Ch 8: Welcome Home

              Laxus looked up into the sky as Skye's memory came back into focus. The clouds slowly swirled around as they cried silver tears over the Gotham Cemetery. Rows upon rows of headstones marked the memories of the city's deceased. From the extravagant memorial for Thomas and Martha Wayne, to the average sized headstone sitting in front of an empty coffin waiting to be lowered into the open grave below. The grave was surrounded by weeping mourners holding black umbrellas and violet flowers and Skye stood among them.
              It was difficult to tell whether she was crying, as the rain fell on her head and trickled down her face. Her dark red hair now looked almost black and dripped rainwater off of her back and shoulders. Her attention was focused on the priest, who was giving a sermon about how loved ones live and die, but they are still with us in our hearts. After a few more minutes, the priest closed his bible, and the crowd started to disperse. Skye weaved through crying family members and friends of Heather's family to reach the edge of the grave and looked down.
             "It's cold......I guess I'm sort of glad that you don't have be down there. Someone so warm should never be cold." She mumbled quietly. Skye reached up and fumbled with the back of her neck, taking off the necklace that Heather had given her. Gently placing the half heart charm in the palm of her hand, she gazed sadly down at the inscription: Friends. Without a word she tipped her hand, and watched the necklace slide off of her hand and into the damp grave.
             "Goodbye." Skye whispered and turned away from the grave site. She looked up and caught the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, Heather's parents. They both gave her mournful, angry looks. Skye immediately looked down and walked away towards Laxus and Makarov. She stopped in front of them, and looked back for a moment.
             "I'm sorry.....for everything." She mumbled before walking forward between them.
             "She blames herself for this." Makarov noted. Laxus nodded, "I understand the guilt of hurting family and friends...but this wasn't her fault."
             "No," Makarov agreed,"It wasn't, but she's in too much pain to see otherwise. When we love someone, and would do anything to keep them happy and safe, it gives meaning to our lives. But when that meaning is ripped away...", Makarov paused, "It is a cruel thing. And Skye has endured enough cruelty to last ten lifetimes."
             The rain seemed to pour down even harder as Skye made her way through the cemetery, sliding her fingers over the tops of headstones. She looked up at the sky as thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning softly flashed through the dark clouds. Stopping next to a tree, she looked back and saw the considerable distance she had put between herself and the crowd of Heather's mourners. Skye gritted her teeth and threw her fist into the tree's trunk.
              "Shit...this is all my fault." She cursed as tears started to run down her face. She stood there with her fist against the tree for what seemed like an hour. Finally, she took a breath, shook her hand, and continued on through the cemetery. Skye read the names on the headstones as she passed by each one: Donna Clearwater, Kyle Jacobson, Howard Upton. She stopped dead and stared, bewildered, down at the grave.
              "You...", Skye said, "So we meet again huh?"
              "You never forget your first one...mine was an Argentinian man." Said a voice behind her. Skye slid a blade out from her braces and turned around. Shiva was walking towards her holding an umbrella. Her voice was soft, without the authoritative tone she usually took.
              "You've come to take me back to Black Mask right?" Skye narrowed her eyes, "You know, you could just let me go...."
              "And where would you go exactly?" Shiva interrupted.
              "Home." Skye said simply.
              "Where is home to you child?" Shiva asked. Skye threw a furious look at her.
              "The only person I trusted enough to tell that to is now dead!" She spat. They both stood in silence for a while before Skye spoke again, "It was you, wasn't it." Shiva smiled slightly and looked Skye in the eye.
              "Yes. I was the one who told Sionis about your friend," Skye unsheathed her other wristblade, "I knew you would figure it out quickly. You're a very smart girl, Skye." Shiva continued to smile at her.
               After a few more minutes of tense silence, Skye sighed and sheathed her wristblades.
               "Okay.....lets go then." She said quietly, and walked past Shiva, who followed.
               "I thought you would put up more of a fight." Shiva observed. Skye looked down at the grass as she walked.
               "I'm tired." She replied
               "Tired of what?" Shiva asked.
               "Pretending...that everything is going to be okay. That I'm going to go home one day....It'd take one hell of a miracle for that to happen." Skye sighed. Shiva did not respond and led Skye to a waiting car at the end of the cemetery. She opened the back door and got in. As the car pulled out of the cemetery, Skye took one last look back at the small crowd of people surrounding Heather's grave.
               The car ride seemed to last hours, but eventually, it pulled to a stop in front of the safe house where Skye was kept during her earlier years in Gotham. There were already a few cars out in front, and Skye recognized one of them, as Sionis'. She swallowed hard as a thug nearby opened the doors. Sionis was inside, and waiting for her as Shiva and the thug led her into the building. He held up his hand and the three of them stopped. Skye looked down at the ground and closed her eyes. She opened them again as a gloved hand gently tilted her head back up. Sionis' skull mask was mere inches from her face.
                "No more forgiveness," was all he said to her. Sionis looked at the thug on Skye's right side, "Take her to her room. Tell Johnny and Rob to guard the door. I don't want her seeing the light of day for a long time." Skye threw a hard look at Sionis, "Why don't you just kill me?" She asked.
                "Because you're mine, and there is plenty more work for you to do. But before you go back to work, we're going to have to break you again.......Take her away." Sionis turned away from them and motioned for Shiva to follow him. The group split, and two of Black Mask's thugs led her down the narrow hallway that stank of alcohol. The walls had bullet holes, and tobacco stains. The floor was littered with broken glass bottles and small bits of the wall that had flown off from being shot at. Before long, they came to the heavy steel door. One of the thugs fumbled in his pockets for a while before taking out a set of prison style keys, and inserting one of them into the lock. The door slowly swung open and Skye was shoved inside. The memory faded out as the door slammed and shut Skye into darkness.
                  As the memory faded back, Laxus and Makarov found themselves and Skye in her cell. She was older, looking just like she did currently in the guild hall. Laxus approached Skye, who was lying on her back on the mattress, dressed in her assassin clothes. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she was silently staring at the ceiling with her arms folded behind her head.
                 "Could this be her memory from earlier tonight?" He wondered aloud. Before his grandfather could reply, a huge explosion shook the cell. Skye immediately leaped up and ran through Laxus to pound on the door.
                 "Hey! What was that? What's going on?" She called through the small window.
                 "You stay put! The boys will handle it." Came the reply. Skye made a face, "Yeah, I'm sure." She muttered and sat back down on the mattress. Before long, Skye heard someone run up to the guards outside. She stayed silent, and listened intently.
                 "What's going on? We heard an explosion!"One of the guards ordered. The person who ran up to them took a moment to catch his breath before blurting out, "It's the Joker! He's here, and he brought a damn army down on our heads! They're burning everything in their path!" One of the guards cursed, "Shit! Have you heard about the things he's done to people? It's some pretty screwy crap! I want no part of it! Lets get the hell out of here!"
                 "We can't! Black Mask ordered us to guard the girl, we can't leave our post." The other one interjected. Gun shots and shouts echoed through the hallways.
                "Screw our orders, I'm not dying today!" Skye heard the guard run away down the hallway. Laxus looked at Skye, who was now standing on her tip toes, trying to look out the small window on the door. Suddenly, a bright flash flew past the window, and crashed against the wall outside. The men outside began to scream in pain, as flames surrounded them in a pool of fire. The bright light made Skye take a few steps back and rub her eyes. She looked down at the gap between the door and the floor and watched the smoke begin to seep into the cell. A slight ring of metal in between the guards' shouts called her attention back to the outside. The guards outside then made wet choking noises, and then silence except for the snapping of the burning building. Skye looked down and the door's gap once more, and saw blood oozing into the smoky cell. She gasped, and immediately began to cough heavily. Waving her arms around, she bent the smoke to the far side of the room. There was a heavy thunking sound from outside the door, which swung slowly open. Skye stepped to the doorway and looked down. The two men outside were laying in a pool of blood. Skye looked around outside the door, but no one was there. Bending down to get a better look at them, Skye noticed that they were killed from slashes across their throats and stomachs. Something else had also caught her eye. Laying on the suit of one of the men, flickering in the firelight, was a half heart necklace. Skye furrowed her brow, frowned and picked it up. The writing on the charm read: Best.
               "It's Heather's....what's it doing here?" She muttered. A loud crack above her made her jump. She looked up and saw the ceiling begin to buckle.
               "Shit," She jumped out of the way just as it crashed down in a plume of smoke and ash, "I- *cough* I've got to get out of here!" She coughed, pocketed the necklace, and bolted down the hallway. The building had been transformed into an inferno, and Skye bent what fire she could out of the way as she made her way through the safe house. She ran past several bodies with multiple bullet holes in them, and rounded a corner only to find that she was right behind a very large man with a dirty, cracked clown mask. He was bent over and examining the contents of a one strap backpack. Laxus recognized it as the bag that Skye had had with her. The masked man didn't seem to notice her, and so Skye crouched down and slid a blade out from her right brace. She quietly sneaked up behind him and thrust her blade into the back of his neck, killing him instantly. Bending down, she scooped up the backpack and charged towards the exit, which was barely visible through the ash and flames.
                It was chaos. Both Black Mask's and the Joker's men were running in every direction. Guns were fired on both sides, and the street was painted red with blood. The block was lit up by the flames from the building, and Skye could hear sirens in the distance. Skye's jaw dropped and she sped away from the safehouse, swinging the bag over her head and shoulder.
               "Now or never." She muttered as she ran down the dark streets. Before long, she turned onto a crowded, lit up street in the middle of the city. Clubs with neon signs lit up the block, and couples, and friends alike were laughing and drinking outside. Skye smiled softly, and then grinned.
              "I'm free! I can finally go home!" She said out loud. She began to walk forward, when a young boy sped past her, knocking her shoulder.
              "Hey! Look where you're-" She fell silent and let her jaw fall once more. Laxus and Makarov stared wide eyed as the boy turned around.
              "No way! What the hell??" Laxus exclaimed.  The boy looked no older than 14 with spiky yellow hair that was slicked back, but some fell over his forehead. He wore a pair of headphones around his neck that had spikes taped on each side. Skye brought her hand over her mouth as she gazed at his eyes, one of which had a lightning scar over it.
              "Laxus?" Skye asked. The boy held no expression in his face as Skye stared at him, nor did he reply. Skye began to approach him when he was called away, "Mitch! We told you to keep up!", came a shout from a rather irritable looking woman down the block. The boy gave her one last look and turned away to join his mother. Skye let out a nervous laugh, and face-palmed herself.
              "Idiot...He's not here. And he'd be 23 now, not 14. Still though....that was uncanny." Skye shook her head and continued down the sidewalk.
              A while later, she reached Jezebel Plaza. It looked much like it did before, with the closed stores and rotting canopies. Making her way down the shopping center, she found the closed toy store. Standing in front of the door, Skye's hands shook as she reached for the knob, which began to vibrate and hum slightly. Skye closed her eyes and opened the door. On the other side was the alley that Skye and Father Michaelis had come from. Not taking a second to look back, Skye ran through the door and shut it behind her, and the memory faded out.

