The classroom was a whirlwind of frantic energy and caffeinated lecturing. Professor Oobleck, a blur of green hair and motion, zipped past the rows of desks, his voice booming like a town crier's. "Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution-more popularly known as the Faunus War-humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population in Menagerie!"
From her desk, Jessica had her head propped on her arm, her eyes slightly closed. The day had been long, and the rapid-fire lecture from the hyperactive professor was the perfect lullaby. She was just drifting into a half-sleep when Oobleck's voice, as he sipped his coffee, pulled her back.
"Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!" he stated, zipping around the room once more, taking another sip of coffee.
He skidded to a halt at the front of the room. "Now then! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated against because of your Faunus heritage?"
In the back of the class, the bunny-eared girl from the cafeteria slowly and hesitantly raised her hand.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful!" Oobleck stated, shaking his head. "Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that creates violence! I mean, I mean, just look at what happened to the White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?"
Weiss' hand shot up with a confident snap, the answer already on the tip of her tongue.
"Yes?" Oobleck addressed her, and she gave her answer.
"The Battle of Fort Castle, sir!"
"Precisely! And who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Laguna's forces?"
Just as Oobleck's eyes swept the room, looking for a volunteer, Cardin, seated behind Jessica, smirked. With a flick of his wrist, he launched a wet paper ball from his thumb, and it landed squarely on the back of Jessica's head.
The cold, wet shock instantly woke her. She jolted upright, her eyes wide with startled confusion. "Hey!" she blurted out.
Professor Oobleck's eyes landed on her, and his face lit up. "Ms. Stone! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"
Jessica blinked, her mind still in a fog. "Um... the answer... that gave the... advantage... of the Faunus... over that guy's... stuff..." she stammered, completely lost.
In front of her, Pyrrha gently leaned over, her lips moving silently as she tried to mouth the answer.
"...Binoculars!" Jessica announced, a triumphant look on her face.
The class erupted in laughter. Even Cardin's cruel cackle joined the chorus. A small sigh escaped Professor Oobleck's lips as he took a sip of his coffee. Pyrrha gently smacked her forehead and thought to herself, Oh, boy... what are we going to do with her? A small, fond smile played on her lips.
Oobleck zoomed over to Jessica's desk, the wheels of his cart making a soft hum. "Very funny, Ms. Stone," he said, his tone dry.
He turned to a still-laughing Cardin. "Mr. Winchester! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject?"
Cardin's laughter died down, replaced by a cruel smirk. "Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier."
A ripple of outrage went through the class. Pyrrha, her eyes narrowing slightly, spoke up. "You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?"
Cardin turned on her, his voice low and threatening. "What? You got a problem?"
Pyrrha simply smiled, her confidence unshakable. "No," she said, her voice clear. "I have the answer. It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark."
Cardin's face twisted into a snarl. He growled, folding his arms across his chest and looking back at the front of the class.
Blake, who had been sitting quietly, spoke up, her voice cold and factual. "General Laguna was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured. Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."
Cardin scoffed, a vein in his forehead throbbing. He stood from his seat with a violent scrape of his chair and slammed his fist on his desk, his eyes burning with anger.
Professor Oobleck nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Mr. Winchester! Please take your seat."
Covering her mouth with her hand, Jessica giggled. For the first time all day, she felt a small, triumphant thrill.
"You and Ms. Stone can both see me after class for additional readings!" the professor said, taking a long sip from his coffee. He then sped off toward the front of the room. "Now! Moving on!"
+-+-+-+-+
The bell's shrill ring echoed through the classroom, and with a collective sigh of relief, every student sprang to their feet. They shoved their notebooks into their bags and hurried out the door, the sound of their chatter fading as they dispersed into the crowded halls.
Jessica and Cardin, however, remained behind, two isolated figures in the sudden silence of the empty classroom. Professor Oobleck's cart hummed as he zoomed back and forth between them, a blur of motion and a clear sign of his growing exasperation. He finally skidded to a stop in front of them, his voice losing its usual frantic energy in favor of a sharp, disciplinary tone.
"You two have been struggling in my class since day one!" he declared, taking a long, contemplative sip from his coffee. "Now, I don't know if it's a lack of interest or just your stubborn nature, but whatever it is-" He slammed his mug on the desk with a loud clatter.
"It stops now! You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best! So! I expect you to act like it. History is important. Now, if you can't learn from it, you're destined to repeat it! Pages 51 to 91!" he said, his voice rising in volume with each sentence. "I want an essay on my desk by next class! Now! Run along."
With a final, dismissive gesture, he turned his back on them, leaving the two of them alone in the quiet classroom, their new assignment a heavy, unspoken burden between them.
