Hello everyone! It's been a while! School has been awful, but what can I do about that, right? Anyways, this chapter is long overdue, so I decided to post it today. To be honest, I have not gone through this chapter to correct any errors, so I apologize ahead of time.
Well, enjoy the chapter!
(Meredy)
I could hear a faint voice saying my name, "Meredy, Meredy wake up,"
The voice kept repeating that phrase, over and over again. I could feel someone lightly shaking my arm, and I groaned, pulling my arm away.
"Meredy,"
"What do you want?" I grumbled.
Suddenly, I remembered Rogue was with me now. I opened my eyes and sat up, turning to face him.
"What is so important that you need to wake me up?" I asked sleepily.
"I think I found a way to escape," he whispered.
I was suddenly wide awake and shaking my head, "No. Last time I tried to escape, he threatened to do what he did to to Erza."
Before Rogue came, the person who took me revealed what he did to Erza, and that was something I didn't plan for myself.
Rogue frowned at my response, "I won't let him hurt you. I'll protect you."
I briefly hesitated, "What's the plan?"
Rogue quickly and quietly explained his well thought out plan. As he went further into the plan, I started to gain a little more confidence. The more confidence I gained, the less I worried about what could happen to me. Once Rogue finished telling me his plan, he patiently waited for my response, which the wait wasn't too long.
"Okay," I nodded, smiling.
Rogue stood up then quickly helped me up, and we crept through the maze of boxes and shelves. We didn't stop until we reached the bathroom, and when we did, it was to open a window. I peeked out the window and saw nothing but other buildings and road. Rogue helped me out of the window then crawled out after me.
We started jogging down the vacant road, but when we turned the corner, we came face to face with...
I jumped back immediately, "Cobra?"
Rogue stepped back by me, putting himself slightly in front of me.
Cobra smiled, "Hello. Tell me, how is Erza these days?"
I glared at him, "Why would you care?"
"Oh, Erza and I used to have a close relationship," he smiled, "Anyways... I'm sure you two should be inside, not out here."
Before we could do anything, Cobra roughly grabbed my arm.
He looked to Rogue, "You better come with me, or I'll hurt her."
Rogue nodded and followed behind me and Cobra.
"Run when I tell you to," Rogue whispered to me.
"Wha-" I started.
"I said I'd protect you, didn't I?" he smiled.
He didn't give me time to say anything. Rogue quickly kicked the back of Cobra's leg, causing him to fall, then he pried Cobra's hand off of me.
"Meredy, now," he gave me a slight push away, "I'll be right behind you."
Nodding, I began to run in the opposite direction. I suddenly tripped while turning a corner, but instead of getting up and running again, I got up and leaned against a building to catch my breath.
I didn't move until the sun began to rise and people started to come outside. Only a few people came outside that early in the morning, but it was better than nothing. I immediately walked over to the first person I saw.
"Um hi... Can you tell me how to get to Magnolia from here?" I asked shyly.
"I hope you don't plan on walking, you're fifty miles away from Magnolia. You're better off taking the train," the woman responded.
"Oh... Where's the nearest train station?" I timidly responded.
"Eight blocks east then about four blocks south down Marnt Street," the woman replied.
"Thank you," I smiled, "Um... If you see a man with long, black hair and brown eyes, could you tell him 'Meredy went back to Magnolia'?"
"Yeah," the woman nodded.
"Thank you so much," I waved goodbye to her as I hurried off towards the train station.
When I got to the train station, it occurred to me that I didn't have any money at the moment. That was a problem. Rather than deciding to walk, I walked over to the nearest people to me, a woman with light brown hair and a man with dark brown hair.
"Hi... Is there any chance you could loan me some money?" I quietly asked then quickly added, "I promise I'll pay you back."
The woman looked at me warily, "Don't you have money of your own?"
"Not at the moment," I admit.
"How do I know you'll actually pay me back?" she tested.
"Just trust me, I will. I'm part of FTBI," I responded hurriedly.
"Show me your badge," she retorted.
Shit...
"I-I don't have it with me..." I mumbled, and when she gave me a curious, disbelieving look, I added, "It's a long story. If I don't pay you back within the next week, go to the police."
"What's your name?" her husband asked.
Shit... I technically don't have a last name...
"Meredy Milkovich," I took Ultear's last name.
"And that's your real name?" he clarified.
"Technically not... The last name is wrong," I admit, "But they'll know who I am, and that's for sure."
The couple quietly talked together, and I patiently waited for their answer. While I waited, I looked around the train station to see if I knew anyone. Conveniently, I did.
"Gray!" I yelled, causing him to stop in his tracks and look around. When he was looking in my direction I waved him over. As he walked over to me, I smiled at the couple that was now looking at me, "I just found out my friend's here. Sorry to have taken some of your time."
"So you'll be fine now?" the woman asked.
"Yeah, thank you," I responded, and they boarded the train.
As Gray got nearer, I noticed the relieved look on his face. Once he was close enough, he hugged me tightly.
"I'm glad you're safe," he whispered.
I smiled, "I hope you have enough money, so I can get back to Magnolia."
"You're in luck," he smiled, releasing me. We bought our train tickets then boarded the train.
"What brings you here?" I asked.
"There was a murder," he responded quietly, making me choke on the water I was drinking.
"What did the person look like?" I quizzed at once.
"Uh... Black hair, brown eyes..." he hesitantly responded as my pulse went up, "Oh, and female."
