Fateful Flames (A NaLu Fanfiction)

Chapter 16

[Lucy]

I felt my eyes flutter open, my wrists felt a slight soreness from sleeping in steel shackles. I sat up slowly, and I rubbed my eyes.

"Today's the day..." I mumbled to myself, my heart began to ache with fear and sadness. I sighed quietly and I heard a knock at the door. I gritted my teeth, not wanting to see anyone this early in the morning. "Go away!"

The person behind the door didn't follow my orders, and the door slowly opened. I narrowed my eyes at the person who entered the room. If I weren't in chains, I'd be smacking him by now for what he did to me.

"Jared..." I muttered his name, my eyes continued to be narrow at him.

"Miss Heartfilia." He noded once at me as he said my name that he addresses me with.

"What the hell do you want?" My tone was harsh, like the one I used towards my father. Full of anger and disappointment.

"Calm down, Miss Heartfilia." Jared said as if it was nothing, he stood at the foot of my bed. I tried to get close to him, but I was stopped by the chains.

"Calm down?!" I yelled out at him, "I'm held here like a criminal and my own father is threatening me with the safety of my friends! Like hell I'll calm down! Then you...you knocked me out and basically kid-napped me... How dare you! You're supposed to be my body guard!"

Tears threatened to come to the surface, but I blinked them away.

"It's not like I had a choice, Lucy." He crossed his arms, clearly unaffected by my words and tone.

"Didn't have a choice ? Of course you had a choice! You could've chose to say no and protect me, or--"

"Think what you'd like. You forced this upon yourself Lucy."

I gritted my teeth, but I said nothing. He stood up and grabbed my shackles. He pulled a key from his pants pocket and unlocked them. My eyes widened in surprise at his actions. But that didn't stop me from smacking him across the face. He froze, and I prayed that he felt it sting.

Believe me, looking back at the memory now, it is a little scary that I thought that... But I was just so upset that I didn't know what to do other than lash out.

"You damn child..." He muttered and he turned his back. "Get ready... Your fiancé is going to be here in a few hours."

As he said the word fiancé I was lost in my emotions. 

Hate, sadness, heartbreak, loneliness, discomfort, doubt, etc. etc.

All I wanted...was to be happy. Is that too much to ask? Was I really caught in a dream, thinking that I could ever live a normal, happy life in the city of Magnolia? Why was I so stupid to think that?

All these questions rattled in my brain.

My attention to reality snapped back when I heard a door shut. Jared had left the room and I sat in silence.

A single tear rolled down my cheek. I expected more to fall, but it was just the one. I wiped away that single tear. That was what my life was... Nothing but a game for money. I was just the pawn, my father was the player.

I sighed and stood up, feeling a bit more free from being released from those shackles. I walked over to my dresser and pulled the top drawer open.

I rummaged through some of my gowns, but my eyes couldn't be taken off a certain gown that was beautiful. It was a long column gown.

The long column gown was lilac colored and it had a strapless design that was beautifully complemented by a sweetheart neckline that extended to form vertical pleats on the bodice. The rear portion also featured detailing on the bodice for added grace. The waistline was a broad strap, while a floor-length skirt ,with light amount of sparkles thrown on, shimmered to provide a gorgeous touch to the long gown. (( A/N: Don't judge me but random factoid -- When I was little, like 8 or 9, I used to dream about being a fashion designer and this is what I remember from that faze of fashion addiction -- detail wise anyways. ))