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‑ˏˋ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎 ˊˎ‑
𝐈 𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐘 shirt over my head, soothing the thin fabric against my body. I stopped for a moment, my eyes adverted to the old shirt I hadn't worn in two years. It was an orange long sleeve, strings hanging from the hem at my waist. My gaze traveled down to the worn out jeans, finally resting at my holy shoes. I wiggled my toes like a child, sighing deeply when my pinkie toe poked out of my shoe.
Pounding on the heavy door made me jump, my eyes raised to the small window. A man was glowering inside at me. "Hurry it up, Dragneel. The outside world may wait for you, but I sure as hell won't."
I nodded curtly, turning to grab my burgundy jacket off the bottom bunk. I glanced over at the white clothes I would be leaving behind, not sure if I was glad to be leaving them or not. There were faint stains all over the shirt and pants, every single one of them having happened over the past two years. My grip tightened around my jacket, sweat suddenly rolling from my temple.
How much had changed? How would the regular, uncontrolled environment affect me after two years? I felt the line of my throat move as I swallowed, quickly becoming worried about circumstances that were probably make-believe. The pounding sounded against the door once more, making me hurry to look the man in the eye.
The door was unlocked and heaved open, allowing me to walk through. Letting out another heavy sigh, I shuffled out of the cell, shrugging my jacket on my shoulders. I kept my head low and my eyes trained on my feet. All I wanted was to get out of this place without bringing any attention to myself at the last minute.
For the past two years, I had spent my life living in an absolute hellhole called county jail. I never saw my court date ― to which I wasn't sure if I was pleased or disappointed. One of the reasons they were letting me go was that the detectives ― or whoever does the investigating ― couldn't find a single lead. It had sounded something along those lines, but I never really paid any attention.
Everything that had happened in these walls all seemed like a blur. That included the very few and far between visits from my friends. If I loathed anything about this place, it was them letting my friends see me like this ― thin, frail, and looking lost. I didn't even know what to think here, afraid that somehow, the police officers could read my mind.
And as I walked along the street in the outside world, I realized just how absurd that belief really was. I ran a hand through my messy hair, breathing in a deep breath of fresh air. The atmosphere had always seemed stale and stiff inside the jail, not at all relaxing. This air was much cleaner and smelled of spring flowers.
I stopped. My hand lowered on its own ― as did my eyes. The cracked sidewalk now held my attention. Spring. The time I had been imprisoned due to being a suspect. A suspect of killing... I shook my head, fighting the tears and sorrow that wanted to drown me. I couldn't even think her name. How pathetic.
"Natsu?"
My eyes grew to twice their normal size when I heard that voice. I had the urge to run for my life, but instead, my legs were frozen with fear. Reluctantly, I rose my head to stare at Mirajane Strauss, her white hair pulled back into a high ponytail. Behind her towered her younger brother, Elfman Strauss, looking as terrifying as he always did. I audibly gulped; I didn't want to see how they were doing.
"M-Mirajane!" I didn't mean to shout, but that's how my voice came out. Mirajane smiled slightly, but Elfman's stern glare remained. I gulped again. "E-Elfman, h-how are you ― you doing?"
Mirajane busied herself with placing a single daisy with all the other flowers. I had been so terrified earlier ― and still am ― to notice that the two siblings stood behind a table of beautiful spring blossoms. That's when I remembered they owned a flower shop not too far from here. "We're doing.. fine. How are you?"
"G-Good," I couldn't help but falter under Elfman's constant stare like I was his prey and he was the predator. A cold sweat began to cover my body. "Um, I ― I was wondering i-if you could help me w-with something.."
Mirajane's warm smile lit up her face. "Of course, Natsu. Anything for a friend."
At this, Elfman mumbled under his breath, causing Mirajane to elbow him in the stomach. He lurched over, almost flattening the bouquet of roses that laid in front of him. The sudden action made me jump about a foot in the air. Mirajane continued to smile as if nothing happened, waiting for me to finish talking.
I had lost count on how many times I've swallowed spit in just this moment. "I need a new apartment. Do ― Do you know where..." I cursed myself for letting my voice trail away. I'm sure it was already evident I was scared, the hunched over Elfman proving the exact reason I was.
"You're in luck!" She pointed to her left. I turned to where she pointed, spotting a huge building I never remembered was there before. I knew this town like the back of my hand, so it felt odd that something had changed. "They just finished building a new apartment complex. Apartments are super cheap there, or there's always the option of living with someone else."
The later sent a shiver down my spine; that didn't sound too good to me. Sleeping in the same apartment as some stranger ― I'd rather sleep in an ant nest for a few months. There was just something unnerving about it to me, and all I wanted was to get a good night's sleep unlike for the past two years.
"There's also a new café across town, if you're looking for work." Mirajane tucked a stray white hair behind her ear, staring at me as if she was waiting for something. I let out a shaky breath, meeting her now serious stare.
I'm sorry was what I wanted to say, but I couldn't. Instead, I waved a hand and thanked her for helping me. Before Mirajane and Elfman both ran after to kill me, I sped to the large building, standing at the base to look up. This entire structure was recently built, and according to Mirajane, there was an entirely new café across town. My head began throbbing at the thought, and I couldn't help but wonder one thing.
