The moon peeked through the treetops, its filtered glow making the flowers around her shine with an ethereal glow and the stranger in front of her seem like a ghost- his silhouette making him seem etiolated and tired. Yet he stepped towards her with no fright- his curious eyes locking onto hers.

Lucy stepped back, the familiar crunch of leaves bringing her back to reality. She did not know where she was. This forest was gloomy and reeked of death, its strange beauty deceiving and relentless. The trees were trying to kill her, that she was sure of, for two large oaks with rough wood magically appeared behind her and she found her back pressed to it. Her delicate feet were bleeding, her hands caked with dirt and her once beautiful dress torn.

Even in her state, she was beautiful and she knew it. The stranger in front of her, who grew closer with each large step stared at her in wonder, hand half-outstretched as if unsure if she could somehow be dangerous- as if her beauty was a guise.

Soon, he drew close enough for her to properly see his face.

"How are you here?"

The words he spoke were not in time with his mouth's movements, as if the wind halted his sound a moment before letting it reach Lucy's ears. His eyes were cold yet curious, his black hair darker than the starless sky. He was tall, and Lucy shrunk against the tree trunk, her claws digging into the bark as if that could stop him from taking her away. He certainly didn't seem strong- his arms were thin and spindly, but she was weak. She stood no chance.

She looked back into his eyes, gulping as her mind prepared to answer. The truth, She advised herself, just tell the truth.

"I-I am lost," She answered, voice shaking. "I do not know where I am or how to get back."

The stranger grabbed her arm and she flinched, even though his touch was gentle. His finger traced down her forearm, running over each of her small cuts and bruises.

"What has caused you these injuries?" He questioned, dropping her arm. She cradled it, shivering from his cold touch. She was already so close to tears, wondering if she could escape in the never ending darkness that surrounded her.

The moon outlined large bushes with deep purple leaves. Beautiful pink roses seemed to call to Lucy as if the bush itself were telling her not to be afraid- that she would be safe within its many stems. And for a moment, Lucy was tempted, until she saw the thorns that hid just behind the leaves, sharp enough to penetrate even the hardest of armor.

"You may escape from me, but you won't survive in the forest much longer." The stranger said, and Lucy's eyes widened and her body began to shake. He was right. She couldn't leave. She couldn't leave. She couldn't-

"Come." He demanded, and he grabbed Lucy with his firm hands, pulling her away from the tree. Even with her digging her feet into the ground, she was dragged along the dirt path with ease. Just like everything in the forest, this man was deceptive. He was exceptionally strong.

She only struggled for so long, giving the stranger as much trouble as she could.

She pounded her fists on his back, let herself fall onto the ground and refused to stand, and even went so far as to spit onto his hand in hopes that disgust would force him to relinquish her arms. But he did not. Not a single word came from his mouth, no threats or complaints. He let her struggle and Lucy had done almost everything she could think of to discourage him.

She wanted to scream and wail. She wanted her sorrow to show this forest what true anguish and fear looked like. But she could not. She could not draw attention to herself and encounter another creature.

When she grew tired, she stared down every tree and blade of grass that she could see, her hateful glare enough to make a lovely tree twist into a horrible, unsightly knot as its leaves withered and blew in the wind as black dust. Patches of dark green grass turned into a sickly brown, never to live again.

The wind shrieked in response and blew against Lucy hard enough to make it feel like her lungs were being crushed, yet the stranger was unaffected, maybe even unaware. Her body slowly began to scream for air only to find that it was moving too fast for her to inhale a single breath, and when the wind subsided Lucy breathed in all she could in a frenzied state too quickly and she let out a violent string of coughs. The trees surrounding her seemed to make faces out of their trunks, each sporting an evil smile as they watched her with unforgiving eyes.

"You are sick," the stranger mumbled, stopping suddenly. Lucy walked into him, her body jolting away at the contact.

"We must hurry," he declared, turning to face her. "You must hop on my back so we can travel faster."

