(A/N: I do not own Fairytail NOR Spirited Away. Spirited Away characters are replaced by Fairytail characters. I do not have the brilliant mind of Miyazaki or Hiroshima.)
Life was boring. And sucky.
She slid down with her knees grazing the front car seat and held onto a batch of farewell flowers from her friends; they held a single note: "Lucy, we'll miss you!" The blonde rested her head against the car door, even though she knew her mother was going to chide her. Her chocolate orbs glanced at the passing, monotonous buildings that hovered by, and she longed for the outside air. She felt carsickness building in her esophagus, letting out a small groan.
Her father noticed and flickered his gaze to the rearview mirror. "We're almost near the mansion. Just hold on for a bit longer."
"Dear, it doesn't look like there are any shopping centers here. I probably have to go to the next town…" her mother murmured.
"We'll just have to deal with it."
"Lucy! That's your new school! It looks wonderful-oh, you're going to make so many friends!" Layla gushed.
She pushed herself up on the seat, apathetically averting her eyes to the side. The school looked the same as the others…tannish-white buildings. She stuck out her tongue and slouched again into her usual position. Her hands grasped the flowers tighter.
Eventually, the scenery died away from the boring buildings, converting into trees that loomed over the car. The family was in silence as they sped deeper into the forest.
Layla reached over to place her hand on Jude's shoulder. "Maybe we should turn back to the town and ask for directions. We might've gone too deep."
"No, I know where we're going," he insisted. "Trust me."
The pack of three fell into silence again. Her mother turned to her and let out a small, reassuring smile. "You'll love it there." Then a frown emerged. "Lucy, how many times have I told you not to lean against the car door? It's dangerous."
There it was. She obeyed but unbuckled her seatbelt to sprawl out on the car seats, resting the flowers on her belly. The nausea was getting a bit too much.
"So, what do you think of the scenery here?" Jude asked, a bit hopeful.
It's terrible. I want to go back to Magnolia. "It's nice, dad," she mumbled and turned her head to focus on the car seat smell and the distant fragrance of the flowers. The leather didn't help much.
Her ears heard the gravels that crunched against the rubber tires. There would only be concrete in the busy streets of Magnolia. And the trees. It wouldn't be the sickly, green color everywhere nor the stupid plain-white stuff. It would be the colorful, joyous buildings that rained in parade every day with happy people.
Everything was too quiet. Tranquil and serene. What other synonyms were there? Peaceful…flat. Damn, she needed . Oh yeah, there was no Wi-Fi. Another reason to hate this place. She, Lucy Heartfilia, was created to live in the city, not the suburbs.
There was also little communication, which meant car rides everywhere. Ew. She'll either learn to deal with carsickness or train herself to jog 1 mile to every destination.
"Jude," her mother sounded calm but a little worried, "the road up ahead seems to end. Let's turn back."
"It'll appear. Just wait a bit more."
Suddenly, the car vehemently tilted forward. It sped down the dirt road. The trees flashed by quicker, into a blur. Lucy had to sit up to avoid crashing her head into the seat and pushed in her seatbelt. The petals from her friends' gift flew everywhere, and one ended up in her open mouth, which she spat out in disgust. The end of the forest was nearing, and the car finally shot through. In curiosity, she tilted her head to the side and spotted a statue in front of a black-pitch tunnel.
"BRAKE NOW! WE'RE GOING TO CRASH!" Layla screamed. In hearing, Jude immediately braked, and the car screeched into a halt, seconds away from the statue's extended belly. They let out a sigh of relief as the blonde immediately kicked open the door, smiling at the touch of earth.
Layla followed, closing the car door behind her as Jude inspected the mossy statue, probably untouched for years. "I would say I told you so, but I won't, Jude."
Her father looked a little crossed. "I'm sure there's a town beyond this tunnel. I'll go look for help."
Sighing, Layla pushed two fingers against her temple. "I'm coming too. Lucy, you can come or stay to watch the car."
