Celeste
chapter 1
...
Lucy had grown up with the best and only the best. The diapers she wore as a toddler were made from the finest material, or at least, as fine as diaper material could get, and were shipped weekly from halfway across the continent.
From the age of two onwards, she began taking lessons in dancing and singing from a highly sought after French instructor, who quickly noticed the girl's innate talent for the art.
Her fifth birthday had been an extravagant affair, with a hundred rich guests and the president himself in attendance, and all of them showered her in honeyed praises and expensive gifts, but all she really remembered from that night was the towering five-tiered chocolate cake that her favorite cook, Mary, had prepared.
At ten she lost her mother, and that was when Jude Heartifilia decided he couldn't care less about her birthday. There were no invitations sent out that year, and the man who called himself her father did not even step out of his study for a moment to wish the girl a happy birthday. Lucy didn't really mind not having a big party, and the house servants even held a small celebration for her using Christmas decorations from the attic and a small cake that Jude ordered for a guest who did not arrive in the end. Lucy was grateful, nevertheless, but cried herself to sleep that night, hugging her mother's photo to her chest.
That was how Lucy spent every birthday from that day on, but she grew used to it, while her father grew farther from her. The lessons in dancing and singing stopped when her mother's condition worsened, and after her death, Jude forbid her to continue. Dancing and singing was her passion however, and she continued to practice every night when the house was dark and silent. Half the reason for this was her mother, who loved to watch her perform. Lucy felt that by keeping her from doing what her mother loved to see, he was trampling on her memory. She didn't hate him however, and she never thought she would have reason to.
She found that reason on the day of her seventeenth birthday. The day started out predictably enough, and she woke up to the sound of hushed whispers and excited murmurs. Pretending she couldn't hear them, she stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom. Upon emerging she acted surprised as the house servants jumped out from under her bed, behind the dresser, and inside her closet, all cheering, 'Happy Birthday Lucy-sama!"
She spent the rest of the day playing milk bottle bowling, soapy floor skating, and grocery hunting with the eager house servants, and at dinner they presented her with a plate full of moist, gooey brownies. She laughed and played to her heart's content, loving every moment of it.
Her eyes strayed to the study only once.
Just as she was about to retire to her bedroom, a servant informed her that her father wished to see her. Her heart skipped when the message was relayed to her, and she chided herself silently. She refused to get her hopes up. Even so, a spark of excitement lighted up within her and danced in her chest. Heart pounding, she approached study and knocked as boldly as she dared.
When she left the study, her spirits had sunk significantly and her eyes were just slightly red. There was a spark of determination in them, however, and that it was that spark that led her to march to her bedroom to drag out a huge purple suitcase.
As you might have guessed, her father hadn't summoned her to congratulate her on turning seventeen. He had called to inform her of an arranged marriage that he had secured that morning between her and the son of some railway owner.
The conversation did not flow as smoothly as either one of them hoped after he revealed this to her, and as she stood with her head bowed and hot tears running down her cheeks, Jude turned to the window and said the words that set the precedence for everything else.
'This is for the family's sake. Without this deal the company is at risk of bankruptcy. Then you would end up on the streets…maybe trying to make a living out of that silly hobby of yours, singing and dancing at…god forbid, a pub or some other indecent place.'
Her sadness was swiftly replaced by anger. How dare he mock her passion? How dare he make light of her dream? No, she corrected herself, her and Mama's dream.
And that was when everything clicked. What was she still doing in that house? Why was she still standing before her father, listening to his harsh words? Six, no, now for seven years she tolerated this, when she could have reached her hands out for so much more.
With a bittersweet smile on her face, she told him, 'Then so be it. I'd rather become a nobody living her dream, then to be your tool.'
And that was how things were set into motion.
…
"Hello, I'm here for the audition?" Lucy said hesitatingly. The receptionist smiled gently at her, fingers tapping the keyboard as she spoke.
"Ah yes, the audition for Celeste. You're a little late but I can still let you in." The young woman handed her a paper and pen. "Please fill out this form first."
Lucy looked at her gratefully. She glanced at the receptionist's name tag. Kinana. "Thank you so much, Kinana-san."
She left her house the night before and took a cab out to Magnolia, capital of Fiore. As soon as she decided to run away, Lucy knew exactly what she was going to do.
