A/N: I HAVE RETURNED. Sorry for updating so late. I've had a whole bunch of family drama (like, you wouldn't even know). But I've managed to finish up this chapter and get it to you. I rushed through editing (which usually takes me a day and a half), so I'm sorry for any mistakes. I should probably find a beta reader. Yeah. Anyways, a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You all brighten my day like you would not believe. It's nice to know that someone's reading this junk. ;) In this chapter the plot thickens. Sit back, and enjoy the ride.
If Lucy thought orientation was insane, then lunch was the start of the apocalypse. People savagely fought for lunches with such viciousness you'd think they hadn't eaten in days. Lucy resigned herself to a sad-looking turkey sub with wilted lettuce. It wasn't like she'd be eating anyways. She ended up sitting with Natsu and his friends, as Levy and Gajeel still hadn't reappeared. Lucy vaguely wondered if Gajeel really had gone home for the day, and she thought about going to look for them. That was, until Natsu made a crude remark about them being in the library (doing things other than reading) that made Lucy flush. It would probably be best that she not seek them out.
Natsu introduced Lucy to the table, but it was a far cry from the quaint introductions that she'd been quarry to in her father's world of wealth and etiquette. Actually, it was unlike any introduction she'd ever heard in her life. In the most blase tone he could muster, he gave a bored, "Yeah, this is the blonde I met the other day."
Lucy gaped at him, offended, before seeing the corner of Natsu's lips twitch. Her eyes narrowed. This punk was messing with her! She opened her mouth to say something in retaliation, but someone else beat her to the punch.
"You mean the one you wouldn't shut up about," Gray snickered. Natsu flushed.
"Shut up, snow cone! You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Yeah, I do. I'm the one that had to listen to you go on about how pretty her hair was and how nice she smelled and how big her-"
Natsu sprang across the table, tackling Gray with a battle cry. They wrestled on the floor while Lucy stayed seated, confused. How big her what was? Her ass? Sure, she hadn't eaten much other than fast food for the last few weeks. But that didn't make her fat. Lucy felt herself grow defensive.
"How big my what is," Lucy asked, eyes narrowing.
"Eyes! You have big eyes," Natsu shouted, covering Gray's mouth before he could respond. Lucy thought she heard Gray snicker, but her worry dissipated. Well, until she spotted Erza Scarlet making a beeline for their table.
"You guys," Lucy said, voice panicked. "Why is Erza headed over here?"
Natsu and Gray stopped in their tracks and, all of the sudden, started hugging. Lucy's eyebrows scrunched together as she watched the scene, baffled. The two fought like cats and dogs, but now they had some sort of bromance going on? The thud of a lunch tray on the open table next to her diverted her attention. She looked over and immediately shivered. Erza Scarlet was sitting next to her.
"It's nice to see the two of you getting along," the redhead murmured. "I could've sworn you were fighting. I thought I'd have to settle things myself."
Natsu visibly shuddered at the calm lilt of Erza's voice before pulling away from Gray's half-assed embrace. Gray followed suit, approaching the table the way one would approach a lion's den. Despite the boys' extreme caution and hesitance, neither reacted as if Erza sitting at their table was something out of the norm. As Lucy watched the three converse, she realized that Erza's no-nonsense discipline was less like that of a student council president and more like that of a mother. A frightening one, but a mother none the less.
"Oh, my apologies. I have not yet introduced myself. I'm Erza Scarlet. Pleased to make your acquaintance," Erza said, extending a hand. Lucy vaguely noted how much more familiar Erza's polite pleasantries were.
"Lucy Heartfilia. I'm a new transfer. I'm pleased to meet you as well," Lucy said, shaking Erza's hand. Erza smiled.
"What a polite girl. Tell me, why are you with these buffoons?"
"Hey," Natsu cried in indignation. "I'm not a buffoon!"
"You seem deserving of more civilized company," Erza continued, ignoring Natsu's interruption. Lucy giggled.
"They're not that bad. Natsu's been really helpful actually." Natsu beamed.
"See? I can be polite," Natsu said proudly. Gray huffed.
"Polite, my ass. Damned dragon," he muttered. Natsu growled, and the two looked like they were about to break out into another wrestling match. They stopped in their tracks, however, when Erza gave a low sound of warning, suddenly becoming sheepish. It occurred to Lucy that as brutal as Erza's methods were, they might be the only thing keeping the school from tumbling into chaos. Natsu and Gray alone were like two rabid dogs itching to fight.
