Hey guys! Chapter 3 is up! I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
Lucy's POV
I didn't move. Couldn't. My knuckles were white and my hands were cramping from clutching the railing, but I held on. My legs were turning to jelly and my arms were starting to go limp, but I refused to sit down. Eyes wide and breathing ragged, I looked at the face that I hadn't dared think about in seven years.
He was here.
How could I have been so stupid? Thinking that he would not search for me in Hargeon. We met here. We grew up here. It was only natural that this would be the first place to look for me. Good for them. They knew where I was on the first guess. Now it was only a matter of time before they found me.
But I didn't want to be found. I had a life here, a happy life. Meeting Juvia before school and laughing about stupid gossip. Telling Gajeel to give me a tattoo (Not that he ever did of course. Stubborn Metal Head). Eating frozen yogurt for lunch and having picnics by the lake on the weekends. Working with Juvia at the café after school. Calling Father and asking about work. Visiting mama's grave once a month. Teasing Jellal about how feminine it is to work at the bakery. Everything and everyone I loved was here.
Right?
Yes, maybe Fairy Tail had been a part of my life once. Maybe sometimes I did miss laughing with Gray and singing with Natsu and going into bookworm mode with Levy. Perhaps a part of me would always miss eating cake with Erza and playing matchmaker with Mira and pitying those who dared challenge Cana to a drinking game. But that was all in the past. And my past with them did not give them the right to come and mess with my future.
What if Father found out about this? I shook away the thought. If I could help it, he would never know that Fairy Tail even searched for me, let alone came to Hargeon.
I suddenly realized that Juvia was trying to get my attention.
"cy? Lucy?! LUCY!" Juvia yelled, exasperated.
"Yes, Juvia?" I asked.
Juvia sighed. "Juvia is worried about Lucy. Will Lucy be ok now that Natsu Dragneel is in her school?"
I hesitated. "Natsu would not come alone. With my luck, half the guild is here."
Juvia looked confused. "Guild?"
I looked up quickly and slapped myself, much to her surprise. "Crap, I'm starting to sound like them again. Fairy Tail inc. is mostly made up of mages, so they like to call themselves a guild. Like an inside joke."
She nodded. "I see."
I sighed and looked back over the railing, realized that I had not let go. Releasing my death grip, I turned to head back down. "Juvia, I think I will go home early. Get my work for me, ok?"
She nodded but did not follow me, which I was grateful for. If I was alone it would be a lot easier to get past Natsu, whom was not doubt wandering the halls for any sign of my existence.
I made it to the bottom of the stairs to see the hallway empty. That was a good sign. I half-jogged my way towards my locker and quickly spun in the combination. After grabbing my bag and dropping off most of my books, I made my way to the front doors of the building only to come face to face with, guess who.
.
.
.
.
.
Jellal.
Thank god it wasn't Natsu. Jellal was a senior whom Juvia and I occasionally hung out with. He was the one who originally showed us all of our hang-outs around town. When I had first come here, Juvia had been a nobody that was bullied or ignored by most of the people in school. Jellal had taken us both under his wing and taught us everything that we knew.
He knew everything about both of us. From our birthdays to our favorite ice-cream flavors to where we hung out on the weekends. The only thing he didn't know was who I was. According to him and the rest of the school, my name was Lucy Ashley, a transfer student from Onibus Town whose mother passed away in an accident a week before I moved here.
"Hey Jelly!" I said.
"I told you not to call me that." Jellal had his typical expressionless face on. I had learned to deal with it.
I waved my hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I'm not feeling so good, so I think I'll head home early. See you later?"
He nodded and walked passed me.
I rolled my eyes. He acted cool and all. To most people, Jellal Fernandez was the strong and silent type that spoke only when spoken to and didn't care about anyone. However, Juvia and I had seen him drunk, so we knew that he was simply holding it all in.
After making my way out the front gates, I gave out a relieved sigh. Free for now.
Stalking home, I climbed up the stairs and collapsed on my bed. After pushing all of my worries out of my head, I relaxed into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
Four hours later
Natsu's POV
In the hotel
"Are you sure that you didn't see her, Natsu?"
"No, Levy, I did not see her. Luce is smart, and we all know that she doesn't want to be found. She wouldn't be hanging out in the hallways with a big sign above her head." I spoke to the blunette.
Levy pouted. That was when Erza decided to speak up. 'Well, don't fret. Despite what she wants, we will find Lucy. And we will drag her back to the guild even if she is screaming bloody murder."
Gray and I sweat-dropped. "That might be going a bit far." Gray mumbled.
She glared at him, sending shivers down both of our backs. "N-Nothing, nothing Erza." Gray stuttered.
The requip mage nodded. "That's what I thought. We should prepare for bed. Tomorrow we begin Operation Lucy, so we should get as much rest as we can."
We all stood, Levy running and calling dibs on the shower while I hopped onto my bed and closed my eyes.
I dreamt that Lucy and I were singing on a stage again. Two little kids without a care in the world. When did things get so complicated?
Sorry, this chapter was pretty short. I will make the next one longer. Review if you like it. Haters gonna hate, but please don't do it here.