Disclaimer: The Promised Neverland does not belong to me. It is property of Posuka Demizu and Kaiu Shirai.

Act 21

Morning light filtered through the trees, which towered above us seemingly infinite, while the roots slithered across the ground in a tangled mess. There was the subtle sound of birdsong from up above, but who knew if they were actual birds, or a twisted demonic version of them instead.

Climbing over the knotted, exposed roots, we'd been walking for quite some time at this point.

And with every step I took forward, my stomach fluttered uneasily, for several reasons.

There was the fear of what may be lurking beyond the next tree.

And there was my anxiety over the impending conversation I was going to have to have with everyone, once we stopped to rest.

I glanced around myself, running my eyes over all of the kids in our group. They were all looking around in wonder at this unfamiliar, primeval landscape, nearly tripping over because they were so preoccupied with what was above them.

They all looked pretty tired, and rightly so; we'd not gotten any sleep last night due to our escape plan, and we'd all been too worried about being captured by pursuers to take any breaks beyond needed bathroom breaks, or to remove any stones in our shoes.

If I had to hazard a guess, it was probably around 5 to 6am by now. We'd been on the move for over 5 hours, and that's a lot for any of us, let alone the six-year-olds.

I moved closer to Emma, and grabbed her sleeve and tugged on it, "Emma," I began, and she looked over to me, "I think we should look for a place to rest, now. The kids have worked hard to keep going for so long, but I think everyone's really tired." I told her.

Emma nodded, "I was thinking so, too." She agreed, and turned to look back over her shoulder, "Everyone, we're going to stop and have breakfast, as soon as we see a good spot, okay?" she called back to everyone else, and the kids looked relieved.

"Okay…!" they called, their tiredness showing in their weary voices.

Emma turned back to me, "Are you okay with that?" she asked me; "You said breakfast was when you were going to tell everyone." She added on.

I sucked in a breath, controlling my nerves, "It has to be done. I'm scared, but you'll be by my side." I answered.

Emma nodded her head, "Of course! I have the letter from Norman that you gave me. I'll read it to everyone, for you. But what follows…" she trailed off.

"What follows is up to me to answer for. I know. Thank you, Emma." I nodded, sending her a grateful smile.

Emma smiled back and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly, "You have nothing to worry about! I promise, everything will be okay!" she told me, and I nodded again, squeezing back.

It was only about 5 minutes later, after we helped the last of the six-year-olds climb over a particularly tough root, that we arrived at a satisfactory resting spot.

"Emma! Anna! This spot looks good, don't you think?" Don called out to us, and Emma and I nodded in agreement.

We all looked towards Ray, Gilda, Nat and the other kids for agreement, and everyone quickly agreed, eager to rest their aching feet and have some much-deserved breakfast.

"Okay! Guys, let's take a break and eat!" Emma announced, and everyone agreed.

While everyone was setting up, I looked around anxiously, fiddling with the straps of my backpack. It was then that I noticed a familiar plant, and was on my way over to inspect it more closely, when Ray fell into step next to me.

"Where are you going?" he asked, grabbing my arm and startling me.

I looked to him, then pointed towards the plant I'd spotted, "I saw that plant, and—" I began, but he cut me off, tugging me back towards the others.

"We don't know anything about this outside world, so you can't just wander off. Who knows what might happen…!" he said, and I understood what he meant.

But it's not like I was wandering that far away. And that plant was useful, from what I remembered from the story. Fresh water, or something was inside of it, I'm sure that was right. It was in Ugo's Adventures.

But Ray was just trying to look after me, I know. It made me happy, but because he was pulling me towards the rest of them, my distraction from my nerves was all but tossed aside.

Ray sat me down between himself and Emma, finally letting go of my arm as he did so. He looked me over, then looked sheepish.

"Sorry. Was I too rough, just now?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head and seeming concerned.

I shook my head, keeping quiet, and heard Emma chuckle as she handed me my ration for breakfast.

"Anna's just a little nervous, is all, right?" Emma commented, "Eat up, first, okay? We're all here with you." She added.

Gilda and Don nodded, too, piping up.

"Yeah! We've all got your backs!" Don agreed.

"We've only got each other to rely on, now that we've left the House, after all." Gilda added.

"…After we've finished our breakfast, I'll go with you back to that plant. Okay?" Ray added quietly, and I blushed a bit that he hadn't just brushed that off after all.

