Chapter Eight
Frailty
The sun had just barely begun to peak over the mountains surrounding the isolated town of Magnolia, casting an orangey yellow hue upon three figures stranded on the side of a forest road.
Lucy stood in between the other two, her right shoulder weighted down by Kain's heavy hand as he held her place. But even if his hand hadn't been there, she wouldn't have tried to run, the blonde just staring numbly, silently forward as the blood streaming down her face finally began to lessen its flow.
The headlights of a van suddenly shown upon them as a car rounded the bend just ahead, and Zancrow shifted on his feet behind the blonde girl as another Zentopia van, one that hadn't been driven off the side of a cliff, pulled to a stop in front of them.
Ultear exited the passenger seat's door before the van had even come to a complete halt, her strides purposeful and her painted red lips pulled tight in a grim line as she closed the distance between herself and the group of three, her heels clacking against the pavement.
Her right palm smacked against Zancrow's cheek without a word, and the blond apostle simply took the blow, licking his chapped lips and not bothering to turn his head from where it'd twisted after her slap. He grabbed at the base of his skull, hissing out, "God…my neck. You could've at least given me a heads up before smacking me."
Ultear's lips remained tightly pressed together as she glanced at Lucy's pale face, the blonde numbly swaying on her feet and her eyes blearily staring off at nothing. The dark haired apostle whipped her gaze back to Zancrow, firmly prying, "Any injuries?"
The blond man reluctantly lifted his hand to show the bloodied, hastily-wrapped cloth that covered the hole Lucy had left behind by stabbing the screw driver through his palm, the blond apostle swallowing heavily as if in shame at having been injured by the likes of the smaller girl.
"I wasn't asking about you," Ultear ground out. "Is Lucy hurt?"
Zancrow scoffed to himself, running his tongue across his lips once more as his gaze fell to the pavement, "She's got a few scratches, but that's it. I looked her over myself."
Ultear didn't seem to be at all relieved, her eyes still blazing fiercely as she pressed, "You know that she's special, right? If any harm befalls her, there will be a reckoning."
"Of course," Zancrow chuckled to himself, "She's the key to our salvation, after all."
"Our body and spirit must always be clean when we meet our Spiritual Father," Ultear dabbed at the blood on Lucy's temple as the blonde sat in the seat next to her, Kain having taken the passenger seat and Zancrow seated on Lucy's other side as the driver took them back to Zentopia. The dark haired apostle had dampened the cloth with the Life Water she always carried on her person, and she knew that with the holy liquid cleansing the blonde's wounds, they would heal in no time.
Such was the power of their Spiritual Father, and the grace of their Almighty.
"Lucy," Ultear started gently, her hands falling back into her lap now that she'd done the best she could at ridding the blonde's pale skin of its marring red splatters and streams. "You have your cell phone, right?"
The girl's eyes finally shifted from where they'd been numbly staring off into space, her pupils not exactly focused on the apostle, but at least looking downwards in her direction.
"In order to overcome this, you must desert all worldly things," Ultear expectantly held out her palm.
Lucy's eyes finally trailed up from the apostle's hand to the dark haired woman's face, her features blank.
"Come on," Ultear pressed, extending her hand out further in insistence. "Give it to me."
The blonde's gaze retreated forward, her hand slowly dipping into her pocket. Before she could withdraw her fingers fully once more, Ultear snatched the phone from her grasp, the girl's hand numbly floating in the air after the fact.
Lucy silently watched on as the screen of her phone flashed to life at Ultear's touch, the photo of her and Sting that she'd chosen as her background greeting her tired, worn gaze. It was the last picture she'd taken with her twin before his accident all those years ago, and as the dark haired apostle powered the phone off completely, she blankly stared at the screen as her and Sting's faces faded into black.
Lucy swayed on her feet as Ultear guided her into Precht's office, her head feeling weightless and her body ready to collapse at any moment. She felt incredibly vulnerable and incapable, and upon seeing her father's face as he stood from one of the couches and spun to face her, all of her old habits came flooding back. Tears gathered in her eyes as she stumbled out of Ultear's grasp and towards him, her voice choked as she sought comfort from the man whom had always protected her from her sorrows when she was young, "Dad…R-Romeo is…He's…"
Jude's hands shot to her shoulders, his fingers digging into her flesh hard enough to bruise as he shook her weak frame in tandem with his shouting, "Why…Why would you do such a thing?! Do you really want to end up in the fiery pits of hell for eternity by following the devil?!"
The blonde's eyes widened in disbelief as her form began to tremble, "You…you think that I did it? Dad, please don't believe whatever they told you! Please…don't do this…"
"I can't take this anymore," his hands fell from her shoulders, retreating to curl into fists at his sides. "Starting from today, I want you to fast with me and pray to the Almighty in repentance." His voice grew more firm, "No matter what happens, I'm not going to give up on you."
"He's right, Lucy," Ultear softly affirmed, taking an earnest step towards the blonde. "We won't give up on you, no matter how much you refuse. Our Almighty will always love you, and so shall we."
The blonde girl's gaze numbly peeled from her father, her eyes staring off at nothing once more.
If only they would give up on her, then maybe she'd finally be free. It didn't seem to matter how much trouble she caused them or how openly she tossed their practices aside, they were alarmingly persistent, and it absolutely terrified her. Her father aside, none of the people here seemed to genuinely care for her, though now she was even questioning his love for her, too. They never asked her how she was nor did they seem to want to know any details about her life so they could get to know her better. But still, for some reason, they were desperately trying to keep her close, almost like losing her would be an intolerable, tragic loss.
The door at the back of the office, the one that lead to Precht's personal quarters, was suddenly slammed open, and the preacher himself rushed into the room, hurriedly coming to stand in front of the blonde and gripping both of her hands between his own, "Lucy, I'm glad you're safe." He gazed down at where her hands were clasped in his, "Your hands are freezing."
Lucy's trembling only grew stronger as he ran his fingers over the skin on the back of her hands. The genuine concern in Precht's expression and tone terrified her, the man acting more like he'd almost lost a valuable prize rather than a girl he hardly knew.
