Lace

Chapter 3

Crashing through trees and various plants is a large man, face hidden underneath a hood. The man holds the smaller hand of a child, just recently turned six. The small child wheezes with the amount of effort he must produce to keep up with the giant. Yelling, and the sound of feet crashing through the undergrowth of the dark forest follows the pair persistently.

"Ganymede!"

Ganymede not even mere moments ago was just sitting in his room, playing with his favorite puzzles. The one he was currently working on stunned the nurses at the time. They began to exclaim things like, "How can he figure that out?" or even, "Is he truly a genius?" Ganymede hated that word: genius. Left a bad taste in his mouth, like drinking orange juice after you brush your teeth. I have never drank orange juice. I wasn't allowed to. I wasn't allowed to do a lot of things.

Just as Ganymede began to reminisce the giant suddenly wrapped his paws around his waist. This alarmed the boy and he instantly began to thrash around and give out small squeals of anger. The much larger man covered the boy's mouth, lifting the boy up. The boy settles down when the giant leans him against his large chest, the man's heart beat thudding with intensity. Is he afraid?

He just kicked down the door. No warning other than the men in white outside my door. They were screaming with fear and anguish. Were they truly afraid for their lives?

Ganymede never knew who would live or die. All of his friends seemed to die within days of him knowing them. Like Ares, a boy two years younger than him. The boy had apparently died of mysterious circumstances according to the man with the weird scar. In the blink of an eye a loud bang sounded and the man cradling him gave an audible grunt. He started to stumble, but kept a strong hold on Ganymede. The man started to mumble under his breath.

"Natsu…"

I startle awake, feeling the world spinning around me. My world consisted of peeling wallpaper and a brass bed covered with stained sheets. Such an odd world, I'm supposed to be in heaven right? You know, the one that is fluffy and shit? I need to breathe… I open my mouth to take a proper deep breath when I suddenly begin to cough. My throat is as dry as Lucy's pancakes on Sunday mornings. Why did Leo let her cook again? Because you're useless…

Just then I hear an audible creak to my left. I snap my head toward that direction, startling a very blue girl. Quite literally she could be a younger version of that bitch. Shoulder length blue hair, blue eyes, blue lips, blue, blue, and more blue. Staring at her I notice her eyes are slightly tinged pink, had she been crying? Why should you care? She smiles, albeit nervously, and slowly approaches with a small cup.

"Thirsty?"

I bob my head spasmodically. She hands me the cup without another word. Immediately I chug down the gritty liquid, almost throwing it back up. I give her the darkest glare I can muster in my weak state. She seems to flinch and her eyes gloss over with fresh tears.

"I'm sorry! Our plumbing is going bad again! I tried to get it as clear as possible!"

Guilt washes over me in waves and with my throat quenched I speak to her softly.

"Sorry, what happened?"

She looks taken aback by my comment, but that seems to bring her spirits back up. She smiles and informs me about what went down after I blacked out. Apparently Madam Blue's favorite man meat disappeared and her most loyal customers were having conniption fits. She knew that only desperate boys from after her generation would be easy to get. After I had been knocked out (apparently I fit her needs perfectly) she had the men drag me and bath me. This caused the pipes to be compromised and so the men were forced to then dry me and lay me in my new room. When she finished her explanation I could only find myself able to say one word.

"Fuck."

Why did this have to happen to me? Why couldn't it have been that bitch who lived across the street? The streeker that seems to have a thing for the cold? Why me? You're so stupid.

"My name is Juvia."

I jump a little at her sudden comment. That's when it passes through my head. I never introduced myself.

"I… My name is Ganymede."

A small part of me still didn't trust her, and where that name come from I have no idea. It just seems familiar on my lips. She giggles suddenly and approaches me with no hesitation.

"I love your name! Ganymede, Greek right?"

I must have given her a weird look because she starts laughing lightheartedly, making her way over to a tall dresser in the farthest corner of the room. That corner seemed to be from a whole different world. The dresser is surrounded my mirrors of all different sizes and styles. That corner of the floor is also covered with blue carpet. Pulling myself up I look at Juvia opening the dresser's drawers enthusiastically. She looks at me with a look that says, "Get over here silly!"

I knew that look quite well. Leo liked to give me that look whenever I pissed him off, or Lucy for that matter. Better do as they say pet. On instinct I get up as fast as humanly possible, but regret it almost instantaneously. The throbbing in my head comes back with its in-laws, reminding me of how I got in this situation. With caution I approach the suddenly jovial Juvia.

"What are you going to do?"

She gives me an incredulous look.

"Dressing you of course," she then snaps back to being nervous. Is she bipolar? Or does she have some kind of disorder? Is she afraid of me?

"If that's okay with you?"

I gives her my best smile.

"Sure. As long as I am not half naked like that bitch downstairs."

