~Chapter 5~

Endangered Anna

"Anna…An." The voice interrupted the dream I'd been having, (which had been a good one…filled with puppies and rainbows).

It was the same voice I'd heard before…in my other dream. "Who are you?" I asked, not wasting time.

"You don't belong there," said the voice, urgency in his tone. It was clearly a man…I could tell that now.

Somehow, his words stung. "Don't belong?"

"You need to get out," said the voice, "Fast. We don't have a lot of time. I found something that-"

"But…the rebels, they're so kind. They're friendly rebels," I argued. Surely that meant I belonged with them, no matter how contradictory it sounded.

"Rebels being the key word," he said, "They're dangerous and you know it. You're smart...better than this."

"You don't know me. You don't know them, either! They're good to me. Natsu is-" I shut up.

The voice was quiet for a moment and then spoke again, "Natsu?"

"They're so cute together." Lucy's voice interrupted my dream conversation. That was fine by me. I didn't like what the intruder had to say. I wanted to go back to my puppies and my rainbows. Yeah, that sounded nice. The voice started to get quieter as I imagined adorable puppies running around in a field of flowers.

"Anna, don't go! You idiot! Why won't you listen to me?!" he said.

"Don't call me an idiot. I thought you said I was smart…" I mumbled as the puppies closed in.

"Who's Natsu?" the guy asked. He sounded annoyed. I finally managed to block him out completely but was left wondering why he cared who Natsu was.

"Aw…he's hugging her. I never thought I would see something so adorable," Lucy said.

"Shouldn't we wake them up?" Gray mumbled.

I shifted. Their voices were interrupting my puppies. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on how warm I felt. Yeah, it felt really nice. Safe.

"Well, she somehow managed to make him fall asleep. I guess that's good," Erza said. "We'll be arriving soon, though."

"Then Laxus will finally stop being so slimy," Happy chimed in.

"It's sweat, Cat!" Lucy growled.

"Mmm," I said, "Stop talking." I stretched out and hugged my pillow.

"Holy crap, she's waking up!" Lucy said.

"Look what you did, Lushi," Happy said.

"It's not my fault," Lucy hissed.

"I have to admit…that is very touching," Erza said.

"And creepy," Gray added. I lifted my head and eased my eyes open, giving up on puppies as the rainbows fizzled out of existence.

"You can't let a girl sleep?" I asked them. They were all standing around me, looking down at me. I blinked, confused. Why were they looking down at me? I'd clearly fallen asleep, but why was I on the ground…and why wasn't the cold wood seeping out my body heat? The clunking of the train tracks continued to pound as I looked down.

I was hugging Natsu tightly, his vest falling open and exposing his chiseled chest. Oh…so that was what my pillow was. All of my questions were just answered. My mouth dropped open and I gasped. I rocketed away from him and slammed into the wall behind me, "Ow!"

I clutched my cranium tightly. "Pain," I whimpered, "I don't think I'll be able to survive much longer on this train." …or much longer with Natsu… I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I decided to blame it on the universe.

Lucy giggled and crouched beside me, patting my head, "I guess it's a good thing we'll be arriving soon, then."

I nodded, trying to hide the blush that had crept its way onto my cheeks. Waking up on Natsu's chest wasn't the least bit expected.

"Well, let's wake him up, then," Gray said, leaning down next to Natsu. He was about to shake him awake when I stopped him.

"Wait, stop. We can wait a little while," I said. I sort of pitied Natsu. After I'd told him about my dad, he'd gotten sick over and over again. I doubted there was anything left inside of him, (including his organs). He deserved what little rest he got. I remember watching him sleep on my lap and continuing to pet him gently. I was glad that he could sleep and not worry about anything. He'd looked so innocent in his sleep…as if he hadn't threatened to burn me alive several times. I somehow didn't take him seriously, though. He didn't seem like he was the type of person to burn anyone alive. The voice from my dream suddenly rang in my ears: Rebel being the key word. They were rebels. Somehow, the urgency in that person's voice, no matter how much I wanted to fight it, reminded me that I was, in fact, surrounded by enemies of my kingdom…of Princess Annabeth's kingdom. But, then again, I felt like I belonged with them more than I did behind the cold stone walls of the castle. I tucked that thought away.

