Chapter 1
I was the new kid in school, currently attending Fairy Tail Academy with my older brothers, Sting and Laxus. I sat in the driver's seat of the car, waiting for my brothers and Rogue Cheney, a boy Sting befriended since grade school, to get in the car. Laxus looked through the driver's window and frowned at me.
"Look, kiddo, I understand you just got your license and all but there is no way in hell I am letting you drive us to school."
I matched his frown. "I'm only three years younger than you, Laxus-nii. Besides, I'm the new kid this year. I need to show people they can't pick on me anymore. You can't keep bailing me out of fights." I whined, resting my head against the steering wheel.
"Luce, no one can know you're famous. No one knows who Sting and I are, so that goes for you, too. I know that's going to be hard," He reasoned. "Remember you are forbidden to sing or participate in Choir classes outside the studio or the gym. In other words, stay in disguise. And remember to keep your wig on. Plus, you can't wear your stage extensions to school," he scolded as he carefully unclipped one of my precious red extensions out.
"Point taken," I sighed, knowing he was right. I scooted over to the passenger side as Sting and Rogue hopped in the back. "Morning you two!" I smiled at them.
"Morning…" they grumbled.
I giggled as Laxus started up the car, and we made our way to the school. I turned up the radio as one of my songs came on.
"Up next ladies and gentlemen, is Lucy Ashley's latest single 'Mean'. The song was inspired by her childhood of always being alone and no one wanting to be next to her. Her lack of friendship as a child made her strong in her voice, so here it is!"
You, with your words like knives You can take me down with just one single blow Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city You, with your switching sides I bet you got pushed around Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city And I can see you years from now in a bar All you are is mean But someday I'll be living in a big ol' city Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city (Why you gotta be so...)
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again
Got me feeling like I'm nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I'm wounded
You picking on the weaker man
But you don't know, what you don't know...
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation
You have pointed out my flaws again
As if I don't already see them
I walk with my head down
Trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you
I just wanna feel okay again
Somebody made you cold
But the cycle ends right now
'Cause you can't lead me down that road
And you don't know, what you don't know...
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
Talking over a football game
With that same big loud opinion
But nobody's listening
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing
But all you are is mean
And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean
And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so?..
And all you're ever gonna be is mean (Why you gotta be so...)
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me (Why you gotta be so...)
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
I sang along with the song until we entered the school parking lot and Laxus clapped his hand over my mouth. I glared at him in annoyance before stepping out of the car and bending over to pick up my back pack. I blushed as I straightened up and realized all the guys in the parking lot were staring at me. I thought back to the days that Sting and Rogue went to Sabertooth Academy on a sports scholarship. They got into a lot of trouble over there because of the Headmaster, and when the school shut down during the Fiore Academic League, Gramps insisted they join Laxus here at FTA.
"Luce, here's your schedule. Your first period is with Macao-sensei. He teaches language arts." Sting leaned closer to my ear. "You'll meet the rest of the ninth years there, okay? Play nice, and don't fight any of them, got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got you." I waved him off and bolted in the direction he pointed. "Bye, Laxus-nii, Sting-nii, Rogue-san!" I yelled over my shoulder. I smiled to myself just before I ran into someone and landed on my butt like an idiot. "S-sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm really sorry!" I stammered, clutching my head. I looked up to see the most stunning pair of obsidian eyes looking down at me with worry sparkling in them.
"I'm sorry, miss. I should have caught you before you fell. Anyway, are you new? I haven't seen you here before." He offered me a hand to pick me up.
"Yeah, I'm new. I'm Lucy Dreyar," I said, taking his hand.
"Lucy-san, are you alright?" I heard Rogue ask once I was on my feet. He had just closed the distance between us and quickly looked me over for any injuries.
"I'm okay, Rogue-san. I was just, you know, running." I smiled sheepishly.
He ruffled my hair and smiled slightly. "You need to be more careful. I apologize if she disturbed you, Fullbuster-san."
The boy blinked at him. "It's no problem. See you around, Cheney." I watched as the boy walked away in the direction I was originally headed. Rogue brushed a stray hair behind my ear and smiled at me.
"You sure you're okay? I don't want you to get hurt. You're just as much my sister as you are Sting's. I worry, too. Only we know what's going on, and we have to keep it that way." He patted my head and walked back to the car. "Remember what Sting told you."
"Right. Bye Rogue-san," I called, and he waved in acknowledgement. I started towards my first period again, only walking this time. I entered the class room with a nervous smile. I noticed all the students were hanging around the walls, meaning we were going to be assigned seats. I mentally groaned. I stayed by the doorway until the bell rang and the teacher walked in.
"Alright, Ninth Years. Your seating is as follows." I watched as Macao-sensei pointed to a desk. "Dragneel. You'll be sitting up front this year."
A pink-haired boy jumped up and scowled at Macao-sensei. "Just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that," The Dragneel boy mumbled, earning a giggle from me. He looked over his shoulder and scowled at me slightly, but I could see the amused glint in his eyes.
Pointing to the desk next to the Dragneel kid, Macao-sensei said, "Dreyar." Everyone looked around in confusion before all eyes landed on me since I was the unfamiliar face. Slowly, I moved forward, stopping at my newly assigned desk. "I do hope you aren't like your brothers. Sting was a nightmare, but not as bad as Laxus."
