Notes: Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but thank you for you patience and all the passionate comments. It's always nice to get feedback from readers telling us we're horrible people :) Now, just so you all know, we are almost done with this story! There are about 2-3 chapters left, and then we'll post a series of one shots that will be sort of like mini-epilogues. Thanks for sticking with us, and enjoy!
Newt's POV
After I leave the room, Nicola is there with her arms crossed with a frown on her face.
"What the hell do you think you are doing, Newt Scamander!" She snaps at me.
I stare at her in shock because Nicola rarely gets upset with me. In fact, I can't recall a time she's ever been upset with me.
"What have I done wrong?" I ask her, and she shakes her head with disbelief.
"What do you mean, what have you done wrong!? Kaimana does not deserve this kind of treatment! She has does nothing wrong, and you know it! She made a few illegal smugglers that were harming innocent creatures and selling them amongst the black market forget their memories! So what! Wizards do that all the time to muggles! Merlin, even you've done it! I have seen you do it with my own two eyes! So why are you treating Kai like she is some kind of horrible monster? How is she ever supposed to trust wizards and witches again, when every time she does something that's within her nature they punish her, and treat her like she's this evil creature that doesn't deserve to be alive?!" Nicola snaps at me. I stumble away from the angry witch and fall to my knees.
"You of all people should know that creatures are dangerous when they feel threatened. If I was in Kai in that warehouse I would have done the same exact thing! No, I would have done worse to those horrible men! They were going to kill you all, and do worse to the poor creatures. Kaimana saved you, Alexios, and those creatures, but instead of thanking her you gag her and tie her to a chair! Then you have the nerve to tell her she can never be trusted to be around people again? What is wrong with you? How can you do that to someone you care about? Did you even bother to ask Kai what she was feeling, or hear her out at all?" Nicola finally stops yelling, and all I can do is stare at her through the blurry tears I'm not bothering to hide.
"You—you weren't there. You didn't see her, Nicola. She was out of control, she could have killed someone!" I choke out.
"But she didn't, Newt. She didn't kill anyone. She was more in control than you give her credit for. Just admit that you forgot she was a siren, and you're scared of her power." Nicola snaps, her usually kind eyes narrowed with fury. "I thought you loved and accepted all creatures, regardless of their dangerous natures. I thought you were better than this, Newt Scamander."
I hang my head and stare at the wooden floorboards. I don't know if she's right. Maybe I was too harsh with Kai. But how can I trust that she won't go around killing people at her whim? I look up at Nicola in desperation and ask her just that. She shakes her head and watches me with a sad, disappointed gaze.
"Newt, you knew that she was a siren when you saved her, and you knew of her power. We've dealt with stronger and more powerful creatures before, and that never stopped you. You are covered in scars from creatures that have hurt you, but you never once turned your back on them. So why now? Why have you given up on Kai when all she did was try to save you? Tell me this: when she attacked those smugglers, what had they done to you?" She asks me, and I look down at my hands.
"They took my suit case and had us all locked in cages," I murmur.
"So, she was trying to protect the man she loves, and the creatures he holds most dear. Newt, has Kai ever sung to you before?" She asks, and I shake my head no.
"When I first found her, she had lost her voice, and we only just recently fixed it." I tell Nicola, and she frowns.
"I'm guessing having not sung in so long on top of the stress of what was happening was just too much for her." Nicola says, and I stare at her, dumbfounded. Oh Merin, what have I done? I never even thought about Kai, or how she felt. How could I treat her this way? Didn't we just tell her how aurors and smugglers refuse to see past the dangerous natures of magical creatures? I am no better than them.
"How do I fix this, Nicola?" I ask, putting my head in my hands. The witch sighs and sinks down to the floor to sit beside me.
"Newt, I know this is uncharted territory for you, and I know that you're scared, but… isn't she worth it? Isn't it worth fighting for her?" She asks, gently.
"I don't know. I just don't know anymore. I thought I knew her. But I'm not sure now. I never thought she could be capable of…" I trail off, and Nicola sighs.
"You thought she was amazing and perfect and now you know she's not, you feel upset and betrayed." She summed up, frowning disdainfully. I grimace and nod.
"I really do blind myself when it comes to creatures don't I?" I ask rhetorically. Nicola hums thoughtfully.
"Yes, and it didn't help when she's a beautiful one at that. However, even creatures have flaws," She says, and I rub my forehead wearily. She's right. Of course, she's right.
"What do I do? I don't want Kai to hate me." I say desperately.
"First off, you are going to untie her and make sure she doesn't have any injuries. Then, you are going into the suitcase where you both feel more comfortable, and then you are going to talk. And I mean really talk. Talk about what happened, about your feelings for each other, and about what you really want from each other, because I have a sneaking suspicion that you two never did that." Nicola says drily.
