Bending Light

9~September 3, 1940

Soon enough, it was time for dinner, and while Olive and Claire put their dolls away, (Y/N) went upstairs to put away her sunbonnet and freshen up her hair. It was still holding up pretty well, but just in case, (Y/N) stuck in a few bobby pins from the vanity here and there.

When (Y/N) came down from Emma's room, the children had all sat down at the already-set table. Well, all of them except Olive and Claire—who rushed to help her sit down in her "condition"—and Millard, who thankfully walked in with his clothes on. (Y/N) had finally gotten permission to eat downstairs (and have dessert), so as she sat down, she breathed a sigh of contentment.

"Miss (Y/N), it's nice to see you in good health," Emma beamed.

"Thank you," (Y/N) smiled back.

After a moment t or two, Miss P. herself came in and sat down. She nodded at (Y/N) and smiled. The children who were on kitchen duty stood and went to go get dinner. When they brought it back, (Y/N) was delighted to see the delicious assortment.

Salmon, cod, mussels, shrimp, and crab sat on the table, all deliciously adorned with lemon and fresh dill. It was like a seafood gala. There was fresh bread and with it all sorts of jams and jellies. The children who had made this meal certainly knew what they were doing!

"You are all such wonderful cooks!" (Y/N) exclaimed.

Everyone stared at her curiously. Enoch laughed, but not in a good way.

"Um, I mean, no one that I know has ever made a meal that was this delicious," she said, blushing.

"Well, thank you, Miss (Y/L/N). It's nice to see that someone enjoys our cooking and has good manners," Miss Peregrine said, looking pointedly at Enoch.

Enoch rolled his eyes and continued eating while (Y/N) relished the meal. She looked over as Claire ate, occasionally bringing her arm back to eat from her backmouth. As (Y/N) went to take another bite of salmon, she heard Olive ask "Where's your cousin?"

"Olive, you know that he's not supposed to be here for a while. Besides, that is a question that (Y/N) may not want to answer," Miss Peregrine scolded. She turned to (Y/N) and said "I'm sorry for that. They still are children, despite their true ages."

"No, it's fine. I just wish I knew where he was." And what he knows about Grandpa Portman, she added in her head.

Everyone resumed talking until the earth began to shake. Large blasts tore through the air and rattled the house. (Y/N) already knew about the changeover, but she had only experienced it from her room, where it was marked by flashes that sneaked past the window curtains. This time it seemed that she was to experience the final bomb firsthand, as one of the children had just asked if they could take her outside to see it.

"Oh, all right, children. Make sure that you finish your dinners quickly," Miss Peregrine conceded after enough pleading.

The children filed toward a cabinet and put on gas masks and Millard handed one to (Y/N). They walked outside to the back of the mansion and led (Y/ N) to the Adam topiary. They stood there for a while, singing, the song perfectly timed to the blasts.

Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, RUN!
Bang, bang, BANG goes the farmer's gun
He'll get by without his rabbit pie, so
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, RUN!

And then something gray and sleek came down from the sky. (Y/N) instantly knew what it was. It was the bomb that was supposed to hit the house on September 3, 1940. It fell to the ground, whistling, and landed on Adam's finger. (Y/N) had no time to dive for cover, or even scream, because just then, everything stopped.

And the world burned white-hot before her.

So, yeah. This chapter wasn't the best. But I tried, so deal with it.