A few days earlier, she learnt that the popular music girl group, Celeste, was holding auditions for the spot recently vacated by one of the members, Lisanna Strauss. Lucy was not an avid fan, but she liked their music and looked up to the members of Celeste, all of which were beautiful and talented.
She knew that if she wanted to prove her father wrong, this was the path to take. She had long wanted to enter the music world, and now was her chance. Despite her conviction however, her hands shook as she signed her name on the form. She handed it back to Kinana, stretching her lips into what she hoped was a confident smile.
Kinana have her an encouraging grin. "Just stay cool. The audition will be fun, I'm sure." She filed the document she took from Lucy and pointed towards the lift. "The audition is being held on the third floor. Follow the signs from there."
...
Lucy arrived at a door marked 'A' and knocked hesitantly. She pushed it open and shuffled in. All eyes were on her in an instant. The woman who had been speaking trailed off, looking a little surprised. Lucy cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry I'm late. May I still participate in the audition?"
Lucy looked up from the floor to see that she was in a conference room of sorts. A very large one at that. The other participants were all seated around a large table, and at the head of it stood a young woman with scarlet hair. She gasped softly. This was Erza Scarlet, a member of Celeste.
Erza regarded her coolly. "Of course you may. Tardiness is not something I usually tolerate, but I'll make an exception today. Have a seat."
Lucy shivered just a little as she slid into an empty seat. The personality profiles weren't exaggerating when they said she was strict.
"Now as I was saying," Erza continued, brandishing a pointer. "The audition has three parts to it. First is a physical assessment, the second is dance, and the last is singing as well as an interview."
"At least half of you will be cut out after the dance assessment, while the rest will go on to take the last test. Those of you who make it into the last round will be notified of the results tomorrow."
Erza crossed her arms and tapped the pointer against her hip, looking very much like a stern teacher. "We will be choosing only one of you to join us, but I'd like to see good sportsmanship. Are there any questions?"
Everyone remained silent, so Erza continued. "Good. We will begin the first test then. I hope you've all brought your running gear."
Lucy and the other participants quickly learned that Erza was a slave driver. After ushering them from the changing rooms to an indoor gymnasium, she had them on the floor doing push-ups, sit-ups and crunches, all while making them belt out various nursery songs. Her favorite appeared to be 'Mary had a Little Lamb'.
Lucy struggled to catch her breath as Erza walked past. The girl was walking around with a clipboard, stopping to listen to each girl gasp out the lyrics to the stupid song while they strained their muscles. Unfortunately, Lucy wasn't very fit, and by the third set of crunches she began to slip out of tune. Erza crouched beside her as she sang, or rather gasped, noting something onto her clipboard.
"-whose...fleece was white as snow!" Lucy panted, feeling rather ridiculous as Erza studied her intensely. Finally, she nodded to herself and moved down the row, relief washing over Lucy. She dropped her arms and lowered her legs, letting out a groan.
There was a soft giggle to her left and Lucy twisted her head slightly to see a flushed looking girl, breathing as heavily as her.
"This is hard huh?" Lucy commented, deciding to strike up a conversation. The girl nodded rather meekly as she struggled to get up. Her legs were wobbling uncontrollably however, and she fell back down. Lucy jumped to her feet to help her up, feeling just a bit relieved that she wasn't the only unfit one there.
"You okay?" She asked. The girl nodded rather vigorously, her brown locks bouncing carelessly. She pushed her spectacles up the bridge of her nose and gave Lucy a shy smile. "Thanks. I'm Yui."
"And I'm Lucy," she beamed. "Nice to meet you."
"Alright girls!" Erza hollered from the front. She blew into her whistle, piercing the air with its sharp squeal. "That's it for the first test. I'll bring you to the dance room now. We will jog there while doing some vocal exercises. Anyone who lags behind can expect to get left behind. Let's go!"
Lucy and Yui watched as Erza jogged backwards, beckoning the girls out the door, all the while shouting at the top of her voice,'Ka, ke, ki, ko, ku! Follow me! Ka, ke, ki, ko, ku!"
Yui chuckled shyly. "She sure is lively."
"Yes...it's quite...admirable." Lucy smiled uncertainly. "Come on, we better keep up."
So Erza led her pack of tired girls up three flights of stairs, twice around the block and back down another three floors, all the while urging them to run faster or vocalize louder.
Lucy was surprised when they arrived back in front of the gymnasium, and she clearly wasn't the only one. The other girls wore looks of confusion, which quickly morphed into horror as Erza led them into a room just beside the gymnasium. "We're here." She announced, opening the door.
