I stared out of the train window in silence, watching as the rain pelted it. Or maybe the rain was light, and the train was just moving quickly. I don't know. In any case, it seemed to be coming down quickly. It reflected my mood. I was on a train headed straight to the city of Magnolia. I was alone, with nothing but myself, a purse with just enough money to rent an apartment and get some groceries and a small suitcase packed to the brim with clothing and a few personal items.

See, I didn't have much time to prepare for this trip. I didn't come here by choice. No, I was kicked out of my home by my lovely father, who was kind enough to provide me with a ticket for this train and four years' worth of tuition money for my high school years at Fairy Tail High.

It was two weeks precisely until the start of school, and honestly I couldn't be more nervous. I was never a social butterfly at any of my previous schools, but then again, I'd never been to a public school before. All of the girls at the all-girl private schools I'd gone to before were stuck up snobs who cared only about themselves and their money. They weren't worth making friends with.

The train came to a stop and I took a deep breath, grabbing the handle of my suitcase and rolling it off of the train and out into the rain. Indeed, it was the rain that was pelting down. With a sigh, I held up the soggy note my father had left me explaining to me what to do when I arrived here. It said exactly the apartment I should go to. Unfortunately, I had no idea where the address was.

I decided to hope for the best and started walking through the rain, suddenly wishing I'd brought an umbrella with me. I was soaked in no time and I was sure that I'd get a cold from this weather. And of course, it began thundering as I walked along.

Magnolia was huge, a lot bigger than I'd expected, and I knew soon that I was lost. The storm got worse and worse, and it wasn't long before I was chilled to the bone and shaking as I walked. No one else was crazy enough to be out in this weather. No one but me, anyhow… and wait, there was someone up ahead? I squinted and saw a woman with red hair walking toward me, a large umbrella held above her head.

She walked up to me with a confused look on her face and said, "What on earth are you doing out in this weather without an umbrella, or even a jacket?" She had a point. All I was wearing was a white tank top and a gray and black skirt. I had knee-high black boots on and my hair was tied with a gray bow in a side ponytail, which had wilted from the rain.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered, my teeth chattering as I tried to speak. "I just g-got here a-and I don't k-know where I'm g-going. M-my name's L-Lucy; Lucy Heart-Heartfilia." I extended a shaking hand to her and she shook it, never breaking eye contact with me, which kind of made me want to shrink back away from her burning gaze.

"Erza Scarlet," she said, and then proceeded to remove her scarf and wrap it around my neck. "That's not much but it'll at least help. Now, tell me where you're trying to get and I'll help you."

I stared at her in surprise. Why was she being so nice? I was a stranger, after all. She didn't have to help me. "A-an apartment complex," I stated, and handed her the paper with the address. She looked at it and her eyes widened in shock. She looked up at me, with a look that made me feel insane. Then again, I probably seemed pretty insane.

"Good heavens," she said, "that's on the other side of the city! Come with me, I'm not letting you walk all the way there in this storm." She turned and began walking away. Knowing that I'd be on my own if I didn't follow her, I hurried and walked along behind her.

Soon, we came upon a nice, little house, and she went inside, holding the door open for me. I went as far as I could without dripping water on the wooden floors, and she came in behind me, closing the umbrella and hanging it as well as her coat on a rack. I must have really been shivering, because she didn't try to take the scarf she'd lent me.

She looked at me sympathetically and said, "You can take off your shoes here and I'll get you something dry to change into. Your clothes in that suitcase are probably a bit damp. Don't worry about tracking in mud or water. I'm not a clean freak or anything and I live alone." Erza then turned and headed up a staircase, leaving me dripping wet by the door.

I heard the wind howl outside and was suddenly very grateful that she'd found me, especially since I'd been going in the wrong direction the whole time. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs a few minutes later and looked up to see her walking down with some neatly folded clothes in one hand and a towel in the other.

She handed me the towel and directed me to the bathroom, claiming she'd put my suitcase in the guest room and make tea while I was drying off.

I changed into the dry outfit; a pair of pink sweatpants and a white sweater, and hung my wet ones on a drying rack. I also dried my hair off and took the soaked ribbon out of it, tying it around my wrist for later use. I hung up the towel and walked out of the bathroom, smelling the sweet scent of vanilla and smiling as I was reminded of my mother.

The bathroom was conveniently right next to the living room and the kitchen. Erza was in the kitchen preparing the tea. She grinned at me as I walked out and said, "You can take a seat on the couch. Make yourself at home, Lucy. It's not often I have guests, so this is a treat to me as much as it is to you."

I merely nodded and walked over to the couch, sitting down and reveling in the comfort of it. After the cold, wooden seats on the train, this was a nice luxury.

