the Pain of Truth [Ray X Reader] (the Promised Neverland)

154

Time skip: one year later

3rd Person Pov:

"Hurry up." said the girl, eagerly taking the backpack from the ground. She was about to put it on, as Dawson took the bag from her, quickly sliding his arms through the straps. He stuck his tongue out playfully, saying: "I can carry my bag myself, thank you very much."

She only grinned as reply, opening the front door. She smiled as they stepped out, with him closing and locking the door behind him. "You really like going into the city, eh?" he asked her, ruffling his hand through her (h/c) hair.

"Of course I do. It's always crowded, which I don't like much, but I love seeing all of the things there." she replied, the two of them starting their rather long walk into the city to buy groceries.

One year had passed. One year, and not a single memory had returned. Dawson was kind enough to give her a sketchbook, and she used it almost daily. During the first six months, she had always drawn three people, but was never able to draw their faces.

Eventually, her nightmares stopped, and she was thankfully getting along well with Dawson, who was now like a brother to her. But deep down, she knew that something was missing. She wasn't herself.

"Apollo!" Lifting her head at the familiar voice, she turned to look to the side, where Dawson stood with a grin. "Watch where you're going, Apollo. Or you might lose me." he added, taking her hand in his in order to pull her with him.

Since she didn't remember her name, he had given her one. He had called her Apollo as a joke, based on her constant drawing. The name of the god of- among other things- art simply stuck around, and she had gotten used to it.

Once they made it to the inner part of the city, she looked around in awe. Although she had seen the city quite a few times before, there were always some things new to her. This time, there was a new shop that had, apparently, opened just two weeks ago.

She pulled the boy with her, saying: "Dawson, I want to go in there.", while pointing at the new store. He chuckled, playfully rolling his eyes. "Sure, let's go."

"Good day, sir, miss. How may I help you?" asked a friendly woman as soon as they entered, clearly wanting to give the best customer service as possible. The girl, now named Apollo, was hesitant to answer.

She just didn't like talking to strangers. Especially in the city, where everything was always crowded. Being in masses of people just didn't feel right. Luckily for her, she had her 'brother' with her.

"We're just looking, thank you." he replied to the woman, the two of them then walking further inside the shop. "Look! So much paint!" called a child out, another one saying: "Maybe she'll come here." "Oh, she loves drawing. If she's here, then 100%!"

"Paint?" repeated Apollo, not paying the children any mind as she walked over to the shelves with many, many different colors of paint on them. "You want some?" asked Dawson, but she simply shook her head.

"I can afford it." he reassured her, to which she said: "You don't have to. I'm fine with what I have." "Don't you at least want new colored pencils? Yours are pretty used, after all." he offered, to which she hesitated.

He grinned, saying: "Ah, so you do want them." "I-I didn't say that." "You're stuttering. That means you're embarrassed to admit that you do want them." She kept quiet for a moment, puffing her cheeks out. "I'll get them for you." "Thank you."

After he paid for her new art supplies, they left the store, walking into the crowd. "Wait! Wait, you're- Hey, watch it!" called someone out, causing her to turn her head. However, she didn't see anyone, thanks to the crowd.

They continued their way, going to buy a lot of groceries. Enough to last them for the next month. "Holy- Natalia, is that you?!" asked Dawson, suddenly stopping in his tracks, causing Apollo to bump into him.

She curiously looked to where he was looking, spotting a woman that seemed to be his age. He smiled brightly as he approached her, saying: "Wait here for a sec, Apollo. I'll be right back." "Okay." was all that she said, watching as her brother walked off to talk to his friend.

While she waited, she spotted a store that sold old electronics. Immediately, something caught her eye. She glanced back at Dawson, then back at the shop. "I'll only be a minute." she muttered out, quickly walking through the crowd and over to the shop.

She eyed the old-school item in front of her, a wave of familiarity hitting her. She had seen this before. This specific camera model. Reaching out for it, she stopped once her hand made contact with another, smaller hand.

"O-Oh, sorry." she quickly apologized, immediately stepping back. While she did so, she looked at the person she accidentally disturbed. It was a kid, obviously younger than her. The child's eyes were wide as she stared up at the girl.

Getting uncomfortable, Apollo stepped back, already looking for Dawson. Before she could do anything else, the little girl loudly called out: "Here! I found her!" Startled, Apollo left, muttering out: "Did I do something wrong...?"

She went back to where her brother was supposed to be, only to find that he had left. Great. First that kid, now this? Oh, this was not her day. She returned to her previous spot, knowing that Dawson would come back here once he went looking for her.

"Come on! Yvette said she saw her, so hurry!" called a female voice out, one which Apollo thought sounded eerily familiar. But before she could even turn, someone had bumped into her, accidentally knocking her to the ground.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where-" started the stranger, only to stop mid-sentence once she looked at the girl on the ground. Her bright green eyes went wide as a huge smile appeared on her lips.

"It's you. It's really you! (Y/N)! We found you!" called the orange haired girl out, going to hug the confused girl. Apollo quickly moved back, still on the ground as she closed her eyes shut, calling out: "H-Help! Dawson!"

Dropping her arms to her side, Emma stared at her former friend, a knowing look taking over her features. "I knew it..." she mumbled to herself, her eyes turning glossy. "Emma! Did you find her?" asked a boy that had just spotted her, quickly taking her hand into his own.

The white haired boy looked at Emma with concern, then noticed the scared girl on the ground. His blue eyes went wide as he said: "That's... You found her, Emma." "I did, but-" "It's (Y/N)! Quick, get Ray!" called Yvette out, having just reached them as well.

Before anyone could act, however, the raven haired boy was already there. He pushed past his friends, looking at the girl he fell in love with. His heartbeat increased as he took note of her pretty face. She had grown to be even more beautiful.

"(Y/N), I-" he started, reaching his hand out towards her, wanting to help her up. But in that moment, a pair of hands grabbed him by his arm, harshly pushing him back. The one that did so immediately stood in front of the girl on the ground, saying: "Back off, will you!" "D-Dawson..." trailed Apollo off, glad that her brother came to her aid.

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Picture from:

Me! I drew it! It's supposed to be the version of (Y/N) that I always think of when I write this book :D