Turf War Ch. 1: Research
I remember waiting for my food in McDonalds, I remember clutching the bag close to me as I walked down the sidewalk. I remember ignoring the hoodlums. 'Hey baby, wanna come with me? I'll rock your world,' one yelled, 'Nah, she'd rather be with me,' another one said. They began to follow me, continuing their profane jeering. I cut through the alley, hoping to get back faster. They saw their opportunity, and took it. They caught up to me and started pulling on my bright orange dress, flipping it up to try and 'get a better look at me,' as one put it.
"Please go away," I asked. They responded by pulling at my blue hair and yellow headband. I began to scream. Right when it was about to escape, one of them pinned me to the wall with their elbow at my throat. The other three males began laughing and started to grope me. Luckily, the one pinning me to the wall slacked his arm against me. I took the chance to yell for help. The shriek was, hopefully, loud enough.
"Too bad, no one's gonna help you. Nobody messes with the Fantoms!" one said, replacing his elbow. The force he applied knockedme unconscious. I faded in and out after that.
"Ghihi, Can't get your own girl?" someone beside me asked, though it sounded as if it came from quite a distance away. I barely heard the thud of people getting hit into walls and floors. When I woke up, I found the would-be rapists lying in a messy pile. Upon closer inspection, I found that they had each been given a mark that resembled a cat head with a C creating the outline and an X in the place of eyes. One stirred when I lifted his arm to examine said emblem. In my haste to get away, I had kicked him, hard. I ran home, my lunch and headband long forgotten.
I burst into the living room, only to find it empty. I ran to Rogue's room, it was just as barren as the other rooms. I found the telephone tossed aside on his desk. I quickly dialed Rogue's cell number and hit "call". It had scarcely rang once before I heard my brother's voice.
Meet Ryos Cheney, however me and my few friends call him Rogue. He has black hair that covers his right eye, and a abhorrence of dressing casually. He always wears a grey button-up shirt and black dress pants, and it never changes.
"Levy! Where the hell were you!? Mom, Dad, Lucy, and I have been worried sick! You were supposed to be home three hours ago!"
"Three hours? I just left McDonalds..." I checked the clock. Five-thirty. How could it have been five-thirty? "... Four hours ago," I finished.
"What were you doing since one?" He asked. I was just as curious as to how four hours disappeared. "Levy, just stay there, we're coming home now."
When Rogue walked through the door he ran to me and gave me a once-over. He decided I wasn't hurt, aside from the bruising on my neck. He then decided to ask about what happened.
"Well, I was with Lu- oh crap!" I said running to get the phone. I quickly dialed the familiar number. It rang twice before a masculine voice answered.
"Eh, whatcha need?" he asked. Meet Steven Eucliffe, better known as Sting. He has blonde hair and a scar above his right eye. His peculiar style of dressing drew Rogue to be his best friend. A favorite outfit of his is composed of a cut-off vest with fur lining and a tight tee, long blue gloves, grey jeans and knee-high combat boots.
"Sting! Is Lucy there?" I practically yelled.
"No, she's actually out looking for you," he paused, "This is Levy, right?"
"Yes, could you tell her that I'm okay, please?"
"Sure, bye," he said before hanging up. I sighed and put the phone down. Sting was so irritating sometimes, how can she put up with him, I wondered. I walked back to where Rogue was sitting on the leather couch. I flopped onto it, setting a pillow in my lap.
"As I was saying, I was with Lu, we were going to the movies. We got there and the movie didn't start for an hour, so I went to get our lunch while she shopped. I walk around the corner to the McDonald's and-" I was cut off by a vicious growl from my stomach. Rogue chuckled and went to the kitchen. He came back with an apple.
"Here, eat this while you finish your story," he said extending his arm with the apple. I took it and bit with a voracity I didn't know I had.
"So, I went in, got our food and," my voice hitched when I thought about what happened next. Rogue pulled one of his eyebrows up in a questioning look. I steeled my nerves and continued. "And I left. On the way back to Lu, I was jumped by some guys." I took a shaky breath and a halfhearted bite of my apple. He waited patiently for me to resume. "One had his elbow at my throat," I subconsciously reached to the bruise on my neck.
"So that's how it happened," he gave a small smile, the kind he gets when he tries to lighten the mood. "Well, I can rest easy knowing that it's not a hickey," he said with a false smile. Tears began to form at the corners of my eyes.
"It could have been a lot worse than that," I whispered. His eyes focused on me, understanding what I meant. He slid over, envelopingme in a protective hug.
"You don't have to say any more," he crooned. I let the tears loose after he said that. He rocked and shushed me, telling me it will be okay.
"I'm not finished," I said as I pushed him away. "They were too busy 'admiring' me and he let his elbow off. I screamed as loud as possible, and he pushed his elbow down harder. I began to pass out when someone came and rescued me," I began to laugh, the kind of laugh you do when you don't know what to do. It was a small laugh, but it was joined by a relieved laugh from Rogue. "I was out for the actual rescue, but when I woke up, they were marked with some kind of symbol, I guess it was a gang symbol."
"Do you know what gang they were? Do you remember what the symbol looked like?" he asked in a rush.
"No," I lied, he reacted as though he knew something, I thought. I will have to draw that out of him. "Why?" feigning innocence. The weak attempt seemed to work.
"Just wanted every detail," he sighed. Soon thereafter, Mom and Dad bursted in. They asked a similar array of questions, but neglected to ask Rogue's final question. This made the query seem even more out of place.
