Chapter 3: Winners…Not Quite

Lucy and Levy sat side by side on Levy's bed, viciously devouring a bag of chips and anxiously staring at the television.

Lucy slept over at Levy's house last night. It was a Saturday night and Lucy had no work for tomorrow so they stayed up late, listened to music (mostly Fairy Tail songs) and talked about random stuff, the way you talk to your best friend about just anything without getting bored. They woke up late the next day, feeling groggy and light-headed. That did not stop them from waiting for Fairy Tail's big announcement, though. That was exactly the reason why they planned the sleep over. And now, that they knew that they were going to find out who the winners were, they were very nervous and jittery.

Lucy kept reaching for the bag of chips. She made them her comfort food. She also kept on biting her nails until they were reduced to bleeding stubs.

Levy was tapping her foot nervously against the foot of her bed. She also kept clenching and unclenching her fist. Her nails dug deeper into her palm until it left marks on her skin.

They jumped up from the bed as a familiar opening song blared from the TV. Lucy's hand jerked away causing the chips to scatter on the floor. Levy kicked the foot of her bed hard. They both made an irritated sound.

The song kept on playing. Then suddenly, Erza's face popped into the screen.

"Uwaa! It's here!" They both screamed and held each other tightly while never taking their eyes off the screen.

"Thank you to the millions of fans who joined the contest! Honestly, we didn't think that it would be this many. We were overwhelmed," Erza said and flashed a big smile at the camera.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! It's Erza!" Levy exclaimed.

Behind Erza, other Fairy Tail members, Natsu, Happy and Gray were waving and smiling at the camera.

"We took a very close look at all your videos and we all really liked them. We all appreciate your efforts and your love and support for our band. There was one video that that really stood out, though. And now for the winner…" Erza said while someone handed Natsu an envelope.

Natsu opened the envelope and took the paper out. It felt like years just waiting for him to take it out.

"The winner is…" Natsu trailed off as the drum rolls began.

No, it seemed like centuries.

"Oh, say it already!" Lucy screamed at Natsu although he could not hear her.

"Bestfriends, Lucy and Levy!" Fairy Tail said in unison. "Congratulations!"

Lucy and Levy felt like they almost died. They could not believe what they had just heard. Then, they saw their names flash in the screen and their own video. They stared at each other in awe and slowly they broke into huge grins.

"Yes! We won! We actually won," Lucy and Levy screamed and did a crazy victory dance.

They both threw the chips high into the air like they were confetti. They ran around the room and jumped like idiots. The celebration abruptly stopped when Gray's voice boomed out of the TV this time.

"Congratulations again to Lucy and Levy," Gray said. "You guys win $1000 each and you get to join us on our tour for five days."

"A thousand dollars, Levy! Just think how much we could buy with that," Lucy said happily.

"I know right!" Levy said and they jumped up and down on Levy's bed.

"Congrats, Lucy and Levy!" said Happy and floated around the camera.

"Hey don't hog the camera for yourself, Happy," Natsu said and tackled Happy out of the air and out of the camera's view.

"Well, that's all, folks," Erza said. "And Lucy, let's meet up at the ice cream shop, okay?"

Then, the announcement ended and was replaced by Fairy Tail singing one of their rock songs.

"I can't believe we actually won, Lucy!" Levy said.

"Me too, Levy," Lucy said. "Let's go shopping. We need to look for something good to wear while we're on tour with Fairy Tail."

"That actually sounded like we're part of the band," Levy said and giggled.

"Let's go then!" Lucy said with her fist in the air and feeling very determined.

"Um…" Levy said. "Can you please help me clean my room up first? My mom is so going to kill me when she sees this."

Lucy and Levy both stared and took in the full view of Levy's bedroom. Levy's room was just right for her. The walls were painted blue and most of the room was taken up by bookshelves that were filled to the brim. Levy's bed was just big enough for both her and Lucy to fit in. Now, the sheets were all tangled up, the bed was moved nearer to the television and pillows and chips littered the floor.

"Yes, I agree. We should clean your room up first," Lucy said.

Levy turned her stereo on and a Fairy Tail song called You Only Care When I'm Away blared through the speakers. It was an upbeat and catchy song. That really got them into the mood.

You're annoyed when I'm around

You push me away and I tumble down

I'm sick of this love story

I wanna get away

"This is awesome!" Lucy said and danced to the beat.

"Yeah!" Levy said and sang along.

They finished cleaning up and ate a hasty breakfast. Levy told the good news to her mother and grandmother. They congratulated them and told them to be careful while they were away. Then, they went shopping at a nearby mall. They chose cute outfits where they looked good and feel comfortable.

