Author's note:

Hello! Welcome to part 2 of Kalea's story. I'm keeping this rating as an M rather than a T just for safe measure. Enjoy!

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

Ms. Myku glanced outside. The sky was beginning to turn a bright orange color as the sun set.

"Goodness!" she exclaimed. "It's getting late already. Let me write you a note and you better be off."

Ms. Myku went to her desk to write Kalea a note. This had become routine when she stayed too late. Although her parents always gave her questionable looks when she handed them her note if she got home late, it was still a legitimate note from a teacher. She handed Kalea the note then stooped to give her a hug goodbye. As Kalea was hugging Ms. Myku, she felt a sudden twinge in the back of her head. Letting go of Ms. Myku, she grabbed her head, flinching at the pain.

"Kalea? Is something wrong?" Ms. Myku asked worryingly.

Shaking her head, Kalea said, "It's…nothing…my head just really hurts all of a sudden."

Kalea stepped back and put a hand on the desk. Her fingers brushed the pencil Ms. Myku had levitated all those weeks ago…and lifted into the air. Kalea watched the pencil slowly float through the air, still holding her head.

"Ms. Myku…what're you doing?" she asked.

Ms. Myku stared at the pencil. "I'm not doing anything…Kalea…I think this is your doing…"

Kalea jumped back, the pencil falling back to the desk at the same time.

"N-no!" she said in panic. "No that wasn't me! It couldn't have been!"

What would her parents think if she could use magic? What would they do?

"Kalea…" Ms. Myku said, slowly approaching. "Sometimes…magical abilities manifest themselves as we grow older. There is a good chance what we're seeing here is your powers awakening."

Kalea panicked. "B-but I can't have powers! My parents hate magic! They-"

Ms. Myku grasped her shoulders. "Kalea. I promise you that, whatever happens, I will protect you. I won't let your parents harm you anymore. Okay? If this is magic, I'll help you. I can teach you things that will help you hone your powers. But…if you really do not want to, I won't force you to do anything. I just want you to be happy Kalea."

Kalea hesitated. If she was honest with herself, she did want to learn magic. Despite her parents views, she thought the idea of magic was a beautiful thing. But what if they found out? Could Ms. Myku really protect her? Her father was a powerful man, he generally got what he wanted.

"I…I'll think about it," she said slowly. "I just don't know if this is a good idea…if I do actually have magic."

Ms. Myku nodded. "I understand Kalea. Just…let me know if you change your mind."

Kalea nodded before taking her leave. When she returned home, she quickly went to her room and shut the door behind her.

Magic…she thought. Could she really have magical powers?

She took out a piece of paper to work on her homework, sitting down on her bed. As she picked up her pencil to take notes, she paused.

How…

She stared at the pencil. Although she didn't know what she was doing, she sat on her bed, concentrating on the pencil for what felt like hours, one thought in her head.

Rise.

Nothing happened. Slightly disappointed, Kalea looked at her lacrima clock and saw it was well past her bed time. Sighing, she got changed and put her school work away. Oh well…I guess it was just some fluke.

The following afternoon, Kalea was in Ms. Myku's room when she brought up magic again.

"Have you thought anymore about my proposition?"

Kalea looked up from her school work. Ms. Myku was eyeing her from her desk.

"N…I don't know," said Kalea. "I…did try to levitate a pencil again but…it didn't work. I think what happened was just a misunderstanding Ms. Myku."

Ms. Myku shook her head and smiled. "No Kalea, I don't think it was. Magic is a wonderful thing. It can bring people together. It can savepeople. It can even save people from themselves. From their doubts, their fears. And I know you carry many doubts Kalea. I know how fearful you are. Please…let me teach you magic. I truly believe it can help you. I truly believe it will bring you happiness."

Happiness…that wasn't something Kalea was used to until she met Ms. Myku. She always seemed to be talking about that. Happiness. If magic could truly make her happy…maybe she should try it?

"O…okay," said Kalea. "I guess I can try it one more time. If it even works."

Ms. Myku smiled brightly and shot up from her seat.

"Perfect!"

She locked the door and went to pick up the pencil from the previous day. Sitting beside her, she handed the pencil to Kalea.

"Now," she said. "Hold the pencil in the palm of your hand. Yes, very good. Now I want you to empty your mind of all other thoughts except one. Lift the pencil. It's going to be hard. But it'll be worth it. Trust me."

She smiled at Kalea again. Kalea couldn't help feel more at ease when she saw that smile. Looking down, she stared at the pencil, trying to concentrate. But as she sat there, her thoughts drifted. Drifted to her parents. What would they say if they found her doing this? Was this a mistake? She couldn't really use magic right? She couldn't use magic, she was…worthless.