"Okay. Yes, you're right. I'll go talk to her." I concede, and Nicola gives me a wide smile.
"Good." She says, and leans forward to give me a kiss on the cheek. "Take care of her, Newt Scamander. I wish you luck."
"Thank you, Nicola." I give her a grateful smile and stand up to go get Kai.
I walk through the store to the back room, trying to ignore the anxiety roiling in my stomach. When I open the door, Kai is exactly where I left her. Her arms are strained from being tied tightly behind her back, and her head hangs forward, letting her black hair fall in front of her face like a curtain. She doesn't look up when I enter room. I step closer to her slowly, like I would with a scared or wounded animal.
"Kai?" I ask softly, my voice shaking slightly. She flinches, a clear indication that she's awake, but she doesn't look up.
"Are we leaving now?" She asks, and my heart breaks at the defeated tone in her voice. How could I have done this to her? I caused her so much pain, just because I was scared and it didn't occur to me that she might be too.
"Not yet Kai. I would like for us to go back to my suitcase and talk to each other, because I think we need to work some things out first." I say, slowly untying the ropes around her wrists. I notice she has dark red markings from where someone had tied too tightly. I cringe and skim my fingers over the bruises. She finally looks up at me, and it takes a huge amount of willpower not to start crying. Her eyes look dark and broken, like they will never be happy again.
I swallow thickly and gently coax her to stand up. She follows obediently as I lead her back to the suitcase. It suddenly occurs to me how long she's been out of the water, and I'm hit with yet another wave of guilt. I wrap my fingers loosely around her wrist, pulling her into the suitcase and back to her pond.
Kai slides gratefully into the water, instantly looking stronger and more relaxed. I fold my legs beneath me and settle by the edge of the water, remaining silent as she swims. I stare down at my hands, clasped tightly in my lap. How do I begin to fix this?
I trail my fingers in the water to get Kai's attention, gesturing for her to come closer. She does, but very, very reluctantly. Her head peeks out of the water, and I watch her sadly.
"Please come closer, I won't hurt you Kai." I promise. She moves closer, still looking at me with those haunted eyes.
"I am sorry about how we treated you. You were saving us and the creatures, and we treated you like a monster, as though we ourselves haven't done worse. I am so, so sorry Kai. I should have listened to your side of the story." I tell her, and a tear falls onto my lap.
Kai frowns and swims to the edge of the pond. She holds out her hand, and at first I think she's going to touch me, but then Pickett walks across my arm onto her out stretched hand. Part of me is relieved to see it; if Pickett's comfortable with her that must mean he truly believes she isn't a threat.
"Kai, please talk to me," I plead, and she glances up at me as she pets Pickett.
"How could you ever think I could hurt you or anyone else? Yes, I made those evil wizards lose their memories, but they were going to kill you Newt. They were going to hurt your creatures! How could I sit back and let that happen when I have the power to stop it? I admit, I lost control, but did I even once direct my powers towards you or Alexios?" She asks me, her voice tight with anger and hurt.
"No, you never used your powers against me." I say softly. Kai clenches her jaw and turns away, cuddling Pickett to her chest.
"I would never hurt you, Newt." She whispers, and moves away. She sets Pickett on her shoulder and floats listlessly in the water. I sigh, trying to come up with something to say to make her forgive me. But then, how can she trust me if I don't completely trust her? Maybe we should start doing trust falls.
"Kai? I'm sorry, okay. I don't know what you want... I don't understand you, but I'm trying, I promise. We're going to be living together in this suitcase for at least a few more months, we need to learn to get along." I plead with her. She frowns and swims over to me again.
"You need to understand that yes, I am a siren, but I am also an intelligent person. I have control over myself, and you need to learn to see me as me. Not just some creature, and not just another one of you wizards, because I am neither. I am Kaimana, and that is all I'll ever be." She snarls.
I stare at her, dumbfounded. She's right. At first, I only saw her as a creature, and then once she got her legs I forgot that she wasn't just human like me.
"You're right. I need to learn to see you as who you are. Just Kaimana, and nothing else. I promise I will try my hardest." I promise her.
A flicker of emotion shines through in her eyes, and she nods. She hands back Pickett, and he pats my hand. I smile down at him.
"That is all I can ask for I guess. However, I think you and I need some time to think before we speak again. Please tell the others goodbye from me," Kai says, then swims to the very bottom of the pond.
I just sigh and stand up. I guess we made a little improvement. I turn and make my way up to the ladder, glancing back once at Kai's pond to see her watching me with an unfathomable gaze that disappear quickly.