"Okay, where to?" Levy asked and took a huge bite from her burger.

They were done shopping and they bought burgers and fries and sat down at a bench in the park. They were both exhausted from going around so they decided to sit down for a while.

"Hmm…I don't know," Lucy said absent-mindedly as she stared at her surroundings.

A breeze blew in and made Lucy's hair fly in her face. It blocked her view momentarily. She struggled to remove her hair from her face. As she finally did, her eyes adjusted to the view.

The park was beautiful. The trees made it cool and shady even if it was really hot. The flowers were at their best and were very beautiful to look at. The smell of food wafted in her nose. Children were running around happily as their parents were trailing behind them.

Lucy closed her eyes as a sense of peace enveloped her.

"Lucy?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think would happen while we're with Fairy Tail?"

"I honestly don't know. Well, it's not like I can predict the future or anything. But I bet we would have a blast," Lucy said.

"I sure hope we do," Levy said.

A peaceful and calm silence came between them. Just as Lucy was about to fall asleep, Levy suddenly spoke.

"Lucy, didn't Erza say that we should meet them at the ice cream shop?"

"Oh my gosh, I almost forgot! Let's go, then. They're already probably waiting for us," Lucy said.

They both gathered their things and rode a cab to the ice cream shop. As expected, Fairy Tail was already there waiting for them. A few customers were also there, gaping at Fairy Tail. They took pictures. Some even asked for autographs and Fairy Tail politely agreed. They didn't seem to mind.

"Hey, winners!" Happy happily greeted them after the last fan thanked him for the autograph.

"Congratulations for winning the contest," Erza said.

"Thanks, guys," Lucy said while Levy stood there like she got turned to stone.

"By the way, this is my best friend, Levy. She has always wanted to meet you guys but time doesn't seem to be agreeing with you," Lucy said.

"H-hi," Levy said and blushed.

"I'm glad we finally got to meet you. I'm Gray," Gray said and held out his hand to shake Levy's.

Levy slowly shook Gray's hand. "H-hi…Um, I-I already know you."

"Of course, you do. But don't treat us like we're gods are something. Treat us like we're your friends. By the way, I'm—"

"—Erza." Levy finished. "Y-you're so down to earth!"

Erza gave Levy a warm smile.

"Aye, I'm Happy!" Happy said and clung to Levy's arm. "Do you have some fish?"

"Hi, H-happy. S-sorry...I don't have any um..f-fish," Levy said and laughed nervously.

"It's okay, Happy. I'll bring you tons while we're on tour," Natsu said.

Happy's eyes instantly twinkled. "Really?"

"Yeah! Different kinds of fish," Natsu said and held out his hand to Levy. "Natsu, by the way."

Levy shook his hand. "It's nice meeting all of you, at last. I used to just stare at you on TV and listen to your songs. Now, I actually got to meet you guys!"

Fairy Tail smiled warmly at the two of them.

"How about let's buy some ice cream first?" Lucy suggested.

"Sure! That would be awesome," Gray said.

"Ice cream's on me," Natsu suddenly said out of the blue.

"Seriously, Natsu?" Gray challenged.

"What? You think I won't do it?" Natsu asked.

"Nooooo~ Or else you won't have enough money to buy me fish," Happy said and everyone laughed.

Lucy helped get the ice cream ready even if she has no work for that day. As they were waiting, Fairy Tail talked to Levy.

"So how did you and Lucy meet?" asked Erza.

"We actually met because of Fairy Tail," Levy said.

"Because of us?" Gray asked curiously.

"Yes."

Flashback…

"I finally found it! After all this time, you were just lying around here feeling neglected. But do not worry! Levy is coming to pick you up!" Levy exclaimed and ran inside the store. She even bumped into people and she hastily apologized to them as she made her way to the CD that was waiting for her.

Earlier, she was peering at a limited edition Fairy Tail CD about the band's last tour from outside the store. She was looking for it for weeks. Now, she can almost taste victory. Almost.

Her big triumphant smile vanished from her face when she saw that a blonde girl was already holding the CD.

"Oh no, I've been looking for that for weeks!" Levy exclaimed and immediately approached the girl.

"Hey, um, can you please hand over the CD? I want to take a look at it," Levy said.

The blonde girl looked at her. She was extremely pretty. "Sorry, but I'm looking at it as well."

Levy started to get irritated. She was not usually like this but she is already so desperate and tired.

"Please, miss, I've been looking for that for weeks. Please," Levy pleaded. She was on the verge of crying.

"Whoa, miss. Don't cry. I was just looking at it but I have no intention of buying it. I already have one at home. Here you go," the blonde girl handed Levy the CD.

