I woke up surrounded by my friends. I assumed the guys had fallen asleep in our tent after spending the whole night talking, most likely about me. I love me friends more than anything, but they really worry way too much, especially when it comes to me.
I crawled out into the sunshine from the early morning, feeling a thousand times better than last night. The pain in my hand had dulled to a sharp constant sting, nothing intolerable. I barely even felt the other bruises and cuts I knew marked my skin. I didn't even want to think about what I looked like. I'd break the mirror if I tried to see myself right now.
The closer we got to the mountain, the more anxious I was getting. We were going to meet a dragon. That in itself is worrying, but we're also supposed to kill it, which is completely ludicrous. People can't kill dragons. It's nearly impossible!
The fresh air forced me to push my worries away. It's no time to be panicking. We just have to take it one step at a time. Mama wasn't scared of Celeste, so I won't be either.
I'll jus go ahead and cook breakfast! Yeah, that'll be a nice treat for my friends. They deserve it. I started a fire in the pit with the box of matches Erza kept with our cooking supplies. Her giant cart held everything I needed to fry some fish, greens we'd collected on our trip through the woods, and make a stew with the meat she had packed. I was just putting food onto plates when Happy and Natsu crawled out of the large tent, yarning, stretching, and scratching. They were followed by Gray, and then by Erza, who looked ashamed.
"Lucy, please forgive me for making you make breakfast! You can hit me if you want!" she said in a rush, turning to the side to give me access to her arm.
"Hit her while you can, Lucy," Happy whispered, already chomping on a fish. His eyes lit up at the taste. I laughed oddly, waving her off.
"It's the least I could do for everything you've all been doing for me!" I said, handing food out to the hungry Fairy Tail mages.
"LUSHEEE IS THE BEST AT MAKING YUMMY FISH!" Happy cried, tears of happiness streaming down his face.
"Thank you, Lucy!" "Thank you Lucy!" "Thanks Luce!" my friends chorused. As we sat around eating, I stared at my friends. It was them I was worried about now. Oscar left long ago, but I still wasn't feeling any of my friends' pain. They each kept their own injuries to themselves. I'm both relieved and disappointed about. I put my bowl down and got out the first aid kit, flitting between my friends so I could bandage their wounds. Erza and Natsu were starting to pack up camp when I moved on to Gray.
"How's your hand?" he asked gently. My fingers slowed as I wrapped the bandage around his arm.
"I'm… okay. I don't understand what happened, though."
"Everyone on Team Perish has enhanced speed and strength, like the Raijinshu and their secondary eye magic. Takeshi's magic allows him to create illusions for his enemy. He also has heat concentrated in his palms, so that's how he burned your mark."
So I was right. He created a scene out of my worst fear. I wonder if Erza told them what my nightmare about.
I wonder what Natsu feared most.
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The mountain was absolutely beautiful. I've never seen anything as wonderful in my entire life. The mountain looked red and gold, affected by the change in seasons. The sight was breathtaking. The pointy top soared up for miles, much further than I could see. The air smelled clean and crisp, clearing my head of every negative thought leftover from this morning. We were just starting up the worn path when…
"KYAAAAAA!" someone shrieked. I practically jumped out of my skin when a little girl tumbled down one of the steep inclines in front of us, knocking me out of my thoughts. I ran to grab her, but she stopped just before I could.
"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly, putting an arm behind her shoulders to help her sit up. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she started full on wailing.
"Lucy, be careful!" Gray yelled, rushing to my side. He was, again, only in his boxers. My glare sent him back a few steps.
"What? It's just a little girl!" I hissed at him. "And put some damn clothes on!"
"It might be a trap from Stone Heart!" he argued, seemingly unaffected by his near-nudeness.
"Or it could be an injured little girl that fell down!" She was tiny, even younger than Wendy. There were leaves and twigs tangled in her long white hair. Her eyes were as blue as the sky above, or like an icy pond in the winter. There was a tear in the side of her loose-fitting silver dress, stretching from under her arm to her waist. She was absolutely adorable. I instantly fell in love with her.
"Can you tell me your name?" I asked her gently. She rubbed her eyes and stared up at me.
"I'm Selly," she said in a tiny voice.
"Where is your group?" Erza asked formally. Selly hid behind my back fearfully.
"I don't know. I haven't seen them for a few days," she sniffed.
"DAYS?! HOW HAVE YOU LIVED?" Natsu and Happy yelled. Selly shrunk even lower, clutching the back of my shirt in her tiny fists.
"Make them stop yelling at me!" she cried, soaking my back in salt water. I glared at my friends before turning around to face her. They were being so terrible! What happened to helping those in need?
"It's ok. We'll help you find them!" I said confidently. There's no way this little girl could survive out here alone for any longer. She might fall off the mountain with how clumsy she is!
"Of course we will. We shall accompany you up the mountain," Erza said.
"Can you stand?" I asked. She held on to my hand and staggered to her feet. She took a few steps away from me, but fell down again.
"It's ok!" I shushed her. When I helped her up again, she didn't let go of me.
"I can't walk!" she panicked. "I can't walk anywhere! I'll have to chop my legs off and get a wheelchair and I won't be able to wear pretty dresses anymore!" She started hyperventilating, clutching at my skirt.
