-In the Guild-

"Attention, everyone!" Gramps called from the top floor. What little chatter there was ceased. "As you all know, Lucy is still asleep. We expect her to wake up soon, but when she does she may be in serious mental pain. So I want all of you to be very careful around her, as we don't know what she could possibly be dreaming of. All we know is that Umidjon, the mage that cast this evil on her, invades the person's deepest memories and changes them, twisting the events to cause the person the most pain."

Everyone stared towards the medical room door helplessly. My heart throbbed at the pain she must be suffering through right now.

"This is all my fault," Mirajane cried. She covered her face with her hands and wept. "If I hadn't gotten Erza and Gray to stay behind, then they would have been there to help protect Lucy!"

"Wait, why did you make them stay?" I asked.

"I was trying to let you and Lucy be alone. I hoped she would confess how she feels and you two would come back a couple!" She slapped her hands over her mouth. "And now I just gave away her secret! I am such a terrible person!" Elfman walked over and hugged his sister.

"It's not your fault. If it's anyone's, it's mine. I should never have agreed to stay behind. I should have gone with you!" Erza yelled, slamming her head onto the table.

"I should have insisted on going," Gray yelled, punching another wall.

"Trying to take the blame will bring us nothing but sorrow," Gramps said. "It was no one's fault, and we should not try to take the blame for what was merely an accident. All we can do is try to help Lucy recover."

I stood up suddenly and walked out of the guild, slamming the doors behind me. I couldn't deal with any of this. They all complained so much. Lucy getting hurt was my fault. I should have protected her better. I should have made her stay back at the hotel. She was already acting weird when we got there! Of course I didn't realize that man was her father until Erza told me that he lived in Acalypha and asked if we saw him. I am so stupid!

What Mira said still rang in my ears, though. 'I hoped she would confess how she feels and you two would come back a couple.' Does that mean that Lucy feels the same way about me? For so long now, I've had a crush on her. That's why it hurts even more that I'm the reason she's suffering right now. I don't know when I realized that I liked her, just that I did. Lisanna has only been a friend to me, even all those years ago when Happy first hatched. The only love I've ever felt for her was the love a brother feels for his little sister.

I roared in pain and frustration. Why did any of this have to be happening?

"Natsu," someone said in front of me. I looked up to see Loke, the only of Lucy's spirits that could pass through the gate without being summoned with his key.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Lucy woke up," he simply stated. That was all it took for me to turn around and race back to the guild.

Back to Lucy's PoV

I stared straight up at the ceiling. Everyone that could fit in the medical room was in here, crowded around my bed. They were all talking at once, asking me how I felt, or what I dreamed about, or if I needed anything. I sighed and shook my head no to everything. All I wanted right now was for all these people to stop trying to make me feel better and get away from me, like I know they are dying to do. They're only talking to me because they feel bad for me. There is no other explanation. Nobody likes me. I've never had a true friend in my life.

"Watch out!" someone yelled from the back of the crowd, shoving his way through. Natsu came to the front and plopped onto the side of my bed, where he hugged me.

Natsu. Hugged. Me.

I would have died and gone to heaven, if I hadn't known that he was only doing this because he felt sorry for me. There was no other reason he would ever act like this. Happy flew around in happy circles over us, cheering. I didn't move as Erza cleared out the room, forcing everyone back. She claimed that it was too much for me to handle. Eventually, it was only her, Natsu, Gray and Happy still inside. Natsu sat up and played around with Happy. They were both so excited that they had their worthless teammate back. When would they stop pretending?

"Are you ok?" Erza asked. She sat on the chair beside my bed with Gray.

"Stop pretending," I whispered hoarsely.

"What do you mean?" Gray asked. Natsu and Happy stopped playing and looked at me.

"STOP PRETENDING THAT YOU LIKE ME!" I screamed in agony. The voice in the back of my head coaxed me on.

"That's right," it said. "They are only pretending to be happy. In reality, they would have been happier if you never woke up."

My emotions were numb, as was the rest of my body. Do you know how it feels to know that not one person in the entire world likes you? Even my spirits, who I loved dearly, secretly hated me!

Everyone in the room was silent. Loke appeared in the corner of the room and slouched against the wall.

"Haha, good joke Luce!" Natsu attempted to joke. Erza's stern gaze cut him off.

"Lucy? What do you mean?" she asked gently. "We're your friends, and we love you."

I thrashed around in my bed. The turmoil inside my head was killing me. What Erza said made a tiny light in the darkest corner of my mind flicker on. Friends….I had friends…..They loved me….

"No they don't. It's only an act."

I shook my head. What was the truth? The people in the room stared at me worriedly. There was nothing they could do to try to help me. Friends? Someone knocked on the door and came in. Lisanna stood in the doorway.

"I just came to-," she started. It was all the fuel the voice in the back of my head needed.

"She came to get Natsu. You thought she would check on you? Why? Nobody likes you, least of all her. She thinks you're trying to steal Natsu away from her. She hates you, just like everybody else in this room."

"Not….true…." I whimpered. "Erza… and Gray…. And Natsu and Happy…. They're….. Friends…."

"Do not fool yourself. Erza lied, obviously. They hate you just as much as your mother and father do."

"Stop," I whispered. My head jerked from side to side. Erza barked for Lisanna to leave, and she hurriedly did so. Loke rushed to my side and put his hands on either side of me face. A glowing light flowed from his fingertips.

"We love you," he whispered over and over. Natsu and the others stared in wonder. The light in the back of my head grew a little. Loke… He liked me….

"But the rest of the spirits hate you."

Loke let go and stepped back. Natsu came and sat on my legs to keep me from kicking somebody.

"Get…." I choked. The corners of my vision started fading. "Get out…"

Erza gripped my hand tightly. Gray went around to the opposite side and held my other hand. Happy sat on my chest and cried.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" I shrieked. My back arched over the bed, and I collapsed. I let sleep overtake me. "Get out of my head."