             Laxus opened his eyes, and they were back in the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. Skye had backed away from him and his grandfather and was looking at the floor.
            "I'm sorry....It wasn't pretty to see. But that's the truth. That's where I've been this whole time." She apologized. Makarov had a serious look on his old face, and looked directly at Skye.
            "You have been through so much...I can see how it has changed you," He began. Skye looked up at him, "You have grown stronger than I think you realize. As well as had to make hard desicions. They have helped you grow as an individual." Makarov said wisely.
            "I just want it to be over now...I'm done killing people. I never wanted to do it in the first place...It's unforgivable, but I want to repent for the things I've done." Skye said. Laxus looked down for a moment, then back at Skye.
            "Just how many people have you killed, child?"Makarov asked. Skye sighed, "Over a hundred...I stopped counting after 80."
            "I see," He replied, " And I suppose you would like to join Fairy Tail?" Skye smiled and looked down.
            "Yes, That'd be great...but I understand if you say no. God knows with the things I've done, I'm not sure I deserve to be a part of something so good. I'm just happy to be home." She answered.
            "You have taken many lives, and that does pose a threat to this guild. I will not allow any of my children to come to any harm." Makarov said. Skye gazed into the old man's hard eyes.
            "Gramps..." Laxus started, but Makarov held his hand up for silence.
            "Let me finish, boy. Skye...despite the things you've done, I still consider you one of my children, and I don't believe that you are a bad person. You got lost, and struggled. But in the end you made your way back home. What kind of man would I be if I turned my children away when they needed help. You're welcome to join Fairy Tail and be a part of our family again, Skye." Makarov grinned at her. Skye's could hardly believe what she just heard, and she stared at Makarov dumbstruck. Laxus smiled at his grandfather.
             "Really? I can really join!?" Skye exclaimed happily. Makarov nodded.
             "Of course, child. Laxus, would you get the guild mark stamp? It's behind the bar." He asked.
             "Sure, Gramps." Laxus said as he got off of the bar stool and walked behind the bar where he looked in several drawers and cabinets before taking out a large stamper with the Fairy Tail guild mark on it.
             "Where do you want it?" He asked Skye when he came out from behind the bar. Skye tilted her head to the side, "My neck." She replied, beaming. Laxus nodded and stamped her neck with the guild mark. Makarov smiled, "Welcome home, Skye."
            

          
             
            
          

                
              
    
             
             
           
            