The sixteen-year old blonde nodded her head as she saw the two figures gradually blending into the darkness. She turned to her right and glanced worriedly at the eerie statue. It was pudgy, squatty. Worst of all, it was creepily smiling as it stared at her parents. Wait…wasn't it facing the car?
A shiver crawled up her spine. This place was weird. She looked back at the statue one more time, and…it was facing the car now. Lucy shook her head. Her mind was tricking her today. This stupid statue wasn't going to harm her….but she couldn't help…imagining it to pop out alive and devour her. Then no trace of her would be found…and her parents would….
"DAD! MOM! I'M COMING WITH YOU GUYS!" she yelled, running into the abyss of the tunnel. "WAIT UP!"
"Make up your mind faster, Lucy," her mother scolded.
"Sorry…"
The statue faced the tunnel, grinning wider at the three disappearing figures.
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"The movers will arrive before us, Jude. Let's turn back soon…" her mother whispered.
"Yea! This place gives me the creeps…let's go back to town daadd!" Lucy whined.
Her father scowled and seemed intent on proving himself right. "Let's just investigate further. The movers have the keys, so it'll be alright. Oh, watch your steps."
The tunnel eventually became lighter as they entered a desolated chapel. Dusty benches sat alongside the poles as light streamed from the windows, giving the place a holy mask in the midst of the ominous isolation. Her foot crunched on a leaf as she yelped, clutching onto her mother's arm.
"Don't cling too tightly. You'll make me trip."
"Wait! Do you hear that?" His father cupped his ear, focusing onto the sound. They both did the same, and the sound of a bell with clutters came in contact with their ears.
"It's a train.." Lucy piped up.
"Which means there's a train station! Let's go!" Her father raced towards the open door that gushed sunlight.
"Let's go Lucy," her mother walked, following her father in suit. As she hung onto Layla's arm, she cautiously turned her head back, half-expecting the statue to pursue them.
Nothing appeared in the tunnel. Lucy slowly turned her head to the front, concentrating on the sounds of footsteps. They passed by the door and reached…a lawn?
No, it was a sea of grass, occasionally littered by old houses and…those statues again. Great. There were more pudgy statues, but a greater variety appeared: skinny, short, squatty…And she thought the previous one was bad.
"What the heck is that…?" she asked.
"I KNEW IT!" her father smiled victoriously, "it's an abandoned theme park. Many were built in the 90s..but the economy was bad, so many were driven into bankruptcy."
"Ok…" I just want to go back. I'd rather just live in that stupid city than stay here any longer.
"Let's go!" Her father waved and continued into the vast green space before them.
She noticed her mother trailing behind him. "Wait, we should turn back. Mom! Tell dad to turn back! It's creepy here…"
"It's fine, Lucy. It's just a theme park. Let's have some fun here." Layla smiled and walked forwards.
"WAIT! COME ON GUYS! LET'S GO BACK! I HAVE A REALLY BAD FEELING! PLEA-!" A gust of wind shot behind Lucy, pushing her violently. She stared wide-eyed at the building behind her as it moaned drearily. Suddenly, Lucy felt terrified and insignificant in comparison to the chapel-like building. Her teeth clenched as she ran to grab her mother by the arm again. "Did you hear that?! The building was moaning! It's a sign!"
"It's just the wind, dear." Her mother brushed her off and continued the trudge uphill.
Lucy sighed in frustration, but followed. It was always safer with company. They neared a short wall of stones with stairs leading upwards.
"I guess this was meant to be a man-made lake. Here, I'll help you up." Jude extended a hand to Layla and lifted her upwards, before he began sniffing.
"Dad…do you have a cold? SEE? I TOLD YOU THIS PLACE IS BAD!" Lucy fretted as she climbed up the stones.
"Hey, smell that?" He sniffed, smiling at the fragrance. Layla sniffed once before she began to grin, and Jude turned his head to the north direction. "It smells delicious."
"Yea and I'm starving!" she commented. "Lucy, hurry!" They both ran to the direction of the smell.
"Wait guys!" She growled in frustration and landed sloppily on her feet. "SLOW DOWN!"
