A/N: Hey guys! This is my first time posting a story here. I did post one a long time ago, but my perfectionist self wasn't satisfied with it and it was a bit weird so I ended up scrapping it. This story was originally posted on wattpad as a simple romance story but I modified it and decided to put it up here and see what you guys think. Remember though, because this was not originally a fanfic story, the characters are severely OOC and set in a complete AU world. But please read and enjoy anyway; it is a good story.
One year has passed for her, but many things have stayed the same.
Every day, the same maids have abused her at home.
Every day, the same guys and girls have bullied her at school.
Every day, the same father has neglected her as if she's a ghost.
Every day, she has fallen deeper and deeper into depression, losing a piece of herself with each day.
Who will drag her out of her darkness and give her a reason to smile?
The girl stared at her reflection in her bathroom mirror. She sighed. It has been a long time since she had truly looked healthy and the light really accented her pale skin, slightly hollowed cheeks, dark circles and dead eyes. Her appearance was overall zombie-like. Her usual toned and slender figure looked heavy and exhausted.
She quickly dusted her uniform, and checked the time on her phone. She groaned; it was already time to go to school. She walked to the door, her movements slightly stiff, her hand hovering over the door knob. Just like every morning, a sick feeling settled in her stomach and she felt nauseous but she ignored it. It's not like she could've done anything about it. Turning the knob she ran downstairs to school, disappearing from the view of her mansion.
The boy stared at his reflection in his bedroom mirror. His reflection stared back. He noted his slightly muscly, lean and tall figure and how much his unruly pale blonde hair stood out. He let out a frustrated breath and ran a hand through it, messing it up more. He sometimes wondered what had possessed God to give his hair such a strange colour. 'Is it even possible?' He thought to himself.
His deep, ocean blue eyes wandered to the clock on his bedroom wall. He heard a distinct voice, telling him that if he doesn't hurry, he'll be late. He scoffed. As if he needed to be told that. He ran downstairs and snatched his bag from the doorway, before running out.
It was a cold, winter night that brought him to her.
The crisp grass crunched under his boots, stabbing the air with unfamiliar sound as the boy walked to the park. It was a lovely one at that, with green trees, lush grass and a mini lake with an antique wooden bridge connecting the two sides.
He only came here at night because he knew that if people from his school found out, his reputation would be ruined. It wasn't really his fault that people worshipped him out of fear - his entire demeanour radiated danger. It also wasn't his fault that he gave people glares, cold shoulders and the rough approach. After all, in a rough and cruel world such as this, steps need to be taken in order to protect yourself from possible exclusion or bullying. He'd already gone through it in middle school.
He has always loved coming to the park; climbing a tree and looking out across the lake. The fresh air cleared his mind and allowed him to really relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. He would come here and think about why people were so judgmental. Why they judged on appearance. Why the kids from middle school constantly picked on him because they thought his hair colour was 'freaky.' Why his parents had separated. Why… well, you get the idea.
But he wasn't the only one that night.
A lone figure was perched on his tree; legs dangling from the thick branch. He slowed down his steps a little and stopped a few feet away from the tree in order to get a good look at the person.
It didn't take him long to realise that it was a girl. Her long blonde hair was gently swaying in the breezing, looking like gold in the bright light of the full moon.
Before he knew it, he had walked to the base of the tree. He grabbed the branch and hauled himself up, next to the girl, in one swift motion, clearly through years of practice. She tensed slightly and glanced at him, shuffling towards the trunk, allowing him some more room, but otherwise, she didn't say anything.
He had to admit that he was surprised. Normally when girls looked at him they would either try to flirt (he was handsome) or ignore him and walk away, but this girl seemed to be doing neither. He studied the reflection of the moon in the water, which was lightly glazed over with ice. The air between them was awkward, both of them sitting next to each other in silence.
"Aren't you afraid that I might hurt you?" He asked tentatively, his voice shattering the peace.
"Why would I be?" She replied, her voice taking on a more curious tone.
She turned to look at him, a small smile tugging her lips in amusement. His gaze was drawn to her eyes. They looked so lonely, so full of pain, so sad; like they would overflow with tears any moment now. Yet he couldn't understand why she was smiling.
"I don't know... How else would you react if a strange young man just sat next you, a defenceless - but pretty- young woman?
