Cordelia’s excitement made the ymbryne laugh with delight and reach out to give one of those chubby cheeks a gentle stroke. This girl was precious, dare she say it, one of her favorites. The little blonde had so much love to give and Miss Peregrine couldn’t help feeling grateful for being allowed to be a part of Delia’s young life, now more than ever. “Absolutely. Work your magic on this flower, my darling… Make it more beautiful every day, do we have a deal?” Now holding her young student’s hand, Alma rose to her feet and led the way back inside the house, where all the others were so busy playing hide and seek. It was refreshing, knowing Cordelia liked spending time with her instead of joining the others into their afternoon games. “I’ll keep it in my room, does that sound good enough? We’ll take care of it together.”
“This is our flower now, Miss Peregrine, isn’t it? I’ll keep it alive, for you only.” The little girl silently promised herself to take this job very seriously, like her own life depended on it not only the sweet little flower’s life. Proudly holding onto the ymbryne’s hand as they walked, Delia followed her inside the house and didn’t pay too much attention on the other children. They were friendly to her, most of the time, but still, the witch preferred being on her own or with the headmistress. She was the only one who could understand her like that too. Once they reached the hallway, Delia let go of that warm hand and walked straight into the kitchen with nothing but her mission in mind. She knelt down in front of the cupboards to open them, hazel eyes widening at the sight of all those beautiful vases. All of them were so pretty but only one was perfect. “See, the blue one. It looks like your feathers.”
When she looked down at the little girl offering such a beautiful present, Miss Peregrine’s heart melted at the sight. This girl had gone through so much and yet, there she was, thinking about making others happy. “Oh, my darling…” The headmistress got down to her knees, just so their eyes could meet without Delia having to look up, and gently took the flower from between little fingers. Then, as she held it so tightly, Alma buried her nose between those pink petals so she could smell it, even if it came from one of her precious bushes, which she knew better than anyone. “This one is so lovely, thank you. Do you want to help me put it in some water? It’ll last longer that way.” It was obvious her young student had a thing for flowers and all things nature gave to them, it was her duty as a teacher to encourage that unusual love.
The sight of Miss Peregrine’s happy smile made that grin on Cordelia’s face grow. This lady was someone who appreciated little things like this, even if they didn’t seem all that special — to the little girl, they definitely were. When the ymbryne offered that Delia could help her, she nodded her head and clapped her hands once, before lacing her tiny fingers in front of her lap, just like a little lady. “I would love to help you, Miss Peregrine! And I promise to keep it alive for as long as I’m here. Can I pick the vase for you?”