"This theme park might still be in business. I wonder if we'll see anyone." Her dad scurried up the path that led to a small cluster of shops, resembling a town. He paused for a second, sniffing each direction and finally pointed. "Over there!"
Another division appeared with similar shops, almost as if it was preventing them from entering. Jude sniffed again. "This way!" They continued to follow their father without complaint, but Lucy frequently looked back, shivering.
"Why are these all restaurants…?" Layla asked, not to anyone in specific.
"Why are we still exploring? Let's go back!" Lucy was ignored.
Eventually, a sizzling sound met their ears, and Jude ran over, excited. "I FOUND IT! GUYS, COME HERE! THERE'S PLENTY!"
"Oh my!" Layla gushed as she entered the small restaurant. "Lucy, come in here!" Even though she stood far away, she could see the open-wall restaurant. There were mountains of food, all somehow extremely large in size. It was a feast for pigs. An enormous fish head sat in the center with its lifeless, cooked eyes staring in horror at the ceiling. The smell fought in her nose, and she grimaced at the sight.
"No." She stubbornly strayed away.
Jude chuckled. "Suit yourself. Man, this is heaven! Hey! Is there anyone in here?"
A cluttering fan answered as the fire stove cackled, swaying back and forth. Lucy edged away at the sight of the free flames.
"Don't worry, honey. We'll just pay the bill when they get back." Layla reached for a giant piece of chicken and took one small bite. Immediately, she turned around to face Lucy, her eyes wild with ravenous excitement. "This is delicious! Come and eat, Lucy! You have to try this!"
"I don't WANT ANY!" Lucy growled, stubbornly planting her feet. "That looks disgustingly large. We're going to get in trouble! Let's just get out of here!"
"Don't worry! You got daddy here!" Jude grinned as he snatched two plates, greedily piling with the food. "He's got credit cards and cash!" He settled in next to Layla as Lucy watched helplessly.
Her mother, seemingly the most petite woman in the world, was now the opposite. She slobbered over the food, not pausing once to daintily tip her mouth with a handkerchief. The juices from the chicken ran down her chin and into her outfit, but she only sucked and licked each bone clean, moaning in pleasure.
"Want some more?" Jude piled more plates.
"Thank you," her mother mumbled, letting out some food from her mouth. "Lucy, try some! It's so tender."
"NO thanks! YOU GUYSS! COME ON!"
Her parents continued eating, snorting once in awhile and slurping the dribbling juices. She sighed as her angry, contorted face relaxed into an emotionless state. "I'm going to go explore."
They didn't bother turning around. Sighing, she veered away and walked down the path they had entered. She faced two dividing roads. One led to more shops, and another led to a small red temple, similar to the chapel's architecture. She hesitated, turning to see the backs of her parents. Good, they were still moving. The food wasn't poisonous.
Lucy ventured towards the small structure, and it somehow grew more than it should've been when she came closer. "Everything here is all about being big…" she muttered and turned to her right, only to face a temple of a monstrosity in comparison to the structure in front of her.
"What…the…flapjacks?" Lucy breathed. It was almost like a grand palace but with a green roof…and a giant pillar next to it, exhaling black smoke into the blue, clear sky. A sign next to it billowed in the wind, imprinted with a Japanese character, 油.
She struggled, trying to pull it out from her memories in Japanese class. "Oil? What?...Weird." A bridge ran between the temple and her, and she bravely took a step forward, only to stop again and notice rocks streaming with hot water nearby. It fit together.
"It's a bathhouse.." Lucy blankly stood there, shaking her head to clear out confusion. She ran to the side of the bridge and peeked out her head below, expecting a riverbed. A path instead appeared between two tunnels, and a train ran past. It only had one railroad track.
"There's the train!...But…does it only go one direction..?" she murmured, edging her way off the side and letting out a sigh. Out of curiosity, she ran to the other side and investigated. Still the same scene. She needed to tell her parents about this.
Suddenly, a small gust of wind blew to her side, and she turned, her eyes widening in surprise.