I tried to remember what had happened after Natsu fell asleep, but I couldn't. I didn't remember falling asleep…falling asleep on him. How embarrassing.

Gray withdrew his hands, raising them in surrender, "Yes, your Highness."

I frowned, "Anna." I could still hold onto that part of myself. I had to keep the divide clear. I wasn't Princess Annabeth…I'd decided that. The only thing I really knew was that, somehow, I'd been shoved into her body. My memories were still my memories. My life was still my life.

"Anna," Gray said, leaning against the wall and shoving his hands into his pockets. It seemed to me that Gray was always sullen. I wondered if I'd get to see him smile before I got away from this place. Oh…my subconscious had made a decision for me. I had to get out of Fiore…to get back to California. I didn't want to think too much about that though, but the decision remained present in my mind even as my awareness of it faded.

I hauled myself to my feet, "So…where are we?"

"Roccia," Laxus answered, securing his headphones on his head. I made a mental note to ask him about those later…if they played music, I would surely steal them at a later date. I eyed them curiously. "Sort of," he added. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Nephelenite is our destination, to be specific," Erza said, "We're not quite in Roccia yet. The station we're headed to is at the very border of Fiore."

"Roccia," I repeated, "That's Italian for 'rock.'" Man, I had to get used to the weird names in this world. It occurred to me that Fiore was also Italian for 'flower.' Weird. My suddenly knowing Italian was also weird. I didn't remember learning it… Maybe I saw it on a TV show or something.

I looked up at Erza and she was staring at me, "Italian?" Oh, great. They don't have Italian in Fiore. Whatever.

"Uh…never mind," I said, walking over to the wall of the train car. I took hold of the handle and wrenched the door open. It slid open quickly and slammed against the wall. A powerful gust of wind almost knocked me off of my feet, but I held onto the door tightly. My black hair whipped around my face as I stuck my head out of the train car. I decided that we were in some sort of storage car, because there were no passengers anywhere to be seen. I figured opening the door couldn't hurt anyone.

I took in a deep lungful of fresh air, a welcome relief after spending a couple hours in the musty train car. The wind chilled my skin, but I didn't mind. I took in the sights. A beautiful river, sparkling in the sunlight, wound its way along the floor of the valley the tracks cut across. Birds flew high in the sky, smoothly gliding along the updrafts and occasionally beating their wings or diving down towards the ground. The sun brilliantly lit up the treetops, not a cloud in the sky.

Suddenly, cold metal touched my skin. I flinched and almost lost my grip on the door. Something pulled me back inside the train car. I frowned and looked over my shoulder. Erza stared down at me, "That's dangerous." The metal that had grabbed me, I discovered, had been her steely gauntlet.

I dropped down to the ground, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm not a doll," I argued.

"You look like one, though," Laxus said, casting me a sideways glance. I didn't justify that comment with words, only stabbing him with my glare.

Erza slid the door shut again and my hair calmed, floating back down to my shoulders. "I was told to protect you, so that's what I'm going to do," Erza said.

Lucy sat beside me, crossing her legs and leaning against my shoulder while fussing with her wind-rustled hair, "Calm down, Erza. It's not like she's going to die from leaning out a window."

Erza took a deep breath and nodded. She looked at me and pursed her lips. "You're right, Lucy. I'm sorry, Anna. It's just that you're very important. That's why I was so opposed to this whole thing in the first place. It's a dangerous job…especially for you."

I narrowed my eyes, "Especially for me? What does that mean?"

"We're heading to Roccia…weren't you listening?" Gray said.

