Sean's family was told about his injury. The next day, they all decided to come for a visit. The ground began to shake and up the path came an army of children and two overwhelmed women.

The group had met Sean's family once before, on the first night when everyone was moving in, though there was no time to exchange names. They remembered Katie Byrne, the tallest and likely oldest of the Byrne family, but that was all. When they had time to meet the family, they were quick to learn the names. Amy was Sean's mother, and Margaret Ryan was her sister who lived with the family. Next in the line of Byrnes was Jack, who would be joining them all the next year. Tara was next in line, and still had some time to go before she would be joining the others. James was the youngest of the brothers, and was somewhere comfortably in middle school. The very youngest was Grace, who would enter middle school the following year. Amy and Margaret, in sharp contrast to the young Byrnes, were welcomed back to the Academy with open arms.

Around this time, the final leaves of autumn had fallen, and the trees stood bare. The weather was getting colder, and winter would be upon them soon. Missions had, yet again, been suspended for a time, but were starting to come back with very simple tasks. For example, one of Nixie's courses, Water Beasts, had her go and retrieve a single stone from the bottom of the calmest, clearest pond the school could find. The pond was five feet deep (Nixie stood at about five feet and ten inches), and Cloppes, the tallest custodian in school, had been sent with her so he could pluck her out of the water should she start to drown. Elvia, for a Riding Beasts course, had to have Skitter-scamp jump through a hoop. She did not have to be riding him at the time, she simply had to hold a hoop and let him jump through it.

The first mission to send them away was for their emergency Potions Class. Mrs. Wormwort, knowing that the approaching winter would make certain ingredients impossible to find, chose to send clusters of students away to retrieve a few things. The students were to find an ingredient - a mushroom or an odd plant perhaps - and bring it back to the Academy. She spent days researching locations with quantities of ingredients and minimal danger. She also studied each student's schedule, and with whom they sat during classes, to ensure she could send a group of friends at a time. There was safety in numbers, after all, and when Sean's family came for a visit, she concluded that they would be safest. She had found a swamp that was nearly devoid of predators, and those that were present were repelled by large groups. She skipped her own lunch break to find Sean, his family, and his friends to give them the assignment.

Kyle was the first to spot the old woman in the crowd. She looked like every goofy old hag ever portrayed, with a long nose and bright eyes, bony fingers and crooked teeth. The only things missing were a broom and pointy hat. She rushed through the crowd to their table, and, somehow, managed to speak above the chaos. "Ah, Mr. Byrne!"

Sean craned his neck to look up at her. Grace was clinging to his arm and pulling him around in his seat, so he had some difficulty looking Mrs. Wormwort's way. "Yes, Mrs. Wormwort?"

The old woman rubbed her hands together. She was always complaining about being too cold, and she often rubbed her hands together to keep them warm. "I've finally figured out the details of your mission!"

Sean, his mother, and Aunt Margaret all sighed. Aunt Margaret went so far as to hide her face in her hands and whisper prayers under her breath. "Well, what is it?" he asked, wanting nothing more than to get it out of the way.

She leaned in, crooked smile broad. "I've found a lovely little swamp for you. I've arranged for all of your friends to join you, which will keep the beasties away. Best of all, I've gone to Mr. Connolly, and he has given your family permission to join you!"

The younger Byrnes started bouncing and cheering with excitement. They were going to go to a far away land with their big brother and all his cool friends! Amy and Aunt Margaret, however, became pale.

"What will we be doing?" Amy Byrne demanded. She sounded cross, but that was unintentional. She was overwhelmed and unable to control her presentation.

"Ooh, Madame Byrne, I'm glad you asked!" Mrs. Wormwort chirped. "You'll be collecting ingredients!"

Kyle raised his hand awkwardly. "Um, Mrs. Wormwort?"

The old hag turned to face him. "Yes, Mr. Akfernen?"

Gasps from Sean's family followed this. Not again.

"With all due respect," he began, "Vince told us specifically not to bring anything back from our missions. Isn't this breaking a rule?"

Mrs. Wormwort clapped. "Oh, Mr. Akfernen! If only all pupils listened like you! Fret not, young man, as I've come prepared for that!" She lifted one of the many fabrics around her, revealing an impossible number of small satchels. "You'll all be given these special satchels to hold the ingredients. This will keep them contained and prevent their spores and seeds from spreading. I've more in my room!"

