Enjoy.

Chapter 11

"Sand was dribbling out of the bag of her attention, faster and faster."

― Sarah Blake

Their bodies clashed unrhythmically, any sense of shared pace having gone out the window several orgasms ago. Lucy was truly in heaven. Sloven, sex-filled heaven. One that no one was ruining anytime soon.

...Except her alarm clock, of course.

Lucy groaned into Natsu's shoulder, feeling him chuckle while reaching to turn off the blasted attention-seeking ring. They slowly untangled themselves from each other, still hesitant to break the peaceful bubble they'd created after several hours of non-stop intercourse (That snack break Natsu had taken half-way through the night didn't count. A dragon slayer needed his energy, after all). Lucy stretched, her mind automatically going into her 5:30 AM routine of get up, shower, dress.

Usually, the get-up portion took a lot longer, requiring a considerably larger effort after countless days of non-stop working at MagMa. However, her energy had shot up since she'd been taking a lot more time off recently- finally taking advantage of Kinana's existence as her secretary, with Kinana's permission, of course. The reduction in her workload had been the result of a lot of pestering from her boyfriend and their friends over at Fairy Tail. She'd never taken so much time off in her entire life!

But Lucy supposed it was worth it. After all, she'd only just gotten her mother back in her life. She spent a lot of her newfound free time enjoying the flexible visiting hours her mother's care institution provided. Her mother, Lucy had learned over the past month and a half, was most active during the early hours of the morning, so she often visited on her way to MagMa. Their conversations were brief, especially when Layla was tired and unfocused, but Lucy didn't let that deter her.

"C'mon." She spoke tiredly, patting her boyfriend's shoulder as he struggled to find his underwear. "I can drop you off at the university before I go see Mama."

He smiled, finally grabbing the boxers thrown carelessly across the room during their activities. "I don't mind grabbing a ride from the care home if you want someone with you. Besides, Mag-U is too far out of your way to drop me off and still get to work on time. I know you like your schedule."

"You don't have to worry about me, Natsu." She grabbed her towel from the radiator, giving her boyfriend a grateful but tired smile. "Mama's meltdown was only minor yesterday, and her nurse texted me last night to say she's doing a lot better."

Okay, so her morning visits hadn't been as smooth as Lucy liked to admit. There would be days when her mother could be extremely worked up. It was a gamble as to what mood the older woman would be in when Lucy came to visit, which is why Lucy didn't like her boyfriend coming with her. You see, Lucy found that her presence sometimes set off a particular mood in her mother, one that had exploded quite poignantly yesterday. Layla had gotten very inexplicably angry- a mood Lucy had very rarely seen from her mother during her childhood, and never before directed at her. It was as if her mother was a different person, much like her father had become after Layla's 'passing'. It had shaken Lucy up for the rest of the day, catching the attention of Natsu when Lucy had met him after work, leading to their night of... comforting.

Natsu found himself staring across the bedroom as Lucy slipped out of the room and into the bathroom for a shower. He watched the cream walls with an absent-minded gaze, almost confused. In getting to know Layla Heartfilia, he had also gotten to know, through second-hand tales, the Lucy Heartfilia that had grown up surrounded by money, many worlds away. His insight was limited to only the first ten years of Lucy's life, but it was enough for him to have questions.

He could see multiple cracks on her bedroom walls, the ones that came with natural wear and tear over time. Ms. Heartfilia had described the mansions she'd called home for what Natsu estimated to be ten or eleven years, and they sounded a good deal better tended to than the cheap-end flat that Lucy rented through a crap tenancy agent that had probably gobbled up her's and Levy's security deposit.

Besides the cracks, the apartment also saw multiple collections of scratches. Each group of marks [that were, by the way, too large and too tall to be the scratches of an understimulated hound] could be found on every doorway, including the glass panels in the balcony sliding doors.

Even the locks to the apartment were halfway faulty. In the time Natsu had known Lucy and, by association, her flat, the woman had been locked out too many times to count because of some fault with the front door locking mechanism. Apparently, it was a regular thing before Natsu came along for Gajeel to use the balcony to get the girls in when such an occasion arose. It was a wonder to Natsu why they even bothered with such a train wreck living situation. He hadn't even brought up the fact that there was a major deficiency of matches around the Ashely-McGarden household! How else was a dragon slayer meant to eat?!

Still, he supposed the girls must've had their reasons for keeping the place for so long. And hey! The place had its perks. A starter apartment rent, a nice neighborhood, and the teenage cashier at the deli across the road had a thing for both Levy and Lucy and gave them discounts each time they came in... Natsu didn't consider that last one a perk.