Precht turned his apostle, "Help her get warmed up immediately."
Ultear quickly nodded in understanding and came to wrap an arm around the blonde, beginning to lead her away.
"Spiritual Father, my daughter allowed herself to become possessed by the devil and committed a grievous sin. Please punish her in accordance to her transgressions."
"What could you possible mean?" Precht steadfastly began, glancing at the Heartfilia patriarch with his brows furrowed. "Today is a very joyous day. A lost lamb returned to us safe and sound."
Lucy's head lulled forward as she realized that he was using her to preach again. This time, however, she didn't have the will to fight back.
"If she had ended up getting abandoned out in the world on her own, she would've fallen victim to much suffering," the preacher hummed deep in his throat, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked to the blonde, speaking about her like she wasn't even in the room, "You mustn't be too harsh on our dear Lucy. We all are always capable of falling for the devil's temptation. Especially at a time like this where the world is full of pleasure, and the devil may come to us with an innocent mask and tempts irresistibly."
Lucy simply let the dark haired apostle drag her from the room as the preacher continued to speak with Jude. Her father had truly forsaken her now, the man blinded by his belief that he was being a good father by pleading for her salvation.
The truth of how drastically her life had changed in the span of only a few hours was slowly burrowing into her being and leaving her numb, her mind blank of all but one thought.
With Romeo gone, she was now truly and undeniably alone.
Lucy numbly trailed behind Ultear as the dark haired apostle strode through one of the hallways of Zentopia's boarding building. The woman had let the blonde walk on her own, trusting that she no longer had the drive to protest and run away. But she still kept her pace slow so she didn't lose the girl, always making sure that she could hear Lucy's soft footfalls echoing throughout the empty hallway behind her.
The hallway suddenly went silent as Lucy paused beside the door of a particular dorm, swallowing heavily as her gaze slowly slid to the knob.
Ultear turned back, having noticed the lack of the sounds of her footfalls, "Lucy?"
"Just…just give me a moment," the blonde softly breathed out.
She slowly stepped forward and wrapped her fingers around the knob, her form beginning to tremble once more as the room on the other side was revealed to her gaze. Her focus traveled from the waste basket in the corner that was overflowing with empty apple juice cans to the rumpled comforter atop the red, blue, and green sheets of the bed to the still opened school books littering the top of the desk against the far wall.
Whimpers filled the hallway as she crumbled to the ground, her chest heaving several times as if in warning before her sobbing broke loose full throttle.
Just like with Sting, it was her fault. She'd been the one to insist Romeo be taken to the hospital. She'd been the one to cause the car crash on the way back to Zentopia. She'd been the one to lead him towards the train tracks. She'd been the one that could nothing more than watch on, too weak to do a thing again.
The blonde's wails echoed through the hallway as Ultear crouched down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leaning to softly whisper into her ear, "It's the silent prayer period. You must be quiet."
Lucy's head fell forward, sobs still slipping through her lips despite the apostle's urgent words for her to calm down.
"Don't forget that your mother is also here with us in Zentopia," Ultear stroked her hand through the blonde's locks for a few moments before she stood and retreated a short distance away, her hands clasped reverently in front of herself as she waited for the girl's breakdown to cease, "You must remain strong for her, correct?"
Lucy stared numbly forward, her cries choking off into silence. Those words weren't a call to action or an attempt at inspiring her to endure. They were a threat, one that clearly registered within the blonde. If she didn't do what they wanted, her mother would suffer the consequences, and another of her loved ones would be taken from her just like that.
Precht gently cleared his throat as he kneeled before Macao, the single father having crumbled to his knees upon hearing the news, "I saw Romeo standing beside our Almighty in my morning prayers." The preacher set his hand on the man's shoulder as he wept, his voice forthright as he urged, "He was smiling more brightly than ever before, so you needn't be afraid. Pray that you will be able to join him one day."
Natsu gently grasped Wendy's limp hand between both of his own, mindlessly beginning to play with his little sister's fingers as he rested his elbows on the mattress of her hospital bed. It'd been far too long since he'd been by her side, and his voice was laced with regret as he quietly began, "Wendy…I'm sorry for not coming more often. Whenever I came back to Magnolia…I was reminded of what happened." Tears stung the backs of his eyes as he recalled the past, from the death of the Heartfilia boy, to a broken Lucy ceasing their friendship, to Gray ignoring his cries as he was forcefully carted off to prison. His grip on his sister's hand grew stronger as he softly breathed out, "It was so hard to be here…When I first came back to Mangolia, I walked the streets of town alone for the first time in my life. I didn't have you or Gray by my side like you guys always were back then…and I hated it."
He stood and spun to face the door when it was suddenly pushed open and light laughter fluttered into the room, Wendy's hand never leaving his grasp. His lips pressed into a grim line when Zeref entered, the governor followed by his ever-present blonde assistant.
The older Dragneel paused when he caught sight of his salmon haired brother at Wendy's bedside, his soft grin fading as his eyes drifted to anywhere but Natsu, "When did you get here? You didn't tell me you were coming back to Magnolia."
Natsu let his gaze fall from the governor's face as well, his finger's tightening around Wendy's palm. Zeref had once been one of his sole confidants, but now he felt nothing but discomfort in his brother's presence, "The day before yesterday."
"You should have come to my house and slept there. Spending money at a hotel is a waste."
The salmon haired boy didn't respond, deciding to keep quiet on the matter of why he'd opted for a hotel instead of his brother's home.
After the brief moment of silence, Zeref cleared his throat before quietly starting, "Did something happen in Crocus? Is that why you're here? If I remember correctly, your fall break isn't for another month."
Natsu's eyes followed Dimaria as she took a seat on the other side of Wendy's bed, unable hold back the spite that spilt into his voice as he hissed at his brother, "I know you've already heard about the fight, so why bother asking me?" His brows furrowed in anger when Dimaria pumped some of the lotion on the bedside table into her palm, rubbing her hands together before lifting Wendy's limp arm and begging to massage the bluenette's muscles. The animosity was now flowing completely unrestrained into Natsu's tone as he snapped, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Her gaze lifted to meet his, not an ounce of amity in her voice as she explained the situation as if she were speaking to a child, "Your sister's muscles have become weaker, so she needs to be massaged more often."