Lucy yanked her wrist, but he would not let go. "I-I refuse!"

"You must get treated."

"Not by the likes of you!" Lucy shouted, frightened by the sudden rush of boldness, looking into the man's red eyes.

He shivered, eyes tearing away. "Your eyes are dangerous."

Lucy remained stone-faced. "Then you will lead me out of the wood."

"No." He denied. "I will sedate you instead."

Lucy didn't remember much after that, but he must've dealt some blow that made her unconscious. Her eyes opened, and she found herself looking up at what was not the night sky. She blinked, before sitting up. She was covered by a thick wool blanket, and when she felt cold as it slipped off her shoulders.

She did not wear the clothes she had last wore, but instead a clean night gown that shimmered with each movement. Her cot was on the floor, another thick wool blanket making it impossible for Lucy to feel the hardness of the stone floor beneath it.

The room she was in was empty- with nothing but the flickering fire casting an orange glow on the walls and the floor. The room was so small, that even though the firepit was on the other side of the room, if she reached her hand out, she would be licked by its flames.

She cast the heavy cover aside, standing to her feet with an unsettling ease. She looked down onto her uncovered arms and legs, and found them clean and uncut- completely healed.

"So the stranger wasn't lying," she murmured to herself, extending her fingers. A smile almost came to her face, before it became replaced with a frown. She vigorously shook her head. "No, there must be some ulterior motive at play. They are liars- all liars."

She nodded her head as if it would confirm this fact, as she moved slowly towards the door, which was slightly ajar. She could hear nothing, except the soft sound of her feet hitting the cold floor as she continued walking.

The door responded to her touch with a small squeak, before swinging open soundlessly. The room was dark, with half a dozen doors on each side of the long room and there was still room for bookshelves between each door. In the middle, a small table with sat, its lamp providing the center of the room a dim glow.

Which door should she go through? Lucy grabbed the lamp off the table and began walking along the walls of the room, touching each door.

None of them were different from another, and there was no way of knowing what was behind them. With a sigh, she went back to the door nearest the one to the room she woke up in and slowly opened it.

A dark passageway laid in front of her, and when Lucy stepped into and shut the door behind her its echo resonated through the hallway repeatedly before Lucy was drowned in the noise. Gritting her teeth, she moved with haste, hoping that no one had heard the commotion. It was not long before she came to another door on the left of the hallway, and she stepped through it. She found herself at the end of another passageway with the only way to go being back or left. She closed this door behind her, carefully this time, and walked down the passageway with the lamp held in front of her.

She reached the edge of the hallway and stepped through the door, finding herself in a room. Bookshelves lined the walls and many doors were on all of the walls except the one to the right of her. There was a small table in the center of the room. She looked to her left and saw an open door on the seemingly doorless wall, and realized with a gasp:

"I am back in the same room!"

Are the passageways connected to each other?

"Oh, there you are!" A kindly voice spoke from Lucy's left and a woman stood in the threshold of the open door.

Her hair was white but her face was anything but old. Her skin was pale but shone yellow in the lamplight and a smile was on her face. Her garments were odd- that of mixed culture. Her earrings were gold and dangled down like rays of light, her tunic black and riddled with lace-made flowers, and her skirt long and flowing, like a serene river. Like a mixture of angels, nymphs, and forest dwellers, yet Lucy could tell she wasn't any one of them.

She stepped towards Lucy, who, fearless of the woman, shouted," Do not step any closer, or I shall have to harm you."

The woman's smile did not falter, but she halted as commanded. "I am Yukino and I am the one that healed you."

"Why did you heal me?" Lucy questioned, squinting her eyes. She saw it in Yukino's eyes- she was unable to lie. Yukino's blue eyes did not waver even under Lucy's petrifying glare.

"Well, you are one of us now, after all," Yukino said, smile widening. She stepped towards Lucy, who let out a guttural roar.

