Day 3

Night

She listened but never heard it. The door to the cell next to theirs never opened again. There was no creaking of hinges, no rustling of handcuffs like there had been that morning. No, it was obvious that whoever had lived in that room was never going back to it. Lucy felt a shiver go down her spine. So that meant…

"They're dead."

Lucy snapped her head round to face Carter. So she had been right, that was the case. Slowly, the blonde celestial wizard turned to face the wall that divided the rooms again, sympathy dancing in her chocolate brown eyes. Was that her fate? To leave this room one morning and never return?

"That's not going to happen to us. Promise."

Lucy was starting to think this boy was a mind reader. He seemed to always know exactly what she was thinking. Lucy brought her knees up to her chest and kept her eyes glued to the wall, her mind pondering, wondering who it was that had succumbed to the shadowy tendrils of death. She suddenly felt a warmth spread through her back and looked over her shoulder to see the back of Carters head, his messy black hair laying in a shaggy mess.

A pink tint worked its way onto the girls cheeks and she snapped her head round again, only this time her gaze drifted to the floor.

"You're wondering who they were, aren't you? The ones who never came back?"

"You are a mind reader, no doubt about it."

Carter chuckled, but the noise was hollow. After all, it wasn't really the time for jokes, not when two people had just died.

"I'm not a mind reader, I just thought you must be curious." He paused. The brief silence was heavy. "Their names were Fuyuka and Artemis."

Lucy looked up from the floor and looked over her shoulder again, only this time her eyes met a startling green instead of the mop of black tangles. Lucy searched Carters eyes.

"How do you know?" She questioned.

"I heard the announcers."

"How?"

"Let's just say it's part of my magic. I can hear everything."

Lucy chuckled lightly.

"That reminds me of a mission I was on once. With this guy who literally heard everything. Even your thoughts! Oh, those were the good times…" He voice died out and the room was blanketed in yet more heavy silence.

"What is your guild like?"

The question caught her off guard. She hadn't been expecting him to ask that. No, she had been expecting it, she just didn't know how to answer. Turning her gaze straight ahead, avoiding him again, she raised a hand to her face and timidly scratched the side of her face with her nails.

"Well, it's loud. Very loud. But everyone's brilliant, and strong and kind. They're my family." She tried to gather the right words. "Especially my team. We get on really great. Erza, she's one of my closest friends, even though she's not the best with people. Gray, he's like an older brother, always looking out for me when I'm in danger. And then there's Happy, he's just like a hyper little kid."

She chuckled.

"And Natsu?"

He knew about Natsu? How? Lucy looked down to the floor once more, her grip around her legs tightening, her hair shadowing her eyes.

"How do you know about Natsu?" Her voice was barely breaking a whisper.

"You called his name in your sleep, remember the first time we met?"

"Oh." Pause. "Natsu's… Natsu's like my knight in shining armour I guess. He's always saving me, because I'm weak."

"You too, huh?" Carter said, his voice sort of flat. "I'm the one who's always having to be saved in my team as well. If it weren't for my brother, I'd be dead already."

There was a slight scuffling of fabric across the stone floor. Lucy slowly twisted so she was facing Carters back, her legs cross, her eyes cast downwards. She nervously fiddled with her now bitten fingernails.

"C-Carter?" She hesitated. "What's your brother like?"

Lucy saw his shoulders jolt slightly and figured he must have flinched. He then fidgeted awkwardly, shuffling side to side in small, quick motions.

"He's…" What could he say? "He's, like your Natsu, he's always saving me, getting me out of messes I put myself in. I would say his my knight in shining armour, but that would make me sound like I'm in love with her guy or something."

His laugh quivered. Humour to cover up sadness – nice move. Lucy stopped fiddling with her fingers and instead chose to tap the floor, her eyes wandering around the very plain, uninteresting floor.

"And your guild?"

"A guilds a guild, nothing more to it really."

Right, cue to shut up, she got it. They sat in yet more awkward silence and Lucy found herself wondering why she always made the situation bad. Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut, this was the second (or third?) time she had plunged them into a uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Oi!" They both jolted. How hadn't they heard the footsteps? More to the point, how hadn't Carter heard the footsteps?

Lucy watched as a small slip of paper was pushed through the letter box and floated to the ground. Carter was watching too – she could tell. Neither moved, but she heard Carter gulp. Her heart thudded.

"Is that?"

"Yep."

"Should we?"

"Probably."

Lucy reached forward with shaking hands and gently plucked the piece of paper from the floor. There was bold letters tattooed across the top reading: Hide and Go Kill. It was her turn to gulp.

"Sounds fun." His voice was laced with sarcasm, but Lucy could just hear the nervous twinge.

"Yeah," Her voice was a quivering mess. "Sure does"

Again, not my best but it will get better once Lucy and Carter get into their match. OMG, excited? Carter and Lucy are going to fight their first team. The Oc's they are going against are my own this time, because I didn't want to kill anyone elses without giving them a chance to even taste victory, cause obviously, we have not story if Lucy and Carter die :(

Hide and Go Kill is actually my own idea, with influence from the Grand Magic Tournaments game 'Hidden'.