I nodded, feeling self-conscious, "I-I get it! Thank you, everyone. Let's all eat, now, okay? We need to keep our strength up." I stuttered under everyone fussing over me like this.

Everyone just grinned and laughed at my being embarrassed, and we easily slipped into normal chatter over breakfast.

Emma polished hers off in record time and excused herself to scout the immediate area, to make sure everyone was safe, and a few minutes later, Ray got up and followed her.

I watched them go, wondering if I should get up and follow them, too, but that idea was quickly squashed when Conny moved her things over to sit next to me, huddling into my side.

She talked to me about how big the trees were, or how strange or pretty the flowers she had seen while we were walking were.

After what must've been almost ten minutes, Emma and Ray returned, the former tucking the Promised Pen back into her pocket and the latter looking thoughtful. Emma likely showed him exactly what that pen could do but I'm not sure what else.

Originally, Ray would have talked about how he wouldn't do anything like trying to die so they could escape again, and promised to live together with everyone. But this time, he'd already resolved to live before we left the house.

So, whatever they said is anyone's guess.

Emma quickly joined me at my side, and leaned in to whisper, "Is it okay if we do it now? We need to get moving soon and I think it'd be best to get it done sooner rather than later." She asked, looking to me for permission.

I gulped, and nodded my head, "Yeah…!" I nodded.

Emma smiled, and patted my shoulder gently, before taking her backpack off and fishing around in it, "Everyone! Gather around, now, please. Anna and I have something really important to talk with everyone with!" she called to everyone.

"Ehhh? But I need to use the bathroom!" Lannion whined, already on his way to find a place to do his business.

Don grabbed him by his collar and dragged him back, "You can hold it! This is more important!" he hissed.

"Why?!" Lannion complained, looking upset.

At Emma's beckoning, all the others started gathering around us.

"Huh?"

"What's going on?"

"What's that Emma got?"

"An envelope…?"

Conny looked up to me from where she was sitting next to me, "Anna? What's going on?" she asked me. I squirmed a little, but tried to hide how nervous I was and just gave her a smile.

I didn't know if I could talk just yet. I'd have to build myself up to it, and hopefully, Emma's reading of Norman's letter would give me enough time to do so.

Emma produced the envelope with 'Lucy' written on it, looking around to make sure everyone was paying attention. Once she was sure they were listening, she started speaking.

"Everyone, I'm sorry we didn't say anything about it sooner, but before Norman left, he actually left this letter for us," Emma said and I saw Ray nearly choke in surprise.

Everyone's faces showed similar levels of shock, surprise, or confusion.

"From Norman?"

"Really?!"

"What's it say? What's it say, Emma?"

Ray furrowed his brows, "And why's it addressed to 'Lucy'? There isn't anyone in the house with that name." he questioned, then shook his head, "Actually, never mind that! Why didn't you guys bring this up sooner?" he amended.

"Was there any opportunity to do so while we were in the house and Mama's eyes were still on us?" she asked, and Ray faltered; "As for Lucy, he probably put that name there to deter anyone he didn't want to see it from reading it. But even with just the name Lucy, you can tell it's Norman's handwriting, right?" Emma prompted everyone, and most of them nodded.

Emma glanced at me to check on me and satisfied that I was fine, she turned to everyone again;

"I'm going to read it out, now." She told everyone, and opened the envelope, pulling out the sheets of paper inside.

Dear Emma, Ray, and everyone,

I'm sure you're questioning why I even wrote a letter like this. From your perspective, I would be dead. However, if Anna's done as I suggested and told you what really happened to me, this letter may be obsolete. But I still wanted to write it, to give you my side.

First of all, I didn't die on that day. In actuality, I was sent to an experimental plant called Lambda 7214. I'll admit, the place I'm going and the things I'll experience are likely not going to be pleasant. But I'm willing to endure it, because Anna has given me hope that I'll survive it, no matter what it is, and I will be able to return to you guys.

Let me explain from the beginning. I originally approached Anna, a little after Don and Gilda were brought into the escape plan, suspecting her of being one of Mama's spies, alongside Ray. The way she behaved suggested that she knew more about our situation than she should have if she were on the same level as us. She knew what was going to happen to Dominic, as soon as his 'adoption' was announced; probably even sooner; and manipulated Emma and I into going after him and learning the truth for ourselves. I later learned that Ray had a hand in this as well, but when Sister Krone arrived, she didn't falter, as if she'd already known she would arrive. And so, I decided to confront her about it.

