I've updated the trailer for this book. Check back to the prologue to have a looksie ;3

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When I woke up the next day, Natsu was gone.

I got up to nurse the massive headache I gained overnight, groaning as I shuffled to my bathroom. As I showered carefully, trying to dodge my arm unsuccessfully, I started to feel afraid of the time I'd spent asleep.

Afraid... that Natsu had resumed his thoughts of "right and wrong" while he watched me...

The anxiety that crept up my spine only severed my headache.

I stepped out of the shower and took more Tylenol before removing the soaked bandages on my paper-cut finger and stitched up arm. As I replaced them with fresher ones, my hands suddenly started shaking. My nerves were shot.

I covered my face with my hands, shaking my head to rid it of the terrible thoughts I was starting to conjure.

Abruptly, my phone started to ring in my bedroom. I wrapped a towel around myself and practically sprinted inside to retrieve it.

"Hello?" I answered anxiously, my heart racing. I sighed in disappointment when Cana's voice came through the line.

"Hey, Lu. Jenny, the boys, and I are heading to the lake at two. You wanna join?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, sure, why not?" I said, "I'll have to leave at four to catch my shift at FTBS this evening."

"Coolio. I shot Levy an invite, but she hasn't responded yet." She said, "You think you could grab Natsu?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Yeah... I'll uh... I'll see what I can do."

"Awesome!" Cana exclaimed, "Hey, are you okay? You sound a little down."

I smiled slightly at how good of a friend Cana was. She could always tell when something was wrong, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just uh... I just got up, so I'm a little slow at the moment." I lied.

"Awe, poor baby." Cana chuckled, and I could hear Bacchus and Jet in the background talking, "I'll see you soon, hun!"

"K-K." I said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible while my heart felt like it was being swallowed. She hung up.

So, now I had two things to worry about. One, Levy hadn't responded... Which wasn't right at all. Her future texts would have given her a heads up about this outing and she, no doubt, would have been excited to get out and have fun in our last bit of Summer. But she didn't respond... The girl whom I have known to be the fastest texter didn't respond...

Two, I had to get Natsu to come, which wouldn't have been such a big deal... if it weren't for the fact he wasn't here when I woke up. Something was wrong, I could feel it. And the worst part was I didn't know just how wrong it was.

My fingers moved on their own, sliding down to his contact card. I took in the photo I used for him: he was smiling brightly and playfully as I took it. He was so happy. Always so happy... And now...

I ignored my cowardice and hit the call button under his name. I was worried he'd be able to hear my heartbeat through the phone, and tried my best to settle my breathing. After four rings, his voice came over the line.

"Lucy."

I tried to take in his voice. There was a strange calmness in the one word he said.

"Natsu." I replied.

"What's the matter?" His voice was still calm, almost oblivious.

"Where are you?" I asked right after, anxiety and slight anger mixed in my voice.

"At home." He said simply. I narrowed my eyes.

Swallowing my pride, I said, "You weren't here when I woke up."

He was quiet for a moment before he said, "I needed to talk to Laxus about something."

About right and wrong, perhaps? I mentally cringed, "Are you okay?"

I heard him chuckle slightly, "Always." There was no sign of falsity in his voice, and I mentally slapped myself. Always overthinking... Still there was some underlying itch in my stomach telling me that something wasn't right here. I wanted to be naïve. To think that Natsu would never lie to me... But I was old enough to know better.

I sighed, deciding that it would be better to decipher his mood in person than over the phone, "Cana is inviting us to a get-together at Scilliora Bay. Can you make it?"

He hesitated, "What time?"

"Two."

"Okay." He replied.

"Just okay?"

"I'll be there, Lucy." He promised, humor laid lightly over his voice. Like a blanket. Like a mask.

"Okay." I said, "I love you."

"I love you." He replied, and we hung up.

I starred at my phone for a while, my mind going blank and a wave of numbness spreading over me.

I mentally slapped myself again. Something was definitely wrong. As looked at our text messages, I remembered Cana's words about Levy.

I typed into my text bar, Hey, Cana said Lev hasn't replied to her invite, could you bring her?

I waited for his usual immediate response for ten minutes until I took a deep breath and told myself he must have been busy... Even if he'd just gotten off the phone with me.

I put my phone down and walked to my dresser, pulling out an outfit. It was already 12:55, and the drive to Scilliora was a bit of a drag. I put my light-blue one-piece swimsuit on—maybe I'd be in a better mood later and decide to swim around—and then a pair of denim shorts and a white cotton t-shirt that covered my arm. Pulling on my ankle socks and blue low-top converse, I checked my phone again to see my message to Natsu still marked Delivered.

I threw my phone into my purse and grabbed my keys, sunscreen, and sunglasses before leaving out.