Ch 7: Best Friends

              Skye's memory snapped back faster this time than before. In a flash, Laxus and his grandfather found themselves looking over a vast water filled museum atrium. There were skeletons of flying creatures hanging from the high ceiling that Laxus had never seen before, and the skylight had bars on the outside and inside. They were standing on a sturdy makeshift scaffolding balcony and on the other side of the atrium, he could make out the neon sign: Iceberg Lounge, which hung over a set of double doors. Laxus looked to his left, and saw a metal hook that was extended over the water. He scowled as he gazed at the figure hanging from her ankles on the hook.
              Skye glared at the group of thugs standing on the scaffolding. They smirked and watched her squirm uncomfortably in the rope bindings that cemented her arms and legs together. She tried to shout at them, but her voice was muffled through the ball of cloth and handkerchief tied around her mouth. One of the men grinned and approached her with an arrogant swagger.
              "I'm sorry doll, what was that?" He chortled as he untied the handkerchief around her mouth. She spat out the wad of cloth in her mouth and continued to glare silently at the man in front of her.
              "I don't think she likes you, Ricky!" One of the men called out. Ricky turned and swung the hook around so Skye was no longer above the water, but was now face to face with him.
              "Come on now sweetheart, no need to be so sore," He crooned, as he caressed her cheek with his thumb, "We could have killed you on the spot. But Mr. Cobblepot wanted to talk to you himself. Don't you think you should show us a little gratitude?" Skye's nostrils flared as his thumb moved up and felt it's way across her top lip. He leaned his face in close to hers and slightly opened his mouth to kiss her, then violently recoiled and spat down into the water.
               "You bitch! She spat in my mouth!!" He furiously spat into the water again. The men around them roared with laughter. Ricky raised his hand to smack her across the face.
               "That's enough, son!" Shouted a voice. Everyone turned around and stared at a very short, and squat man approaching them. He wore an expensive looking black coat that slightly dragged on the floor behind him, and a monocle over his left eye. His nose was overly large and his eyes were beady. In his left hand was a walking cane with a large glass jewel on the top, and in his right was a smoking cigar. He walked with a bit of a wattle.
               "Who's that?" Laxus wondered to himself. His question was answered immediately as Ricky threw a dirty look back at Skye before stepping back and saying, "Sorry, Mr. Cobblepot."  Skye stared at her captor, unimpressed.
               "Ugly little guy aren't you?" She said bluntly.
               "How dare you, bitch!" Ricky stepped towards Skye once more.
               "I said ENOUGH!" Cobblepot struck his cane down on the floor, making a thundering clang that echoed across the atrium. Ricky turned away, looking as if someone had fed him something extremely sour. Cobblepot then turned his attention to Skye.
                "Why isn't she over the water like I told you lot?" He snarled at his men, who rushed over and swung her back over the water. Cobblepot put his cigar in his mouth and stepped to the edge of the balcony to face Skye.
                "You've caused me problems, Missy. You killed five of my men when you were sneaking around my home. And then you try and make off with some of my business papers from my office? You're either stupid, or gutsy, or your boss really wants you dead," He took in a long drag from his cigar and lazily blew the smoke in her face. Skye closed her eyes and wrinkled her nose. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and if you don't answer or lie to me...Ricky! Come here." He snapped.
                 "You want me to hurt her boss? I can hurt her real bad." Ricky grinned as he swaggered to the edge to stand next to Cobblepot, who smiled pleasantly at him.
                 "That won't be necessary. Ricky, it's been a pleasure having you in our crew, and best wishes to you in the ten seconds left of your life." Cobblepot said in a dignified tone. Ricky gave him a blank look and began to speak when Cobblepot shoved him from the balcony. Laxus and Makarov moved to the edge to get a better look.
                  Ricky quickly surfaced and started screaming up pleas for mercy to Cobblepot. Skye watched him with an eyebrow raised, "You're gonna drop me in the water? So what?" A slight ring of metal attracted her eyes back to Cobblepot who now held a knife in his hand. He reached out and pressed the edge against her left arm. Skye winced as the blade sliced down her arm and blood started dripping from the cut down off of her shoulder and into the water.
                 "Just something to get him excited is all." The little man grinned evilly.
                 Within seconds of Skye's blood hitting the water, Ricky disappeared beneath the surface. Skye's eyes widened as the spot where Ricky had been was now growing redder and redder with blood. He never came up again. Laxus stared at the reddened water for a while and looked up at Skye,"You just can't stop surrounding yourself with psychos, can you?" He closed his eyes and pinched the skin between them. Skye stared into the water, visibly shocked. She then looked back up at Cobblepot.
                 "What's in that water?" She asked nervously.
                 "I'll be asking the questions if that's alright with you." He took another long drag and once again blew it in Skye's face. She stared back into the water and began to fidget with the bindings around her wrists which were held firmly behind her back. A very large shadow moved beneath the water and Skye's breathing began to quicken.
                 "Now then! Question one: Who are you?" Cobblepot asked. Skye glowered at him, but was silent. After a few seconds, he puffed his cigar and moved on the next question, "Who do you work for?" Again, Skye didn't answer. Cobblepot started to look angry, "Do you want to find out what's down there that badly? Why were you trying to steal my business papers?" Skye didn't answer for a third time, and Cobblepot had had enough.
                 "Fine then! Time to die." He kicked a lever that controlled the hook and Skye dropped down into the water. She plummeted down into the depths, desperately trying to cut through the ropes with her wrist blades. The shadow moved under her, as she finally freed her wrists, and bent down to work on her ankles. Then she stopped. The shadow swam towards Skye, and out of the gloom revealed itself as a gigantic shark, large enough to swallow her whole body. They both stared at each other as the shark circled her hungrily. A red streak in the water called her attention to her still bleeding arm. Skye then went back to working on her ankles, but with all the haste she could muster. The shark swam past Skye and disappeared into the murky water. Looking all around her, Skye cut her ankles free and swam for the surface.
                 She took a giant breath of air and stared all around her for any sign of the shark once she broke the surface. There was no sign of it, but she felt something rub up against her foot. She took another large breath of air and went below the surface. The shark had swum past her and was at a distance where she could barely see it. It then turned around and darted directly at her, gathering speed with every wave of it's tail fin. Thinking fast, Skye froze the water around her fingers to create ice needles, which she sent speeding like sharp torpedoes into the giant shark's gills. It faltered and sped past Skye, trailing blood from it's new wounds. She then twirled around in the water and motioned up with her arms and she sped up through the surface of the water and landed on a sheet of ice that she created by blowing on the water's surface.
                  "What the bloody hell is this!? You're supposed to be dead!" Cobblepot angrily shouted down at her.
                  "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't plan on dying today." Skye replied. A movement in the water told her that the shark was once again ready to come after her. She looked all around her for an escape route, and finally she rested her eyes on the doorway to the Iceberg Lounge. She frowned and looked down into the water, then up at the scaffolding balcony where Cobblepot and his men watched angrily.
                   "Screw it." She mumbled, and with one quick movement she took off across the water. She skated on the water's surface like it was an ice rink. A loud splash behind her made her look back. The shark was on her heels and gaining on her. Every move she made felt like she was in slow motion, as the shark drew closer. When she reached the other side of the atrium, she stopped and spun around and motioned with her arms. A column of water surrounded her feet and launched her up into the air, towards the doors. Still in mid-air, Skye threw a punch into the air and a huge fireball erupted from her fist and crashed into the doors of the Iceberg Lounge, busting them open.
                     She raced through the club as many well dressed lounge members looked at each other in complete confusion. Two of Cobblepots men stood in front of the doors to the outside to block her escape. Skye charged them and slid under the legs of one who was trying to grab her. She quickly got up behind him and delivered a high kick into the back of his head, which sent him straight to the floor. She ducked a right hook from the other man and thrust her fist deep into his groin, bringing him to the ground as well. Turning around, Skye pulled open the doors and sprinted out into the night. She ran through several alley ways before she stopped to catch her breath.
                       "Crap....he's not going to like this." She mumbled, "My phone!" She jumped and pulled out her wet phone. She waved her hand over the phone and the water flowed out of every crevice until her phone was dry as a bone. Laxus stood behind her and looked over her shoulder as she turned on the phone and made sure everything was okay. When she looked satisfied, she let out a sigh and called a number on her contact list. Skye stood in silence for a few moments as she waited for someone to pick up.
                         "It's me....I failed. I got busted by Penguins crew and nearly got fed to his shark......No I wasn't able to escape with any.......yes sir........Where?......When?......Alright." She hung up the phone and placed it back in her pocket. Somewhere far off, a bell rang midnight and Skye looked up into the night sky.
                 "Happy Birthday to me.....Happy Birthday to me....Happy Birthday dear Skye...Happy Birthday to me." She softly sang to herself. She smiled sadly at the full moon and walked to the street past the alley. The memory faded out and changed to the hallway in the girl's dorms.
                 Skye held her left arm as she made her way down the hallway. Every few seconds she checked on the cut that Cobblepot gave her, which was still bleeding slightly. She stopped in front of the dorm room, and opened the door. She jumped back as Heather leapt in front of the door in a white tank top and froggy pajama pants with a cheap noise maker in her mouth.
                          "Happy Birthday!!! Get your butt in here!" Heather reached out and pulled Skye into the room and sat her down on her bunk," You look like you jumped in the river. Oh my gosh, you're hurt!" She gasped as she noticed the cut on Skye's arm.
                          "It's only a cut. Get me the first aid kit, and I can patch myself up. What's all this?" Skye took a look around the room which had streamers hanging from the bunk posts, and off the corners of their desks. A few balloons were scattered on the floor next to the window. Heather opened up Skye's top drawer and took out a moderate sized metal box with a red cross on the top. She put it down next to Skye who opened it and took out antiseptic wipes.
                          "Well I thought we should celebrate a bit tonight! It is your 18th birthday after all. The second most important one, next to turning 21. So what happened? I thought it was going to be a simple robbery job?" Heather took out a wad of gauze and bandage wrappings. Skye hissed as she wiped the antiseptic on her cut.
                           "Yeah. That's how it started out. Everything was fine until I got caught in Penguin's office. I almost ended up as shark bait. He has this huge shark! It's a freaking monster! I ended up using bending to get away." Skye mumbled through  the bandage between her teeth. Heather stared at her with a blank face.
                 "So, what I gathered from that horrendous explanation was: You got caught, and were nearly eaten by a giant shark, which....belongs to the Penguin?" She looked at Skye, who nodded while wrapping the bandages around her arm, "And you managed to escape, but did you get what you went there for?" Skye shook her head.
                  " No, I didn't manage to steal anything. Sionis isn't happy at all about it. He wants me to meet him at the old Soder Cola factory at ten tonight to 'discuss my failures'" She made the quotes sign with her fingers. Heather looked worried and took Skye's hand.
                   "Be careful, okay? I hate it when you come back all beat up." She stared intently at Skye, who smiled and nodded.
                   "I will. I don't like coming back like this either, you know. But there was nothing I could do. I was tied up, hanging upside down. And one of his men tried to kiss me." Skye shuddered at the thought, and Heather made a face.
                   "How was he not able to kiss you if you were tied up?" She looked at Skye suspiciously.
                   "I spat in his mouth when he got close," Skye grinned, " It really pissed him off." She started giggling, but then stopped," And then he got fed to the shark." Heather's eyes widened and she got up from the bunk.
                   "Lets move on then! I got you something! Well, actually it's for both of us." She started to rummage around in her drawers, before she took out a velvet necklace box and handed it to Skye. Skye took it with a puzzled look at Heather. She popped up the golden clasp with her thumb and gasped at the contents. Inside lay two silver half heart charm necklaces with the words 'Best' on one, and 'Friends" on the other in gold. Skye took out 'Friends', and fastened it around her neck, and Heather did the same with her's.
                    "Thank you. They're beautiful." Skye got up and hugged Heather who beamed at her.
                    "I'm really glad you like them! Hey, can I ask you something?" Heather asked. Skye frowned slightly and nodded. Heather thought a moment before speaking
                    "What would you and Laxus do on your guys' birthdays in Fiore?" Heather cocked her head a bit as she spoke. Skye smiled at the floor.
                    "We'd have a little celebration in the guild hall. Then we'd leave and just hang out together for the rest of the day. Laxus would go home in the evening and spend time with his grandfather and father on his birthday, and I would spend time with my dad on mine. For as often as he was gone throughout the year, he never missed my birthday." She answered.
                    "Seriously, were you and Laxus glued together or something?" Heather rolled her eyes, and then over dramatically covered her mouth with her hand, "Or could it be something else?" She slyly grinned at Skye, "You like him don't you?" Laxus looked at Skye, who's face turned as red as her hair and smirked.
                    "Do you now?" He muttered to himself as Heather started to tease Skye.
                    Almost immediately, the memory faded out and back again to the dorm room where Skye was adjusting her wrist blades, and Heather was watching her from the top bunk.
                    "I'll have the kit ready when you come back." Heather said as Skye went out the door. She weaved through a few girls who were still awake, and headed downstairs to the lobby, where two men waited for her. One of them grasped her bandaged left arm and guided her outside all the way to a waiting car. She silently sat in the back seat while the two men sat in the front and pulled out of the driveway of Augustine.
                    "So what does he have planned this time?" Skye asked dully. There was no answer from the front seat so she rested her chin in her hand and stared out the window until they finally reached the Soder Cola factory. The moon shone brightly through the cracked windows and illuminated old machinery. Skye was led into the middle of the production room where Black Mask waited. She looked all around and noticed his men were surrounding them. She started to look nervous.
                    "You've been letting me down an awful lot lately. I don't like it when my employees fuck up their jobs. You failed three assassinations in 2 months, and now you can't even steal some papers! I brought an old friend of yours. Maybe he can set you straight." Black Mask motioned to a large patch of shadow. Skye took a step back, and clutched her stomach, as a huge, crocodile man stepped out of the shadows. His teeth were sharp, and sticking out of his mouth at odd angles. The creature's torso was monstrous and his arms were as thick as tree trunks with a set of nasty looking claws on each gigantic hand.
                    "Gotta pay you back for last time." It growled. Skye stared at it, unable to move. She jumped, when one of Black Mask's men opened the doors.
                    "We got her boss." He dragged in someone who was struggling to get away, and to Skye's horror, she saw it was Heather. Skye tried to go to Heather, but stopped as the thugs surrounding them aimed their guns at her.
                     "What is this? She has nothing to do with this!" Skye couldn't hide the panic in her voice. She stared at her friend as she tried to wrestle out of the thug's grip.
                     " Oh, I think she has plenty to do with this." Black Mask had walked up to Skye and leaned his masked face close to hers. They stared at each other for a while until he turned around and spoke to Heather, "You see miss, your friend here was supposed to keep her mouth shut," He wheeled around and punched Skye in the face,"About our business relationship. That's why I had her watched. To make sure she doesn't do that. But what does she go ahead and do? She tells you, and that's where this problem comes from. I think Skye, here, needs to learn that if she misbehaves, things get taken away. What do you think boys?" He called out to his men, who cheered and yelled in response. Skye desperately grabbed Sionis' suit and begged him to hurt her instead. He considered her for a moment before gently holding her face in both of his hands and whispering, "But I am hurting you."  He looked up at the crocodile man and nodded. The creature immediately charged forward and snatched up Heather in one hand, and swatted the thug away with the other. Heather screamed out as it crashed through the doors.
                    "Heather!!!!" Skye screamed. She threw her arms up in the air and spun around, creating a strong gust of wind that blew Black Mask and his men to the ground. Not taking a second to look around, Skye sprinted out the doors, to a recently opened large manhole. She could hear screams along with the rushing sound of the sewer water. Taking a breath, She jumped into the manhole.
                    Skye followed Heather's voice through the damp tunnels, until she could see the monster's back. Skye glared at its back as she thrust her fists together, and the ground rose up to create a wall, blocking it's escape. It turned around and faced her with malice in it's eyes and began to laugh.
                    "You think a dirt wall is going to stop me? I can smell fear on you, and blood." It guffawed as Skye furiously unsheathed her wrist blades.
                    "Croc! Give her back, now!" Skye snarled and got ready to attack.
                    "You want her so bad? You can have her. After a taste." He put Heather's torso in his mouth and chomped down. Heather's screams turned into wet choking sounds as her ribs were crushed along with her lungs. Skye's face went from angry, to utter disbelief and tears freely started flowing down her cheeks like two rivers. Her legs wobbled, and she fell to her knees as Croc spat Heather out and punted her over to Skye with a clawed foot. Skye crawled over to Heather and held her head in her lap. She was dead.
                     "No...no no no...Heather wake up. Don't do this." She sobbed. Croc watched her crying, and began to laugh once again.
                     "She tasted like candy." He snorted. There was a lull in Skye's crying as he spoke. She stared at her hands which had become red with Heather's blood and started mumbling: "You killed her.......You killed her.....You killed her" over and over. Croc's smile faded as Skye looked up at him. Laxus and Makarov watched, shocked, as Skyes eyes began to glow bright blue, her face went blank, and she picked herself up from the ground. She continued to repeat her words as Croc took a step back and growled,"What's this energy?" and punched through the wall of earth to escape. Skye immediately gave chase as the earth around her rose up and sped her after the beast. She chased him to a large dead end reservoir of water it seemed he was planning on diving into. Still riding on the mound of earth, Skye froze the reservoir solid just as Croc leaped forward. He landed on the ice with a loud crack from his skull. He got up and slipped around on the ice, trying to get footing. Skye watched, eye's still aglow on the edge of the sewer tunnel. She extended her fists out, pointing them at the ceiling of the tunnels.
                       "Killer Croc, you have killed someone that I have come to love as a sister. Now, I'm going to kill you." There was no mercy in her voice as she thrust her fists down, and the tunnel followed suit. Croc was still trying to get up from the ice as the tunnel collapsed on top of him in a thunderous crash. Skye air bended the resulting dust cloud away and watched silently for signs of movement. After a few tense moments of nothing, the pile of rubble began to move. She jumped down, and landed evenly on the ice. Croc had dug an arm out of the rubble and was now clearing fallen rock away from his body. Skye knelt down and bent a large mass of water over the rubble pile and froze it, imprisoning Croc. After doing so, her eyes stopped glowing and she bent over, holding her head in her hands. 
                       " I killed her..." She whispered, and raced back down the tunnel, which seemed endless. She ran as fast as she could to the place where she had left her friend's body. Tears started to flow again as she rounded the corner, and stopped. Heather's body was gone, and the memory faded to black.
                   