How could she possibly have more?

Amy let out another sigh. "As long as I can keep my babies safe, I'll go."

"And as long as my mom's okay with it," Sean added, "I'll go."

"Excellent!" Mrs. Wormwort beamed. "Shouldn't take more than a few hours. Just a few plants is all I need. You should leave at about five o'clock, you all have a bit of free time there."

As Mrs. Wormwort walked away, Aunt Margaret leaned across the table towards Kyle. "So, you're the Akfernen boy?"

Here we go again.

Five o'clock rolled by. Kyle and the others, wearing tall galoshes Mrs. Wormwort had given them, joined Sean by Mrs. Wormwort's door. Their Familiars were shrunken down and hidden in their pockets. Akora had a class at that time, and was unable to join the group. Aunt Margaret hung around Kyle, telling him all kinds of stories. In one she revealed that the Byrnes and the Akfernens were close allies, and that Uncle Jack had helped deliver Jack Byrne, hence why he was named Jack. She went on and on, and it became apparent that she had been dying for a new conversation partner. Even as they passed through the stairwell to the swamp, she gabbed on and on.

Sean was first into the swamp. The mushy earth swallowed his foot with a drawn-out shlirp. He took a step forward, the earth releasing his foot with a fpwap. As soon as he put his foot back down, shlirp.

Kyle was the next one through the door, with Aunt Margaret at his heels. They came through the door of a hut, which used to be on stilts to keep it dry until termites came and cut it down. The swamp was dark. Everything was a shade of soggy green and muddy brown. Tall, bony trees climbed into the air and canopied the bog below with their foliage. There were a few rocks and patches of relatively dry land, but the bulk of their surroundings were submerged in thick water or muddy slabs. There was a damp scent in the air, an acquired stench that they found, at first, difficult to tolerate. The air was filled with cicada-like calls and cricket-like songs, as well as the chirps and squawks of birds. It was humid and sticky, and a bit unpleasant for everyone but the young children.

The Byrne babies spilled from the doorway. They splashed around in the mud and giggled. James scooped up a handful of mud and chucked it at Tara. Katie rushed to separate the two. Grace found a tiny snake and picked it up by its tail. Amy and Aunt Margaret rushed to take care of the children. Once he was stopped for his mud crimes, James plucked a worm from the mud and terrorized Asim with it. Grace turned her attention to Nixie, and started showing her "this funny worm I found!" Jack awkwardly tried to flirt with Aoife. Tara began asking Elvia every question under the sun. Sean seemed unphased by the entire situation. Things became so chaotic that all the other sounds of the swamp vanished. Kyle started to think about how the situation could be handled. They could try to settle the children down one by one, and hope that the rowdy ones did not rile up the calm ones. Or...

"If you kids don't behave, Jenny Greenteeth will get you!"

The children stopped at once. Their silence caused the others to fall silent.

"That's right!" Amy continued. "So you best behave, or she'll whisk you away into the swamp!"

Nixie took the snake from Grace. "That means we're going to put down this baby snake." The tiny reptile touched the water's surface and sped away like a jet ski.

"And this worm," Asim said with a grimace. He took James by the wrist and dipped his hand down to the mud so the worm could escape.

Sean reached into his pocket and pulled out a short, thick book. Etched onto the cover was, "Guide to Ingredients: English Edition". He extended his arm to the others. "Could someone open this for me? She bookmarked the swamp section."

Aoife came forward, glad to be free of Jack's flirting. She took the book and flipped through the yellowed pages until she came to Mrs. Wormwort's bookmark, which was a folded piece of paper with words of encouragement scribbled on it. "Oh, that's nice," she muttered. She began to skim the pages, then read, "'The swamps are home to innumerable ingredients, from the plants that grow to the insects that crawl. It is advised that students only select plants, however, as catching insects is a daunting task at best, and can result in injury, amputation, or death at worst.' Well, that's encouraging.

"'It is best to wear gloves when collecting plants, as some plants may have poison transferred by contact to bare skin, or may contain tiny thorns and barbs that will cause knicks and a burning sensation. Under no circumstances should students or novices attempt to consume one of these plants, period. Even if you are certain you know what it is, there are some copycats out there that may look like a friendly plant to an untrained eye.

