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

📷 My Muse || Chapter Twenty Two

"We will escape. For Phil. For Connie. For everyone who lives on this farm." She said, clenching her fists.

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"How about Don and Gilda? They're the next two in age. We should be able to trust them." 

"No. What if they're the traitors?" Ray barked harshly. 

Emma furrowed her brows, hanging the wet bedsheets a little harshly. She didn't want to think of anyone as a traitor. "W-We have to. We can't do everything as just four." Norman agreed, fixing the crooked fabrics that Emma had messily thrown. 

"We can set traps for them. If either of them are the traitor we will find them."

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Emma asked Don and Gilda to meet us in the library after dinner. We slowly walked up the creaky wooden stairs, opening the doors. 

"Hey, what'd you want to talk to us about?" Don asked, his feet resting comfortably on a table. Ray clicked his tongue, grimacing at his bad table manners. Gilda's expression darkened, noticing our serious moods. 

Emma explained the situation, leaving out Connie's death and the existence of the demons. 

"What? Human trafficking?" Don asked, perplexed. Gilda stayed silent, her eyes locked on Emma. "Yeah. All of our siblings were sold off to very bad people."

Don looked confused, processing what Emma had told him. He scoffed harshly, patting Emma's shoulder and breaking into a laugh. "What kind of joke is this? Emma? Norman?" He slammed his hand on the table, wheezing. "But the walls, the gate... All the siblings who never wrote us letters." Norman reasoned, staying calm. Don continued laughing, faltering to a stop when everyone glared at him, concerned. "Y-You're not saying it's real, right?" 

Ray, who was quiet this entire time spoke from behind our small crowd. "It's true." His voice was sharper than a knife, cutting something loose inside Don. 

"Th-Then what about Mom?" 

Emma's gaze fell to the floor dejectedly. She didn't want to be the one to say it. 

"She's the one... selling us to bad people." I spoke for her, my voice trembling. 

Don grew angry, clenching his fists and glaring at me. "There's no way our kind Mom would do that sort of thing! Take that back right now!" He stomped towards me aggressively, pulling my collar. I flinched, biting my lip. 

Gilda's soft voice broke the tense atmosphere. "Don..." She started. Her voice sounded like she wanted to cry. "y/n... Loves this house so much... Emma loves Mom and her family... Why would they lie about that?" Both their expression twisted up in fear and pain. Don's lip quivered, holding back a scream. "I did think it was weird," Gilda continued. "When y/n, Emma, and Norman went to the gate that night, even though you broke the rules and did something wrong... You didn't apologize... Y-You've all been acting w-weird..." She turned to Emma and I, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

"B-Both of you... Have gotten so s-serious..." Her eyes were wet with tears. This was all my fault. I made Gilda worry. "y/n... You- You never smile anymore... You used to give your everything to the kids, to this house... But you've been missing. Here." She placed her hand over her chest, where her heart would be. "And Emma too, why do you look at mom like that? With such a cold glare?" She scoffed uncomfortably. "Well, I guess I know now." Emma ran to her side, pulling Gilda into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Gilda. I'm so, so, so ,so sorry I made you worry so much." 

They cried together, Don, Norman, Ray and I watching. We all looked at the tall tanned boy, his expression softened, understanding the situation. 

Norman handed him a small list. Everyone's test grades were written on them. 

"According to the list we start getting shipped out at age six." Norman said, pointing to the category of six year olds. "Before Connie was Hao, and before Hao was Cedi. Look at their grades." Gilda brought her hands to her mouth, gasping. "We get sent based on our lowest grades, starting when we turn six." She said. 

"Emma, Ray, y/n, and I were only allowed to stay here this long because we had perfect scores." Norman said. "You and Don too. Your grades are nearly perfect."

"Don, Gilda," Emma said grabbing both their hands. "Let's escape here together. We have to save Connie and everyone else who was taken from us." They nodded, and Emma pulled them into a  hug. "Thank you, both." She cried, muffled in their shoulders. 

Ray grabbed my hand, pulling me into his chest. "I'm glad..." He whispered, looking onto the three's long embrace.