"Thanks, but I'm not scared. Besides, if you wanted to hurt me, you would've done so earlier. I've met a lot of different types of people to know."
He was speechless for a while after she said that, before realising that it was true. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what she had gone through. Silence blanketed the air once more.
"Have you always come here?" He asked. After all, he came here every day and this was the first time he had seen her here.
"Not really. I only came across the park today when I was..." She broke off, hesitant to say the next part.
"When you were what?"
"When I was... Never mind. It doesn't matter."
"It does matter."
"No it doesn't" she said, her voice slightly hesitant now.
"It does" he said firmly. He had to find out about this girl's problems. Despite appearances, he wouldn't abandon someone when it's obvious that they needed help.
"Why would you care?!" She snapped.
He glared at her, taken aback. She stared right back. The two locked eyes for a second. She caught a glimpse of something else other than anger in his eyes; hurt and sadness. The same look that she remembered was trapped in her eyes.
She looked away, guilt tearing at her. She was ashamed with herself that she had snapped rudely like that, since he had been trying to help. She couldn't help herself. After all, ever since her mother had died, she'd been alone; with no one to turn to and no one that would care about her. She couldn't understand why this strange man was trying to help her or why he even cared. But she did admit to herself that she was being selfish and only thinking about herself. 'When did I even become that type of person?'
Meanwhile he studied her face, lost in her thoughts. He wondered what she was thinking about. Confusion, guilt, shame and sadness passed across her beautiful face in just seconds.
"I didn't mean to say that the way I did," she whispered.
"Look, it's fine," he said casually, shrugging it off. He checked the time on his wristwatch.
"Anyway I gotta go." He jumped of the branch, landing neatly on the ground. He was just about to run off before a hand grabbed his shoulder. He tensed slightly before turning and noticing the girl; a ghost of a smile on her lips.
"Meet here tomorrow?" She asked hesitantly removing her hand. He started walking off, casually waving goodbye.
"Sure." Maybe tomorrow he could get to know better her better. Maybe tomorrow he could...
She watched him gradually disappear from her sight. She smiled to herself, looking up at the stars. Maybe he could help her. Maybe someone would finally be able to accept her and be there for her. The thought was too good to be true. She thanked her lucky stars that something good was finally able to happen in her life, even if it was temporary.
A lone man walks with determination, searching.
After his encounter with the mysterious girl, the boy decided to find out she was. He was restless throughout school which caused his friends to raise an eyebrow at him and the teacher to snap at him. He fixed them a glare; he couldn't help it. Ever since last night, he hadn't been able to get the girl's face out of his mind.
As soon as school ended with the sound of a bell, he hastily made his way out of the school gates.
"Oi! You're in a hurry, where are you going?!" One of his friends asked him.
"I have to go home and take care of some stuff!" He yelled back, turning and disappearing from their view.
He figured that if the girl didn't go his school, she probably went to the only other school in the area. He already knew where it was and took a shortcut through a small park in order to get there. After a while of running, he was standing in front of the gates. He snuck to the back of the school and climbed up on the wall, using the back gates as climbing rungs.
Standing on top of the wall, he drew himself up to his full height and looked around. Even though the school was obviously over and nearly everyone had flooded the school grounds, he could see no sign of the girl. In a country where people mostly have brown or black hair, blonde hair is easy to spot, but right now, it was feeling like a game of 'where's wally.'
He walked around as far as he could on the wall without being seen, looking for her but it was to no avail. Soon, the school grounds were basically empty and he hasn't seen anyone with long, golden hair. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated breath. Casting one last glance to the school grounds, he jumped off and headed home. He'd ask her where she was when night came.
That night was an even colder one; snow floating all around as the boy headed to the park.
Puffs of warm breath left his mouth as he walked, the sound of his footsteps silenced by the fresh snow that covered the ground. The snow covered the trees in small, foamy clumps and the moonlight reflected off the frozen lake.
He quickly made his way to the tree, and pulled himself up on the branch. Like yesterday, the girl was already there, her hair shining again in the light of the moon. He glanced at her for a second. After getting no response, he turned his gaze to the snowflakes, gently making their way to the ground.
He was the first to speak.
"Where were you today?"
"In school," she replied softly. He was about to argue against that when she continued.