                   

         

Ch 6: A Friend's Trust

                Skye made her way down the dark dorm hallways, ignoring several girls who had poked their heads out into the hall to see what the commotion was about. She stopped for a moment at the stairs and looked back down the hallway. Laxus and Makarov watched as she took a step back towards her room. But she lowered her eyes and went downstairs to the lobby. The staff desk was still lit up and Shiva was still working behind the desk. She looked up as Skye walked past.
                 "You should be in bed. Where are you going?" Shiva asked.
                 "I need some air..."Skye replied.
                 "You can't leave in the middle of the night, you don't have any more orders tonight."
                 "I'm just going out to the courtyard for a bit....I won't leave the property..."
                 "Fine, but I'm going to have to sign you up for detention hall tomorrow for the school records." Shiva started writing something down behind the desk, and handed Skye a blue slip of paper. Skye nodded and headed out the door. Her cheeks and nose turned pink the moment she stepped outside. The green, well kept grounds had been covered with a foot of snow for months, and icicles hung from the buildings like stalactites.  She shoved her hands in her pockets as she walked down the path lowering her eyes once more.
                 "Shit...the hell's wrong with me? Why'd I do that?" Skye muttered to herself. Her breath hung in the air like a soft mist. It was cold and quiet. The only sound was the snow crunching under Skye's boots. The courtyard was dark and the fountain was shut off, leaving the angel and cherubs covered in snow. She sat down on the edge of the fountain and looked up at the cloudy night sky.
                 "What are you doing now, Dad....Laxus? I miss you, but I can't come home," Her voice quivered and a tear ran down her rosy cheek, "Would you hate me if you knew what I've done? I know this isn't me, but what else can I do...I can't run." She looked over in the direction of the girl's dorms, "I should go apologize. Crap...how do I apologize for that?" Skye stood back up and brushed the snow off her pants, and set off back towards the dorm building.
                  Shiva was gone when Skye re-entered the building. She went directly up the stairs to the third floor. The hallway was silent once more, and every door was closed. When she reached her room, she paused for a moment, then went inside.
                  "Hey, Heath-", She started to say, but Heather was not in the room. Skye sat down on her bed, and unlaced her boots. The room was silent except for the ticking of the over large pink alarm clock on Heather's desk. She fell back and stared up at the underside of Heather's bunk, then the memory faded to black.

