Author's note:

Hello once again! Today we are going back in time. Kalea is finally opening up and we get to see why she tends to be so closed off to most people. Now, as I mentioned before, I'm going to change the rating for this chapter and maybe the next few chapters to M rather than T. There are some scenes that may be a mature for some of you if you're young. So just know you've been warned now. Her story isn't a happy one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. That privilege belongs to Hiro Mashima

As Kalea looked out her window, a sense of peace slowly overcame her. The snow was covering the roads in a light dusting. She loved when it snowed; it was so peaceful. A knock on her door startled her. She had been so entranced by the falling snow, she didn't even realize her mother was calling her name.

"Coming!" she said, jumping out of bed and hurrying to the door. She opened the door and was greeted with a sharp slap to the face.

"I've been calling you for 10 minutes! What have you been doing?!" her mother screamed at her.

Kalea's eyes filled with tears. She tried not to let them fall, her mother hated it when she cried.

"I need you to go to the store and pick up some things for dinner. Your father won't be home until late tonight so it'll just be us," her mother said.

She thrust a list into Kalea's hands and left without a backwards glance. Kalea gingerly touched the growing bruise on her cheek. It stung to the touch. Still not letting her tears fall, she went back into her room. Casting one more look at the snow outside, she put on a coat and boots and left the house. As she walked the streets of her village, people averted their gaze. Generally, if a small girl with a large bruise on her cheek was walking by herself, there would be questions. But everyone knew about the Baak family.

Kalea lived in a small mining village on the outskirts of Freesia Town. The local coal mine was the village's main source of income. Freesia Town relied on their mine for resources and they outsourced much of the coal to other towns. Unfortunately for her, her father owned that mine.

Although there was a mayor in town, because her father owned the mine, the Baak family held most of the power in their village. So, people didn't ask questions when it came to their daughter. Some had when they saw the bruises on her face years ago. But those people were gone now. Where? Nobody knew. And that's when the questions stopped.

Kalea was used to the bruises at this point in her life. Ever since she could remember, it was like this. She was a sickly child, having been born with an autoimmune disorder that caused her body to have a hard time fighting off most illnesses. Because of this, she was constantly sick. The first time she had gone to the doctor, she had been told that she would have this disorder for the rest of her life unless she visited a healing mage. Her parents had outright refused this option. They despised magic. There were no wizards in their village and both her parents had grown up in families that believed magic was a sin. They believed it was given to people who worshipped evil. So Kalea never received the treatment she truly needed.

Instead, she had to take countless pills every day just to be able to get out of bed. Her medical bills were through the roof and, although her family was not poor, she was constantly told how much of a burden she was with her bills and why she should be grateful for them to be taking such good care of her.

And Kalea accepted this. After all, what other reason could her parents have for their abuse? She deserved this. And besides, what else was there? She had no friends and nobody cared about the bruises on her face. Of course, they were nothing compared to the scars on her back. If she ever put a toe out of line, the belt would come out. She hated the belt. It meant pain. It meant blood. It meant tears. And if the tears came out, she would be punished even more.

As Kalea approached her house with groceries in hand, she hesitated before entering. She wished she could've stayed out longer but it was much too cold for her, especially with her disorder. Entering through the front door, she noticed her mother was in the kitchen. She placed the groceries on the counter and was about to go back to her room when her mother spoke.

"Is that snow on the floor?"

Kalea looked back at the door. From the bottoms of her shoes, snow was dripping onto the floor. Kalea stared in horror. Her mother hated a dirty house.

"Why is there snow on the floor?" she asked.

Kalea looked up at her mother, who was staring at her with a look of pure disdain.

"I-I'm sorry. I thought I-I ha-had gotten it a-all off outside. I-I'll clean it u-up," Kalea stuttered.

Before she could move, her mother disappeared into the living room. Kalea froze. When she came back into view, she was holding the belt.

"Come here."

.

.

.

Kalea lay on her bed, silently crying into her sheets, her back aching. Her mother would punish her more if she was heard crying. Out of her tear filled eyes, she saw her white sheets stained red.

"Wh-what d-did I d-do w-w-wrong…" she cried into her bed.

.

.

.

Kalea paused in her story at this point. Fenris was so shocked it took him a moment to realize she was no longer speaking. She turned around and began lifting up her shirt.

"Wh-whoa Kalea wai-" Fenris tried to stop her.

He knew what she was showing him. But he didn't want to see it again. Not after hearing why she had those scars. But she didn't stop, instead, she lifted her shirt above her head and showed him the scars on her back. Even though he had seen them once before, he still couldn't believe how many there were. He couldn't believe anyone could do this to Kalea. And her parents of all people.

Kalea pulled her shirt back down and turned around, continuing her story.

.

.

.