Tears filled her eyes. Her hand started to shake. A sudden jerk caused the pencil to slip from her palm onto the floor. Ms. Myku stooped to pick up the pencil. She didn't hand it back to Kalea.

"I think that's good for now," she said. "This isn't something you can do on your first try. We can try again tomorrow."

Kalea nodded and stood up. "I'm sorry."

Ms. Myku shook her head. "Please don't apologize Kalea. There's nothing to be sorry for. We can take this at a slow pace. No rush. We have plenty of time."

That night, Kalea's thoughts turned to her sorry attempt at magic. Could she really do this? Use magic? No…she was worthless. Just like her parents always told her.

.

.

.

The next few weeks, Kalea continued her feeble attempts at magic with Ms. Myku. She made no progress lifting the pencil. As time passed, her conviction lessened, until eventually she started feeling like she did before meeting Ms. Myku.

One afternoon, when Kalea entered her room, she found Ms. Myku at her desk as usual. But this time she had a serious expression on her face. Seemingly startled out of her thoughts, Ms. Myku looked up at Kalea as she entered.

"Kalea. I'm glad you're here. I have something different planned for today. Let's take a break on practicing magic okay?"

Kalea couldn't lie, she was pleased. Practicing magic was taking a toll on her mental health. Sitting in her usual seat, Kalea put her things down and let her head drift to her lap.

"Kalea," came Ms. Myku's voice.

She didn't lift her head. Ms. Myku walked around her desk and stood in front of Kalea. Hesitantly, Kalea lifted her head and looked up at Ms. Myku. She had a slight frown on her face.

"Kalea, I'd like to discuss something with you," Ms. Myku said.

"…yes?" Kalea responded.

She pulled up a chair and sat across from her.

"What makes you happy?" Ms. Myku asked.

"H-happy?" Kalea said.

"Yes. Happy. What makes you happy?" she asked again.

Kalea thought about it. What did make her happy? And as she thought, she realized she couldn't find an answer.

"I…don't have an answer Ms. Myku," she said.

She nodded. "I had a feeling you'd say that. Listen Kalea…I've gotten to know you a little better these past few months. And I've been able to see how unhappy you are. I wish…there was something I could do for you. I really do."

Tears formed in her eyes as she spoke.

"The truth is Kalea…there are a lot of people in this world that are going to hurt you," said Ms. Myku.

The tears started to fall, but her voice never wavered.

"But some day," she continued. "You'll find someone worthsuffering for. One day…you'll meet someone who will appreciate you for everything someone else took for granted."

She hugged Kalea, who's eyes were watering.

"You might not recognize them when you first meet them," said Ms. Myku, slowly rubbing her back. "But that's the best thing about love and happiness. They're almost synonymous with each other. And most of the time, they show up when we least expect it. You're going to find your happiness one day Kalea. I just know it."

They sat there, embracing each other, for another few minutes. Eventually, Ms. Myku withdrew, wiping her eyes with her sleeves.

"I'm sorry Kalea," she said shakily. "I didn't mean to get so emotional. But I hope you take what I said to heart. Stand up for yourself. Believe in yourself. You're a strong girl Kalea. Stronger than you know."

Still crying, Kalea thought to herself, I wish I could believe you…

That night, Kalea sat in bed, thinking over what Ms. Myku said. She really did want to believe in herself. And maybe…the first step was conquering her fear of being able to use magic. Her parents hatred towards it had distracted her during her lessons. It was time to take them more seriously.

From then on, Kalea gave her all in Ms. Myku's lessons. And one day, a few weeks later, her efforts finally payed off.

.

.

.

She sat in Ms. Myku's room, concentrating on that pencil, when it gave a small jerk. Her eyes widened for a moment, then she focused even more closely on the pencil. It jerked one more time, then shot into the air. It rose above her head, halting a few feet above her. Ms. Myku shouted in surprise, causing Kalea to lose her concentration. The pencil dropped to the floor, but Kalea didn't notice. Ms. Myku had wrapped her arms around her, congratulating her on her achievement. Kalea beamed, thanking Ms. Myku for all of her help.

"It was all you Kalea," said Ms. Myku. "You're hard work is finally paying off. I told you, you could do it! Now, what I would tell you to do is practice at home but I have a feeling that would be a bad idea. So instead, what we'll do is move forward with your lessons at a faster pace. We'll have to make up for the time you can't practice outside of this room."

Ms. Myku stood up and went to the back of her room. She opened a door and went inside. A few moments later, she came back out with a small cardboard box. Coming up to Kalea, she gave her the box.

"Go ahead and open it," she said.

