Broken, stony concrete rattled the shopping cart under Lisanna's bottom. Natsu sometimes swung the front to make her laugh. Behind them, Lucy laughed, too, and on occasion let out an errant cheer. She could be someone bubblier, Lisanna saw. Someone carefree. Not only that, she was dying to be that girl. Even if she didn't know it.

Sting's cart was pushed up alongside Lisanna's and Minerva, Lisanna learned, pushed Natsu hard enough he almost fell. She raced ahead then, like the real competition would be getting to the starting point and not rolling down the hill to the bottom.

Natsu squawked and ran after her. Lisanna hit the back of the cart with the sudden jolt of speed. She gripped the sides, her heart already going, her stomach already twisting. Natsu turned sharply and the cart came up on two wheels. Laughter bubbled out of her chest instead of a scream. Natsu slowed to bring her back down on all fours and because of that, they lost the prerace. He sulked like a ten-year-old but boasted and made threats like an adult. Lisanna loved him immediately. She didn't know anyone so unbound by what was expected of him as a new adult.

They came up to the willow, the three of them in a row, and the games became subdued. This was the real competition, and they took it seriously. Lucy took a spot by Lisanna's side and smiled. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Though it would be more dangerous, Lisanna moved to the front of the cart so she could get more speed quicker. Otherwise, she didn't think she'd be able to catch the bigger, heavier boys,

Yukino stood between them and, like a 1950s baby, took an honest to goodness ascot from around her neck. She counted down from five with great animation, lifting her arms at one and waving the fabric like a flag.

Natsu was quick to start, tightening his fingers on the cart handle and bursting forward past Sting and past Happy. People yelled, one of them might have been Lucy. Lisanna held off on looking over her shoulder, she had to watch the road disappearing beneath her trembling cart and the curvature of the hill. It was coming up on her and it was coming up fast.

She felt the moment Natsu let the cart go, he gave her one last giant push and then she was on her own, bouncing and gritting her teeth, hoping as the cart wobbled that she wouldn't tip it over, not yet. There was a hump at the end of the hill, and that was the finish line. She just had to make it there.

Sting came up on her left; Lisanna could see the very front of his cart. He called something to her that she missed, though she got the gist of it, given the goading tone of his voice. She took a page out of Minerva's book and dared to reach across the distance and push him hard. He hit the edge of his cart and kept on going, smacking into the pavement and rolling. Lisanna couldn't even watch it happen, she had to grip the edges of her cart for dear life and pray that as it vibrated and tried to do the same as Sting's, that it'd sort itself out.

Happy came up on her right, too far away for Lisanna to sabotage him. She saw the front of his cart listing badly, though, and imagined him toppling over. He hit a water bottle a second after that and it was all over. His cart capsized and he Supermaned out before his legs could get tangled up.

Lisanna lifted her hands and cheered. Then her cart hit the lifted piece of pavement and she started to fly. She curled in on herself and hit the ground. It was no longer pavement, this stuff spongy and muddy from the river water. Saplings stung her legs and made her regret not buying the shin pads. Her head smacked off the ground hard enough to make her thankful for the helmet.

And then she stopped. She was staring at the night sky. Her breath hit the edge of the helmet and came back on her, too hot. Her ears roared. A second passed. Not long enough, surely. But she tested her legs. She could move them. And her arms. They were fine, too. She waited to see if she felt any other pain. Just the lashes from the saplings. She was okay.

Lisanna sat up and tore off the helmet, and that was when she heard the boots crunch over the rocks on the opposite side of the river. She found them and recognized them immediately, unshined, kind of dirty. He'd followed her here.

He was smoking again. Almost always. Watching her. Beckoning her without ever opening his mouth. She had to go to him. She had to. She always had to.

Lisanna stood and tore off her elbow pads and shoulder pads and then waded through the wide river towards the burning ember. Her feet were soaked, her pants. The water was cold in comparison to the humid night air. Not cold enough to shock her into her senses.

He said, "Hey, kitten," and it felt worth it.

"Why are you here?"