"Oh thank the Gods!" I exclaimed, sighing in relief. Gray gave me a questioning look, and I added, "Um... The hair and eye color were the same as Rogue's. Speaking of which, I know where Rogue is."
"Well I was actually on my way back to Magnolia to go get some help for this case, so when we get back, we'll save Rogue," Gray nodded.
"Alright, I hope we get back soon... He helped me escape; I'm afraid they might hurt him," I mumbled.
"They?" Gray asked, "I thought it was only one person."
"So did I... Then I tried to escape," I frowned, "I know where Cobra is as well as Rogue."
Gray could see that the subject was starting to bother me, so he quietly told me, "Get some rest... It's a long train ride."
I nodded and rested my head against the window. Even though I agreed to sleep, I kept talking.
"How's Ultear doing?" I asked.
"She's fine," Gray responded, "Go to sleep, Meredy."
"What about Erza? Is she okay?" I quizzed.
"Erza's fine other than the fact that Jellal went away for a while for something for work," Gray replied, "Now, go to sleep."
"Are you sure she's okay?" I clarified.
"Yes. Now go to sleep, Meredy."
Eventually, I did fall asleep, but that was when we were almost to Magnolia. Almost as soon as I was asleep, Gray was shaking me awake; I flinched at first.
Without thinking, I hugged him tightly and cried. Gray hesitantly wrapped his arms around me and tried calming me down.
"Gray... I'm scared... W-what if we don't get back in time for Rogue?" I whimpered.
"We'll get back in time. Trust me, we will," he assured me.
Sighing, he added, "We better go otherwise we'll be heading to the next town."
I nodded, wiping the tears from my eyes. Once I let go of Gray, he led me off the train, and we began walking to FTBI.
"Can we visit Ultear at the hospital?" I suddenly asked.
"Not yet," Gray frowned.
"Why not?" I quizzed.
"One, we have a case... Two, we need to help Rogue," he reminded me.
"Right..." I mumbled.
The rest of the walk back was silent. Every time I thought of something to say, I decided not to speak. When we got to FTBI we went to the elevator without Evergreen seeing us. As we neared the top floor, I could hear some shouting. I looked at Gray questioningly, and he just simply sighed.
"Erza's been on edge since you went missing… Plus, Jellal went away for a while; he's doing something for Makarov. Honestly, I feel a bit bad for Natsu…"
"It's that bad?" I quizzed.
Gray nodded as the elevator doors opened. Nobody seemed to notice; everyone was focussed on Erza yelling at Natsu. I walked closer and pushed my way through the small group of people that had gathered.
."Erza, cut him some slack, would ya?" I smiled.
She stopped yelling and turned around. Relief washed over both Erza and Natsu's faces when they saw me. Erza immediately embraced me in her arms, meanwhile, Natsu quickly ran off and hid by Lucy.
A group formed around us, welcoming me back. Eventually, Erza pulled away and started drilling me with questions.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?"
"I'm fine, and I only scraped my hands a bit from when I tripped. I was conscious the entire time, and... I know where Rogue is. If they're still in that location," I responded.
"So you weren't hurt: physically, mentally, or emotionally, right?" Erza quizzed.
"Right, but we need to go back for Rogue right away. They'll hurt him if we don't," I replied, "Oh, and yes, it is the same person that put Ultear in the hospital and took Erza."
"Actually, Bisca and Alzack will be taking care of the case in Clover and getting Rogue back," Gray interrupted.
I turned and glared at him, "I'm going with them. Two people isn't enough because there's two people keeping him. Plus, they don't even know what building we were in."
"Two people? I thought it was only one," Lucy commented.
Shaking my head, I warily glanced at Erza and responded, "Cobra is also there."
Erza stiffened; she looked as if she could pass out right there. Her body began to tremble, but within a few seconds, she forced herself to stop trembling.
"Meredy and I will go with Bisca and Alzack," Erza decided.
Gray sighed, "Alright, then I'm going too. Let's go now so we don't miss the train."
The five of us left the building and went to Grays car, which is the car we decided to use while we were in the elevator. We drove to the train station in silence.
On the train, Gray sat with Bisca and Alzack to inform them about the case he had been working on, meanwhile, Erza and I sat across the aisle.
"You know how you asked me if I was physically, mentally, or emotionally hurt?" I started. Erza nodded and waited for me to continue, "I think I should probably ask you the same thing."
She froze then awkwardly looked out the window.
"He told me what he did to you; I know you were unconscious, but I'm sure you know by now. That's how he stopped me from escaping, but then... Then Rogue came, and he helped me escape but got captured again in the mean time. That's when I found out Cobra was there too," I rambled quietly.
"Don't tell Jellal," Erza whispered, "Please don't tell him."
"I won't. It happened to you, not me. You decide when you want to tell him," I nodded.
Gray came and sat by us before she could respond.
"So, we've decided that Bisca and Alzack will investigate the murder, and us three will find Rogue," Gray informed.
I nodded, and Erza leaned her head back against the seat and crossed her legs. Her gaze was locked on her feet, and her arms were folded across her stomach. Just one glance showed her uneasiness.
If she was uneasy about this, why'd she choose to come?
Shrugging, I turned and looked out the window, silently praying for Rogue's safety. Everything seemed to pass by in a blur. One second I was looking at the setting of Magnolia, then the next, I was looking at the setting of Clover.
Thank you for reading! I hope you all have a great day/night! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!
:-)
I don't no why, but I'm in a really happy mood! My apologies for all the exclamation points! I'm excited for absolutely no reason! XD I think that means I need sleep... Well, goodnight I guess!