Shadowy Depths (Fairy Tail Fanfiction)

7

Lucy woke in the dark. An anxious feeling crept into her limbs, making her sit up instantly on the bed. Her eyes darted around her. Someone else was in the dark room with them. She could hear the movements, little soft whispers here and there. Fear, a crippling one like two years back, overtook her. She couldn't move or speak. She just stared into the darkness, waiting for something to happen.

Jellal, he was right next to her. If she could move her hand an inch, she could wake him. But her fingers refused to twitch. Opening her mouth, silence greeted her.

Please, let this be a nightmare, she thought. Please, not like before. Anything but that.

A figure moved in front of her. A bald-headed man with unnaturally sharp teeth came into her sight. His steps toward her were slow and deliberate. His hands were stretched out and she saw a pair of shiny handcuffs in one of his thick hands and her bunch of keys in the other.

"Come on beautiful, let's play a bit," his leering words murmured over her.

She tried to scream, to jump, to summon her celestial spirits although he held her keys. Virgo or Loke would definitely come to her aid.

"Lucy! Lucy!" Another voice screamed over and over again. She was violently shaking, and the sneering bald-headed man faded.

She woke up, blinking her eyes. The light from the ceiling blinded her that she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. Instantly, she sat up and looked around the room. No one was hiding in the shadows, no one was there except for them.

It was just a nightmare.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" His arms encircled her.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I just had one of those... I just had a nightmare," she said, trying to correct the error she almost made.

"It's okay. You're okay." His hands ran through her hair. Allowing herself a moment of peace, she simply enjoyed the security of being in his arms.

It felt like someone genuinely cared about her besides her spirits.

The day was beginning, a new one for the both of them. But the celestial mage didn't want to dare hope that something changed in their relationship. She thought was she was reading more into what they had because Jellal was such a nice guy.

"We better get going. Today is the Grand Magic Games," he said into her hair. They were skipping town. She didn't want to give Fairy Tail a chance of finding her.

"You want the bathroom first?" he asked her.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Go." Was she reading more in his tone, or did he sound like he didn't want to let her go? She retreated from his arms. His dark green eyes glinted at her before he turned away.

"All right the bathroom is yours."

Her cheeks tinted with color as she stood up and dashed into the bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she spent the rest of the morning getting ready.

A couple hours later, after they ate breakfast from a coffee shop, Jellal pulled her aside. People, mostly tourists from other parts of Fiore, crowded the streets. Their cheers and colorful clothes added merrily to the major event. The blond would have loved to watch the magical guilds fight from afar but being a part of Fairy Tail didn't give her the chance to live a normal life.

They were too much ghosts from the past that haunted her.

"When are we going to leave?" she asked.

"Hang on," he said. His fingers tightened on her wrist.

"Why?"

"Are you going to keep questioning me?"