I shrunk in my seat as everyone gasped and began to whisper. I felt my childhood trauma bubble up into rage. I shot up from my seat and looked him in the eye. "I am nothing like my brothers, Macao-sensei. Do not make assumptions. It's rude, let alone, unprofessional," I snapped, glaring him down. The room went silent and all eyes were wide and on me. I could feel them watching my every move.
He broke out into a smile and let out a hearty laugh. "Nothing like them? Lucy, you are a female carbon-copy. Right down to the attitude. Yet, you seem to be more polite about it." He laughed harder and I huffed at him. "Lucy Ashlynn Dreyar, welcome to Fairy Tail Academy and to this rambunctious family of ours. You'll fit in just fine here, if I do say so myself." He ruffled my hair in the same manner that Rogue had and I growled at him. He quickly backed off and shot me a look that had fear embedded in it.
"I highly recommend that you don't try that again," I warned.
He shot me a nervous glance before pointing to the desk next to mine. "Fullbuster."
My face brightened as I recognized the last name. I looked over to my left to see the man of my thoughts in his… shirtless glory?
I vaguely heard Macao-sensei laugh and move on with the assigning of the seats.
"Gray, your clothes!" A small bluenette yelled and blushed.
Fullbuster winked at the bluenette. "Calm down, Levy. It's not my fault my clothes can't stay on." He plopped down next to me and looked over at me. "Sup, Lucy?"
I stiffened at his use of my first name.
"Sorry, that must be too formal for you." He gave me a sheepish smile. "Dreyar-chan doesn't fit you though."
I blushed at the cute honorific he used and turned away from him. "You can call me Lucy…" I heard him snicker before taking my chin in his hand. "The hell are you doing?!" I slapped his hands away.
"Call me Gray, Lucy. Welcome to the family." He said with the tiniest of blushes on his cheeks. "So, what's your talent?"
I looked at him with a blank expression, mimicking Rogue perfectly. "My…talent?"
He let out a small chuckle. "You know, the thing you're famous for."
I grew anxious, Laxus-nii told me I couldn't tell anyone about who I actually was. "Well… um… you see…I sing." To heck with what Laxus-nii and Sting-nii said. I wasn't "normal", I was Lucy Ashlynn Dreyar. I was a Dreyar! No one in my family is normal! "I sing, Gray, but let's keep that between us."
His face broke out into a smile. "Glad you trust me with your secrets, Lucy. But it's only fair I share one of mine, too, right? Well, I sing, too. It's kind of funny how you remind me of Lucy Ashley. Similar name and all. Yet you look almost nothing like her. She has blond and red hair, you have brown hair. She has brown eyes, you have blue. It's kinda scary, though."
"You know Ashley?" I asked. I've met thousands of people, but only sang with a handful of them, one of them being Gajeel Redfox. He's one of my favorite people in Show Business. He's mellow and a year older than me, but got held back a year. "As in you met her?"
"A few times. She seemed bitter towards people, like she resented them." I never knew her personally, but I want to get to know her. I've been trying to get my manager to get me to sing with her, but she hasn't answered any of my calls."
I felt guilt creep over me. I had some deep, and I mean deep, trust issues. I wanted to apologize, but I could find no words. "I bet she's sorry. I think she's been pretty busy lately. She also doesn't like being in the company of other people when she isn't performing."
"Huh? How would you know anything about Lucy?"
The new voice caught me off guard, but as soon as I saw him I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck. "Gajeel!"
He barely caught me and whispered in my ear. "Who the hell are you and how the hell do you know my name?"
"It's me, Gaj. It's Lucy Dreyar, remember?" I stressed my last name and felt him spin me around.
"What's up, Bunny Girl?" He set me down and ruffled my hair, making me smile at him. I wasn't hurt at all by the fact that he didn't return my smile. This was his nature, reserving his smile for only those he deemed worthy. I considered myself lucky to know what his smile looked like, the way his cheeks would show their little dimples, the way his eyes would light up. He kept this hidden behind a mask of indifference.
I furrowed my brow at his use of his given nickname for me. When we were in primary school, we had a Halloween party in our class. He had gone dressed in a black dragon costume. I had gone as a pure white rabbit with pink ears and a bushy white cotton ball tail. He had been teasing me about that ever since then. "I was about to ask you the same thing, Dragon Boy. What made you come here? I thought you liked it at Phantom Lord."
"I heard you and I were gonna be separated again. Someone has to protect you, besides, I just asked the old man. I didn't think it would be smart to keep us apart again. I don't care if this is the old man's school or not, I'm not letting you get picked on anymore." He said gruffly.
I stared at him and blushed slightly. "Okay, Gaj…" I gave him a huge smile.
"Get in your seats, we're starting now." Macao-sensei called to us.
I sighed and whispered to Gajeel. "We're going to talk at lunch. Got it?" I walked over to my desk and sat next to a shocked Gray and Dragneel.
They both looked at me and sputtered, "How in the hell do you know him?!"
Okay! Well the main characters have been introduced. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Beta Reader - Leoslady4ever
Song - "Mean" Taylor Swift
Love 'n Lucky,
-SFL