"'Lastly, it is best to investigate the plants before harvesting. You may unintentionally take a little bug away from its home, so please check before stuffing the plant in your satchel. Above all else, however, remember to be careful and have fun.' Well, that doesn't seem too horrible." She flipped through a few more pages. "The rest of this is just a basic guide to ingre- oh, hang on, what's this?"

Sean and Kyle peered over her shoulders. On one page was a sketch of a tall creature with a body like a bony horse and a head like a whale, and on the next was a two-legged creature with a round body and beady eyes.

She read the first page, "'Swamp skimmers: tall creatures that roam the swamps. They gulp mouthfuls of mud and water at a time, filtering the sludge through their bristle-like teeth to trap its insect prey inside. While they are passive, and do not eat people, they can attack if provoked or may accidentally stamp the life out of whatever is in their path. It is best to keep your distance.'"

She read the second page, "'Invisible swamp monster.' Oh well isn't that lovely? 'Invisible swamp monster: a swamp cryptid. It reportedly has two legs with hand-like feet, and a round body with no discernable head, neck, or chest; everything is on its round body. It blends in seamlessly to the swamp around it. Travelers may hear its footsteps, but turn around and see nothing.' Then there's a footnote down here, 'Any student to capture proof of this beast's existence will receive extra credit.'"

"Sean definitely needs the extra credit," Amy muttered.

"I don't think I want to go cryptid hunting with all of you," Sean replied. Then he added, "No offense."

James let out a shriek. His eyes went wide and he pointed a trembling finger into the swamp. "There it is!"

Everyone turned to look. They saw nothing. Kyle, finding he had an eye for camouflage, scanned the horizon for the beast's outline or any other oddity. He stopped, however, when James began to laugh.

"Made you look!"

Nixie groaned loudly while Elvia let out a sigh of relief. Aunt Margaret got in the young boy's face and scolded, "Young man, you mustn't joke about monsters like that! I've half a mind to take you home early!"

"Jenny Greenteeth," Kyle sang under his breath.

"That's right!" Amy boomed. "Lying makes you more delicious for Jenny Greenteeth!"

James sealed his lips after that.

Asim came closer to his friends. Leonidas poked his head out of Asim's sweater. "We should get the ingredients and go," Asim whispered. "Sean, no offense, but your family is a bit much."

Elvia looked around anxiously. "And I don't want to find this invisible swamp monster," she added.

Nixie approached a tree with a low-hanging branch. A thick moss clung to the branch and hung down a bit, like a natural curtain. She pulled her gloves out of her satchel, grabbed a chunk of the moss, and put it in the bag. "There, that's one ingredient down."

Aoife closed the book and gave it back to Sean. She spotted another tree with little green flowers. She put on her own gloves and harvested a few. "That's a second. We're making good progress."

All the others pulled their gloves on. Kyle could feel Fledermaus squirming inside his jacket. "We're okay," he assured the dragon. Even so, Fledermaus crawled up Kyle's shirt and poked his head out. He let out a delighted squeal. "Fledermaus is having a good time."

All the other Familiars heard Fledermaus, and poked their heads out of the bags or pockets they had been hidden in. They all wanted to stomp around the swamp, too.

Asim looked up at the canopy. "Some of the trees have seed pods!"

Nixie shook her head. "These ain't climbin' trees," she said. "I wouldn't try it."

Asim took Leonidas out of his sweater. "But Leonidas doesn't have to climb." He raised a hand and the gryphon flew up into the canopy. Leonidas returned clutching what appeared to be a white pinecone. "Three!" Asim announced as he placed the pod in his satchel. Leonidas rested on his shoulder.

Kyle spotted more plants in the distance. One plant resembled a mass of tentacles, with branches that writhed and twisted, and had bright purple-pink flowers. He began walking towards the crazy plant. "We should go take a look at those!"

The group followed Kyle. Grace leaned against Amy's leg and said, "Mommy, I want to pick some pretty plants, too!"

Amy looked to Sean. "Sean, sweety, would that be okay?"

He reached into his satchel and pulled out the other glove. "She can use this one. I won't be needing it."