That's when she told me something that should be impossible. She told me that this wasn't her first life, and that she had been reincarnated. And that in her past life, all of us, and the situation we found ourselves born into was a story she had been reading. It was unbelievable that such a thing was possible. So, I confirmed that it was all the truth by testing her knowledge and confronting Ray on his status as Mama's spy. It played out exactly as her information dictated. Realising that she was being truthful, I thought it was incredible that the moment she became aware of where she was, she resolved to retain as much information as possible, in order to benefit us, so much so that she avoided infantile amnesia altogether. She was holding on to all of this information in her head, until she received the blank notebook from Gilda four years ago and could finally write it down. The stress and burdens she must have been secretly carrying for 9 years couldn't have been insignificant.

From there, I put my faith in her and we began collaborating in secret in order to create a better outcome. On the day Anna broke her leg, we made our first big attempt at changing things for the better. Originally, it was actually Emma's leg that was going to be broken. We wanted to make it so that my leg was broken, to try to prevent my impending shipment. However, either Mama saw through our plan or it was too much of an unknown variable - which one of us Mama would target - so our plan was a failure. But it all works out; with my shipment to the Lambda Plant, I can acquire strong allies for us and my survival is guaranteed so long as I follow the same steps the 'me' in the story took.

I'm sorry if you disapprove of my decision. You should know that Anna tried to have me follow Emma's and Ray's plan for me to escape, but in the end, it was still too risky. Like I said, I can't allow any of us to die by me being selfish. But I swear that I'll do everything in my power to speed up my escape from Lambda and rejoin you guys sooner. Anna and I have already made a plan to help guide me towards you guys without tipping off any of your pursuers. Please ask her for further details, and help her.

And I hope that all of you will understand my decision to temporarily leave, and her burdens. I've made her promise to come clean with you all either when she feels it best, or once you are all in a safer environment, so please forgive her for keeping quiet until now.

Please, stay safe, healthy, and eat well. I'll miss you, and I'll meet back up with you guys as soon as I can.

Love,

Norman.

Nat, Thoma, Lannion and the six-year-olds were all stunned by the time Emma reached the end of the letter, but apart from a few gasps and comments of confusion from them, they had listened all the way to the end, sending me looks filled with mixed emotions.

Like they couldn't believe their ears, but they hung onto the words and were trying their hardest to understand and believe in what Emma was reading out to them.

Emma let out a sigh, lowering the letter, and at her side, Don and Gilda peered at everyone else cautiously, but curious for everyone's reactions. I myself had been bracing myself this entire time, mentally preparing myself for their reaction.

I anxiously looked over them, too, worried about what was going through their minds right now, and moved my eyes over to check Ray's reaction as well.

Ray had gone slack, but his brows were furrowed, as if he was trying to compute everything that he'd just heard. Apart from that, I couldn't get a read on his reaction and it worried me.

"I-I don't understand… Before Anna was born, she was somebody else? I don't get how something like that can even happen?" Alicia was the first to speak up, her brown eyes looking between Emma and I uncertainly.

I couldn't blame her, or anyone else for being confused about all of this. But it was time for me to step up and explain it all.

I breathed in to prepare myself, then answered; "Reincarnation… is something that certain religions believe is actually true, and in some cases, people have even claimed it to be true just as I have. But before it actually happened to me, I didn't think it was possible either. Even so, when I died, I made a prayer to God to give me a second chance at life, because mine was taken at such a young age and I didn't think it was fair. I made the prayer out of desperation, and I didn't think it'd actually work, but the next thing I knew, I was in a dark, tight space, surrounded in a warm liquid and yet, I had no difficulties breathing, and after a set amount of time, I um… was born again, here, in this body," I looked away, feeling awkward. Most of these kids were too young to get 'the talk', so I didn't know how else to say it.

"Who were you…before?" asked Nat, "Saying we believe this is real and you're really reincarnated. Tell us your name, where you lived and how old you were when you died, quickly." He requested, asking me to say it quickly to test it.

If I told them without needing to think about it, it'd seem less like I was making it up.

I obliged, "My name was Lucy Gardner, and I was 17 years old, and I lived in Boulder, Colorado, in the United States…!" I said, and smiled nervously, "I had a father called Richard, who was in law enforcement, and my mother, Samantha, was an attorney's assistant. I had two younger siblings, twins, both aged five. A boy named Conrad and a girl named Gracie. Um, and…!" I blabbered out, and faltered, trying to think of something else.