I shake my head and exit the suitcase, snapping it shut once I'm back at the shop. I take a second to compose myself, putting on a calm façade that contradicts how I really feel. With one last deep, fortifying breath, I go in search of my friends.
I find them grouped together in the front of the store arguing. Well, actually Nicola and Alexios are arguing, Clarisse is standing by watching them with amusement. I approach cautiously, not at all keen to be on the receiving end on Nicola's wrath again today.
"—don't care Nicola! She's dangerous! Who's to say she won't snap and kill us all!" Alexios is saying as Nicola glares daggers at him, her mouth pressed into a thin line.
"She will not! She isn't crazy, Alexios! She acted the way any creature would if they felt threatened! And she didn't kill anyone!" She snaps, cutting him off.
"But she's not a creature! She is a sentient being, capable of making rational decisions!" Alexios shoots back.
"Of course, she's a creature! She's not like you Alexios, she's not part human. She is a magical creature, even if she seems human." I snap at him. "And it was foolish of us to treat her that way." Nicola looks over at me with something like pride, and smiles a little.
"I am glad you have realized that Newt," She says. I offer her a tired smile and run a hand through my hair.
"Actually, it took Kai pointing it out to me for me to finally understand," I say, and glance at Alexios. He looks really mad, but also slightly conflicted.
"I know how you feel, but she didn't kill anyone." I tell him, and he groans.
"Look she scared me okay! I couldn't do anything, and I didn't know if she was going after us or them. Nymphs instinctively distrust sirens, and for good reason." He says defensively, and Clarisse smirks at him.
"Kind of like how Kai instinctively uses her siren powers when she was in a dangerous situation?" She points out, and Alexios looks down at his feet.
"Yeah, kind of like that." He mumbles, frowning deeply.
Nicola grins triumphantly and I try not to smile.
"Well, as nice as it was seeing you all again, I'm afraid I have to be off again." I announce, changing the subject before they started arguing again. I truly do wish I could stay longer, but the sooner we get to America the better, I think. Nicola makes a distressed noise and suddenly pulls me into a hug.
"Aww, it was good to see you too, Newt. Don't be a stranger, okay? Promise you'll visit again?" She asks.
"Of course." I say, and pat her gently on the back.
"Wait, Newt. Before you leave for America, I think—I think there's something else you need to see." Clarisse interjects, looking uncharacteristically worried. I frown and step away from Nicola.
"What's happened?" I ask. Clarisse bites her lip, and pulls out a note from her pocket.
"This just came to me the other day… it's bad." She says, and hands me the note. As I read it, the bottom drops out of my stomach.
"An Obscurus? In Sudan? Are they absolutely positive that's what it is?" I ask, panic creeping into my voice. Clarisse nods gravely.
"How can that be?! There hasn't been a sighting in years!" Alexios protests.
"I don't know. One of my friends who lives there says their village keeps getting attacked by a "powerful dark force". The muggles are freaking out, they don't know what to do. The local wizards are pretty sure it's an Obscurus, but they have no idea where it's coming from." Clarisse explains, looking pale and distressed.
"What do you want me to do?" I ask, "I've never seen an Obscurus before, and there's very little documented about them."
"I know, but Newt… If anyone can do something it's you." She says, and I shake my head.
"But you know I couldn't do anything! There's no way to stop it! All you could do is find the host and—" I stop speaking, fighting back the bile that suddenly rises in my throat.
"No, I'm not saying that, Newt. All I'm saying is that if anyone can find a way to save the host, it would be you." Clarisse says. I take a shaky breath.
"I-I will see what I can do but I don't know if I will be any help. I've never dealt with anything like this before." I tell them, but Clarisse tries to smile reassuringly. It doesn't quite work.
"I have faith in you. Keep me informed on everything okay?" She says, and I nod. I give them all hugs, and Alexios offers me a weak smile.
"Will you tell Kai I'm sorry?" He asks.
"Of course." I promise. "She wanted me to tell you all goodbye, and that she is truly sorry."
"There is nothing to be sorry for, but tell her we will miss her." Nicola says, and I grab my case.
How am I going to explain this to Kai? Yet another side journey, one that will likely end very, very badly. I bite the inside of mu cheek and give everyone a slightly forced grin.
"I'll see you guys soon. Take care of yourselves, and try not to get caught by any aurors, yeah?" I say. Nicola laughs.
"We'll do our best. Take care of Kai, I hope it all works out for you." She adds, with a gentle smile.
"Me too. Goodbye everyone." I nod once to my friends before disapparating with a twist, wondering when, or if, I'll get to see them again.