March
The Start
Harley Foster jerked awake, instantly irritated that she had ben pulled from such a pleasant dream. Turning over she looked at her clock and let out a groan; 3:48 am. Before she could flop back into her mountain of pillows and hope to sink back into dreamland Harley heard a faint tapping.
Propping herself forward she scanned the room trying to figure out where the noise came from. The yellow glow from the lamp post outside the window allowed her to see most of the details in the attic room. Several battered skateboards were propped against the wall. Posters overlapped each other on the sloped ceiling and her floor was covered in clothes, books, and magazines. A section was cleared on the far side of the room where an old weight bench and dumbbells, that she had pulled from a dumpster, took up space. Along a wall was a hand rail that stopped people from falling into the stairs. The purple robe lights that wrapped around the wood didn't give off much glow to help in her search.
Nothing moved or gave any indication to where the noise came from. The still creepy silence that only shows up in the dark early morning covered the room like a thick blanket.
A loud crinkle of paper shot through the room as she leaned forward causing her to almost jump from the bed. Mentally scolding herself Harley looked down then quickly grabbed the culprit that was a Fiorian Sports magazine, and threw it under her bed. It was the swimsuit edition and that was not a conversation she was ready to have with her mother if the women found it.
A tapping once more filled the room. Swinging her head around Harley finally located where the noise was coming from. A small shikigami with mostly blue marking and a single red rectangle looked like a mouth rested against the outside of her window. As Harley stared at the the paper it again tapped almost frantically against the glass.
Harley stood from her bed and moved toward the window. When she was standing directly in front of it the shikigami seemed to fly away. Trying to see where the paper had gone Harley didn't notice the man standing at the edge of the field behind her house.
Harley inhaled deeply about to let out a sigh at the ridiculous thing that disturbed her sleep when her nose caught a smell that sent fear down running down her spine. Spinning around to face the room she took another deep breath. Gas.
Before she could move to the stairs and find her mother Harley felt the air pressure around her change. She barely had time to throw up her arms before she was blasted out the window.
Harley slammed into into the ground she could hear nothing but a loud ringing. The world spun around her, and as she lost consciousness the last thing she saw and focused on was the shikigami floating through the air.
Under Fiorian law all birth certificates must contain the names of the biological parents. If you are an unwed woman and want to receive child support the possible father must submit to a paternity test. In cases where the paternity test comes back negative other test can be administered to potential candidates at the cost of the woman.
If child support is not wanted a paternity test is not required, and the woman can fill out a form for the potential father not to be contacted in case of emergency.
In the case of emergency such as death of the caregiver the next of kin who is not the father will be contacted. If no next of kin is available the possible father will be contacted and paternity test given.
If at that time the test is positive the father may take on role as caregiver or choose to surrender parental rights. In this case the child will be taken to an orphanage. If the child is a mage they will be placed in the care of a guild or in the Magic Council Academy.
Harley set the paper work onto the table deciding she had done enough skimming and then adjusted as several of the pages caught on her bandages. The man sitting across from her didn't seem to notice that she was finished and continued looking over the files in front of him. If he hadn't been moving Harley could imagine him blending into the white hospital walls with his white magic council uniform.
A small cough into her hand grabbed his attention, causing him to look at her.
"So Miss. Foster do you understand the procedure?" He didn't wait for her to respond. "Your mother's death has been ruled accidental, and after you get your stitches removed this evening you will be staying in a hotel until we figure out where you're going."
"Where am I going exactly?" Harley shifted in her seat excited to learn that she would be discharged, she hated hospitals and wanted to be out as soon as possible. After the accident Harley had started to pay closer attention to her sensitive nose. She could pick up the smell of cleaning products with an undertone of feces, infection, and blood constantly.
"Well because you don't turn seventeen for another nine months you are still technically underage, and need to be cared for. Your grandparents have already signed over their rights," He chose to ignore Harleys snort at the mention of her grandparents "and if the paternity test we are sending to your possible father comes back negative you will most likely go to the Magic Council Academy."
"This seems a bit extensive. Can't I just be sent to the Academy and get it over with?"
With a shake of his head and a chuckle the man stood up from his chair and collected all the papers. "I wish it were that easy but laws are laws. People need to understand that there are consequences for their actions and take responsibility."
"If they just hand over their rights what responsibility are they taking?"
Harley watched as the man's smile became fixed and a look of irritation crossed his eyes. This was an expression Harley had received a lot in her short life time. People tended not to like blunt questions or observations from people who were young, underaged.
"Someone will contact you soon with more details. We will also keep you informed of when the insurance goes through along with the finalization of your mothers Will." He started to walk toward the door, before turning back to the hospital bed, and pulling a thick envelope out of his pocket. "The only thing recovered from the fire was a small safe. These are its contents."
He placed it on the table and without a backward glance left.
Harley sat for a moment staring at the stark yellow paper that screamed for attention in the bland room. She finally let out a sigh before ripping opening the envelope and dumping out the contents.
Several hundred jewel notes fell onto the table along with a two books. Harley placed the notes back in the envelope along with her mother's bible and picked up what she now realized was a diary.
It was something a pre-teen would have shoved under their mattress. The faded pink pleather had blue and purple flowers decorating the front, and it was sealed with a heart shaped lock.
Harley felt through her thick hair out of habit before realizing she wouldn't have a bobby pin to pick the small lock with. Checking to make sure no one was in the hall Harley ripped the lock off the book. After throwing the now ruined metal with its dangling pink strap into the trash can, Harley brought the diary closer to read.