Lucy had thrown away so much when she'd run away from home. It was almost as if Lucy Heartfilia and Lucy Ashley were two separate women. And maybe they were, in a mental sense. The spoilt, mollycoddled heiress that the press was so eager to write, and the polite and proper, if not slightly overworked, headmistress didn't seem to come from the same deck of cards at all. Whatever childhood of Lucy's that Natsu wasn't aware of yet. Whatever gun smuggling patrimony Lucy was running from. It didn't fit in with the superlative, picturesque childhood Layla thought her daughter had had.

Maybe it wasn't Natsu's business, but the usually silent, irresponsible voice inside of him couldn't stop asking questions. What had changed to make Lucy's childhood something she had to run from? And why the hell had Jude Heartfilia hidden his daughter's mother from her? It just didn't make any sense...

"Miss Lucy! Miss Lucy!"

The headmistress smiled as she recognized the voice behind her. She turned, a smile ready on her face that grew wider as she saw the beaming one presented to her.

"Lucy! I got in! Crocus college wants me!"

"I could've told you that months ago. In fact, I'm pretty sure I did, Sherria." She laughed kindly at the sixteen-year-old, pressing a hand into hot pink locks as she was enveloped in a crushing hug. She winced, the smile still everpresent on her face for such good news. "When do you leave? And how much paperwork am I going to have to do?" She groaned jokingly, stepping back from the eager girl's hug.

"Next week, hopefully! They wanted me there before the end of the term for early tutoring, but I told them I wanted to stay for the end of year celebration."

"Well, you're very welcome to stay for as long as you want."

Sherria's smile shrank a little- not from disappointment or even from malcontent, but simply from longing. Along with the curling of her lips came the tears welling in her eyes. "Miss Lucy." She spoke, making no effort to hide the tremble in her voice. "I'm gonna miss this place so much."

Lucy merely smiled back, unable to trust herself not to meet the girl in her grief.

"MagMa is the only place I'll ever truly call home, I think. I- I know that in ten years you'll probably have forgotten me, but I want you to know that you've changed my life for the better. Most of my family was killed in the Demon attack of x781. Y'know Deliora? I barely remember a lot of them. After that, I was in foster care for the longest time. It was only when you found me, Lucy, that I knew my purpose in life. You gave me a home, Miss Ashley. You really... You really did. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough."

The tears rolled freely down the young girl's cheeks, joined by a few of Lucy's own. Sherria shook them off, cursing the hope that she'd be able to get through at least one of her final days at MagMa without crying. Lucy pulled her into another hug, burying her face into the girl's tidy bunches. "I remember every child that's passed through those doors. Every teacher too." She wiped her cheeks in a futile effort, pulling away again but not letting the child stray more than a couple of steps away. "You, Sherria Blendy, are one impossible girl. And don't you ever forget it."

"Impossible because I destroyed so much property with my god slayer magic?" She giggled into her palm, a blush rising on her face from daring to cheek her superior.

"I'll be glad to see the back of ya, kid!"

"It's because of you" Sherria dismissed the headmistress's joke. "that I want to help other people. I wanna join the army or something after college. Well, maybe not the army, but I definitely wanna help other kids like me."

"If you decide that's your calling after your done with college, Sher, I have a contact at the FAF that I can talk to. She has a similar magic type to you I think, and she's the sweetest girl. You'll like her."

"I'm not sure yet, but I'll try to keep in touch!"

"You see that you do, Kid."

"You'll be at the party next week, won't you, Lucy?"

The woman looked at the girl with wide eyes, still untrusting of her voice. "I wouldn't miss it."

She gave Sherria one last hug before shooing her off to her class. The bell had rung as their conversation had begun, making the god slayer a good few minutes late. Lucy would've happily stolen the girl for the entirety of her lesson, but in all regards, she knew that it would be selfish. Sherria's time at MagMa was growing short, and every second she could get with her classmates was incredibly precious.

Lucy shook off the mournful feeling cast upon her, unable to fully swing the grief she felt for the girl. Leaving the place you considered home before you were fully grown or near to it was a circumstance Lucy knew herself to be familiar with. Although Sherria was leaving under great felicity rather than the runaway label Lucy's departure from her home at the Heartfilia estate, Lucy knew the same sort of grief applied. The reluctance to leave your roots. To step out of the familiarity into the obtuse unknown.

The intensity of the feeling almost made Lucy feel as if she was the one leaving MagMa. Every step she took towards her office felt fragile and invaluable. Back in April, she had begun to hate every pace between her and her godsforsaken office, but she had since made peace with the 15' by 20' room after using some much needed 'therapy' which may have involved several ripped books and a plate thrown at the wall.

