The Darkness Within

•Chapter 23 - Locked In•

The three of them got out of Newt's workshop. Lily did everyone a favour and magically dried everyone's clothes. She purposely left Newt's hair wet. She loved seeing it curl up and stick to his forehead.

Suddenly, they heard a clicking sound. The three of them looked around.

"Were those..." Jacob trailed off.

"The locks?" Lily asked.

"Umm."

"Are we locked in?" Jacob asked. Newt laughed very nervously.

"I--"

And he ran off inside of his workshop to climb the ladder and try the trap door. And as figured, they were locked inside.

Newt sighed and walked out again.

"Hey, Newt," Jacob suddenly spoke after the three had been sitting in silence for at least a couple minutes. "Do you have any restrooms in this place?" He asked. Newt nodded and gave him directions. Jacob soon parted, leaving the two wizards alone.

"There's another Obscurial in New York," Lily suddenly let out. Newt immediatly turned his head to stare at her, as if to check if what she was saying wasn't a lie. It wasn't.

"What?"

"And Obscurial," she said. "That's why I've been called here. The Americans haven't seen one in a hundred years, so they dont know how to find one, but it's here. I know it."

"Do they know?" Newt asked, visibly worried.

"They know there's a creature attacking and targeting people. It's destroyed two buildings, but no casualties," Lily said. "I know I have to tell them, but then they'll start looking for one, and I'll just have to run. And there is absolutely no way of doing that without looking suspicious." Newt nodded. He understood her side. She had to keep hidden, protect herself. Her survival instincts were stronger than her will to say the truth. But right now, her instincts were threatening to harm and kill people, and he couldn't allow that.

"If they ask me, I can't lie," Newt told her. Lily immediatly nodded.

"And I would never ask you to," she said. "The next chance you get, please tell them. I'll do the same." Newt nodded.

There was a silence.

"There's someone-- well I think, that's already into me," Lily informed. "Actually, I'm already pretty sure.."

"Who?"

"Graves."

"How do you know?"

"He's just... " she shook her head. "I don't trust him, and he obviously doesn't trust me either. He keeps asking the President why I was called here in New York. I'm pretty sure he knows something."

Another silence.

Newt took Lily's hand and placed it on his lap. Lily felt a rush of heat through her body. He then proceeded to turn her arm up and pull on her sleeve to show the scars and the bruises on her arm.

"How long?" He simply asked. And just with that, she understood what he wanted to know.

"Almost three years," she said. Newt gave her a look that was almost of pity, but also pride. Lily was very strong, but three years was way too long for an Obscurial to keep control of their obscurus.

"That's dangerous," he told her, pulling her sleeve back to it's original place, but still keeping her hand in his.

"So is bursting out of control in the middle of New York."

One more silence.

"I'm so scared," Lily suddenly whispered. Newt could hear the despair in her voice, and his heart ached with the sound of it. Newt turned his body completely towards her, taking her face in his hands.

"You don't have to be," Newt reassured her. He had never reassured someone before, but hey, first time for everything. "As long as I'm here, I'll protect you. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

Before they knew it, both Newt and Lily had approached to a point where they could feel each other's warm breaths on their faces.

"Oh, Jesus," exclaimed Jacob. Newt immediatly stood up and Lily backed up, resting her hands back on her lap. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting?"

And before anyone could say anything, there were three knocks.