"I was studying in the library."
He was surprised that she didn't wonder why he was asking. He didn't believe what she said anyway. After a bit of debating in his head, he decided to accept the response because it sounded truthful enough. Besides even though this girl looked like a movie star in front of him now, he had a feeling she was nerdy enough to be spending spare time in the library.
"It's so peaceful and calm here isn't it?" She commented.
"Yeah, it is." He said.
"Are you gonna tell me what's been happening or what?" He was reluctant to ask, remembering last night's reaction to the question.
Although, this time she didn't snap at him. She just put a finger to her lips and smiled, "secret". Once again, her smile wasn't one of joy, but of pain and sadness. She looked at him and frowned, wondering what was wrong. He realised that he had been staring at her mouth too long and quickly looked away, a slight blush on his cheeks. He sighed. Looks like he wasn't going to get a response anytime soon.
Quiet.
The silence between wasn't awkward this time, it was more peaceful. No words were spoken, the sight before them like a blanket, making them feel safe and warm.
Loser, nerd, spoilt, worthless, proud, ugly, weak, pathetic, weird, fat.
The girl fixed her gaze on the floor, as the insults were fired at her during lunch break in the courtyard. She'd tried standing up for herself several times at the beginning of it all, but it hadn't worked. Her high school mates would just beat her up for speaking. If it was one or two people, she could defend herself, but against a whole year level's worth of teenagers, it was impossible.
She had figured that with time, they wouldn't bother her. That either they would leave her alone, or the harassing would stop affecting her. She thought wrong. It hurt more than anything. She tried to convince herself that what they were saying wasn't true, but that resolve shattered away eventually.
They'd been mentally tormenting and beating her up so much that after a while she began doubting herself. Was she really weak and pathetic? It was obviously true, seeing as she couldn't think of any other reasons as to why she was getting picked on.
"What do you want from me?" She asked, speaking up for the first time, her voice slightly shaky.
"Isn't it obvious?" A girl sneered from the front as a guy walked up to her, grabbed her neck and pinned her to the wall with ease, as if she was some sort of rag doll. She choked under the pressure and clawed at the guy's arm, in an attempt to make him let go.
"You're a reject. Nobody wants you here, and nobody cares about you. You're an unwanted loner here that's tarnishing our school's fame. We warned you to leave when you first came here a year ago but you stubbornly refused and is now receiving punishment for it." The girl continued, a malicious smirk on her face.
"Am I right?" Everyone in the courtyard cheered and yelled out more insults. The guy strangling her, tossed her aside like trash, dealing her an additional kick to the stomach before leaving for class with the rest of the mob. She just lay there gasping and coughing for air, then still on the stone cold floor.
Leave.
The thought echoed in her mind, again and again. As much as she tried to convince herself that she wouldn't be pushed around to leave, the thought wouldn't leave her mind.
The sound of school bell signaled the end of lunch so she picked herself up, straightened her uniform and neatened out her hair before heading to class herself.
The boy never gave up his search for the girl.
He left school in a rush once again, in hopes of finding her during the day. His mind had been bothering him when he had given up searching yesterday. He just had to meet her and get to know her better. Just seeing her at night wasn't enough.
He cut through the park again and soon made it to the other school. He stopped for a minute to catch his breath, then he climbed up the wall again. This time, he waited until everyone had left. As soon as that happened, he jumped down into the school grounds and ran inside the giant school building.
He quietly snuck around the maze-like school hallways, looking for the library. After what seemed like a hundred dead ends, he finally made it. He crept inside without being seen, and tried to spot her but she wasn't there.
He let out a frustrated sigh and wondered if she really was lying to him yesterday. He had started walking back, racking his brain to see if there were any clues to her whereabouts, but he couldn't think of anything. It was another unsuccessful day.
That night though, he saw the girl sitting on the tree branch.
He joined her as well, sitting at his usual spot. He stared at the girl as she gazed at the lake with a faraway look in her eyes. He considered asking where she was today, but after she supposedly lied yesterday, he figured that she didn't want to share.
"Do you think that people change over time?" She asked suddenly, her voice just above a whisper. He was slightly surprised by the question and wondered why she was asking such a thing.
"I guess it depends on the personality and how long someone's been acting up," he replied, a bit louder.