The more details I gave, quickly, the more convincing I'd sound, right?

Why was I losing momentum so quickly…? I know it's been nine years, but I should remember more, right? Why is it not jumping to mind?

Oh…!

"And…!" I began again but Nat's hands flew up, looking alarmed.

"N-No, that's enough! You wouldn't be able to come with so many details so quickly if you were just lying…" he stuttered, and when Emma laughed and patted my shoulders to calm me down, I let out a breath.

"Take it easy, Anna! Or should we call you Lucy?" she giggled.

I shook my head quickly, "N-No, please keep calling me Anna. Lucy is only who I used to be, so…" I answered.

Emma hummed, and looked at the envelope for the letter which she still had out, "Norman must've used it to confuse people who shouldn't see this envelope, then." She concluded, and I nodded.

Gilda hummed, "Actually, Anna and Emma told Don and I about this a bit before, to get our help with preparing for the night of the escape; but there's something that I haven't been able to stop wondering about…" she said uncertainly, before turning to me, "I was wondering if it was okay to ask if you remembered how you died. You said you were seventeen when it happened but nothing else," she added.

I bit my lip, "I wanted to avoid talking about it, because even now it's still a big trauma for me. I-I do remember it… very vividly…" I hesitated to say.

Gilda covered her mouth, realizing it was a sensitive topic and looking guilty, "I-I'm sorry, you don't have to say it. I-It was a bad question…!" she tried to give me an 'out', but I shook my head.

"I promised you all, and myself that I'd be completely honest and answer any questions you guys had, so… I have to say it." I said, and moved my hands to cover my chest, where he stabbed me; "Here. In my chest. I was s-sleeping in bed when it—when he stabbed me. S-Someone who I loved and thought I could…!" the more I said, the hotter my face became, especially in my eyes.

A silence fell over our group as I tried my best to hold back my tears. I had to pull myself together. I knew they still had plenty of questions for me to answer.

Suddenly, I found myself being pulled into a tight hug, and noticed Gilda's dark green hair brushing against my face.

"S-Sorry…! I'm really sorry! You don't have to say anymore. If a question is too hard, I don't think anyone will hate you for not answering it, so please don't push yourself…!" Gilda cried.

I spotted Don rub the back of his head anxiously, looking sad, "Thinking back, you always did have nightmares of being attacked in bed when we were little. I remember seeing you go to Emma's bed several times over the years." He commented.

Emma nodded, "She also had nightmares of being rejected for keeping secrets and telling lies." Emma added on.

Incensed by the tears and sadness rolling off the four of us, the younger kids began crowding around, trying to comfort me. Even though they still didn't completely understand what was going on, they could tell that I was genuinely upset and they were worried.

Tears budding in their own eyes, they were asking me not to cry anymore. The person that hurt me couldn't get to me anymore, after all, they said.

It took a few minutes, under all the attention I was getting, to calm down.

"T-Thank you… everyone… but I'm sure you must have a lot of questions, right? C-Can we move on to those…?" I suggested, glancing to check Ray again. He didn't meet my eyes, still looking deep in thought, or troubled.

"T-Then… can I ask?" asked Yvette, and I nodded.

Yvette glanced at the letter Emma was still holding with one hand, while the other still rested on my back, "I-I'm still confused, about Norman. Sherry was really sad when Norman left, but how can he still be alive? And how could you and Norman know he wouldn't end up dying when Mama took him away?" she asked me.

Emma jumped in quickly, "Actually, if it's okay, Anna, can I help answer that?" she asked me and I blinked at her in surprise. Assuming I already agreed, she pulled out the notebook I'd showed her when she approached me a couple weeks after Norman's departure; the one that held all of my notes.

Continuing on, the red-head spoke; "In Norman's letter, he said that 'all of us, and the situation we found ourselves born into was a story she had been reading.' Remember?" she reminded everyone, and everyone slowly nodded, "And this is the notebook that she showed Norman, and me, with all her notes she'd taken on what she remembered of the story. Anna, is it okay if the book is passed around?" she looked to me for permission.

I nodded, "Yeah, that's fine," I agreed, and Emma handed it off to the closest person, which was Yvette herself.

"Look at page 8, and the final page in particular! You'll see that Page 8 says 'The King will go on a journey to visit the Ram's cage, and leave with new friends to find the Queen, the Knight and the rest of his old friends.' And on the final page is a glossary explaining what it means." Emma told everyone.

