In Death's Abode

"Whoa."

When Sharina said they were going to her place, Newt assumed she lived in the rundown apartments towards the island's north side. It was where he stayed when he was in college, or where he stayed in his first year of college to be exact, as he was barely through his second. His reason for his baseless assumption? Newt had no idea either. Maybe he thought a twenty-something-year-old individual like herself won't have been able to afford something decent with a meager salary from the moderately paying jobs on the island. Nonetheless, he was more than surprised to stumble over a pair of red heels in the middle of a maisonette overlooking a cluster of trees that led to the island's port.

"My parents bought this when we first moved here." Sharina bent over to gather her shoes. "After they left, I opted to take the house and stay."

"How much did they get this for?"

Sharina hesitated for a second, her lips twitching with what Newt thought was sorrow. "Probably over a million dollars."

"Over a million?" Newt asked, mouth agape.

"Yeah, we got lucky before we moved."

Sensing a 'stop asking me questions or I'll break every bone in your body' tone from her, Newt tried to change the topic. "My parents would probably find it hard leaving me to my own devices in a house like this."

"Why is that? You threw a party when they weren't around?"

"Nah, if I did that, they'd never let me leave the house again," Newt smiled briefly before his face contorted back into a blank frown. "Let's just say, my parents, are overly overprotective."

"Yet here you are, embarking on a bullshit quest to save millions of bullshit lives."

Looking up at her from where he stood, he saw that she had reclined in a large chair an earshot away. "You can't force a child down your path and expect it to listen to you."

"Didn't realize you were an object," she pointed out his mistake, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "Unnatural from our very own einstein junior."

"How-?"

"Did I know?" Sharina shrugged, finishing his sentence. "Other than the fact your face is practically on every education-related poster or flyer?"

Grunting Newt dropped into a chair, his body tired. "When did you figure it out?"

"That's not important at the moment, Newt." She cast him a worried look. "Get some rest, you look like a fucking zombie."

"Could say the same about you."

Sharina stood. "I'll sleep in my room. You can crash on the couch."

"I don't get a room?"

"We may be tied by this whole 'host of the gods' shit, but we are still practically strangers."

"Yet we snuck into Jack's house unannounced."

"Fuck Jack."

Laughing, Newt stretched his arms out. "I hope you aren't still angry over your fight."

"Of course I'm still pissed off. He acts so damn unconcerned about everything." She frowned. "But he's in that hospital because I took it too far."

"Yes. Yes, you did."

"And here I was, thinking you wanted to console me," she scoffed.

"If I did, would you stop blaming yourself?"

Her mouth flapped open but shut as fast as she opened it. Looking away, a scowl appeared on her face.

"Thought as much." Newt sat up, staring at the older woman. "No one could have predicted what was coming, you know. And it could have been either one of us."

"Now you console me," Sharina rolled her eyes. "I hope he'll be fine. And safe."

"Yeah, we may need to take him with us."

"In his current state? Are you mad?"

"What do you suggest we do then?"

"One of us checks upon him from time to time," she crossed her arms, seemingly flipping through the few options they had in her head.

"And in the likely scenario when they wait for you to leave?"

"How about the one where he dies after another attack?"

Now it was Newt's turn to be at a loss for words.

"We can protect him."

"You're the one with knowledge about the myths," Sharina snapped. "You've forgotten how dangerous they can be?"

"So what do you suggest we do, damn it."

Locking eyes with her, Newt saw the worry and desperation she had slung over her shoulders. He knew no matter what he said, her anxiety won't leave until she had fixed what she felt she had caused.

"We figure it out after we've rested," he finally concluded. "There's no point in tiring ourselves out with worry."

Realizing the argument was going nowhere, Sharina heaved out a breath of discontent and stood up to leave.

"Mind getting me a pillow?" Newt requested, patting the armrest of the couch. "This looks like it might give me a neck ache."

Sharina lifted a brow and looked over at him. "It's not that I don't trust you, you know. You've saved my life twice now anyway." Hesitant, she struggled to finish whatever she was meaning to say. "It's just-"

Shaking his head, Newt shut his eyes. "It's fine, you don't have to explain anything. I'll take the couch."

"But-"

"Sharina." Newt's eyes snapped open to drill into hers. "It's fine. I can tell it's something that happened to you once before, so I won't push it". He felt his eyes drooping the moment he leaned into the chair the second time. The fatigue that had been accumulating in his body suddenly dropped on him like a sledgehammer. "I was just joking anyway. The couch probably trumps your beds. But I still want a pillow."

He couldn't see her face, but he had a feeling she was smiling and staring at him with gratitude. He felt strangely elated by the thought.

"Let's just hope those damned monsters leave us alone for a few hours."

"Seems unlikely," Newt played the pessimist. "We'll face whatever comes next together and help that anti-social cunt. But you said it yourself. Rest first."

"I know, dad."

"Oh shut up."

And with that, the duo shared a laugh before Sharina headed off. Newt listened to her echoing footsteps as she made her way out of the living room into a small hallway that held the stairs.

"She blames herself."

Newt sighed. "Who wouldn't?"

And with that Newt drifted off, worries and problems buried, but not forgotten.