Hating a star

Chapter 35:

Lucy's PoV

After my father let me leave the house, I snuck the keys to my motorcycle while the bodyguards watched me closely. "Where would you like us to take to today, Miss Vermillion?" The driver asked, walking alongside me. Whenever someone called me by my last name, I would always shiver, as if it offended me. "Oh, I forgot something in the apartment, let me go see." I quickly made up a lie and went back to the door of the building, waiting for a few minutes before sneaking away. I hated how my dad made me go everywhere with some sort of protection. He always said it was to keep me safe because I fainted a lot as a child and that was the reason I don't remember anything. But, I knew he was lying, even if I didn't remember. For as long as I remember, as far as a year ago, he's kind of creeped me out. Not in a pervy way, but a sinister way, like he was planning to do something bad. I've noticed my mother bad mouthing him when he's not around, or in the corner of the room, about money and popularity. But they love each other. They're married, so they have to love each other, right?

Once I was sure I had escaped the muscle group, I went to the place where I keep my motorcycle and drove to the shopping district. As my father keeps me from the public, again to keep me safe, no one really knows my face, only the people that go to the same events I go to. My father makes sure I'm not on any articles or news stations. 

"What would dad want for Christmas?" I questioned myself, walking down the street, window shopping after parking my bike. While searching for the perfect gift, I come across an electronics store, a wall of televisions set up at the window. In awe, I stared at the miniature people talking on the large screens. We don't own televisions, and I've never seen one in person. Dad says it damages my brain because of my anemia, something I developed during my first college year. I don't know how blood has anything to do with sight, but that's what dad says. 

Suddenly, a group of men appeared on a screen. The caption to the image said they were a band called Dragon Slayers, the name of their new album 'Bring Her Back' also mentioned. The one in the middle, with vibrant pink hair, looked incredibly tired and depressed. His band member, a man with blue hair and a weird tattoo around his arm, was discussing the album. "It resembles a girl we all were close to. She disappeared why we were on hiatus a few years ago. Natsu was very close to her." The man, who seemed to give off a motherly vibe despite his rough voice, explained. The man beside him, a guy with pitch black hair, was slouching in his seat, bored with the interview. 

While watching, I had developed a terrible migraine, clutching my head to make it stop. I looked away, my vision becoming blurry. Stumbling over the curb, I heard a screeching. The next thing I know, I see a big black object heading right for me, but the world was spinning and I couldn't breathe, so I couldn't get away to save myself. All I could do was sit there as the bus comes to a sudden halt. Following that, I blacked out to the sound of people shouting.

Natsu's PoV

Every day, it's the same. Get up, go to work, go home, shower, go to sleep. Every day, a repeat of the last. Every night, sleepless. Afraid I'll see her again. Smiling, crying, when she was a child. I never wanted to speak of her, or everyone would I know I wanted to die. It was all my fault that he found her. It was all my fault that she left. It's my fault that I can't find her. I couldn't save her. 

No one talks about her around me, but I hear them talking about it when they think I'm sleeping or not in the room. They worry about me. I was diagnosed with insomnia after he came back from hiatus. People have to knock me out before I faint. 

I know everyone is worried about me. They have girlfriends now. they got their girls, they completed the bet. But I don't think I can carry on for much longer. Without her, I'm nothing

Traveling through Crocus from our work building, I went down a dark path as I usually do in silence. "Cheer the hell up Natsu. You can't live in the past forever!" Gray shouted at me after the ten minutes of silence. Since she disappeared, I don't think I've spoken a word to fight Gray, or anyone for that matter. I didn't feel the point in wasting energy. "Why? There's no one here to stop me." I shrugged, looking out the window at the passing city. "We're here! We're counting on you, Natsu! Ever since Lucy left, you haven't been the same. What do you think she would say if she saw you like this? If she was suffering and you were here mopping every day, what would she think?" Gray exploded, no one standing to stop him. Everyone felt the same, and I deserved the verbal beating. "She won't see me like this because she isn't here," I grumbled, trying to stop the tears in my eyes. "What if she sees you on tv acting like this. What if she's praying every night for someone to come find her. What if she's praying that you are happy, even if she isn't here. What if she was here?" He asked again, no one standing. "But she isn't here Gray. She's never going to come back. And she's probably happy. Happy that I'm not in her life anymore!" I stood, shouting back at him. I hadn't raised my voice like this in over a year, and it hurt my throat. Jellal and Gajeel just watched us. "I ruined her life, Gray! I'm the reason she almost died for god's sake! If we never met, or if we never left, none of this would be happening right now!" I shouted, slowly breaking down in front of them. "Get a hold of yourself! You're the best thing that ever happened to her! She told me herself! After we went back! After we met again. She was so happy you were back. She left to save you. To save us!" Gray grabbed my shoulders. "Now she's living by herself, in a dark place where no one can find her. She's probably crying herself to sleep every night." Gray clenched his grip on my shoulders. "How do we know she's still alive! No one's heard of her in over 2 years! And we all know Zeref doesn't like loose ends. What if she broke and he could use her, and he got rid of her?!" I shouted, making everyone look up and glare at me. "How could you say that?" Jellal spat, in complete and utter shock. "I saw it! Every night, in my dreams. I see her crying on the floor. calling out for me to come save her. But I bloody well can't because we don't know where the hell she is!" I screamed.

As I finished my outburst, the bus came to a sudden halt. Screaming was heard from outside. And not the usual adoring fans, but the cries of horror. The bus drive ran out, everyone else soon following. "Someone call an ambulance!" I heard someone shout, ever so slowly making my way to the door. "What happened?" I heard Jellal shout, him and the other two following him over to the group of people surrounding something. "She just fell in the road. I didn't hit her, but she isn't moving." The bus driver told us. I pushed myself tot he center. "Miss! Wake up!" A bystander shouted as I stood there in shock, tears growing in my eyes again. With the panic of everyone around me, no one noticed what I muttered, the boys finding out soon after. I couldn't help but stare. Disbelief and shock were the only two emotions I felt, my head was spiraling out of control. All I could mutter, all I could think was the girl in my dreams and what my nightmares were made of. 

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"Luce."