"Right…Roccia," I said, fiddling with the hem of my shirt. It was really awkward to not know what anyone was talking about while they expected you were an expert.

"We've got to be ninjas," Happy said, suddenly hiding behind Laxus's leg and peeking out stealthily.

I blinked, "Riiight. Ninjas." Well, at least they had ninjas in Fiore. What would I do without ninjas? What a relief.

"If members of the royal guard are in the forest, you'd better hide, Anna," Gray said, "We don't need to be seen."

"But you're going to defeat a wyvern, aren't you? How can you not be seen doing that?" I asked. …and why don't we want to be seen? The confusion was piling up.

Gray just shrugged, "It's a big forest."

"Considering how tense political matters are between Fiore and Roccia right now due to the interruption of your wedding, I'm pretty sure there will be guards everywhere," Lucy said, "Including forests."

"So, on top of a giant, people-eating, green wyvern, I've got to worry about soldiers as well?" I asked Lucy.

She nodded and smiled, "Magic soldiers, most likely."

I withered, slumping my shoulders. My hair fell over my eyes, "This sucks. Why did I let you bring me here again?"

"I've been asking myself that same question," Erza said with a soft smile. I looked up at her and smirked. Ever since I was little I used to dream about adventure and danger, but I guess facing the reality of it was a bit more daunting than I'd imagined. I'd assumed my little, uneventful life in California would last forever…foolishly, I suppose. Fiore was a dangerous place, from what I'd seen. I had to acknowledge the fact that I, being the crazy girl that I am, had chosen to be abducted by equally crazy rebels. I guess that had added a little more danger into the mix.

Natsu mumbled, breaking my train of thought. The train whistled loudly and he flopped over onto his stomach. I smiled a little. "Natsu, do you know what that whistle means?" Lucy asked, moving to stand next to him. She poked him with the toe of her shoe.

"I'm dead?" he asked. I giggled a little and crawled over to where Natsu was mostly unconscious.

"It means we're at the station," I whispered to him. His eyes cracked open and he smiled a bit.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Probably as bad as I look," he mumbled, closing his eyes again. Judging by the fact that his skin was pale and he lay limply on the ground like a wet cloth…or a dead person…I figured that meant he felt pretty horrible.

"Well, in that case we'd better get off of this train," I said, putting a hand on his head. It felt a little damp, but that didn't surprise me. He'd been worse before we fell asleep. I blushed again at that thought. Such a fool, Anna.

The train whistled again, signifying that we'd finally arrived at the station. I heard the brakes squeal and felt the train slide to a stop. That also meant that we were in Roccia, the kingdom Fiore was politically pitted against because of the rebels and I. I felt a bit guilty about that.

I helped Natsu up, patting his back briefly as he rubbed his eyes. "I like your method of making me fall asleep more than Erza's," he said, using the wall to pull himself to his feet. Happy laughed and balanced on Natsu's spikey pink hair.

"What does that mean?" I asked, turning to Erza suspiciously.

Erza walked over to the door again, grabbing the handle, "I simple put him out of his misery."

I grimaced and looked at Natsu, mouthing the words 'I'm sorry.' He shrugged, grinning again. It was like, once the train had stopped moving, he was suddenly back to normal again. It made me wonder if the moment we'd had was real or not. Maybe it was another one of the pranks my imagination had been pulling on me as of late.

The forest was dark. Only occasionally did tiny patches of sunlight break through the dense tree line. The dense underbrush threatened to prick my skin with every step, and I carefully avoided the more dangerous-looking shrubs. "Is there poison ivy in here?" I asked nervously, keeping my eyes trained on my feet, remaining watchful for any ivy-looking, evil vines.

"I'm not sure, but there is Black Kiss, so be careful," Lucy said.

"Black Kiss? What's that? How do you know it's here?" I asked Lucy, following behind her.