Eventually MiraJane wandered to the table with her boyfriend, Laxus, who was Makarov's grandson and a foul-tempered descendant of Zeus. Mira's humongous brother and his girlfriend, a descendant of Medusa, followed close behind. Juvia seemed to pop up out of nowhere, narrowing her eyes when she saw Lucy sitting next to Gray and promptly settling in between them. Lucy could've sworn she heard the girl grumble about a love rival.
It wasn't long before the entire table was laughing and carrying on, everyone quickly accepting Lucy as one of their own. It was a completely foreign feeling, being so included, and Lucy relished in it. But the joy didn't last long. Lucy felt a weird energy fizzle in her gut when a dark, intimidating girl caught her eye. Her nails were as black and shiny as her long hair, and her stiletto heels looked deadly. She wore deep red lipstick and smokey, black eyeshadow. But perhaps the most noteworthy thing about her appearance was what she wasn't wearing. The top three buttons on her shirt were undone, her red bra peaking out. And her skirt was short enough to make Lucy a little nervous. There is absolutely no way that she isn't violating dress code, Lucy thought.
As if sensing Lucy's curious eyes, the girl looked directly at her. She held her gaze for a few moments, but Lucy's unease must have shown. The girl's lips stretched into a cruel smirk, and she averted her attention back to the blonde boy she'd been conversing with, whose eyes had wandered over to Lucy in curiousity.
"That's Minerva Orland," Mira said, having noticed the exchange. "And her, err, friend Sting Eucliffe. They're not the best people to get mixed up with. Believe me."
Lucy nodded, not mentioning that, somehow, she'd already known that. There was a knotting and twisting in her stomach that told her she'd made a mistake during her stare-off with Minerva. She felt as though she'd just served herself up on a silver platter to a highly dangerous and extremely ravenous beast. Something about this girl was making all sorts of alarms go off in Lucy's head. Danger.
The lunch bell rang, and the table got up to throw the leftover contents of their trays away. Natsu gave an intent look at the half sandwich that lay on Lucy's, and she rolled her eyes before surrendering it to him. Trying to keep up appearances, she had tried eating, but it didn't take long for the nausea to begin. She would throw up if she ate anymore anyways. Damned succubus genes. She needed to come up with an excuse for not eating lunch because she couldn't afford to spend money on school lunches she wouldn't even be eating.
When she arrived at the lunch tray rack by the door, she caught a flash of glossy, black hair in her peripheral. But not soon enough. A bowl of tomato soup was soon smeared all over the front of Lucy's brand-new white shirt. An uncomfortable, sticky sensation flooded her as the lukewarm liquid soaked through her clothes and seeped into her bra. Lucy gasped, and several bystanders gaped at the scene with open mouths. Lucy's head snapped up to find a pair of cynical, black eyes laughing at her.
"Oops. So sorry. My hand must have slipped," Minerva said, the amused tone of her voice implying that it was in no way an accident. She leaned in close to Lucy's ear before whispering, "This is my territory. Don't forget that."
Minerva pulled away swiftly and exited the room. Natsu, having heard the girl's murmur with his hypersensitive hearing, stepped forward dangerously. His jaw was clenched tightly and his fists were clenched even tighter. Lucy stepped in front of him, placing her hands on his chest and shaking her head. She did not want anymore fights today.
"That despicable harlot," Erza growled out, tossing her bag to the ground and going after Minerva. Well. No more fights for Natsu, that is.
"You poor thing," Mira cried, taking her hand. "We'll clean you up."
Mira pulled Lucy away with Juvia following close behind. They found the nearest Ladies' Room, and Mira had Lucy hop up to sit at the edge of the sink. Lucy took off her cardigan and sat still as Juvia ran a clump of paper towels under cold water from the tap.
"Even love rivals should not be treated this way," Juvia murmured as she gently dabbed at the red stain clinging to Lucy's shirt. Lucy raised a confused eyebrow at the mention of love rivals but thanked Juvia for treating the stain.
"I'll go grab a spare shirt from my locker," Mira said. "I'll be right back."
She left the two alone, Juvia silently tending to Lucy's button-up and Lucy awkwardly searching for somewhere to train her eyes. Juvia seemed comfortable with the silence, too absorbed in her task to notice Lucy's discomfort. This was a different girl than the one fawning over Gray at the lunch table. When the descendant of Frost was removed from the picture, the girl became rather focused and serious. Lucy wondered what it was about Gray Fullbuster that drove this quiet girl into such a frenzy.
"Next period is Class Magic. Does Lucy-san know which class of SH she is?"
