Hours later, I woke up to a crackling speaker, a numb hand, an unmoving train, and a book on my face. The moment I shifted the book slid off, leaving a thin paper cut on my jaw and clattering to the floor in a rustling mess of papers. I groaned as the cut began to sting and glanced at Levy, who was still asleep in what looked to be a very uncomfortable position.
"Levy! Wake up!" I stretched out my sleeping leg to give her a sharp prod. She mumbled something unintelligible and cracked open her eyes. The moment she saw her books scattered on the floor and bench around her, her eyes shot wide open and she shot out from under her blanket.
"Oh my god, my books, my poor books!" Levy quickly picked up the books and closed them properly, spotting any creases on the pages and immediately smoothing them out with a frown. It took her less than five minutes to get all seven of her books back in tip-top shape and packet away. I couldn't decide if I should be worried for her mental health or if I should laugh. I chose neither and instead opted to pick up my own belongings.
"So, you excited for Fairy High?" Levy moved to the door, sliding it into the wall and stepping out into the corridor with a glance over her shoulder. I was still slightly worried for her mental health, but she seemed fine, so I let it go.
"Yeah!" I cheered. I couldn't help it, in all honesty. Levy laughed at my enthusiasm and I followed her out to the platform with a large grin on my face. In was barely past noon, and if Levy was right, I might even get the initiation test started today. She led the way to a carriage and told the driver to take us to Fairy Hills. He nodded, no confusion whatsoever, while I frowned.
"Fairy Hills is the entrance office. You'll register there, and also choose which course you want to take." Levy explained, seeing my lack of understanding. I nodded. Fairy High was taking on a more complex look. The ride lasted no longer than twenty minutes, and I found myself staring up at a large square building with a gate running through the center. As I watched, the gate slid open and a golden dragon prowled through, his massive body barely fitting into the opening. A white-haired girl walked next to him and waved when she saw us. Levy waved back and we ran over to them.
"Hey Levy! I haven't seen you in a while!" The white-haired girl smiled sweetly.
"It's been ages, Mira! This is Lucy, and she's thinking of joining." Levy made for hasty introductions, while Mira wasn't so quick.
"Nice to meet you, Lucy. The full name's Mirajane, but call me Mira. This," she added, pointing up at the glowering dragon, "is Laxus, my partner."
I stared up at the golden dragon, taking in his powerful body, his folded wings, his incredibly long talons, his forest of pointy teeth, and the lightning shaped scar across his eye. In the middle of our staring contest, Laxus decided to change forms and molded into a human with a soft flash of yellow light. His human form was blonde, like his scales, and retained the well-defined muscles I could see on the dragon. The scar was still there, and a new black tattoo was printed on his bare chest. He took a deep breath through his nose and glared at me.
"You'll fit." He growled. Mira giggled softly and slipped her hand into his. It was common for dragon partners to go beyond a mere "work" relationship, and most successful partnerships became romantically involved. Mira and Laxus were obviously an item.
"Thanks, I guess." I didn't know what to say. His glare darkened, if that was possible. Mira's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Really? That's wonderful! You know, I'm in charge of first tours, and I can think of several dragons you'd go well with…" Mira trailed off in a happy and very ominous daze. Laxus' eyes did a splendid three sixty and I shuddered involuntarily. Levy gulped.
"Ah, Mira, that sounds… wonderful, but Lu has to go see Master first." Levy struggled to find a word to fit Mira's fantasies that wouldn't result in our untimely deaths. Mira nodded and Levy took the opening to pull me into the building, leaving Laxus to try and ground Mira once again. I let my friend pull me through a maze of hallways until we reached a plain door with a nameplate reading, "Headmaster." Levy knocked four times and waited for a response.
"Come in." A tired voice rang out, muffled by the wood. Levy pushed the door open and we entered the office, a small room with a single desk. Cabinets stuffed to the point of exploding with paper lined the walls. A brown leather chair held one of the smallest people I had ever seen. The headmaster would have barely reached up to my knees if he was standing. White hair was hidden by a blue and orange joker's hat. Weathered fingers were playing with a thick white moustache. His suit matched his hat in a glaring combination of colors. The stacks of papers on his desk dwarfed him, as did the woman glaring at us from a corner chair. Her pink hair, edged with yellow, was pulled back in a clean hairdo. A red cape with a spiked collar draped over her shoulders and she had paused in reading a medical book whose title I could barely understand. Brown eyes shot me a scalding look and I had a strong desire to get the hell out of there.
