In the quiet of their dorm room, a comfortable rhythm settled over Team JNPR. Nora and Pyrrha sat on Nora's bed, their conversation a low, continuous murmur of easygoing friendship. Nora's hands moved with her animated gestures as she recounted some amusing story, and a melodic giggle escaped Pyrrha's lips in response.
On his own bed, Lie Ren was utterly engrossed in a book. It was one he had borrowed from Blake, its cover simply emblazoned with the title, Ninja of Love. He sat with his legs crossed, the book held close to his face, his brow furrowed in concentration. The outside world had completely faded away for him; the quiet laughter of his teammates was just a soft background hum he no longer registered. He turned a page, then another, his fingers moving with a speed that showed just how deeply he had fallen into the story's world. He was so close to the end, the pages on the right side of the book a thin, pitiful stack compared to the thick wad on his left.
After a few more minutes of quiet conversation, Nora and Pyrrha's low murmurings finally came to a stop. Nora pulled the blankets over her, and the bed creaked as Pyrrha settled into hers. A comfortable silence fell over the room, broken only by the soft, rhythmic hum of the ventilation system.
Ren remained oblivious, his eyes still glued to the pages of his book. He was so absorbed in the climax of the story that he didn't even notice when the light above him suddenly clicked off, plunging the dorm room into a deep darkness.
He blinked once, twice, his eyes wide and struggling to adjust. He slowly lowered the book from his face and looked up. A mischievous smirk was clearly visible on Nora's face, even in the faint moonlight filtering through the window. "Really?" he said, his voice a low, exasperated grumble.
A giggle escaped Nora's lips, the sound as bright and playful as always. "Yes, really," she said, pulling the blankets up to her chin. "It's time for bed."
With a soft, almost imperceptible sigh, Ren gave in. He lifted the book from his face, his eyes still lingering on the last sentence he had read. He carefully pressed his thumb to the page to mark his spot, a silent promise to himself to return to the story.
Then, with a final, gentle snap, he closed the book and set it on his nightstand. He laid back on his bed, pulling his blankets up to his chin. A low, triumphant giggle floated over from Nora's bed, a soft sound in the quiet darkness, and Ren allowed a small, tired smile to play on his lips.
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The dormitory hallway was quiet and dimly lit, the only sound the low hum of the ventilation system. The soft glow of the emergency lights cast long shadows as Jessica slowly closed the door to her dorm room. She sighed, a long, weary sound of relief and loneliness, and leaned against the wall, her head bowed.
"Hey, Jess."
She flinched, her heart leaping into her throat. Turning her head, she saw Ruby walking towards her, her face a picture of gentle concern.
"Did you lock yourself out of the dorm again?" Ruby asked, her voice soft.
"Huh?" Jessica fumbled for a moment, her mind racing. "Oh! Nope! Heh, got it right here!" She held up her Scroll, a nervous, forced smile plastered on her face. "See?"
Ruby just nodded, a knowing look in her eyes. "So, what have you been up to lately?"
The question was simple, but it was enough to break Jessica's facade. The forced smile vanished, and she slid down the wall, her legs folding up to her chest as she hugged her knees. "I messed up," she confessed, her voice thick with shame. "I said some things to Pyrrha, and well, Cardin overheard it all. And now he's... he's blackmailing me." A single tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm starting to think I should've listened to you and Pyrrha when you offered to help."
She buried her face in her knees. "I'm useless," she said, her voice muffled. "And a failure."
"Nope," a voice sounded, firm and unwavering.
Jessica looked up, her tear-filled eyes wide with surprise. "Nope?"
Ruby slid down the wall and sat beside her, mirroring her posture. "Nope. You're a leader now, Jess. You're not allowed to be a failure."
"But... what if I'm a failure at being a leader?" she asked, the question filled with a profound sense of self-doubt.
Ruby simply smiled, a quiet, resolute smile that held no judgment. "Mmm... nope."
Jessica let out a small, frustrated laugh. "You know, you're not the easiest person to talk to about this."
"I know, right?" Ruby said, her smile broadening. "I was so defensive when I first came here, but you know what? It's because I'm not alone anymore. I got a team, and so do you, Jess. We both have people worth fighting for. And if we fail, we'll just be bringing them down with us. We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second." Ruby stood up, her hand reaching out. "Your team deserves a great leader, Jessica, and I think that can be you."
Jessica looked at her outstretched hand, then into her eyes, which were filled with a genuine belief that warmed her to her core. She took a deep breath, and with a final, shuddering sigh, she accepted the help, letting Ruby pull her to her feet.
"Have a good night, Jess."
Ruby gave Jessica a final, reassuring smile and a gentle squeeze of her hand before turning and walking away. The door to her dorm room clicked shut, the sound a final period on their conversation. In the now-empty hallway, a quiet, tense silence fell, leaving Jessica alone with the echo of Ruby's kind words and the sudden, harsh reality of her situation.
A moment passed, and then a chime from her Scroll broke the silence. With a deep, weary sigh, Jessica pulled the device from her pocket. The screen lit up with a new message from a name she now dreaded: Cardin Winchester. With a sense of heavy resignation, she tapped the play button.
A voice, smug and arrogant, filled the quiet hallway. "Hey! It's your buddy Cardin." The tone was dripping with condescending amusement. "I know you're probably busy with that Dust project I gave you, but I'm gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of Rapier wasps."
Jessica felt her heart sink. Cardin's voice continued, a hint of cruel anticipation in his tone. "And make sure they've got some really big stingers. It's important, so don't screw this up!" The message ended with a final, chilling click.