"That's not what I meant," Natsu faced the secretary fully, his hands clenched at his sides, "I don't want you touching my sister."
"I asked her to," Zeref stepped forward, rushing to ease the tension that'd built in the room. "I promise I'll take care of Wendy, so you can leave, Natsu."
The salmon haired boy looked back to his brother, chuckling bitterly to himself, "You've never been one to break promises, Zeref...but I don't think I can believe you from here on out."
"What are you getting at?" The governor furrowed his brows, anger beginning to trace his features, "You don't trust me?"
"The promise you made me three years ago," Natsu snapped, not at all intimidated by the indignation in Zeref's expression. He'd been wallowing in his regret for years now, and not even the possibility of earning his brother's resentment could stop him from finally letting all of his thoughts and feelings out, "That was the only way I could salvage my friendship with Gray." His gaze fell to the floor, his jaw clenched as he bitterly hissed, "But now…I don't think I can face him ever again."
Zeref cleared his throat once more, casting his secretary a glance, "Excuse us, please."
Dimaria stood from Wendy's bedside, wiping her hands on a small wash cloth before obeying her boss' wishes, her lips pressed into a displeased line at having been asked to leave.
The sound of soft footfalls was the only sound in the room, Zeref's hands clasped behind his back in a dignified manner that suited one of his status as he paced towards the window. His gaze fell to the garden's that rested two stories below, his focus tracing the very path he and his brother had walked when they'd forged the aforementioned promise, "Natsu…I know this might sound like an excuse to you, but I did my best, too. Whatever the reason was, a boy has become permanently disabled because of Gray. That's why it's difficult to get him out."
Natsu clenched his jaw, his nostrils flaring and his chest tightening in anger. His brother was right. That was an excuse, plain and simple. As governor, Zeref had the ability to pardon certain criminals depending on the severity of their crime, and releasing someone like Gray, a juvenile who had no strong evidence against him, would've poised nothing he couldn't easy surpass, especially if the salmon haired boy had been allowed to testify in favor of him. That was the messed up way of the world, and for once, Natsu had desperately pleaded for his brother to take advantage of the screwy manner of things. At least then, he wouldn't have had to live the last three years without his best friend by his side.
He swallowed heavily at the thought of the raven haired boy, lamenting over how he'd let his best friend be unjustly locked away. His brother's promise of freeing Gray had been his only comfort in the following months after the fact, but even that had fallen through and given rise to nothing.
"I don't believe you anymore," Natsu breathed out, not an ounce of regret in his voice. He didn't care how such a phrase would impact his brother, and he would even go as far as saying he wanted Zeref to feel wounded. He'd spent the last three years suffering because of their broken promise, and in his mind, it was only fair that his brother be subject to the same suffocating feelings of betrayal and abandonment.
Zeref slowly spun to face him, his brows now furrowed not with anger but with hurt, "Are you really going to do this to me?" He retreated from the window, striding around Wendy's bed and coming to stand in front of his younger sibling, his tone an attempt at sounding reassuring, "Fine. I'll meet with the warden of the prison and-"
"Zeref," Natsu sharply cut him off, his lips pressed tightly together and anger lacing his hardened features, "Gray's being released today. If you really did do your best to get him out, how can you not know that?"
The governor visibly scrambled for a response, "I…Natsu, listen-"
"And I guess Wendy didn't want you to become governor," he turned away from his brother and back towards their sister, his throat tightening as he looked her limp body over once more. It didn't matter how many times he'd seen her like this since the accident, it never got easier to witness and bear.
"What?"
"You once said that Wendy would get better and Gray would be released once you were elected." He swallowed heavily as he lifted his gaze, all sorrow gone from his expression and replaced by stone cold resolve, "But…nothing's changed."
His brother's cries chased after him as he stormed out of the room, but he ignored them, his hatred for himself lessening only a fraction and giving way to an overwhelming, momentary reprieve of satisfaction. It felt undeniably good to have the words he'd been aching to say for three years finally dislodged from where they'd been tucked away in his head, and now that they were out in the open, he didn't care what kind of wreckage they were capable of causing.
He was done being submissive to his brother's whims, and if that meant their relationship had been reduced to nothing but ashes, then so be it. Zeref had shown no care for fulfilling the promise that was Natsu's only hope of piecing together the shards of his most essential friendship, and from this point on, Natsu had resolved himself to do the same. He would act in the moment and do what his heart told him was right without thinking of the consequences. All of his regrets had spawned from showing restraint and concerning himself only with the future, and in an attempt to atone for his mistakes, from here on out he'd focus only on the present. That new mindset was what had gotten him kicked out of college, but he certainly wasn't planning on abandoning it any time soon, because he didn't have much left, and he'd be damned if he let it slip away from him.
Lucy didn't cast a glance towards the door of her mother's room as it was pushed open, her gaze instead remaining focused on her task as she brushed through her mother's blonde locks while the woman sat quietly and blankly stared off at nothing, her hands simply clasped in her lap on top of a copy of Zentopia's holy scriptures. The blonde girl knew who the new arrivals were without even having to look, and sure enough, her father's voice soon began to sound in the formerly peacefully quiet space.
"Lucy, let's go."
The blonde swallowed heavily, still not turning her focus from her task as she indifferently asked, "Go where?"
"Spiritual Father granted us permission for your sake," Jude started lowly. "We're going to leave Zentopia for a while and live in town instead."
Lucy's hands froze as her frame tensed in surprise, the brush still only partly pulled through one of her mother's strands. Her focus slowly slid to her father, not yet letting herself get her hopes until she knew all of her other desires were met, "What about mom?"
Ultear suddenly stepped out from behind her father, her hands clasped in front of her and a tight grin on her painted red lips, "It's better for your mother to stay here and continue her treatment, Lucy."
The blonde's solemn gaze retreated to her mother, resuming her brushing and swallowing heavily before she steadfastly replied, "I can't leave her alone in this place."
