Chapter Eleven
Coincidence
The room was dark when he woke sweat-drenched from his terror. Shadows danced around him, striking fear into his heart. Gage pulled the blanket over his head, thinking that it would keep him safe, but the fear that something might sneak up on him while he could not see pushed him further into his frightful dilemma.
He didn't know when he had, but eventually he fell back asleep, returning to his nightmare.
The other boys were there, Rudalf, Neils, and Oskar. The oldest of them, Neils, walked up to the heavy wooden door with a pale yellow dog at his side. The mutt must have sensed the ominous foreboding that came from the other side of the door and resisted being tugged inside. He whimpered and whined, his tail tucked tightly under him and his hind legs anchoring down on the cobbled alley as best they could. The sound of his nails scraping the stone as he scrambled to keep away scratched the inside of his ears.
Before he could hear the gruesome noise from the other side of the door, he was once more startled awake. Blinking away any residual sleep, he tried to focus on the quick paced words pouring from Cana's mouth as she opened the blinds to the living room. The light blinded him, making him groan.
"After that, I'll have one more appointment but it shouldn't take long so I thought we could go to the market and grab a few things for dinner." She bantered on, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
Bacchus was still gone on some stupid mission, leaving him with Cana. She wasn't so bad anymore, but she bored him. All she did was look at her cards and talk to people in the living room all day. He did like when she took him to Fairy Tail, and when he got to see Ms. Levy for his writing lesson, but all of the other people there were too loud and fought for no reason. It was kind of like the wizards at Bacchus' guild, too. Are all mages like that? Gage wondered to himself as he glanced down the hallway. Cana's muffled voice came from the living room it as well as some woman's annoying blubbering. It was the third appointment she had that morning already. Though he knew she had wanted to go to the market with him, the noise of the now wailing client grated on his ears. Not wanting to listen to any more of it, he grabbed the last of the leftover Yikani nut biscuit Bacchus had made before he left from the counter and snuck out the back door to go wander the streets.
As he walked, his nightmare came back to him. Gage knew what happened in that room. He'd only been in it once for a different reason, but the day that Neils went in... A distant whisper slithered through his ear making him grab his left arm.
He started to walk toward Fairy Tail thinking that perhaps Ms. Levy would be there already and he could do another lesson. She was a great teacher, but she often started to talk more to herself than to him and went on about things he didn't understand. Once a man with long green hair interrupted her in the middle of one of her ramblings and then both of them went on and on. He didn't think either of them noticed when he left the table.
Absently kicking a rock, he thought further about how different everything suddenly was. It had only been a few weeks since he was taken in by Bacchus yet it felt like much longer. There were nights he couldn't sleep because of how strange it still felt to sleep on a cushioned surface with blankets instead of cold stone or dirt. He couldn't even remember the last time he felt hungry, truly hungry. While he enjoyed it, these new feelings, his thoughts wandered to his friends back in Bosco and how they might be doing. How hungry they must have been at that very moment, how tired and sore, how afraid...
Gage was lost in thought still kicking his rock when he realized he wasn't paying attention and missed his turn somewhere. As he studied the streets trying to figure out which way to go a large hand grabbed his shoulder.
He turned, expecting to see his Master. What he saw instead was his nightmare come true.
"Well look who we've found." The fair man's voice turned his blood cold and drained him of any courage to move.
Before he could unfreeze himself, the man blew a large cloud of smoke in his face as he spoke.
"This is where you've been then, hm?" Ridley took another drag from his cigarette. Gage eyed it warily, watching the ash fall from the tip of it. There was a brief sense of relief when Ridley threw it on the ground and stepped on it. There were two other men with him that made him nervous.
"That was pretty slick of you kid, ditching me at the station like that." The fat and balding Munro gave him a twisted grin with the working side of his face, revealing the snaggletooth he had encased with gold.
"Looks like our little friend here's got himself a family now. Check out these clothes and look, they even washed him up." Borys tugged at the shoulder of his shirt with his thick calloused fingers.
"What'd ya tell 'em kid? Some orphan sob story in exchange for some food? Guess the people in this town ain't so smart after all if a kid like you can come up this good." Munro smiled at him smugly.
"Ain't you gonna speak, boy?" Borys slapped the back of his head as if it would spill words out of his mouth.
When he said nothing, the three of them snorted and tsked, telling each other that they should have expected as much from a dimwit kid like him. Borys was quick to ask how a stupid brat like him was able to give Munro the slip so easily. Munro answered with a grunt and rebutled with his own reminder of the time Borys had managed to let the other kids do the same to him.
"I'm sure the boss'll want to see ya kid." Munro said. "Why don't you come quietly with us then." As he reached out to grab him Gage could feel the panic rise in his chest. Everything slowed down in that moment and a second of clarity released him from fear's grasp. No sooner had Munro's hand reached for him, his courage came rushing back as he recalled a brief instant of his recent training. He turned in time to avoid being grabbed and kicked the thick man between the legs. Without hesitation, he took off in a sprint, zipping down the streets and alleys.
His heart felt like it might explode and his throat was dry and tasted of blood as he curled up behind a stack of crates in the back alley behind a market shop. He couldn't stop shaking as he waited for any noise. He wasn't certain how long it had been, but he knew he needed to keep moving and find his way to the guild or home.
Making sure he was in the clear, he carefully started to run down the street. It was a brief flight as a strong hand snatched him by the collar and pulled him into another alley.