No one was brave enough to question why on earth she brought them around the whole building when the dance room was just ten feet from where they began.
Lucy and Yui staggered into the dance room, where bottles of water were quickly pressed into their hands. Yui's jaw dropped slightly when she saw who it was who offered her the water.
"You're Wendy Marvell from Celeste!" She squeaked, backing up slightly in awe despite the fact that she was a whole head taller than the girl. Wendy smiled shyly and fidgeted slightly under Yui's gaze.
"Um, I'm in charge of your next test. I mean, me and Levy are." Wendy muttered softly, casting Lucy and Yui nervous glances. "Will you please...um...line up over there?" She pointed at the back of the room where the wall was a huge mirror.
"She's so adorable!" Lucy gushed as she and Yui lined up beside the mirror. She had to wonder, however, how Wendy managed being a star when she was so shy.
"Isn't she? I wish I had a little sister like that."
"Do you have any siblings, Yui?"
Yui broke out into a smile. "Yeah, I have one older brother and an older sister."
"That sounds fun," Lucy said wistfully. "I'm an only child."
Before Yui could reply, someone clapped their hands together twice, loudly. The participants whispered excitedly amongst themselves as two petite girls stood before them, smiling somewhat shyly.
The taller one spoke first. "Hey everyone, I'm Levy and this is Wendy. We are both members of Celeste." She paused as the room erupted into loud applause, and she offered them a grin.
"Has everyone had something to drink? We know Erza's a real slave driver."
"Eccentric too." Wendy added with a smile.
Levy laughed. "We could hear you all doing the vocal exercises from three floors down." She lowered her voice slightly, her tone teasing. "Vocal warmups are Erza's thing. She does it before every rehearsal, practice or show."
"Sometimes in the shower."
"Now, now Wendy, we can't go spilling all of Erza's secrets." Wendy clamped her hands around her lips, nodding furiously.
"Putting that aside, let's commence the test, shall we?" Levy plucked a pen from behind her ear and raised her clipboard. "Wendy will show you a sequence of moves and you will copy them. It will be a combination of gymnastics and ballet. Wendy, if you please?"
The girls watched in anticipation as Wendy closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she opened them, her expression was one of relaxed confidence. She extended her arms and lifted a leg, executing a perfect pirouette. She followed this with a series of splits and leaps, finally ending with a backward flip. Then she repeated the sequence, not once faltering or landing heavily. She appeared as light as a bird, and twice as graceful. Lucy stared in awe, she doubted she was that good at her age.
"You will do the same sequence in groups. I'll just split you randomly now." Levy went down the row, dividing the participants into groups of fives, fours, or threes. Lucy and Yui got paired with two other girls, who didn't so much as acknowledge them.
"Everyone only really cares about winning this audition huh?" Yui muttered as Lucy made a not so successful attempt to introduce herself to the other two girls.
"I guess this is nothing more than a fierce competition for some." Lucy shrugged, extending her legs to practice stretching.
"What about you, Lucy? What's your reason for being here?"
Lucy leaned forward and touched her toes so that her nose was pressed to her knees. After a count of ten, she drew herself back up. "I want to prove something to someone," she answered. "And I guess, I wanted to see how far I can go without that person's support. Maybe the person I'm trying to prove to is myself after all."
Yui chewed her lip thoughtfully, fingers reaching up to adjust her spectacles. "Are you confident you'll be able to prove to that person?"
Lucy frowned. She hadn't really considered what she would do if she failed the audition, which was more than likely. Would she have to go back to her father, and show him that she had failed just like he predicted? She couldn't bear the thought of that, but she wasn't quite sure what else to do.
"I don't know," she answered finally. "I came here to give myself a chance, and I kind of leapt into it without giving it much thought. But right now...I don't want to worry myself with failing or passing. I want to enjoy this experience, and at the end of the day, if I'm not picked, then at least I'll know I tried."
"At least, I'm sure that's what Mama would have told me." She added softly, her voice barely above a whisper but Yui was able to catch it. A wide smile spread across her face. "That sounds about right."
"Next group please." Levy called, beckoning to their group. The other two girls were already on their feet, waiting impatiently for them. Lucy and Yui quickly took their positions beside them in the middle of the room.
