Sweets and Scares

"One moment she's sweet."

"And the next…"

"Sh-She scares me!"

Hope woke up early the next morning, ready to take on the day regardless of the dreams and the voices. With Hugo at her side, Hope walked out from the infirmary and carefully toward the kitchen. Once inside, the sunrise illuminated the space as she kneeled down in front of a cloth-covered cupboard. She took out the "secret bowl" before taking a peek underneath the towel covering the top. Similarly, Hope smiled proudly upon seeing the fruit of her labor still perfectly intact.

"You see that, Hugo?" Hope whispered to her furry-friend. "We did it!"

"Awo!" Hugo quietly howled in happiness.

"However, we still need two more things for this to work," Hope said with a serious expression on her face. "And I think they might be the hardest to do…"

Hugo tilted his head. "Woof?"

"We need permission and… a hiding spot."

You see, Hope's plan was simple: she wanted to make chocolate-covered strawberries as a treat for Frypan. You know, to thank him for everything he had done and would continue to do for the Glade. However, the two last parts of Hope's plan were the trickiest to accomplish, because she still needed the strawberries and to cover the strawberries with the chocolate. Hence, Hope needed to get out of her shy shell and ask for strawberries, and she needed to find the time and space to secretly make the chocolate-covered strawberries.

So after she'd stashed her secret bowl of chocolate back into the cupboard, Hope exited the kitchen with Hugo following along. She walked across the open fields of the Glade, basking in the beautiful light-blue and pink sky. Although, that sky was only to distract Hope from her second-to-last destination: the Garden. Since it was so early in the morning, not many boys had awoken yet, so Hope and Hugo were quite alone. That fact came to Hope's aid, however, in spite of the anxiety she was already feeling. Having more people around would simply make her more scared to ask.

Once at her destination, Hope stared down at the red, triangle-shaped fruit. They looked perfect. More than perfect, really. They looked so plump and juicy - ready to be plucked and eaten. Nonetheless, there Hope was. There she was, staring down at the delicious, harmless fruit with such uneasiness in her eyes.

"I-I'll have to ask Zart, right?" Hope queried to no one in particular. "Or, maybe, Alby? Maybe even Newt? O-Oh geez, I don't know. And what if they say no? Then I'd just be a nuisance! Ugh! I really didn't think this through, did-"

"Do you normally talk to yourself?"

"Ah…!" Hope let out a loud yelp after she'd heard an unexpected voice from behind her. She snapped her body around, her eyes wide with shock, before her face reddened like a freaking strawberry. "N-Newt?!"

"Easily scared, I see," Newt muttered, looking the girl up and down worriedly. "Sorry, though. I didn't mean to scare you."

"N-No… I'm sorry…" Hope scoffed at herself. "My goodness. I really need to get a grip."

"But, um… What're you doing staring longingly at the strawberries?" Newt then asked, making Hope's face redden even more.

"W-Well, I was… Um… Y-Y'know, just sightseeing."

Newt snorted. "If you like 'sightseeing' so much, maybe you should take a look at the corn. They're really yellow right now."

"I… bet they are," Hope murmured as she started fiddling with her fingers. "I, uh…"

"…You've been here for two weeks now, and you're still shy around us?" Newt eventually sighed after seeing Hope at a loss for words. "Seriously, Greenie. You're the shyest person I think I'll ever meet."

Hope gulped. "S-Sorry…"

"Hey, I… I didn't mean it as a bad thing," Newt assured with his own gulp. He then, noticing the actual uncertainty in her wavering eyes, took a step closer. "Um… Did something happen?"

"N-Not necessarily, no," Hope stammered out. "I just… Well…"

"Well, you're obviously worried about something."

"I-It's nothing… really."

"But it's still something."

"Uh…"

"C'mon," Newt urged. "Tell me what's botherin' you."

Upon hearing his soft tone, Hope finally looked back up at Newt. There, she saw his brown eyes staring down into hers, a sincere worry swirling within them. The look made Hope's stomach twist, because she'd realized that her inability to ask her simple question was making her a nuisance to Newt. The reason she was afraid of asking was because she didn't want to be a nuisance, but… But if her anxiety was making Newt look so anxious himself, then…

"N-Newt," Hope continued to stare into Newt's eyes, "can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?" Newt said in a questioning voice, prompting Hope to let out a huff.

"B-But please, tell me if I'm out-of-line by asking you this."

"Uhm…" Newt nodded. "Sure."

"Okay, so…" Hope took a deep breath in… and… out. "CanIusesomeofyourstrawberries? Please?"

Newt blinked.

Newt blinked twice.

Three times.

Four times.

Five times.

And, on the sixth blink, Newt shook his head. "I'm sorry - what?"

"C-Can I," Hope bit her lip, "usesomeofyourstrawberries?"

"Hope…" Newt scoffed, giving the girl a strained smile. "You gotta talk slower. You sound like you're drunk."

"Ah, geez… Okay, okay, sorry…" Hope apologized and then took another deep breath. She straightened herself, looked straight into Newt's eyes, and asked her question. Slower this time. "Can I… please pick… some… of your… strawberries?"

