The cot was a lot more comfortable than Anna remembered it being. In fact, it was plush. The cot was not supposed to be plush.
She opened her groggy eyes and found herself not looking at the slanted and uncoordinated wood of Newt's shed, but at the cracking ceiling of her own bedroom.
This realization shot her into a sitting position, finding bright light seeping from the window and the growing noise she was attempting to figure.
It sounded like crying - hysterical crying.
Within an instant, Adelaide coursed through her door to peer down the hallway into the open living room. On the couch resided Queenie with her head in her hands, her shoulders visibly shaking with sobs. Tina leaned against the fireplace, a shell shock gaze about her as a trio of MACUSA officials stood amongst them.
"Adelaide Goldstein?" the unfamiliar man asked her.
"What's going on?"
He extended his hand, "Prospero Kersey. I've been assigned your case by Madam Picquery along with my sister here, Pleione."
The tall, slender woman beside him nodded to her; the two had the same stormy cold grey eyes.
"And of course you remember Abernathy who was supposed to be keeping an eye on your sisters, but will now be joining us momentarily while we address..."
"Will someone tell me what's going on? Why is Queenie crying?"
Tina could hardly turn her eyes to her sister when she muttered, "They left. Newt filed a report at MACUSA of the property damages and was deported back to England. He obliviated Jacob before he went. It's all written here in a note."
Anna found her head shaking involuntarily, "No... they wouldn't do that to us. They would never just up and leave!"
"Jacob's gone!" Queenie cried, momentarily lifting her head, "He didn't even say goodbye."
"Newt wrote that he thought it would be easier for us if we didn't see them go. Make it quick and painless," Tina mumbled the last words in a whisper, plainly stating that she didn't believe it.
Adelaide couldn't contain the shaking in her limbs as the slender woman addressed her, "You were close to this Newt Scamander, yes? We just have a few questions about his business around magical creatures, how the No-Maj was brought into the story and such..."
"No -" Anna grimaced. "No!" And in an instant she appeared at the boat docks, whisking her tear soaked eyes among the passengers around her. "Excuse me, please."
The signs directed her for the ship heading to England, leading her to the ocean side where the designated boat was drifting from its port, "Newt!"
A face immediately presented itself over the bars of the vessel, tousled auburn hair in the wind. Newt stood there and watched as Anna fought to apparate onto the ship, undeniably failing to do so.
"Why can't I get to you? Please, Newt. I need to get to you!"
Newt gazed down at her emotionless, perhaps a slight crease of pity in his brow as other figures began to stand beside him. The already struggling breath in Anna's lungs evaporated at the sight of his fellow passengers.
"That's not possible..."
Her parents were standing on either side of him, mimicking him in their distant stare to her trembling figure. Another bout of shadows grazed the deck and more people joined them: little Sarah and her mother.
"No, wait! Wait, you can't leave me. You can't go now that you're here," she tried helplessly to apparate onto the ship, the bustling crowd seemingly noiseless as she struggled and reached at the figures above her drifting away.
There was no recognition or eagerness in their harsh gazes and Anna cried out to the ones she loved the most.
"Please! No, please don't go," she sobbed. "Newt! I thought we loved each other!"
And the stiff figure of Newt straightened his posture and ever so slightly shook his head at her.
As if a heavily filled balloon was suddenly popped, Anna sat straight up where she slept, a scream adorning her lips. Her hair was matted to her sweat slick forehead as her frantic yells punctured the soft morning of the suitcase.
The calming hand at her shoulder only panicked her more as arms wrapped themselves around her quaking limbs. The restriction however managed to allow her perception to become clear as the sobs emitted their last remnants of presence.
"I've got you, Adelaide, there's no need to fear. It was only a nightmare, I've got you."
She flicked her red eyes to the man holding her, "Newt." She launched herself into a suffocating hug where she burrowed her face into his neck, biting her lip for fear of sobbing again. She attempted to memorized his crisp outdoor scent and the feeling of his toned arms around her waist with his messy hair tickling the back of her shoulders.
"My Merlin's Beard, Adelaide. What happened?" He couldn't match the intense hug, "I'm not going anywhere, Anna."
"But you are!" she sniffed. "You left us. You just left a note and obliviated Jacob and went back to England without so much as a goodbye. You left me alone."
He frowned in concern, placing a hand to the back of her head, "You know I wouldn't do that."
"It was so real, Newt. I couldn't get to you on the ship. You just stood there with my parents and little Sarah and her mother. You just stood there and pitied me crying. You said you didn't love me."