                   "And don't be walking on the grounds at night again. Do you understand Miss Sionis?" Mr. Kinsley scolded Skye as she exited the detention hall. The sun reflected on the snowy ground and she held her hand up over her eyes. She shivered slightly as a cold gust of wind crept down the collar of her dark blue Augustine coat. Many students stared at her as she passed through the courtyard, but she didn't seem to notice. The only thing that caught her attention was Heather. She was on the far side of the courtyard and was starting to walk down the driveway of the school. Skye followed her at a distance to the end of the driveway where it met up with a busy street.
                    "What's she doing?" Skye mumbled. She narrowed her eyes as Heather stopped at the end of the driveway, and stared into the traffic. Skye's eyes widened as Heather stepped forward.
                    "No...NO! Heather, stop," Skye charged forward. Heather stepped into the street as a bus sped toward her, "Heather!!!!" Skye screamed as she grabbed the back of Heather's jacket and yanked her back with all her strength, barely avoiding the bus as it rushed past.The force that Skye used to pull Heather back was so great, that it threw them both off balance and they fell on the ground together. Skye immediately got to her knees and pulled Heather into a sitting position, and then proceeded to slap her across the face.
                     "S-Skye?" Heather looked bewildered, but it was obvious that she had been crying moments before.
                     "What were you thinking? Why would you try to walk into traffic?" Skye scolded.
                     "You're right...nobody likes me. I don't have any friends here. No matter how hard I try, wherever I go people don't like me. I tried to fit in with the students here, but they don't think my family is rich enough for me to even be here. I tried to make friends with you, but you wouldn't even look at me...and last night...Why did you save me?" Heather's eyes filled with tears, and she looked away from Skye, as she helped her up.
                     "I'm sorry...about last night. I didn't really mean to be that mean to you. I just....We should talk. Lets go back to the dorm..." Skye's eyes softened as she spoke. They walked side by side in silence through the courtyard and down the path to the girls dorms. Shiva cast Skye a suspicious look as they entered the lobby. Skye ignored her and led Heather up the stairs.
                     Only when they got inside their dorm room, did Skye speak.
                     "I'm sorry...I know rooming with me hasn't been the most enjoyable experience in the world. I didn't mean what I said last night, I just had a hard night. I do like you...I just haven't had someone I can call a friend in a while. I guess I kind of forgot how to be nice." Skye sat down on her bed, while Heather sat down beside her.
                     "You like me? Really? Why didn't you even try to tell me?" Heather asked.
                     "Because you put me on edge....I'm not used to people being nice to me. You're the first one the be genuinely nice to me in over two years, and I didn't trust you to stay that way. But I never thought of ending it, no matter how hard things got for me. And you shouldn't either. You have too much to live for, even if the world around you grows dark, and you lose your way. You've just got to keep going." Skye replied.
                     "If you don't mind my asking, what did you go through?" Heather tentatively asked. Skye stared at her for a few moments before answering.
                     "I was taken away from my family over two years ago. Roman Sionis is not my father, he's my employer, and captor. And, as crazy as this is going to sound, I'm not even from this world." Heather looked shocked.
                     "Ah....what?" Heather lifted an eyebrow.
                     "I'm serious. I'm from a country called Fiore, in my world that's called Earthland. It's quite different from this one. Magic is pretty much the source of everything in Earthland. But I don't know any magic...I'm a Bender." Skye started to ramble on and on about Fiore, and Fairy Tail. Heather sat and listened intently to every word Skye said.
                     "You do realize how crazy you sound?" Heather interrupted Skye in the middle of explaining how guilds work. " Yeah, I guess I probably do sound a bit crazy. But, I can show you some bending. Watch this." Skye snapped her fingers and a small flame appeared just over her thumb. Heather clapped a hand to her mouth and stared at the small flickering flame in awe. Skye then made a circular, waving motion with her other hand and a small gust of wind blew in Heather's face.
                      "I can bend the four elements to my will. I've had this ability for as long as I can remember. Sionis doesn't know about it though. And he won't ever know about it." Skye smiled slightly.
                      "That's...holy crap! That's amazing! But wait...You said that Roman Sionis is your captor AND your employer? What do you mean by that?" Heather cocked her head. Skye looked down and shifted uncomfortably.
                      "You can't tell anyone."Skye said seriously. Heather frowned and nodded, and Skye continued.
                      "You know all the killings that have been in the papers for the past couple years? The ones where the murderer is still on the loose?" Skye asked. Heather looked confused, but then the light bulb clicked on. She stared at Skye in disbelief and pointed at her.
                      "It's you?"
                      "Yeah...it's me. It's not like I want to do it. I don't have a choice. If I defy Black Mask, he'll kill me. He's punishing me for accidentally killing his right hand man when another person and myself stumbled upon this world. I didn't mean to do it. But it was like I was controlling him....it was scary. But the way it works, is he gives me a call, tells me a name and address and I go and do the job. Then I come back here and assume the normal school girl charade. I want more than anything else in the world to go home, but I don't think that's going to happen." Skye leaned forward and looked down at her feet. She jumped at feeling Heather's hand on her shoulder.
                      "Don't say that. There may be a time where you can go home. You can't give up hope. And even though I could easily go call the police with all that you just told me, I'm not going to. You won't have to go through this alone anymore. You can lean on me when you need to. That's what friends are for right? Heather smiled kindly at Skye, "You're not a bad person. If you were, I would be dead, and we wouldn't be having this conversation." Skye smiled back.
                      "Thank you, Heather. That sounds like something Laxus would have said." Skye blushed slightly.
                      "Who's Laxus?" Heather looked confused.
                      "He's my best friend. He's always there for me. Even if he acts like he doesn't care, he's one of the most caring people I know. When we were little, we'd get into so much trouble together, but he'd try to take the blame every time. It didn't work, but it was sweet of him. I could always count on him for anything." Skye smiled sadly, "I miss him so much, it hurts like crazy." Her eyes softened and grew moist. Laxus walked over to Skye and knelt down so he was face to face with her.
                      "I missed you too...more than you know." He whispered. Heather looked at Skye with empathy, and hugged her from the side.
                      "You will see him again. I'm sure of it," Skye wiped her eyes and smiled at Heather. A large growl coming from Heather's stomach interrupted their hug. Before she could stop herself, Skye let out a laugh.
                      "Sorry!" Skye said quickly, but Heather laughed back.
                      "It's okay, lets head down to dinner. I think it's chicken tonight." Heather stood up and held her hand out to Skye, who took it. The two girls left the dorm room together as Skye's memory faded out once more.
                      