Lucy ducked under a low hanging branch, "Black Kiss is a vine that grows black flowers. Don't touch the flowers, Anna. I know there's Black Kiss in this forest because there's some right there." Lucy pointed to a nearby tree. I froze in my tracks, my mouth dropping. The freaking vine was oozing. Oozing. What looked like black drool was slowly dripping from the flowers, which almost looked like Venus flytraps. Sharp spikes protruded grimly from what appeared to be a mouth…a plant mouth…with plant fangs.

"What happens if I touch them?" I asked.

"You'll die," Natsu said, grabbing my shoulders. I jumped and squeaked. I immediately turned to give him a good punch on the shoulder. I looked to Lucy, "Seriously, though. What happens?"

Lucy opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. "You'll die," Laxus said as he walked past me, his hands casually in his pockets and his tone calm. It was like he was simply saying 'good morning' to me. I stared after him as he walked past.

"And don't let them bite you," Gray said, nodding to me as he walked past us.

I frowned, crossing my arms. Natsu draped his arm over my shoulders, "If you don't believe me, you can try it out, but you'll be poisoned instantly."

I shrugged him off, mumbling to myself and following after the others. "Did you just call me a jerk?" he asked, catching up to me.

I didn't look at him as I carefully walked around the Black Kiss vine. "Maybe," I said, jogging to catch up to Lucy. "Hey, so where is this wyvern? Is it just going to pop out of the bushes or what?"

Lucy chuckled, "I think it's a little too big to hide in those bushes."

I nodded, "Right, because the monster couldn't be small and fluffy. Why can't we hunt down a bunny?"

"A bunny's not going to hurt anyone," Erza said, "We only step in when normal people, non-wizards, can't manage the problem themselves."

I frowned as I walked, "It could be stealing carrots or something…a giant bunny."

Erza smiled and shook her head. Laxus walked up beside us, "I think we should be thinking about what our plan is going to be."

"I thought we decided that Laxus, Erza, and Gray were going to be in the front to fight the wyvern and Gray, Natsu, and Happy were going to guard me," I said, clasping my hands together hopefully.

"I don't have a problem with that. Last time we fought a wyvern I couldn't feel my butt for days," Lucy grumbled.

"That was a different kind of wyvern," Gray pointed out.

"Yeah, but it was still a wyvern. No need to relive that," Lucy said. She subconsciously moved her hand to her butt. I choked down a laugh.

"Aw, but I wanna be in on the action!" Natsu said, raising his fist in the air.

"Right…your fire-fists. Couldn't forget about those," I drawled.

"Natsu will burn down the whole forest," Happy said, lounging on Natsu's shoulder, "He can guard Anna."

Natsu frowned, "I won't."

"I think a little destruction is inevitable with Fairy Tail," Lucy said honestly. Right then, Laxus stopped walking. I slammed into his back and pinched my nose.

"What is it?" Lucy asked, worried. I had a growing feeling that I was about to see something that I would never be able to un-see. Laxus was sparking and a sword appeared in Erza's hand. Natsu's fists caught fire and Gray's palm began to glow a gentle blue. Lucy's hand went to her hip. I just sort of backed towards a tree, the beginnings of terror bubbling in my stomach.

"Sh," Laxus said, listening. He turned his head towards one of the bushes. I didn't hear anything at all. Erza took a deep breath, "This way."

"Stay here," Erza said to me and then turned to Natsu and Lucy, "Watch her. Keep her safe or I will personally murder you."

They nodded and Erza, Laxus, and Gray disappeared into the bushes ahead of us. I took a deep breath to try and calm myself down, but the tremors didn't stop. "Maybe we shouldn't have brought you," Lucy said, spotting my shaking hands.

Natsu's fires flickered out and he walked towards me. He took my hands in his, "I want to let you know that I take this personally."

"What?" I questioned. His hands were warm and I could feel a bit of strength traveling from his fingertips to mine.

"You're still scared while I'm guarding you; that means you don't think I can protect you," he said. Happy nodded from his perch on Natsu's shoulder.