He leaned down so he could kiss her damp shoulder and then her sweaty neck and whispered in her ear, "Isn't that obvious?"

Her heart skipped. "How did you find me?"

"I'll always find you, kitten."

Always.

"So there's no sense in hiding."

It didn't seem that way.

He kissed her lips. Lisanna closed her eyes and felt it. Just like she felt the concrete stopper under her the night she ran away. The bruises were almost gone but the memory was most vivid. She started to quiver like she'd quivered when L. Dreyar was taking off her clothes.

"Shh," he told her. "Stop thinking about it."

"I can't, Bickslow."

He kissed her deeper like that would wipe her memory. It did work. It did. Because she wanted it to. She thought of the times they'd spent like this and not the terrible people they'd become one long night in an empty parking lot, mid-summer.

Happy came up the hill first, then Sting. Lucy waited for Lisanna but when she didn't immediately follow them and there was no movement where her cart had disappeared into the brush, she started down there herself. She was in the bushes before Natsu stopped razzing Happy for turning over his cart and noticed that she was gone. She could hear her name on his lips, muffled by the trees but didn't answer.

Deeper she went, past the trash line, past the sparse underbrush, into the place where the trees got tall and the undergrowth got thick.

"Lisanna?" Her voice was like the croak of a tree branch in a breeze. Too silent, but also startling because aside from the rush of the river and the spongy crunch of leaves left too long in the humidity, she could hear nothing. She couldn't even hear Natsu anymore.

Red-Osier Dogwood spread out in front of her, narrow limbs obscuring her view like cracking glass. She couldn't see the opposite side of the river, and when she stepped into them she couldn't see where she'd come from, either, the parking lot and the hill. "Lisanna?"

Her question got snagged on the leaves and Lisanna was breathed back at her. LisannaLisannaLisanna. Her breath was hot pushed back into her face. Suffocating. "Lisanna?" There was no air in here, it was like the trees were grabbing all the moisture and keeping it there, a rainforest, humid, dense. She struggled for another breath and tried to keep going forward. The Dogwood was so thick here. "Lisanna?" And the leaves were damp. She was sticky-wet. It was like hot, clammy hands were grabbing her, tearing at her.

The trees to her left wiggled. Someone or something moved through them. The trees on the right did the same. She moved so she could see through a gap and spied something that didn't really belong in the forest. Something black and limp, hanging from a branch.

Heedless, Lucy lunged towards it, though when she was a few inches closer, she realized it was a drooping Basswood leaf and not a heart at all.

She heard more rustling and turned. She couldn't tell where she was anymore, though, everything was dark and everything looked the same. "Lisanna! Lisanna!"

Lucy listened. A trickle of water. A rustle of leaves. The intake of breath. Her own. Her own blood thundering in her ears. Someone was here. Someone was looking for her. Looking at her. She was scared.

Lucy started pushing through the trees again. She was having an even harder time than before. Grapevines were trying to choke her and the ground was so soft. She didn't want to be there anymore. She took in a deep breath of humid air and was the loudest she'd been yet. "Lisanna?"

"I'm here!" Lisanna's voice seemed to break whatever spell the forest had on her and Lucy could see beyond the vines. Natsu was coming at her from the left and he looked annoyed. "Geez. Why didn't you answer me?"

"I didn't hear you," she said honestly.

"I was yelling at you."

She didn't have an explanation for her single-mindedness. "Sorry."

"It's okay. You just shouldn't wander around down here by yourself." That was as close as a warning about the Black Heart as Natsu would get. "Come on. I saw Lisanna this way." He turned away from her and pushed through the tangle of grapevine. Lucy followed his trail; branches whipped her cheek and her eyes watered.

She came into an opening beside the river and was sprinkled with the icy water Lisanna kicked up as she crossed. Her hair was disarray and her clothing was filthy and dishevelled.

"Why are you in the water?" Lucy asked.

"I had to pee."

Natsu snorted. "You didn't have to cross the river and get soaked."

"I don't mind being wet," Lisanna said. "It's too hot."

