A teenaged girl walked through the roads of Magnolia. She had a backpack swung over her shoulders and a map in her hand.

She stared at the map, following it, and not looking where she was going.

The girl halted suddenly. She looked up from the map to see a three story building with a large red banner. The banner had an orange silhouette of what looked to be a fairy with a tail.

The girl smiled wide, her eyes sparkling excitedly.

A little shy -but more anxious- the teenager opened the door with a creak. She saw an uncountable amount of wizards drinking booze, eating, and talking. Her heart raced as she stepped across the threshold.

The girl closed the door behind her after walking in. She still had the map rolled up and clutched in one hand as she made her way to the bar.

There was a young woman with white hair and large blue eyes that held a serving tray to her chest. Sitting on the top of the bar was a short, elderly man wearing orange and blue clothing.

"Excuse me?" The girl asked, trying to hide her excitement. She hoped either of the two would respond.

"Yes? How can we help you?" The girl with white hair asked. Her bangs were tied up on a short ponytail that resembled a unicorn's horn. It reminded the girl of one, at least. Her red dress with a sweetheart neckline complimented her complexion too.

"Well, I'm not sure how it works, but…" Oh come on! I've dealt with scarier things than talking to a famous guild, "I… actually wanted to join Fairy Tail!"

The old man stopped sipping his cup of booze. He looked up at the teenager, "I have a few questions before you join."

The girl assumed this would determine if she was qualified or not.

"First you should know that I'm Makarov; Guild master of Fairy Tail. Now, what's your name?"

"Call me Lyla." The teenage girl replied.

"Okay, Lyla, what type of magic do you use?"

"I can use Shadow Magic. I'm quite good at what I do." Lyla smirked, not that they could see. She was still wearing her black mask if cloth, a habit she had developed.

"So you feel like you have what it takes to be a wizard, then?"

"Yup!" Her voice was determinedly cheerful.

"Last question," Makarov told Lyla, his face darkened, "Will you treat Fairy Tail as if it were your own home treat your guildmates as if they were your brothers and sisters? Will you stay and fight to protect your home and family here?"

Technically that was three questions, but they all had the same answer, "Absolutely." She meant it with her entire being.

Makarov's face light up, grinning ear-to-ear, "Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lyla!"

The woman with white hair already had a stamp with the guild's mark in her hands.

"Where would you like you mark?" She asked, her voice extremely high pitched and friendly.

"I would like it on my heart." Lyla said. Her black shirt was skin tight, and the collar came up to her neck, so she fearlessly lifted the bottom of her shirt instead, not caring that others were around. Not that anyone behind her could see under the shirt.

The woman stamped a black Fairy Tail mark where Lyla's heart would be.

The whole guild cheered with joy over their new member. They must have been watching the whole scene.

"So, we have a new member, huh?" A man's voice asked, silencing the rest of the guild hall. His voice was somewhat irritating.

The man stood in a battle stance, "Fight me! Let's see what you got!" He told Lyla. The man had pink hair and a white, scale-like muffler around his neck.

"Are you serious?!" A woman with blonde hair and brown eyes exclaimed, "She's just a girl!" The new member was indeed smaller than the others, as if she was younger.

"That's okay." Lyla said to the blonde, "I can handle him."

The man with pink hair smirked, his fists lit up on fire.

Fire magic, Huh? Lyla thought. The man ran at her, but she just stood there.

Last second, Lyla leapt up in the air with a backflip. The man was directly underneath her when her foot circled around and kicked him in the face. He fell backwards, holding his jaw.

"Owwww!" He cried.

"It didn't hurt that much, you baby." Lyla told him, smiling, "I barely touched you!" She was excited for a new place.

"You bruised my jaw!" The man whined. Maybe he wasn't much of a man.

"Well…" She glanced nervously at her boots. "My boots do have metal soles… Let me see." In an instant, the confidant wizard had been replaced by a nervous teenager.

The pinkette removed his hand, showing a large red spot on his jaw. "You're okay, right?" She was clanking her metal covered gloves together, obviously anxious.

"Uh…" The male wizard was confused by the sudden change.

"Don't worry about it," The same blonde girl, who had spoken up for her earlier, said. "Natsu's just making a big fuss. He's been hurt worse and been fine to fight a second later."

"Thank goodness." She relaxed, her hands dropping to her sides. "I forgot I was wearing these boots."

