It was around two in the afternoon but Lucy couldn't keep focus on her surroundings. How was she supposed take notes on the current subject when it was so close to time to leave classes for the day and enjoy some time in the sun? How could she focus when she hated this place so much? An Etiquette school for Girls. Lucy propped her head on her hand and stared out the window, dreaming of the outside, free world.

She wasn't really paying attention to anything outside until she saw a thick patch of pink hair running along the fence outside. At the sight, she perked up a little to see him. The chain link fence stopped right at his shoulders but she was still able to see him clearly. He was young but she couldn't tell if he was her age or older, and he looked strong. His clothes surprised her as he was only wearing jeans and a vest, that revealed a strange tattoo an his right shoulder. Before she could even guess what it was, he ran out of her sight and crushing her spirit, thoughts of her own freedom flying with him.

Lucy slumped back down in her seat and turned her attention back to the clock above the board. Only twenty more minutes today.

…

later that evening, Lucy was walking home alone and taking the longest route possible. She always hated this part of the day the most yet she loved it. She was held captive in two separate yet connecting prisons and the walk back and forth was her only escape. Still, however, if she wasn't at any one of them in a reasonable time period, they would come out looking for her and no doubt find her like every other time. So she had taught herself to live with the little freedom she was allowed and to make that last her for the time being. But she refused to accept that this was all she was ever going to get. One day, she was going to escape, she was going to fly and be free.

It was when she glimpsed the building she lived in and a loud crashing sound echoed out of the alley a few feet in front of her. She quickly checked what time it was to see if she had to time to check it out and smiled when she had fifteen minutes. Plenty of time. Lucy ran over to the mouth of the alley and peered in. Despite it being late afternoon with the sun angled to look in the space, it was pitch black and she couldn't see a thing. But the nagging curiosity wouldn't let her turn away and her feet cautiously walked forward. Once inside, the darkness didn't disappear causing the girl to stumble on unknown objects. When she almost fell for the tenth time, Lucy finally got her phone out and used it as a flashlight.

There about two feet from her was an air conditioner that looked like it hadn't been there long. In fact, like it was just put there. Lucy looked up to see if there was an open window anywhere that might have just lost its cooling appliance. Sure enough there was an open one on the fifth floor with minimal damage done to the sill.

" All this excitement over a fallen air conditioner." Lucy pouted and turned back to where she came. She looked up to see where she was going when she saw her father's right hand standing in the entrance.

"Ms. Heartfilia, why are here and not in the penthouse? We were beginning to get worried!"

" I thought I heard something. It was nothing really, just a rat digging in an old cardboard box."

Lucy made her way over to the tall man in the impressive suit and they walked home.

What she didn't see in that alley was the small group of people bunch in the corner, glancing up to see the window the best they could to see if their comrade had made it in fine. They got their answer when a rope fall down to help them in.

…

Rain pattered on the windows and thunder shook the walls. Though that's not what woke the blonde inside the large penthouse. No, what woke her was the creeping feeling that someone else was in her home. Lucy knew it was unlikely, her dad was always away on business and her mother had died when she was ten. But she couldn't shake the feeling. Lucy threw the blankets back and swung her long legs off the plush mattress, her sock feet padding across the wood floor to the door.

Peeking it open, Lucy stuck her head out and looked around. Nothing.

"Hello? Papa, are you home?" she called out, a small tremble in her voice.

Hearing nothing in response, curiosity rattled her bones and moved her forward into the hall like they had in the alley. Her feet tiptoed in line and her fingers traced the halls, conducting her body in the right way so she didn't trip or anything of the sorts. Cold fingers of wind brushed her legs, sending shivers through her body.

'Perhaps I left the balcony door open?' Lucy thought as she rounded the corner of the hall leading into the large open space of a living room. Everything was still except the curtains. Lucy strode over with a loud, audible sigh.

" So I had left the Balcony door open. Again." Lucy laughed at herself. The feeling she got most likely the need to close the doors. Her father wasn't the most understanding guy.

Thinking that was the end of it, Lucy turned to go back to bed. She walked five steps when she bumped into something solid and hard. The thing was tightly planted where it stood/ was placed and with the force she walked into it, she was knocked down on her bottom. Her head sharply snapped up to see what she hit. She couldn't see anything there though, even after rubbing out her eyes a few times. Frustrated, Lucy stood up and stuck her hands out in front of her like a blind person, occasionally swaying them from left to right. Still she didn't feel anything, like she hadn't hit anything or itself had moved.

'What the hell had been there?'

Lucy marched through to room back to the hallway that took her to her room. It was then that she knew and confirmed that there was someone else in her home. Earlier she played it off but now as she stared at the dark figure rummaging in her desk drawer she had been wrong. But why were they going through her desk? There was nothing of interest in there, just school work and the book she attempted to write but gave up on because she had no life experience.

Frozen in her doorway, Lucy contemplated what she should do. Should she let him know she was here, or should she back out and hid in her father's practically empty room? She was about to make her decision but paused when the man at her desk turned around and saw her. Lucy recognized him as the one running by the school this afternoon. By the way he reacted when he did see her, Lucy guessed he wasn't expecting to see anyone here.

" What are you doing here?" he asked.

