Chapter 6: Things Just Get Better

"Should we go after her?" Grays asked.

"She needs to be alone, but we should make sure she doesn't get herself hurt," Erza said.

"Natsu, Happy, and I will keep an eye on her. You two should get the people back to town and take care of him," Lucy said pointing to Mako.

"Alright then," Erza said, she and Gray leading the former slaves to the village, while Natsu, Lucy, and Happy went to check on Beth as quietly as possible.

—

Beth finally collapsed after sprinting for a few kilometers. After laying there gasping for a few minutes, she realized that she didn't know where she was but she didn't care. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked around. She was still in the forest, and she could hear a creek up ahead. She stood up, albeit shakily, and found the creek at the foot of the hill she was on.

Beth made her way down, and drank from the creek, the water feeling heavenly in her dry mouth and throat. When she was done, she just sat there and thought about her time with her parents and what the former slaves said. She just sat there until the sun hit the water at the just the right angle to reflect into her eyes directly. She then sighed laid back on the bank. She picked up some grass and started eating it. She continued to lay there and eventually fell asleep.

—

"How far do you think she went?" Lucy asked as they looked around.

"Who knows. She clearly is a fast runner and we don't know how much endurance she has," Natsu responded.

"I'll fly ahead and see if I can find her," Happy said as he sped off. Natsu and Lucy walked for a few minutes in silence, each listening for Beth. But they didn't hear anything. Soon, Happy came back with no sighting of Beth. "But I did see a creek and some campfire circles up ahead. She might be there."

After about a half hour, they came across one of the circles.

"Which direction do they head in?" Natsu asked.

"Towards the city."

After another half hour, the trio heard the creek. Walking as quietly as possible, they peered down the hill they were on. At the bottom, they saw Beth on the bank curled up in a ball, asleep.

"At least she's alright," Natsu said. A cool wind blew from behind the trio on the hill and woke Beth. They laid on the hill as she sat up so they wouldn't be seen as easily. But the wind had other ideas.

"You know I can smell you guys, right?" Beth asked in a monotone voice.

Natsu got up and walked down the hill and sat next to her, Lucy and Happy following suit.

"I'm sorry, Beth," Happy said before settling on her shoulder and nuzzling into her head. She leaned into the touch gently.

"They sound like good people," Natsu said.

"Maybe they made a mistake and they escaped without setting off any alarms," Lucy offered.

"They never saw them die, Beth," Happy said. "They only theorized." Beth thought for a moment and smiled, grabbing hold of the small hope her friends offered her.

"The odds of that happening instead are favorable. My parents are smart people, and observant. I'm sure they escaped."

Beth stood up with a smile on her face. "I'm sorry for worrying you guys."

"Nah, it's fine. You probably needed some time," Natsu said standing as well.

"We should get back," Lucy said, seeing the shadows growing longer, and guessing the sun was starting to set. With that, the group headed back to the village.

—

The group arrived at dusk to find Erza and Gray wondering the village. Upon seeing them, the two walked up to greet them.

"How are you feeling?" Gray asked Beth.

"Better."

"Okay then. Simon's got some food waiting for you if you're up to it," Erza said with smiling herself. With that, the wizards went to Simon's to retire for the night.

—

"Hey Beth, can I have some of those leaves that we used the first time?" Natsu asked as they boarded the train.

"I was about to give you some," Beth said with a small smile as they took their seats. She handed the leaves to Natsu. When the train started to move, both Dragon Slayers took their positions and started nibbling their leaves. Soon they both fell asleep again.

Lucy looked at Beth as they traveled, lost in thought.

"What're you thinking about?" Happy asked Lucy as Erza and Gray has their own conversation.

"Hm. Oh, nothing," Lucy said. "It just seems that Beth is having a hard time. The other day she wakes up not knowing who anyone around her is or where she is, and then two days later she finds out her parents are gone and she has no idea where they are, and she missed the last nine years of her life with them. But she's handling it fairly well. Do you think she's dealt with stuff like this before?"

"I doubt it," Happy responded. "She ran when she was five and was in a forest for the rest of her life. Other than her reason for running, I don't think she's had anything this scale happen to her."

"She really deals with stress well naturally then," Lucy said. Just then the train roles to a stop.

"What's going on? We're not at a station," Erza said standing. Gray woke up Beth and Natsu.

"Maybe hijackers. Nothing we can't handle," Natsu said confidently digging his fist into his palm.

With that in mind, the wizards went to the door to check out the other cars. But before they could, the door opened to reveal the conductor of the train.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing technical difficulties. Please remain in your seat for the time being," he said shakily. He was also visibly trembling. And the Fairy Tail wizards didn't look like they believed him.

"It's bandits, isn't it?" Beth asked calmly. The conductor went pale, and sprinted past them, screaming.

Erza took the lead then. "Everyone, please remain calm. We will take care of this," she announced. Everyone looked worried, but followed her instructions. The team continued into the other car, towards the engine. And they didn't believe what they saw.

So who has any ideas what they saw? Let me know in the comments. Hope you all have a good week. Go get 'em tigers!

-ThinMintE