Sixteen year old Lucy Heartfilia smiled to herself as she swam in the pool at her high school gym. She had always loved the water ever since she was a little girl. She didn't know why but something about being in the water made her feel so alive. She figured that she must've gotten it from her mother who had been a great swimming athlete when she was a teenager. Her house was filled with hundreds of trophies and photographs displaying her mother's success as Magnolia's top swimmer. She hoped that one day she would be a champion like her mother.
"I don't know how you can spend all day in that water Lucy." Said Lucy's long time best friend Juvia Lockser. "Aren't you worried that you might end up looking like a prune?"
"Not really and it's great exercise you know. You should try it."
"No thanks." Juvia said. "And besides I have to back home before Porlyuscia worries."
"Alright see you later."
Juvia waved goodbye to Lucy and started to head for the foster home where she lived. Ur Milkovich's Home For Lost Children. She had been living there since she was five years old, it had been right after her parents had died when the lady of the house Ur Milkovich took her into her foster care. Ur always made sure that the children she looked after felt comfortable and loved until they were adopted by prospective parents. Unfortunately Juvia was one of the children there that were never adopted but she didn't mind because she was happy there.
But Ur wouldn't be at the house for a month. She had volunteered to go on a month long trip to another country where she would be a part of the water sanitation project. That was where volunteers brought fresh drinking water to drought-ravaged children. So in the meantime Juvia and the other residents of the house would be looked after by It's assistant Porlyuscia.
"Hey Juvia!" She had just made it down to the docks when she was called over by Jellal Fernandes. He was a classmate of hers and a bit of a bully too. "Hey Juvia can you do me a favor?"
"I...I'd like to Jellal." She said nervously. "But I really need to get home."
"Come on it will only take you like five seconds. I just need you to hand me something from the boat."
"Well...Okay."
It was one of those inflatable motor boats. The kind that were typically very expensive. But considering that Jellal was the son of a very wealthy architect it was only natural that he could afford it. Juvia stepped on to the boat and began looking around it.
"What exactly do you want me to hand to you?" She asked.
"A spark plug."
"I don't see it on here."
"That's because someone took it."
"Then I don't understand why-" She stood up and saw that the boat had drifted off the dock and there stood Jellal with a smug grin on his face. At once she realized his game. "Jellal!"
"What's the problem Juvia?" He teased. "All you have to do is jump in and swim back."
"This isn't funny! You know I'm scared of the water!"
"Not my problem."
He gave her a chuckle and turned to walk away.
"Wait! Come back!" She called. "You can't just leave me like this!"
She looks looked down at the water and started to go palier than usual. She never understood why Jellal always picked on her. She had never done anything to him and yet for some reason he liked to do stuff like this to her.
"Great." She sighed. "Now what am I going to do?"
Suddenly out of nowhere, a red head came jumping off the dock and on to the boat. Juvia recognized her as the new girl who had recently started going to her school.
"Oh you scared me." Juvia said getting startled by her appearance.
"Sorry about that." The red head said.
"Um...Are you here to help me?"
"As a matter of fact yes."
"How?"
"With this baby." In her hand she held up the spark plug.
"It was you who took it?"
"Jellal's a creep. In my opinion he deserves a little misfortune once in awhile."
She hooked up the spark plug and got the motor going.
"Wow you know how to work machines?" Juvia said impressed.
"Yeah I learned from my mom. She works as an auto mechanic."
"Your mom?"
"Well when my dad was too lazy to get off his butt and get a job my mom had to be the bread winner of the family so go figure." She said. "I'm Erza by the way, Erza Scarlet."
"Juvia Lockser."
The two girls shook hands after making introductions.
"So wanna go for a ride?" Erza asked.
"I don't know. You see I have to get home at a certain time and-"
"Oh relax I'll have you home before sundown."
"What are you two doing out there?" Lucy had been walking home as well when she saw them.
"Just taking a little boat ride." Erza said. "Wanna join?"
"Are you licensed?" Lucy asked.
"Are you my mother? Come on let's take a trip out to sea."
"Is that safe?"
"Don't worry I know what I'm doing."
After some coaxing they were able to get Lucy into the boat. They went out to sea which at first was pretty fun until the motor ran out of gas.
"Got any gas on you genius?" Lucy snipped.
"Calm down we're not sinking." Erza said.