"I am nothing like you!" She shrieked, throwing the lamp at Yukino. Her aim was horrible, as she was blinded by anger, and Yukino watched the lamp shatter against the wall. Light erupted a beautiful orb of all sorts of colors being reflected by the flying glass before the light ultimately blew out and the broken lamp and its pieces fell to the floor with a sickening clank! and Lucy heard Yukino speak, her voice barely audible amongst all the noise.

"You have no choice." She muttered, eyes befallen and face somber.

With a shriek, Lucy covered her eyes and ran, throwing open a door. She ran through the hallways, unsure of whether of she was still screaming, or Yukino was following her, or if those were tears running down her face. She barely felt her palms still pressed tightly against her ears, attempting to block out a voice that she could not because the voice was not behind her, but inside her.

She turned through countless amounts of passageways, anger taking over her frustration and fear with each footstep. It was a miracle, she thought, that she hadn't ended up in that awful room with Yukino because she wouldn't have been able to handle it.

I need to find my way back home as soon as I am able.

But even as she thought the words, she knew she could never return no matter how much she wanted to. But she would never say it aloud, for it would make it true.

She arrived in an unfamiliar room, this one reminiscent of the forest she could see just beyond the door in front of her.

The sofas looked hard and stiff, the color something between a muddy grown and swampy green. The coffee table was as worn as the wooden plank flooring, an ugly shade of chestnut brown that would've been a punishable offense in Lucy's old home. Stitchings just as unattractive hung on the walls, depicting images of the forest that Lucy had never seen before.

Rabid wolves camouflaged in the black thickets, bright red snakes hanging from a gnarly, bare tree. And, in the midst of it all, the man who had brought Lucy here.

"You've woken up early," The stranger said, offering Lucy a smile. It looked odd on his face, like his stern features had never properly learned how to convey happiness. It was unnerving and did nothing for Lucy's state of mind. "I believe I have not introduced myself properly and for that, I apologize. I am Rogue."

"I care nothing about your name," Lucy seethed, stomping towards the door. She knew he would not stop her- that much was evident. He simply watched her move towards the door.

"You will get killed," he warned his natural frown back on his face. "Certainly, you did not have Yukino heal you only for her time to be wasted by your impulsiveness?"

"I did not ask for her help nor yours and I am not helpless. I have survived long enough to know that this forsaken forest can not kill me." Lucy said, stopping inches away from the door. "I am going to make it alive."

"I do not doubt your strength, but I know this forest far more than you do. You will die," Rogue said, so resolved that Lucy wondered if the words he spoke were true. The wind outside howled as if to prove what Rogue told her, but she would not let herself be deterred. "In the event that you do live, where will you go?"

"Home," Lucy spoke, though she was uncertain and she knew that Rogue noticed.

"You have no home, anymore. If you did, you would not be here."

"I can not stand to live with you!"

"You hate us."

"Because you are evil."

"Because we are different," Rogue corrected, and Lucy turned to him. His face was blank, yet his voice held so much emotion that Lucy was, for a brief moment, taken aback.

"Do not speak so inclusively! I have already told you: I am not like you."

"Then why are you in this forest?"

"It was a mistake!" Lucy cried. "I will go back and they will realize that they were wrong to leave me here! No, it must've been an accident! You and your wretched forest must have separated me from my people! You are evil!"

"You are foolish," Rogue said, shaking his head. "You are holding onto hopes that you know not to be true. Why do you so desperately want approval from those who abandoned you? Why do you want to suppress who you are?"

Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but for neither question did she have an answer. She sunk to the floor and buried her head in her hands, trying to convince herself not to weep.

"What will I do, then?" She whispered, and within a second, Rogue was next to her, his cold hand on her shoulder.

"You will stay here, and I will show you what more is to life."

"Lucy!"

Lucy tossed in her bed, letting out a short groan. She could feel that it was still early- dawn must've only just arrived. She ignored Yukino, not entirely ready to apologize for her behavior and certainly not ready to be so comfortable with Yukino so readily.