Lucy was appalled, how dare he ask her why she was here! "Me? I live here! The question is What are you doing here?"

Sure, she thought maybe she shouldn't speak to someone like this in the tone she used for she could never predict what they would do but really he was dumb enough to ask her why she was here so she was bound to be difficult. She certainly didn't count on him to start laughing.

" Why are you laughing?!" Lucy demanded. This was the most unusual robbery she has ever dealt with. Though it was her only one. Not many people would risk stealing from the Heartfilias'

" Nothing, Just like your spunk princess."

" I'm not a princess!" Lucy Yelled.

" Could've fooled me."

Lucy could feel her temple pulsing. "Why am I even having a conversation with you?!"

The man stood there and pretended to be hurt. "Now see it just hurts my feelings when the princess believes she shouldn't be talking to me."

" Hey, Natsu I think we got everything we come... for." A woman entered the room behind Lucy and paused briefly when she saw the situation. Lucy stared at her and took in her beauty. She was tall, graceful, and had gorgeous long red hair "Ah, Natsu what did you do now? This just blew the whole operation!"

" It's not my fault! She snuck up on me!"

" It's MY house! I don't sneak around!" Lucy hissed at the one called Natsu.

"And now she's arguing with me! Though I have to admit, I like her spirit."

"Well we don't have time for this. The van is going to be here in five minutes we have to go."

" But, Erza, What are we going to do with her?" Natsu asked, pointing at Lucy.

Lucy stood perfectly still while the two thought about what to do with her and the thought came to her that she shouldn't have to wait for them to make a decision.

" Take me with you." Lucy commanded.

" We can't do that! We may be thieves but we are not kidnappers!" Natsu snapped.

" It's my only way out though!" Lucy could feel the slight hint of begging in her plea but in the moment she didn't care. This was her way out, even if it meant playing nice with the thieves.

" That doesn't change anything." Natsu sighed.

" Please. I promise I'll be good." Lucy clasped her hands together in front of her face and pouted her lip,trying her luck at her famous puppy stare. It used to work all the time when she was a kid.

" Erza, help me out here."

" I think it'll be fun to have another girl."

" Fine, we'll take you. But if there is any trouble, I'm bring you back myself!" Natsu caved. It was the face she made, but he would never let her know and have that power over him. "And put some clothes on."

They didn't give her much time to get ready to leave, giving her only enough time to grab a pair of jeans and old sneakers. They escorted her to her balcony where they meet up with three other people. Lucy tried to catch names but nothing was sticking, she was too excited. Finally she had found her escape and that buzz was the strongest thing she had ever felt. It was when they started climbing over the ledge did she get nervous. She stood in the safety on the correct side of the guard rail.

" What are you doing?"

" Leaving." Natsu smirked, moving over to the drainage pipe next to the ledge. "Can you climb down?"

Lucy was scared now. " Why can't I just take the stairs or elevator down?"

"Because you begged us to take you and we didn't come in through the front door. Now can you or do you need help?"

" Natsu, she has never had the need to sneak in or out of places. Of course she can't climb down." The one Lucy thought was named Lisa-something politely pointed out.

" Fine come here." Natsu told Lucy.

For once, she did what she was told. Natsu seemed to have pulled a rope out of nowhere and tied it securely around her waist and the other end around his own.

"Now climb on." Natsu turned so she could climb on his back. When he thought she was situated, he moved to the pipe and began his descent. The moment the secure surface wasn't under either of their feet, Lucy's grip tightened around Natsu's shoulders. She didn't trust the rope at this height and she began to question how the group got up to the penthouse. At the beginning, Natsu carefully lowered himself and Lucy didn't know what made him change but he started to actually slid down, scaring Lucy more than she was before. She couldn't stop the scream that ripped through her throat, no doubt deafening the man holding her. But all she felt was the rumble of laughter bursting through his chest at her reaction.

At the bottom, she hastily jumped off him and gasped for breath.

"Come on, the van is over here." Natsu lead her over to the food delivery gates to where there was a white van parked.

"Oi, Natsu. Who's the chick?" A man with long black hair and metal studded face asked.

"Erza said she could come back with us."

" And you allowed Erza to make this decision?"

" If you want to fight that demon over this, be my guest."

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Princess." The man had quickly changed his attitude after Natsu said that. Lucy was confused by this behavior, Erza seemed nice to her, why did these boys practically turn to cowards at challenging her.

" What's Fairy Tail? Why did you call her a demon?" Lucy asked

" Fairy Tail is the name of the thieves. All criminals need their name." The Black haired man answered.

" Because that is what she can be when she doesn't get things her way." Natsu gulped, looking around to make sure that Erza didn't hear him.

Once everyone had made it down safely, they piled up in the van and looked at what they had collected tonight. Lucy recognized her father's old pocket-watch that her mother had given him, he hadn't even touched it since she died, the diamond tiara from Lucy's fifth birthday, Mrs. Goldman's ruby earrings, a fur coat she had seen a couple of times but didn't know who it belonged too, and then her mother's pearl necklace. Lucy wanted to touch it, to imagine her mother wearing it at least one last time but knew that wouldn't happen and tore her gaze away.

It wasn't long before Lucy went to sleep, but when she did, she finally felt the chains that once restrain her lose their grip and fade from her life, hopefully forever.