~Phenomenon~

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters!

Chapter One

"This is so boring, can't I just wear one of my other dresses?"

She let out a loud sigh as she stood, frigid on a raised pedestal, her slender arms parallel to her body and a large frown on her beautiful face. She had long blond hair that flowed perfectly over her shoulders and large brown eyes, she was slender but had curves in all the right places. She wasn't very tall, but she definitely wasn't as short as her childhood friend, Levy.

"Milady, I have orders from your father to finish this gown for next weeks formal party! Now stand still before I poke you with a needle!" squeaked the old woman kneeing in front of her, a small pin cushion in hand.

Lucy Heartfilia hated her father's parties, almost as much as she hated standing still for a dress fitting. She has dozens of formal gowns and dresses of every length and color in her walk-in closet, why does she need to have another one? She let out another very audible sigh and glanced out one of the large windows as she stood still and let the old seamstress do her work. Lucy wanted more than anything to go exploring outside, to see what lies beyond this stuffy mansion and it's perfectly manicured gardens. She had been out of the mansion walls before, but she was always monitored, like a child. Lucy had an itch for adventure that just couldn't be scratched if she had a chaperone stalking her. She wanted to visit a beach, or see a movie at an actual theater or maybe even go to the town fair that was going to take place in a couple weeks...

But no.

Lucy was destined to live her entire life in this glass jar, she was to delicate and fragile to be left alone in this cold, unforgiving world. She was be put on display for everyone to admire until the time was right and she would be handed over to a new owner. Unfortunately for her, that was going to be sooner then she wanted.

Her father believed in finding 'a proper gentleman', what ever that really meant. He was so dead set on finding the perfect mate for Lucy, that he had prevented her from seeing any male that wasn't part of his payroll. Sure, she dated a few guys, hell she even made out with a couple of them; but none of them made the cut. No matter how much Lucy begged or pleaded to see them again, once a man was dismissed they were gone for good. Her father could be really cruel sometimes.

She knew her father loved her, and she loved him as well, but his match making was starting to become a large burden on her. That was the reason for this party; another wasted effort, hoping to find that incredible specimen that will swoop Lucy off her feet and meet the growing standards and expectations of the pushy father. Jude Heartfilia hosted many get-togethers in hopes of finding a suitor for his 23 year old daughter, after all she wouldn't be this beautiful forever and he needed to get her with a nice man before her looks started to tarnish. Lucy couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, he was a wise and caring man, but he had a problem phrasing his words. It had always made her wonder how he ever managed to coax her mother into marriage.

"Spetto?" cooed the blonde, her eyes still staring out the window.

"Yes, milady?" croaked the woman in a loving manner as she pinned some white lace to the bottom of the dress.

"How did you meet your husband?"

XXX

Lucy was reading under her favorite willow tree on a small hill that sat just behind the Heartfilia Konzern, the sun was starting to set and the air was becoming cooler. Summer was coming to a close and fall was already well on it's way as many of the trees on the estate were starting to show signs of turning. She loved fall, all the bright, contrasting colors on the leaves and the many different fragrances that came along with this season always brought a smile to her lips. She remember jumping through piles of dead leaves with her parents, sometimes she even managed to convince some of the maids to jump in as well. Lucy was also a huge fan of Halloween, even though she was an adult, the idea of being someone else for the day was really exciting; she could be a witch, or a bunny or even knight if she was feeling really courageous. The one thing Lucy never dressed up as was a princess; she lived that trapped, helpless princess life every day and craved something wild and thrilling.

She closed her thick novel and placed it gently on her lap and enjoyed the light breeze blowing through her long locks as she stared at the small town in the distance. She longed to visit the little town without a snoopy shadow following closely behind her, threatening any person that dared to look at the over-dressed woman. Her father didn't know it, but she had been plotting with a couple of her close friends to sneak out while he was away on business. They would dress in boys clothing and sneak pass the guard while they swapped shifts and just explore, they might even try going to the beach before it got too cold. The possibilities were almost endless and Lucy's heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest every time she though about it. Just her and her closest friends.

She couldn't wait.

XXX

"W-wait? Did you s-say tomorrow?!" squeaked the small bluenette, her eyes wide with shock, panic was slowly creeping its way to her face, "We're not ready yet, Lucy! If we rush this, we might get caught! They'll never leave us alone again!"

"Levy, calm down-" the blond woman started to say with raised hands before the voice of her other friend interrupted.

"Juvia agrees, it still might be a little soon. Juvia does not wish to be caught, Juvia wants to see the town, and the beach and-" This time it was the darker bluenettes turn to be disrupted.