"None of that! You must get ready for the day, so you may meet everyone!" Yukino said, shaking Lucy awake. Unlike Rogue's, Yukino's hands her warm and comfortable. Lucy begrudgingly sat up, wiping the sleep out of her tired eyes.

"I do not have a wardrobe and I can not find my way around this labyrinthine house of yours," Lucy protested, but she swung herself out of the bed anyway.

"And that is why I have brought you an outfit and there is a bathroom right through that door," Yukino said, laying an outfit on the edge of Lucy's bed while pointing behind her.

"Thank you," Lucy murmured.

"I shall collect you in half an hour if that is fine."

"It should be."

"Then, that is good. I will see you in thirty minutes time."

And then Yukino left the room, leaving Lucy alone in silence. She took the time to look around, for when Rogue led her to the room the previous night, not only was it dark, she was exhausted.

While it could never be as beautiful as her old her room, it was fairly nice, with light blue walls and soft carpet. Two huge windows on either side of her bed were covered by fuschia curtains that tinted the little light coming through a soft pink. She picked up her clothes and moved to the bathroom, which, unlike the spotless bathroom of her old home, this one was not as nice.

The tub was nearly ready for a wash, but the toilet was perfectly clean. An unopened sponge lay on the sink counter, and Lucy readied herself a warm bath. She undressed and slipped into the water with a sigh of relief. She let her head fall into the water until her nostrils were nearly submerged, her golden hair surrounding her like a halo.

Next to the tub, she noticed a lot of homemade solutions that she recognized from Health and Beauty class. She picked up one of the jars, a green mist stopped from escaping into the atmosphere only by the tightly sealed lid. She loosened it and watched as sparkling green particles rose into the foggy air like fairy dust, the smell of sweet clover took over the room.

The particles clung to her skin, making her smell just as sweet. Within a few minutes, Lucy stepped out of the tub, letting the water drain. She put on her clothes, before wiping the mirror so she could get a proper look at herself.

The pink dress fit her nicely- it was simpler than she would've liked, with no patterns, but it would do. It was perfect for the fall weather, with sleeves that stopped just above her elbow and the skirt fell right to her knees.

She slipped on the white cardigan that Yukino paired with it, viewing herself with a strange look.

"What strange fashion these people have adapted," she murmured, before shrugging. They weren't normal after all. "No, we are not normal."

As the sentenced left her lips, she cringed. She would have to get used to saying it.

When Yukino came, Lucy was looking outside the window with awe.

The scene before her was nothing like the Twisted Wood she grew up hearing about. Old, gnarly trees rose towards the sky, vines climbing up the trunks and branches, white flower petals gathered at the base. The sun provided a warm glow on the trees, reminding her of the apple orchids not too far from her old home.

"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Yukino asked, and Lucy jolted. "You will surely see more of it some, but for now you must come."

Lucy obliged, stiffly following Yukino out of the bedroom, once again in the dark hallways.

"How many live in this forest?" Lucy asked, idly tracing her finger along the smooth walls.

"I don't know. Many. But not too many."

"That's hardly helpful."

"I suppose."

The two walked for minutes in silence, before Lucy grew impatient of walking in boring passageways.

"This house is more hallway than actual rooms!" Lucy exclaims, throwing her head back with a groan.

"It was originally meant to confuse and trap enemies- the five kingdoms' soldiers. When nobody came to bother us, it became a residential place."

"Who was 'us'?"

"Rogue, me, and Minerva," Yukino said. "It was not too long ago- maybe three years."

"Three years! How did you survive for so long? Please, tell me."

"The forest isn't evil like you believe. It is scared- forced to distrust all who enter because the kingdoms have wronged it. This forest is alive, and everyone treated it as if it weren't."

"But the forest attacked me!"

"For it had no idea that you would not attack it first. Rogue has told me that you can wither plants by just pure malicious intent. That is quite interesting."

They arrived at a door, and Yukino turned to Lucy with a smile. "Well, it is time."

Author's Note

Well that was long. Hope ya'll enjoyed!