Bad Dreams | Newt x Reader

Chapter 71-Where it all Began

Warnings: mentions of blood and death

132 days after his death

I stirred from my sleep, freezing as everything came back to me. I pushed it away, focusing on the things I could feel to ground myself. The Wraith, however, didn't stir at all.
Confusion flooded me as I took in what I was lying on. The straw mattress below me was dreadfully familiar, poking me uncomfortably in the ribs as I shifted.
"Oi!" someone yelled, their voice muffled by something. He was close, judging from how his voice sounded.
My eyes flew open as I sat up.
The room was as familiar to me as my own name. The wooden walls and floor. The small window that looked over the grassy field outside. The small pile of worn books on the floor. The empty bed on the other side of the room.
"Y/n!" the voice yelled again, so painfully familiar. "Don't make me come in there!"
"Alby?" I whispered, recognising the voice. I stared at the door, wondering what was going on.
I scrambled out of bed, glancing down at myself to check if I was decent. I was in clean clothes, a pair of comfortable pants and a shirt. All traces of blood were gone, even from my hair.
Alby stuck his head through the door. Literally.
I screamed, my back colliding hard with the wall behind me. I clamped a hand over my mouth out of instinct. His head was in the door, passing through it as it was merely air instead of a solid object.
Alby did not look impressed. He frowned at my reaction. Only his head was visible from where he had appeared. A ghost?
"Get over it, I'm dead," he said dryly. "Now, you listen here. You have to get crops planted today, or you will starve. Understood?"
I nodded slowly, still staring at him.
"Well then, get moving!" Alby ordered, his head moving back through the door.
Shock thudded through me for a long few seconds. This was just a dream, I told myself. Just a dream and a weird one at that. The Wraith's amusement pulsed dimly in the distance. It felt disconnected and cut off from me, as if it was on the other side of a glass window.
I hesitantly opened the door, peeking out. The hallway was empty, free of anything odd. It was exactly how I remembered it. My hands felt around in my pant pockets. I froze, feeling a bit of paper. I took it out and unfolded it.
Wraith/little sister,
Welcome to your prison.
Coralie.
"Y/n!" Alby snapped from behind me, scaring the life out of me.
I jumped, nearly smacking my head on the wall. I could literally see through his slightly grey form.
He softened a fraction at my expression.
"You want to starve?" he asked, turning away. "Go ahead, but that won't save your siblings."
"What?" I croaked stupidly, finally finding my voice.
Alby turned around, "Later, you need to plant the crops."
I sighed and went downstairs. I paused at the bottom of the staircase, staring at the people standing around. They all turned to look at me. Familiar faces, but I had barely spoken to them at all.
"Right," I nodded, feeling like laughing and crying at the same time. "I'm just not going to question anything."
They all nodded, turning back to continue their conversation.

I spent the afternoon planting packets of seeds I found. The Glade was almost exactly how I remembered it, but drier. The grass crackled under my boots and was ugly shades of green and yellow.
Then there was the now ivy free wall.
None of the maze entrances remained, leaving no way out at all. Coralie was right. This was a prison.
By the time I was done, the sun was slipping below the walls and I was drenched in sweat. My hair stuck to my forehead, getting in the road as I finally covered the last radish seeds.
"Well done."
I turned from where I was kneeling. Zart offered me a smile as he came closer to inspect my work. He looked fine, other than the fact I could literally see through him. I rose to my feet, wiping my dirty hands on my pants.
"You got a lot more done than anyone was wagering," Zart sounded proud as he studied the crop I had planted.
I nodded, not pausing to question this. I had poured my entire attention into sowing the seeds, not wanting to think about him or any of the dead Gladers that were wandering around as if it was just a normal day in the Glade. Only a couple had come up to talk to me. Ben, Chuck, Alby and now Zart. The rest were content to stand around and chat or literally float through the sky. There were definitely less people than I remembered. At least a quarter weren't here.
"I'm going to light a bonfire," I decided, scanning the trees for any large sticks. "For old times' sake."
"There should be some food in the kitchen," Zart said, glancing in that direction, "I'll round up everyone."

I lay on my back, watching the sparks drift into the dark sky. A few of the dead sat near me. Chuck had been ecstatic to see me, chattering happily about his parents.
"Okay!" I announced, getting to my feet.
Everyone stared at me, making the back of my neck prickle uncomfortably with the influx of attention.
"What is this?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips to attempt to seem intimidating. I was the Wraith, surely that was enough. "Some sort of illusion?"
"It's not," said an accented voice.
I spun around, staring at him as he came forward out of the shadows. He looked like he always did, black curly hair nearly in his blue eyes. His shirt was free of blood.
"Élliot?" I whispered, frozen.
Élliot offered me a smirk, "Mon ange."

1000 words