"Are you serious? You're not going to buy it? If you already have one, why are you still looking at it?" Levy asked as she struggled to keep herself from squealing.

"Easy on the questions, miss," Lucy said and chuckled. "Yes, I'm serious. No, I have no intention of buying it. And I was just wondering why nobody has bought that CD yet. It's limited edition."

"Oh…" Levy said and blushed. She felt embarrassed that she actually got a little mad at the blonde girl.

"I'm glad to meet another fan. I'm Lucy. What's your name?"

"Levy."

End of Flashback…

"Now she's my best friend ever," Levy said.

"That's cool. I'm glad we got to touch your lives through a CD," Natsu said.

Lucy suddenly approached them with a tray full of ice cream. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Lucy," They said.

Lucy took a seat beside Levy.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Lucy asked.

"Levy told us about how you two became friends," Happy said.

"Oh yeah…I actually meant to make her a little irritated. She was so desperate for that CD," Lucy laughed.

"Lucy!" Levy glared at her but they both laughed.

"She was also really jealous of me because I always get to be around you guys but she's never seen you personally," Lucy said.

"Well now, you get to come with us on tour!" Natsu said.

"Aye, you'll see different fish!" Happy said.

"Yes, let's not forget that," Lucy said and laughed.

"So about the tour, it will start three days from now. Every day we'll be going to different countries all across the world so it will be very exhausting. But of course we wouldn't miss the chance of sightseeing," Erza explained.

"Aye!" Happy said.

"You guys will only be with us for 5 days. Then, you'll ride a plane home. It's all arranged so don't worry," Gray said.

"And here's the money you won," Natsu said and handed Lucy and Levy $1000 each. "You decide what to do with that."

"Thanks! This is awesome. We can't wait to go on tour with you," Levy said.

"Yes, it makes us feel like we're really a part of Fairy Tail," Lucy said.

All four of the Fairy Tail band stared at each other with those knowing looks of theirs. They looked at Lucy again and gave her sad smiles.

"You still are…" Natsu said quietly, just loud enough for Fairy Tail to hear but low enough for Lucy and Levy to hear since they were at the other side of the table.

"What was that?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing," Natsu replied hastily.

Lucy got a feeling that something was wrong but she immediately forgot about it when Natsu grinned that goofy grin of his again.

"Hope we have fun together!" Natsu said.

"We will!" Levy said.

Three days later…

"Hurry up, Lucy! We'll be late for our flight," Levy said and pulled Lucy out of bed.

"Fine! I'm up, okay?" Lucy said though she was still very sleepy.

Levy slept over at Lucy's apartment and they both got ready for their flight with Fairy Tail. They were both so excited last night that they did not get enough sleep. Now, they both looked like zombies. But that would not stop their excitement. This was a once in a life time opportunity. And they were not going to miss it.

They took a cab to the airport. When they arrived, Fairy Tail was already there with their manager, stylists and other people who were a part of the Fairy Tail team. People welcomed them, checked a few stuff and ushered them towards Fairy Tail.

"Good morning! Sorry we're late," Levy said. "Lucy wouldn't get out of bed."

"No, it's fine. They're doing last-minute checks on the plane," Gray said.

"See? We arrived at the last minute," Levy said.

"Don't get mad at me. I just want to sleep badly right now," Lucy said and groaned.

They were going to ride a private plane. It was small, just enough to hold them. And it looked safe to ride on.

As Lucy kept staring at the plane, at Fairy Tail with their bags beside them and people milling around them, a sense of familiarity washed over her. A picture suddenly flashed in her head.

Her head started pounding, her body started shaking and cold sweat trickled down her forehead as a big wave of fear enveloped her. She clutched her bag to avoid falling. She viciously shut her eyes in the hopes of shutting everything out.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Levy asked and Lucy caught a glimpse of her best friend's worried expression.

"Head…hurts," was all Lucy could say.

"Hey, could someone bring a doctor here?" A voice she thought belonged to Erza said.

Just as she thought that she could not take it anymore, her grip on her bag loosened and she felt herself falling. Before she could hit the ground, a pair of muscular arms caught her. She heard voices screaming, asking for help. Then, she slipped out of consciousness and darkness enveloped her.

Author's Note:

Hello! Are there still people who are reading this? Sorry for the really long update. I am so sorry. And sorry for always saying sorry but anyway…sorry LOL XD Thanks for still reading this and for waiting for my update. Follow me on Twitter BrielleSilver and DM me if you want to be a part of the story. Thanks again, readers!

XOXO,

Rock-glamour-animeroxx211