Kalea hesitated before opening the box. Inside, she found what looked like a small cake. Her eyes widened, the cake smelled delicious.

"Take a bite," said Ms. Myku, smiling.

She handed Kalea a fork from her desk and Kalea took a bite of the cake. It tasted amazing!

"What is this?!" Kalea exclaimed.

Still smiling, Ms. Myku said, "It's called a mille-feuille. It's a dessert I picked up on during my travels when I was younger. It's good isn't it?"

"It's incredible!" said Kalea, taking another bite.

"If you'd like, I can bring you some occasionally," Ms. Myku said. "I enjoy baking and it's always fun to see others enjoy my food."

Kalea nodded enthusiastically, excited for what she had in store. After that day, Ms. Myku had Kalea levitate different objects around the room for her next lessons. As the objects grew in size, it took more energy for Kalea to lift them but over time she was able to master everything Ms. Myku threw at her.

Her mastery of magic astounded Ms. Myku, who told her how impressed she was with such little time to practice. Every so often, Ms. Myku would bring the mille-feuille as a special treat. These lessons, on top of her growing confidence thanks to Ms. Myku, finally gave her a reason to be happy again.

But life does a good job at knocking us down, especially when we're at our happiest.

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Kalea woke up one Saturday from the sun shining through her window. It was a warm morning, spring was finally making way for summer. Kalea rubbed her eyes and slowly got out of bed. Stretching, her eyes wandered around her room until they fell on her desk. Her notebook was there, open to the page she had been taking notes the previous night.

Kalea's eyes focused on her pencil. She was making steady progress with her magic and was always looking forward to her lessons with Ms. Myku. However, the more excited she became, the more she wanted to practice magic. She found herself thinking about it almost every second of the day.

She gazed at the pencil…it couldn't hurt to practice for a little bit right? She was much more adept now. She could hide it if her parents showed up. Looking around as if they were listening in on her, she made her way to her desk.

Picking up the pencil, she concentrated on the wall in the back of her mind where her magic was held. Breaching the wall, the pencil lifted into the air until it was level with her eyes. Smiling, Kalea watched the pencil slowly bob up and down for a few minutes.

"KALEA!"

The pencil dropped to the floor. Kalea whirled around and saw her mother staring at her, eyes wide with horror. Suddenly scared, Kalea ran to her bed and hid under the covers as if her blanket hid her from her mother.

The blanket was quickly whipped off her and Kalea was yanked off her bed. Her mother dragged her into the living room and threw her onto the floor. She stomped out of the room, leaving Kalea sitting on the ground. Moments later, her mother returned, followed by her father. He was holding the belt.

Glaring down at Kalea, her father put on a scowl.

"What evil have you been worshipping Kalea?" He cracked the belt.

"I-I-I d-di-didn't w-w-" she stuttered.

"Silence!" screamed her mother. "Don't lie! I saw what you were doing!"

Kalea flinched at her mother's voice.

"After everything we've done for you, this is how you repay us?! You ungrateful!" She hit her.

"Little!"

Again.

"Brat!"

Again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Kalea was thrown to the ground, her cheek stinging from her mother's hand. Her father looked on, no pity in his eyes.

"We're doing this for your sake Kalea," he said. "You'll understand when you're older. You deservethis. You need this. This is your fault!" With his last sentence, he whipped the belt out. Kalea panicked, backing up until she hit the couch. There was nowhere she could go.

Her mother took her arm and violently threw her onto the ground so she was laying on her stomach.

"This is your fault Kalea," her father said again.

And the belt came down. All Kalea could feel was pain as her back was ripped open.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Her tears were unheeded as her mother watched on. Her entire being was pain. As her vision started to fade, she welcomed the blessed relief. At least she would no longer feel pain if she blacked out.

As she slowly faded into blissful unconsciousness, she thought, …why…do I deserve this…

.

.

.

Kalea didn't go to school for a few weeks after that day. She couldn't get out of bed or else her back would rip open again from the numerous scabs. Her parents gave the school some kind of excuse, not that it mattered. Her father could say anything he wanted and they'd believe him. Or at least pretend to.

While she laid in bed, Kalea didn't think about much. The pain from her back distracted her from everything else. She didn't think she had ever cried as much as she did in those few weeks. Her parents came in twice a day to put a plate of food on her bed, but other than this they left her alone. Her pills were kept beside the bed so they didn't have to enter the room otherwise.

One morning, about a week after her beating, Kalea lay in bed, staring at the ground when her eyes found the pencil. She stared at it, tears filling her eyes again.

This…is all my fault, she thought. If I had just listened to Ms. Myku…this wouldn't have happened. If I just did what I was told…this wouldn't have happened.