"Really? Then what if they've been doing it for over a year?"
"Over a year?! Who would do that? And what are they doing?"
She shook her head, refusing to reply.
"You didn't answer my question."
He grumbled under his breath. "They wouldn't change until the thing that they've been picking on does what they want."
She was silent.
"Now answer my questions," he demanded.
"..."
"You know, if you want someone to reach out to you, then you have to reach out to them."
"I know..."
"Then why won't you tell me? I'm trying to help!" He exclaimed loudly in frustration.
She winced slightly "Yeah, it's hard to miss."
He clenched his fists in anger and self-control. He willed himself to calm down. He looked at her face, trying to read her expression. She looked guilty and reluctant, her eyes wet with almost shed tears.
"You're making it worse for yourself," he said, lowering the volume of his voice.
She frowned; she already knew that. She just couldn't bring herself to tell this person. She didn't want to drag him down into her deep, dark hole of misery as well.
Neither of them said anything after that, both of them deep in thought.
They met at the park, every night.
Sometimes they talked about little things, sometimes they didn't.
The girl felt like she wanted every moment of her life to be like the nights she spent with the boy. It was a break from her everyday torture and loneliness and she started to realise how it felt to have someone who cares about you, someone to talk to, and someone who eases your pain. She hadn't had that feeling since her mother died.
The boy felt that with every night, his need to see her during the day increased. The night shadowed both of their appearances so it was hard to tell what she really looked like, or properly see her face. He felt truly himself when he was with the girl, something he couldn't feel at home or at school. For him, it felt really nice to relax.
Their rendezvous sessions happened for a week, but term break changed everything.
The girl thought that holidays would help her take a break for once, but, once again, she was wrong.
It was worse.
She had forgotten about the torment that she faced at home, courtesy of her maids and her father. The maids were jealous of her privileges as a rich heiress and her father believed that she was the cause of her mother's death, even though she died of illness.
She endured it for the first week of the holidays, but the second week was too much. She had to get away, so she just ran out the door, ignoring their rude comments. She went to her father's study window, yelling to him that she was going out before she actually left.
After a while of running, she stopped for a minute and wondered where she was going to go. She considered a cafe but that was too risky, she might get seen by her school mates. She wandered around when she thought of the park. She'd actually never seen it during the day because it was on the other side of her school. She'd found it the first time by blindly running through the dark.
She headed to the park and marvelled at how beautiful it was in the day as well. The grass was green sparkling with frost, the trees were big and the lake looked like a giant mirror, with its frozen surface. The clouds blocked the sun, and it looked like it was going to rain.
She noted how majestic the tree that she always sat on was. She walked up to the bridge and climbed up on the railing so she was standing on it. She knew that most girls were afraid to be up this high, but she loved it. She balanced herself on the railing and carefully made her way across the bridge.
She contemplated her life; how long she had been suffering, in pain. How much it had been affecting her and how much she had absorbed like a sponge.
There was nothing good in her life, she realised. Nobody in her house cared enough to do anything for her birthday. She didn't fit in at school, so she had no friends. And because of that she couldn't have sleep overs, parties or outings. No one could understand what she was going through. Telling her to 'get over it' doesn't help.
She knew that she should ask the boy, but it's clear that he has some of his own issues to deal with to be worrying about her. And besides, she cared too much about him to involve him in her troubles. Only her mother would care, only she would understand.
She stopped walking and stared longingly at her reflection in the ice water, eyes watering with tears. She was filled with a overwhelming sensation to be with her mother.
Really though, what was she doing in life? Why was she here? Everyone thought she was a failure, loser, weak, pathetic and worthless.
No, they didn't think that.
They kept insisting that fact.
Then it must be true. Who was she to deny it?
Even to herself she was a failure.
She didn't belong here, so she closed her eyes, tears trickling down her porcelain cheeks.
She jumped.
The boy thought that the holidays were that perfect time to finally find out who what girl really was. And it didn't help that they didn't even know each other's names.
He spent a lot of time researching. He knew that it labeled him as some sort stalker or something, but he couldn't get her out his mind. He just wanted to know more about her. If she won't share, maybe she'll at least tell him her name.
After one week of looking around, he got nowhere. No one he asked even knew who she was. He finally decided to take a break and headed over to the park. He was sure no one would notice him because they were probably out doing fun stuff.