It was a boy. Around her age..and he had pink hair. She couldn't help but let out a small snort, and she blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mea—"
"You shouldn't be here." His obsidian eyes narrowed as his forehead creased in worry.
"Wait what?" Lucy blankly stared and immediately placed her palm to her head. "Oh yea, my parents and I were exploring. Sorry if you guys were still under construction. My parents sort of ate your food….so—"
"Get out of here!..NOW!" he yelled, stepping in closer.
"What? Chill—"
"It's almost night time! Leave!"
Lucy almost scowled at his rudeness, but she noticed his face was scrunched in worry.
"Leave! Before it gets dark!" he shouted.
As if on cue, the distant lanterns suddenly flickered onto a brighter light. A deep growl emerged from his throat. "Shit. They're lighting the lamps." He grabbed onto Lucy's shoulder and pushed her. "Get out of here! You've got to get out of here! NOW! GET ACROSS THE RIVER! I'll distract them!"
Wait what?! What's happening?! She turned around, only to see the boy blow white, glass petals from his fingers. What on earth?!
Lucy raced down the path towards her parents, but she paused midway to rub her eyes, pinching herself. It was still reality. The lanterns around her grew into a hazy light. "What's up with him?" she muttered, but continued to run.
As she ran, the shops suddenly sprung to life. The dust blew away like magic. And…black shadows emerged from every direction. Ok..there was definitely something wrong.
"MOM! DAD!" she yelled. Please tell me they're still there!
Her hopes rose at the sight of her parents' back. "MOM! DAD! WE'VE GOTTA GET OUT HERE! COME ON! HEY! WHY ARE YOU STILL EATING, YOU FATTIES?!" Jude finally turned around to her relief, but she saw a pig in place of his face.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" she screamed. It snorted at her and turned back for more food, but its snout knocked over plates, spilling out contents that almost caused Lucy to retch in disgust. A mysterious silhouette held a fly swatter behind the stand, and it whipped the pig. It caused the animal to crash down as it squealed in pain.
"YOU! ….ARE DEFINITELY NOT DAD!" she looked over to see the other pig, somehow in her mother's clothing. "YOU…ARE DEFINITELY NOT MY MOM! BYE!"
Lucy scurried off, half tripping along the way. She was surrounded by mysterious black shadows that floated randomly around her. It didn't correlate in her brain. Theme park. Hot boy with pink hair. Floating shadows. Pigs wearing her parents' clothes.
"MY LOGIC ISN'T EXPLAINING ANYTHING!" she screamed. "MOM! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Adrenaline pumped throughout her body. Beads of sweat ran down her forehead. She didn't know what to do. Wait, the boy said get across the river. But her parents…no, she'll have to see for her own safety now.
Lucy gritted her teeth as she ran in and out of the shops. Finally, after avoiding mysterious shadow things, she reached a vast, dark field. Is this what he meant by the river?
She ran, only to screech down into a halt. "WHAT THE HECK!" Her shoes were drenched in water. The grass was no longer there. How will she get out now? Her eyes squinted into the distant building that lit up in a warm, yellow light. It was the creepy chapel. Then..how did the water….and the grass..
"GAHHHH!" she screeched. "I'M DREAMING I'M DREAMING!" She smacked her head a couple of times and peeked through one eye. Everything was still the same…."WHY?!" She crouched down into a squatting position, curling into a small ball. "It's just a dream….just disappear from here…now….just a dream…"
Her head snapped up. She was glowing. And transparent. She held her hands up against the light of an incoming cruise ship. She could…see…the ship…through her hands….
"I'M SEE-THROUGH!...IT'S JUST A DREAM…." She shivered and rubbed her arms. "It's just a dream.." The ship docked to the shores, and its doors flew open, giving way to floating masks. As they reached land, their bodies eventually formed red cloaks, and heads appeared with a traditional Asian hat.
Her eyes…were definitely off today. Lucy ran back up the hill, occasionally falling flat on her face. Nothing made sense. She stumbled near the back of an abandoned house and curled into a ball, whimpering as spirits flew above her.
"…I told you so mom..."
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