As Lucy walked down the corridor, she saw the odd student scurry from the alcoves they had chosen to skive class in. She knew many of the students by name, having taken the time to get to know each of her new pupils when they joined. There was one, however, that she couldn't place. A sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy. He'd gotten up as soon as he'd seen the headmistress coming but hadn't bothered to move beyond that. Most notably, he had Black, shaggy, unkempt hair- possibly unwashed for some time.

Lucy made a mental note to ask the staff if they knew the boy and whether he was a border or lived outside of MagMa. His clothes were loose-fitting, but that didn't tell her much. She nodded at him as she passed and felt the boy's eyes on her even after she'd ceased her acknowledgment.

She didn't let him invade her thoughts longer than the remaining walk to her office. She had a lot of paperwork to do, after all, including the transfer papers for the students like Sherria. Lucy hung up her belongings, settling down at her desk. She slipped her phone out of her pocket momentarily to flick the button on the left side, silencing the slim device. She planned on working all day- no distractions. She'd been distracted long enough.

It was 8 PM by the time Lucy had finished working. By this time she knew the borders had finished supper, and the younger years had been sent off to bed. She hadn't stayed this late in a while. She almost missed chasing after disobedient twelve-year-olds, trying in vain to help their house matron to get them to brush their teeth. She was never much help caring for the children in a motherly respect, and she didn't care to analyze the reason for her lack of parental instinct.

She stretched over her work, feeling the bones in her back click and protest from hours of mind-numbing tasks. Lucy supposed it was time she ate something more substantial than the packet of crackers she'd withdrawn from the stash in the bottom desk drawer. She also remembered finally that she needed to check her phone after hours of abandonment. If Natsu had tried to reach her during the day, she wasn't yet aware.

Lucy got up, escaping her office in preference for a louder setting. She managed to catch some leftovers from the school canteen, treating her aching stomach before heading across the dueling yard to the old cathedral that held the boarding houses. It was only a short distance, but she was glad to be able to stretch her legs. Lucy slipped inside the main entrance, taking care not to make too much noise with the heavy doors.

She climbed the stairs to the top floor where grades eight and nine students slept. The two years shared the smallest room in the house as only twenty-four students, ten grade eight, and fourteen grade nine, required on-site housing. It was clear by the sound coming from the common room that Matron Coco had failed to get the kids to bed on time.

She entered the room unnoticed, even remaining so as she giggled at the sight. The children were clearly running the place with their endless amount of energy. The Matron, a short young girl not much older than the students she cared for, looked to be trying her hardest, running around the room at an unbelievable speed, herding the children to the sofas. The kids scrambled around the furniture, laughing at their senior.

"Matron." Lucy cleared her voice. It was as if she'd cast a spell over the room- each child stopping their antics almost immediately, with only a few requiring a warning shove from their friend.

Coco nodded, finally able to breathe now that she had some backup. "I'm afraid the children are excitable tonight, Miss, with it being the last day of term and all."

A few kids shuffled under the stare of their headmistress. Lucy maintained her authority over the room as well as any male in her position. It was times like this, no matter how casual her visit, that all the years of her father's lessons paid off... Not that she'd ever admit that out loud.

"I can get them all to bed immediately, Miss Ashely."

"Nonsense. And please, stop it with the formalities." The whole room relaxed around her, every child glad that they weren't in trouble. "I'll put the kids to bed myself, Coco. You go downstairs and have an early turn in. You deserve a break for all you do."

The girl squeezed Lucy's arm, whispering a grateful thank you before heading off to her quarters on the ground floor. This left Lucy facing a room of giddy teenagers. Luckily, she knew just what to offer them.

"One bedtime story." She bargained. "And make it a quick one. I've got a boyfriend to get home to."

Several children let out mocking "OoOo"s, but not seriously taunting their teacher. It took a few minutes for them to pick out a book from the shelves next to the common room floor, but eventually, Lucy had them all sat on the floor around her sofa. She abandoned her heels and pantsuit jacket on the carpeted floor, shifting her legs to sit underneath her gracefully.

"Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children. Chapter one."

It only took a half-hour of reading for Lucy to appease the children. She'd barely reached what she considered to be the exciting part of the book. Glad to have them finally worn out, she walked around the girls' dormitory, tucking each one in with a quick hug and a goodnight. She did the same with the boys' dorm before escaping to the common room for some peace and quiet.

The tired woman stole her phone from her jacket, which still lay in its place by the sofa. She'd never actually checked her phone on the way to the dorms, and it really showed when her screen blinked with a flood of notifications. There were mainly texts from Natsu and Levy asking when she was getting home and what she wanted for dinner.

She responded to each one as quickly as she could, intent on getting around to some reading before she had to leave for the night.

'Thought you were dead, Miss Ashley." Her phone chimed with a new text message from her boyfriend.