Cardin didn't waste a second. As soon as Professor Oobleck dismissed them, he shot out of his seat and, with a cruel laugh, shoved Jessica hard in the back just as they left the classroom. She stumbled and fell to the ground with a grunt, her books scattering across the hallway floor. He didn't even look back as he walked away, his laughter echoing in the now-empty hallway.
Jessica just lay there for a moment, the cold tile a mirror to her apathetic exhaustion. She was about to push herself up when a figure knelt in front of her. Looking up, she saw Pyrrha, her eyes filled with a gentle, fierce concern.
"Jess?" Pyrrha said, her voice soft but firm. She held out a hand. "Mind coming with me?"
Jessica stared at the outstretched hand for a moment before taking it. With a small nod, she let Pyrrha pull her to her feet. "Yeah," she said, her voice a hollow whisper.
They walked in silence for a while, weaving through the halls and climbing several flights of stairs until they reached a high, secluded rooftop. Jessica walked to the edge, her eyes wide as she looked down at the grounds of Beacon far, far below. She felt a strange, dizzying peace.
"Pyrrha," she began, her voice a little too loud in the stillness. "I know I'm going through a tough time right now... but I'm not... that depressed. I can always be a farmer or... something."
Pyrrha's eyes widened in horror. "What!? No!" She lurched forward, grabbing Jessica's arm and pulling her away from the ledge. "That's not why I brought you here!" Pyrrha's voice was a frantic plea. "Jess, I know you're having a difficult time in class and that you're still not the strongest or... most reliable of fighters. I want to help you."
"Huh?" Jessica blinked, her brow furrowing with confusion.
"We can train up here after class," Pyrrha explained, a relieved smile on her face. "Where no one can bother us."
A cold feeling settled in Jessica's stomach. She rubbed the side of her arm, her brow furrowed more deeply. "You... you think I need help?"
"No, no! That's not what I meant!" Pyrrha insisted, her smile faltering.
"But you just said it," Jessica retorted, a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"Jess, everybody needs a helping hand sometimes and a little push from time to time!" Pyrrha said, her voice filled with desperate sincerity. "It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us! You made it to Beacon. That speaks volumes of what you're capable of!"
Jessica shook her head, staring at Pyrrha's earnest green eyes. "You're wrong." She turned, her back to Pyrrha, and looked up at the vast night sky, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "I don't belong here...."
"Of course you do! You look so happy with your team! You can't tell me that that's not you wanting to be here in the first place," Pyrrha insisted.
"No... you don't get it!" Jessica scoffed. Her breathing slowed as she prepared to confess, and with a painful resignation, she spoke the words that had been a silent poison in her mind for so long. "I wasn't really accepted to Beacon."
A stunned silence fell between them. "What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked, her voice a fragile whisper.
"I mean, I didn't go to combat school. I didn't pass any tests! And I didn't earn my spot at this academy!" she stated, her voice rising with a frantic honesty. "I lied. I got my hands on some fake transcripts and I lied..."
Pyrrha's face fell, her eyes filled with sorrow and confusion. "What? But... why?"
Jessica let out a sigh filled with a deep, crushing weariness. She looked at Pyrrha, and the full, horrifying truth came pouring out. "My father... he was an abusive person... always hurting me and my mother. First it was my mother... it caused her to grow weak, making her frail from her pregnancy. Her physical body grew weaker and weaker. My father wanted another child, but after five, she couldn't even move. She died... in her own home." Jessica's voice broke on the last few words.
"And now, after she died..she went to abuse me...i never knew why..until I wasn't what he wanted.. And then my Semblance kicked in. He got even more aggressive, jealous because the pendant that I got from my grandfather glowed, an heirloom that only a few selected members in my family can have. And so, it left my father with nothing," Jessica continued, her gaze fixed on the empty space in front of her. "And he always tells me that he wanted a son, a son that listens, that obeys, and one that has both a semblance and that isn't sick... but I was never the child he once cared for. Nor wanted.."
She turned back around, her gaze once more fixed on the sky. "It got to the point where i wanted to run away..." Jessica looked down at the ground. "Never once has my father looked at me like I was human, I didn't want to be a tool anymore.." Jessica shook her head at the thought, a tear tracing a path down her cheek. "I was just never good enough, never good enough for even my father."
"Then let me help you! Let me help you become stronger! " Pyrrha insisted, her voice filled with desperate empathy.
"I don't want help," Jessica stated, her voice suddenly flat and hard. "I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I don't want to step foot in that place again..." Jessica sighed, the raw emotion in her voice replaced by a weary resignation. "I'm tired of just being a tool for his entertainment.."
"Jessica..." Pyrrha started, her hand reaching out.