At the park, he noticed a person near the bridge. Going closer, he realised it was a girl. The one he couldn't get out of his mind. She was just standing motionless on the bridge railing, in the center. He walked discreetly so she wouldn't see him and tried to see what she was doing.
He noticed how her body was still and her face emotionless.
Suddenly she jumped off the bridge.
"No!" He yelled, bursting into a sprint.
At the last second, the girl grabbed onto a stray metal bit at the bottom of the bridge with one arm, dangling dangerously above the icy water. He quickly raced over to her and leaned over the railing, sticking out his hand.
"Why?" She cried, tears streaming down her face. "Why did you stop me?"
"What are you thinking?! Jumping of a bridge like that and trying to kill yourself. Do you think that's how your problems are going to end?"
"No, but it's better than suffering through it longer." She wailed, her hand slipping inch by inch.
"I knew this would happen. Why didn't you accept my help?"
"I'm sorry," she said through sobs. "I didn't want to get you involved in my pathetic life."
"Your life is not pathetic and I don't care if I get involved or not. If I did, then I wouldn't have offered my help in the first place. I can't believe that's what you really think!" Her hand slipped until she was barely holding on. He reached his hand out further but he couldn't reach her.
"Grab my hand!" He yelled.
"I can't reach," she said. She tried reaching with her free hand, but in the process she slipped.
Her lips moved, forming a word, before she hit the water, the impact causing thousands of water droplets and paper thin ice shares to go flying everywhere. He stood there shell shocked but quickly recovered and jumped in after her, removing his jacket and sweater.
He dived down to the bottom and grabbed her arm and yawned it towards him, just before her body hit the rocks. Cradling her head in one arm, he struggled to swim up to the surface, the cold water seeping into his limbs, making them slightly numb. He pushed on until he surfaced, and swam over to the shore. He pushed her on land, then dragged himself up as well, coughing and gasping to restore his breath.
He sat there for a while before calming down. He checked to see if the girl was breathing, and thankfully, she was. He sighed in relief, the thought of performing CPR on her making his imagination run wild and his cheeks to blush crimson. He shut his eyes and snapped out of it. That's not what he should be thinking of now. He retrieved his discarded jumper and jacket. He wrapped the girl in the jacket and put on the sweater himself. He then picked her up and decided to take her to his house, seeing as both of his parents were away.
It was a short walk and made it there in less than ten minutes. He lay her down on his bed and wondered if he was supposed to change her clothes now. But he couldn't do that! He wasn't some sort of pervert. Then how was he going to get her dry? He thought about getting some help, but that would draw attention to themselves and neither of them wanted the publicity.
He just decided to get his mum's hairdryer and dry it off. He turned on the small heater so the room would be warm and set about the tedious task, not even caring for himself. After ages, she was mostly dry so he wrapped her up in jackets and blankets which he raided from the linen cupboard and his dad's he was done, he noticed that he was mostly dry as well, but he had a quick warm shower anyway and changed into fresh clothes. He went back to sitting beside his bed and watching her sleep. She looked so blissful and at peace.
When the girl woke up, she felt a heavy weight on her stomach. Big chocolate brown eyes blinked open in confusion. She tried to sit up, but she felt the weight restricting her movements. Looking down she saw a red coloured head lying on her tummy, one arm under it for support and the other hanging off the bed.
She smiled and reached out, running her fingers through his hair. 'He must have saved me,' she thought. Deciding to let him rest, she lay back down and closed her eyes.
When she woke up for the second time, he was already up. He was sitting in a chair and chugging down a bottle of water. The girl tried not to look at his incredible triceps. Her eyes seemed to betray her though, as they scanned down and noticed his defined abdominal muscles as well. She blushed furiously and tried to convince herself to stop staring. They were clearly visible since all he had on was a tank top.
He finally finished and stared at her, a small smirk playing at his lips. "Like what you see?"
"What? No! I mean yes! I mean I wasn't even looking!" She said, her face looking like a tomato. He just raised an eyebrow and wore an expression that said, 'Sure you weren't.'
"Where am I anyway?" She asked him, trying to sit up and change the subject. She winced and pressed a hand to her head, glaring at the boy in annoyance when he pushed her back down. He sat back and she managed to pull herself up to a sitting position, half the blankets and jackets falling off her as she did.