Lucy thought back to the hours she'd spent studying SuperHumans the day before. There were three major classes that SH's fell into. The first was Power Class. SuperHumans from this class had abilities that translated into brute strength, like Natsu's fire or Gray's ice. The second was Deception Class. SuperHumans from this class had powers that could be used to deceive others, like transformation or illusion magic. Levy had said that Pixies belonged to this class. The final class was Influence Class. SH's from this class had powers that could be used to manipulate people, like mind control or seduction magic.
"Influence Class," Lucy murmured. "I'm Influence Class." Juvia nodded.
"That's what Juvia thought. She knows that you specialize in Seduction Magic."
Lucy spluttered. It was only the first day of school, and Juvia could see straight through her. Lucy's face heated, and she stammered denials. She was worried that Juvia could tell she was a succubus- that Juvia might judge her for being something she'd never asked to be in the first place.
"Don't worry," Juvia said, interrupting her stuttering. "Juvia will not pry. She just knows how to recognize one of her own."
"One of your own," Lucy asked, breath catching. Was Juvia a succubus?
"Juvia specializes in Seduction Magic as well. It wasn't until very recently that she learned to accept her Siren heritage."
Siren? Lucy thought back to stories of hauntingly beautiful creatures, half woman and half fish, that lured sailors to their deaths. Sirens had voices beautiful enough to drive men insane with want. They'd forget their wives and lovers after a mere few notes. With a single song, Juvia could persuade people to die for her. Such power must be a heavy weight.
"Juvia sees Lucy-san's struggle because it must be similar to her own. She hopes that Lucy is not too hard on herself. No one can control what they are. And there is absolutely no inherently bad SuperHuman. We are all different," Juvia reassured, throwing the glob of crimson-stained paper towels in the trash. Lucy smiled.
"Thank you. I needed to hear that." Juvia returned Lucy's smile.
"Lucy-san is welcome. In exchange for Juvia's wisdom, you must make her a promise."
"What," Lucy asked cautiously.
"Love rival must not use her powers on Juvia's beloved Gray-sama."
"I would never," Lucy stammered indignantly. "I'm not interested in Gray! Besides, I don't even know how to use any of my powers."
"Juvia is sure love rival will figure it out soon," Juvia replied loftily. Before Lucy could refute her claim, Mira burst into the room.
"I have the spare shirt! Quickly, quickly. Class started five minutes ago."
Lucy walked into class late for the second time that day, but at least Juvia was with her now. The teacher was still out of the room, so they went to immediately sit down. She followed Juvia to sit in the back of the class next to Gajeel, silently analyzing the sea of faces as she went. The room was more like an enormous lecture hall than a high school classroom, the seats rising up as they went further back. In the crowd of people she recognized Evergreen, Elfman's girlfriend, sitting off the side. But what made Lucy's feet falter was the couple that sat a few seats down from Gajeel- Sting and Minerva.
Lucy felt Juvia stiffen beside her, surely having spotted the pair as well. Juvia flashed Lucy a worried look, silently asking if Lucy was okay. Lucy gave a jerky nod and kept walking. She could handle being publicly embarrassed by someone, but she could not handle the very thought of someone thinking they had power over her. Lucy only had just escaped her father's judgement- she was not about to allow a new tyrant to take over her life. Especially not some hotshot trying to defend her title of "Queen Bitch" by scaring Lucy into submission.
They sat down, neither looking Minerva's way. Lucy could feel the girl's dark eyes on her, though. Minerva was sizing Lucy up, obviously shocked that she would come within a ten-foot radius after the incident in the lunchroom. Annoyed at Minerva's intent gaze, Lucy flashed her eyes back with a scowl. Minerva chuckled in amusement the same way one would laugh at a kitten that thought itself ferocious.
"You sure clean up well," Minerva murmured with dry humor. Lucy's scowl deepened.
"If someone hadn't been so 'clumsy', I wouldn't have had to clean up at all," she bit out. Minerva laughed.
"Accidents are always so unfortunate." Lucy's eyes narrowed, analyzing Minerva's appearance.
"I agree. It looks like your bookbag had an accident on the way to class. Did you run into Erza?" Minerva grit her teeth, eyes deadly.
"Why you-"
"Attention, students! Silence," their instructor called out as she entered the room, pink hair slicked into a tight bun. "I'm Professor Porlyusica, and I'll be your Influence Class Magic teacher. This year you'll be learning how to hone your powers and put them to good use. Since it's only the first day, we're going to start with a simple spell that can be used to detect lying."
Lucy heard people scoff in amusement at the notion. Words like seriously dumb and child's play were tossed around. She looked over to see Juvia staring blankly at a wall, clearly bored, and Gajeel rolling his eyes. Lucy was astonished that something she'd never thought possible was laughably simple to those around her.