That was just one example of the physical abuse Kalea went through growing up. It was much worse at times. When she was younger, she used to ask herself what she did to deserve this. But as time passed, she stopped asking such silly questions. Her life wasn't going to change. Nobody stood up for her. What was the point in wondering?

But one day, she met someone who finally made her feel as if she was worth something.

As Kalea sat in homeroom, head turned downwards staring at her lap, she heard the door open and close.

"Welcome to homeroom everyone."

Her ears perked up. That wasn't their usual teacher. She lifted her head and saw someone new sitting at the front desk. A woman, who looked to be in her late 30's, was looking around the room. She had short, jet-black hair. Her eyes were framed with large, square glasses and she had a kind, gentle smile.

"My name is Ms. Myku and I will be your new teacher starting today," she said. "I look forward to getting to know everyone here. Now, let's take attendance so I can put some names to faces."

As she began calling out names, Kalea couldn't help stare at Ms. Myku. She had such a kind face. Kalea wasn't used to seeing this.

"Ms. Baak?"

Shaking her head, she heard Ms. Myku call out her name. Slowly, she raised her hand and said, "Here…" in a small voice.

Ms. Myku met her eyes and paused. Her eyes widened for a moment before she composed herself and gave Kalea a warm smile.

"Thank you Ms. Baak," she said kindly.

She continued taking the attendance. Class went by as usual for Kalea until the bell rang. Kalea was always the last to leave the room. Other children tended to trip her when she followed the crowd. She was passing Ms. Myku's desk when she stopped Kalea.

"Wait Ms. Baak. May I speak to you?" Ms. Myku asked.

Kalea paused, not sure what she could want. Had Kalea already done something wrong?

"I-I have another class…" she muttered quietly.

Ms. Myku smiled. "I'll write a note. Please sit down." She indicated a seat in front of the desk.

Kalea hesitantly sat down and took her backpack off.

"Would you like something to drink?" Ms. Myku asked.

Kalea shook her head. Ms. Myku's eyebrows rose but she didn't question Kalea. She got up and walked around the desk to face her. The movement caused Kalea to flinch, which didn't go unnoticed. She pulled a seat in front of Kalea and sat down.

"Ms. Baak. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Ms. Myku asked.

Kalea's eyes shot down to her lap.

"No," Kalea said quietly.

"Are you sure?" Ms. Myku responded, just as quietly.

"Yes," said Kalea.

Kalea hoped she wouldn't push anymore. She felt tears in her eyes.

Moments later. "…very well. Let me write you a note. But Kalea."

Kalea's head jerked up at this. None of the teachers called her by her first name.

"If there's anything you'd ever like to talk about, please let me know. I'd like to get to know you better." She smiled at Kalea.

Kalea's mouth quivered. She felt tears fall down her face and she sprung up.

"T-t-thank y-you M-Ms. Myku." She ran out of the room as Ms. Myku handed her the note.

Later that day, as the last bell rang, Kalea was passing the teachers' lounge when she heard a familiar voice say her name.

"…Kalea is in trouble and I believe we should investigate her home life."

Kalea paused. Ms. Myku?

Kalea heard the principal's voice respond, "Ms. Myku, I understand you are new here. If I were you…I would leave this matter be. Mr. Baak…is a fine father. I have met both he and Mrs. Baak and I believe they are very kind, generous people. Mr. Baak was the one who donated money for renovations to this teaching lounge. It's very nice yes?"

"Why does Kalea have a large bruise on her cheek?" came Ms. Myku's voice. "If it isn't something at home, then is she being bullied at school? I find it extremely hard to believe an-"

"Ms. Myku!" the principal interrupted."Enough! I assure you everything is fine with Ms. Baak. Now please, just let this go. It would be much better for you to leave the girl alone and focus on your classes."

Kalea heard footsteps get closer and she panicked. She ran into the closest classroom and hid behind the door. The heavy footsteps slowly faded away and she knew it was safe to go back out. She entered the hallway and saw Ms. Myku walk out of the teachers' lounge at the same time. Ms. Myku noticed her and paused. Looking around to see if anyone was near them, she briskly walked over to Kalea and handed her a piece of paper.

"Please call me if you need someone to talk to Kalea," she said very softly.

She walked away before Kalea could protest. Looking down at the paper, she saw it was a phone number. She hesitated. If her parents saw this they would have a lot of questions. She was about to throw it into the trash when her hand froze. She looked from the paper to the trash bin.

Then, her hands seemingly moving on their own, she slowly put the paper into her pocket. She hurried out of the school and headed home. Making sure there was no dirt on her shoes, she walked inside and hurriedly went to her room. She opened a desk drawer and shoved the piece of paper into it. As she closed the drawer, a sharp voice shouted, "Kalea! Come here and clean the dishes!"

Kalea looked back at the drawer one last time before heading to the kitchen.

