Chapter 7

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Running into the building, you frantically searched for the stairway through the raging flames. The thick columns of smoke clouded your view, making it even more difficult to see where you were heading. Eventually, you made your way to the stairs, sighing in relief.

As you climbed the stairs to the fourth floor, you began to feel a tightening in your lungs. You knew you didn't have much longer, since the smoke was beginning to suffocate you. Kicking down several doors, you searched for the young girl.

"Hello? Is anyone in here!" You yelled. No answer. Running further down the halls you heard a loud crack, quickly jumping forward before a part of the ceiling crushed you. You heard a soft whimpering coming from one of the doors beside you. Quickly grabbing the door, you jerked it several times but it would not open.

"Damn, the doors jammed." You cursed to yourself, coughing heavily afterwards. "Stay away from the door!" You yelled at the girl. You backed away from the door as far as you possibly could, shifting into a large black bear. You rushed towards it with enough speed and momentum to knock it down, but not to tear the walls down with it. You didn't want to bring the building down any sooner than it was going to be.

"Y-Your a shifter....." The girl finally spoke. You shifted back to your normal form, turning towards her and lifting her in your arms.

"We'll speak later. First, let's get out of this place." You responded, causing the girl to nod.

~

Newt quickly walked down one of the many streets of New York. He was mumbling angrily to himself. He couldn't believe how you left him there, without a reason. Newt felt offended, especially since you somehow found his case, entered it unknowingly, went through his things, and then left. He even managed to tell you about his biggest secret, his beasts. He does not just tell anyone these things.

"To think, I was beginning to trust her." He muttered to himself. Newt was rudely interrupted from his thoughts by someone running into his shoulder. He definitely wasn't in the mood. About to give a snarky remark, he stopped mid sentence as he recognized who it was he was about to insult.

"Oh hey, I'm sorry Newt I didn't see you there." Jacob apologized. Newt let out a small sigh, waving his apology off.

"No need to apologize, I was to blame." Newt said, returning to his normal kind nature. Jacob scratched the back of his head in confusion.

"You know, I just ran into (Y/N). She was running down the street like a mad woman, must have been late for something." He laughed. "She did seem a bit distressed." Jacob suddenly narrowed his eyes. He walked closer to Newt. "You didn't say anything to upset her, did you?" Newt quickly shook his head.

"N-No, no of course not. She just took off without warning." Newt explained. "Do you happen to remember which direction she was running off to?" He questioned the baker. Jacob thought for a moment, before pointing in the direction.

"She went down that way, towards the bank. Did you hear about that fire happening down there? Those poor people, being in such close quarters and all, it was bound to happen." Jacob said. Newt seemed confused, but at the mentioning of the fire he began to piece two and two together.

"She overheard us...." The tall wizard muttered to himself. What really puzzled him was why it would matter so much to you. Apartment fires happened almost everyday in the city. Why this one, out of all places. Jacob raised a brow.

"Heard what?-"

"I'm terribly sorry Jacob, but I have to go. I'll see you later this week for dinner, give Queenie my best." Newt interrupted as he continued his quick pace down the sidewalk.

~

Your eyes began to water from the thick clouds of smoke surrounding you. Gasping for whatever air you could take in, you sprinted down hallway after hallway, searching for a way out. With all of the continuous falling ruble, you had become lost. You knew you hadn't much time before the both of you ran out of oxygen.

"I want my mama," the young girl whimpered, letting out a series of soft sobs. You wiped away the girls tears, giving her a comforting smile as you continued frantically searching for a way out.

"Shhh, it's alright. I'm taking you to your mama right now. As soon as we find a way out of here we will see her." You reassured her. She seemed to relax at your words, even though you yourself didn't even believe them. You couldn't help but feel that feeling in the pit of your stomach that you would not survive this. After all, the building could collapse at any moment.

You stopped at a dead end, a coughing spell wracking your entire body. It took every ounce of your energy not to completely collapse onto the ground. But you couldn't. You had to stay strong for this girl. The flames were slowly creeping towards the both of you. A window to the ally below you was the only option you had for an escape, but the height was extremely risky, even with your abilities. Since the child was at a very young age, she had not developed her abilities yet, which also put you at a disadvantage.

"Are we going to die here?" The child asked, tugging on your sleeve. Coughing, you shook your head.

"Of course not." You responded, ruffling her hair. "We're going to be quite alright." You pulled her closer, looking down from the window once more. The window was indeed your only option, and you hated that. You didn't like the idea of not knowing the outcome of this situation. Normally, you would have everything planned out, but not this time.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes alright?" You told the girl, looking directly into her eyes. "Hold on tight to me, and don't let go." The girl quickly nodded, grasping onto you. Moving as far from the window as you could, you sprinted towards it, the ceiling around you beginning to give way. You braced yourself as you crashed through the glass, falling along side the ruble as the complex began to collapse.

"Hold on tight!" You shouted, shifting yet again into a black bear, trying desperately to ease your fall by clinging onto the building on the other side of the ally. You slid down and collided harshly with the ground below.

A few seconds later you came to your senses, the loud ringing in your ears disorientating you for only a moment. You returned to your normal form, the girl still in your arms. You let out a relieved laugh as the girl seemed unscathed, other than a few small cuts.

"See? I told you we'd be just fine." You slowly rose to your feet, wincing in pain. The girl nodded, a small smile forming on her face. She tugged on your sleeve again.

"Who's that man over there? Was he in the building too?" She whispered, pointing behind you. You whipped yourself around, eyes full off fear. Someone saw everything that just happened, including your secret. Freezing in place, you realized who that said person was.

"Newt..." you whispered shakily, staring at the shocked man before you. He hesitated, trying to find the right words to say. Searing pain shot up your right side, causing you to clutch the area. You lifted your hand, revealing a dark red liquid coating your fingers.

You could tell that Newt was yelling something, but your hearing became muffled as you were slipping out of consciousness. You couldn't help but think that these were your last moments. Would your life truly end this way? As you felt yourself collapse onto the cold ground, your vision went black. The last thing you saw was Newt running towards you.

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