June 7th, 2015
Magnolia, Fiore
Fiore Hunter College
10:48 A.M.

Fiore College: the university for students from Fiore High would went above and beyond. There were infinite amounts of classes to take, given you could only pick two majors and the rest was boring mandatory stuff. All the staff and teachers were perfectly equipped with the knowledge to teach them to the students' fullest potential. Of course, there is no exception for the headmaster of the college. He was a particularly young man with hair as dark was the night sky and equally dark eyes to match. The staff that personally knew him always said that he was a nice, hard working leader that just happened to have tragedy be struck upon.

Walking into his office, he pulls out his computer and begins to type. Today was the day that the four chosen would know the true reason behind the Citizen V case, the true reason behind those scars.

The four survivors of the attack:

Lucy Heartfilia
Age: twenty-one years old
Hair Color: Yellow/blonde
Eye Color: Brown
Major in Astrology
Minor in Fictional Writing

Gray Fullbuster
Age: twenty-two years old
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Dark Grey
Major in Sculpture
Minor in Chemistry

Levy McGarden
Age: twenty-one years old
Hair Color: Blue
Eye Color: Brown
Major in Fictional Writing
Minor in Language

Erza Scarlet
Age: twenty-two years old
Hair Color: Red
Eye Color: Brown
Major in Counseling
Minor in Fencing

These four... They would know soon enough. And when they do, they'll have a choice:

Fight or die.

______________________________________________________________________________

My pencil taps against the desk repeatedly. Who knew being in a class you love could be so boring? Then again, today was today.

Today marks the three year anniversary of what happened on that day. How the death of twenty senior high school students and a beloved school counselor happened.

I was a survivor. I managed to block out most of the memories of what happened but, I was told that me and three others were lucky. Me, Gray, Levy and Erza managed to escape somehow before the bus caught on fire, which we were told that if they weren't dead already, they would've instantly be killed anyway.

We lost the people we loved. Our family. Our loves. Our soulmates. All taken in only a matter of seconds.

We cried. We suffered. Yet, we're still here.

I never... I never got to tell Natsu (he never even made it to eighteen) that I loved him for the final time or be able to protect my cousins or anything.

But, I shouldn't dwell on the past anymore. It'll never happen. He will never come back. None of them will. They've since long been dead.

They're all dead and there's nothing I can do about it.

"-u-chan? Lu-chan!" I heard Levy shouting next to me, frantically pointing her pen above my head.

I look up to see Mr. Clive, with his eye slightly twitching in annoyance.

"Is there something you'd like to share with the class, Miss Heartfilia?" he asks as I stop tapping my pencil.

"No thanks. I'm fine." I give him a cheeky smile and he goes back to his desk in a huff.

I shouldn't be only pitying myself and the others though. Other people lost their loved ones that day too. Cana Alberona, a good friend of mine who drank underage and couldn't keep her hands off me, was Mr. Clive's only daughter.

She was one of the students in the bus as well. She was eighteen.

There wasn't just Mr. Clive. Assistant Headmaster Makarov suffered losses that day too. Laxus Dreyar, his beloved grandson and the speedster of the basketball team, died that day too. Even the headmaster of the college, Zeref Dragneel, lost the two most important people in his life.

His wife, the school counselor, Miss Mavis and his brother, my love, my deceased boyfriend, Natsu.

I began to tap my pencil on the desk again and Mr. Clive was getting annoyed again. Soon enough, he gave up trying to get me to pay attention and continued on speaking about proper grammar in writing.

________________________________________________________________________________

12:48 A.M.

The bell rings for the afternoon classes to officially start. For me, it's my time to go to work.

Even though I live in an apartment complex, the apartment itself is split between me, Gray, Levy and Erza so, we all have to pitch in to pay the bills.

While Erza and Levy work for the university as private tutors, I work as a barista in a coffee shop near school: seven dollars an hour, seven days a week, all hours of the day. Gray's father, Silver Fullbuster, owns the place and thanks to Gray for giving him the tip, helped me get a job there last summer. Gray and I are mainly the only employees that work there. I get the day shift and work in the afternoons when Gray has morning classes. Usually, he usually takes the later hours and locks up. Thank god I don't have the-

"Lucy!" I hear Silver shout as I finish pulling on my uniform.