Jude was already at work so I left him a sticky note on the fridge of where I would be in the event he got home before I did. I cranked up my Beetle and pulled out of the driveway. By the time I pulled up the dirt road that led to Scilliora, it was 2:05.

I got out and saw Bacchus's truck and Ren's Ford parked closer to the lake. I could hear chanting and hooting further in, but my attention was snatched at the sound of a race-car engine. I turned and saw Natsu's Camaro pulling up to park beside my Beetle. Their comparisons would've made me laugh if not for the unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. It got worse as Natsu stepped out of his car; there was a look in his eyes I couldn't explain. Something buried deep inside them... It scared me.

His eyes locked on mine as he approached me, "How do you feel?" He asked immediately.

"Perfect." I lied, forcing a smile as I locked my fingers in his fiery ones. We started walking up the pathway in silence, and I looked back at his car in confusion, "Where's Levy?"

"With Gajeel and Lily." He said, almost as if he were talking to himself. My heart stopped.

"Is he okay?" I asked anxiously.

"He's gone away for a while." He replied just as passively as before. My eyes widened, and before I could question him further, we made it to the others. Cana jumped up from her beach chair with a wine cooler in her hand. Jenny sat next to her, and she smiled in our direction. Ren was in the lake with Bacchus and Jet playing with a volleyball. Cana came to hug us.

"Howdy, lovebirds." She welcomed, and Jet whistled from the water at us. Cana looked at Natsu, "Where's your sister? I sent her an invite, too."

"She, Mirajane, and Jellal went to visit Erza and Gajeel in Stella." He said easily, even putting on his signature smile. Cana sucked her teeth, but nodded in understanding.

"Oh, well." She sighed, "There's drinks in that cooler over there and some grub on that picnic table." She pointed in the designated areas, and Natsu and I nodded. She went back to lay down next to Jenny and Natsu walked over to the picnic table, making me join him because our hands were still intertwined.

"Where are they really?" I asked as soon as we were out of everyone else's hearing range.

"No where in particular." He replied, back to being as curt as before.

I looked away from him, feeling my heart beginning to pick up speed, "And Levy just left with them?" I asked. I wanted to say "She just left without saying goodbye to us?" but I felt like it would have been selfish on my part.

"Yes, Lucy, and she'll be gone for a while." He said, annoyance building in his tone, "She was trying to convince Gajeel to go to Mount Hakobe."

Mount Hakobe was the homeland of the Dreyer's extended family: the only other group of Dark Wizards I've heard of that also participated in their non-human-soul-diet. Yukino, I believed, and her family. I'd never seen any of them before, but I knew she was their leader the way Laxus was to the Dreyers. Natsu had ran off to them when I first came to Magnolia to clear his head of my intense soul aura. Bickslow—once a part of Gray's Dark Clan—had also gone there instead of siding with Gray in the "incident."

It seemed like the place was a form of sanctuary for Dark Wizards who wanted to do better with themselves. It made sense as to why Levy wanted Gajeel to go... But it didn't help ease my guilt.

"How's your arm?" Natsu asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was as if my injury was the only thing he cared about in regards to me now.

"Who cares about my stupid arm?" I mumbled through my teeth, and he didn't reply.

I'd run them out of their home. The same could be said for Jellal and Mira since Natsu explained their absence to Cana. It was an excuse as to why they wouldn't be seen for a while. Where was Laxus? And Happy? Would they soon disappear as well? Laxus was expected, him being their leader and all, but I knew Happy would leave only if Natsu did. I wasn't even going to entertain that thought. I felt nauseous. Ironic... considering I was the plague in all this.

By the end of our little outing, Natsu's silence had become ridiculous. He was warm to the others, but quiet with me. I was suddenly happy for whatever reason his demonic powers wouldn't allow him to read my mind. On the outside, I came off as chilled out... On the inside, I was losing my fucking mind.

"Will you come by later?" I asked as we walked to our cars.

"Later?" He asked, surprised. I was pleased with his reaction. He expected to come back home with me now.

"Yeah, I have to work at six. I traded shifts with Missus Akatsuki to get off early yesterday." I explained. He nodded.

"Oh." He hummed.

"So, you'll come over when I get home, right?" I hated that, for the first time, I wasn't sure about his answer.

"If you want..." He mumbled.

"I always do." I replied, making him lock eyes with me. I expected him to laugh, or smile... or something, but he just nodded and stepped forward to hug me.

"Okay, babe." He replied softly in my ear. I hugged him back before he pulled away to kiss my forehead and then walk to his car.

I was able to hold in the panic before getting out of the lake's vicinity. But by the time I got back home to change into my work uniform, I was hyperventilating. I had to redo the buttons of my polo-shirt twice, because my hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Something was wrong with Natsu. That was all I could think about. Something was wrong with us.

