It was twelve o' clock, and Lucy was hurriedly packing her bags. She was leaving the Heartfilia mansion. She was escaping her past. But most of all, she was running away from the one thing she hated most: Jude Heartfilia, her father. Jude was her father, but it didn't seem like it very much. When she was small, yes. She, her mother, and her father had so much fun together. They were very happy people. They had the biggest company in Fiore. And they had the most money out of everyone there, well, except for the king and probably the magic council. But then, her mom was diagnosed with skin cancer. Eventually she died. And after that, her father became engrossed in his work. He hardly ever spoke to Lucy, unless it was about an arranged marriage. She'd always refused, though, and each time she did, Jude became more angry. It wasn't until just yesterday, her seventeenth birthday, that he'd crossed the line.

*FLASHBACK*

"Lucy, come here," Jude said, rather impatiently, "Today you will go on a date with a young man about your age. He's a nice fellow, I'm sure you two will get along."

"Dad, please! I do NOT want to date, let alone MARRY, a man I don't know!" Lucy pleaded. She feared being with a man she didn't know.

"You will go, OR ELSE!" He fumed, starting to get ticked off.

"Please, Father, please! I don't want to!" Gathering up more courage she said firmly, "I refuse to."

Now Jude was as red as a tomato with anger. "I have had enough of this!" Yelling, he slapped her.

"I don't care! I will not do this!"

"YOU DARE DEFY ME! I AM YOUR FATHER!" With that, he grabbed her arm and twisted it, causing her to let out a screech. Then he slammed her against the wall violently. "Get out." His tone was now calm, but he was shaking.

Lucy, crying, ran as fast as she could to her room.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"Open, gate of the maiden, Virgo!" Lucy whisper-yelled, while a pink haired maid appeared in a poof.

"You summoned me, princess?" She asked. "Is it time for punishment?"

"No, no!" Lucy sighed. "I just need you to help me pack."

"Leave it to me, Princess!"

Lucy facepalmed at her spirit's nickname for her. When Lucy was a small girl, she always imagined herself as a princess. She even asked Virgo to call her princess.

"All done!" Virgo smiled happily. "Punishment time...?"

"NO!" Lucy sweat-dropped. "You can go back, now!" And then Virgo was gone. Lucy grabbed her suitcase and began to creep her way to the front door of the Heartfilia mansion.

Lucy walked and walked. All the way to Magnolia, one of the many cities in Fiore. But what made this one special is that it held the most powerful - and destructive - wizardry guild in Fiore. Lucy didn't know this, however.

Lucy had taken a few naps along the way, but she was still extremely tired. It was dark, and raining. Lucy was soaked. She stumbled and tripped down the sidewalk, before finally falling onto her knees from exhaustion. She was just about to cry when-

''Well, well, look what we've got here..." She heard a man's voice. "What is a cute girl like you doin' out here at night?"

"Yeah, come hang with us. We'll show ya a good time." Said another.

"Hehehe..." Another.

"P-please, leave me alone..." She pleaded. She turned around to see three men, very tall and muscular, peering down in her with unnerving glints in their eyes.

"Why should we do that?" One of them reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her up to her feet. "

"L-let me go!" She struggled to get out of his grasp.

"No way.." Her other arm was captured.

"HEELP!" She screeched out, struggling harder.

A voice, in the distance, yelled, "YOU LET GO OF HER!"