"I'm guessing that the majority of you have likely dabbled in Aura spells before. Do I have any brave volunteers that would like to tell the class about them? Not all at once, now."
"Aura spells are incantations that allow you to see a person's emotional state," someone called out. "Their feelings will look like flashes of color hovering above their skin."
"Adequate," Porlyusica murmured. "Anything else?"
"All SH's can use aura spells, but some are way better than others," a student in the front said.
"An aura spell lasts for about an hour at a time."
"To use the spell, you chant 'Cor Tuum Videri' three times!"
"Okay," Porlyusica continued. "Here's a trickier question: Can anybody tell me what that incantation means?"
The entire room sat in awkward silence, no one volunteering an answer. Porlyusica raised a skeptical eyebrow at her students, not dropping the question. When the quiet became too much to bear, Lucy cleared her throat. She knew the answer- she hadn't been president of the Latin Club for nothing, after all. All eyes looked at her, and she could feel her face heating up.
"Um," she stammered. "That phrase is Latin. It means 'Let thy heart be seen '. I think?"
"Spot on," the professor said with a small smile, looking somewhat impressed. "Like most spells, the Aura incantation is in Latin. While this Aura incantation is very simple, it's incredibly important. Many spells and glamours build on Aura, so you need to have a sturdy foundation. Today I want you all to practice this spell and get to know each other. I will list the colors and their meanings on the board. Feel free to write it down in a notebook."
As Professor Porlyusica turned to the board, the room filled with chatter. Lucy pulled out a composition book and scooted closer to Juvia. Gajeel huffed and begrudgingly turned to face the two, crossing his arms. Juvia was the first to murmur the spell, and Gajeel grumbled the words soon after. Hesitantly, Lucy began to chant the Latin phrase.
"Cor Tuum Videri. Cor Tuum Videri. Cor Tuum Videri-"
Lucy cut off with a gasp as the world burst into color. Intense rays of chroma bounced off everyone's skin, vivid and bright. She feasted her eyes upon flashes of light from all parts of the spectrum. Most people's emotions settled around them in a gentle haze, but some of them- probably the more intense feelings- shot out into the room like fireworks. Lucy turned to express her amazement to Juvia when she noticed that the Siren was preoccupied with her phone. She was on Instagram, swiping through all of Gray's recent pictures (of course). Juvia paused upon seeing that he'd posted a photo of her. They'd been on a group outing the week before, and he'd snapped a picture of her scooping handfuls of water at the park fountain when she'd been too busy playing to notice. His only caption was, "Today was a good day."
The entire room gasped and spun to look at her when her aura began to sparkle. The air around her warmed and shimmered, catching the light in one of the most beautiful displays Lucy had ever seen. Whoa. Still wrapped up in the picture, Juvia grinned wide and spun around in her seat. If possible, her aura grew even brighter. The glimmering air surrounding her could only mean love. Lucy darted her eyes to the board to confirm her suspicions. Indeed, love's aura had been classified by the no-nonse teacher as 'reflective light'. She should have known that Porlyusica wouldn't describe an aura as sparkly. Juvia only noticed the room-full of curious eyes when Gajeel groaned and muttered something about being "fuckin' ostentatious". Juvia gave an embarrassed squeak before hastily shoving her phone back in her bag, her aura turning a wispy lavender. Embarrassment.
"Juvia apologizes," she murmured to a stunned Lucy. "She got… distracted."
"Um," Lucy stammered. "It's fine. Just- wow. That was crazy."
"I thought I was in a J.J. Abrams movie," Gajeel muttered.
"Anyways," Juvia said anxiously, trying to change the subject. "Is Lucy-san going to attend the party on Friday night?"
"Party," Lucy repeated, confused. "What party?"
"It's a Homecoming party," Juvia explained happily. "MiraJane-san always throws one the first Friday after the new school year, and everyone is invited. There is music, food, and other festivities like Truth or Dare! Juvia hopes that someone dares Gray-sama to kiss her-"
"It's not like the bastard would have the guts to go through with it," Gajeel interrupted. "Take it from me, Blondie. The party's lame. I'm not even gonna go."
Suddenly the aura surrounding Gajeel gave a sudden flash of black, nearly startling Lucy out of her seat. Gajeel's face reddened, and he crossed his arms in defense. Juvia gave him a wide smile, trying to hold black her laughter. Lucy only watched the exchange in confusion.
"What was that?"
"Gajeel-kun just told a lie," Juvia snickered. "When people are dishonest, their auras turn black. Small lies are just a flash, but big ones tend to stain someone's aura until they tell the truth."
"So the party isn't lame," Lucy asked, confused. Gajeel grit his teeth.
"Of course it is!" His aura flashed black again.