Thoma and Lannion squinted at the book, flipping between the 8th page and the glossary; "So… Norman is the King… Emma is the Queen… and Ray is the Knight…?" Lannion slowly processed as he spoke.

"The Ram's Cage… means Lamba and a bunch of numbers? What's that mean?" Thoma tilted his head.

"It says Lambda 7214. It's the place Norman's been sent to," Nat clarified, leaning over the two from behind.

"Ohhh…." The boys chorused, but they looked like they didn't completely understand just yet. As they went over the notebook a bit longer, Emma piped up,

"So, when Anna was forced to tell Norman the truth, using the notebook the topic of his impending shipment came up, and what's happening to him right now. Norman trusted her word, because her information on Ray being Mama's spy and how his conversation would turn out ended up being accurate. So, then they started working together in secret…" she paused, and lowered her head guiltily;

"I have a question, too, Anna." She told me and I looked to her, feeling a little apprehensive.

"What is it…?" I asked her.

"The plan you and Norman carried out on the day his shipment was announced to us by Mama… why did you let me stay ignorant, there?" she asked me evenly and I flinched.

"I still wasn't ready to-"

"You didn't say a word about what you were doing, and had me run ahead to hide our supplies… Did you know how helpless I felt, when I saw your leg get broken by Mama, and then to hear Norman was getting shipped? I really wish you could have at least told me… even Gilda, Don or Ray about it. Maybe we could have helped you."

"I'm so sorry! I know I should have trusted you. I did trust you. At the time, I think I was only just getting used to Norman knowing the truth, and because I was scared Norman agreed to let me go at my own pace. I should have stepped a bit more out of my comfort zone and told you as well. I really regret it, but I can't change what's already happened…!"

"That's why I promised to be completely honest from now on. I don't want to keep it to myself anymore. I can't keep it to myself anymore." I said, and lowered my head with a frown, "Even if we decide to do things differently using the information I have… and it ends up making some of my information useless because of the changes we make… I don't ever want to lie to you guys again. I want to rely on everyone properly like I should've from the start… I-I hope you can forgive me for being a coward." I felt my voice growing smaller and quieter as I went on as I spoke, my throat feeling tight.

It was quiet within our group as Emma and I faced each other, though I couldn't really look her in the eyes at first.

When I finally managed to look at her again, she had a small smile.

"So long as you understand that you're not alone, now, I think we can forgive you for being afraid. Fear is only natural, and you were put into a scary situation after all." She said gently, "But you know us very well, don't you? Not only did you read our 'story' but now you're a part of it and have grown up alongside us for nine years. From now on, let's share everything and use it to see us through safely. After all, a few changes for the better can't lead to a bad outcome, right?" Emma smiled.

Gilda piped up, "Your information already really helped Norman! If you hadn't told him he'd survive and be able to find us again, he'd have left with Mama feeling so scared." She said.

"And since you had all the steps we needed to prepare for our escape ahead of time, we were able to do more, and felt even more ready. I'm sure you've got even more info to help us avoid danger out here, too, and survive, right? We've got a real fighting chance, now!" Don added enthusiastically, and his enthusiasm seemed to rub off on the others.

Everyone started smiling and looking at each other, feeling a little excited.

"Um… hey, but how is Norman gonna find us in the first place?" Nat asked, and everyone looked at him, smiles slipping from their faces.

"Y-Yeah, that's true! If we wanna avoid being caught we have to keep moving, right? And we don't even know where the place Norman was taken is. Th-there's no way he'll know where to look for us!" Chris nodded, looking frantic.

"Wah, that's right!" Thoma gasped.

"What do we do?!" Lannion cried, grabbing his head.

"Norman won't be able to meet up with us like this…!" Jemima started to cry.

"And what's happening to Norman right now? Is he being hurt…?!" Alicia added, looking worried.

"Whoa, calm down everyone! Anna and Norman made a plan for that already, it's okay!" Don spoke up, moving his arms around to mollify everyone's anxieties.

I hummed, furrowing my brows; "Firstly, in the case of Norman's safety… I'm afraid I never really learnt a lot of what happened while he was at Lambda, since the explanation was pretty basic in the story. However, I do know that he's locked in a room and is going to be taking tests and will be given different kinds of drugs by the people who work there. The side-effects can't be pleasant and if he's there the same amount of time as in the story then he'll have lasting, unpleasant symptoms from what they're doing…" I told them soberly and checked their response.