Erza came over shortly with two cups of tea and set them down on the coffee table in front of the couch, then proceeding to sit next to me. I looked at her and said in a soft voice, "Thank you kindly for your hospitality, miss. You really were too kind to bring me here."

The redhead laughed and I was taken aback. She put a hand over her mouth and said, "I'm sorry for laughing, but you don't need to be so formal. This is my pleasure. So, Lucy, what brings you to Magnolia?"

I sighed, picking up a cup of tea and staring at the pale yellow liquid; it was honey vanilla, which explained the strong smell of vanilla from before. "I, uh, was sent here by my father because he thinks I need to learn to take care of myself. He wants me to live my high school years in Magnolia, going to Fairy Tail High."

What I said was not entirely true, though I felt no need to burden her with my problems. The real reason my father sent me away was because he didn't want to put up with me anymore. Although I came from a rich family, I hardly had enough money to scrape by this first month, and I knew I'd have to get a part-time job in order to pay rent and put food on my plate.

She sipped her tea and said, "So you'll be attending Fairy Tail High? That's great; perhaps we'll see each other there. I'm going to be a freshman this year."

I was shocked, to say the least. "You're going to be a freshman?" I asked in surprise, "So you're only fifteen? You seem so much…"

"Older?" she finished for me, "Or perhaps more mature. I get that a lot. I was forced to grow up before my time. Though I wouldn't act so surprised, Miss Heartfilia; you also seem very mature. If I'm not mistaken, you probably had to grow up too soon as well. We're very much alike, I believe."

For a little bit after she said that, we both sipped our tea in silence, then she said, "So you'll be staying in a 70,000J apartment, correct?" I nodded and she shook her head. "People these days… we're only kids." She sighed and then said, "I'm assuming you'll be getting a part-time job then."

I nodded and said, "If they're not too strict about bartenders being a specific age, I'll probably do that. Either that or I'll get a job waitressing."

"Not a bad decision," she said, "I know a place that'll hire teenagers as bartenders, if you'd like me to show you sometime." I smiled at her and nodded gratefully.

We made small talk for a little while, just having little conversations about simple things like school and jobs and the more we spoke, the more we slowly learned more about each other. After a while, I could feel the effects of the tea setting in, and fatigue rushed over me.

"You look exhausted," she commented, tilting her head to one side. "Long trip?" she murmured and I nodded. She let out a sigh and said, "Well, then, I'll show you to your room." The redhead stood up and took my hand, pulling me up and leading me up the stairs.

When we got to the guest room, I was surprised to see that she'd already placed my suitcase there and that the clothes that had been on the top of my suitcase were hanging up to dry. "Thank you so much Erza," I said, "really. Even though you say it's nothing and that it really is your pleasure, it means the world to me, and I can't help but be grateful."

She ruffled my hair and said, "It's no problem at all. If you need anything, just call." With that, she left the room. I closed the door and headed straight for the bed, knowing that as soon as my head hit the pillow I'd fall asleep. Sure enough, that is exactly what happened.

When I awoke again, sunlight was streaming in through the window. I saw a little slip of paper at the foot of the bed, and for a moment I was extremely confused as to where I was. But then I saw my suitcase and the drying clothes and remembered. Sliding out of bed, I picked up the note and read it.

I've gone out to get some groceries. I should be back shortly. You can use the bathroom if you'd like to take a shower or whatever else you may need to do. Hopefully your clothes are dry by now but if you need anything there should be some clothes in the closet across from your bed.

A smile graced my lips and I set the piece of paper back down, heading over to my suitcase to grab an outfit to change into. After I'd done that, I left the room to take a shower. Mavis knows I needed one.

As I stood in the shower, relishing in the feel of the hot water on my back, I recalled my father's actions. He had called me into his office, and I don't know why, but I got excited. It was as though I actually expected something good to happen. Father never called me into his office, ever. I thought maybe he actually wanted something to do with me.

I walked in in high spirits, politely greeting him. He turned to me with a look of conflicting emotions. He looked angry, confused, remorseful, but also a little relieved. He masked it with a poker face. "Lucy dear," he said, "I've arranged for you to move… just you. Don't worry; I have everything planned out for you. I've written a letter and a maid is placing it in your room; it will explain where to go and what to do. You will attend a public school called Fairy Tail High. I just can't keep spending our money on you to go to fancy private schools."

"So what you're saying is you don't want me," I said simply, "because I suck up all of your precious money. Your money is more important to you than your own daughter?" There was silence. He couldn't look at me, and honestly, it sickened me to look at him.

Without a word, I turned and stormed off to my room. If he wanted me gone, fine; I didn't want to stay in this place anyway.

I sighed, coming out of my memories and finishing up with my shower. I dried off and changed, then hung the towel up and left the bathroom. Erza was sitting on the couch, something playing quietly on the TV. She looked at me as I walked out and smiled. "Good, you're done," she said, "I was going to make breakfast but decided to wait in case there was anything particular you wanted."