"Of course," the dark haired apostle smiled softly. "You'll only be going to your home in Magnolia to sleep. This is our paradise after all, so you'll still spend your days here. Please don't worry."
Lucy slowly let out a heavy breath. Of course she wouldn't be completely free of her ties to this place. She had tried to keep herself from getting her hopes up upon hearing her father's words earlier, but even the small fraction they'd ascended had just been completely crushed back down into dust.
"I won't go," she firmly resolved as she stood to face her father and the apostle. "I can't leave mom here alone, even if it's just for the night. We have to take her with us, dad."
"Lucy, dear, your mother will be very well taken care of by Zentopia's apostles, so you needn't worry."
She swallowed heavily, knowing that there was no way she'd leave her mother in this godforsaken place when she wasn't there herself. She might've tried to leave without her mother before, but now that she was willfully being let free, she'd fight to get the last member of their family out so that they could leave this place together, hopefully for good.
The blonde reached down and snatched one of her mother's hands from her lap, beginning to pull the woman out of the bed as she firmly insisted, "She's coming with us."
"Let go of me!"
Lucy's eyes widened at her mother's scream, and her hand was soon yanked out of her grasp. It'd been years since she'd seen her mother react to something so passionately, and the fact that it was done in protest against something Lucy had orchestrated caused the tears to gather once more, the blonde's eyes stinging horribly from how much she'd been crying as of late.
"M-mom…"
Layla's anxiously shook her head, her eyes wide, "This is paradise, Lucy! We have to stay here if we want to meet Sting!"
"See," Ultear smirked as if in victory, satisfaction written across her features as her gaze slid to the blonde girl, "She seems happy here, doesn't she? How could you tear her away from this?"
The tears silently slipped down Lucy's cheeks as Layla began to sing, or rather scream a Zentopia hymn about the Almighty's love for his people, Jude proudly joining in with his wife's song after the first few lines.
This place was hell. It had stolen her parents from her, and there truly was no escape.
The metal of the prison gates screeched raucously as they were shoved open, and all but one of the group of four boys that emerged were greeted with cries and cheers from their families.
Gray bit his bottom lip as he brought of the rear of the boys being granted their freedom, a wave of bitterness overcoming him as he watched his former prison mates receive warm hugs and halfhearted chastisements from their families. He hauled his small bag of belongings higher on his shoulder as he strode forward on his own, past the crowd of families greeting their sons.
His eyes stung with tears as he left his containment behind, because for him, there was no one, and now, he was truly on his own.
Lucy suddenly began to feel light headed as she sat between her father and Ultear on the middle bench of one of Zentopia's vans, her stomach giving an awful lurch in tandem with the jostling of the car as they descended the mountain and drove into the valley.
"C-can we please…p-pull over?"
Ultear quirked a brow and cast a glance at the blonde out of the corner of her eye, "What's wrong?"
"I…I need to use the restroom."
In the passenger seat, Zancrow let out an annoyed scoff.
Ultear shot a glare at the back of the blond apostle's head before reaching forward to whap Kain on the shoulder, commanding him, "Pull over."
They stopped at the first gas station they saw, and Lucy swallowed heavily as Ultear exited with her, trailing her all the way into the gas station. The blonde let out a small breath when the cashier recognized the apostle and called her over, thinking that she might finally have a moment on her own. She didn't miss the glance that Ultear cast through the window in the direction of their car to make sure that Zancrow was watching the gas station doors, though the apostle's voice was pleasant enough as she acceded, "Lucy, why don't you go on ahead? I'll follow you in shortly."
The blonde nodded her head softly, knowing that Zancrow was watching her every move through the glass windows at the front of the gas station as she wound her way through the aisles and towards the bathroom at the back of the store. She didn't care whose eyes were on her anyway. At least for the moment, she didn't want to run away. All she wanted was a moment to herself.
She cupped her hands under the water flowing from the faucet she'd twisted on, bringing the small puddle up to her face and running the cool liquid across her skin. It brought momentary physical relief, but as she turned off the faucet and lifted her gaze to look at her reflection, the raw memories of all that had happened bubbled back up to the surface. The cut from the accident two days ago still marred the skin near her right temple, and the rest of her face was still littered with bruises and other scrapes, along with the deep bags discoloring the skin around her eyes. If it weren't for her sweater, she'd be able to see the scrapes and bruises on her arms too, though just the wounds on her face were more than enough to send her spiraling back into her misfortune.
As she stared at her own reflection in the mirror, she loathed herself for her natural and irrefutable resemblance to Sting. Never before had she so strongly cursed the fact that they were twins, and with the scrapes and bruises blemishing the pale skin of her face, she bore a startling resemblance to how he had looked in his last moments before he'd taken the leap that ended his life.
Her chest suddenly and involuntarily heaved, the same lurch from before attacking her stomach again. Her hand flew to cover her mouth as she heaved once more, her panicked feet stumbling into one of the stalls that rested behind her, the door clanking against the wall as she shoved through it in her haste. She collapsed to her knees in front of the toilet, her fingers anxiously clenching onto the sides of the bowl as stomach acid torturously climbed up her throat and forced its way through her mouth.
Wet coughs wracked the blonde's lungs once it was over, her frame collapsing sideways and her upper body slamming against the wall of the stall as tears silently streaked down her cheeks.
How had her life turned out like this? How had she let her life turn out like this?
The back of her head knocked against the stall and lulled sideways as she gave up on holding it straight, and her heart nearly stopped beating in her chest as her eyes naturally shifted with the movement of her head.
There, on the farthest wall of the bathroom, was an opened window, one she could definitely squeeze herself through.
"I'll kill you if you ever make me come out this far again, you morons!"
Loke chuckled at Juvia's shrinking form as she spat insults at them over her shoulder, her feet clanking along the boardwalk as she stomped back to her delivery car from the benches that rested along the shore of Magnolia's one and only lake. The orange haired playboy let out a heavy sigh as he settled his pizza box on his lap, muttering to himself, "If she keeps that attitude up, she'll never find a boyfriend."
