Wendy was not turning out to be a good Siren.

Oh, she understood the logistics very clearly. She sang beautifully, she never spoke in the presence of others, and she got along well with her sisters.

But she was suffering.

This was not an uncommon trait for a Siren, especially in the early years of transition. As time progressed, their memories were released and they could no longer recall most of their experiences before becoming Sirens, a gift from The Ocean. Some of the Sirens preferred to forget their lives because it made it easier to perform their duties, and also because many of them came from difficult backgrounds.

But Wendy still remembered everything.

It had been seven years since they had rescued Wendy from drowning in The Ocean, but she still retained almost everything from her former life. She remembered being part of a guild, the Cait Shelter, as a Sky Dragon Slayer.

When the young girl had mentioned her type of magic, Lucy was shocked to hear that she knew another dragon slayer, something that also caused a stab of pain in Lucy's heart.

Lucy hadn't seen Natsu in seven years. Every day she went to the beach, searching for him, but not approaching the sand. For the first week after their fight, he came to the beach and sat in the sand by the water, stopping at the edge of the tide.

She knew his obsidian gaze was burning over the water, brow knit in confusion because she always met him at the shoreline.

Every day he came back and Lucy watched him.

Until one day, he stopped showing up.

Part of her was relieved that he was giving up on her and continuing his life.

A very small part.

The rest of her was in agony, knowing that he was giving up on her and continuing his life. That he would move on, that he would leave her in her isolation.

She knew why it was killing her, why his absence made her heart ache and it difficult to breathe.

It was because she loved him.

How could she not love him? How could she not love the only human connection she had? How could she not love the man who she spent every day with over the previous four years? The man who could be frustrating in his persistent desire to help others, especially her.

Natsu was the only one that could always make her smile, because even though she couldn't speak, it was always more fun when they were together.

"Say, Lucy, are you going to the beach today?" Wendy asked from her spot on the sofa. The former sky dragon slayer was curled up contentedly, a book nestled on her lap and a soft blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The youngest Siren looked up gently at her older sister, her brown eyes wide and hesitant.

The blonde shook her head. "I don't know, Wendy. I might, but I can tell The Ocean doesn't like it when I go."

"If you decide to go today, can I come with you?"

Lisanna looked over from her place in the kitchen where she had been drying dishes with Mirajane. All eyes in the room were glancing between Wendy and Lucy because nobody had ever asked Lucy about going to the beach before, not even Levy, who Lucy regarded as her closest sister.

"No."

"Oh come on, Luc-" Levy began as Wendy's eyes began to water with tears, but Lucy silenced her with a glare.

"If I was going, I would go alone." Lucy's eyes softened as she looked at her younger sister who was biting her lip to hold back the tears. "I'm sorry, Wendy, but it's a trip I would have to make alone. I can't risk you getting involved," she admitted as she took a seat beside the girl, wrapping her up in a tight hug.

That night, Lucy could hear Wendy moving in her sleep, tossing and turning like the currents they traversed. When the blue-haired girl began to cry out, Lucy opened the door and slithered into her small bedroom, taking a seat on the edge of the girl's quilt.

"No, not the Cait Shelter. Please, it's my home! Please, you can't!" Wendy cried.

Lucy pressed her lips together in a firm line as she reached forward and shook the girl's arm gently, rousing the girl from her dreams. Wendy bolted up, her mind racing and her eyes wide with fear. She was breathing heavily, something Lucy noticed immediately.

As Wendy took in her surroundings she began to relax, putting a hand on her forehead.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Slowly, Wendy nodded, looking down and grabbing fistfulls of her quilt in her hands.

"I still remember a lot from my life before here," she admitted softly.

"That's not really surprising. If you had a happy life before, it's easier to hold onto. Those of us with sadder backgrounds find it harder to remember the details. I had to write mine down so that I wouldn't completely forget, but the memories no longer haunt me," Lucy admitted, her mind drifting to the journal that stayed beside her bed.

"Lucy?" Wendy asked, looking up with wide brown eyes. "Will you tell me what happened to you? Why did you end up in the Ocean?"

The older Siren looked startled and unsure, causing Wendy to pause and raise a hand in defeat. "I-I mean, you-you don't have to, I just thought you might want to," she stammered. Wendy was a kind-hearted girl and she would never want to cause discomfort or upset her older sister.

Lucy looked away for a moment, biting her lip in concentration. Finally, she turned back and reached a hand out to grab Wendy's smaller hand within her own grasp.

"There's not a lot I remember, Wendy, but I'll tell you what I do," she stated finally.

Wendy sat up straighter in anticipation, her gaze locked on her friend's face.

Lucy looked down, one hand reaching to grasp her own wrist in a comforting gesture.

"My mom died when I was pretty young. She was amazing and beautiful," she stated wistfully, smiling fondly at the memory of her mother. Layla Heartfilia had been an exceptional woman. "She made my father better, you know? Like, just having her in the same room made him want to be better."

"She sounds lovely," Wendy interjected.

Lucy nodded. "She was. But she was the glue that held our family together, and after she died, my father became cold and indifferent towards me. I don't know if it's because he saw her in me, reminding him of what he lost, or if he simply didn't care to be a father anymore. Either way, he ignored me. Oh sure, he hired the best tutors to make sure I was well-educated and perfectly respectable, but he rarely acknowledged my presence in a way aside from obligation."

"That sounds so terrible, Lucy," Wendy said quietly, tears in her eyes.

Lucy shrugged in response. "It was painful, but I always hoped that one day he would learn to love me."

"Did he?"

"No. Instead . . . he tried to sell me off to the highest bidder."

Wendy knit her brows in confusion. "Sell you off?"

The older girl nodded to her young friend. "In marriage. There was a man that my father was trying to pass a business deal with, and one of the conditions was that I would marry his son. My father wanted this deal so desperately that he didn't even consider what I wanted," Lucy stated bitterly.

"But I met the guy, thinking he couldn't be that bad, surely."

"What was he like?"

Lucy's lip curled in disgust. "He was horrible. There aren't words to describe how horrible he was."

"So how did you end up in the Ocean?"

"I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but I remember he took me sailing, just the two of us. And when we were out there, he tried to put his hand down the front of my dress. After I pushed him away, I panicked and jumped over the side, forgetting that I was wearing layers of heavy skirts that dragged me down into the current. I remember drowning, and then suddenly, She was in my head, asking me to join her. I said yes before I even knew what was happening," Lucy admitted quietly, her voice trailing off as she contemplated what exactly she had signed herself up for in a moment of self-preservation.

But now was not the time for those thoughts.

Now was the time to focus on Wendy and what she needed.

Lucy looked up at her blue-haired sister and grinned widely. "So, anything else you would like to ask?"

A/N: I'm so sorry about the lateness of this chapter, but the semester's been really hectic as it ended and I've had a ton of boyfriend and roommate drama these past 6 weeks. I've also decided to start Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address my eating disorder that I've been ignoring for the past eight months. Any positive thoughts you guys could send my way would be greatly appreciated right now.

Also, as I mentioned before, I recently made a tumblr account. Feel free to follow me. My URL is acrosseverystar.

Thank you so much for the love and support and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

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You guys are the best!

-Wri