I walked over and sat down next to her before saying, "No, not really. I'm not really that hungry right now, so whatever you want to make is fine." She gave me a small nod before standing up and heading to the kitchen to make something for breakfast. I sat back and looked at the TV, which was playing a rerun of Chopped on Food Network.

I watched it while Erza made pancakes. After one episode, I heard her say that the pancakes were ready. I walked over and saw that she'd made at least thirty pancakes. I stared in shock and she said, "I have quite the appetite, so don't look so surprised. You can eat as few or as many as you'd like."

Being the normal human being I was, I only ate two pancakes, and she ate the other twenty-seven or so pancakes. It made me wonder how she stayed so skinny. I decided it better to just not ask.

I helped her clean up the dishes and when we were done doing that she said, "So, when would you like to go to your apartment? We can go as soon or as late as you'd like."

"Now would be fine, actually," I said, "it was nice being here but I don't want to mooch off of you. Besides, I'll need to get used to living on my own as soon as possible, since I will be for the next four years." Erza nodded in understanding and offered to help me pack my things, but I shook my head, feeling that she'd already done enough for me.

I went up to the guest room and put my now-dry clothes back into my suitcase, grabbing my shoulder bag and hauling the suitcase down the stairs into the front foyer area. I put on my shoes and we walked outside. Erza looked at me and said, "We can wave down a taxi. That'll be easier than walking all the way there."

We headed down the street for a while before seeing an empty yellow taxi round a corner. Erza waved her hand in the air at the driver, who pulled over and rolled down the windows. "You ladies need a lift somewhere?"

Erza nodded and said, "We need to get to the apartment complexes on the other side of town." The driver, who had blue hair and a blue mustache, eyed her curiously, and then seemed to notice me and the suitcase I had. I assumed he'd looked confused because he knew Erza.

"Alright, you know the drill," he said, smirking at Erza. Erza rolled her eyes and fished in her purse for money, pulling out a decent amount and handing it to the driver. "Thank you kindly," the driver said, still smirking.

"Cut the creepy crap, Macao," Erza said, grinning a little, "and wipe that smirk off your face." Macao just grinned and motioned to the backseat. We got in the taxi and drove in silence to the apartment buildings. He stopped in what appeared to be the center and dropped us off.

Erza led me to mine and said, "Here's your address. The bar I was telling you about is right across the bridge from here." She pointed to a bridge crossing a river in the middle of the area. "It's called Vermillion's Bar and Grill. Just head there and look for Laxus Dreyar. He currently owns the place. Fairy Tail High is farther down the road and then down an alley to the left. The alley is next to a little coffee shop. You can't miss it."

"Thank you so much, Erza." I said, intending to just thank her, but then looking at the redhead and thinking of all she'd done for me, I flung myself into her arms and hugged her tightly. "I wish I could repay you."

She had tensed up; seeming surprised at my actions, but then relaxed and hugged me too. "You already have," she said softly, "by being my friend. Hopefully we can hang out before school starts. I can tell you a little bit about the students; Magnolia may be a decent sized city, but there aren't many schools, so I know just about everyone in Fairy Tail High even though I'm only a freshman myself."

"That'd be awesome," I agreed, giving her one last squeeze before letting her go. "Thanks again!" I said, before heading to the front office in the apartment building I'd be in. It was quick and easy to sort things out with my landlady, who seemed to like me instantly. As long as I paid my 70,000J each month, we'd have no problems.

She gave me the keys to my apartment and I immediately went to it, surprised to find it nicely furnished already. It was really nice furniture at that, not even the crappy stuff you'd expect to find. Smiling, I rolled my suitcase into the bedroom and set it down, sitting on the bed which was soft and comfy.

Even though I hated my father, I could always count on him to find the nicest place possible at a low price. Sighing, I left my suitcase and grabbed my keys, deciding to head out and try to get a job at that bar Erza suggested. The sooner I could start working and make money, the better. As I left my apartment and began heading to the bar, I reflected on what Erza had said about us having to grow up before our time.

And as I walked, going to get a job that would be my only source of income for four years, I wondered with a pang of sadness how it was fair for young teenagers like us to have to making a living on our own.

A/N And here's chapter one! I'm excited about this fanfic, mainly because I've been wanting to write NaLu fics forever and adore high school fics but could never quite think of a good plot. This will be more slow-moving than my other fanfics, not in update time but in –story time-. I really want to drag out the exposition and be detailed about it.

So hopefully you all can bear with me and enjoy the story! I'm already writing chapter two, I'm just so excited! Please review, follow, and favorite, because that's like my fuel. The more you review and the more favorites/follows I get, the faster I write!

Until next time!