The weight of the new task settled on her shoulders. With a hollow expression, Jessica closed her Scroll and slid it back into her pocket. She looked at the door to her dorm room, where her team, her friends, were sleeping peacefully. But she knew she couldn't go in. Not with Cardin's orders hanging over her head. With a heavy heart, she turned and walked away from her sanctuary, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
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The Forever Fall forest was a breathtaking sea of crimson and gold. Every leaf on every tree was a brilliant, fiery shade of red, filtering the afternoon sun into a warm, amber glow that made the air feel soft and magical. But today, the students were not here to sight-see.
Ruby was whispering intently to her team, her voice low enough that it was nearly lost to the gentle breeze, telling them about her late-night "feed."
At the head of the group, Professor Glynda stood with her riding crop held crisply behind her back. "Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful," she began, her voice professional and stern. "But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peaches has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure that none of you die while doing so." She turned to look at her students, her gaze unwavering.
"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of Creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay with your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun and be careful."
With a nod, she dismissed them, and the groups immediately began to split off. Jessica turned to head in the direction her team was going, a sense of relief settling over her.
Then, a heavy hand landed on her shoulder, and a low, mocking voice sounded from behind her. "C'mon, buddy! Let's go."
Jessica's shoulders slumped. She already knew the voice without looking. She turned her head, a frown settling on her face as she saw Cardin's smug smirk. She looked back at her team. Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren were already walking away, their backs to her as they headed into the forest.
With a final, defeated sigh, Jessica left with Cardin, her shoulders slumping with every step. Pyrrha, who had been watching from over her shoulder, let out a quiet sigh of her own as she watched her friend walk away with the bully.
In the Forever Fall forest, hours had passed since the class began their assignment. Team CRDL lounged against a tree, their expressions bored as they watched the rest of the students work. Jessica, however, was nowhere in sight.
A few moments later, Jessica emerged from the undergrowth, her clothes stained with red sap and dirt. Her face was flushed, and her eyes, swollen and bloodshot, stung with a faint allergic reaction to the tree sap. In her arms, she struggled to balance six jars, each one filled with the thick, crimson liquid. She staggered to where Cardin and his team sat and dropped the jars onto the ground with a thud, before collapsing herself.
"Hey, great work, Jess," Cardin said with a lazy grin, not even bothering to look at her. "Now, that wasn't too hard, was it?"
Jessica let out a choked scoff, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I... I think I'm allergic," she muttered, the red sap now a burning sensation on her face.
Cardin ignored her, a sinister smirk playing on his lips as he finally looked at her. "Great, great, great. So, Jessica. I bet you're asking yourself, 'Why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of tree sap when there are only five of us?'"
Jessica frowned, the question suddenly making sense in her exhausted mind. Her heart began to pound with a sense of dread. "That," she said, her voice raspy, "that is one of the many questions that I have asked myself all day today, yes." As she spoke, she slowly began to push herself back to her feet, a wary expression on her face.
"Well, come with me, and you'll find out," Cardin said, rising to his feet and grabbing her by the shoulders. He pulled her along with him, his grip like a vice.
A few minutes later, Team CRDL and Jessica were lying on the ground on a high ridge, their eyes trained on the students working below. Cardin's focus, however, was fixed on Team JNPR, who were still dutifully collecting their sap.
"Cardin... what's going on?" Jessica asked, her frown deepening as her eyes darted from Cardin to her team below.
"Payback," Cardin said simply, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"Pyrrha? What are you-" she started, but Cardin cut her off.
"That's the girl," he said, his smirk never leaving his face. "Red-haired know-it-all thinks she's so smart."
He turned to his team, a look of excitement in his eyes. "Alright, boys. Last night, Jessy here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier wasps, and now, we're gonna put 'em to work."
A nervous laugh escaped Jessica's lips, a high-pitched, hysterical sound that did nothing to hide the terror in her eyes.
"Now, according to one of the essays she wrote for me last week, these nasty things love sweets," Cardin said, his voice a low, instructional purr that sent a chill down Jessica's spine. His eyes were fixed on Team JNPR below, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two."
He stood up and, with a heavy hand on her shoulder, pulled Jessica to her feet. The motion was a demand, not a help. "And you're gonna do it," he announced, his voice suddenly sharp and commanding. He handed her one of the jars of red sap. The glass felt cold and slick in her hand.
Jessica frowned, a sense of dread pooling in her stomach. "Do what?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Cardin's grin widened into a full-blown sneer. "Hit her with the sap," he said, gesturing to Pyrrha. "Either that, or I'll tell your dear old dad where you have been hiding. You'll be on the first airship back home."
Jessica's heart plummeted. The world seemed to stop, leaving her alone on that ridge with a choice that felt impossibly cruel. Her eyes fell to the jar of red sap in her hand, then to Pyrrha, who was innocently collecting sap with her teammates far below. Pyrrha has been nothing but kind to me, she thought, a fresh wave of shame washing over her. She even offered to help me train. Could I really do this to her?
A low growl rumbled in her throat. She looked at the red sap, then at Cardin's smug face, and the decision was made. Her shoulders stiffened, and she shook her head slowly.
"No," she finally said, the word quiet but firm.
Cardin's smirk vanished, replaced by a dark, dangerous scowl. "What did you say?" he snarled, his voice a low threat.
Jessica's hand clenched around the jar, and she lifted her gaze to meet his, her own eyes blazing with a newfound fire. "I said... no!"
With a cry of defiance, she threw the jar of red sap, not at Pyrrha, but at Cardin. It spun through the air and smashed against his chest plate, the red liquid splattering all over his torso. A moment of stunned silence passed, followed by a sudden, chilling laugh from Cardin, a sound so full of pure malice that it sent a shiver down her spine.
"Oh-oh-oh, you've done it now," he said, his eyes glinting with a terrifying fury. He snapped his fingers, and the rest of Team CRDL, who had been watching the scene unfold, closed in around Jessica, their faces twisted into menacing grins.