Sanctuary. Did it even exist? Or were they just false promises?
She didn't know. It wasn't something that anyone she knew thought about.
But it was all she could think about now a days. After the run in.
Her parents were afraid. They didn't know what happened. Even when she tried to explain it, it sounded unreal. Like a trick or enchantment had been placed on her to see something that didn't exist.
Regardless of what the truth of what happened, the effect was clear. The little darling girl whose curiousity knew no bounds was heavily encompassed by magic in which her home didn't know and feared.
So it didn't take long for the girl to leave, a small sack on her back and a pocket full of money to get her started, a black cat following close after with striking blue eyes.
"Why are you bothering me?" The girl hissed at the cat. The glared at her, as if to silently judge her running away.
"There is nothing good for me here. I don't feel safe. And I don't think I will until she's gone."
The cat meowed at her and lessened its glare. As if to ask if she would get rid of her.
"I don't know if I can. But I'll find someone who can."
The girl kept moving forward, aware she had to get as far as she could before her parents could wake up. If they wouldn't listen to her on how to get help, she'd have to do it herself. And she heard there was one group of magical users that were just about crazy enough to try anything. Including face the one who made her what she was. The creature who tried to kill her and steal her eyes, only to fail in taking them both.
With a dragonfly pin on her collar next to a silver chain and incredibly dark blue hair covering her right eye, the girl trudged on. In search of the infamous magical guild, Fairy Tail.
"This Caroline kid's parents are putting out quite the reward," Gajeel commented as he looked at the recently edited reward for the safe return of their child. From 250,000 jewel to 500,000. It wasn't the largest reward on the board, but this one had been steadily rising since its initial posting.
"It says Coraline. Not Caroline," Levy corrected as she looked over the request. The request for the safe return of a thirteen year old girl who vanished from her home one fateful night.
The wizards of the guild were torn over the request. On the one hand, there was a missing child with very concerned parents. On the other hand, they all remembered what happened with Lucy's father.
What could any of them expect with this mission request that had been up for months?
"What did you say!?" Natsu roared at Gray in his usual manner before a brawl broke out.
Chaos and violence were the norm when a hooded stranger walked into the guild. Not too terribly tall, and walking with a cat, they walked to the bar.
"Hello there," Mirajane greeted the short stranger, "Anything I can do for you?"
The person coughed and kept their head down, hiding their face under the hood, and in a quiet and raspy tone, asked a question.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite hear you."
"I would like to speak with the master of the guild," a young voice clearly spoke. Worry was evident in their voice. Mirajane's face adopted a worried look.
"Is something the matter?"
"I would just like to speak with the master please. It's urgent."
Mirajane nodded her head.
"Master, someone is here to see you," she called out cheerfully making the short person flinch, lowering their head. Heads of the guild turned to see Master Markorav walk over to the hooded person.
"Hello there my child. What can I do for you?" Markorav asked with a wide smile.
"Can... Can we talk in private?"
Markorav looked at the stranger with careful eyes. With the head lowered it wasn't hard for him to realize he was talking to a rather pale young girl. One who looked nervous and slightly scared.
"Of course child. Follow me."
The cat meowed and followed the young one's footsteps into an empty infirmary.
"No need to be afraid my dear. I'm not going to hurt you."
"I want to believe that. It's why I'm here. I need help."
"What's wrong?"
The stranger lifted their head.
"Promise you won't turn me in yet?"
"What? Are you in danger child?"
"Yes. And I'm not the only one."
The stranger pulled off her hood to reveal dark blue hair and held a striking resemblance to the picture of the missing child.
"My name is Coraline Jones, and my family is in trouble."
"Deep breathes my dear. Deep breathes," Markorav tried to calm her down. He brushed the hair from her hidden eye only to understand her fear. Where her eye should have been, there was a black button stitched to her face. She turned her head and took a deep breath, letting her hair cover the button.
"I have some money. It's not much, but if a team will accept it-"
"We'll help you. But I must know, did your parents-"
"It's not my parents who did this!" Coraline screeched, "They would have never done this to me," she added as she crossed her arms as if to hug herself, "It was something way worse."
"Do you know who did this to you?" Coraline nearly shivered at the dark tone the short and rather friendly man was using.
"She calls herself, the Other Mother. Her other victims called her the Beldam." Coraline looked down at her hands. Lifting her right hand, she created a magic circle around her hand. Her hand grew thinner, stripping of muscle and flesh, only to be replaced by thin and precise metal needles held together by magic to hold the form of a hand, "And she did this to me."
Coralline in Fairy Tail universe? With the Beldam as some magic terror most of the world is ignorant of. What madness could await? Also, I am slightly surprised there were no crosses for this.