Previously: "At least my Bride-to-be has a great body" He said with his slimy smile still painted of his face. WACK. Lucy slapped Sting in the face. She couldn't marry this... this... this pervert.
Gray over heard everything and wanted to make a move. The two men that left Lucy's room stopped in front of the room for a while.
"Sir." Sting nodded.
"How was it?" Jude asked, breaking the silence. Jude expected the per, 'She's a nut job' or 'no chance in hell', but was surprised by the young lads answer.
"I'll give her one month here. If she isn't better by then, I'll send her to this place I know. She'll get better for sure." Sting said, there was something quite sinister in his tone.
"Pleasure doing business with you Master Eucliffe, be sure to tell your father of this news." Jude said, emphasising the part about his father. Mr Weisslogia Eucliffe was a powerful man; he was very much on par with The Heartfillias. Due to the lack of sons in the family, Jude demanded that the most rich and powerful Bachelors should marry his daughter, so he could retire. But, he thinks, and this is a quote from when Lucy was about 14, "She's so useless she can't even land a fucking man. She's a fucking worthless bitch." That was followed with a beating. Lucy was used to the beatings, she got it most days after the teacher left her house, but Lucy would never say a word against it, she would never say a word at all. To him, Lucy was a tool that was key to his businesses survival.
"Please, Mr Heartfillia, call me Sting, since I'm your soon to be son-in-law. I shall tell my father, he will be most pleased." Sting said, with an innocent smile. They were about to leave when Jude went into Lucy's room and came out two minutes later smiling. He popped a small item in Stings hand and Gray saw Sting putting a ring on his left hand. With that the two business men left. Gray dashed to Lucy's room and knocked on the door.
"Lucy? You okay?" Gray asked through the door. "I'm coming in." He opened to door, and Lucy wasn't in the main bedroom, she was in the bathroom. Her hand was above the sink scrubbing her left hand, leaving it raw red. Gray grabbed the wrist of the crying girl to stop her from scrubbing it any further. He led her over to the bed and sat her on it, but she slid off until she was sitting on the floor with her back against the bed. Gray hugged her.
"You can tell me anything you know." Gray said. He felt Lucy nod. "I expect you to at least tell me something's." She reluctantly nodded. It was a beautiful moment between friends. Lucy never had a friend before, so to her she felt joy in a bad moment for her.
"LUCE...?" Natsu yelled letting the door swing open. Lunch just started and Natsu, feeling bad about before, searched for her.
"What the fuck are you doing to her, Ice Brain?" Natsu asked.
"Comforting her you dumb fuck. Her-" Gray was cut off by Lucy's hand covering his mouth. She didn't want anyone to know. With her free hand she wrote.
"NON OF YOUR BUSINESS. NATSU QUIT BEING OVER DRAMATIC." Lucy held up which made Natsu humpf. Gray licked Lucy's hand, which made Lucy flinch due to the pain it, gave Lucy's raw red hand.
"Luce, what's up with your hand?" Natsu asked. Natsu wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he was the reason her hand was scrubbed raw. Lucy ignored him.
"I said what happened?" He gritted his teeth trying not to get mad at the girl. She wrote on two sides of her broad.
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM." It said on one side, she held the other side up so only Gray could see it. "AND YOU SAY NOTHING." She kicked them both out of the room and went to have a cold shower. She looked down to her raw red left hand while the cold water ran down it.
*FLASHBACK TO 10 MINUTES AGO*
Sting left the room leaving Lucy crying. Why did she have to marry someone like him? Why can't she marry someone she'll love? 5 minutes later her father came into the room, alone.
"Lucy, you are to marry Sting." Her father said. She shook her head, as to say no. She couldn't reach for her board which was on the floor.
"You will marry him, girl." He reached forward and grabbed her wrist and took a metal box out of his hand. Lucy knew what it was, it was a ring box, but it looked funny.
"Now this, Little Lucy, it the latest technology. This is a scorch box, it's designed to warm things up. I want to do a little experiment. What happens if you heat it up too much?" He pulled Lucy's are closer and put the ring on her left ring finger, burning her, branding the ring mark onto her skin. She screamed, but no noise could come out.
"Lucy, now that if you 'forget' to wear your engagement ring, the scar will be there forever, isn't that romantic." He said. He was about to walk out. He threw the real ring at her and said, "See you at the wedding."
Lucy opened the ring box to see a small golden ring with a diamond on it. She then looked to the ring marks branded on her hand. The scars will stay forever. She ran over the bathroom and put her hand under the sink trying to scrub the marks off her hand until they were raw. The pain was unbearable, but she wasn't thinking straight. She'd rather suffer the pain that deal with any of this, she'd rather cut her ring finger off than marry that pig. She'd go through the pain, she'd do anything to stop time...