"Spread out please, we don't want any injuries," Levy instructed. "If you're ready, we'll start on my count. Ready? Five, six, seven, eight!"
Wendy clapped a slow beat with her hands as the girls began the first pirouette. Lucy executed the sequence smoothly, her years of practice and training making the task easy for her. It was only matter of remembering the sequence of the moves, and Lucy had perfect memory. She did a happy little jig inside when she spotted Wendy and Levy giving an approving nod in her direction.
She was just about to finish with the backward flip when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yui, halfway through the last pirouette, with her supporting leg slightly out of position.
She's going to fall, she realized. Thinking quickly, she added a few extra turns to her pirouette, inching as close to Yui as possible. When Levy and Wendy's eyes left them, she quickly extended an arm, gently pushing Yui in the right direction so that she was balanced again.
The movement, however, put her off balance, and she stumbled, the sudden change in rhythm catching the attention of her examiners. They turned just in time to see her fall backwards, to Yui's shock and horror.
"Oh my goodness, are you okay?" Wendy rushed forward, sinking to her knees. "Can you move your leg?" She pressed Lucy's leg gently with her fingers, feeling along her ankle and kneecap. Still slightly bewildered, Lucy only muttered incomprehensibly. Beside her, Yui looked on the verge of tears.
"Lucy I'm so sorry, this is my fault." She turned to Wendy. "Lucy only lost her balance because-"
"I was just feeling too confident towards the end," Lucy cut in, giving Yui a look. "My mind wandered and I didn't pay attention to where my feet were going."
Yui opened her mouth as if to argue but Lucy coughed loudly, not once breaking eye contact with her. Wendy watched the two of them carefully, not saying anything. For a split second, Lucy thought she saw her share a look with Yui. She brushed this aside, however, as they helped her to her feet, just as Levy walked over.
"Are you hurt?" She asked, her voice full of concern. "We have a sickbay if-"
"That won't be necessary," Lucy interrupted, flashing her a smile. "I just tripped, that's all."
Levy nodded in understanding, and made a note on her clipboard. "And such a shame too, you were doing so well before you tripped."
"Levy!" Wendy exclaimed, nudging the girl with her hip. Levy immediately looked apologetic.
"It's okay, it was my fault for losing balance. Guess I'm not quite there yet huh?" She laughed.
"We all have our weak points," Levy reassured her. "I'm just glad you're not hurt. You have another dance test after this with Cana and Juvia-"
Suddenly, the door was flung wide open and a loud, pulsing beat enveloped the room. Everyone turned to see two girls stroll in, one of them carrying a music player on her shoulder, the music blasting at full volume. She addressed the room, yelling at the top of her voice to be heard over the music.
"Is everyone ready to rock? Cana and Juvia are in the house!"
The two girls were instantly swarmed by the contestants, whom were ecstatic to see the last two members of Celeste. "Woah, woah there girls," The one Lucy recognized as Cana laughed. "I can't deal with you all at once, I don't even have a drink on me!"
"Cana, watch what you're saying to them." The second girl warned. Lucy realized it was Juvia, a recent addition to Celeste, if she was not wrong.
"Yeah, whatever." Cana brushed her off casually. She sauntered over to Wendy and Levy, turning the volume down low. "Hey kiddos, you finished here?"
"We're the same age, Cana." Levy answered dryly. "Yeah, we just finished with the last group. We'll be leaving now, I need to pass Mira the results."
When they left, Cana cranked up the volume once more, throwing her hands in the air and swaying her hips. "We'll be doing the same thing you did with Levy and Wendy, except in hip hop style. If you wanna join this team of girls we need to know if you can shake some booty."
As Cana dimmed the lights and got everyone on their feet for a quick warmup, Yui sidled up to Lucy, her head bowed low.
"I'm sorry about earlier, Lucy," she sighed. "I might have ruined your chance."
"Hey, enough of that," Lucy chided playfully. "What's done is done. Now are you gonna stand there and mope or would you rather dance with me?" She rocked her body back and forth, the music energizing her. She loved ballet, but hip hop always got the adrenaline pumping through her, a feeling she absolutely relished.
Yui was hesitant, but seeing the carefree smile on Lucy's face, she couldn't help but move her body to the music.
...
Cana and Juvia's routine was intense, so to speak. The sequence was more complicated than Wendy's and Lucy noticed that most of the participants weren't able to keep up.