He just needs time, I told myself as I stood behind the counter of Fairy Tail Brain-Station. He'll get over this. He has to. I wouldn't know what I'd do, or what would happen, if he didn't. Maybe he's just sad his siblings are gone, that his family is leaving. But they would come back, right? Levy, Lily, Mira, and Jellal? Erza? Even Gajeel, eventually?

If they needed me to, I would stay the hell away from the beautiful cabin in the woods. I would completely separate from them. As long as they stayed, it wouldn't matter. I would see Levy and Jellal at school anyway... If they were coming back to school with us.

I just didn't understand any of this. What happened last night was nothing. Nothing. Especially compared to what happened in the spring. Gray left me broken and battered, and Natsu handled that a hell of a lot better than how he was handling this shit. Perhaps it was because, this time, it wasn't some horrible, power-hungry Dark Mage trying to attack me... It was his brother. His favorite brother at that...

Maybe we should leave. Maybe Natsu should just take me away rather than his family getting scattered all over the place. The idea started to grow on me as I worked, my depression lessening the more I considered it.

We could go away to college, or pretend like we were like Erza and Gajeel. I was sure Natsu could wait a year. What was a year to an immortal? It was almost nothing to me.

A new calm washed over me as the fantasy continued to unravel. Work was dragging, though. I wanted to see Natsu. I hoped he would be better by the time I saw him next.

My relief only increased when I saw his car parked outside my house. I ignored the pang of nervousness that crept over me as I got through the front door.

"Dad? Natsu?" I called out, closing and locking the door behind me.

"In here, sweetheart." Jude replied, his voice coming from the living room.

He and Natsu were seated in there, their eyes glued to the television. The extreme focus was normal for my dad... not so much for Natsu.

"Hey." I said sweetly, but there was a pain in my throat. I felt like I was interrupting something, especially since neither of them took their eyes off the screen.

"Hey, Luce." Dad answered, "We just had some pizza, there's some left on the table."

I looked at Natsu, his eyes trained on the screen still, and my heart stopped, "Okay." I said simply, hesitantly walking back into the kitchen and taking a seat at the table.

Pizza was the last thing on my mind.

Come on, Lucy, what's the worst that can happen? My stomach lurched. Wrong question.

Okay, I thought again, what's the worst I can live through?... Nope, not that one either.

I took a deep breath and thought through the possibilities I'd considered today.

Stay away from Natsu's family. I could live with that.

Going away. Tough, but I would only hope he'd wait a year. If not... even tougher. I reached into my purse and pulled out my new Polaroid, looking at it in thought.

Jude would be a mess. He would be alone. Layla would be in the same boat. I wasn't sure if being away from my mother as long as I had been would lessen this toll or not... No... No, they didn't deserve this... But it was necessary. They would want me to be happy.

And we would come back, right? We would visit?

I wasn't sure about the answer.

Without thinking, I grabbed my camera again and went up the stairs, silently hoping Natsu looked after me.

My room had become a huge part of my pleasure here in Magnolia. It was so me... I would have never thought Jude designed it, never thought he'd know me well enough when we hadn't been around one another in years before I came here.

I snapped a picture from the bedroom door, trying to get as much of the room as possible on the small piece of film that came up through the top of the camera. There wasn't much else to do tonight... I would record every bit of Magnolia as I could before we had to leave it.

Change was coming. I felt it in my gut, and if I'd learned anything in the past seventeen years, it was that my gut was never wrong.

I came back downstairs, a strange edge to my mood as I swallowed down the hesitance to have to see the distance in Natsu's eyes again.

Maybe he's worried about upsetting me when he asks me to leave. I decided to let him work through it without hovering. I worked on being prepared for when he asked instead.

Sneakily—though probably not, considering Natsu could hear my heartbeat and steps from a mile away—I took a picture of my father and Natsu in the living room from the foot of the stairs.

They both looked up from the sound. Jude frowned. Natsu was emotionless.

"Why?" Jude complained, and I chuckled at him, ignoring Natsu's distant mood for the moment. Right now, I would enjoy my father's shy nature.

"Oh, come on," I said, walking into the room to lean against the wall, "You know Mom is gonna ask me if I'm using my presents in a minute."

"But why are you taking pictures of me?" Dad grumbled, and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"Because you're so handsome." I cheeked, and then shrugged, "And you're a part of my Senior Year too. Wasn't that my instruction from her? To snag pics from this year?"

He mumbled something unknown.

"Natsu." I said, keeping my focus on the developing picture of them, "Take one of us, please?"

I tossed him my camera, and he easily caught it with a blank stare in my direction before standing up and pointing it at us. I knelt beside Jude, and the old man sighed.