"Hi, Master, Porlyusica." Levy greeted, inclining her head in a small show of respect to the woman. In response, she let out an annoyed sniff and resumed her reading. After a few seconds, her eyes jumped to me and back to the book.
"Welcome back, Levy. I trust you had a good summer?" The Master lifted kind brown eyes to meet Levy's face. "And you brought a friend?"
"Summer was great. This is Lucy, and she wants to sign up." Levy gave an easy smile, which the man returned. He jumped onto the desk and extended his hand for me to take. The woman grimaced at his action.
"Well, Lucy, I'm very proud to welcome you to the Magnolia School for Dragontaming, locally known as Fairy High." He spoke with genuine warmth. I accepted his handshake, which was unexpectedly firm. "Can I assume that Levy has explained how our programs work?"
"She has, sir." I replied. He chuckled at my formality.
"Call me Master or Gramps. Everyone here does." He wasn't joking. At least, I didn't think he was. "Well, Lucy, if you know about the two programs, which one would you like to take?"
"Dragontaming." I shot the answer out with no hesitation. He raised an eyebrow at the woman.
"What do you say, Porlyusica?" His question was directed at the woman, who graced me with a cold stare and a curt nod.
"Gajeel and Laxus both said she had potential." Levy put in. Master's second eyebrow floated up.
"Laxus?" He checked. Levy nodded vigorously and he grinned. "You must have quite a bit of potential for my grandson to admit that you have any at all."
"How is he your grandson and a dragon at the same time?"
"His mother was a dragon." Master replied simply. I ohed in understanding. "In any case, there's still paperwork you to fill out. Levy, if you could pull out the forms?" Levy moved to a cabinet and thumbed through the papers. "Today, ask Mira to help you find Erza, who will then get you an apartment figured out. I would be careful with housing choices, as after your first successful mission you will be expected to pay rent each month. Three consecutive failures to pay on time will result in you having to leave the dragontaming program, and three more will end in expulsion."
"Got it. Here, Lu." Levy handed me three sheets of paper. Master made space on his overcrowded desk for me to write and I jotted down my information, pausing when I came to family contacts.
"Master, can I leave these blank?" I asked, pointing to the boxes. He glanced at my objects of interest and nodded. I finished the first form and signed the other two. Levy stapled them together and slid them into an empty file marked LUCY H.. "All set? Wonderful." Master handed me a map of the grounds and a thick handbook. "Those are all of our rules. If you decide to make an attempt at passing without a single mark on your record-"
"Which is impossible, I assure you." The woman cut in with a snort. Master sighed.
"Then you can scan through it. Tomorrow, Mira and I will take you on a tour of the dragons' forest to see if you find a partner. Unless you have any more questions, I'll see you then."
I thanked him and followed Levy back out of the building. Mira was still there, but Laxus was a golden dot in the sky. Mira's eyes were busy tracking him until we were within earshot.
"How'd it go?" She asked, bright blue eyes sparkling with excitement.
"I'm in!" I told her, my voice matching the excitement in her gaze.
"Do you know where Erza is?" Levy asked. Laxus let out a powerful roar and Mira raised two fingers in the air.
"Yeah, she should be with Cana. Sorry, but I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow!" Mira ran off with a wave, headed to where Laxus had aimed his landing. Levy and I waved in response and trooped through the gates. A wide road led into the woods.
"Who's Cana?" I asked as we walked towards the tree line. Levy giggled.
"She's one of the untame dragons, and she's always in or near the bar. Her love of booze lets her stay in her human form for extended periods of time, although no one's sure of how it works." She explained. Her pace sped up to a light jog.
"Second question before we take to the sprint you are inevitably going for. Why did Laxus have to go through the gate? Couldn't he just fly over the borders?" Right as I finished my question, a furious roar echoed through the air. Levy grimaced.
"Some dragons are dangerous, for us and for the people in the town. As dragontaming partners, we can hold our ground against them, but regular people wouldn't stand a chance. Master put the borders up to keep rogue dragons in and wandering people out." Levy increased her speed to a sprint, just as I'd predicted.
"Got it." I kept my reply short and ran alongside her. "How many are rogue?"