I let out a little choke-laugh, "That's not why I'm-"

"Well that's the only reason that makes sense," he said, "Because I'll protect you." There was no hint of fondness in his voice; he spoke as if I were his duty. That disappointed me, but at the same time his devotion moved me.

I stared up at him for a while, watching him closely. His hands tightened on mine and I looked down. His hands were calloused and rough, but they were gentle. It calmed me down. I filled my lungs up and then let the air go, feeling my fear leave along with my breath.

"See? Now you're alright," he said. I looked back up to his face and he was smiling slightly. I nodded, withdrawing my hands to tuck my long hair behind my ear and out of my eyes. I hugged myself tightly.

"Thanks," I said, nodding.

I looked over to Lucy and she was smiling at me as if I knew something. I narrowed my eyes, "What?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but her words were drowned out by a deafening howl. The screech pierced my entire body, sending shockwaves down my spine and a new fear coursing through my veins. I gasped for air and fell against the tree. Sweat broke out on my forehead and my hands started trembling again. My legs crumbled beneath me and I collided with the ground. Was this…what a panic attack felt like? Oh, hell no. I was not going to have a panic attack in the middle of a magic forest with a wyvern on the loose. Oh no, was that was the sound was? Was that a wyvern? Whatever it was, it had to be huge to make such a sound.

"Anna!" Lucy said, rushing to my side. I looked up at her, grabbing her arm.

"I-" I began, gasping, "I, c-can't…breath."

"Shit…Natsu, what do we do?" Lucy asked, whirling around. But Natsu was gone. "Natsu!?" Lucy stood up and looked down at me. She pulled something shiny from her waist, "Breathe, Anna."

I reached for her, trying to tell her not to dare leave me alone in that god-forsaken forest, leaning up against that stupid tree, struggling to force air in and out of my lungs. But I couldn't tell her. She turned and walked a few feet away, calling for Natsu. I honestly thought she was going to leave me. Ah, so this was the true nature of rebels. Rebels being the key word.

I forced my muscles to move, pulling my bones across the forest floor. I crawled beneath the bushes, anxious to hide myself from any stray wyvern I might come across. I knew I wasn't up to this. There wasn't an ounce of magic in me, and I just needed to get away. I needed to save myself, because it was clear no one else could. I grasped my emerald necklace tightly, drawing my strength from it as I crawled away. Air began to flow more easily as I dragged myself farther and farther away. I vaguely heard people shouting my name, but I ignored them. They were rebels, and I had to go. The adrenaline in my system blurred my sense of judgment. I should have stayed with them, stayed with the people that were going to protect me. But I doubted them. The only person I trusted was myself…and the voice from my dream. They were rebels. I knew that, but I'd still chosen them over Silas…over the castle.

Suddenly, my vision blurred. I collapsed to the ground, my muscles going numb. What's happening?

"Anna! I'm sorry I have to do this to you, but I need you to hear me!" The voice, familiar now, spoke in my head.

Pain erupted between my ears. "Get out," I said, "Get out!"

"Anna, I'm in Roccia," he said. I whimpered. "I'm in Roccia, and we need to meet. An, we need to do something. This isn't safe…it isn't our home! Don't push me out!"

"GET OUT!" I screamed. The pain stopped, but I kept my eyes shut. After a few moments, I opened them again. My muscles ached, but other than that I felt normal again. I mean, other than the side effects of the crippling fear and confusion the voice had just left me with. I was beginning to think I was going insane. I touched my necklace and sat up, peeking above the underbrush. I pulled myself to my feet and looked around. I couldn't see the others, but I could hear them. Their voices were coming from behind me.

I froze in place at the next sound I heard. I noticed that no sunlight shone in the spot where I was standing. Dread filled my chest. A warm breeze stirred my hair and I shut my eyes. I took a deep breath, hoping against hope that I was wrong. Slowly, I turned around. My mouth dropped open and tears welled up. I was right.

