The next day after school, when Juvia went over to the Fullbuster residence they weren't home so she decided to come back tomorrow.

"Hey Lockser!"

She froze when she heard the familiar voice calling her name. It was Mary Hughes and her gang, they bullied her worse than anyone in the entire school. Poor Juvia had tried everything she could to avoid the mean girl and her gang of hoodlums but apparently she didn't try hard enough this time.

"Hel-hello Mary." She said nervously.

"I thought I told you to do my report for history class last night, because of you I got an F."

"I'm sorry Mary but I couldn't do your homework for you... That's... Cheating and...Besides I was busy yesterday."

"Do you remember what I told you I would do if you didn't do my report?"

"Um..."

"I said that I would make your life a living hell!"

She then shoved her to the ground causing somethings to spill out of her bag. Her notebook, some pencils, two textbooks, and her music box. She was planning on showing it to Mika today because she had a love of sentimental things.

"What's this?" Mary said picking up the music box.

"Give it back Mary."

Juvia reached for it but she held it away from her.

"What a cheap little trinket! Where did you get it? A flea market or the good will?"

"My mother gave it to me."

"Which one? The ugly homemaker who took you in or the one who's dead?"

"Please give it back. It's the only thing I have left of her."

"Oh so it's from the dead one?"

"Yes so please, please give it back."

"Yeah Mary, come on don't you think you're taking this a little too far?" Said Coco, Mary's more kind gang member.

"Alright." Mary groaned. "Here."

Mary started to hand it back to Juvia but then without warning she threw the music box to the ground and stepped on it as hard as she could, smashing it to pieces.

"Oops!" Mary said faking innocence.

Then the wicked girl burst out laughing while the rest of her gang members except for Coco, joined in with her.

"You know I don't think your parents really died, I think that they just abandoned you for being a freak!" Mary chuckled cruelly.

"Hey what's going on?!" Called Natsu. He was just about to leave for football practice when he saw the thug looking students surrounding Juvia. "What the hell is going on here?! Leave my sister alone!"

Not wanting to risk getting beaten up by a football jock the bullies ran away.

"Juvia are you okay?" Natsu asked her.

She didn't answer. She was too busy staring in horror at the shattered remains of her beloved music box. The very last thing given to her by her biological mother, her reminder to always have hope, it was in pieces.

"Oh Juvia." He said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's... It's okay." She said trying to keep her voice from breaking. "It's...It's only... It's only a little thing."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes I'll be fine."

"Look I don't feel right leaving you alone like this, why don't we go inside? I can skip practice today and-"

"No. No I'll be alright."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Go on to practice. Mom and Dad will be home soo anyway."

"Okay."

He hesitated for one moment longer before leaving. Juvia bent down, picked up the the remains of her music box, and walked back home very slowly. Once she was inside she ran upstairs to her bedroom, threw herself on to her bed, and burst into tears. She sobbed and sobbed for hours wondering why so many people in her world were so cruel? Why couldn't they all be kind like the people in her books? She hated going to school and dealing with bullies everyday of her life. And she hated having to grow up without her real mother and father. But most of all she hated feeling like she was completely alone and that there was no one she could talk to about how she feels. She didn't have any friends and if she just told her adopted family they would only be burdened with her problems.

After crying for so long she decided that maybe some reading would make her feel better. She picked up the book called The Labyrinth and continued to read it.

As the goblin king grew more sad and lonely the more dark the labyrinth became. Many of his servants tried to make him happy but not matter what they did he only became sadder. Despite being constantly surrounded by servants and subjects who either adored or feared him he felt alone. He felt like no one understood him and that there was no one he could really talk to.

"I know how that feels." Juvia thought to herself.

Though it was said that one day a special maiden would come to help him find happiness he didn't believe in it. Not sure what else to do he began to dabble in magic and perform nasty tricks on the creatures of the Labyrinth to amuse him but not even that made him happy nevertheless it didn't stop him from doing it. Soon nearly every creature in Labyrinth feared him more than adored him because he was very cold and mean.

The page showed an illustration of the goblin king laughing at several goblins and trolls who are either hanging from trees or stuck in the mud. It reminded her of how Mary Hughes treated her almost everyday of her life. But the other side of the page showed an illustration of the goblin king sitting in the shadows looking sad. She flipped the page.