"What are we going to do?" Juvia asked. "We can't just float out here in the middle of the ocean...Can we?"
"Hey look over there." Erza pointed in the distance. "A island."
Indeed but this was no ordinary island. It was the mysterious Tendrou Island where according to many legends and myths had magical properties. Many believed that the mystical force surrounding the island had caused a terrible Tsunami that had taken place in Magnolia eleven years earlier.
"I don't think we should go there." Juvia said. "There are sharks and reefs all around the island."
"Not to mention snakes and spiders." Lucy added.
"It's either we paddle to the island or we stay here and drift." Erza picked up a paddle. "I vote for the island."
Erza was very good at being persuasive because she had convinced the other two to help her paddle to the island. Once they reached land they tried to call someone with their cell phones but there was no service.
"We might be able to find a signal if we get to higher ground." Lucy suggested.
So the three of them went into the huge jungle area that was on the island. There was plenty of plant life but it was all very shady and misty. Like therce was fog everywhere.
"I don't like this place." Juvia said. "I feel like we're not supposed to be here."
"We won't be here long." Lucy assured her. "I think I'm finally starting to get a signal.
"That's a relief." Erza said. "Hey can any of you see where you're going? Because I can't. This fog is making me as blind as a bat. We could probably get lost in here."
"Not if we hold hands." Juvia said. "If we hold hands then we won't get separaaaaah!"
Suddenly Juvia fell down a large hole of some sort.
"Juvia!" Lucy and Erza rushed over to the hole where she had fallen.
"Juvia are you alright?" Lucy called.
"I'm fine." She answered.
"Do you think that you can climb back up?" Erza asked.
"I don't know. I'll try."
Juvia tried to climb back up but it was too steep and slick so she ended up falling back down.
"I can't climb up." She said. "It's too slippery."
"Alright I have an idea. Erza grab my waist." Lucy said.
Erza did as she was told and Lucy leaned over into the hole.
"Juvia try to climb back up again and grab my hand, I'll pull you up."
"Okay."
Juvia tried again to climb back up. Lucy leaned out as far as she could and reached for her friend. But just when Lucy and Juvia's hands managed to grab on to each other Erza slipped sending both her and Lucy down the hole.
"You two okay?" Juvia asked after they fell.
"I think I scrapped something on the way down." Erza said.
"Now we're all trapped down here." Lucy said.
"Maybe not." Erza said. "Do you guys hear that?"
It was the sound of water dropping.
"There's water somewhere in here. I read about caves with water in Miss Stellar's class. They typically lead to rivers, lakes, or pools, if we find either of them we might be able to swim out of here."
"Swim?" Juvia squeaked.
"Let's hope you're right about that." Lucy said.
"Follow the dripping."
They followed the noise and it led them to the center of Tendrou Island's long extinguished volcano. A rather beautiful place with a small pool of the bluest water either one of the girls had ever seen and if you looked up you could see the night sky full of stars.
"Wow." Erza said in amazement.
"Did you ever see anything so incredible in your entire life?" Lucy asked
"It is lovely." Juvia said.
"And it looks like Erza was right, there is a pool and if it leads to the ocean then we can get out of here." Lucy said. "You two wait here. I'll be right back."
Lucy quickly jumped into the pool and swam away. A little while later she came back.
"Does it lead to the ocean?" Erza asked.
"Yep so we just have to swim our way out."
"I'm in." Then Erza jumped in.
"No I can't." Juvia said. "Lucy you know how I feel about the water."
"Juvia there's no other way out." Erza said.
"But I can't swim and I'm afraid of the water."
"You'll be fine." Lucy said. "Besides what other choice do you have?"
"We'll be right with you the whole time." Erza said. "We won't let you drown, promise."
Lucy and Erza both stretched their hands out to Juvia. She hesitated for a moment but eventually she took their hands and allowed them to pull her into the water.
At that very moment, the full moon appeared over the top of the volcano and it bathed the girls in its light. Some bubbles appeared on the surface of the pool and rose up towards the top of the volcano.
"That was odd." Juvia said.
"Try weird." Erza said.
"Nevermind that let's just get going." Lucy said.
All three of them took a deep breath and swam through the underwater passageway beneath the pool which took them back out to see. When they emerged from the surface they were spotted by the water police who picked them up and brought them home. Little did they know that they had not left the island unchanged.