Bad Dreams | Newt x Reader (Being Edited)

Chapter 68-Full Circle

Warnings: suicidal themes, I've marked them, grief

Newt's POV

An expanse of wide blue sea rolled out as far as the eye could see. The sight was breathtaking, dominating from the sheer size of it. Waves crashed against the golden sand, pushing water up the shore. Salty air filled my lungs and I turned my eyes to the girl being buried alive.

Archie and Aaliyah pushed sand into the giant hole they had spent over half an hour digging until all that was visible was Y/n's head. Since reaching the ocean and following the coast north, she'd been acting more strange with every passing day. She ate silently with us, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Her eyes drifted unfocused, too lost in her mind.

Y/n's arm broke the surface of the packed sand. "Aah! The monster's breaking free! Flee children, run for your lives!"

Aaliyah and Archie shrieked with joy and took off sprinting along the strip of sand towards where the beach ended in the distance at the foot of a cliff. Rocks jutted out of the sea below it, spraying white water into the sky as waves slammed into them. Atop the cliff was a distant outline of an old building.

Y/n clawed her way out of the sand and bolted after the kids, her hair whipping in the wind.

"Go with them," Vince directed us mildly, distracted by studying a map with some of the other Right Arm leaders.

The kids climbed onto the flat rocks, peeking into pools of seawater and collecting white shells with patterns of grey and brown.

Y/n stood close to the cliff face, staring at handprints embedded in the rock. Two pairs were larger, while the remaining three sets varied in size. One of the smaller pairs was mismatched in size but caught Y/n's attention the most.

"It always makes me wonder what happened to them," I said, wandering over to her side to look at where her fingers idly traced the edges of the pair. "Poor kids."

Y/n huffed and pulled her hand away. "Oi! Don't go too far out!"

"We saw a fin!" Archie called, leaning over the edge of the rock to peer at the surface of the water. "Look!"

Try as the rest of us might, we couldn't see it. Archie slipped on the wet rock and would have plummeted into the sea if not for Y/n, who wrapped air around him and set him upright.

"Oi!" one of the Right Arm men hollered in the distance. "Come back!"

Obediently, we headed back towards camp. Along the way, I noticed Y/n had vanished. Vince, who'd ordered our return, said nothing about her absence, instead dished out tasks that occupied us well into the evening.

Ember was her usual bubbly self as the two of us patrolled the beach towards the base of the cliff. She bounced between topics, asking my opinion and actually holding proper conversation. My mind irritatingly kept comparing her to Y/n, how in the final days of dating, she had withdrawn and was barely able to hold more than a few strings of conversation. Ember was refreshing and made good company as we walked.

A few days after she had kissed me, I told her I needed time to think about us. Since then, she hadn't tried anymore advances, but seemed happy I was at least considering my feelings towards her.

"What do you think about the house?" Ember asked finally when we reached the base of the cliff. The handprints captured her interest, but not for long and she was soon staring up the cliff face.

Along the side was a ladder of steps cut into the rock. Rusted bars framed it, providing some help for those who had once climbed it.

"Vince was very keen on ignoring it," I said, following her gaze.