He glanced up at his friends when his joke received no response, and he wasn't surprised to find that Elfman was already busy devouring his newly delivered pizza. The orange haired playboy's grin faded when he glanced in Natsu's direction, however, the boy's salmon hair set aglow by the light of the setting sun as he stared at his pizza box like it was the saddest thing in the entire world.
Loke quirked a brow, "Natsu…you performing a ritual or something?"
"We haven't hung out like this since…you know…" the salmon haired boy swallowed heavily, still staring at his pizza box as he slowly breathed out, "So this is the first time we've ordered only three pizzas instead of four."
Loke's mood plummeted through the ground at that statement, and the three were left to eat in solemn silence.
Lucy's lungs were on fire and her eyes burned with tears in the cold night. She'd never run so fast in all of her life, and her body still ached with repercussions of the accident two days ago. But she didn't care, only ceaselessly urging her legs to go faster and ignoring the way her lungs screamed for air. She had no idea where she was or in what direction she was heading, but as long as it was away from anyone associated with Zentopia, she didn't care.
Her pace stumbled to a near halt as she came upon a road that ran perpendicular to the path she'd followed from the back of the gas station, her heart soaring as she spotted a police car driving closer to where she stood.
Finally, it seemed she'd encountered a bit of luck.
No matter how stupid it was, she ran out into the middle of the road without hesitation, throwing herself into car's path and spreading her arms out wide. She clenched her eyes shut as the bright headlights came too close for her to bear, her head turning to the side.
The brakes of the car screeched as it slammed to a stop, and the blonde's hands came to rest on its hood as she collapsed forward in relief. Breathes were escaping her in heavy puffs, adrenaline too prominent in her veins for her to have any regret about how reckless she'd been.
The driver's door opened and a pretty white haired cop emerged with her brows pinched together in worry, her voice light as she closed the door and tentatively approached the blonde, "You okay, sweetie?"
Gray quietly trailed behind the blue haired man he'd met before, the one with the strange maroon tattoo on his face, as he wound through the patrons of the club, the raven haired boy not letting his irritation at the pulsing music and flashing lights show on his features. He knew that if he was going to work here like Jellal had offered yesterday, then he'd have to get used to the club's atmosphere. And although Gray knew his grandmother would've haughtily protested had she known, he'd accepted the offer, returning the following night to meet his potential employer.
Jellal paused at one of the booths that ran along the wall of the club, turning to face the lone man that lounged on the velvet cushions with a glass of wine delicately held between his fingers, his other arm slung over the back of the bench.
Jellal nodded in the raven haired boy's direction as he spoke to the lone man, "This is the guy I told you about yesterday. His name's Gray Fullbuster."
The man before him was the living example of the word 'sleaze ball,' though Gray soon realized that he probably shouldn't have expected any different considering that the man was the owner of a club. His hair hung in greasy brown, almost maroon colored tangles that fell nearly to his shoulders, a mustache of similar hue resting on his upper lip and curling down to reach near his chin. His clothes were tacky and horribly mismatched, though Gray had to admit that the worse part of the assemble was the witch-like hat that sat atop his head.
The corner of the man's painted lips pulled back into a smirk, tilting his wine glass as he examined the raven haired boy before him, "You just got of jail, didn't you? Why do you want to work right away?"
"To make money," Gray bluntly replied, no traces of shame in his tone.
The man shifted his head, tilting it the other way as he glanced at Jellal and smirked in satisfaction, "I like how rude he is." His gaze slid back to the raven haired boy, "Why do you need money? You wanna get laid?"
Gray didn't flinch at the lewd suggestion, steadfastly answering, "I'm gonna buy my grandma a house."
The club owner chuckled to himself, "Prison turned you into a good boy?"
The raven haired boy gave no reaction to the teasing, still staring the man in the eyes dead-on.
After a brief moment more of scanning his eyes over the boy's frame, the man looked to Jellal, his lips still pulled in a smirk, "Teach him well."
Lucy rested her head against the cold glass of the window of the cop car, hoping it'd clear her head and pull her body out of its exhausted slump. She couldn't believe it was finally happening. She was finally with some people who might be able to help her achieve freedom for good, and she wanted herself to be fully aware and lucid during these next few moments, knowing that they were the determining factor in what happened to her from here on out. She needed them to believe her tales of what had happened inside Zentopia's walls, and she wouldn't let her exhaustion get in her way.
The blond cop in the passenger seat of the car suddenly cleared his throat, leaning over to peer at her in the rear-view mirror as the white haired woman drove them to the station, "What's your name?"
"Lucy," she replied quietly.
"Do you know your parents' phone number?"
She numbly shook her head, her skin still pressed against the cold glass. Her parents weren't just unreachable by phone, but also by reason as well it seemed. Her father's and mother's actions and words over these past three years constantly haunted her conscience, and them gaining the knowledge of her current whereabouts was the last thing she wanted. Not to mention that she was twenty-one now, too, and with her age she had no need for her parents' involvement.
"Then…" the white haired cop started hesitantly, "…where do you live?"
Lucy swallowed heavily, her eyes blankly staring out the foggy window, "I don't have a home."
The woman cast her a worried look in the rear-view mirror, though before anyone could say more, the blond cop's phone buzzed in his pocket.
"What now?" he muttered under his breath in annoyance before pressing the phone to his ear, "Hello?" His expression faltered for a moment before his gaze shifted to the blonde girl in the rear-view mirror again, still speaking into his phone, "What? Really?" He momentarily paused as he listened to the person on the other line, sighing heavily once they were finished, "Yeah, I got it."
"Who was it?" the white haired cop asked lightly after he'd hung up.
He didn't give his partner an answer, only glancing at her before twisting in his seat to face the blonde girl fully, his brows furrowed, "You're a member of Zentopia?"
Lucy's head shot up from where it'd been resting against the window, her brown eyes wide as her breathing quickened in panic. Her hand latched onto the handle of the nearest door, hopelessly tugging on it and banging on the window with her other hand, "Let me out! Please, you have to let me out now!"
