Heartbeat

Ba...dum...ba...dum...ba...dum...Ba-dum...Ba-dum...Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. BadumBadumBadum.

With a gasp my eyes flashed open. I sucked in air as my heart tried to hammer its way out of my chest. My eyes darted frantically around me. But I only saw darkness.
I was starting to get sick of all this darkness. However, I had a more pressing issue.

Where was I?

"Mavis?" I croaked out. My voice...it sounded so...wrong. It was raspy and garbled, as if I hadn't spoken in ages. I reached up and my hand bumped into something cold. My eyes widened in the darkness and I brought my other hand up. My movements were stiff and jerky but I placed my hands above me.

My hands landed on...was that metal? I curled my hands into fists and pounded them against the metal. When I did that I heard a creak as the metal moved. I let out a breath and pushed again.

The metal gave another screech and a little light shown through.
Finally.
With a growl I punched it again and again. I hissed through clenched teeth when I felt the skin on my knuckles break. With one last punch I broke through. I shielded my eyes from the sudden glare of the light. My hand shot out and I felt the coolness of the wind.

With other deep breath I crawled my way out of the wreckage. I closed my eyes tightly against the glare of the sun and blinked them rapidly.

When I reopened my eyes I tried to stand. I let out a shriek of pain when my legs buckled out from underneath me. I fell back down against the hot metal.

I looked down at my legs and when I reached down to have a look at them, my arms cracked. I screamed again with the sudden pain and I jerked back. When I moved my back cracked along with my legs.

What was happening to me?

It was like I hadn't moved in so long and my bones were stiff from not moving. I looked up at the blue sky and tried to sit up again. With a wince I managed to right myself and cracked my neck. I looked around me and I gasped at what I saw.

All around me was wreckage. It looked like a building had collapsed and all that was left of it was shards of metal. I closed my eyes tight and clutched my aching head.

What happened to me?

I tried to think back...
my eyes flashed open and I scrambled to my feet. I looked around me frantically. "Natsu!" I screamed desperately. My voice was barely above a raspy whisper. I cleared my throat as I spun around and my eyes darted around.

"Natsu! Gajeel!" I started to stagger forward but stopped when my hand flashed to my side then to my chest. I lifted up my shirt to see how bad my wound was...there was nothing there. My hand flashed to my chest and I pulled my shirt down to see that wound. Nothing. Not even a scar. Then I noticed something else...oh...oh no! I rested my hand against my chest in disbelief. Where...? Where was my Guild Mark?!

It was gone...

"What...?" I muttered in complete confusion. I stepped forward and almost tripped on something. I looked down to see...my hair? My black hair was all around my feet. I reached up and ran my fingers through the long strands.
My hair stopped halfway down my back like it always had. I looked back down at all the black hair around me. Then...who's was this?

"Its yours." A soft voice said from behind me. I tensed up and spun around. I relaxed though when my eyes landed on Mavis. I looked around me then walked toward her.

"Mavis, where is he? Where's Natsu?"

She smiled sadly at me and muttered. "He is no longer here." I looked at her, more confusion twisted in my heart.

"What? But I just saw him." To empathize my point, I waved my arm in the direction where I had just seen him. He was there. "Where is he then?"

"Not here."

I gave her a annoyed look and cocked my head at her. "Mavis, what's going on?" She walked toward me and extended her hand to me. "Come, I wish to show you something."

As Mavis led me away from the wreckage, I kept searching for a flash of cherry blossom or black hair. I didn't see anything though, which made my body ache even more. Mavis led me to a small stream a little ways off and told me to look into the water.

So I did.

I didn't recognize the woman staring back at me. I gasped at my reflection and touched my face. I looked...older... Not by much, it seemed, but I was no longer nineteen.

My cheekbones were more prominent looking and my face was covered in dirt. But my eyes were still the same. I looked down at myself and noticed that my clothes were old and dull looking, the fabric had rips in it too. Like all the color had been washed out of it. My hand went back to my chest. "Mavis...where's my Guild Mark?" I asked her in a whisper, still staring down at the woman staring back at me with my eyes.

"Fairy Tail's Mark disappeared after a while." I blinked at her words.
What did she mean?
After a while?
How long?
I refocused at my dirty reflection and brought my shaking hands to the water. I put some of the cooling water in my hands and splashed it on my dirt stained face. I scrubbed and scrubbed at my skin till my face felt raw. I then brought the cupped water to my cracked lips and drank deeply. The water burned going down my throat.

Once I had gotten my fill of the water, I looked up at the small girl, and she smiled down at me. "What's happening, Mavis?" I asked her as I stood up on shaky legs. "What's happened to me?" Then, Mavis, looked up at me, and said softly the words that changed everything.

"You have been asleep for almost four years, Freya."
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Mavis has just dropped devastating news.
Freya has been in a coma like state for 4 years.
How will this change her future?
I dedicate this chapter to wholetmeadult