and not Annie?" Riya asked.

Alma placed one of her hands on Riya's. "The eyes of Diviners such as Annie and yourself burn Hollows. Most Ymbrynes prefer to keep at least one in their home to help keep an eye on Hollows and to scare them off." She continued her story. "After the first attacks on loops, we all got better at hiding making new loops... keeping our whereabouts secret. The Hollows grow more desperate every year and Barron wishes to help his friends."

~

I don't give a whole lot of Author's Notes so please read this one. I did get some ideas for this chapter from a fanfiction on ArchiveOfOurOwn.org . A lovely story called "Kiss It Better" is on there and I recommend you read it.