24th: So far from home

Summary: To be stranded in a world that wasn't your own was far less amazing as it was supposed to be in books and all they wanted was to find a way out.

She didn't understand and this scared her more than anything else. This wasn't Edolas … this wasn't where she came from … where she had grown up. This was a foreign country and she felt how her heart trembled inside her chest because for the first time, she was scared. She was scared because she didn't know what to do now.

The only thing she knew, however, was that she couldn't go back and this gave her the will to move forward – it was the only direction she could take anyway so this was alright with her. She didn't belong into this country but there was no other way she could go. She carried an unspoken question inside her mind and she wondered if she would ever hear the answer to this question. She was used to questions because she questioned everything – and she didn't mind if there was no answer to be heard because her questions weren't meant to be answered anyway. It was alright with her.

She leaned against a tree and exhaled slowly. So, this was Earthland after all. It didn't seem to be all that bad in her eyes but then again, she was never one to judge something. The only thing she missed was the sun's warm embrace but this would return to her.

Her sharp eyes searched the area for someone who could tell her where to find a town. If she wasn't totally wrong, she needed a job to rent an apartment.

She would worry about everything else once she had taken care of the most important things and right now, it wasn't the time to freak out. There was no one to be impressed by her temper nearby anyway so she could do this later as well. She stared into the lake in front of her and punched the water because she couldn't stand to look at her reflection now because that wasn't her … the terrified little girl … that wasn't her at all.

"Lost your way, young lady?" a calm voice asked as three young man, one younger than her, one older and one in her age, stepped out of the forest. The oldest one had been the one who had asked though and so she answered equally calm and collected. "You could say this," she said darkly. "Um, would you mind to tell me where I can find the next town?"

"Magnolia?" the pretty guy behind him asked as he stared at his perfect fingernails. She instantly got suspicious of him. No man should have such silky hair and perfect manicured fingernails – well, at least not in Edolas.

"Um, yes," she nodded. "I am looking for a good job."

"What kind of job?" the blond man who seemed to be their leader inquired.

"I'm a medic," she said. "I specialise in magical wounds and stuff like that."

"Makarov, I think we just found our new medical advisor," the third man grinned. "My name is Goldmine, by the way, Miss…"

"Porlyusica," she said calmly. "Nice to meet you."

"That's Makarov," the man said as he mentioned towards the blond man, "and the pretty guy over there, that's Bob. We are members of a guild called Fairy Tail. We … um … specialise in propriety damage and parties. Anything else I should say now, Dreyar?"

"You got two of the three main points right," his friend smiled. "We are also famous for not asking any questions and for showing understanding for any pains, sorrows or scars our nakama carry on their souls." He held out his hand. "You could join us, Porlyusica," he offered. "Even if it's not for a long time, we could all work together."

"I gladly take that offer," she nodded as the man called Bob held out his hand to shake hers. "It might be far better than being on my own."

And so she followed them and became a mage of Fairy Tail, proudly defending the values of her guild while keeping the golden stamp hidden on the inside of her wrist. Being in another dimension, in another world wasn't half as awesome as books made it to be but she managed with homesickness and a completely mad guild tearing on her nerves.

Because in the end, she was still there.

"…you were gone for a long time, Jellal," the pink-haired woman said as she ushered him into her home in the depths of the forest. "And take off that ridiculous mask when I talk to you, young man," she added as she turned her back at him.

"Yes, madam," he muttered as he obeyed. "Say, what have you been up to lately?"

"This and that," she replied as she poured tea into two cups. "Makarov nearly got himself killed – again. Seriously, that man is the embodiment of recklessness."

"Worried about your husband, Aunt Polly?" he chuckled as he took the tea from her. "Well, I've been fixing a few anima lately. I … I don't like this – at all."

She glared at him as she put down her own cup. "I was wondering when you were going to show up the next time, Jellal," she stated as she leaned back in her chair. "You have been busy, I understand that … but sometimes, you should consider that Fairy Tail is your home – just as much as it is mine."

He sighed deeply. "I keep saving Earthland and you are still nagging me about not making any friends, Aunty Polly?" he asked with a sigh. "I want you to know that I do have friends."

"I am not talking about the Knighwalker-girl you haven't seen in years," she stated.

"Er-chan? Well, she is my best friend," he admitted. "But I do have other friends. I am not like you … hiding in a forest because that's what reminds you of Edolas."

"I warn you, Jellal," she said dangerously softly. "I am perfectly fine and I do not have any issues with anything. I think that you should be a little bit more respectful towards an old lady like me … tsk…"

"I might consider being all respectful and nice with you when you get really old," he said as he rested his chin on the table. "And right now, you are still a little bit too tough for me to be all respectful, Aunt Polly. Anyway … when I find a way back to Edolas … will you return with me? Or will you stay here with Makarov, Ivan and Laxus?"

She shook her head. "Edolas … it's no longer my home, you see?" she asked tiredly. "I have been here far longer than you, Jellal … and this crazy world became my new home. Edolas … the idea of going back isn't all that appealing to me anymore. I would miss them all … even Bob and Goldmine – and I argued quite a lot with them when they left the guild."

He stared down at the smooth surface in front of him. He understood her feelings because he knew that he would feel the same way if it weren't for his only true friend, the red-haired minx he had been forced to leave back in Edolas: Erza Knightwalker. He cared deeply for her and the idea that he wouldn't be able to see her again hurt him greatly. He had to go back one day because he belonged to Edolas – and his counterpart was there, dangerously close to Fairy Tail and therefore all his nakama.

"I am worried for you," the pink-haired woman stated darkly. "The last time you stayed here because you were too hurt to leave, you spoke about 'Er-chan' all night long. I was tempted to wake you up so that you would stop that."

The prince of Edolas blushed faintly. "She was my only real friend when I was a child," he said. "And when I see Erza Scarlet … I always see Er-chan. That makes it harder for me to forget about her … and on the other hand, I really don't want to forget about her…"

That was the madness about being stranded in another world: too many memories seemed to fade away and all he could do was to scream inside his soul as he tried to hold them somehow.

She smiled. She felt like crying but she smiled because it was the only thing she could do in her current situation. And as long as she smiled, no one could be able to see the pain inside her heart. She had always been good at hiding things behind a smile because this was where no one would look for a secret.

She had copied this method from Cana who always smiled and partied like everyone else in the guild while she was breaking apart with every passing day. But it was impossible to smile away the pain inside her soul. She wanted to go home but this was impossible. She wanted to run but she never knew where she could run to.

She was caged in her own counterpart's life and she considered herself lucky that her personality allowed her to make new friends and to adapt to this new situation. But she still walked alone – even when she was with her guild. She walked with her head held high as she felt like she was crossing ice cold wasteland where no life could exist for more than a few minutes. Her soul had already been frozen – and this wasn't what she usually was. This was the wrong kind of place for her to be because it was – above all – the wrong kind of place to be thinking of Earthland or to be thinking of her siblings.

She was supposed to be Edolas' cheerful and carefree Lisanna but she wasn't sure how long she could act this role. This was the wrong time and place for her to exist. She should be in Earthland, leading her sheltered life with her siblings and her friends.

Usually, a lie was nothing but a small crime but to trick her Edolas-'siblings' into believing that their sister was still alive was more than just a little lie – and even worse, she had no excuse because she could have told them so many times.

She shook her head. No, it wasn't alright to lie to them but she couldn't do anything else because whoever had written great novels about people who were stuck in a foreign world had been a liar. It wasn't an adventure and it wasn't all that fascinating. It was a sad and painful situation because there was no escape for her or anyone else.