"Shhh, it's fine. You're legs are okay, just a bit wobbly. I'll carry you," I offered.
"Lucy, are you sure that's a good idea?" Natsu asked.
"Yes, let me do it instead. You should conserve your energy," Erza said, taking a step closer. With fearful eyes, Selly grabbed on to my leg and tried to hide. Erza was shocked.
"I got it," I said. Everyone stared at me as I helped Selly onto my back. Her small arms wrapped around my throat and her feet wound around my waist tightly. She smelled nice, like the mountain itself. Plus, she was light as a feather. The bruises Takeshi left on my body slowly disappeared, as if Selly was drawing the pain out just by touching them. The stinging sensation in my hand even dulled.
"I'll get your things," Erza said quietly. She piled my small suitcase onto the large cart with the rest of her things.
"What's your name?" Selly whispered in my ear.
"I'm Lucy. That's Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Happy," I said, pointing each one out for her.
"Kitty!" Selly giggled. Her laugh was like a bubbling stream, causing me to smile. Gray skulked behind as Erza led the way up the mountain, steadily making progress. Selly kept up a steady stream of chatter, and although everyone else stayed quiet, I knew they didn't mind the distraction. Everyone was on edge from getting closer to our final destination.
Happy circled around us, playing with Selly and telling funny Natsu stories, which only made him copy Gray, trailing behind the rest of us glumly. The two bickered half-heartedly. I forced myself to forget about them. If they wanted to be in a foul mood, then they could. At least they weren't fighting.
Whenever I tried asking about Selly's lost group, she got really quiet and didn't say anything besides that she couldn't remember. I felt bad for the poor girl. Maybe she hit her head badly when she was out here on her own?
After a few hours, Selly fell asleep on my back. It was starting to get dark out, which made a good excuse to stop. We set up the tents once again in a spot beside a steep cliff face. It blocked off most of the cold wind. The higher up we were getting, the colder and colder it was. Natsu easily got a fire going. We discussed our plans in hushed tones as Selly slept curled against me side. Her long hair tickled my arm.
"What are we going to do now?" Happy asked.
"We have to help Selly," I insisted.
"We don't even know her. She could be a trap from Stone Heart!" Gray said.
"I agree with Gray, Lucy. It seems very suspicious that she appeared right after me met them," Erza added.
"But earlier you said we'll help her!"
"I'm not so sure anymore. There's something she isn't telling us."
"I think Lucy is right. She's just a kid that lost her friends," Natsu sided with me. Selly yawned beside me, rubbing her eyes open.
"Are you feeling any better?" I asked. A beautiful smile lit up her young face. She nodded eagerly.
"Tons! Although I am still tired," Selly said.
"Who were these people in your group?" Erza asked abruptly. Selly sat up and faced Erza fully, without fear for the first time since we met her. All traces of the scared, nervous little girl we first met had vanished. She must have been extremely tired and scared last time she spoke with the others, because now she was as brave as Elfman.
"Their names were Fuyu, Koneko, Yousei, Koori, and Hoshi. I haven't seen them in three days, when we got separated by an evil lady," she said.
"Who?" Natsu asked.
"I don't know. She wouldn't let us pass. I suggest you stop and turn around. She was using a weird type of magic," Selly warned. "She blocks everyone from reaching the top of the mountains."
"We have to keep going, no matter what the danger is," Erza said.
"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you!" Selly said. "Who are you? What are you people doing on the mountain? Why is it so important that you reach the top?"
"We are mages from a guild named Fairy Tail!" Happy said cheerfully.
"We came to see this beautiful mountain. There's a rumor that the best view comes from the top," Erza lied easily. I shot her a look. I understood that it's safer to not let Selly know, but couldn't she come up with a better excuse?
"Mages? Really? What kind of magic do you use?" Selly asked excitedly. Little stars danced in her pupils. "I love magic so much. It's so pretty!"
"I'm a dragon slayer," Natsu said proudly. He turned each of his fingers into individual little flames, laughing at Selly's shocked face.
"I use requip magic," Erza said. Selly's eyes got wider.
"That's so cool!" she gushed. Erza smiled a little. It was impossible to not like Selly.
"I'm an Ice Make mage," Gray said.
"Does that mean you can make swords and stuff out of ice?" Gray nodded. "You have to make me a sword one day and we can fight! Ice is so pretty. I love ice! My friend used to use some kind of ice magic, and it was great! Your power is so fun and awesome!" she babbled.
I smiled at the happy girl beside me. Her eyes twinkled in the fire light, like little stars themselves. "What kind of magic do you use, Lucy?" she asked me. I looked at Erza to make sure she didn't mind me telling the truth.
"I'm a Celestial Spirit wizard," I said.
"THAT IS WONDERFUL! It's like having a bunch of friends, right? Or are they just tools to you?" she asked sadly.
"It IS like having more friends. How do you know so much about-"
"Spirits are the best. I love the Zodiacs!" she cut me off.
"Do you any kind of magic?" Happy asked her.
"Me? No, not really," she said shyly, looking at the ground. "I'm tired. Can I go back to sleep?" Without waiting for a response, she stepped into the larger of the two tents that were set up. Five sets of eyes watched her go.
"There's definitely something weird about her," Gray thought out loud.
"Why did she not answer my question?" I asked no one.
"And what did she mean by 'not really'?" Erza wondered.