"I wouldn't want to bother her." Sisse admitted, flushing at the realization that she couldn't just escape Alvin Mr. Bixby's presence. She thought she did a fine job masking her emotions in general, but her flushed cheeks would be her undoing. "Besides, being the head girl means I can slip onto the grounds much more easily." There were some perks to the position after all.

Pepper turned out to be a girl a few years older than Sisse who bounded into the room, blond hair (blond certainly wasn't what Sisse had expected) braided in to two pigtails. She looked cheerful enough with a smattering of freckles and pock marks on her face and brown eyes. Mrs. Potts thanked the girl, pressed Sisse to be careful and to not be a stranger, gave Alvin one more (stern, it should be noted) look and then left them to the task at hand.