As she flicked open the cover a picture fell onto her lap. Turning it over Harley felt her eyes widen. There was her mother looking more happy and healthy than Harley had ever seen her.
The Jessica Foster Harley had known was worn down from working eight to ten hour shifts five days a week as a CNA. She had worked continuously after her parents had disowned her for the actions that lead to the unplanned pregnancy and her refusal to give up her new daughter for adoption. That would have been a way to pretend it never happened.
The years of hard work had provided Harley with a stable life, but stole her mothers beauty and physical comfort. The Jessica staring out of the picture looked a little older than Harley. Her eyes bright and excited with brown hair styled to accent the thick waves that Harley had inherited.
The picture was taken at an angle with two men in the background. Jessica's hand was hooked in the arm of the one next to her as she leaned against his shoulder.
He was blond and was taking a drink with a face of indifference instead of looking at the camera. Harley was just able to make out what could be a scar cutting through his eye. The other one was leaning forward with a large smile that let his tongue hang from his mouth. He had a tattoo of a stick figured man on his face.
Placing the photo down Harley picked up the diary once more. Looking at the date she realized it was the diary her mother had kept while pregnant. Harley had a faint memory of her mother telling her she could read this diary someday.
Harley only made it through the first sentence before she had to do a double take and reread it. She let her tongue run over the tips of her odd fangs, something she had always questioned, as the words sunk in.
I'm pregnant and the father is Laxus Dreyar.
Harley picked up the photo and stared at the blond man before muttering to herself. "Well that explains a lot."
Laxus sat impatiently in the waiting room of the Magnolia Magic Council Office. He had been summoned earlier that day for a blood test. They had only told him it was for a paternity test and his grandfather, who was now sitting next to him, was the only thing keeping his anger in check.
This had happened several times in his life. Everytime it was from a woman looking for money and it always came back negative. Even though Laxus knew the eventual outcome it still pissed him off. He had never had sex without checking that the woman was on birth control, and he had only not used a condom a couple times when he was younger and stupid.
These accusations always just took time from training with his team and now kept him from completing the paperwork that he had to finish and send in to the council. It also didn't add to his stress level the risk that false stories could circulate to certain magazines and cause weeks of needed damage control. Laxus always started thinking that he should become celibate as he sat in the hard wooden chairs of the waiting room. Though that idea never hung around for long.
"Um, Mr. Dreyars?" A man younger than Laxus stopped several feet from where they sat. From how his hands shook holding a file his apprehension was obvious. "If you will both come with me."
Laxus let out a sigh as he pushed himself from the chair. He didn't care about their privacy policies. All they had to do was tell him it was negative so he could leave.
The building was like a maze, long halls that had no distinguishing features, as they followed the nervous worker to his office. When they finally arrived the man moved around the cramped space to get behind his desk after shutting the door and gestured to the two chairs in front of it.
After they sat Laxus felt a vein in his forehead begin to twitch as the man began looking through the files as if he hadn't checked them yet. Fortunately before Laxus could decide to break something the man looked up.
"I'm sorry. I don't usually work cases like this, and I had to check on the procedures."
"Procedures?" Makarov leaned forward while sending a questioning glance in Laxus' direction, an obvious question of what did you do now in his eyes.
"Yes, well the test has come back positive..." The man immediately stopped and shrank backwards as Laxus broke the arm of his chair by squeezing his fist.
"What?" Laxus wanted to be told that he hadn't just heard the word positive, that he didn't have a screaming baby out there that he now had to pay for.
"The.. um the… test came back positive." The man was now shaking harder as he picked up several of the pages in front of him.
Makarov grabbed Laxus' arm in a firm gripped with a look that demanded his grandson remain calm before looking back forward. "So Laxus has a child. What happens now? I believe he can choose to terminate his rights, or take financial responsibility based on the mothers income?"
"Well you see that's where it becomes a little complicated." Pulling the correct page before him he squinted at the page as if he couldn't quite read what was written. " Your um.. Harvey?… Your son Harvey is sixteen and do to his mother's recent death has no other family. Instead of financial responsibility if you decide not to terminate your rights, Harvey would come live under your care until he turns seventeen... in about nine months."
Laxus' mind was short circuiting and he could only stare unfocused with wide eyes. He had a sixteen year old son. He was twenty eight with a sixteen year old son. The time lost on Tenrou Island had an affect on that but still, he would have been at least nineteen or twenty when this kid was born. How had he not been brought in until now? Who was the mother?
"Can you give us a moment?" His grandfather's words slowly brought Laxus back from his spiralling thoughts as what Laxus realized was a social worker, moved around the desk and out of the office closing the door behind him.
They sat in silence until Laxus gathered his wits enough to turn to his grandfather. "What do I do?"
Makarov took a deep breath as he considered the circumstances. Years ago Laxus wouldn't have asked, the boy would make his own decision and damn the consequences. Now the look of uncertainty and cry for help was clear in his grey eyes. If it were up to Makarov this new grandchild would be immediately brought into the guild and given a family, but it wasn't up to him.
"Listen to what your heart thinks is best." Makarov gave Laxus a pat on the shoulder before letting the man place his head into his hands as a tense silence once more filled the room.
Roughly twenty minutes later the door opened and the social worker entered the room and moved to his desk. "I realize this is happening quickly, but have you made a decision?"
"Yeah, I guess... I'm going to be a dad."