Newt swallowed away the emotion and cradled her further, "But it wasn't real, Adelaide. You're safe here. I wouldn't let that happen so coldly."
She rubbed her eyes, frowning, and retracted from Newt, attempting to straighten her hair, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
He turned a confused gaze to her, "You actually slept in later than usual, Anna. It's well past morning."
With a nod, Adelaide acknowledged him, scratching her arm absentmindedly. He never did respond that he did, indeed, love her.
"Newt, I think we need to talk about something."
She could visibly see him swallow hard as he lowered his head, "I'm not sure what you mean."
Her brows knitted, "About you going away to England." She slowed her words as his sheltered reaction hurt her further, "About us? We can't just keep ignoring it - I mean, don't you... don't you feel something? I mean, more than what we've..."
"Did you hear an owl?"
Adelaide gaped her mouth at his distraction, "No - No I didn't hear... Newt, did you hear anything I just said?"
Instead of responding, Newt got from the cot and climbed the ladder mumbling to himself, "It's pecking the lid." When he returned there was a large gray screech owl on his arm holding a letter, "It's from my caretaker in England. She watches the creatures I keep there when I'm away traveling."
Anna crossed her arms and legs tightly as the man walked to the table and swiftly opened the letter and smiled, "Nothing's wrong, thank goodness. She says... my female Niffler Penny is reaching her breeding season. A few of my larger beasts are out of season and... a few of them are actually pregnant. That's fantastic news!"
With a stiff lip, Adelaide went to him rigidly and peeked over his shoulder at the letter written in sloppy handwriting, "Who's Theseus?"
"No one important," Newt rushed out, taking the letter from her sight.
"But it - it said that him and Leta have stopped by your house! Why would they stop by your house? I thought Leta was someone you've moved on from," she felt her stiff posture reaching her lungs, making it hard to take calm, steady breaths. "They must be important if they've stopped by your house asking where you are! Who are they?"
Newt stuffed the note in his pocket and peeked outside the shed door, "Adelaide, will you be quiet for just..."
"No, I will not! What is going on Newt? You keep hiding all these things from me and after all that I've opened to you I would honestly appreciate if you met me half..."
In an instant, Newt turned to Anna and grabbed her by her shoulders, pushing her against the wall of the shed, "Adelaide, I love you, but you need to be quiet. I'll explain everything later."
She froze at his words, "What?"
"The Thunderbird," Newt stated, peering out the doorway again, "He senses danger. Haven't you noticed the storm he's creating?"
The Thunderbird was writhing in the air as it shot out bolts of lightning and beat against the thundering gray clouds around him.
"Newt!" Tina yelled down the suitcase opening, "Anna. Something's seriously wrong out there. Buildings are demolished, No-Maj are running in chaos, and Graves has reappeared. The New Salemers have lost their orphanage and the nearby church is destroyed. I think this has something to do with..."
"With your Barebone case?" Anna whispered. "But that was ages ago."
"But people are dead, Anna. New Salemers are dead, and only the ones I witnessed hurting that Credence boy. Something isn't right here. And MACUSA just announced that Graves is leading a group of Aurors in patrol to the destruction - to scope out any leads."
Newt addressed his Thunderbird, "Something bad is going to happen."
Tina ushered to them, pulling her coat closer to her body, "We need to go - now. I guarantee we're gonna need to help with everything that's happening. The No-Maj are going absolutely crazy, blaming it on natural disasters and whatnot."
She ran up the ladder, Newt and Anna not far behind. Newt grabbed his coat and Anna retracted her wand to summon her healer gear.
They sprinted from the bedrooms to the kitchen where even more chaos appeared to ensue. Queenie and Jacob were trying to calm a shaking woman before them.
"You don't understand, I need to speak to Anna."
"Poppy?"
The red-headed witch finally wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks and ran to Adelaide, "Everything's wrong, Anna. The hospital is full of hurt No-Maj and wizards and we're completely understaffed and Abasi was pulled away by MACUSA. Healers are being pulled left and right and no one is getting properly treated. This is the first emergency protocol we've ever had!"
In that moment, Adelaide's wand began to spark and fizz an array of colors, warming the wood of her wand immensely.
"They've finally been able to send the alerts out."
First it was a flashing vibrant orange, signaling an external disaster. However, flecks of green and grey began to appear. Soon the overpowering number of hospital codes warmed Anna's wand until it was almost to hot to hold.
"What do those colors mean?" Newt muttered, fixing the collar of his coat.