Ch 5: Augustine Academy

              "Why the hell do I have to do this again?" Skye gazed lazily out the window of the black Cadillac as it made it's way up the street. It was a sunny day, and the streets were crowded with cars, bicycles, and people. Makarov and Laxus were sitting in the back seat of the car. Laxus took a look outside, and closed his eyes. "Always moving..." he muttered.
             "Because Black Mask wants you educated. He can't have you be as dumb as the rest of his boys. And don't talk like that. You're supposed to be a well brought up young lady at this school." replied the driver. He was one of the men who were assigned to watch Skye. She turned and glared at him, "Che'....That's not gonna happen. I'll be surrounded by spoiled, rich kids..... I'm going to go insane."
              The driver didn't respond as the car entered a tunnel. Skye went back to staring out the window. She watched a boy and a girl fighting each other over a video game. They were yelling and hitting each other until the girl started to cry. The boy watched her crying for a few seconds before handing the girl the video game. She stopped crying and smiled at him.
             "Laxus..." She mumbled. Laxus opened one eye.
             "What?" asked the driver.
             "Nothing...none of your business." Skye snapped.
             "Can the attitude, we're here." he replied.
             They pulled up into the driveway of a large, old looking stone school building. Skye turned her attention to the sign in front of the school that read: 'Augustine Academy for Gifted Young People', and wrinkled her nose.The car stopped, and Skye got out and opened the trunk. She grabbed a very full duffel bag, and swung it over her shoulder. The driver had gotten out of the car too and handed Skye a phone.
             "You'll receive your orders on this. Your registration is all set up, and all you need to do is go inside. Your name is Skye Sionis while you are here, got it?"
            Skye nodded, and he got back into the car. Skye turned to go inside when the driver called her back. He beckoned with his finger for her to come closer.
            "Don't you even think of running. We know where you are, wherever you go." He warned, then drove off, leaving Skye in a cloud of exhaust fumes. She frowned and looked up at the building. It looked like a huge historic mansion, with a heavily gardened courtyard. There was a large, fountain in the center, with what looked like an angel surrounded by cherubs that were shooting water from their wings. On her way through the courtyard, Skye passed several students already in uniform and happily talking with their peers. The girls wore a dark blue coat over white shirts and the skirts were also dark blue and ended just above the knees. The boys wore a similar uniform, only they wore dark blue pants instead of skirts. Many of them glanced at her as she passed by, but she ignored them. She was wearing black pants, and a black tank top, and wore a cold expression; very different from everyone around her, but she didn't care. She went up the steps, opened the door and was blasted with cold air escaping the entrance hall. The entrance hall was filled with new students and their families being shown around by older students and staff. One of the students, a boy wielding a clipboard, walked up to her.
            "Welcome to Augustine! My name is Evan. Are you one of our new students? Can I have your name?" He smiled at her with a mouth full of brilliantly white teeth. His uniform didn't have a wrinkle, and his orange hair was neatly parted straight down the middle of his head. Skye nodded and told him her name.
             "Sionis.....lets see. Sanchez....Shalot....Here we go! Sionis, Skye" Evan ran his finger down the list on his clip board. He then began to thumb through a folder that was also on the clip board, and took out a plastic card, "Here's your student I.D card, Skye. The girl's dorms are in the building down the right path through the courtyard. You can check in there, and get settled. The welcoming ceremonies are tomorrow at 7am in the theater. See you there!"  He turned and hustled up to another family and started reciting his greeting to them. Skye rolled her eyes and went back out to the courtyard. She looked to her right and saw a large, brick building at the end of a path. Frowning, she started down the steps. Makarov frowned as she passed between him and Laxus. Her eyes were dull, and her skin was pale. It looked like she hadn't smiled in a very long time, and they couldn't blame her.
              Once she reached the girl's dorm building, Skye opened the door and headed to the desk where a staff member was organizing a filing cabinet. She cleared her throat, and the lady turned around.
              "You....of course." Skye narrowed her eyes as Shiva smiled at her.
              "Hello! My name is Ms.Chen, and I'll be helping out in the dorms this year. Your name and I.D card please." Shiva pleasantly chirruped. Skye raised an eyebrow and mouthed, "Wow", as she handed Shiva her I.D.
              "Very good! Please come with me." Shiva walked out from behind the desk and led Skye up the stairs, weaving through families and students,"Your room is number 314, and your roommate's name is Heather Mitchell. She's already checked in and getting settled."
              "Sionis put you up to this?"Skye muttered. Shiva glanced back at her.
              "I'm here to keep an eye on you, and resume your training. Copperhead will be involved as well." She replied. Skye said nothing as they came to a stop in front of room 314. Shiva handed Skye the room key and left her to go back downstairs.
              Skye turned the handle and entered her dorm room. It was a medium sized room with bunk beds against the left wall, and two desks and dressers against the right wall. One of the desks had a calender which was turned to September. On the top bunk, a black haired girl sat stuffing her pillow into a bright green pillowcase. Skye shut the door and tossed her duffel bag onto the bottom bunk. The girl looked down and saw Skye standing there. She put on a huge grin and leaped down right beside Skye.
              "Hi! My name is Heather! You're Skye right? It's so great to meet you! I hope we get to be great friends!" She said all this very fast as Skye took out her uniforms that were bought two weeks before and packed them away in her dresser. She looked at Heather coldly, and lay down on the bottom bunk. Heather didn't seem to notice or care. Instead, she continued to question Skye.
              "So what do your parents do? Your last name is Sionis right? Does that mean your parents run Sionis Steelworks? That's a huge company! You're so lucky! My parents own a software company called MitchellWare! It's decently big! A lot of kids here have parents that are lawyers, or surgeons and things like that!"
              Skye gave Heather another cold look and turned to face the wall away from her. "I guess you must be tired, sorry. I'll wake you up later and we can go to dinner together!" Heather chirped.  Skye grunted in reply, and she lay there while Heather went back to making her bed on the top bunk.
              Later, Heather hopped down from her bed and shook Skye's shoulder, "Hey! Come on Miss Sleepy, lets go get some food!" Skye turned over, and sat up.
              "Hey," Skye said. Heather looked down at her and grinned, "Yeeees?" She replied.
              "Stop talking. I don't care what you have to say. Just leave me alone." Skye said icily. She got up and walked to the door. Heather looked taken aback. Laxus frowned at Skye.
              "That's not how you should talk to your friends." Heather recovered.
              "I don't have friends, and I don't need friends...or anyone for that matter." And with that, Skye left the dorm room, and the memory faded.

              Laxus and Makarov stood in silent blackness for a few seconds before they were back in the dorm room. It was night, and the calendar read March. Skye had entered the room in her assassin clothes. She had on a different expression than the one they had seen previously. Instead of a bored, icy look in her eyes, they saw despair. She was starting to take off her wristblades, when Heather's voice startled her, and her eyes went cold once more.
             "Where were you?" She clicked on a flashlight in her hands. She wasn't smiling, and her eyes were hard. Skye didn't answer as she took off the braces and stuffed them in her duffel bag.
             "What are those?" Heather's voice took an accusatory tone and she climbed down from the top bunk. Skye didn't look at her as she sat down on the bed and began to take her light boots off. Heather scowled at her and grabbed the boot out of her hand,"Hey! You will get in serious trouble if you keep doing this. Where do you go every couple of weeks?"
              Before Heather could react, Skye jumped up and slammed her against the wall. Her eyes flashed angrily as she aimed her fist at Heather's face.
              "Drop it..." Skye snarled. Heather dropped the boot and stared at Skye, shocked. Skye narrowed her eyes and withdrew from Heather, who rubbed her neck. She sat back down on the bed and put her boot back on.
              "What the hell is your problem!? Why do you hate me? What did I ever do to you?" Heather gasped. Skye ignored her, and started for the door, but Heather stepped in her way.
              "I have nothing to say to you. Get out of my way." Skye's voice turned into a soft growl. But Heather stood her ground.
              "No, I want to know just what I did to make you hate me. You avoid everyone, and you are always alone. Aren't you lonely? I'm not exactly the most popular girl in the school either, but at least I don't go around like a-"
              "SHUT UP," Skye shouted, her eyes wild with anger, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME??!!" Heather jumped, but said nothing as Skye continued shouting in her face, "You don't know anything about me, and you think that if everything is rainbows and puppies, I'll come around and be your friend? Nobody likes you and nobody wants to be your friend! You're an annoying, fake little bitch who can't deal with not being the center of attention!"
               Tears were running down Heathers cheeks. She covered her mouth with her hands, and moved away from the door. Without a word, Skye left the room, and slammed the door.