"You're in my house, in my bedroom, on my bed." He replied quite smugly.
"I see, and I'm assuming you're the one who rescued me."
He rolled his eyes. "No shit, Sherlock. You didn't think that I'd just sit by while a pretty girl like you tried to kill herself did you?!"
"Of course not."
"It was really stupid of you to waste decide your life like that."
He grabbed her shoulders looked her in the eyes. Ocean blue and chocolate brown.
"Promise me that you'll never do that again."
"But.."
"Promise!" He yelled, shaking her shoulders violently.
"It wasn't an easy decision!" She retorted.
"I know, but the least you can do now is take action. The right way."
"I promise."
He smiled, relieved and she couldn't help but feel warm inside. His smile was so charming, and his eyes were amazing. They were hiding something but at the same time, they just drew her in and looked deep into her soul. He really was good looking, his features accented in the light of the room. She must have looked horrible to him. A ghost like girl, broken in front of a shining sun.
"And besides, I don't even know your name." He pointed out.
"I don't know yours either. I can't believe we've known each other for a week, but haven't bothered giving our names!" She said, giggling. She was truly happy at that moment and wished it would last forever. He was glad to see her smile like that for real and hoped he could make it happen every day.
"Sting," he said suddenly. "That's my name."
"I can't believe you're named after a bee," she exclaimed, laughing.
"Shut up! My parents named me after my blonde hair. They thought that it looked like the honey from bees." 'Even though pale blonde looks nothing like honey,' he thought to himself.
"How ironic."
"Huh?"
My name is Lucy. That's what I mouthed to you before I fell underwater. My parents also named me after my yellow hair. They thought that it looked like it was made out of light."
He thought about it for a while before he also burst out laughing.
"I guess we were meant to meet."
"Yeah, I suppose so."
They looked at each other. It was then that they both realised that this was the start of something new. Perhaps something good. Lucy felt guilty for pushing him away, but she decided to move on and start over.
She ended up staying over at Sting's house after a quick call to her dad. It was heaven. No harassing or crying. She wondered briefly how one person can make you so happy, but then she realised that it was not worth thinking about anymore and spent the day having fun and goofing around, for once.
After the incident, Lucy stepped into her house with new found courage. She had forgotten that she had power over the maids in her own house, and somehow managed to threatened them into leaving her alone.
She finally stood up to her father as well and Let him know how she really felt. She also managed to get him to get her transferred to Sting's school. Maybe she would finally be able to fit in and make friends. But she knew that as long as he was there, that was all that mattered.
Sting stepped into the first day of school, with determination.
He decided to finally change his ways. At first, people were surprised with the major personality switch, but soon got used it and accepted it. He felt so relieved that a major weight had been lifted off his shoulders after such a long time. He never knew that the people here were that great. It was even better when Honey joined him as well.
Finally they were together, and it would stay that way forever.
Lucy sighs and seals the letter, placing it in an ornate wooden box.
It had been several months since the incident and she feels like she has finally gotten over it after that letter to her mum, explaining everything. She always wrote to her mum, but that letter felt different. She couldn't understand why though, and left he question hanging.
She stretches her arms above her head and looks in the mirror, at her reflection. She noticed how much she had changed. Her entire self looks brighter, healthier and more beautiful. She has managed to catch up on her lost sleep and she doesn't have to worry about everything anymore, so she doesn't look worn out.
Her eyes are bright and sparkly, her skin smooth and without blemishes. Her hair is shining its natural golden colour. She fingers it and remembers how Sting always told her that she was like a star, shining brightly with an intense light.
Lucy smiles softly and thinks to herself that she really is beautiful. She remembers how her new school mates say that she looks like a Hollywood actress, how her father complimented her the other day and how Sting thinks that her looks are portraying her personality.
And she believes that.
Lucy looks that the mirror one last time, before running out of the house to meet her friends at the park.
She believes in herself.
Hoped you all like it! Please don't forget to review. If you want to check out the original on wattpad, it's called "Chasing Her," by Heart_Kreuz. Don't forget to comment and vote if you read it.
Thanks for reading!
Discalimer:
Fairytail belongs to Hiro Mashima. Inspired by Abandoned Hearts by HannieB123.