*FLASH FORWARD*
The water stung her hand, but she felt relief as it tried to heal. She would know tomorrow if the ring scars stay. She got out and got changed into new uniform. Lucy couldn't wear the other ones, she felt dirty in them. She started to search for the first aid kit and when it was found she wrapped it in a bandage and went off to her next lesson.
It was P.E. You had 2 Physical Ed lessons a week, one is your choice, the other is some kind of team game. Unfortunately for Lucy, it was volley ball. Why does it have to be volley ball? It's going to be killer on my hand. Lucy thought. She started to dodge and move away from the ball, but what happened next was inevitable.
"LUCY. HIT THE BALL UP." Erza yelled at her, and Lucy didn't want to disappoint her friends, even if she had to suffer, she'd suffer for them. Lucy jumped up and slammed the ball down scoring the winning point for her team.
"Yes Lucy." Erza held her hand up waiting to receive a high-five, again, she slammed her injured hand into Erza's and she flinched a little.
"Lucy...? Are you okay?" Erza asked, concern swam across her face. Lucy nodded and walked off to the bathroom, where she cried about the pain in her hand. She slowly unravelled the bandage her hand as Levy walked in.
"Lu-chan? Erza was wondering where you-?" She saw her hand. "Lu-chan? Did you do this?" Levy looked in the eyes of the crying girl and hugged her. Levy knew the answer. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. I'll protect you." Levy said, it was very out of character for Levy. Levy changed the conversation to keep Lucy's mind off of everything.
"I spoke to Gajeel today." This made Lucy grin. She knew Levy had a thing for the delinquent. Gajeel was in the school for drug use and he no school would accept him due to his criminal record. Levy continued, "And he talked to me back. I wasn't expecting it. Then I spoke to Erza and everyone, they are very accepting, I wish I had the courage to speak to them sooner. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be talking to anyone. Thanks Lu-chan. You're my best friend." Levy said smiling at the girl. She wiped away the tears from the blonds face. "Don't cry." Lucy nodded. "I'm going to get changed. I'll meet you after school, yeah? We'll go to the Library." Levy walked out leaving Lucy alone. She got changed out of her kit and went to Physics.
Lucy ignored most people during Physics. She was having a battle with herself. She wanted to tell Levy everything, but what if she laughed in her face. Then Lucy had an idea. She spent the rest of the lesson writing what she wanted to say.
*TIME SKIP*
Levy walked into the Library, she went over to her and Lucy's usual spot, expecting to see Lucy as her class was out late. Instead in Lucy's place was a letter, at first Levy was confused but as she read it. She understood.
Dear Levy,
As you know, I'm not very good at saying a long story. It would take too long. I spent most of Physics wondering if you would judge me badly, or would think of me any differently after you find out. Let me start from the beginning.
When I was younger, I was happy and fine. My mother would read to me, she would teacher me about the stars and even though my father worked too much, he made time for his wife and daughter. When I was 6, mother fell ill. I didn't find out till' later though. She refused to go to hospital because she didn't want me to worry. I wasn't very social anyway, but she didn't want to damage my childhood with this trauma. When I was 7, she died and on the night of the funeral, my dad came in drunk. He blamed me for everything, he said that if I wasn't born she would have went into hospital to get cured. He said how he hated me, how I didn't deserve to look like mother and he kept going on about how I looked like her and then he did it... the thing that ruined me... I looked like her, and he wanted one last night with her so he-he made me scream his name... he made me scream out for him and... well you don't need the details...
I didn't speak to him after that. I didn't speak to anyone. I was scared and broken, I didn't deserve a voice. I didn't deserve to speak to anyone after what he did; every word was broken and impure. I stopped speaking and it only got worse from there. Thankfully he never did that again, but he tried to sell me off a couple of times, when I was older. Luckily I could stand up for myself then, and by that I meant ran into a room and locked myself in it. From the age of about 10, he tried to marry me off, but people would freak out about the voice... issue... He'd say I was stupid, immature and fucked up, but he didn't know that it was his fault. He got drunk more often, and the beatings would start, it helped him get his anger out. I would occasionally go out and play with the servants children, but that lessened in fear that they would see the bruises and father would punish me. I grew older and he kept trying to marry me off for business but that would reject me because of my voice, and he would beat me again.
And now I'm here and he's still ruined me. I'm marrying an Eucliffe, against my will, and by the way, he is a pervert. I don't want to marry out of love; mother wouldn't allow it... if only mother was here...and not only that, he's branded the ring marks onto my hand. The scars will stay forever, I will always have the ring branded onto my hand, and it will never fade Levy. I can't escape it.