It may not have been obvious to him that she was lying, but Lucy had spent her life trying to smooth her facial expressions so she was a girl completely blank and knew all about dropping your eyes to the ground and looking away, about shuffling your feet. She knew all about looking guiltily back over your shoulder. She knew Lisanna was doing something she was ashamed of with someone she was ashamed to be with. Or scared to be with. She was shaking. Lucy hunted the bushes for the source of her disquiet, afraid it was the Black Heart and, selfishly, simultaneously hoping.

There was nothing that she could see.

"You landed okay?" Natsu was asking and Lisanna was nodding and adding something else, some other genuine snippet to make whatever was making her uneasy seem like nothing at all. She gathered up her hockey equipment with Natsu's help and then they started back through the trees. Lucy trailed behind them. This time, the Dogwood seemed thin and wispy. It didn't grab her and it didn't scratch her.

Her breath was short when they topped the hill and the rest of their party came into view. Happy was holding his arm and laying it on thick, and Carla was colder than necessary, telling him that it was a stupid game and that someone was going to get hurt for real. Sting and Minerva were snickering about something and Rogue and Yukino weren't anywhere to be seen.

"Where did they go?" Natsu asked and Happy shrugged. "Rogue!" Silence met Natsu's call. He muttered and started towards the hill again. "This way?"

"Don't interrupt," Sting told him. "He's busy."

"He's supposed to be racing."

"Now he's doing something better," Sting said with a laugh that Lucy sort of hated. It was razors on her skin. Natsu muttered more. Sting grabbed his shoulder and turned him back around. "He won't be long."

"Not Rogue," Minerva dug in and Sting gave her a look that said to Lucy that maybe she knew first-hand. And maybe Sting wasn't totally okay with it.

"He gets five minutes," Natsu threatened. "Then I'm dragging him out and we're racing."

Sting waved him off. Natsu came back and dropped down onto the broken curb in front of Lucy. He was in sneakers tonight, they were black and orange of no notable brand. He wore jeans. The cuffs were frayed and there was a rip in the knee; it may have been the style but Lucy didn't think so. The fabric was thin with many washes and very well-loved out of financial necessity, if she had to guess. He was the exact kind of person her father wouldn't approve of if she ever took him home. Which added to his endearing smile when it was turned on her.

"What do you think so far?"

"Of cart racing?"

"Yeah."

"It's violent, and dangerous."

"So it's perfect?" Natsu's interjection pried a laugh from Lucy's throat. The forest seemed far away now.

"It's okay."

"Did you want to go down?"

Lucy said, "I don't race."

"You don't have to," Natsu countered. "We could go down together."

"Together?"

He shrugged, though he looked at the ground too much and at her face not enough. "Why not?"

"You should try, Lucy."

She'd almost forgotten that Lisanna was there, standing just inches away, her thumbs in her sleeves and her hair askew from her helmet. She looked like a wilding, her eyes almost fevered and her lips still red and swollen. She kept chewing on them.

"Come on, even while we're waiting for Rogue?" Natsu suggested.

"But the forest…" She trailed off.

Natsu promised, "I won't let anything happen to you."

Lisanna wiggled her helmet. "You can wear my hockey equipment."

"We won't both fit in the cart," Lucy said.

"Sure we will." Natsu was already standing and taking her hand. His skin was warm and rough and she was both thrilled and horrified by it. It wasn't anything like her father's. It wasn't. And it… scared her. Why that should be the case, she didn't know.

"Natsu—"

"Trust me. Here." Natsu started gathering up all of the equipment Lucy would need and dressed her like one dressed a child. She held out her arms and shivered when he put the shoulder padding on her. His hands lingered around her back and her sides, wiggling it down over her chest. She felt like an ODST when he was through, all she needed was the helmet. Natsu set it down over her head. Her hair was bothering her. She tried to swipe it away and realized the grim truth.

"I can't move."

Natsu grinned and moved it for her. He snapped the cage closed again well before she could read too much into his gesture.

