Love at First Sight

Chapter 22

"Darling, wake up."

Adeline groaned and slowly opened her eyes, seeing the ymbryne in her usual outfit. She seemed to be up for a while before she was. She felt her cheeks burn for moment before confusion spread across her features when she seen she was still in her outfit from yesterday.

"You fell asleep before I was done getting dressed." Alma says with a small smile. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Yes, why?" Adeline asks, confused as she processed everything.

"You were whimpering in your sleep." Alma observes and Adeline felt her cheeks turn pink, her face paling. "I assumed it was a nightmare. Your stitches reopened while you were asleep so I had to redo them."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just had..an odd dream." Adeline says quietly.

"That's alright." Alma says gently. "Are you feeling okay? You look rather pale."

"Yes, I'm fine, really." Adeline says, her cheeks a bright red.

"Hm. If you insist." Alma says and hands her one of her outfits. "I picked you out a different outfit, you may get dressed in the bathroom and meet me downstairs." The ymbryne says and Adeline nods before she walked off.

"God damnit." She breathes out quietly to herself as she rubs her hands over her face. That was a dream? But if felt so real.

She shook her head, ridding herself of the dream and changing in the bathroom, composing herself before heading downstairs.

"Miss Peregrine, it's Miss Avocet!"

Adeline seen Emma rush into the kitchen when the headmistress was and showed her the bird in her arms. Jacob followed behind, both of them seeming to have rushed back. Alma took the bird gently, concern drifting through her features.

"Miss Bloom, please continue your chores. I must tend to her." Alma says and the girl nods, Jacob tagging along behind her, unsure what else to do. Adeline watched her take a syringe from the cabinet and fill it with water, carefully dripping it into the Avocets beak, glancing over when she felt someone's gaze on her.

"Is there something you need to tell me, dear?" Alma says and Adeline opened her mouth for a moment but shook her head, walking off before Alma could question her.

She couldn't believe she had a dream like that, and in Almas bed too! In front of the woman! Thank the birds she thought she was having a nightmare instead.

Adelines cheeks burned and she tried to focus, failing when she attempted to think of something else. Instead she smacked her head of the wall, not paying attention to where she was walking.

"Can't even walk straight." Enoch mutters and Adeline looked at him with a small glare as the boy walked off upstairs, muttering something about Jacob as he did. Then she noticed Jacob walk into the kitchen where Miss Peregrine was, a paper in his hands. She knew better than to eavesdrop but when she heard Alma scold the boy a few moments later, she couldn't help but walk over.

"I do not need you worrying over this, you shouldn't be rooting through things you weren't meant to see, Mr Portman. Now please, head along with Miss Bloom. You should be returning home soon." Alma says with a slight glare and the boy left, slightly irritated.

"What's going on?" Adeline asks and Alma sent her a sharp look.

"Polite persons do not eavesdrop on other persons conversations." Alma says firmly and Adeline felt her cheeks burned, slightly ashamed.

"Sorry, Miss Peregrine." She says quietly and Alma watched her walk upstairs, her glare softening feeling a bit guilty for snapping. She looked down at the Avocet in her arms and sighed, taking the syringe and carefully dripping some medicine into her beak. If it's true that Barron is back, she needs to be more vigilant than she normally is.

She can't lose another ward.

                              ~~~

"Miss Johnson." Alma gently knocked on Adelines door and the woman opened it. "Miss Avocet is better now, she's in the parlor. Is there something on your mind? I haven't seen you ever since Mr Portman left."

"Nothing is on my mind, Miss Peregrine." Adeline says and goes to shut her door when Alma stuck her foot in between the frame and the door, stopping her.

"It's Alma, dear." She reminds and the younger woman only hummed before glancing to the floor. "What's on your mind?" She asks once more, slightly worried for her and confused.

"What are we?" Adeline asks eventually, meeting the woman's eyes. "You're confusing me." She says quietly and Alma bits her cheek for a moment as she moved her gaze away from hers for a moment. Adeline felt a bit hurt when the woman didn't answer, unsure how to and she sighed softly.

"Im sorry, just, leave me alone. I need to think." Adeline says quietly and Alma met the woman's gaze for a moment, seeming to want to say more, but didn't and shut the door quietly.

Adeline went and sit on the bed, looking down at her palms when she seen a red mark on her arm and seen they bled through the bandages. Looking down at them, she felt the frustration and disappointment, even guilt run through her as tears pricked her eyes, unsure how to feel.

A few minutes passed and she heard yet another knock on the door, hoping it wasn't Alma but at the same time she wished it was. She couldn't decide how to feel.

"Adeline, Miss P wants you down for dinner." Fiona says and the woman waited a moment before answering.

"I'll be down soon, flower." Adeline says softly, but really she wasn't hungry. She felt stupid for being upset over a dream that ended up not being real. She thought Alma finally said it. That she loved her.

The woman layed her head in her arms as she brought her knees up against her, taking a small deep breath in and letting it out slowly. She heard once more a knock on her door and let out a small frustrated noise before opening it, not caring about the tear that fell down her cheek when she did and that her face was red.

"What do you want now?" She snaps and sees it was Alma once more, Adeline softening her glare when she seen the first aid kit in the ymbrynes hands and Alma tried not to look hurt at her tone.

"I was going to help you with your bandages, but I suppose you can do it just fine yourself." Alma says quietly, sitting the kit on Adelines stand by the door and didn't look at her as she shut the door, Adelines eyes filled with tears as she sunk down to the floor against the door, keeping herself perfectly quiet so no one would overhear her.

Not even her ymbryne.