The blond cop cast an apprehensive glance at his partner before looking back to the girl having a meltdown, "The hell?"
The woman kept driving, her eyes still focused on the road but her voice louder and more anxious as she caught sight the blonde's panic in the rear-view mirror, "Sweetie, you have to calm down!"
Lucy unbuckled her seatbelt, shooting forward and latching onto the white haired cop's shoulder as she began full on sobbing, "Please, help me! I'm begging you, don't make me go back!"
Mira smiled warmly as she opened the back door of her car for the blonde, doing her best to sound gentle and unintimidating, "It's okay, Lucy. You can get out now."
The girl swallowed heavily, the lights shining on the outside of the police station catching in the tear tracks on her cheeks. She hesitated for a moment, but after seeing the kindness in the white haired cop's gaze she slowly, exhaustedly scooted herself along the back seat and towards the door. Something about the woman automatically made Lucy feel like she could trust her, though she wasn't quite sure what that something was. Maybe it was that while the blond cop was staring at her apprehensively as if she was crazy and might have another breakdown, his partner had nothing but concern in her features. There wasn't an ounce of judgement in her gaze as she helped Lucy from the back of the car, gently grabbing her arm to help her stand on her shaking legs.
Laxus shut the door after them before walking ahead to enter the station, and Mira moved to lead the girl after him, but the blonde stood firm, prompting the white haired cop to spin and face her.
Lucy desperately clutched onto the other woman's forearms, shakily breathing out, "You…you have to help me. D-did someone from Zentopia-"
"Lucy!"
Her eyes widened at the cry of her name from the steps leading into the station. It was a voice she'd known her entire life, and although it used to fill her with warm comfort, now, it only made her feel numb.
Just as she had expected, when she turned toward the call, her father was descending the steps and rushing towards her, the three apostles from Zentopia following in his stead.
She stood unflinching as he grasped her shoulders, still desperately clutching onto one of the white haired cop's hands as he jostled her in rhythm with his shouting, "How could you disappear on us like that? I looked everywhere for you!"
"Lucy, your father was very worried about you," Ultear reprimanded. Her crimson eyes shifted towards the blonde cop, "Sergeant Dreyar, I'm sorry we're always pestering you for help."
He quirked a brow, sounding somewhat apathetic as he heavily sighed, "I guess it's the least I could do. You're always taking in the destitute and homeless. It helps keep the streets of Magnolia clear."
The dark haired apostle smiled warmly and softly nodded her head, "Of course."
Laxus' gaze shifted to his partner, glancing down at where she and the blonde girl were still connected, "What are you doing? Let 'em take her home."
Mira startled a bit as the group's attention suddenly shifted towards her, momentarily gazing down at the blonde's pale fingers as they wrapped around her own hand, "Oh…of course."
"Thank you. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't found her." Jude stepped forward to grab his daughter's arm in place of the white haired cop, "Let's go."
"No!"
Everyone's eyes widened a fraction at the formerly docile blonde's sudden outburst, the girl yanking her hand out of her father's grasp and stumbling backwards a few steps. She anxiously shook her head, her chest heaving with strained breaths as her gaze slowly traveled over every member of the group around her.
She suddenly shot towards Laxus and desperately grasped onto his arm, tears streaming down her cheeks as she hopelessly pleaded, "Officer, you have to help me!"
The blond cop was practically holding her up, his eyes anxious darting around at the crowd around them, "W…what?"
Lucy pressed herself closer to him in distrust of those around them, anxiously whispering, "These people…they're murderers. They…" her voice grew choked, "…they killed Romeo on the train tracks." At the haunting memory, her legs started to give out on her and her hands began to slip from her grasp on Laxus' arm. Mira rushed forward to catch her before she could fall completely, the blonde all but collapsing into her arms.
Laxus glanced back at Ultear, displeasure written across his features as he stared at the blonde sobbing against his partner's chest, "Shit…you were right about her. Glad we found her when we did."
The blonde girl faltered in her sobbing at his words. What lies had they told him about her?
Ultear pensively nodded her head, her hands clasped humbly in front of herself.
"Take better care of her and see to it that she doesn't run off again," Laxus advised. "The world's a scary place."
"Lucy was there when the accident with Romeo occurred, and it appears it affected her more than we originally thought," the dark haired apostle solemnly remarked.
'Accident?' What had happened wasn't an accident. They'd probably used his disability as an excuse, but it was a lie. All of it was lies. The entire religion and everything it was founded on. Everything they prophesized and promised to their followers. It was all fake.
"If she's not mentally stable," Laxus continued, crossing his arms over his chest, "you really shouldn't let her off on her own."
"I'm not insane!" Lucy spat in his direction before tearing herself out of Mira's embrace and hurriedly stumbling towards her father, catching herself on his shoulders before clenching one of her hands into a fist and pounding on his chest, "Don't just stand there! Say something!"
"Please stop this, Lucy!" He gripped her shoulders once more, "Please stop, I'm begging you! My heart aches whenever you act like this! With your mother in the condition she's in, I can't bear to see you like this! Please, get a hold of yourself!"
Her hands numbly reached up to fist in his shirt just beneath the collar, never breaking eye contact with him despite how weary she was, "D-dad…"
His voice grew less pleading and more firm, "The things you're seeing right now are all lies created by the devil. Why do you keep falling for their temptations? Don't you remember? Spiritual Father said the devils are all liars and murderers."
Lucy's hand slowly uncurled from the fabric of his shirt and she faintly stumbled backwards, Ultear rushing forward to catch her. The blonde weakly yanked against her grasp, her struggles quickly growing more frantic, "Let go of me. I said let go!"
The dark haired apostle fruitlessly attempted to console her, "Lucy-"
"It's all your fault!" the girl shrieked. "It's all your fault my mom and dad are like this!"
"Almighty, please forgive me," Jude whispered, his eyes on the dark night sky above them and his face lined with deep traces of sorrow. "This is all because I haven't prayed hard enough."