I know I have a problem with my voice, even though I say I don't, I know I do. But in truth, I don't want to speak. The words I say are impure. The only words I can think of are me forced to scream his name. So, I'm happy the way I am. I don't want to speak. I have friends now; I've never been allowed friends before, I know father won't approve, but I care about you guys, but if you tell anyone that, I will kill you.
I can understand if you don't want to speak to me again, I wouldn't either, but I'm glad someone knows. Please don't tell anyone Levy. I only want you to know. Don't even tell Gajeel.
Your Friend,
Lucy Heartfillia
Levy was crying. She's heard about may people in this school. People who had been through a lot, but Lucy were something different. Levy will always be her friend throughout everything, as Levy was Lucy's first friend; Lucy was Levy's first friend. Nothing was going to change that. Despite the sad story Levy was just told, she couldn't help but be happy that Lucy trusts her. Levy got up to find Lucy, and she found her in the gardens, looking up to the night sky... stroking a blue cat? Levy decided to confront Lucy in the morning, she looked at peace now.
*WITH LUCY*
Lucy places the letter on the seat, and hoped for the best. She hoped Levy would still be her friend, but would understand if they never spoke to each other again, either way, she got it off her chest. It was winter, and it was dark earlier. The night sky was clear and she could see the constellations. It reminded Lucy of her Mother.
"Meow" Said a small creature from beside her. She looked to see a blue cat, what a peculiar colour for a cat? The cat went and sat on her lap. She created a conversation in her head with that cat, smiling and stroking it. After a few minutes, a voice broke the silence.
"HAPPY?! WHERE ARE YOU?" Lucy didn't recognise the voice at first, but then she identified it after she saw the pink hair of the boy in front of her. Lucy blanked out for a bit.
"How odd? Happy doesn't usually like many people. Hey what you doing out here this late? Lucy? Lucy? You in there?" Natsu waved his hand in front of her face; Lucy snapped out of her daydream and it made Natsu chuckle.
"I said Happy doesn't like many people. Did you give him fish?" He asked and Lucy shook her head. "Humm... he must like you then." He said whilst Lucy was writing.
"IS THIS YOUR CAT?" She asked.
"Yeah. But don't tell Erza. She'll kill me. We aren't allowed pets..." He looked left and right, "... but Gajeel has a cat too... if he found out I told you, he'd kill me." Natsu grinned childishly, and Lucy couldn't help but smile, she couldn't believe Natsu would have a cat, let alone Gajeel.
"So what you doing out here?" Natsu asked.
"LOOKING AT THE STARS."Lucy wrote and Natsu thought it was a weird hobby, but he liked fire, so he couldn't judge.
"Why? They are just dots in the sky." Natsu didn't fully get stars. Lucy spent more time writing this time and Natsu looked over her shoulder as she wrote. He was quite close to her and she could feel his body heat. She started to get quite flushed, but luckily it was too dark for anyone to see.
"A WISE WOMAN ONCE TOLD ME THAT STARS ARE THE SPIRITS OF OUR FRIENDS, AND THAT THE CONSTILATIONS ARE, ARE FRIENDS TOO. AND STARS MAY SEEM LIKE A SMALL DOT, BUT AS A UNIT AND FORCE, THE CONSTILATIONS ARE POWERFUL. IT SHOWS HOW THAT IN A GROUP AND WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO FIGHT FOR, IT MAKES IT ALL WORTH WHILE." Lucy smiled at him.
"So like Fairy Tail." Lucy looked at him confused. "At Fairy Tail, we are there for each other. We are one big force, one big family. If one of us hurts, we all hurt. Everyone here is family. So I guess we are like stars, we look like a ball of gas, but there is a wider picture." Natsu now understood stars better, and could see why Lucy liked them so much.
Lucy now understood about Fairy Tail being safe. Natsu didn't want her father to do something bad to his family. Now that she understood she could forgive him. She laid down and Natsu laid next to her. She closed her eyes and started to rest.
"Hey Luce." Her eyes flickered a bit to show she was listening. "You're part of our family too."
Lucy fell asleep leaving Natsu to carry her to her room. For some reason, the resting girl made his heart flutter. He didn't know what it was, or how to find out what it was. He decided that he'd ask Mira in her meeting with her tomorrow, for now, he would rest. He laid the girl down on her bed and he laid on her bed next to her and he drifted off before he could even think of leaving.
A/N: Sooo sorry it took long. I felt so bad so I wrote an extra long one for you. I sweated it out for you. The thing is with me and my writing is I don't want to send out a bad chapter. I wanted to make a good chapter for you guys because you are so awesome. Please review and tell me what you think. I'll try to bring out the next chapter ASAP, but I have Exams from Wednesday-the 21st. Much Love to all you reviews, followers, favourites and the ones who just read.
-THEBEASTHUNTER