Lisanna rolled up beside them with the shopping cart. She'd stopped quivering and now she smiled. "All aboard."

"I still think this is a bad idea," Lucy said. "For the record."

"Noted and striked," Natsu responded and shuffled her over that way. He helped her inside. He was strong, and he never fretted about where to put his hands, he just took her by the hips and lifted her up like it was easy. She almost felt delicate, a strange sensation when she'd spent most of her teen and adult life feeling like a marshmallow.

Natsu said, "Get up close to the front." Lucy shimmied as close as she could get. Her heart was pounding at the base of her throat and her palms were tingling looking at the curve of the hill and the forest beneath. It didn't scare her anymore, the feeling came and left like the tide. She watched Natsu wriggle into his own shoulder pads. They were larger than hers and fit him. Like his jeans, they were ancient.

"Do you play hockey?"

"My brother used to," he said in a way that meant the conversation wasn't closed, necessarily, but it was on a short, dead-end street. Lucy let it lie. Natsu jammed his helmet on his head and gripped the edges of the cart. He got in much more gracefully than Lucy had and settled down behind her, his legs on either side of her body, his chest against her back so close, she could feel him breathe through all of the equipment.

Natsu tapped the edge of the cart. "Forward!"

Lisanna pushed them to the part of the hill where she had to lean back with all her weight to keep the cart from going. "Are you ready?"

Lucy held on for dear life and Natsu held on to her, his arms looped around her middle. "Not even a little bit."

"Let go," Natsu said. Lucy's stomach turned over with nerves worse than before the moment Lisanna's fingers left the cart handle. They were free-rolling. It was slow at first but they rapidly picked up speed. The entire cart rattled and trees whipped past them and all Lucy could see was the hump at the end of the road, where she'd watched Lisanna hit and then launch from. If her father could see her, he would make her ears bleed, telling her how dumb this was. Suddenly, she was glad to be doing something that he'd absolutely disprove of, though it was childish, and the consequences could wind her up in the hospital.

They hit a small bump and Lucy came out of the cart an inch. Natsu's arms wrapped tighter around her, holding her in. An insane bubble of laughter jerked free of her chest. He joined her. They hit another bump in the road and he whooped. Another laugh was taken from her; it tore something on its way out and she felt unexpectedly free. She released her death-grip on the front of the cart and opened her mind to other sensations. Wind whipping past her cheek, making her eyes water; the sticky-hot feeling of the hockey padding against her back, and Natsu's warm body behind it; his hands clenched together under her breasts and his legs pressing against her legs; the smell of goldenrod, the end-of-season plant chasing summer to death.

All that's real to me, she thought with a smile and closed her eyes so she couldn't see where the cart would start to lose control. She could see feel it, though. Natsu firmed up his grip on her and leaned hard to the right so when they hit, they didn't topple end-over-end, but skidded across the ground at a roll.

Lucy's shoulder hit first, and then her hip. They were on pavement for just a second. She kept her head up; it was jostled down again and forced to hit, though this time, she met spongy, muddy ground. They crushed mint plants and hemlocks, great docks and red-osier and by the time they stopped, Lucy couldn't see the parking lot, only the edge of the river three metres away. Not a speck of light was showing, the skies cloudy now.

Natsu was the first to move, taking away the hand that wasn't trapped behind her and tearing off his helmet. His pink hair was plastered to his forehead and his eyes, though wild with joy, were also concerned. "Are you okay?"

Lucy tried moving her arms so she could take off her helmet. Her elbow stung but aside from that, and what she thought was a scrape on her knee, she felt good. Better than good. Fantastic. She sucked in greedy breaths of humid air just as soon as she was free of her helmet. "Let's go again."

Natsu grinned. "You liked it?"

"It was amazing. Did you see how fast we were going? We were flying."

"I knew you were a bit of a thrill-seeker."

She made sure to tell him, "It's still insane."

"It wouldn't be fun if it weren't."

"Debatable." She followed that with an earnest, "Thanks for inviting me. I needed some fun." She just didn't know it at the time.