They all looked worried, the younger ones holding on to each other and the older, lowering their heads.

I sucked in a breath and continued, "However, I have hope that now that I've told him information on how he would come to escape in the story, that he can act on them sooner and with confidence, and escape quicker than he originally did. If Norman can do that, hopefully the symptoms will be lesser or maybe they'll disappear altogether. I'm hoping for that to be so, at least." I added.

That statement seemed to cheer some of them up a bit. Emma smiled,

"Thank you for being honest with us, Anna. We'll have faith in Norman to do that, too." She said, turning to nod to the others occasionally.

Gilda nodded her head, "He is the smartest of all us Gracefield kids. I believe he can do it, too, with Anna's information." She agreed.

"Yeah," Don nodded, "And he and Anna already came up with a plan to help him meet back up with as soon as possible, too!" he said, and looked to me to continue.

I nodded, "Yeah, you guys were wondering how Norman would even find us. It's a good question, since we're going to either be on the move or in hiding to avoid capture. Norman and I came up with a way to track us, that only Norman and I can decipher. It goes like this…" I began, and quickly got to explaining our plan.

I showed them the sketches I made of the Japanese symbols for darkness and light. I also explained to them which ones Norman intended to follow, and which one would be a red herring. For this plan to work, they needed to spread out far away from the actual direction they're heading, so that their pursuers don't just follow the path that has the most symbols placed.

Mark raised his hand, and we let him ask his question.

"But how are we going to spread them out so far? Are you saying we're gonna have to split up?" he asked me.

Yvette nodded in agreement, "I don't want to split up! We need to all stick together…!" she looked scared.

Ray shook his head, "But if we all clump together then it'll be easier to catch us all in one go if they catch up to us. Splitting up temporarily could be the only option we have." He reasoned.

I shook my head, "We're not going to split up." I said decisively and Ray looked to me cautiously.

"If we don't, how are we supposed to even carry out your and Norman's plan, then?" he questioned, and I clenched my fists.

This part of the plan was going to be the hardest to get everyone on board with. How was I going to get them to trust Sonju and Mujika before they've even met them…? The concept of demons who don't want to eat humans would sound just as unbelievable as the fact that I was reincarnated in the first place.

But it was the best idea I came up with, and… well, Norman believed in it, though with hesitance. So maybe I had a shot of convincing everyone here.

"It's a well-established fact that we've come to know by now… that Demons exist, and they eat humans exclusively. We were raised to become their meals for a long time. So, what I'm about to say might sound impossible, but…" I sighed out, and sat up straight, giving them as confident a look as I could muster, "There actually is a demon known as 'evil blooded.' This demon didn't change form no matter what she ate, but also, even if she didn't eat humans, she didn't lose her form or her intelligence. Even today, she refuses to eat humans. And we're going to encounter her and one of her followers, very soon, or we should. I'm hoping things haven't changed enough for us to miss them, because it's important that we do—"

"Wait, wait, hold on a second!" Ray raises his hand to stop me from speaking and my mouth snapped shut; he gives me an even look, "Do you seriously expect us to believe that? Reincarnation is hard enough to believe, but since I've known you my whole life I'm ready to try to understand it. However, do you really think we can trust a demon, all while being hunted down by demons? Anna, really?" he said harshly and I flinched, lowering my head.

Of course, Ray was going to be the hardest to convince on this. He's a realist not an idealist.

A demon that doesn't eat humans? Preposterous, right? It's against everything he's come to know.

I bit my lip, "I know it sounds unbelievable. I know that just my words, on this subject, are not going to be enough to convince you. I… I w-was prepared for that, especially from you, Ray. However, I have confidence in what I remember." I lifted my head to look him in the eye, "If words aren't enough, then actions will speak louder. If you can't trust these demons that you've never met, which is fair, then try to trust—" I paused, feeling my throat tighten, "I-I mean I know I've kept secrets and haven't been entirely truthful with everyone, but… I hope you can all at least try to keep trusting me." I felt my head gradually dip lower as I spoke, finding it hard to look them in the eye again. What happened to that confidence I had only a minute ago?

I felt Emma's hand on my shoulder, "Anna… hey, it's okay. If you say that we can trust them, then I'm sure you've got a reason to say that…" she said, "If nobody else can, I will trust you. Okay?" she added.