"I may not get another chance!" Lucy said in a huff, Levy and Juvia sat in front of her on the king sized mattress in her large, elaborate bedroom. Her mind was made up, there was nothing her friends could say or do to change that; she had inherited her father's stubbornness. "My father is leaving for three days, he is throwing another one of his 'mixers' upon his arrival. Who knows, he might actually find a man he likes..."

Levy shook her head, a slight grin on her face, "Those stupid parties don't lead to anything! Has he ever found a guy he has found to be worthy of his precious Lady Lulu?" Juvia and Levy both suppressed a giggle.

"There will never be a man good enough for Lady lulu!" chimed Juvia, her girlish side was always cute to Lucy, but in this particular instant, it was more of a nuisance. 'Juvia thinks we should plan it for after the party, that way Levy and Lady Lulu can iron out the finer details," Juvia looked at Levy and again they had to stifle a laugh, having a trouble this time around.

"Okay, you guys gotta cut that shit out!" the blonde snapped at the girls directly ahead of her.

"Now, now, is that anyway for a lady to talk? I thought you were better than that Lady Lu-" Levy never got the chance to finish her sentence, due to the sudden appearance of a pillow in her face. Juvia burst into laughter at the sight of her small friend being plowed in the face, but the laugh was also interrupted by the thud of a thick, soft pillow.

"If it's a war that Lucy wants, it's a war she shall receive! JUVIA SECRET TECHNIQUE NUMBER 87; HELICOPTER WHOLLOP!" screamed the oldest of the women, snatching the pillow that was thrust into her face and swinging it wildly towards Lucy. A battle of the pillows had begun, the sound of squeals and soft thuds echoed in the large room, bits of pillow occasionally making it's way out from it's cloth prison. After a few lucky shots and a whole bunch of 'secret techniques', Juvia had claimed supreme and the three women rested on the bed, out of breath and happy.

Once she had caught her breath, Lucy had brought the conversation back to where it had left off; their great escape. "I think we have waited long enough, ladies. I think the best chance we have at getting out without being caught is tomorrow while everyone is distracted with party planning and my father's departure. No one will pay any attention to us!"

"But what if someone notices us in town?" asked a still out of breath Levy, "Your maids have been going into town frequently, have they not?" Juvia glanced at Lucy with one one brow cocked, as if to validate Levy's point.

"That's why we're going to be wearing disguises! No one's going to pay any attention to three normal looking boys!" She put a heavy emphasis into the word 'boy' as she glared at the other two.

"Juvia is still not sure it's a good idea to leave so soon," her face turned to look at the ceiling, her eyes looked unfocused.

Lucy was starting to become impatient with her two best friends; she could understand their doubts and fears, but she needed to make them understand that her time was running out. If she didn't act fast, her chance to see life outside her glass jar would soon disappear forever. "Listen guys, we have been planning this for months now, we have gone over every possible way out, every worse case scenario we can think of and have everything we need right here in this room! Let's go, tomorrow!" she looked at them with pure desperation, hoping they would cave.

"Why is it so important that we go tomorrow?" inquired the worried looking Levy.

She let out a deep sigh and glanced towards one of her windows and into the darkened grounds, she knew she would have to tell them soon, might as well be now."He has a man in mind, that's why he's leaving right before the party; he's going to discuss the plans. If the man looks good with me and says all the right things, he might just have me," Lucy's face darkened as her father's words echoed in her head, her heart sank at the thought. She looked at her friends and saw her feelings spread across their faces as well.

"Lu, why didn't you tell us sooner?" piped Levy, her hand immediately jumped to her mouth as she let out a little squeal. Juvia sat up and looked deep into Lucy's face.

"Juvia wants to know how long you have been hiding this..." her dark eyes found Lucy's brown ones, probing them for the answers and intimidating the truth from the distressed woman.

"I've known for a couple days, I didn't think to bring it up because I was afraid how you would react-" Lucy was the first to break eye contact with Juvia, she stood up and walked to her window and placed a small hand on the cool glass.

"That's stupid," Juvia scoffed, she stood up and walked over to her friend, "Juvia would have agreed right away if she had known what Mr. Heartfilia was planning. Juvia is in!" she placed a hand on Lucy shoulder and looked at her glass reflection with a smile. Levy was soon on her feet, a single tear ran down her face as she joined the other ladies.

"I'm with you, Lucy! Now, let's get down to business!"

Hello everyone! This is my second fan fic; my first for Fairy tail though!

I was going to make this a one shot, but I'm now thinking of expanding into a short story (nothing is set in stone yet though! Could turn out to be a little longer).

I would like to know if this is the kind of story that you would like to read more of! If so, just leave me a quick comment saying 'good' or 'bad' and I'll continue Lucy's conquest! (regardless of the comments, there will be at least one more chapter)

So thanks a lot for your time, and I hope you enjoyed my story!

See ya next time!