"If I can't do that on my own... then what good am I?" Jessica frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she moved away from Pyrrha's outstretched hand. "Please... just... go... Leave me alone and go.. "
Pyrrha's hand fell to her side. She stood there for a moment, a profound sorrow on her face, before finally turning. "If... that's what you think is best," she said, her voice filled with a heartbreaking helplessness, and she slowly walked back to the doorway.
After a quiet moment, a voice, dripping with saccharine sweetness and a hint of a sneer, cut through the quiet of the school roof. "Oh, Jessica."
Jessica froze, her heart hammering against her ribs. She slowly turned around, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she saw him. Cardin stood a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Behind him, the rest of his team stood like a pack of vultures, their eyes fixed on her.
"Cardin," she sighed, the single word filled with a weariness that went beyond the day's events.
"I couldn't help but overhear you from my dorm room," he said, his voice a low, casual rumble that sent a shiver down her spine. "So, you snuck into Beacon, huh? I've gotta say, Jess, I've never expected you to be such a rebel. Your father will be so pleased that I found you"
Panic seized her. Her eyes widened, and she took a frantic step toward him, "..what? Found me? "
Cardin smirks "Yup, he put a bounty on your head! He got so worried that you ran away, that almost all of the three kingdoms are looking for you, I'm surprised it didn't reach beacon yet, but I can always tell someone." he said.
Her hands clasped in a desperate plea. "Please, Cardin, please don't tell anyone! I-I'll do anything!"
Cardin let out a short, hollow laugh. "Jess! Come on! I'd never rat out a friend like that!"
The word hung in the air, a cruel, mocking lie. "Friend?" Jessica whispered, her throat tight with a fear she hadn't known since she was a little girl.
With a speed that left her no time to react, Cardin was in front of her. He wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her into a tight headlock that smelled of sweat and malice. He grinned down at her, the smile not reaching his cold eyes. "Of course! We're friends now, Jess! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me, when I need you, we'll be friends for a long, long time!" He ruffled her hair playfully, and the rest of his team snickered behind him.
He finally released her, and she stumbled, gasping for air. His tone shifted, becoming sharp and authoritative as he gestured to the backpack he held in his hand. "That being said... I really don't have time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave us today. Think you could take care of that for me, buddy?"
He shoved the heavy bag into her arms. The sudden weight made her stumble back a step. He leaned in close, his voice a low, chilling whisper. "That's what I thought. Don't worry, Jessy; your secret's safe with me."
+-+-+-+-+
The humid air of the Emerald Forest was cool against Ruby's skin, and the silence of the night was broken only by the rustling of leaves and the low, gurgling roar of the Grimm before her. The sky was a vast, inky black, and her hand was pressed firmly against the skull of a Beowolf.
A dark, swirling vortex of energy began to pour from the Grimm's body, a black essence that flowed like smoke into her palm and up her arm. Her vision blurred for a moment as the essence coursed through her, and her hair, which was usually a vibrant crimson, turned a shocking, spectral white. A cold wave of power crashed through her mind, and a familiar voice, sharp and unsettling, echoed through her consciousness.
"What a fascinating creature..." the voice of Dr. Merlot slithered through her thoughts. "You will soon show the world who you are."
Ruby shook her head, a familiar wave of nausea and disgust passing through her as she pushed the voice away. The black essence solidified for a moment, forming the razor-sharp edge of her blood scythe, before dissolving back into her skin. The sensation was a cold, alien presence that settled deep within her. She was learning to bend it to her will.
The Grimm's body, now a hollowed-out husk, trembled for a moment before crumbling into a pile of ash. A faint tremor of satisfaction ran through her, a dark hunger temporarily sated.
With a long, tired sigh, Ruby decided she had fed enough for one day. As she turned and began walking back toward the school grounds, a sound cut through the forest's silence. It was laughter, distant and faint, but so clear it was as if it were happening right beside her.
How could I hear that? she thought to herself.
She was now close to the school's perimeter. Stopping, she focused on the distant building. Her eyes, which had been a clear, silvery color, now glowed with a faint, malevolent red. She adjusted her gaze, her enhanced vision zooming in on the roof of the main academy building. There, silhouetted against the dark sky, were two figures. She immediately recognized them: Cardin Winchester and Jessica.
"What is Cardin up to this time?" she whispered to herself.
A low, guttural growl rumbled deep within her. The "demon within" her stirred, eager for a fight, a chance to unleash its violent impulses.
"No," she said, her voice firm. "I'd rather do this without your help." She took a deep breath, forcing the violent thoughts back down. "Let's just head back inside."
Her mind, however, was no longer on her dorm room. It was on the rooftop. What are you up to, Winchester? she thought, a new kind of resolve hardening her gaze.