"Green means there's an evacuation, and grey means there's been a loss of essential services. There must be such an influx of patients that the hospital can't hold them all, and there may even be a few critical patients they don't have the proper equipment to treat. The loss of essentials means either our storage of healing and reversal potions are depleted or there's not enough staff to meet quota."
Poppy stopped her crying, but her crazed state caused bits of her fiery red hair to fall out of her bun and into her face, "We need your help, Anna. You're one of the best resident healers I know."
Anna calmed her wand and contorted her brow in thought, "If this is true, you're needed at the hospital Poppy. You need to help with the evacuation and sending patients to nearby clinics. They might not have the proper equipment, but they'll be able to house people. If the main hospital is shutdown, things aren't going to get any easier. Send patronus' to the other clinics and inform them."
Poppy nodded her head furiously, "What are you going to do?"
Queenie held onto Jacob's arm as they shared a look with Newt and Tina, eventually reaching Anna's eyes, "We're going to see the damage, see what we can do with the external disasters."
Whipping her head around to see the group surrounding her, Poppy wrung her hands and advanced the door, stopping at Anna's voice.
"Poppy. You're going to do just fine. Breathe and do what you're good at."
With a small smile the healer disapparated out the door and Newt took charge in a plan of action, "Let's get to high ground. Somewhere we'll be able to see most of the city."
"Squire's is closest. We can use the roof." Queenie stated quickly, being the first to apparate to that location, followed by the remaining members.
From their position on the rooftop the five of them could see the havoc that was invading the city. Cars were flying into pedestrians, pavement was exploding into bits of concrete, and buildings were being demolished as a churning black substance twisted through the streets. It pulsated a strange inner glow as it hungrily left destruction in its wake. Smoke billowed and followed the frenzied mass as it preyed the whole city.
Jacob was the first to respond, "Jeez... is that the Obscurial thing? It's a lot bigger than the one in your case."
Sirens began blaring as Newt observed the damage, "That's more powerful than any Obscurial I have ever heard of." Another rather loud explosion imploded beneath them and the group watched the flames, sending Newt to thrust his case into Adelaide's hands. "If I don't come back, look after my creatures. Everything that you need to know is in my journal in the shed."
He was barely able to make eye contact as he did so, not wishing to see the horror on Anna's features he knew would be present.
"What?"
Newt turned back to the Obscurus, "They're not killing it." He looked directly at Anna with such a passionate fiery gaze that her chest was struck still as emotion grazed her throat.
Everything that he could have ever said to her was shown in that gaze.
He was gone in one instant.
"Newt!" Anna thrusted the case into Tina, "You heard him - take care of his creatures."
Tina refused to hold the suitcase, "No, Anna. You need to stay here."
Behind them Jacob and Queenie were fighting as well as to who was leaving to fight.
"Are you insane? I'm the one that has a healer certificate!"
Tina frowned, but disapperated instead of responding. Anna yelled in frustration, horrendous thoughts of what Newt was doing flowing through her mind. She turned to the couple behind her and found Queenie holding Jacob's cheek with sympathy in her gaze; and then she turned on the spot and left.
Jacob stuttered and ran to the edge of the roof, "Damn it! Queenie! Oh, Anna you have no idea what's going on. This is just... I've seen combat, Anna. This doesn't look good. God, why can't anything be simple!"
Anna turned to him with tears now leaving her eyes, "Jacob, I need you to... please watch this case." She peered over the edge and watched as the Obscurus flooded a street and a small figure was bounding alongside it on the rooftops. "Please, Jacob - I'll find Queenie. Please, I need to get to Newt."
Jacob turned to the desperate girl, attempting to calm his breathing. He knew he couldn't keep her from Newt, "Get Queenie back to me. She may drive me up the wall sometimes, but I love her. I really do - I want her safe."
Anna nodded and dived off the roof, apparating to the ground beneath her. Moving her eyes back to the sky, she tried to find the figure running alongside the Obscurus, who she knew was Newt.
Discovering him, she smiled, only to gasp when numerous blasts of blue and white light, aimed at the creature, barely missing Newt in the process.
Following the beams, Anna found numerous Aurors ordered to target and kill the creature. The No-Maj officials, something called a police, were lined together along their vehicular contraptions also aiming at the beast.
A total panic swarmed among them as other No-Maj and their siren bound cars roamed the streets. The fire was useless against the seemingly unstoppable kinetic force.
Anna beelined for the group of Aurors, shouting at them to stop. Her wand was drawn and a small supply of healer potions and remedies were attached to her belt.
"Stop!" she yelled, keeping Newt in the corner of her eye, watching him dodge the blows the Aurors were providing. "You're only making it worse. We need to calm it down, not -"
But a massive blow to the pavement sent a ripple down and upon the people, flying Anna into the air and against a turned car.