Lucy finally succeeded in yanking herself out of Ultear's grasp, her frame falling against her father's chest once more. He never once stopped gazing heavenward, even as she desperately pleaded, "Dad, please don't do this! If you keep acting like this…" She started to sink downward as she choked out, "…I think I'll really go insane."
She crumpled to her knees in front of him, her hands now fisting in the bottom of his shirt as she cried to herself, pleading to whatever god was really up there, not Zentopia's fabricated, dear Almighty, that everything would just stop; that some sort of salvation would miraculously find her in this moment, when everything, even herself, was truly falling to pieces.
Her father suddenly placed his hand atop her head, his fingers firmly squeezing against her skull. She tentatively opened her eyes and numbly lifted her gaze to his face, tears still silently streaking down her cheeks.
His lips were pulled back in a snarl, utter hatred and distaste on his features as he ground out, "Our savior Almighty, who has defeated death by the blood of the lamb, I believe in you."
Mira hurriedly stepped forward, ignoring Jude's glare as she anxiously grasped the wrist of the hand he had rested on Lucy's head, "Sir, please don't do this here."
Zancrow's hand wrapped around the cop's elbow and dragged her back towards her partner, leaving her wide-eyed at Laxus' side as he ground out, "You shouldn't mettle in family affairs that don't concern you."
The blonde girl winced as Jude began to press down on the hand that he had on her head, his voice growing louder and echoing around the empty station parking lot, "My dear Almighty, please aid my helpless, poor daughter. Please defeat the devil that resides in her body!"
Lucy's fingers exhaustedly clawed up her father's shirt, her eyes wide as she breathily quivered out, "D-dad…"
Zancrow and Ultear fell to their knees on either side of the girl, taking hold of her arms to hold her in place and pulling them away from her body as they bowed their heads in prayer.
"I command you, devil, in the name of the Almighty! You shall leave the body of my loving daughter this instant!" He raised his hand high into the air above his head only to slam it back down on the blonde's head, repeating the action again and again.
Mira's hand shot to cover her mouth, horrified at the display. The man's large hand was squeezing and hitting the girl's head far too hard to be anything other than physical abuse, his grip shaking her skull to and fro as he screamed. It was blatantly obvious to the white haired cop that something was up with the girl, but she had a feeling that it wasn't the insanity the apostles had described. And if anything, the apostles and the blond man before her seemed more insane than the girl.
She desperately grabbed onto her partner's arm, pleading for him to do something, "Laxus!"
He gave no indication that he'd even heard her plea, his eyes wide as he silently stared on.
"Out! Leave!" Jude brought his hand down to accent every sharp word that shot through his lips, small whimpers slipping through the blonde girl's lips with every impact.
Mira took notice of the girl's loosening fists, not missing the way her body was beginning to weakly sway. But still her father beat at her, crying for a purge.
The girl's body suddenly tumbled to pavement, unconscious and limp in the shadow of her father who stood above her, his hand still raised above his head.
Ultear was breathing heavily as if in excitement as she stood, her hands clasped in front of her chest as she turned to Jude, "The Almighty has saved her! He's surely heard your prayers!"
The two cops watched on with wide eyes as Kain silently stepped forward and lifted the unconscious blonde from the ground, carrying her towards the Zentopia van, which had been parked on the side of the station. Jude and Ultear quickly followed, Zancrow staying behind to talk to the officers after Mira had tentatively, worriedly called out, "I…I reallly think you should take her to the hospital."
The blond apostle put on his best attempt at an amicable grin, "Those who are physically sick go to the hospital, but not those with ill souls. Our Almighty is a skilled healer, so you needn't worry about the girl." He smirked and bowed his head forward a fraction in gratitude, "Thanks for saving Lucy, but your involvement in our affairs ends here." He turned his back on them and stalked towards the van without another word.
Mira anxiously turned to her partner, "Laxus…are we really just going to let them go? That was obviously domestic violence!"
The sergeant quirked a brow, letting out a heavy sigh after moment and turning to head into the station, "Like that guy said, it's really not our place to get involved. They're a religion after all, and how they go about their practices is out of our control. Besides, there was definitely something wrong with that chick."
Mira was left all alone in the parking lot, uselessly watching on as the van drove away. No matter what reasons her partner had given, she knew she wouldn't be able to forget about that girl so easily. The way the blonde had desperately clutched onto her earlier had left a permanent impression, and there had been no insanity in those brown irises, only a desperate cry for help.
Loke suddenly chucked the peanuts he'd been holding between his fingers back into the container in the center of their table at the Fairy Tail bar, fed up with the unusual, suffocating, and uncomfortable silence that had settled over their normally rambunctious group, "Alright, that's it." He leaned across the wooden surface towards Natsu, his eyes narrowed in skepticism, "What's gotten into you, dude? You're not acting like the Natsu I know at all today."
"He's right," Elfman chimed in from his seat beside the orange haired playboy. "What's wrong?"
Natsu glanced at both of them in turn before dropping his gaze as he chugged the rest of his beer. For the first time, Cana had given the alcohol to them without complaint. Though, they were definitely of age now after all.
The salmon haired boy slammed his now empty glass back down on the table, wiping the back of his hand across his lips. His gaze zeroed in on the crack that ran across his side of the table, the one that his best friend always used to pick at, as he solemnly began, "Today…is the day Gray gets released."
Loke let out a heavy sigh, staring at the beer in his own glass, "We know."
"That's the real reason why you came back to Magnolia, isn't it?" Elfman confidently speculated.
Natsu sat quietly for a moment, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth before gravely nodding his head.
"It's not too late," Loke started hopefully. "We can still go see him."
"Before I moved to Crocus, he rejected every single one of my visits," the salmon haired boy recalled bitterly. "You really think he'd want to meet me now?"
His question was meant with no response, his words simply hanging in the air and further adding to the suffocating atmosphere of regret.
"We need more alcohol…" Loke solemnly turned his head sideways, screaming out into the middle of the restaurant, "Cana! We need more drinks!"
Like always, the brunette appeared seemingly out of nowhere, tossing another basket of fries onto the table as she grumbled, "You guys haven't changed a bit since you were in high school. At least order some real food."
