I'm really sorry about the wait. Time just got away from me, but it is nice to write about the loop on Cairnholm again.

I wanted to find my companions, but I didn't know where to look. It was much too early for them to be asleep. I checked the back lawn, that was where we watched the show, but they weren't there. I thought at least someone would be doing the dishes, but they sat there with bits of food still stuck on them.

It wasn't in my nature to leave them so dirty, so I thought to myself as I cleaned. Where were they and why did they keep house like the undead? I'm sorry, Victor.

As I was thinking to myself, the bombs were throwing themselves onto the ground off in the distance, making ripples in the pool of soapy water. I couldn't help but think of myself as a sole survivor of some terrible horror movie.

My brain began to wander, like it usually did on a sleepless night. Could I be in danger? Oh, God! What if the reason no one was here to greet me was that they were all dead? Had I led Miss Peregrine and myself back to a wight lair they had set up? I tried to listen for any sort of human noises, but for once in my life, I couldn't hear them.

Only looking back on that night did I realize how my unwillingness to sleep until I saw someone, combined with my worry of a dead friend made my situation turn into a haze.

I was frozen to the sink, afraid of turning around, lest I be killed. My peculiar hearing gave a twisted turn. I thought every creak or thump of the house was a killer.

You can imagine my terror when something shifted around in the parlor at the other end of the house, followed by footsteps getting nearer to where I was.

The wight turned the corner and I was about ready to start throwing heavy objects from the sink at it, then I realized it was indeed not a wight but rather Horace. He hadn't changed much since the last time I saw him.

Horace looked up, rubbed his eyes, then his whole face lit up. Then he hugged me really, really hard.

"I'm glad you're back!" He pulled away, eye level with me. "You're okay! You're okay! You're okay!"

"What?" I asked, dazedly. His eyes narrowed.

"You certainly look terrible! What have you been doing for three weeks?" He looks me up and down. "Those aren't even your clothes!"

"I could have killed you! How does death by flying pottery sound? It would serve you right for sneaking up at me, I thought you were a wight!" I started to register everything more clearly. "And why does the house resemble a bloody funeral parlor?"

"Ah, we haven't been the same since you left." He said, shuffling uncomfortably.

"Horace, please. Give me a straight answer, why? What happened while I was gone? Who's dead?" I pleaded. He started to walk down the hall so I followed him.

"I wish I could tell you, but I've been up for more than twenty-four hours and I feel like I was trampled by a carriage. So excuse me if I'm not physically or emotionally equipped to deal with you right now." Horace said sourly.

"Horace, are you talking to yourself again? Mate, you do have problems." Muttered a familiar voice in a familiar Cockney accent. Enoch thudded down the stairs. "What time is it anyway?" He looked up to register me for the first time and yawned. "Oh, okay. I'm sleep walking. Goodnight." He started to turn around and walk back when I seized his arm and pulled him around to face me.

"You're not dreaming!" I said. That seemed to work.

"Oh, thank god. I was hoping you'd be home by tonight. I mean, I didn't wait for you or anything..." He trailed off.

"Wow. Real awkward, thanks guys. You know what, I'm gonna go sleep and you two can have a lovely reunion." Said Horace as he walked upstairs. "Why do I bother?" He trailed down.

"So, I've got to talk to you. We left things off really weird and I just want to tell you-" Enoch began.

"Enoch I'd love to talk to you about that but could that happen tomorrow? Because I'm exhausted." I said.

"Oh, yes of course. Where are you sleeping because you can stay with me!" He suggested a little too loudly. "No, no, no! That's not what I meant!" He backtracked. "Just sleep by yourself!"

I had to hold in my laughing. "I'll see you tomorrow." I retreated back to my room. Roughly the same as it was three weeks ago, I slept.
~*~

I joined the rest of the world at the breakfast table. A few were missing, but I wasn't sure who. I'm trying to catch my brain up, while everyone around me was trying to ask questions about where I went. I tried to answer as many as possible. I explained a couple things about the loop of Miss Thrush.

"So she's a joint ymbryne?" Millard said from down the table.

"What is that?" I asked

"An ymbryne who typically joins arms with new or struggling ymbrynes to help out and be a mentor. Your Miss Thrush is a relatively new one, so it makes sense that Miss Nightjar would help someone who is new. Especially since their loops both have special purposes." He explained.

"May I ask you all a question now?" I said. They nodded.

"Miss Peregrine said she had a surprise for me. Do you know what it was?" They smiled.

"You're going to love it!" Bronwyn grinned.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I think you should wait until the Bird wakes." Millard said.

"You've been with us a while now, today is your one year loop anniversary. It's Enoch's too, and Abe's. But he's not here." Perhaps Hugh should have been more careful, because Emma grew sad at his name. I wonder if something happened.

"Miss Peregrine took it into her own hands to do something for you." Horace said.

"And what is it?" I said curiously.

"You'll see. What's the fun in telling you now? It's better to be surprised." Olive said grinning.

Horace got up from the table, and Hugh followed him, Millard's chair scooted away from the table. "Here's yours Enoch, we've been keeping them on the back porch." Emma said, spark back in her.

"So that's why I haven't been allowed back there in weeks!" Enoch said, pretending to be upset. Hugh, Horace, and Millard came back in and set three crates on the floor.

We went over to check out what was in them. After Enoch shifted some sawdust around, he unearthed a jar. "There's twelve to a box, Mr. O'Connor." We whirled around and saw Miss Peregrine standing there. She looked loads better than from last night.

"I really appreciate this..." He trailed off. The Bird smiled and did a graceful bow.

"It was nothing." In a rare bout of compassion, Enoch stood and gave her a one-handed hug before stepping away awkwardly.

"I do not usually permit screaming in my household, but if you two young ladies would mind," she gestured to Claire and Olive, who were the only younger children up, "if you would wait precisely one minute, I want you to scream for ten seconds straight."

I was about to object, because when someone screamed the pain from my ears about made me black out. I had my own set of ear protection for me. But then Miss Peregrine guided me upstairs to my own room.

Miss Peregrine shut the door behind her and turned to look at me. She glanced at her watch. "Do you hear anything?" She asked.

In truth, I did not, and that was what surprised me. I felt a smile spread across my face. "What did you do?" I asked, enjoying the bliss that came with silence. When was the last time I had heard this? When I was five, that's when my peculiarity started to develop.

"I soundproofed it." She said with a hint of pride. She cleared her throat. "I understand it's quite difficult to sleep when you hear the others." I nodded.

I headed downstairs where everyone else was standing near Olive and Claire, who were both red-faced from all the lung exercise.

"I'll leave you children to catch up." Mis Peregrine said before heading upstairs. They seemed to remember that I had just returned, and we did a large group hug sort of thing.

"Haha!" I laughed. "Where are Marcie and Charlotte? They should be here to see me!" As if I had dropped a bomb on the house, they quieted. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

Bronwyn put a hand over her mouth and ran upstairs. I heard her door slam.

Olive sniffled. Hugh shifted his feet.

"I'm so, so sorry you have to hear this, Netta. Marcie's dead, Charlotte aged forward." Millard said.

My mind had already been put through too much. Not unlike the feeling I had when I got stabbed, I felt light-headed.

I'm really glad I rewrote this chapter. The original contained zombie hallucinations, and it was totally out there. Aren't you glad I changed it?