My Muse || READER X RAY || The Promised Neverland

📷 My Muse || Chapter Fifteen

"Did you get there in time?" Ray asked, leaning by a window.

"N-No." Norman replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "We were too late."

Emma's usual bounciness was overpowered by the shadow that was cast over her face.

She was the most grief stricken out of all of us.

I grabbed her hand and led her to my room. "Emma..." I started, unsure what to say. Hell, I wasn't even sure of what I saw. My heart was still beating abnormally fast. "We have to get out of here." I sat her down on my windowsill, taking a seat next to her. Her emerald green eyes looked dull and lifeless.

"y/n..." Her voice was small. "A-Are we all going to die? Are we just cattle?"

I grabbed both of her hands, pulling her into a hug. My heart was suddenly filled with anger and determination. I despised Isabella's lax, heartless soul.

"Emma. We will not die." She started to tremble in my arms, gently holding me back. "You, Norman, and I will escape. I promise."

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The day that followed was dark and stormy, similar to our mood.

For the first time in forever I had gone downstairs for breakfast. A handful of children greeted me, hugging my legs and asking me where I'd been. I only laughed in response, greeting everyone back with a "good morning". I glanced over at Emma, her face frozen in a frown. All I could do was try to divert attention to myself, so Emma could have some time to recover.

Amidst all the chatter and deep thoughts, one voice rang out in the bleak atmosphere.

"Mark, can you help me lay out the plates?"

It was Isabella. I shot a glance at Norman, who was already looking my way. I quickly mouthed "Emma" to him, before starting a congo line with all of the kids. "I hope Norman can wake her up," I thought to myself. I watched him sneak away, holding her hand. I felt my heart churn a little bit.

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Even though the sky was dark, we all went outside to play tag.

It was a part of our daily routine.

"I'll be it!" Don exclaimed, closing his eyes and leaning behind a tree. Ray's tree. But Ray wasn't there.

"y/n." Norman nudged me this his elbow, Emma already by his side. I nodded, following him closely, deep into the forest.

We stopped by the short metal rail we'd seen every day playing here.

Today, it looked childish and small. I hadn't realized how trivial this obstacle was. It stood a little bit higher than my knees. The real thing keeping us inside were the giant stone walls, about ten feet tall, locking us in the farm.

"y/n." Norman called, hunched over a clear spot of dirt. He was holding a stick, drawing a diagram on the land. "Let's say the house is here," He said, pointing at a lopsided circle. "This is what the wall looks like." He draw a large trapezoid around the 'house'. "From what we've seen, there's no guarantee that the gate leads to the outside world. We need to find a way out, and a place to go once we are out."

I turned to Emma. She looked sad, but better. I grabbed her hand. "We will live for Connie. For Hao, Cedi and everyone who died." Her emerald green eyes shone with tears, as she tackled me into a hug.

A voice from the trees startled us.

"What the hell are you three doing?"