"Adelaide!" Tina came sprinting her way, sporting scraps on her neck and black smudges across her gray coat. "Are you alright?"
Anna groaned as air filled her empty lungs, "I'm fine. Where's Queenie?"
"She came down here? Why is she so stubborn?"
"Will you find her, please? I need to..."
Tina grabbed her shoulder, "Go. Be careful."
Anna nodded to her with emotion in her gaze and ran off toward the swarm of Aurors that were also knocked off their feet. She flew past them and down the block to where she saw remnants of the Obscurus.
Panting around the next corner, Anna saw the black mass flutter at the entrance of the subway. The swirling creature began to shrink until the figure of a boy could be seen descending the steps to the underground.
She bounded for the entrance completely forgetting the art of apparition as the adrenaline coursed her veins. Swinging on the sign pole, she skidded down the concrete steps into the darkened tunnel below. She only paused for breath when she heard the distinct voice of Newt.
"Credence... it's Credence, isn't it?" He was calm and steady and as Anna peered around the corner she could see the Obscurus pressed against the walls as if it were being threatened, like a cornered predator.
"Credence?" she whispered. It was the boy from the case Tina was busted on.
Newt continued his cautious walk away from the pillars and into the tracks of the subway, "I'm here to help you, Credence. I'm not here to hurt you."
Slowly the strings of black shrunk into the form of a boy cowering in the shadows. His limbs trembled as Newt continued, "I've met someone just like you, Credence. A girl - a young girl who'd been imprisoned, she had been locked away and she'd been punished for her magic."
Credence appeared to be listening, apparently awed at the fact there was another person out there that was like him. He turned around to face Newt, noticing Adelaide right behind him. He had a slight glimpse of hope in his eyes, possibly the hope that there was a way to live a normal life.
Anna reached Newt and touched his shoulder, then crouching to the ground, "We can help you, Credence. We can keep you safe and away from those people trying to hurt you. You don't have to be afraid anymore."
The boy held the tiniest smile on his face as Newt inched forward, "Credence, can I come over to you? Can I come over?"
But as soon as Newt made the decision to advance, a sharp bright light flew at him, pushing him to the ground. Credence pounced and began to run away as the figure of Graves appeared at the entrance of the subway.
Anna was momentarily frozen in fear at the sight of him, painful memories flooding her vision. But as Graves continued to conjure spell after spell at Newt to keep him grounded, she yelled at him.
"Stop! You're scaring him."
Another few figures joined Graves: Soren, Abernathy, and a few of Tina's coworkers she knew as the Kersey siblings.
Soren reached Anna's side and pulled her away, "Stay back, Anna, this is dangerous."
"What are you doing here?"
"Abasi sent groups of healers into the city to help. I found Graves and he pulled me into the action."
In the meantime, Graves was building his ferocity in the spells he was throwing at Newt and Credence, this time with a crazed look in his eye. Newt began to convulse on the ground, twitching and squeaking at the impacts of the spells.
"Leave him alone!" Anna screamed, "Stop! You're hurting him; what do you think you're doing?"
Soren kept his hold on Anna's upper arm, holding her from saving Newt. Graves continued his actions, causing Credence to bubble and grow back into his Obscurial state.
Newt writhed on the ground at Graves's immense evident power, unable to stop him. Anna pushed against Soren, confused by his actions, yelling insults at Graves as fury pulsated through her.
"Soren... what are you doing? Graves is hurting them! We have to help."
Her healer friend tightened his grasp and began to back away from the scene, dragging Anna with him, "This isn't your fight."
"This... Soren, what do you mean? Soren, you're hurting me." She began to claw at his hardened grasp, attempting to figure the stiff look in his eyes as he turned from the action behind them.
Newt began to yell out as Credence spread against the walls, making Graves halt his spell casting.
Anna started to fight against Soren, but was no match to his immense strength, "Newt! Newt... please, let me go Soren. We're friends, right? You wouldn't hurt me."
"You're coming with me, Anna," he kept that cold gaze as he stared ahead, "And I don't intend on letting you go this time."
Anna let out a small cry of pain as Soren yanked her closer to him, holding both her shoulders in his grasp.
A faint questioning voice could be heard behind them, "Adelaide?"
She screamed her reply, "Newt! Newt, I'm over here. Please..."
Soren shook her into silence, covering one hand over her mouth, "You don't know what you're saying Anna. I know you've been brainwashed by this scrawny, pathetic Scamander. You were always mine, Anna. We were meant for each other."