.

.

.

A few weeks after the arrival of Ms. Myku, Kalea had not pulled out the number since putting it in the desk. She was afraid her parents would catch her looking at it.

One morning, her father walked into her room and ripped the sheets away from her. Kalea was roughly shaken awake as her father said, "Take your pills."

He shoved the bottle into her hands. This was her usual routine in the mornings. Before work, her father would come in and force her to take her pills. As he shoved the bottle into her hands, she thought she could smell alcohol. Looking up at him, she confirmed the smell. He was drinking.

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Shaking her head, Kalea opened the bottle and took two of the pills. Before she put them in her mouth, her father roughly grabbed her wrist. Flinching at the pain, Kalea paused.

"More," her father said in a deadly quiet voice.

Looking up at him, Kalea wondered what that meant. He took the bottle back from her and took out five more pills. He forced her palm open and threw them into her hand.

"More," he said again.

Kalea stared at the pills. The doctor had told her to only take two at a time or she could overdose. She had to do this five times a day, but if she spaced out the time between pills, she would be fine. According to the doctor at least.

"Eat them," her father said.

"B-but t-th-the doctor sai-" Kalea tried to argue.

"I don't give a shit what the doctor said! Eat them!" he bellowed.

He lifted his hand and, out of fear, Kalea put the seven pills into her mouth. Hoping that would satisfy him, she held them under her tongue and waited for him to leave.

"Swallow them," he said.

She stared at him. Was he serious?

"Swallow them now!" he shouted.

Out of reflex, she obeyed. As she swallowed the pills, she felt fear seep into her. Her father watched her for a few more moments, then left the room. She waited until she heard the door slam, then jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. She went to the sink and splashed water on her face.

She was panicking. She knew she had to get the pills out of her system but she was afraid. She couldn't do it. She started to lift her hand to her mouth but stopped. Then, she thought of the number in her drawer. Her dad was gone, but what if her mother heard? Deciding to risk it, she ran to the desk and pulled out number. She took the lacrima phone from her desk and ran back into the bathroom. She hurriedly entered the numbers and listened as the phone dialed.

"Hello?" came a voice from the other end.

"M-Ms. Myku?" Kalea said, fear overcoming her.

"Yes? Who may I ask is speaking?" said Ms. Myku.

She hesitated. Then, "I-it's Kalea. I-I think I-I'm in trouble. I n-need your help."

"Where are you?" Ms. Myku said, rather urgently.

"I'm h-home right now," Kalea said.

"Meet me in homeroom class before school starts. Come as fast as you can," Ms. Myku said.

"T-thank y-you," Kalea said, before quickly hanging up and getting dressed. Grabbing her backpack, she ran out of the room and went to put her shoes on. Her fingers were trembling, causing her to fumble with her shoe strings.

"Are you going to school already?"

Her mother had entered the living room.

"Y-yes…I h-have a school p-project I need to work on s-so I need to g-g-go in early," Kalea said quickly, hoping the lie was enough.

Her mother watched her.

"Fine," was her only response.

She walked to the kitchen. Kalea breathed a sigh of relief then sprinted out the door. She made her way as fast as she could to school and ran into her homeroom. Ms. Myku was there, looking worried. When Kalea ran into the room, she sprang up and said, "Kalea! What's wrong?"

Without thinking, Kalea told her what happened that morning. But instead of including her father in the story, she told Ms. Myku that she accidentally had more pills than she realized because she was tired. Ms. Myku eyed her suspiciously but didn't interrupt.

"I-I don't know what to do! The d-doctor said if I t-take too many I may die! Please! Help me!" Kalea was shouting near the end.

She started to cry. Ms. Myku ran over to her. Thinking she was about to be hit for crying, Kalea screamed and threw up her arms. Then she felt something warm embrace her body. Ms. Myku was hugging her.

"Everything is going to be okay now Kalea," she said in a soothing tone.

Kalea's tears ceased. She didn't understand how she felt. Ms. Myku stroked her back, telling her over and over it would be okay, although she had a hard time believing her. Ms. Myku released her grip on Kalea and rushed to the door, closing it and locking it. Turning on Kalea, she lifted her sleeves, exposing her upper arms.

"Kalea," she said, walking back to her. "I'm going to do something to you and I need you to relax. It may come as a shock, but please don't scream. Nobody can know about this."

Worried, Kalea reluctantly nodded her head. Ms. Myku put both her hands on Kalea's stomach. Suddenly, a bright glow emanated from her hands. Kalea jumped back but Ms. Myku followed her, keeping her hands on her stomach.

"Please Kalea! Calm down! I'll explain after I'm finished," Ms. Myku said, concentrating on her stomach.

A few minutes later, Ms. Myku removed her hands. Kalea touched her stomach.

"What…did you do?" she asked nervously.