Chapter 4: Crossroads

            Darkness surrounded Makarov and Laxus for a few minutes. Then the area around them started to blur, and then came into focus, and they found themselves in a small, windowless room that smelled like old cleansers. The paint on the walls was peeling, and it was so tainted by chemicals, that it was hard to tell the exact color. Shelves that were once firmly attached to the wall were now loose, and hanging by bent, rusty nails. The only light was coming from a single hanging bulb above a table in the middle of the room. Sitting at the table softly whimpering, was Skye. Laxus stepped forward to get a better look at her, and found that she was bound to a chair with thick grey tape. Her face was swollen and there was a dried streak of blood coming from her nose and ending at her chin. The tape had stuck to her skin, and he could see irritation marks on her arms. Laxus reached out to touch her shoulder, but his hand passed through her body as if she was made of smoke.
             "We are nothing but ghosts," Makarov appeared at the other side of Skye's chair, looking up at her sadly, "She has gone through so much in one day, with no one to turn to."
             They watched the tears rolling down the battered girl's cheeks as the door to the room swung open behind them, and in came two large men in black suits wearing black skull masks. One of them stood next to the door, and the other sat on the corner of the table, looking down at Skye.
              "Our boss wants to have a word with you." His voice was thick and gruff, with no sign of sympathy or compassion. Laxus glared at the doorway as the masked man in the white suit entered the room and closed the door.
              "Well, well, well....this is quite the unexpected turn of events," His voice was just as smooth as before as he sat down on the opposite side of the table," It was just a normal deal with Two Face's crew, and it ended with my best man lying dead in the dirt. And his killer is nothing but a little girl. How did a kid like you manage to kill my best man!?" He leaned forward so that his face was inches from Skye's.
              "Please....I don't know! I didn't mean to. I didn't... I'm sorry!" Skye whimpered. She could hear him breathing from inside his mask, and his breath smelled of strong tobacco.
               "You. Didn't. Mean. To," The man repeated slowly, "Well! That makes everything better, doesn't it?" His voice was dangerously flat, and Skye looked down at her hands.
               "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" He grabbed Skye by the hair, yanked her head up and smacked her, "I asked you a question...Do you think everything is all right because you're sorry?"
               Skye shook her head, "No" her voice shook.
               "No....that's right....Do you even know who I am, kid? You're dealing with Black Mask....Roman Sionis!" The masked man released her hair and fumbled with the back of his mask. Skye stared as the man removed his mask; His black eyes were angry and cold, with a curved scar around his right eye. "Now..." Sionis got up, and began to circle the table, "We need to figure out how you are going to repay me for taking my right hand man from me. There's a saying kid: 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth......a life for a life'."
                Skye's eyes widened with fear, "No! Please! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!!!!" She cried in panic. Sionis stared at Skye for a few seconds before he burst into laughter and turned around, "Hahahaha!!! You think I'm going to kill you? Oh, no girly. I'm not going to take your life by killing you! You are going to work for me and 'take care' of people who get in my way."
                "You mean...kill people??" Skye trembled in her seat, "No! I don't want to kill again! I never want to kill again!" Sionis whipped around and thrust a large knife down into the table in front of Skye, "You will kill for me if you don't want to die," He roared, "Bring them in!" He turned to the thug standing by the door. The thug nodded and left the room. A few seconds later, he returned with a large duffel bag and unloaded it's contents on the table: A black bladed Katana, a time bomb, a sniper rifle, a pair of braces with blades inside, and a set of vials and small bottles with different colored liquids inside.
                "Choose..." Sionis ordered. Skye closed her eyes and shook her head. Sionis scowled, and sat back down at the table across from Skye. "If you do not choose," He pulled out the gun from his suit, cocked it, and pointed it at her head," I will shoot you in your face." His voice was alarmingly calm. Skye stared down the barrel of the gun, shivering. She then turned her attention to the weapons in front of her. Shaking, she nodded at the braces to her right.
                 "Take her away, and tell Shiva that she has a student," Sionis holstered his gun, got up and walked to the door,"I look forward to working together." He sneered as he left Skye alone with his two men. The man in the corner approached her. "Lets go kid."
                   Skye screamed in pain, as the thug took hold of the edge of the tape and ripped it off her arms. She feebly struggled, as the masked thug grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Laxus and Makarov followed them as they left the room. Skye was led down a dark hallway, passing several doors that stank of alcohol. Eventually they came to a steel door at the end of the hallway, and the thug leading Skye opened the door, threw her inside, and slammed the door.
                    "No! Let me out! I want to go home!" Skye screamed through the door. There was no reply from the other side. She banged her fists on the door, but again, there was no reply. Giving up, she turned around and looked around her new surroundings.
                    The room was small, and very much like a cell. A dirty mattress with a thin, moth-eaten blanket was in the corner across from a dirty toilet and a sink that was dripping water of a questionable color. Skye threw herself onto the mattress and began to cry.
                    "It wasn't my fault...please someone help.." she sobbed into the dirty fabric. Makarov walked over to her and sat down on the mattress beside her.
                    "Gramps, do you know what she did to that guy? It was like she was controlling him, but I've never seen her do anything like that before. And she's not a magic user." Laxus asked. His chest tightened and anger surged inside him as he watched Skye cry.
                     "No, I'm afraid I have no idea. I know next to nothing about bending, but it seems that it just happened by accident." Makarov sadly gazed down at Skye, "An accident that killed a man. I can't imagine the turmoil going on inside her head." They watched her until she cried herself to sleep, and the memory faded once again.
                      Skye's memory came back into focus and they were still in the small room. Skye had been woken up by a woman entering the room. She was a young woman, looking to be in her mid to late 20's with short jet black hair and a stern expression on her face. Skye looked up at the woman apprehensively as they stared at each other. Then finally, the woman spoke.
                      "What is your name and your age, child?" Her voice was laced with a strange accent that Skye had never heard before.
                      "S-Skye Clive... I'm 12." Her voice trembled as she quietly answered. The woman stared at her for a few moments again. Her stern expression had changed into one of curiosity, and pity.
                      "So young...you should be home with your family. But it seems life has chosen a different path for you," She extended her hand to Skye," I am Shiva, and I will be your mentor. Come with me."
                     Skye reluctantly took Shiva's hand, and Skye's memory changed to a large empty room that resembled a dance studio. The floors were hard, and the far wall was covered with a huge mirror, which was cracked in some places. Shiva led Skye to the middle of the room.
                     "In this room, you will learn the art of death. You have chosen your tools," She opened her coat to reveal small braces attached to her belt," but you don't know how to use them. I will teach you to be a shadow, killing your victims without a trace.  I will also teach you to fight, and read body language to turn your enemy's energy against them." Shiva explained.
                      Skye looked down,"I can't do it...I won't..." She balled her hands into fists, "I want to go home!!" She yelled at Shiva. Shiva's face remained calm as Skye began to cry once more.
                      "Black Mask will kill you if you refuse. Do you want to die?" She asked. Skye rubbed her eyes and shook her head.
                      "You are at a crossroads in your life, Skye. You have only two choices and going home isn't one of them. You can either cower and die, or you can fight and live. I have no love of Roman Sionis myself, but while he pays me I shall do as he says. Now...what will it be? Death, or life?"
                       Skye stared at Shiva for a few moments before looking down,"Okay...", She quietly answered.
                       "Then let's begin, come at me with all you've got. I need to assess your current skill in combat." The memory faded once more as Laxus and Makarov watched Skye charge at Shiva.

                       Skye's memory came back into focus, and they were now back in Skye's room. She was sitting quietly against the wall on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. Her hair was longer, and pulled up into a high ponytail. Her clothes were similar to that which she was wearing outside her memories, and she had the wristblades on her arms. She turned her head and Laxus and Makarov saw her face. Her eyes looked dull and bored, and she had small scars on her jawline. There was no trace of the smile she had had when she was with Laxus or her father.
                       The silence was broken by Shiva entering the room. Skye gazed up at her without changing her expression of boredom.
                       "It's time. I have the name and address of your first job." She handed Skye a manilla folder. Skye got to her feet and looked inside, "Howard Upton...He's not far away."
                       "I'm going with you, to watch and make sure the job gets done." Shiva said. Skye got up as Shiva turned to leave the room. As they made their way through the corridors, Skye sheathed and unsheathed her blades repeatedly. 
                       "Nervous?" Shiva asked.
                       "A little." Skye answered. It was very dark outside when they left the building. They  made their way in silence up the street for a few blocks before they turned off into an alleyway. Skye stopped at a fire escape and looked up, "Second from the top, third window on the left?" She looked at Shiva, who nodded. She pulled the flap of cloth on her shirt over her face, so that her mouth and nose were covered, and jumped up to hang on the bar of the fire escape. With relative ease, she pulled herself up and quietly crept up the stairs with Shiva close behind her. The stairs were sturdy and didn't creak as they made their way to the second floor from the top. Once up at the correct floor, Skye jumped to a ledge, and quietly prowled to the window of Howard Upton's apartment. All was dark, and quiet inside as Skye peered in the window. She tried to open the window and found that it was unlocked. Sliding it up, Skye and Shiva sneaked into the apartment.
                        "You have good fortune tonight." Shiva whispered in Skye's ear. The window they had come in through, was of the target's bedroom. Skye looked down into the bed and found her target lying asleep beneath the blankets.
                        "Go ahead, it's best that you don't hesitate." Shiva nodded to the sleeping man. Skye walked forward, unsheathed a blade, and held it close to her victims throat; But she did not act. She stared at him for a few minutes, before sheathing her blade and stepping back.
                        "I don't know if I can do this..." She muttered.
                        "You must. Close your eyes if you have to, but you must kill this man. This is what you have been training the past year for." Shiva replied.
                        Skye nodded and returned to the man's bedside. She hesitated once more, but not for long. Unsheathing her blade, she stuck it through the man's throat. The spray of blood startled her almost as much as the sick gurgling noise her victim made when he opened his eyes. She had cut through his trachea so he couldn't call for help, but still he tried. Wheezing, and drowning in his own blood, the man had fallen out of his bed and was staring wide-eyed at Skye. At last, he made one last gurgle, and died in a pool of blood. Skye stared at the body, in shock, then looked down at her blade, which was crimson. Tears started to well up in her eyes and run down her face. Shiva smiled slightly and went to her side.
                        "You did well. It only gets easier after the first one." Then the memory faded to black.
                      
              
       
               

            