The wyvern loomed over me. It's dark green scales shone in the forest light. Its giant nostrils blasted me with gusts of hot, putrid air. Its black eyes stared at me, emotionless. I smelled blood and noticed that one of its wings was injured gravely. That must have been the reason for the screech earlier. Any potential pity I might have felt vanished when I saw its fangs. Razor-sharp, and probably as long as my arm, the saliva on them made them shine. I squeaked, staring at it. A flash of pink appeared in my peripheral vision.

Natsu had burst through the brush a good 100 feet from where I stood. He was sprinting towards me, his eyes fiery and cuts littering his body. He ran even with a limp. I stared at him and he shouted my name. "Anna!"

I knew, in that moment, that he wasn't going to get to me on time. A host of emotions welled up inside of me. Anger. Fear. Horror. Desperation. Dread. I locked eyes with Natsu moments before the wyvern lunged. His eyes mirrored my own emotions, except there was something almost like surprise there. At least I think there was. It's sort of fuzzy.

The wyvern's growl pushed me over the edge. When I saw Natsu, there was a spark in me. I didn't want to die. Even if this wasn't my body, if this wasn't my life, I didn't want to lose it. I didn't have enough time to analyze that thought. My emotions exploded within me. My vision lit up as an eerie green light surrounded me. I felt weightless as all my fear rushed out of me. I was suddenly calm. I stared at the wyvern and held out my hand. My lips moved without my controlling them. I saw my reflection in its huge black eyes.

I scared myself. My hair was whirling around me, floating about my head like gravity was no longer relevant. My clothes billowed around my skin. I stood strong, staring the wyvern down. A column of brilliant green light shot into the air above me like a beacon. The most terrifying things, though, were my eyes. They glowed a bright green; my pupils had completely vanished. The wyvern tumbled away from me as I spoke words that I didn't understand. I sensed the change: I was no longer the prey…I had become the predator. "Chaur noam ngngut rk ponlu. Nea yk ngnut, bamphlanh ponlu."

A shockwave burst forth from my fingertips. My lips stopped moving and the fear returned. The wyvern collapsed to the forest floor, unmoving. I stared at it in horror and red blood seeped from its chest. I cover my mouth with a hand and took a step back as the green light faded. I held my necklace with the other. It was warm to the touch. Something caught my eye. In the distance, a column of red light lit up the horizon. It disappeared almost as quickly as I'd noticed it.

I took more and more steps away from the wyvern, wanting to look away but not being able to. I'd…killed it. It was dead. And I killed it.

I tripped over a rock and fell, still scrambling away from the dead wyvern. Tears fell quickly as I pressed my back against a tree behind me. "Oh my god," I whimpered. I couldn't process what had just happened to me. I felt a buzz in my chest and a lingering tingling on my skin.

"Anna," someone said cautiously. I looked over to see that everyone was staring at me. Even Laxus had a shocked expression, something I'd never seen on his face before. "I killed him," I said, staring at it. I didn't take my eyes off of it.

"Anna, look at me." Natsu's hands touched my wrists, but I didn't look away from it.

"It's dead," I repeated as if saying it would make it even a little less true. Natsu's body moved into my line of sight and I looked into his eyes.

"Thank you," he said, smiling.

"Wh-what?" I asked, not understand his words in the slightest.

"If you hadn't done that…whatever that was…you'd be dead. I couldn't live with myself if I let that happen," he said, wrapping his arm around my back and weaving the other beneath my legs, "So thank you."

I let him lift me from the ground, cradling me tightly. I gripped his shirt in my hand, "You're welcome."

That was the last thing I remember before I passed out.

Explanations to come! You're probably super confused right now, but it'll all make sense soon enough, (the voice in her dreams, magic springing out of no where). I'm not going to make things even more confusing for you by trying to explain it, so just wait for things to reveal themselves over the course of the story. :) Sorry I didn't edit, (again). Don't forget to leave me your reviews.