Ms. Myku unlocked the door and went back to her desk.

"I healed your stomach. I'm a healer Kalea. A wizard," said Ms. Myku.

Kalea took a step back. She had never met a wizard. And although she was hesitant to believe anything her parents told her, she was still worried.

"H-how can I be sure?" she said.

Ms. Myku smiled. "Unfortunately you can't. You just have to trust me."

"Trust…isn't something I have in people," Kalea said.

Ms. Myku nodded, saying, "I can tell. Kalea…can you please talk to me? I'd like to understand you a little more. Understand what you're going through."

"I'm…not going through anything," Kalea said.

Ms. Myku shook her head. "Kalea, please don't lie to me. I understand you may be hesitant to talk to me…but I just want to help you. Please. Let me help you Kalea. Let me understand you."

Kalea didn't confide in other people. She didn't have friends who she could talk to. Her parents didn't want to hear about her issues. For Ms. Myku to show her such compassion and interest in her life, it was foreign to her. She wasn't sure she should trust this stranger. But Ms. Myku's compassion, her gentle face, her kind smile, attracted Kalea to her. She'd never had anyone be this kind to her, and she realized she desperately longed for more. And so, Kalea opened up. She told Ms. Myku what really happened that morning. And as she spoke, she found she couldn't stop. She told her about her beatings. She told her she had no friends. She told her everything. When she was finally done, tears spilled out of her eyes as Ms. Myku stared at her, a look of shock on her face.

"Kalea…I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She hugged her again. This time, Kalea hugged her back. She cried into her shirt, the tears wouldn't stop.

"Kalea, class is going to start soon. After school, please meet me back here. I'd like to discuss some things with you. Is that okay?" said Ms. Myku.

"M-my paren-" Kalea began.

"If your parents have anything to say, they can talk to me," said Ms. Myku, cracking her knuckles.

That afternoon, Kalea made her way back to Ms. Myku's classroom. She opened the door and found her sitting at her desk, studying a piece of paper. Ms. Myku looked up and smiled as Kalea entered the room.

"Kalea! I'm glad you came back," she said.

Kalea went over to sit at the seat in front of the desk. Putting the paper away, Ms. Myku walked around the desk to sit next to Kalea.

"Kalea, I'd like to help you. Would you like some help?" she asked.

Kalea slowly nodded.

"Good," Ms. Myku said. "Before I can do that however, I'd like to know you a little better. I'd like to be your friend. And friends tell each other things. So is there anything you'd like to know about me?"

Kalea thought back to that morning. "How…did you learn magic?"

Ms. Myku laughed. "I didn't learn magic. I was born with it. Both of my parents were wizards, so I also developed powers. Mainly, I'm a healer, although I'm not the strongest healer out there. But I can also levitate objects."

She lifted her hand and Kalea watched as a pencil from her desk slowly floated to her. She grabbed it out of the air and handed it to Kalea. Kalea took it, turning it around in her hand.

"That's…amazing," Kalea said in awe.

"It is isn't it. Are there any wizards living in this village?" Ms. Myku asked.

"No…my dad doesn't like wizards," Kalea said hesitantly. "He made sure there were none here when he had enough money."

"I see. But your father isn't the mayor is he? Does he really have that much power?" Ms. Myku asked.

Kalea explained how her father owned the local mine, giving him great financial power in the village. Ms. Myku nodded.

"I understand. What about you? Are you interested in magic?" Ms. Myku asked.

Kalea hesitated. If she was honest, she was. She had always been fascinated by the idea, but her father's stance against anything to do with it caused her to shy away from the subject.

"Yes…but my dad hates it," said Kalea. "And I wasn't born with any powers. So I guess it doesn't matter."

"Not necessarily true," Ms. Myku interjected. "There are many cases where powers can develop as one grows older. If you really wanted to, I could try to help you learn some."

Kalea shook her head. "No…that's okay."

Ms. Myku frowned. "Well…if you ever change your mind just let me know."

She glanced out the window. "Oh! It's getting dark. Let me write you a note. Give this to your parents and I'm sure everything will be fine. If they still give you a hard time, let me know tomorrow."

She wrote Kalea a note and sent her out the door. Before she left, Kalea turned to Ms. Myku and said, "Ms. Myku? Thank you…very much."

Kalea and Ms. Myku met almost every day after that. They talked about their lives. About their dreams. She finally had someone she could rely on. My. Myku made her laugh. She made her smile. She truly cared about Kalea.

And although she was curious, Kalea never asked Ms. Myku to teach her about magic. She was scared that her father would find out if she developed powers. But one day, she discovered things don't always go to plan.

Author's note:

I hope you enjoyed this first part of Kalea's story. I apologize if it isn't very original. I tried my best to make it as unique as I could and it certainly isn't over just yet. See you next time!