"H-Hai, Silver-san!" I somewhat yelp, seeing my boss brewing an iced coffee.

Him and Gray make mean iced coffees. Best ones I'll ever find. Take that Starbucks.

"Gray called me a few minutes ago and said that he has to take some extra courses tonight. Do you mind locking up today?" he asks and I shake my head.

"I-I don't mind at all, sir..." I nervously smile and he nods.

"Alright. But, tell that boy that he owes you one." he smirks before going into his office.

So, the night shift...

________________________________________________________________________________

8:48 P.M.

I sigh, cleaning up the last coffee brewer. Mr. Silver went home an hour ago and Gray called, apologizing about not asking me in person to lock up. I laughed and told him it was fine. I'm just not not exactly a big fan of the dark. It brings back some pretty cruel memories that I don't wish to recall...

The tiny ring of the bell rang above the entry door grabbed my attention. I could've sworn that I locked the door though... Oh well. It wouldn't hurt to stay another twenty minutes to brew one more coffee.

"It's almost closing time, sir... Is there something I can get you?" I ask the mysterious man that walked in.

He was slightly suspicious, given every slasher flick I've ever seen. The guy in the black hoodie is either a superhero in disguise or hiding a knife in his sleeve. He was somewhat tall, 6'2, about Gray's height. I couldn't see his face and his hair was covered by the black hood. His jeans were dark and his sneakers were red, covered in hand-painted flames. I shiver, getting a bad feeling burning in my stomach. Something is definitely off about this guy but, I'm not exactly sure what...

"Just give me a Bloody Mary." he says.

His voice was mellow, slightly deep as well. That voice seems familiar to me somehow...

"Yes, sir. Say... Have we ever met before?" I ask as I prep the cherry juice.

"Can't say that I have. I recently just got into town again. You see, I used to live here a few years back." he tells me.

"I see..." I stop for a second to hear one of the chairs be moved to the counter.

"So, what about you?" he sits, placing his elbows on the counter and resting his chin on his arms.

"Me?" I ask, spinning around to finally see a piece of his face.

A slight smirk. It's a smirk I recognize too. I had to have met him before but, where?

"Well... I've lived here all my life. It's not much of a story to tell." I chuckle and I hear him ask, "Is it true what they said happen here a few years ago?"

I slightly freeze.

"What do you mean?" I ask, pouring the final mix in a to-go cup.

"I heard a rumor that the town is plagued by a curse that took the lives of a whole bus full of high school students three years back. Is it true?" he asks.

I place the mix in front of him and ignore his question.

"I-I can't exactly say..." I stuttered, that feeling in my stomach growing stronger.

"Are you ignoring my question?" he asks and I completely froze.

What happened that day... I don't wish to remember. It took years to block out those memories for a reason. They're too horrible to recall.

"Fine. You don't have to tell me. How much for the drink?" he asks, pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket.

"$1-12.99..." I slightly stutter again as he places a twenty on the counter.

"Keep the change, Lucy Heartfilia." and he takes the drink.

"Wait!" I shout as I just realized, "How did you know my name?"

"You didn't recognize me, Lucy?" he chuckles before he turned to leave.

"Wait right there!" I shout, jumping over the counter and grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie, "Who are you?"

"Filthy human." he shoves him off of him and I land on the floor.

He was laughing at me.

"You really forgot about me already?" he asks and finally pulls off his hood.

My heart stopped.

"I was on the bus that day too, Lucy... Don't you remember how my blood splattered on you? How you cried as everyone was dying around you? Are you telling me that you really forgot it all?" Oh my god...

His eyes glowed the color of crimson. His hair wild but the color of a strawberry. I only knew one person with pink hair just like that. There was no mistaking it. A smirk draped over his face, pearl white teeth gleaming as the lights suddenly went off.

"Oh, Lucy... I finally found you and this is the face I get?." his eyes were like a predator's, ready to attack if I dared to move.