When the blind fold is finally pulled off of my face I try to meet the person's eyes. I was hoping I would, but this guy wore sunglasses. Why are you hiding? I feel the ache in my fingers intensify. I really should listen to Leo more often. Leo…

A slam of a car door brings my attention, along with the other girls surrounding me. The man that steps out does not immediately register in my mind. His hair's volume could make anyone in the west jealous, and the midnight spikes seemed to defy gravity's laws. His left eye held a soft blue color, his skin a beige color. German descent maybe? It isn't until he completely turns his head towards us that his face registers in my mind. That right eye, or at least what used to be of it. The scar that surrounded it darkened over the years and had discolored his eye to an odd red color. Almost like the leaves when they change in the fall.

"Axel Laangrok…"

Barely an audible whisper, but I regret it the moment the words fell from my lips. His head swivels my direction, piercing me with his cold discolored eyes. He only gazes at me for a few seconds before he turns back to the first girl in line. He rustles for something in his suit jacket before pulling the desired object out. Before the poor girl could scream a loud bam crackles through the air. That's how things went down for the next few minutes. When he approaches a tall women with bright red hair, and a good set (not that I am comparing…) he seems to hesitate to shoot. She sneers at him.

"Bastard! You gonna kill me too? Go right ahead, fucking monster!"

So this was the girl who spoke to me moments before, when we were unknowingly safe inside a van. I watch as his expression changes from hesitation to absolute certainty.

"Her."

Out of nowhere men surround her and drag her off to Axel's car, her kicking and screaming on the way there. A few more poor girls later he approaches me. I feel my heart beat throb in my throat, threatening to pop out of my mouth. He smiles at me sweetly before saying again, "Her."

They have to drag me away because my legs have turned into goop. The relief, the selfish relief that flooded through my veins and heart made me feel so weak. As soon as I am settled next to the red head I hear another shot and a rush of guilt runs up my spine. What if that was my mother? What if that was Natsu? Wait, what? I had completely forgotten about Natsu! Axel is at the end of the line when Natsu's face enters my mind. I can't believe it! He needs me, just as much as Leo!

"She will do."

The last girl is quite young, fourteen or fifteen at least. She has long wavy blonde locks, a platinum glow rather than my almost fake yellow color. Her eyes are a dull green as if she has seen worse than women being shot. Almost like she could care less whether she lived or not. In fact the way she stood, with her back crouched slightly, her eyes looking at her feet, told me all I needed to know. She's afraid, and she is defending herself from pain.

I don't even register when I am being pushed into a door, the door slamming shut behind me. I can only recognize the awkward feeling of being alone with two probably mental girls. The limo lurches forward, signaling the start of an awkward red head snaps her head towards me suddenly and asks me, "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" responds the blonde girl slyly, her eyes still dull.

This seems to aggravate the red head who snaps at her. From what I can study about her she seems to get mad when nervous, while the small girl gets depressed. Seems I have something in common with both of them. Except with how I deal with it; I scratch at myself.

It isn't really noticeable at first, a light scratch at the wrists, or behind my head. If I get to nervous I begin to continuously scratch at myself until I am either bleeding or out of the situation. I feel that strong urge, that horrible habit nagging at the back of my head. With my hands bound I begin to whimper in desperation, I know I am probably irritating the red head, but I can't help it. I need a distraction…

"Lucy."

Both the blonde and the red head seem surprised I spoke, though I don't entirely blame them.

"Erza," the red head responds back, with a much calmer voice.

"Mavis," is the quiet response back.

Silence envelopes the backseats once more. No, I can't have that!

"Mavis, are your eyes naturally like that?"

The small girl seems shocked at my bold question, but thankfully she smiles gently.

"Yes. I happen to be blind."

From the corner of my eye I can see Erza's eyes widen and her head swivels towards me. I turn to face her, probably with the same expression. This explains so much, is what she is probably thinking. I nod my head silently, her expression changing to a calm smirk. I slowly begin to feel the urges web away from me. Still there, but barely noticeable now.

"What is your favorite color Erza?"

"Red. What is your favorite dessert?"

"Lemon cake. Hey, Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think will happen to us?"

I ponder for a moment, thinking of a probable answer. Erza beats me to it.

"Probably marrying one of Axel's four."

Axel's four best scientists, so far the only ones able to live long enough to discover cures. So called "cures" can help someone to live maybe a year longer. Such false hopes, and we have to marry them? Don't they already have two or three wives? I open my mouth to ask those question when the driver says something.

"We have arrived."

As the limo approaches a tall gold gate the window next to Erza opens all the way, revealing the outside world. All three of us seem to have a common thought for we all crowd around Erza's window to see where we were. We were being driven through a rose garden, but not just any rose garden. These were legendary blue roses! It is predicted that only eleven or ten grow every year! Axel truly is rich if he has an entire, what looks to be, an acre of these flowers! It seems Erza thinks the same. Then it registers in my head and I flinch in guilt.

"Hey, Mavis?"

"Yes?"

I felt bad, but I didn't want to insult her either. She is stuck in this situation as well, and she is so far the calmest out of us three. Speaking of anxiety, the urges are starting to come back. Damn ropes!

The limo slows to a halt, allowing us to see the left side of the house. Not only blue roses, but cherry blossom trees too! Oh look, he even has Natsu's favorite flower! What were they called again?

Mavis seems to sniff the air for a moment, before getting extremely excited. "Snapdragons!"