Natsu's grin turned soft. Lucy knew what he was doing well before he leaned into her. Her mind rioted. She didn't want to be kissed. She wanted to be kissed. She didn't know if she could be kissed. Then she remembered Lisanna had proven otherwise.

He leaned in. His thumb swiped across her cheekbone. She was still all tangled up when his lips brushed hers, dry and warm. There was the faint taste of mint gum on his lips, and salt.

He pulled away before she could wonder if he was going to try anything else in this dank and damp forest. He was opening his mouth and saying something, but there was a crack of a stick and movement behind his shoulder and Lucy was no longer looking at him. She was looking at a girl.

She stood in the river behind Natsu's shoulder, nestled between two large boulders that stuck out of the stream by a foot and a half. The water rushed past her knees and soaked the material of her white pouf dress so it clung to her thin frame. Her hair, too, was wet, sticking to her neck and to her angular chin. Even her lashes looked damp around her wide, blue eyes. There were bruises on her throat and a weeping hole in her chest. She seemed to waver, not really of this world and not really gone from it.

"Lucy? Lucy, are you okay?" Natsu adjusted so he was blocking Lucy's view. "Lucy?"

Lucy pushed him back and sat up fully, but by the time she'd done that, the girl was gone. Not even the rocks were dampened by her presence. The forest felt hostile again. Eyes were on her. Malevolent. And she knew he was watching her. Without a doubt. Her arms exploded in goosebumps and all the blood rushed to her head.

"Lucy?"

She struggled to her feet. Natsu was there with her, grabbing her arms and stopping her from rushing off. Lucy didn't try to shake him because she was afraid of what she'd do if she was untethered.

More sticks broke. Someone was assuredly walking through the forest and they were getting closer. "There's someone out here." She spun in a circle, trying to watch the woods from every possible direction, looking for movement, looking for hearts, real ones, hanging from trees or sleeping in fallen leaves.

The trees parted to the right and Lucy choked on a scream. Natsu was looking violent, ready for a fight when he stepped forward. Then his shoulders slouched and he laughed. "Don't fucking do that."

Lucy squinted. Rogue's partner was visible before he was, her hair bright. Then Lucy could focus on her taller and broodier counterpart as he slunk out of the forest, covered in mud and blood.

Natsu was much less stuck than Lucy. "What happened to you?"

"He says he can see in the dark, but he can't actually," Yukino said. "He tripped and cut open his arm. He also says he's fine, but I think he needs stitches. And before you ask, no, he won't be racing."

"Awe, Yukino—"

Lucy missed the rest of the exchange, her eyes were on Rogue and she was hunting for something dark.

"Come on, Lucy," Natsu sulked.

"Huh?"

"Let's go back up." He'd grabbed his helmet and hers. Lucy hesitated. She didn't know how to tell him that she wanted to stay there to look for a dead girl. She didn't know how to say she wanted to look for a killer. She moved reluctantly, in front of him because he wouldn't budge until it was so.

Lisanna waited for them at the top of the hill, a smile spreading across her face when she looked between them. "How was it?"

"Fun," she said expressionlessly. "I'm tired now, though. We should go."

"Already?" Natsu asked.

"Yes." Lucy took her helmet from his hands and stuffed it under her arm. "Thanks for having us out."

"Can I walk you home?"

"No," Lucy answered.

"But—"

"We'll be okay," Lisanna assured him.

"Will you text me?" Natsu asked. His friends were snickering behind him; he didn't even acknowledge that they were there.

Lucy nodded, but she wasn't looking at him, she was looking at Rogue again. He was brushing Yukino off and wiping down his arm. She hunted for a gash to no avail.

Lisanna looped her arm through Lucy's and started leading her away. "Bye, Natsu! We had fun," she called much more civilly. "Talk to you soon." Lisanna's smile dulled when she turned to Lucy. "That was rude. What happened?"

Lucy said, "I want to make that Ouija board. Tonight."

"Why the rush?" Lisanna asked.

"Because I'm sure I just saw a dead girl."