"Oh…" Newt muttered, finally understanding her question. However, once he understood, he didn't understand something else. "Wait, wait, wait. You were all worried like that because of… strawberries?"

"I-I know it's stupid!" Hope spluttered. "Like, super-duper stupid! S-Still, I… I don't know! I just don't know how to interact with people and ask them things! It's stupid, I know, a-and I'll try to work on-!"

"Hey, hey, hey! It's fine!" Newt interjected the girl's self-deprecating rant. "I'm not, like, angry or anything! All you did was ask a question, for God's sake!"

"I… I know, but…" Hope turned her head downward. "But I…"

"You can't be selfish forever."

Hope's dreams had started to… do things to her.

They weren't dreams anymore.

They weren't just voices in her head.

They had started becoming nightmares.

Nightmares so dark that they started…

They started to find their way into Hope's day.

She couldn't escape them even when she woke up.

Newt noticed the anxiety in Hope's eyes turn into something new. Something different. Something more… powerful than simple anxiety. Within her eyes, Newt saw fear and something equivalent to sadness. He watched as her shoulders slumped, her face pale, and her hands fidget; there was obviously something wrong with her, but… did he have the right to ask? He saw what answering his first question did to Hope, so maybe… maybe he should let this one slide. So, instead, Newt said something that could possibly make the scared girl feel better.

"…You can take some strawberries," Newt ultimately said, making Hope immediately whip her head back up.

"R-Really?! Wow, thank-"

"But only if you tell me why," Newt interrupted her once more. "Look, even though I haven't known you for long, I can tell that you're not the type of person to ask for something. Not personally, at least. These strawberries that you want… aren't for you. They're for someone else, right?"

"I-I…" Hope gawked up at Newt. "H-How did you…"

"So, who're they for?" Newt's smirked deepened. "Someone special?"

Hope thought for a moment "Well, you could say that…"

"Hold up, what?" Newt's smirk fell the moment Hope said this. He stared down at her, wide-eyed, not thinking that his joke was actually the truth. "W-Who… Who's the shank you're givin' them to?"

"Sh-Should I… tell you, though?" Hope inquired. "It's supposed to be a surprise."

"If you don't tell me," Newt let the intrusive thoughts win, "then I won't give you the strawberries."

"S-Say what?!" Hope yelped in bewilderment. "Th-That's…"

"C'mon, Greenbean…" Newt furthered. "Tell me the info. All of it."

"O-Oh man…" Hope sighed in defeat. "Well, it seems that I can't keep secrets, either."

"I love it. Let me help." After Hope had - guiltily - blurted out her plan to Newt, his first reaction was just that: a helping hand. At first, she detested the idea and didn't want to take up Newt's time. Hope knew that he was second-in-command, so he had an already busy day ahead of him. However, Newt was adamant. And adamantly was kinda Hope's weakness - she merely didn't have the willpower or desire to argue. Hence, before Hope even knew it, Newt had picked some strawberries and the duo (or, well, trio if you counted Hugo) was now heading back to the kitchen.

"Okay… Here is it…" Hope said, taking her secret bowl of chocolate out from its hiding place. She placed it onto the wooden counter, took off the towel, and showed Newt the contents. "And, yeah, I know it looks kinda weird. But trust me when I say it's really good."

"And you said it's "chocolate," right?" Newt asked dubiously, prompting Hope to nod.

"Yep! Here, use this spoon to taste a little."

"Okay…" Newt murmured as he took the silver spoon in hand. Then, he dipped the spoon into the liquidy-chocolate and hesitantly put it in his mouth. It didn't take long, though, for his face to scrunch up. "Th-This is really, uh…"

"It's bitter, I know," Hope remarked with a smile. "However, when that bitterness is paired with sweet strawberries, it's a match made in Heaven! …Or, at least, I think it is."

"You… think?" Newt put his spoon down, eyeing the girl curiously. "If you don't know that, then… Wait, how did you even think this up in the first place?"

Hope sighed. "H-Honestly, it's a long and strange story."

"Heh, got it," Newt chucked and then put his hands on his hips. "So, what do we do now, Chef? Tell me what to do."

"Well, first off, we need to quickly cover all of these strawberries in the chocolate; preferably before Frypan wakes up," Hope explained. "And, once we're done, we need to let them sit for a little bit, so we need a place to stash them."

"And that cupboard doesn't seem large enough…" Newt concurred. "Maybe we could put them in your room? In the infirmary? No one goes in there."

"Yeah, that could work," Hope agreed. "Still, we need to get going on this. Frypan wakes up earlier than most."

"Great." Newt smiled. "Then let's get started."

The two then started dipping the strawberries in the chocolate, Hugo idly watching them from afar. But once the two started getting rows of chocolate-covered strawberries, Hope had an idea to spice things up a little. She took some assorted nuts from the counter, crushed them, and started sprinkling them on top, even adding some extra sugar to some. While, on the other hand, Newt had a blast watching Hope getting all excited over food. He had never seen anyone so immersed in something before, and it was almost inspiring to watch her work. Therefore, the two finished dipping and decorating the strawberries rather quickly. They carefully transported the trays to Hope's room, and once they'd completed their mission, stood in the center of that room with proud looks on their faces.