"The party is fun," Juvia promised. "Lucy-san should come. As long as she doesn't try to woo Juvia's Gray-sama."
"I'm not into Gray," Lucy half-yelled, embarrassed. Juvia must've been satisfied with Lucy's aura, because she gave a small smile and dropped the issue. They continued making small talk until class ended, Gajeel tossing in smart-ass remarks every now and then. When the final bell rang Juvia dashed to the hallway, backpack unzipped and arms full of books. The girl looked incredibly eager, and Lucy wondered what she was so excited for. The answer soon became apparent.
Juvia was standing outside the door across the hall, practically bouncing up and down in joy. Her aura, already gleaming, flashed in rays of glistening gold and blinding silver when Gray stepped through the doorway. Everyone from Lucy's class paused to admire it, more beautiful and more entrancing than any fireworks display. But what drew Lucy's eye was the black vignette that permeated the edges of Gray's aura. What kind of lie could possibly do that?
"Gray-sama," Juvia called cheerfully. "Juvia came to walk home with you. Is this okay?"
"Whatever," he mumbled, cheeks red. "It's annoying, but suit yourself."
Lucy almost gasped as his aura grew darker, the sinister black that hung in the space around him deepening. The contrast in their auras was stark and alarming. Juvia's aura was so light and pretty, illuminating her, while Gray's aura was dark and threatening- a black hole looming over his very existence. It almost looked like it would swallow him whole. But when Juvia grew closer, their auras seemed to mesh and blend into a grey area that hovered between them. It was rather akin to their relationship, this confusing grey area. It consisted of neither 'yes' nor 'no', right nor wrong, caring nor indifference. It was full of 'maybe's and platonic yearning.
A girl so completely honest and a boy that built his world out of lies like, "I don't need you." Somehow, they fit. Juvia latched onto Gray's arm, ignoring his protests and dragging him down the hall. Lucy could only watch in fascination. Despite the heavy stains on Gray's aura, Lucy thought that his years of lying to himself would do him no good. Because the way he looked at Juvia signaled that the two were on the precipice of something. It was just a matter of what.
"Um, Lucy? You zoning?"
Lucy's head snapped up in surprise. She met a pair of amused green-grey-golden eyes that sent these pesky feelings all the way down to her toes. Trying to collect herself, she gave a breathy, "Huh?"
"Wow, space cadet," he chuckled. "You really are a weirdo."
"Am not!"
"Just let me know when you're done gazing soulfully at Fullbuster," he snickered. Lucy stuttered, face reddening.
"Shut up! I was not gazing at him. I was just distracted by his aura."
"Oh," Natsu said, face souring. "I've never been very good at those."
"Auras," Lucy asked, following Natsu down the hall. "How can you tell if you're good or bad?"
"The better you are at them, the brighter the colors are. Even when I focus really hard, I can't see them very well."
Lucy nodded, thinking back to how vivid the colors had been for her. Now that an hour had almost passed, the auras were starting to fade. If she focused someone's aura, it would become more saturated in color for a few seconds. But eventually it would blur again, melting with the air's natural transparency.
"So," Natsu began, interrupting her thoughts. "Is that all your class did today? Auras?"
"Yeah," Lucy nodded. "What did you do?"
"Hand-to-hand combat," Natsu grinned. Lucy gaped in disbelief.
"Seriously? You had to fight in class?"
"I totally won," Natsu boasted, stretching his arms and resting them behind his head. "Kicked Rogue's ass. He said he would've won if the moon was full, but even then I still doubt it."
"If the moon was full," Lucy repeated, trying to affirm the ideas that had already started spinning in her head.
"Werewolf," Natsu replied casually. Of course there are werewolves.
"You really think you could beat a werewolf," Lucy asked, doubt seeping into her tone.
"I know I could beat a werewolf. I mean, have you seen these," He asked confidently, flexing his arms in a show of bravado. Lucy couldn't help but laugh, rolling her eyes and shoving his (rock-solid. Damn.) biceps out of her face. He kept on striking bodybuilder poses as they walked, so ridiculous and utterly Natsu. When they passed a mirror, she thought she saw her own aura give a faint shimmer as it caught the light just right. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head back and forth. When Lucy looked back up to see her reflection in the school's enormous trophy case, it was gone. No aura- and no sparkling. Must've been a trick of the light.
Thank you, guys! Sorry again for the belated update. I'm hoping to get the next chapter finished by Wednesday next week, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Follow, favorite, and review. You know, the works. Tell me what truth (or dare) you'd like to see from which characters. The funniest/most interesting one will be in the next chapter. Until next time, XOXO. ~Mya