Just Add Water

Chapter 29

When it started to get dark Gray came by to help the girls "moon proof" the house as he put it. They covered up every window, knook, and cranny in the house so that no moonlight could get in and for extra measures they made sure that none of the curtains had any holes in them.

"There." He said finishing up on covering the last window. "We can all sleep easy now."

"We?" The girls said.

"Okay I admit it's a little weird but keep in mind I will not go crazy if I happen to see the full moon."

"Forget it Gray, I promised my dad no boys." Lucy said.

"So this is the thanks I get? I gotta say it hurts ladies."

"It's nothing personal Gray but if my dad finds out I let a boy stay over while he's out of town he'll never let me leave the house again."

"Besides how do we know you won't try anything when we go to sleep?" Erza asked.

"Me? Try anything funny? Please since when have I ever over stepped by boundaries?"

"Need I remind you of the little make out session you had with Juvia during the last full moon?"

"Erza!" Juvia shrieked as she and Gray both started blushing. "You promised me that you would never speak of that again!"

"And that doesn't count!" Gray said nervously. "I was under a spell and so was she! It's not like I wanted to kiss her! Not that there's anything wrong with kissing you Juvia! I just...I....I-I-I-I-"

"I think you should leave now Gray." Lucy said ushering him toward the front door. "Before you say something you'll regret."

At that moment the full moon was rising but Lucy deduced that so she left the room before Gray opened the door. Unfortunately some moonlight creaked in, bounced off the reflective surface of a vase, and appeared in a mirror which Erza happened to be looking into. At first she tried to will herself to loo away from it but in the end she was just as helpless to resist it's pull as Lucy and Juvia were. She started to walk around in a daze and thoughtlessly went into the kitchen where she opened up the fridge. From inside moisture started to condescend and water dripped on to her hand.

"Hey Erza what do you think of this dress?" Lucy said as she looked through a magazine. "It's for sale next week. Do you think that I should buy it for the festival?"

Erza didn't answer.

"Erza? Is everything okay?"

"What? Oh yeah I'm fine." She closed the fridge and went back into the living room with Lucy but suddenly she started to feel very hot. She grabbed one of the bottles of the soda and started to chug it down.

"Thirsty?" Lucy said when she put the empty bottle down.

"Maybe a little." Erza replied nervously. She began to sweat and turn red in the face.

"Erza are you feeling okay?" Juvia asked.

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"You look so red. Are you getting a fever?"

"No I'm not."

Erza moved toward the other bottles of drinks and the liquids inside started boiling and bubbling until the kids popped off and the drinks came up like geyser.

"What the-" Lucy said. "What's going on?"

"It's not my fault!" Erza said quickly.

"Nobody said it was."

Her sweating and redness continued to increase. Lucy and Juvia were beginning to notice that the room had become very hot.

"Who turned on the heat?" Juvia said.

"No one. My dad says I'm forbidden to touch the thermostat and he always keeps it at a cooling temperature until winter time." Lucy explained.

The girls looked back at Erza who was now shaking and had a look on her face that said she was hiding something. Was she under the effects of the full moon? They didn't know it could have happened since they sealed off every opening in the house but what other explanation could it be?

"Erza." Lucy said. "Did you look at the full moon?"

"No." She denied. "No. I wouldn't do that. Not after seeing what it did to you two and...And I...I..I.."

She backed up against the fridge and suddenly it started shaking, as if what inside of it was either boiling or melting.

"Alright I did look but I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!" She admitted.

"It's okay." Lucy assured her. "It's fine. We've all been there. The important thing is not to panic."

"How can I not panic? I mean look what's happening?! I don't what's wrong with me or what I'm gonna do!"

"Easy. Calm down." Lucy said gently. "Why don't we all sit down and take a deep breath?"

Lucy moved to gently grab Erza's hand so she could lead her over to the couch but when she touched her skin the extreme heat radiating off of it burned her.

"Ow!" Lucy cried taking her hand away from Erza. "You just burned me."

"I'm so sorry! I would never hurt you Lucy! Never!" Lucy said like a child who had accidentally broken something.

"It's alright Erza. I know you didn't mean it but we really need to cool you down."

"I'll get an ice pack." Juvia said.

"And I'll get you some water so you'll stay hydrated."

Lucy grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and gave it to Erza which she chugged down like with the soda. But when Juvia laid the ice pack on her head all the ice in the pack melted. Plan B was to get an electric fan and sit Erza in front of it. But despite this the heat from her body kept growing stronger. More things around her started boiling and melting.

"It's all my fault! I can't stop this! I don't know how!" Erza cried.

"Erza you need to stay calm." Juvia said.

"I need to leave."

"No way!" Lucy said.

"Don't you see? I'm a danger to you all!"

"I think you're overreacting a little." Juvia said.

"No I'm not. I can feel a fire coming. A really terrible fire coming and I can't stop it."

"You're just letting the moon get to you."

"No! I'll hurt you and I don't want to hurt you! You're my only friends!"

"You're not going to hurt us." Lucy said.

"Yes I am! It's what I always do!"

"Erza please sit down and breathe. Getting all upset like this won't help."

"No! I can't! I'm leaving!"

"No don't!"

"Erza stop!" Juvia protested.

But Erza went running out the door and out of sight before the girls could stop her.