"Got you now, little worm." Ridley's calm voice cut into him. "If you come quietly I promise Kalina won't give you another kiss." He squeezed down hard on Gage's left arm. The scream was smacked from his mouth before it could even leave, silencing him.
It surprised him how quickly his obedience took over and how easily he nodded to show that he would do as he was told. Ridley's charming smile was clouded with smoke as he began to puff on another cigarette and grabbed Gage by the wrist, leading him.
They had barely walked a few blocks when he saw a glimmer of hope approaching. There across the street with bags in his hands and the transforming black cat Lily standing beside him was the intimidating mage Gajeel. They were too busy looking at something to notice him across the crowded street.
He wanted to call out, but something stopped his voice in his chest. Why would he help me? I'm just some beggar kid. The fear held tightly to him, keeping him from calling out. He watched as Gajeel and Lily finished with the stand and continued on their way down the street. His heart sank until he saw Gajeel pause a moment and glanced around. He remembered how sensitive Gajeel's nose was. It was his chance. It was now or never and somehow, he found the courage to free himself of the fear that clutched his voice and bravely yanked his arm from Ridley's hold.
"Gajeel!" Gage called to the man down and across the street, getting his attention. He didn't know what the outcome of getting his help might be, but he had to try.
He sprinted toward them, barely avoiding being grabbed once again by the sound of the rip from somewhere on his clothes. When he reached the man, he instantly began pleading for help, uncertain if his words were making sense.
The grim looking mage glanced down at him with his studded brow knitted together then up to the fair looking man approaching them. Lily protectively stepped in front of him as if to warn him against coming any further. Munro and Borys had come then and joined in on either side of the tall and fair man.
"Good day sir." Ridley calmly approached them.
"Got a problem pal?" Gajeel gave him a suspicious frown.
"I do. It would seem this young man here has stolen my pocket watch while I was strolling down the street."
"Liar! I didn't steal anything!" Gage immediately denied the accusation. His voice shook as he stammered out his protest.
Gajeel returned his look to Ridley who had a pitiful looking grimace on his lips.
"Can you prove this accusation?" Lily half questioned, half demanded.
Ridley only shrugged and told them that he had no proof other than the fact that he had just chased the boy down the block after his watch was snatched from his pocket.
Gajeel and Lily did not seem to be buying Ridley's story. The tension that had been in his body began to ease until Borys spoke up.
"Check his pockets. I'm sure he stuffed it in one of them." The thick bodied man gestured at him. Lily did not take the finger pointed at him well and stood more defensively with his arms crossed.
"What's this watch look like?" Gajeel asked as he looked down at him.
"It's a silver, with a ruby on the center of the cover. My beloved's name Kalina is engraved on the back." He described. Gage had seen the watch before. It was always something Ridley carried and checked nearly constantly.
"If you don't believe me, pat him down."
"He's lying! I don't have it!" Gage cried and stepped forward. Just then, he felt something shake in his pocket. He froze, feeling the weight of it. Lily seemed to pick up on the sound. Before he could keep him from it, the cat pulled the chain that was conveniently hanging out of his pocket by a few small links and took the watch out from his pocket. He had not known how, but somehow Ridley had planted it on him before he escaped. His hands were deceptively fast. It was his specialty.
"Y-You, you have to believe me. I didn't…" Gage tried to explain, but his voice cracked as Lily handed it to his partner. From the look that Gajeel gave him after looking over the timepiece himself, he knew then that no matter what he said, there was nothing he could do to prove himself innocent. His body trembled as he stood in a tearful silence.
"Little thief. I ought to turn you over to the authorities." Ridley said as he signalled for Borys to grab Gage.
Gajeel was quick to step forward and stood sneering down his nose. He tossed the watch at Borys, who clumsily caught it. Ridley glanced over his shoulder before turning back to face the larger man once again.
"Stand aside, sir. I said-"
"Try me." Gajeel's stronger voice cut him off. The mage's arm had turned into a blade, blocking any of them from getting closer. Though he might have been surprised by it, Ridley made no show if it. Borys and Munro on the other hand did little to hide their shock, muttering terojek, the Boscovian word for "sorcery".
"You got your watch back. Don't need anything else from the boy." Gajeel's eyes met with Ridley's.
"Are you this boy's guardian?" There was something familiar to the way Ridley's eyes creased. He was reading Gajeel, testing him.
"And if I am?" There was a building intensity between the way Gajeel answered and Ridley's unmoving expression.
The two men stared at one another for a moment. Though no further words were spoken, there had been a conversation with their looks. Ridley was the first to back down, a charming smile on his lips as he stepped back.
"It would seem that right and wrong are quite skewed in this town. I would suggest that you keep that young man in check. The next person he robs might not take it so lightly. Good day to you."
Gage couldn't believe it. He blinked in disbelief as the three men walked away down the street. He stared up at Gajeel as his arm returned to normal. Before he could thank him, Gajeel spoke.
"Keep quiet." Those were the only words he said as he led him back to the guild.
Cana arrived not long after. Lily had gone out to find her while they remained at the guild hall. She was less than pleased as the earlier incident was relayed to her. She scolded him for sneaking off and thanked Gajeel and Lily for their help. They spoke further, concern clouding her face as they talked on.
When they got home, Cana made them lunch. It was a type of Yikani dish made with fresh vegetables and herbs wrapped in a translucent wrapper. It was one of the few things Cana could make that tasted good, yet he found he wasn't too hungry. He asked to be excused and she let him, telling him she would take care of the dishes.
In truth, he could not shake the feeling that someone was watching him. The anxiety made his whole body rattle as he went to lay on the couch.