"Why are you wearing metal covered gloves and shoes anyway?" The man, Natsu, asked directly.

"Because I am." She glared at him. He was rude.

"A new member calls for celebration!" Makarov yelled to change the subject. Instantly, the swarm of wizards began to crowd the girl.

"Eep!" She squeaked as she was surrounded. It was tightly packed, but comfortable. She beamed with joy, feeling welcome. She felt at peace, as if she had come home. Maybe she had, but whatever the feeling was, she ignored it for now and celebrated. For the first time in too long, she laughed. It was a joyous sound that mingled with others.

Home, she thought, This is my family.

The guild -her new home- had continued to celebrate her arrival well into the night. Many were passed out on tables, drunk. The girl herself was exhausted, but still glowing with happiness. No one had ever welcomed like this. Sure, Yajima had welcomed her, but it was different.

"Where are you sleeping tonight Lyla?" The woman with white hair asked, who Lyla learned was named Mirajane.

"Uh… I just got into town today, so I really don't know…" She trailed off, nervously tapping her gloves against the bar. Her stomach grumbled loudly.

"You can stay with me for now. At least until you find your own place," Lucy, who sat beside her, offered, "I just joined Fairy Tail a little while back, so I know it can be a little hectic to join the guild all of a sudden."

She was the blonde who was concerned for Lyla when Natsu picked a fight with her.

"Then I'll help you find a place to stay tomorrow." Mirajane chimed, clapping her hands gaily. "That way you'll be taken care of!"

"You'd do that for me?" The brunette girl looked close to tears as she asked that.

"There's no need to cry. We're just being nice." The blonde patted the other teen's back.

"I'm not crying." The girl sounded horrified at the thought.

"Ok. But, how old are you? I need to know so we can find a good place for you to live." Mira told the girl.

"I'm around seventeen or so." The masked teen shrugged.

"What do you mean 'or so'?" Lucy prodded carefully.

"I'm an orphan so I don't actually know my age or birthday." Lyla shrugged, unfazed. "It's nothing major. I've never really had to worry about it."

"That's so sad…" Mira sniffed.

"It's fine. You grow use to it after so long," Lyla said to young woman.

Her stomach suddenly growled again. This time loud enough to be heard.

"We can go to my apartment and get some food if you'd like?" Lucy offered.

"Please?"

"Then let's go!"

Lucy chattered to her new companion the entire way, walking on the edge of the canal. The other, silent girl followed suit, balancing on the edge with ease.

"Be careful, Lucy-sama!" A man riding in a boat called out. "It's late and you could fall in. And your friend too."

"We will." The bright wizard called back. Not too long after, they came to Lucy's apartment.

"Go ahead and grab whatever from the fridge. I'll set up a spot to sleep in. You can have my bed for now." The blonde girl directed as they entered the small apartment.

"I can sleep wherever. I really don't want to take your bed…" Lyla murmured, taking in the apartment.

The wallpaper was a tan rose color, covered in circles. Directly in front of them was a fake potted plant beside a dresser with pictures and a chest in front of the window. In the corner was a smaller, white drawer stand beside a matching vanity.

Underneath the window on the far wall, was a plain bed with two pillows and a large pink comforter. In the corner was a desk that was covered in papers and a second fake plant. Beside it, a curtained doorway, and further over, a bookshelf. In the center of the yellow carpet was a dining room table with three chairs beside a small coffee table and armchair. To the left of the doorway was more bookshelves and in the corner, a furnace and fridge, side-by-side.

"You have a nice apartment…" The brunette walked over to the fridge and opened it.

"Thanks, but where will you sleep if you won't take the bed?" Lucy asked

"I'll just take the floor." Lyla was gnawing on a piece of bread from the cabinets. "Just need a blanket." She began rummaging around her backpack. After quite some time, she pulled out a ragged blanket and a tiny, flat pillow. "I'll sleep at the foot of your bed if that's all right?"

"Sure, that's fine, but here." A larger pillow was handed to the girl. "I don't have any spare blankets, but at least your head will be comfy!" They got ready for bed and turned off the overhead light.

Lyla slowly drifted off -her mask still in place- as she thought about how to live her new life.

A/N: Hi! I'm back with the reboot. I'm sorry it took so long, but I'll try to remember! For now, enjoy what we've gotten done so far. Me and my friend have worked hard on this. I'll update this every monday. Well... I'll try to.