"Smile, Luce." Natsu said softly. I did my best.

"Let me take one of you guys." Dad said after Natsu took the picture. I knew he was trying to shift the focus of the camera away from himself. I giggled halfheartedly.

Natsu handed him the camera, and Jude stood up as I went to stand beside Natsu. It felt too formal... strange. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I wanted to look up at his face... But I was afraid to.

Jude snapped the picture, and it started to slide up the film slot, "Alright, enough pictures for tonight." He said.

"I better get home." Natsu said politely, moving casually away from me.

"Yeah, see ya, kid." Jude said, "Tell the folks I said hey."

Natsu nodded and went to grab his jacket from the couch.

My feet moved by themselves as he walked to the front door, "Will you stay?" I asked quietly, my voice small, shaky.

I knew what his answer would be... It didn't lessen the blow.

"Not tonight." He said. I didn't ask why, and he stepped out of the house and out to his car.

I stood at the front door watching him leave, my body going completely numb. I could feel my eyes beginning to water, but my father's voice snapped me out of it a while later.

"Luce," He said, causing me to blink and look in his direction, "What are you doing?"

I hesitated, before looking past him, "Nothing." I said, walking past him and up to my bedroom.

***

I woke up the next day and stayed in bed.

I knew Jude had gone to work; the view from the window of my room overlooked the driveway of the house, and his police car was no where to be seen.

I didn't know what was wrong with me. I had never felt so drained... so empty. It wasn't a painless numbness either... I was feeling so many different things at once, it all overwhelmed me. My pillow was stained from the night of crying myself to sleep, and I didn't want to imagine what my face looked like.

Finally, at 1:30 in the afternoon, I got up and went to take a shower. As the hot water hit my skin, my legs started feeling less and less solid. I sat down in tub as the shower shot out at me, not wanting to fall from the way my legs were feeling. Nothing truly bad had happened yet... So why was my body reacting as if something had? I felt sick almost.

I got out of the shower not much later, wrapping a towel around myself and walking back to my bedroom.

I walked to my dresser to pull out some lounge-wear, pulling my hair into a messy ponytail... But then I noticed the photos scattered on my desk. I had dropped all of them there before crashing on my bed in distress, and it was the first time I really reviewed them.

I picked up one I hadn't taken: a still of Gajeel and me embracing that Levy took unannounced. She gave me her pictures along with my gifts before I left their house.

Gajeel looked so happy. Only slightly alert, only slightly cautious. He trusted himself... And me...

I put the picture down as I started feeling weight in my heart. I picked up another one.

I gasped at Levy's second photo: Natsu and I looking to the camera, his lips on my head and my smile appearing shy.

There was not a thousand words that could describe that photo.

I refused to look at the one we'd taken last night, not even wanting to compare it to the first.

Instead of finishing up my Summer work like I planned to, I started adding the photos to my scrapbook. I looked at the picture of Natsu and me, and before gawking at it for too long, I folded it in half, only showing Natsu's side before taping it to the little book's page. As I was fixing up the book, my attention slid to my bandaged, paper-cut finger.

The tears started up again, and I gritted my teeth before knitting my fingers in my hair. I took a deep breath for what felt like the thousandth time in two small days, and stood up from my desk chair to finish getting dressed.

When I pulled on my ankle socks, I stumbled a bit and caught a glimpse of a figure outside the house. I stood up immediately, gazing out of the window to see Natsu standing in the middle of the front lawn. My heart sped up immediately, and it felt like my body came back to life as I scrambled to pull my UGG boots over the ankles of my leggings. I grabbed a long cardigan out of my closet and draped it over my one-shoulder t-shirt.

I raced downstairs and out of the front door before trotting over to his still figure, my ponytail swinging back and forth as if to mimic my heartbeat. He wore a fitted black t-shirt and jeans, his attire adding to the somber mood of his stature. My giddy reaction faded as quickly as it came, and his eyes trailed up to meet mine.

"Hey, Nat." I said, feeling a bit breathless from running out there.

His eyes stayed trained on my face. There was a coldness to his green eyes, and I almost contemplated going back inside. I had never seen him like this... At least not towards me. I had so many questions to ask him, but I couldn't manage a word. Except one...

I swallowed down the uneasiness in my system, "Natsu-"

"Come take a walk with me." He said swiftly, tearing his eyes away from me before walking to the back of the yard, towards the woods that sat behind my house.

I gritted my teeth, not able to protest considering he didn't wait for an answer. I felt like a prisoner walking toward my execution as I followed behind him.

I looked around, noting what a beautiful day it was: the sun was bright, highlighting the perfectly cut grass around us and the trees that surrounded the back of the house.

Such a beautiful day... How would it seem by the end of this?