As the time went by nothing changed and the inhabitants of the Labyrinth prayed for the day their king would find happiness. They were so desperate that made a special a chant that transport whoever read it out loud into the Labyrinth so when the one maiden who would make him happy would be able to get to his kingdom.

Creatures of the Labyrinth wherever you may be,

Into your kingdom I wish for you to send me.

"How funny." She sighed. "I would give anything to leave this place where I'm constantly builled and harassed."

She looked at the chant written on the page she had read. She convinced herself that there was no way on Earth it would work. That this place called the Labyrinth couldn't be real. That it was all just some silly fairy story. But that didn't stop her from reading the chant out loud to humor herself.

"Creatures of the Labyrinth wherever you may be,

Into your kingdom I wish for you to send me."

The very instant she finished speaking those words the book started to shake. Startled, she dropped the book. When it landed on the floor it opened up and the pages started to flip on their own. A bright light started to rise up from the book and it expanded into a hole that proceeded to start pulling her toward it.

"What's happening?!"

She tried to run but she was caught in a current that kept pulling her closer and closer to the hole until at last she went through it and everything went black.

The next time she woke up she found herself lying on the ground outside. She sat up, expecting to find herself in her backyard or on the sidewalk but she wasn't. She was in a place she had never been before.

"Where am I?" She asked herself.

She stood up and saw that she was staring at a labyrinth. A labyrinth that looked very much like the illustration she had seen in her book.

"Huh? What's going on here?"

She started to look around for anyone who might be able to help her. Going around the right corner the saw a very tall and gruff looking person who stood in front of a fountain. As she came closer to it she realized that this person was actually a troll and he was...Reliving himself at the moment.

"Um... Excuse me." She said with her head turned.

"Oh! Excuse me!" He said pulling up his pants and turning to face her. "Oh it's you."

"I beg your pardon but could you tell me where I am?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No. Not to me that is."

"You're in the labyrinth stupid!"

"The labyrinth?"

"Duh! That's where you wanted to go right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You read the chant out loud didn't you?"

"Chant?"

"Yeah you know, creatures of the Labyrinth wherever you may be, into your kingdom I wish for you to send me. Blah, blah, you said that out loud right?"

"Yes."

"Well here you are."

"Wait a minute you mean that chant actually works? This place is actually real?"

"Of course, what did you expect?"

"But that's impossible! This can't be real! It's a story book!"

"What are you talking about?"

"This place isn't real! It's a made up world that exists only in a book!"

"Who told you that nonsense?"

"Okay Juvia don't panic. There's a logical explanation for this. You're not really inside some fantasy world, you just fell asleep from crying too much and now you're having a weird dream."

"Who are you talking to?"

Juvia didn't answer instead she pinched herself hoping that everything that was happening right now was just a nightmare and that she would wake up from it any minute.

"Okay why am I not waking up?"

"Maybe because you're already awake."

"No! No I have to be dreaming!"

"Lady I think I would know if I was apart of a dream or not. You're awake and this is very real."

"Oh no...No...No...No."

"Why are you panicking? You wanted to come here."

"No I didn't!"

"Then why the hell did you say the chant?!"

"I didn't think it would actually work! Oh my God I have to get out of here. Please send me home."

"Do I look like a travel agent to you? How am I supposed to send you home?"

"You brought me here."

"No I didn't! The goblin king's magic did."

"The goblin king? Do you think he could send me back home?"

"Hmm...Could send you back home, maybe. Would send you back home? I don't think so. He's not exactly the helpful type."

"Where is he?"

"His castle is in the goblin city at the center of the labyrinth."

"Do you know how to get there?"

"Yes."

"Can you take me to him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't do favors. I keep to myself thank you very much."

"But you have to help me! I can't go in there by myself, I'll get lost."

"Not my problem."

"Oh come on! Please! I'll do anything!"

The troll was just about to say no again when suddenly his nose started sniffing the air.

"Hey you got any iron on you?" He asked her.

"Iron?" Just then she remembered that on her way from home she found an iron pin on the sidewalk. She had planned to give it to her father because he had a habit of collecting discarded tools and metals, that he would try to reuse. She stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled it out. "You mean this?"

"Ooo, I love iron." He said licking his chops. "Would you mind letting me have it?"

"Sure." He lunged to grab it for her but she quickly moved it out of his reach. "Ah-ah, after you take me to the goblin king."

"You're smarter than you look sweetheart, alright I'll take you to him but I can't guarantee he'll help you."

"Thank you. I'm Juvia by the way."

"Gajeel."