Once she was gone, Natsu irately sighed to himself, "She's right. Three years have passed…but nothing's changed."
Light jostling accompanied by the hum of an engine greeted Lucy's senses as she slowly pulled her mind out of its foggy haze, exhaustedly peeling her eyes open and struggling to focus on the sight of above her.
Her gaze widened when she realized that her head was resting in Ultear's lap.
She shot up straight in her seat, her vision nearly blacking out again at the sudden movement, but she forced herself to stay lucid, fiercely glaring at the apostle and demanding an explanation for how she'd wound up in this situation. She couldn't yet remember anything before she'd been asleep, her memory still hazy and stuck in the fog of unconsciousness.
"I'll wake you when we get there, so lie down and get some more rest."
The blonde glanced over her shoulder to find that her father had opted to sit in the back seat, most likely to give her more room to lay down.
Ultear offered her a warm smile, "Do you feel better after being prayed for?"
It all came back to Lucy at once, more anger flooding through her as she recalled what had happened in the parking lot of the police station.
Still feeling inconsolably tense, the blonde hissed, "It's you guys who are the devils. Not the people of the outside world."
"Lucy," Jude firmly warned.
Tears lined the bottom of her eyes, just like they always had as of late, as she turned to glare at her father, not an ounce of restraint or regret in her voice as she spat, "You're just like them."
He ignored her words, a soft grin suddenly melting onto his features as he hummed, "I feel happy and at ease when I'm at Zentopia. Going into town gives me headaches now. I don't know how I lived here in the past."
"It's because this world is full of evil souls," Ultear's smile widened. "We should be grateful, for we've been chosen by the Almighty. He's given us the strength to overcome our trials."
Kain suddenly slammed on the breaks after turning a corner, the raucous noise of the wheels screeching against the pavement sounding in chorus with the smashing of something against the front of the van.
Natsu groaned, painstakingly dragging his leg out from under his tipped motorcycle. He glanced over at Elfman and Loke, finding that Elfman had steered their motorcycle into a stack of cardboard boxes on the edge of the ally at the sudden appearance of the other vehicle from around a corner. Knowing they were okay, he turned his heated glare to the driver of the van that'd crashed into him head on and could've killed him if he didn't have his sharp reflexes.
The passenger side window rolled down, a man with long blonde hair and piercing red eyes leaning out, "You ain't hurt, are you?"
Natsu pushed himself to his feet, huffing out a breath as he tore his helmet off and gave the man a heated stare for his rather insincere beginning, not even offering him so much as an apology.
The man gave him a smug grin, "We're goth mutually at fault, right? So there's no need to get insurance involved in this." Natsu huffed out a disbelieving scoff as the man held out a wad of cash, "Here, let us settle things nicely without any trouble."
The salmon haired boy took a step closer, ignoring Loke's hiss of pain as Elfman tugged him out of the pile of smashed boxes, "I'm guessing you don't pay attention to many laws, do you?" He was standing just outside the window now, "If you hit a biker, you automatically take seventy percent of the blame, and I take thirty percent. And to make it worse, this is a one-way street, and you hit us coming from the wrong way. That makes it one hundred percent your fault."
The sliding back door of the van was suddenly pushed open, and Natsu was slightly taken aback by the dark haired woman that emerged. Upon first glance, he never would've expected someone with her looks to be associated with the sleazy blond in the passenger seat. But as she came closer, he caught on to her sinister gaze, her crimson irises nearly a perfect replica of the blond man's own.
Despite the displeasure in her gaze, she greeted him with an amicable grin as she began, "I believe we've made an awful mistake. We're sorry."
Loke and Elfman finally made it to their friend's side, the orange haired playboy letting out a heavy sigh, "Look, I didn't want to bring this up, but my brother's a police officer. If you don't want to settle things properly, then should I give him a call?"
The woman's lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze cold and calculating, "Since this was our fault, of course I believe we should settle things properly. But…" her voice took on a sharper tone, "…I can smell the alcohol on you three from here." She sent a pointed look in Loke's direction, "Should we go to the station your brother works at and have your blood-alcohol level measured?"
None of the three boys responded, their gazes all awkwardly dropping to the pavement in defeat.
"Then let's settle things here, alright?" A hint of satisfaction slipped into her tone, the displeasure in her gaze turning into vindication.
Natsu gave up then, nodding his head and clearing his throat as Loke sourly snatched the wad of cash from the blond man's grasp. He didn't have the drive to keep arguing with the woman, especially since she seemed to be the type of person that could handle and find her way out of any situation, no matter the severity. And after all, despite of his complaining, he was completely fine, and at a glance, so was his bike. He'd definitely had worse crashes, and the few bruises he'd likely gain from this small tumble were nothing he couldn't recover from in the matter of only a few days. He'd just been too pissed off at the current way of things in general when he'd first demanded they take responsibility, but now, even that anger had been overtaken by his overall exhaustion.
A car turned further down the alley, the headlights flooding in through the door the dark haired woman had left open and illuminating the formerly dark space.
Natsu glanced up purely by chance, but what he found in the back of the van during that mere moment of brightness had his eyes widening, his entire frame tensing, his blood freezing, and his stomach dropping.
A pale face he hadn't seen in three years was illuminated there, framed by limp locks of gold. Bruises, scrapes, and other discolored patches marred the skin that he had always known to be perfectly clear, and her hair hung in tangled, dirty knots that fell nearly to her waist line.
Her dead, tear-filled eyes were boring into his, and two words, so quiet that he almost didn't catch them, escaped her in a single, trembling breath, "Save me."
AN
YAS We finally got to it! The moment where everything changes and the real story begins~
The nalu moments will slowly begin trickling in from here on out, too! Plus, there'll be more on Jellal and that scene with Mira and Laxus later.
The next chapter is a wild one and it's the longest so far: We'll see how this scene plays out, we get more of Gray, another character is introduced, we'll find out some specifics on what exactly the cult is planning for Lucy, and there will be a little something between Natsu and Gray. Oh my, so many things to look forward to~
I hope you enjoyed!
As always, thanks for reading!