Chirping Falcons | Millard Nullings

4- Leave?

"Alma LeFay Peregrine. Pleasure to meet you." I shook her hand with one hand and fixed my hat with the other.

    "Ariabella Alba, likewise." I said, watching the ymbryne. "Um, my ymbryne, Miss. Crow," I started and her eyes sparkled at the name. They were best friends was what Miss. Crow had told me.

    "She went to take her last checkup ymbryne test at Miss. Avocet's. She left right after she reset our loop and has not returned. Our loop resets soon and she told me to seek safety here until she returns. The loop is in 1952, I shouldn't age." I told her everything I knew. She took the information quite well as she moved to the side to invite me in. I took the invite and took my suitcase, as I was told to, and placed it on a wall.

    "Ah, yes. The last test is always the most difficult. Your ymbryne should return soon, and if the loop collapses before she does so I am sure she should be here to retrieve you and be off to make a new loop." She smiled reassuringly at me.

    I smiled softly and nodded at her. Just as I was about to ask what she wished for me to do as I waited, she spoke again. "Thank you, Miss. Alba, for following your ymbryne's orders. I assume she is very proud to have a ward such as yourself." She spoke to me, pursing her lips for a moment as if she was trying to pick her words carefully.

    She then sighed so softly that if you were not listening for it, you wouldn't catch it. "Care for a cup of tea?" She asked, holding out a small tea cup to me. I smiled gratefully and took the cup from her as she led me outside.

    The children didn't seem to notice us as they kept playing and Miss. Peregrine introduced them to me.

   "Hugh Apiston and Fiona Frauenfeld," She gestured to the couple walking through the gardens. "Victor Bruntly and Enoch O'Connor," She gestured to the boys around the tree. "Emma Bloom, Abraham Portman, and Bronwyn Bruntly," The two girls and the boy sitting together. "Olive Elephanta and Claire Densmore." The young girls playing with dolls. "And I believe you've met Millard Nullings. He and Horace Summuson(?) are on kitchen duty." She said, earning a nod.

    At the same time, all of the children seemed to realize I was there. The first people to me were the little girls, Claire and Olive, I believe. They both started talking at the same time, making it hard for me to understand.

    What I did catch, however, was enough so I knew what they were both saying. "My name is-" Claire had tried to say, but was cut if by Olive.

    "I can float, and-"

    "Will you play dolls with-"

    "Have you read The Tales-"

    "What's your name?" They both said that at the same time and looked at each other before they were thrown in a fit of giggles.

   I raised one eyebrow, quite confused. "My name is Ariabella." I said, smiling at the girls. Olive suddenly started bouncing with excitement, her green dress mesmerising as it flowed at her ankles.

   "Ooo!" She exclaimed, "Can I call you Aria? It sounds like a princess name!" She said, still bouncing. The more she bounced, the higher she seemed to go, acting like a balloon and taking a while to reach the ground before the girl, Brownyn, reached up and grabbed her shoulder, pushing her back down.