I shook my head, "We're… going to run into a wild demon close to night time." I said and everyone flinched at the sudden admission, "I'm not sure if it's tonight, or tomorrow night. But on the same night, our pursuers are also going to catch up to us. If I can safely guide us through this forest, and keep us away from our pursuers until we do encounter the demons who don't eat humans, will I be able to regain everyone's full trust…?" I asked them.

Everyone stared at me, uncertain and looking a little afraid at the prospect of being caught up to and spotted by a wild demon at the same time.

Don glanced around at everyone, before stepping forward first; "Yeah, of course. I'll follow your lead, Anna." He said, giving me an encouraging grin, before glancing over to Gilda.

In response, Gilda nodded and stepped forward as well, "Mmhm! Me too. This'll be a perfect way to put use to your knowledge. And if it all works out, everyone else will be able to believe everything you've said so far, as well, right?" she asked.

Emma beamed, "Yeah! You've got my support as always, too, Anna!" she cheered.

The kids were still all looking at each other, unsure of what to say. As Anna looked over everyone, she looked in Ray's direction and their eyes met.

He lowered his eyes and scrubbed his head in frustration. He looked like he didn't know what to believe in…

(Ray POV)

This morning was turning more and more stressful and confusing as it went on. We're out in the middle of nowhere, not knowing when or where from a demon might jump out and attack us. It's not safe, nor was it a controlled environment.

And yet, Emma and Anna saw fit to drop a bomb on all of us. Well… it seemed maybe Don and Gilda were in on it, too.

It stung that I wasn't included in the people who weren't completely blind-sided by this…

Firstly, apparently, Norman is alive and well. And he wrote us a letter to tell us so.

The more I heard of Norman's letter, the more my stomach dropped. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Reincarnation…? Something like that sounds impossible, like a fantasy. It shouldn't be something I could even be able to begin to accept, and yet… Norman was convinced.

Hearing it from Norman, who didn't make up silly imaginary stories, should make for convincing evidence, but for some reason, it still wasn't enough.

I was still having issues with believing it, and then Anna said that she expects us to believe that there are demons out there who won't lose their shape or intelligence without consuming humans, and what's more, she expects us to trust information this unbelievable.

Of course, I'm going to struggle to just outright believe it… even though I want to believe in her. It hurts to deny her, but while my heart wants one thing, my head doesn't want to comply.

I licked my lips, and let out a deep sigh.

If she wants me to trust something so risky… she first has to fully convince me on her first confession.

If my life has really been just a story that she read until she was… reborn here… then could she know about that? The one thing I've never admitted to anyone.

"Tell me something that nobody else here should know about me. Something that I've never told anyone. If you can do that… then I'll put all of my trust in you." I told Anna, facing her.

She looked startled, but gave my words some thought. Her eyes fell to the floor, as she pressed her fingers together and contemplated her answer.

Suddenly, she looked like she made a decision. It was a decision she made quickly. Or maybe she already expected a question like this. I'm not sure which it was, but she stepped towards me decisively.

"I have something… but I'm not sure you even want this out in the open for everyone, yet, so I'll whisper it in your ear, okay…?" she said softly.

I nodded, and turned my head for her to reach my ear, leaning down slightly.

She stepped closer, till I felt her breath on my ear. I closed my eyes as I waited for her to say it.

And then she said it in a whisper; "Mama, Isabella is your birth mother. You've known it since you heard her lullaby from inside her stomach."

Reflexively, I grabbed her wrist and turned to look at her, eyes wide.

"How did you…?!" My words died out as soon as they left me, and my shoulders went slack. My grip on her wrist loosened too as I kept staring at her.

She smiled gently, "I won't tell them if you don't want them to know, but was that enough?" she asked hopefully.

I gulped… and prepared myself to answer…

onigiriri: I.. I am so sorry that it's taken me over four months to update this fic! I hope you're all still there...! I've been going through a really rough patch with my physical and mental health, and we've got a cancer diagnosis in the family. They're getting treatment and are on the mend, so that's good, but suffice to say, I've been very preocuppied. And this chapter was so, so stressful to write. I didn't even get everything I wanted to include written within my word limit. This chapter is already nearly 7000 words, 2000 over my usual goal. I'll do my best to get the next chapter out sooner than last time, especially with that cliffhanger. I'm so sorry I had to cut it there! _;

I hope you'll leave me some encouraging words in a review. It's the readers that keep me from giving up altogether when things are tough right now! xxxxxxxxx