She laughed, unlocking her phone before typing out a response. 'You wish, professor.'

'Nu-uh... Actually, nvm, I'm coming over there to kill you myself. Think I could do with a break from your bossiness.'

'Shut it, Natsu.' She giggled, knowing the dragon slayer was smiling on the other side of the phone.

'Bossy.'

'I'm gonna spend tonight at home, btw. I owe Levy some girl time.'

'Blow her off.' He enticed her. 'She's got her own boyfriend to suck face with. I want you to myself tonight.'

'Classy, Natsu. You had me last night.'

'Yeah, and I need you tonight as well. I'm high maintenance. A dog isn't just for Christmas, y'know, Luce.'

'And since when were you a dog?'

'I thought you liked metaphors. Or have you quit teaching since the last we spoke? It's been ages.'

'It's been fifteen hours, dummy.'

'Feels like a lifetime...' he emphasized his melancholy by sending a GIF of a cat standing in the rain, pawing at a window with a sad look in its eyes. She knew he was just being silly, but it was almost enough to make her reconsider her plans. Levy could wait another night, right?

"Lucy." A voice pulled her away before she could reply to Natsu's message.

"Nathan." She gave him a stern look. "I thought you were in bed."

"I'm sorry, Miss Ashley, but I saw a ghost."

"Oh, c'mon. You haven't seen a ghost since you were in seventh grade. I thought you'd grown up a little."

The teenager simply sighed, resigning himself to the fact that all adults were a little dim, including his English teacher. "There's a ghost. Trust me."

"If this is your attempt at a prank, Nathan, I'm not going to laugh."

He left the room with a huff, obligating Lucy to follow. She had expected Nathan to lead her into the boys' dorm but was surprised to find him walking into the girls'. She felt a little ruffled by that. MagMa had a strict no mixing in the bedrooms policy- one of the only policies that she actually enforced on the children. She was ready to tell him off, as well as any of the other students that had gone against her word. However, her initiative quickly changed as she met the sight before her.

Huddled in the farthest corner of the bedroom was the entirety of the top floor's population. All twenty-four kids clung to each other as if their lives depended on it. What Lucy thought they expected her, a twenty-seven year old with little more than a T-strap heel as a weapon against a supposed angry ghost, to do was beyond her. Logically, she knew the presence of an adult was probably the only 'weapon' they really needed, but it still sent a chill down her spine to know there could be a possible danger, no matter how irrational.

Her tights protected her feet from the wooden floor of the dormitory as she performed her classic 'Is there a ghost under the beds' routine.

"Lucy." One of the girls called as they got back into bed.

The headmistress sat on the end of the girl's bed, giving the eighth-grader a warming smile. "Yes, Delilah."

"There really was a ghost."

Lucy kept a laugh to herself, instead choosing to shake her head. "Ghosts don't exist."

"We thought it was Nathan or Marcus playing a stupid game." Eliza, the girl in the next bed spoke. "But then they came into our room minutes after asking if we'd seen someone."

"We swear, Lucy, there was someone."

"As you said, it was probably one of the boys playing a trick. It might've even been a tenth grader from the floor below us. Nothing to worry about."

She bid the girls another goodnight, leaving their dormitory for hopefully the last time that evening. She decided it was her time to quit for the night, but knew she needed to inform Matron Coco of the children's weariness. If the children had been telling the truth, she didn't want to risk their safety. The kids at MagMa more often than not were harmless, and always meant well with their pranks, but it didn't help Lucy's mind to know that there was someone somewhere where they weren't supposed to be.

Lucy began descending the stairs but only got to the first window before a noise stopped her. It had come from above her, she was sure. But the only thing above the top floor was the attic- a place where all students and staff other than maintenance were forbidden to go. And besides, the space was thick with insulation. You were sure to fall through the ceiling if you were dumb enough to go up there.

She climbed the few steps she had taken before opening the closet on the landing. The headmistress saw the panel just a few feet above her. She would need a broom to get it open, though. She grabbed one, poking at the wooden covering. It fell back into place with each attempt. A little tired and more than fed up, she gave the planks a harder shove, finally gaining access to the poky loft.

Oh, but she instantly regretted it.

A scream ripped out of her throat, only escaping for the few seconds it took for a billowing cloud of smoke to choke her.

MagMa was on fire.

Her school was burning down.

Sorry for the sporadic updates! I'm hoping to get the next chapter out on Wednesday, especially as we're getting to the finale of this story arc. However, I won't make any promises as my law exam got pushed back and maybe taking place this week.

A big thank you to Copperreign12 and valerioux for your reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed meeting Wendy and Romeo. I was so excited to introduce them to the story.

Once again, please don't forget to review, favorite, and follow. It means the world to me.