"That was actually really fun!" Hope gushed joyfully. "Thank you so much, Newt! You were a great help."

"Hey, it's you who's doing a good deed here," Newt said in an appreciative tone. "You deserved the help."

"I just hope that Frypan will like them…" Hope said worriedly, but then shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if he doesn't like them, we have tons of leftover chocolate for the others."

"Pffft, yeah, there's more than enough," Newt snickered. "But, hey, I'll at least eat them. I personally know how hard you worked, so."

After hearing Newt's words, Hope smiled to herself and moved to walk toward a singular tray of chocolate-covered strawberries. She picked them back up, strode back over to Newt, and held the tray out to him. "And I know how hard you worked, so please, taste one of them."

"Hope, that's…" Newt shook his head. "No. You don't need to."

"No, I really do," Hope claimed. "Besides, I need a taste-tester. I mean, if they're not even good before they're set, what's the point?"

"Again, I will eat them regardless," Newt acknowledged before giving Hope one last look. "But… you're sure it's okay?"

Hope nodded without hesitation. "Of course! You helped make them, so it's only right!"

"Alright, then…" Newt murmured as he deliberately picked up a strawberry by its green stem. And when he saw the chocolate dripping from it, he quickly put it in his mouth and took a large bite. However, it only took a few bites… for Newt to freeze. "Wow."

"W-What…?" Hope stuttered, instantly thinking the worst. "Is the 'wow' a good or a bad 'wow'?"

"It's…" Newt's smile returned. It's a really good 'wow'! This is amazing, Hope!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Hope sighed in relief. "You had me worried for a- Hey!"

"Sorry, but I'm eating the rest of these," Newt declared after snatching the tray of strawberries from Hope. Furthermore, once he had seemingly finished his first strawberry, picked up another one and jammed it into his mouth. "These are seriously amazing, Hope. I owe you one for thinkin' up these."

Hope whispered to herself. "Thank whatever woman's in my head, not me."

Nevertheless, Hope was glad. She was glad that her plan had worked out, and that she'd accomplished making someone smile. It might not have been Frypan, but at least it was someone. Likewise, seeing Newt so happy made Hope even happier. While he cowed down on his desserts, there was a glow in his eyes that she'd never seen before. Truthfully, it made his handsome features evermore charming. Hope had barely seen Newt during her two weeks in the Glade, being that she was mostly in the kitchen and that Newt was super busy, so it was nice to see him.

It was… calming.

"Hey…" All of a sudden, Newt stopped eating and stared directly at Hope. "You got… chocolate on your face."

"I-I do?" Hope questioned almost immediately. "Where?"

"It's right… Well… Um…" When Hope tried to clean her face, Newt could only watch in uneasiness as she continued to fail to find it; she basically wiped everywhere except for the spot with chocolate on it. Therefore, feeling bad for the girl, Newt put down his tray and took a step closer to Hope. He licked his thumb before reaching out to her. "Here, let me…"

But right when Hope noticed the hand moving toward her face…

"Sh-She scares me!"

It happened.

"N-No…!" Hope screamed, instinctively flinching away and covering her face with her arms. "I'm sorry!"

Newt stopped: he retracted his hand and just stood there. For a few moments, Newt watched as Hope cowered in front of him, unable to say anything to her. She was shaking and… so very afraid. All he had done was reach toward her face, but for Hope, it was different. It was more than a simple gesture.

Hope realized this as well. After a few moments of silence passed, Hope realized what she had done. Her eyes widened in shock, while her body slowly relaxed as well. But not "relaxing" in the good sense, no. She was relaxing in spite of the numbness she felt. The numbness caused by her fear and confusion.

Why was she so scared?

And why… did she apologize?

"…H-Hope," Newt spoke up after seeing Hope's arms fall to her sides, "I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?"

Hope could only shake her head, her eyes glued to her feet.

"Then…" Newt gulped. "Why did you-"

"I don't know," Hope said without a thought in her head. "I-I don't… I don't know."

But before Newt could respond…

"Yo, Hope! You awake in there?!" Just then, Frypan's voice sounded through the infirmary. Both of them immediately turned toward the door, seeing Frypan's outline through the wood. "C'mon! We gotta get preppin'!"

"Y… Yeah! Sure thing!" Hope somehow managed to squeak out. Then, with a second-long glance at Newt, Hope said her goodbye. "S-Sorry, Newt. I'll see you later. Thanks again for the help!"

"Sure…" Newt watched sadly as Hope ran out of the infirmary. Right when Hugo was about to leave as well, though, the dog stopped right in the doorway. He turned his pointy-eared head around, staring his equally dark brown eyes into Newt's. The two shared a wordless stare for few seconds… before Hugo turned back around and followed after Hope. In response, Newt could only let out a huff. "What the hell just happened?"

Hope's dreams were starting to change into nightmares, and those nightmares were starting to seep into her day-to-day life. Hope didn't know what to do, so instead of facing it, she distracted herself. But, on the other hand, Newt was curious. He too tried to distract himself, yet his brain kept going back to Hope's petrified reaction. What was she scared of, he wondered. Was it me… or something else?