"Well, I feel exhausted. I think I'll go to bed," I sighed. I stretched my arms over my head as I walked to my room. I closed the door and changed into a simple black tank and sweat pants. I flopped into my bed, ignoring the mess of books that adorned my room. I fell asleep with a novel clutched close, and the last line running through my mind.
I woke to the sound of Rogue pounding on the door.
"Levy, wake up! We gotta go to school!" he shouted. I sat up and looked in my mirror. Not even the best hairstylist in the world could undo what the night had wrought. I simply pulled what i could behind a white headband. I got up and changed into a simple orange V-neck and white jeans. I ran through my morning routine, pausing only to grab an apple from the fruit bowl. I climbed into the front of Rogue's car. He slid behind the wheel, and eyed me with a questioning look.
"What?" I asked impatiently.
"Shoes?" he teased. Shock possessed my face when I noticed my lack of shoes. I dashed inside to grab whatever was closest. I returned to his little KIA and put the grey and orange Converse I apparently grabbed. The ride to Fairy High was quiet, even by Rogue's standard.
Fairy High, the "new age teenager's fairy tale", represented, ironically, by dragons. It may contain one of the broadest curriculums in high school history, but it was far from a fairy tale. Ever since Cana and Natsu transfered here, it would be a miracle if fewer than twenty people came in with a hangover or missing/singed hair. Gray didn't really help either, he and Natsu were always in a fight. Still, at least it wasn't in the bad part of town.
I holed up in the library for my free period, however, it was at a computer, rather than with a book. I attempted to do some basic research with Google, but with school blocks on, I could only get so far. While attempting to outsmart the blocks, Lucy crept up behindme.
"Whatcha doin'?" she asked. Lucy Heartfilia, my BFF, and favorite author. The blonde wasn't published, yet, but she enjoyed writing a fiction about us being wizards. We became best friends after we met in the library, fighting over a book. The friendship was beneficial to both of us. She needed an editor she could trust, I needed something good to read.
"Nothing much, just some research. What are you doing? Don't you have Calculus?"
"Screw math, I came to talk to you about yesterday," a silly grin crossed her face. "Did you meet a boy?"
"I met five, actually. Six including the cashier at McD's," my voice went hard as I spoke.
"Naughty girl-" she said with a perverse grin.
"Naughty boys, actually," I said with fear and bile rising to my mouth. Her face contorted with horror as she gathered what I meant.
"Oh. My. Fucking. God."
"Lucy! Watch your mouth!"
"Girl, you got gang raped, and you're telling me to watch my mouth!? What the hell? Do you not care? What if you're pregnant?" her voice dropped at the last part.
"I'm not."
"How do you-?"
"I wasn't raped. Someone saved me," I said with a sigh. Her face and voice lightened.
"Oh my God! So sweet! Who was he? Are you gonna introduce me? Oh! I bet he's hot!" Her barrage of questions and comments continued on unnoticed. I waited until she was done before delivering bad news.
"I don't know who he is, but I heard something like a laugh. Ghihi? Know anyone who laughs like that?" she turned a shocked look toward me.
"I don't know anyone like that, and I know every guy in the school! I will not stand for this!" Determined seemed to be an understatement for the look in her eyes. I turned back to the dead end computer. Lucy turned and asked what kind of research I was doing. Local gangs, I said as the bell rang.
I picked my seat in Mr. Justine's Lit class, close to the board and his desk. He began his lecture on Shakespearean English in preparation for reading 'Romeo and Juliet'. Just as I was finished copying down the notes, the secretary's voice came over the intercom.
"Excuse me, Mr. Justine?"
"How can I help?" he answered politely.
"I need Levy McGarden in the front office."
"She is on her way now."
"Thank you." I gathered my things and headed down to the principal's office. When I got there, I found two men in police uniforms waiting for me.
"What's this about?" I asked, gesturing to the two men.
"These gentlemen are officers Jett and Droy," the secretary said nodding to each in turn. The first was tall and thin with wild orange hair, the second was more built than the first and had a ponytail at the top of his neck.
"'Morning little lady," Droy spoke with some southern drawl, but not so much as Swamp People advertised.
"How are you?" Jett spoke like he was from California, with a little hint of everything.
"Nice to meet you both, but you didn't answer my question," I pressed. I was NOT going to have to go to jail, was I?
"We need you to come with us," Jett said. He saw my face shift to one of fear and confusion.
"You ain't in trouble, you were a victim yesterday, weren'cha?" Droy added. Relief flooded through me. It was probably visible too.
"We just need you to answer some questions, down at the station," Jett finished. I followed them out to their car and climbed in the back seat. He started the car and pulled into the streets of Magnolia. We pulled up to the police station in the older part of Magnolia. The white paint was crumbling off of the bricks, the doors creaked, and the windows were not going to open any time soon. They ledme through the lobby, and through a door that had a window in it. It looked like an interrogation room. This is going to be a long chat.
A/N: (•_• ) ( •_•)Rogue knows more than he's letting on... Shhh! Anyways, Lucy went Erza just a little bit, SORRY! Also, FUQ MOTION SICKNESS! I feel like I went from "I'm getting paid to do this" description and "I already know how it is and you should too". Try and bear with it please, I'm doing this shit because I love you guys, and it is getting done at about midnight. Anyway, you guys will get a bonus at the end of the story if we reach a goal that shall not be disclosed yet. This is a "hidden trophy" for PS players or for XBoxers, "secret achievement". If you aren't a gamer, just use some context clues. I'm planning out a few other fics, so please deal with updates being slow. School's gonna be starting soon, too. Wish me luck!
=^•_•^= Fairy Tail and all its badassery belongs to Hiro Mashima.
Happy! Watch your damn mouth! Bye!