Chapter 3: Smiles to Tears

      "This is..." Laxus started to say, but Makarov lifted his hand for silence.
      "We will watch...no need for speaking." The old man said quietly. Laxus saw movement out of the corner of his eye and his heart skipped a beat when Skye suddenly ran through him. She was 12 years old at this time. Her hair was down in a red, tousled mess and she was running around gathering clothes and throwing them hastily into a leather bag on her sleeping mat. Skye stopped packing for a moment and looked in the direction of Laxus and Makarov. They turned around as Gildarts' voice sounded behind them.
       " I guess you're leaving soon? Do you have everything you need?" Gildarts had entered the small house and was standing between Makarov and Laxus. He was smiling a fatherly smile at Skye, who grinned back. "Almost done! I'm just doing some last minute packing.....have you seen my copy of 'Ancient Histories and Cultures of Earthland'? I can't find it anywhere....wait! Nevermind, I found it!" Skye pulled a large book from behind a pot.
        "Why did you put it there? Do you think you will have much downtime to read during your mission work?" Gildarts asked.
        "Because Laxus called me an egghead when he saw it, and we will have downtime in the evenings. I wont have time during the daytime to read." Skye said as she was stuffing the book into her bag. "Okay, that's it! I'm good to go! I told Laxus that I would meet him in South Gate Park before I left." She swung her bag over her shoulders as Gildarts walked forward and pulled her into an embrace.
        "You're such a good girl, I love you. I might not be here when you return, I took an S-Class job in Bosco, and I don't know when I will be back." Gildarts held his daughter closer as she hugged him back.
         " I love you too, Dad. And I'll be here when you do come back!" Skye said cheerfully.
         "You better get going if Laxus is waiting for you." Gildarts withdrew from Skye and watched her walk towards the door.
         "See you later then!" Skye grinned as she left the house. Suddenly, Makarov and Laxus were following her through the streets of Magnolia without taking a single step. Laxus looked down to find the ground moving beneath him. "Ugh..." he groaned, bringing his hand up to his mouth.  They followed her all the way to South Gate Park, where a much younger Laxus waited.
          "I remember this....It's the last time I saw her before she disappeared." Laxus watched Skye approach his younger self. She had snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Young Laxus turned around to face her and fumbled with his music player.
          "Took you long enough. I was starting to think you'd ditched me." He frowned disapprovingly.
          "I'm really sorry, I had last minute packing to do."Skye smiled sheepishly.
          "I thought you were going to take care of that last night?"
          "Hehe...yeah. I never got around to it."
          "So irresponsible" He smirked at her.
          "Hey, shut up! You're one to talk, mister lets climb up Kardia Cathedral." Skye stuck her tongue out at Laxus, who thumped her on the head. "You went along with it....anyway, how long are you going to be gone for?"
          "10 days, nine nights. I think I might ask Dad if I can join the guild when I get back too. My bending is a lot better than it used to be! And if I join, we can be a team!" Skye grinned excitedly. Young Laxus smiled and put his hand on her head, "When you get back, sure. Um...hey, I've got something I want to tell you," He looked away with his face starting to go pink.
          "BONG......BONG" They both jumped as the bells sounded from Kardia Cathedral. "Oh crap!" Skye checked her watch, which read noon.
          " I have to go! It's later than I thought. Sorry, Laxus...tell me when I get back, okay?" Skye started to run across the park, but doubled back and ran at Laxus.
          "Hey! What are you-" He started to say as Skye jumped up and hugged him around the neck.
          "See ya, Scar Face!" She grinned and took off back across the park.
          "Don't call me that!" Young Laxus called after her.
          The ground beneath Makarov and Laxus began to move again as Skye ran through Magnolia. Makarov looked up at his grandson and asked, "What were you going to tell her?" Laxus glanced down at Makrov for a moment before looking back at Skye.
          "I was going to tell her that I love her....that was the plan anyway. Don't know if I actually would have said it."
          "I see..." Makarov muttered. They came to a stop in front of a church. Skye ran up to a nun sweeping the entrance and caught her breath.
         "Is Father Michaelis still here? He didn't leave did he?" She asked between breaths. The nun stopped sweeping for a moment and smiled at Skye. She told Skye to wait a moment and went inside the church. While she waited, Skye opened a water skin on her hip and waved her hand over it. A large amount of water followed her hand as she guided it around her head. She twirled around and the water followed her every move. She raised her other hand, exhaled, and fire appeared around her hand. Grinning, Skye started to spin around with the water and fire criss-crossing each other. She could see the fire through the water, waving and rippling in the sun.
      "Well, well, you have become quite good at Bending, Skye." Said a kind voice behind her. Skye jumped and the fire disappeared and the water fell to the ground. Turning around, her eyes rested upon a middle-aged, clean shaven man in a black priests cassock. He had sincere eyes that looked slightly large behind his glasses, and his dark brown hair had begun to grey.
      "Father Michaelis! It's good to see you!" Skye bent the water that had spilled on the ground back into her water skin.
      "Shall we? We have one other person to pick up before we leave town. It won't do to keep them waiting." He gestured towards the street. Skye nodded and they set off up the street. They passed by several shops and houses before the priest led them down an alley.
      "She lives in a rather isolated place, and doesn't get out much. I managed to convince her to come with us to hopefully make some new friends, and do some good in the world." He explained. They took a few lefts and rights down the alley, and came to a dead end with a door at the end. Skye peeked around Father Michaelis and looked at the door. It looked well worn, and ready to fall off it's hinges if you tried to open it.
       " Is this it? No offense to this lady, but the place kinda looks like a dump." Skye screwed up her eyes trying to see inside the grimy, dirty windows surrounding the door.
       "No, This isn't the place we are looking for...we must have taken a few wrong turns. And don't judge a book by it's cover Skye, you never know who or what may reside inside. Still...It might not hurt to ask for directions." Father Michaelis sighed and approached the door. He knocked three times, and waited for a reply, but none came. Shrugging his shoulders the priest turned around and began to walk away from the grimy building. *Knock Knock Knock* Skye and Father Michaelis turned around and stared at the door. For a few seconds the door stared back at them in silence. Skye wondered if she had imagined the door knocking back. The priest walked back over to the door and grabbed the door handle. A low hum sounded from behind the door as he turned the handle and slowly opened the door. Skye stifled a small scream.
         "What?!" Makarov exclaimed. Laxus' jaw dropped at the sight before them. Instead of a room beyond the door, there was a dark city street with various closed shops along the sidewalk. Skye took a couple of steps forward to get a closer look.
         "Whats all this now? Let's see where this leads shall we?" Father Michaelis stepped through the door with Skye on his heels into what looked like a deserted outside shopping center in a very large city. Skye looked at a nearby sign which read: "Jezebel Plaza". She had never heard of a place like that anywhere in Magnolia. The buildings were all run down with their canopies torn and rotting. A couple of shops had old looking foreclosure signs posted in their boarded up windows and a neon pharmacy sign was flickering on and off. Father Michaelis seemed fascinated with their new surroundings, while Skye backed up and stood next to Makarov.
          " Maybe we should go back and let Fairy Tail know about this...I don't really like this place." Skye's voice started to crack, and she looked back at the door where they came from. It was the door to an old closed toy store. Like some of the other stores, it too had a foreclosure sign in the window.
          " Now child, where's your sense of adventure? We seem to be in a whole different world! Lets see if anybody is around." The priest took Skye's hand and led her down the street. The further they went, the more nervous Skye became. She adjusted the bag on her back and looked all about her. The city had an ominous feeling to it that emanated from every dark corner and every shadow. The only light was around the corner they were headed towards. As they drew closer to the corner, they began to hear voices.
           "Excellent! There's someone here. Let's ask them where this is! Perhaps we're not the only ones from our world in this new one." Father Michaelis' voice seemed different now. Laxus frowned at the priest, "I don't like this..." he muttered. Makarov nodded in agreement.
            The voices grew louder as they rounded the corner, and they came face to face with a group of frightening looking people. The most frightening of them all was a man in a white suit, who wore a black mask in the shape of a skull. Next to him was a rather tall man with chains around his arms. Around the masked man there were large boxes with a black skull insignia on the front. The strangers noticed Skye and Father Michaelis right after they had rounded the corner. For a moment the two groups stared at each other for a few seconds before the masked man stepped forward.
            "Who the hell are you?" His voice was smooth and cold.
            "Terribly sorry, We made a wrong turn and wound up in this place," Father Michaelis swallowed and moved in front of Skye, "We won't bother you anymore." The masked man walked toward them with a slight swagger and the tall man followed him.
            "No," He said, pulling a gun from a holster in his suit, "You won't."
            The next few minutes seemed to go in slow motion. Skye looked on in horror as the masked man aimed his gun at Father Michaelis' head and pulled the trigger. She jumped back from the falling corpse that once was her friend. Her eyes began to swim with tears and she let out a scream.
            "Rico, take care of the girl." The masked man said, while staring at Skye.  The man named Rico started moving toward Skye, who stood rooted to the spot, staring down at Father Michaelis' body. His eyes were wide open and his glasses were askew. The bullet hole in his forehead slightly oozed dark red blood, which trickled down the side of his head.
             "Run, Skye!" Laxus angrily shouted. As if on his command, Skye looked up and saw the large man advancing on her. Immediately, she turned and ran in the opposite direction, but Rico was faster. She could hear him breathing down her neck and could feel him taking swings at her.
             "Daddy!!! Laxus!!!! Someone!! Help!!!" Skye screamed as Rico grabbed her hair and threw her against the wall of a building. She felt a sharp pain on the side of her head and felt something warm run down her face. Then, Rico was on her again, bending over her like she was a broken doll. Skye closed her eyes and stretched her arms out to push him away. A choking noise made her open her eyes and the man had his own hands around his throat. She slightly withdrew her arms, and his hands moved from his throat to both sides of his head. He snapped his own neck as she balled her hands into fists and brought them to her sides.  Her eyes were wide with terror, and she looked like she was going to be sick. She let out another long scream as the body of Rico fell down in front of her.
              "What the hell? Someone grab her, NOW!" The masked man's eyes flashed furiously at Skye. The rest of the men all charged at her, but this time she did not run. She sat there staring at her hands in horror, "I..I didn't mean to..." she whimpered.
              "Hey, kid." Said one of the men. Skye looked up just in time to see a huge fist coming toward her head. Then the memory around Laxus and Makarov went black.