"I don't know, but the last one to be put down as dangerous was a young fire dragon, probably around our age in dragon years. Cana said he's pretty powerful." Levy kept running, completely missing my horrified expression.
"Put down? Like, killed?" I choked out.
"What? No! I meant put down in the books as dangerous. Geez, Lu!" She puffed. I sighed in relief. The road curved sharply and vanished behind a clump of trees. We rounded the bend at a sprint, Levy giving me no warning for what was hidden behind the curve. A gentle slope led into a massive valley. A town had spread out in the center, framed by the hills and the forest. From my position, I could make out a large market spilling out of the streets near the edge of the town, and several large buildings that were most likely the schools. More smaller buildings in between the school and market stood in straight lines, framing a wide road that ran down the center of town. A gray streak of a river cut through the main road, occasionally spanned by bridges. I could see several large shapes walking, flying, and fighting: dragons. They really were a part of life here.
"Woah…" I didn't have a word in my vocabulary to describe what I was seeing. Levy giggled at my expression.
"I know, right? It's amazing!" She pointed at the town. "See that pinkish house on the main road? That's my apartment!" I scanned the street and quickly found the building. A smile slid onto my face.
"I really want to be your neighbor." It came out as more of a sigh. Levy picked up the run again and I followed, struggling to not leave her in the dust. I wanted nothing more than to explore every single inch of the town below. Half an hour of running took us to the edges of the town, and Levy wasted no time in pulling me through the streets. She led the way to a large building, its pale walls framed with wooden beams. A golden dome topped the structure and a large sign read, "Fairy Tail". Levy pushed through the doors and made a beeline for a pretty brunette chugging from a barrel, her back pressed against the bar counter. A large banner with the Fairy High emblem covered the wall behind her, and the other side of the room was occupied by a stage. Tables and benches crowded with people took up the rest of the space.
"Cana!" Levy shouted. The brunette raised an eyebrow in our direction, a grin splitting her face as she waved us over.
"Heya, Levy! Who's the new girl?" The brunette, apparently known as Cana, looked me over.
"Lucy, this is Cana. Cana, this is Lucy." Levy used her hands for clarification. I smiled and Cana smirked.
"Heh. You've got potential, blondie." Cana resumed drinking. I blinked twice and fought the urge to roll my eyes.
"Levy?" A new voice rang out and I made a point to turn around slowly. I'd had enough neck-cracking in the past few days to last me a lifetime. I was greeted by a wave of scarlet hair and widened brown eyes.
"Erza!" Levy exclaimed. The scarlet-haired girl gave Levy a crushing hug, slamming the blunette's head against her chest plate. Levy oofed and tried to get out of the embrace with her skull intact.
"It's been so long, Levy!" The scarlet-haired girl released my friend in a mostly alive state before turning to me. "Lucy, yes?"
"Y-yeah." I felt a shiver run down my spine at her calculating gaze.
Her eyes seemed to relax and I could breathe without fearing for my life again. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Erza."
"Nice to meet you, Erza." I decided to offer my hand, and to my great relief she shook it without damaging my fingers.
"Erza, can Lu move into the room next to mine?" Levy went straight to the point, catching me off guard. If Erza had to take a moment to jump from topic to topic, she didn't show it.
"Of course. Meredy graduated last year, so the room should be up and ready. Check with the landlady." Erza picked up a slice of strawberry cake from the counter. Levy nodded and pulled me away from the bar. I was being pulled around a lot lately, and the cult had yet to make an appearance. Irritation, relief, and dread fought a three-way battle in my head, giving me a dull headache. I promised myself a hot bath after the entire housing business got settled and the headache went away.
We found the landlady quickly. She was a short woman with an attitude that dwarfed her size. It took us exactly six sharp exchanges to find out that the apartment was unoccupied, I could stay, and my future home already had its basic furnishings. We scrambled away from the landlady at record speed and barged into my new apartment. I took the lead this time, exploring every inch of the place. If only conquering the town would be as easy. I discovered a relatively modern kitchen, a spacious bedroom that also served as the living room and was equipped with a desk, couches, and a cozy bed, and a very temping bathroom. Levy, clearly seeing through the glances I was sneaking at the bathroom door, left with a giggle and a promise to wake me up nice and early the next day. I grumbled a bit and practically dived into the bath. My earlier promise was more than fulfilled - the bath was absolute heaven.