The longer she was in bed, the longer she had to think about what happened to her. And the longer she thought about it, the more she blamed herself until, on the day she was finally able to return to school, she was fully convinced she was to blame.

For everything.

For her problems. For her parents problems. For everyone's problems. Why else did she have to endure this pain? She had to deserve it. Right?

When she limped into Ms. Myku's classroom a few weeks later, Ms. Myku stared at her, eyes wide. She didn't say anything to Kalea, but she watched her like a hawk as Kalea sat down at her seat.

Throughout the rest of the day, Kalea mindlessly attended the rest of her classes, not paying attention to anything her teachers had to say. The pain was still too much. When the final bell rang for the end of the day, Kalea made her way to the exit when a hand touched her shoulder.

"Kalea," came Ms. Myku's voice.

Kalea didn't respond. Her gaze dropped to the ground.

"Kalea…please come with me," said Ms. Myku.

Not having the energy to argue, Kalea allowed herself to be guided to Ms. Myku's room.

Closing the door behind them, Ms. Myku led her to her own desk, sitting Kalea down in her seat.

"Kalea," she began, gently rubbing Kalea's back.

Kalea reacted without thinking. Her back still ached at the slightest touch. She screamed in pain and tore away from Ms. Myku, falling to the ground as she went to get out of the chair.

Tears started falling down her cheeks again. She cradled her arms, curling up into a ball on the floor. Ms. Myku looked on, tears filling her own eyes.

"Kalea…please talk to me. What happened?" She avoided her back this time, touching Kalea's shoulder as she stooped down.

Kalea shook her head, refusing to talk. She thought Ms. Myku would try to get her to talk again, but she didn't. Instead, she sat with Kalea on the ground, allowing her to cry her frustrations away. They both sat in that position for a while longer. Eventually, Kalea was able to lift herself off the floor. Rubbing her eyes, she saw Ms. Myku watching her, a frown on her face.

"Kalea…what…happened to your back?" said Ms. Myku.

Looking down, Kalea saw her shirt had been scrunched up as she lay on the ground. Her lower back had been partially exposed, revealing a few scabs. Pulling her shirt back down, Kalea shook her head vigorously.

"Nothing!" she said. "N-nothing happened! Please j-just leave me alone!"

She tried to stand up but Ms. Myku held her in place.

"Kalea. Please turn around and let me see your back," said Ms. Myku.

Kalea started to protest but Ms. Myku wouldn't let her arm go. She struggled against her grip, but it was like iron.

"Kalea, I need to see your back," she said again. "Please. I'm not going to give in on this. I need to see your back Kalea. Now."

She forced Kalea to turn around and gently lifted her shirt up a few inches. Kalea tried to stop her, but Ms. Myku was much stronger. She paused, looking at her back. Then, she gently pulled her shirt back down. Helping Kalea up, Ms. Myku walked over to her desk and opened a drawer. She pulled out a small jar full of pink liquid.

"Kalea, please sit down and turn away from the window. I'm going to have to take your shirt off for this," she said.

Kalea numbly sat down and faced the wall. Ms. Myku locked her door and closed her blinds to the window. Taking the jar, she walked over the Kalea and helped her pull her shirt off. Kalea crossed her arms, a sudden chill making her shiver. Ms. Myku started rubbing the pink liquid onto her back, making Kalea even colder. A few minutes later, she closed the jar and walked back to her desk, putting it away. Kalea stood up and pulled her shirt back on. Her back oddly felt better.

"That liquid is imbued with healing magic. It will help with your recovery," Ms. Myku said.

Ms. Myku led Kalea back to her own desk and sat her down. "Kalea, I'd like you to please stay her for a while. There's something I need to do."

"W-what is it?" Kalea asked.

Ms. Myku smiled down at her. "It's just something I need to do. Please don't worry yourself about it."

"W-wait! I-I d-don't want you t-to go!" Kalea shouted.

Ms. Myku put one hand on her cheek. "I promise I'll be right back Kalea."

She walked to the door, unlocking it. As she was walking out, she hesitated, turning back to face Kalea. She gave her a smile but…this one was different. It seemed so…sad.

"Kalea…always remember what I told you. One day, you're going to meet someone who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Who will look at you…and see the beauty you couldn't see in yourself," she said.

She gave her one last smile and turned back to the hallway. Before Kalea could respond, Ms. Myku closed the door behind her. Kalea stared door, wishing she had said something. Wishing she had convinced her to stay.

Author's note:

There was a small throwback to a previous chapter here. Did anyone see it? Next time we continue with part 3 of Kalea's story. See you then!