Grace pulled the glove over her little hand and began shivering with excitement. She bounced to the front of the group. Her little feet went shlirp, fpwap through the swamp muck. She passed Kyle and, one step later, started to sink. Kyle dove forward and grabbed her, his boot filling with the thick muck. There was a collective gasp, then a sigh as they saw the two were alright.

"It's really deep there!" Grace giggled. She, being a small child, did not seem to mind being covered in filth.

Kyle grimaced as he felt the fluids permeate his sock and ooze between his toes. "Guys, my socks are wet," he groaned. "I can't go on."

"No! He was so young!" Elvia giggled.

Kyle fought a grin as he slowly leaned back. Nixie caught him and wailed, "We'll have to put him out of his misery!"

Aunt Margaret leaned towards Sean. "Does this happen often?"

Sean simply nodded.

After that episode, the group trudged on. Nixie, with some trepidation, put Marissa into the dirty water. The hippocamp swam along, warning the group of deep water and leading them along safely. Amy carried Grace, and Aunt Margaret carried James. Kyle continued to walk near the front. Every tingle in his foot, every time he felt his pulse all the way down in his toes, he jumped. Every time, he thought it was some critter that had slipped into his boot when his foot was submerged. He felt the mud squishing around under his socked foot, and grimaced each time. He looked up at the plant from time to time, and was able to more clearly make out the details.

The flowers had magenta petals with yellow flecks on them. They were star-shaped, and oozed a thick yellow liquid. The group could smell their sweet scent from a distance. Birds loomed in the tree branches above the plant. They, too, were fixated on the plant below. A fat bug flew past. The group expected the birds to fly after the bug, but they stayed in the tree. The bug flew to the plant. It landed on a flower and began to sip its ooze. Then, SNAP! The flower sealed its petals around the fly.

"Oh, cool!" Sean and Kyle beamed. "It's a carnivore!"

The flower's petals reopened. Its ooze ran a bit greener. A few of the birds swooped down and began to suckle at the ooze. The group expected the flower to seal its greedy mouth around the birds, but it did not. One of the birds then passed a stool, which landed in the water below.

Nixie grimaced and muttered, "Marissa, you're going to need a bath."

"They must have a mutual relationship," Aoife concluded. "The plant kills the bug and makes it easy to eat, the birds fertilize the plant."

"That stuff looks good," Sean said, looking at the golden ooze from the other plants.

"Sean, don't," Amy sighed.

"Mom, I'm not gonna," Sean claimed. The others had a feeling this was untrue.

Grace pointed to the plant. "Mommy, can I pick one of those flowers?"

Amy was reluctant. "I don't know, pumpkin. Is it safe?"

Kyle started for the plant, but Sean passed him. "I'll check it out."

The birds flew away when they saw Sean approach. He slogged up to the plant, then tapped one of its flowers with his finger. The petals snapped shut, then, after a moment, slowly uncurled.

Kyle noticed a flower near the bottom of the plant that seemed rather dull, especially when compared to the others. There was still a bit of golden ooze, but only a trickle. It was clear the flower was nearing the end of its life. "What about that one at the bottom?"

Sean nealt down and poked the dull flower. It did not react. He stood and gestured to the group, and said, "Gracie, you can come pick this one, it's safe."

Grace followed, stepping in Kyle and Sean's footprints - which still appeared as divots on the swamp's surface - and stood next to them. She reached forward and pulled the flower from the plant, then stuffed it into Sean's satchel. "Four!"

"There it is!"

Half the group began scanning the horizon around them, searching for any displacement to signal a presence. The other half groaned, "Not again, James."

"James Oliver Byrne," Aunt Margaret began, voice shrill and annoyed, "if you don't start behavin', I'll have to take you back home early!"

James stammered, "B-But I really thought I saw something!"

Kyle felt a chill pass through him. Something about James's voice seemed genuine. Even if he was making a mountain out of a molehill, he believed that the boy saw something.

"Oh, sure ya did," Katie and Nixie replied.

Aoife folded her arms. "I've got younger siblings, I can tell when someone's trying to pull my chain."

Amy put her hands on her hips. "Young mister, what, if anything, did you see?"

James hung his head and looked down at his submerged feet. "I guess it was nothin'."

Aunt Margaret nodded. "Let's get a move on, then. Elvia, sweetheart, why don't you start searchin'?"