When it came to her turn, she surprised herself by executing the routine flawlessly. Or at least, she hoped it was flawless. Yui appeared to have done just as well, and gave her a thumbs up at the end of their turn.
They were now resting in the dance studio, where Cana and Juvia told them to remain while they conferenced with their manager.
"We'll have the results the next time we come back." Cana had added as she left the room in pretty much the same flashy manner she entered with.
Lucy found herself getting to know Yui better, and she was happy to have finally made her first friend. All her life she had been homeschooled, and she counted the house servants as family rather than friends. For once, she felt like a normal teenage girl.
She was just listening to Yui tell her a story involving her older brother and some melted ice cream when Cana sauntered in, this time unaccompanied by the music player or Juvia. She had a clipboard under her arm and Lucy knew immediately that they held the results. She sat up straighter as a silence fell over the room.
"Are you all feeling nervous?" Cana grinned. "Well, I'm afraid I'll have to burst some of your bubbles here and now. Only about ten of you made it into the last round."
The participants grew uneasy. That was about one sixth of all the girls in the room. They watched in trepidation as Cana's eyes lazily scanned the clipboard.
"When I call your name, please come to the front. First we have Sakura Zenboku."
"Trina Atsuki."
Cana announced a few more names and every time it wasn't hers, Lucy's heart stung. This was it. She would have to go home to her father and-
"Lucy Heartifilia and lastly, Yui Neville." Cana tucked the clipboard back under her arm. "Congrats to those who made it. As for the rest of you, thank you for coming today. And don't feel too disappointed about not making the cut. If you need a shoulder to cry on, mine is available. Or if you'd rather, we have consolation donuts waiting outside."
Lucy barely processed the rest of Cana's words. She almost couldn't believe her own ears. Had she really-
"Lucy you made it!" Yui squealed, tackling her into a hug. "I just knew you would."
"Thanks, Yui," Lucy laughed, the tension leaving her all at once. "Congrats to you too."
"Hey, you two!" They looked up to see that they were the only ones still in the room. Cana was beckoning them from the doorway. "Hate to interrupt your cheer fest, but only one of you or neither of you will make it. Now come on, the last test will be starting soon."
Cana was right, she realized. They celebrated too soon. Still, looking at Yui's reassuring smile, she felt at ease once more. Whether one of them made it, or neither of them, Lucy was determined to have some pizza with her new friend after the audition was over. She had never tried it before.
"Come on, let's clear this last hurdle."
...
Now Lucy considered herself to be reasonably pretty. She had a lot of confidence in the looks she inherited from her mother, and Layla Heartifilia was indeed stunning. She began to doubt her own appearance however, when she found herself face to face with the most gorgeous looking girl she had ever seen.
"Hello everyone, my name is Mirajane," Lucy continued to gape at the white-haired beauty. "I'm Celeste's manager, and I'm so pleased to see all of you."
Mirajane smiled gently at the remaining participants. They had been gathered in a small auditorium where they were given a warm welcome by Mirajane and the members of Celeste. They all stood on stage now, silent as their manager spoke.
"We will begin the last phase of the audition shortly. But first, we will wait for one more person to join us." Mirajane smiled in Lucy's direction and her heart skipped.
"Lisanna? Don't you think it's about time you got up here?"
There was a moment of silence as the girls realized what she just said. Lucy frowned. Wasn't Lisanna the member that-
"Oh Mira-nee, just when I was really getting into character." A voice Lucy recognized all too well rang out. Beside her, Yui stepped forward, her hands reaching up to remove the wig and glasses. The brown locks were pulled away to reveal hair the same color as Mirajane's, and the face that once held a shy and uncertain smile now beamed radiantly with confidence.
Lucy and all the other participants watched with ill-concealed shock as Yui made the transition to the very girl they were there to replace. Lisanna took her place beside the other Celeste members and lifted her hand in greeting.
"Hey everyone, and yes, it really is me. Had you all fooled didn't I?" Lisanna smiled sweetly at her very stunned audience, who hadn't quite recovered yet. "I'm sure you've all heard that I was going overseas, and I still am. I just had to make sure Celeste got the perfect new member. And I think I may have found her already." Lisanna's eyes twinkled mischievously, but Lucy noticed that she was avoiding her gaze.
"We'll still carry on with the last round, though. This time, all of Celeste will be your judges." She gestured to the girls beside her. "Give us a memorable performance, okay?"
...
-MySilentVoice