Those eyes... They're the same as-

Ba-bum

This pain in my chest.

Ba-bum

I tightly clutched my shirt as I shivered in fear. No... I don't want to remember-!

Blood... Blood is everywhere...

The bus suddenly took a wrong turn as something crashed into a window above an empty seat. An old-looking man covered in silver armor with a long white beard and one glowing red eye appeared. Two other men and a whole team in black arrived soon afterwards.

"Kill them all." the man ordered and blood started to fly.

I hear nothing but screams and I was frozen in fear. I see something kill my cousin, Virgo and tears form in my eyes as Loke begged her to wake up. Something suddenly grabbed me and I screamed but, not before Natsu pulled me into the comfort of his arms. I could see it in his eyes though. He was terrified.

"NATSU!" I screamed as they pulled him from me and began to tear into his insides, ripping his tan skin like paper and blood sprayed onto my face.

"Lu-Luc..." he began to choke on his own blood and I had to watch them, ripping his organs out one my one.

I could hear the screams and I desperately looked around for help.

"JUVIA!" Gray desperately reached for her, his beloved.

"GRAY-SAMA!" the arm she reached to grab him was completely sliced off.

"LEVY!" Gajeel grabbed the tiny girl and kicked down the emergency door and threw her out and I saw one of the red-eyed men pierce his heart from behind.

The bus bumped onto the port. Gray was pushed out by Lyon, whispering one last request before they got him too.

"Erza... I love you." Jellal smiles, kissing the girl's forehead before breaking the glass on the emergency hatch window.

"Jellal!" she noticed the blood dripping from his hand as he picked her up.

"Sorry..." he says before throwing her out .

I saw the tears in her eyes as I watched his eyes being gored out as she fell.

"Lisanna! Elfman!" Mira cried.

"Elf-nii-chan! Mira-nee!" Lisanna screamed.

"Nee-chan! Lisanna!" Elfman shared the same cry.

Laxus tried to protect his friends, Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen. Cana was right beside them.

Loke was bleeding but, he held his ground to protect Aries, who was holding Virgo tightly.

Sting and Rogue tried to keep Yukino and Kagura safe.

I couldn't see Miss Mavis. When I did, I saw those red-eyed men biting her as if she was candy. She was already dead.

CRASH!!!

The bus finally crashed into one of the poles, sending me flying out an emergency window that was opened. The last I saw was the glowing eyes of the men killing my friends and family and his eyes...

Natsu's dead eyes as they finally ripped out his heart, still beating.

Ba-bum

The next time I would see Natsu, it would be in the morgue to identify his body. I remember it being so mutilated that I could barely recognize it was ever even him to begin with.

I screamed.

I forgot all this time. The things I saw on that bus. All the memories I wanted to block out were coming back too fast for me to process.

Why?

Why does that person look like Natsu but, he has such evil eyes?

God, why?

"Time to come home, Lucy." he holds his hand out to me.

"N-Natsu..." I cried as he kept getting closer to me and my back finally hit the wall.

Someone please! Help me-

"Persistent demon."

That voice.

"Exorcists!" the figure turns around to be caught in a trap.

In a flash of light, he was electrocuted and was tied with black chains.

"Bastard! Release me!" Natsu struggled in the chains and the dark figure walked over to him.

"I knew it... They finally found you here and sent my brother nonetheless. Those blood-sucking pieces of shit." I know that voice!

I look up to see ebony hair and eyes and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Headmaster Zeref!" I shout as he picks up the struggling pinkette.

"Put me down!" Natsu shouts.

"You're in no position to speak, creature." he turned to me, pulling me up from the ground, "Lucy Heartfilia, your life is in danger. You and the others must now know the truth."

"Wait, what? Who's after us?!" I freak and he shushes me.

"If you wish to live and be able to see the true Natsu again, please come with me." he looks at me and I had to think.

I look over to the pinkette in chains and I nod, following him back to Fiore College.

What is the truth behind those gleaming eyes?

What is the true meaning behind Citizen V?

Where is the real Natsu Dragneel?