She stood over the man, her figure imposing against the twilight of the city around her. One hand holding a knife, the other clenched enough to leave fingernail marks in her palm. The man looked up at her, fear in his eyes, jaw hanging open in a silent plea. His need for an escape from this situation was so strong, she could almost feel it herself. She was shaking… when did it get so cold? Every part of her body was freezing, save the tracks of tears that fell down her face. A hand placed on her shoulder pulled her out of her trance.
"Blake… Don't you love me? Don't you want to do what's best for you? If you won't do it for yourself… do it for me. Do it for the White Fang."
"I…" She could feel her trembling become stronger, unable to move. She looked the man in the eyes, and in them… she didn't see a look of hatred. Nothing at all like she was taught. She saw a man filled with despair. A man with a family, with goals, with dreams… and she couldn't do it. Her grip on her weapon loosened as her arms fell, turning away from the man in front of her.
"I can't…"
"Blake… I'm disappointed. If you won't kill this trash… then I will. I'll punish you later."
She let out a sob, placing her hands over her ears. She kneeled, curling into a ball, anything to protect herself. She was angry. She was hurting. But most of all, she was scared. She heard Adam let out a yell as he pulls out his own weapon, running at the man-
Blake awoke with a start, the screams from the man in her nightmare blending with her own. She grabbed her own shoulders, attempting to hold herself as if she'd fall apart at any moment, desperately trying to calm her own heavy breathing. Her body was covered in sweat, leaving her cold and shivering. Images of her dream played over and over in her mind… it was always so vivid. Remembering a technique her mother taught her, she placed her hands on the bed.
My bed is soft. My sheets are black. My pillow is on the floor… somehow. My room is dark. It wasn't real. I'm safe here…
After some time spent collecting herself, she let out a sigh and collapsed backwards. This wasn't the first time the nightmares had come to haunt her… and she doubted it would be the last. She slowly reached for her scroll, grimacing as she looked at the time. Her alarm wasn't supposed to go off for another fifteen minutes.
Knowing the sweet release of sleep was lost to her for the morning, she allowed her eyelids to close once again. Maybe waking up early is for the better, she thought to herself. Today is a big day after all…
It wasn't her first time at University, but it was the first day of a new year. She had been to Beacon a year prior, taking a light load of classes. But even then, she had only gone to a handful of them, and hardly payed attention when she did. It was pretty easy to fail out when you were wrapped up in other things…
She shook her head, trying to derail that train of thought. She was a new person now. She was over that. There was no way she was going to go back.
Eager to get her mind on anything else, she crawled out of bed, opening her black curtains to reveal a land covered in snow. A hot shower would feel really good right about now. Maybe she could make some cocoa when she came back. She'd have to walk to and from classes now, and it looked very cold and unpleasant outside. She'd definitely need a coat, and a scarf wouldn't hurt either.
She smiled wistfully as she imagined another life, one where she had a mother figure to nag her about such things. Someone to be upset at her when she was out too late, or if she wasn't getting her homework done. The old Blake ran from that life, wanting nothing to do with it… and the current Blake wanted nothing more than to go back.
Her eyes wandered to the early risers already roaming the cold streets of Vale. Some huddled over their steaming thermoses for warmth, some relying on a significant other for the same. She imagined a younger version of her, wearing the iconic mask of the White Fang, trying to squeeze next to a dark figure that was wearing the same. The younger Blake was shivering, both of her hands clasped around his right hand. But even in her delusions, the figure wouldn't acknowledge her. He never slowed, never even spared a glance in her direction. But she was alright with that.
With a huff, Blake closed the curtains quickly, shutting the vision out of her mind. That isn't me anymore...she reminded herself for what felt like the tenth time today. She ambled into her bathroom, taking a close look at herself in the mirror. Heavy bags rested under her eyes reminding her of the sleep she couldn't have. Her hair was a disheveled mess, she would have to flat iron it before she left for class. Not that she minded, in fact she quite enjoyed the warmth it held.
Blake slapped her cheeks, trying to force out the last vestiges of sleep from her mind. Today was the start of something new. Today was going to be different.
The door to her English class was intimidating. The idea of it terrified her. Beyond the door was a room full of strangers, stuck together for the next few hours. She started feeling claustrophobic just thinking about it. It wasn't the first time she'd been in this situation, but it wasn't something she was used to either. With a deep breath, she pushed open the door.
At first glance, her class seemed pretty ordinary. There was a scrawny blonde in a black hoodie staring obliviously into nothing, not taking note of the redhead behind him very obviously checking him out. There was a pair near the front in their own world, one with a beret over her dark hair, and the other a rabbit faunus, giggling about something only they could hear. Skimming over students who've already found friends or formed groups, her eyes landed on what she was looking for.
Near the back of the class was a group of empty seats. Perfect for her, since she hardly payed attention in class and the thought of socializing made her shiver. She set down her bag in the middle of the empty desks, silently taking her seat. The less people that noticed her, she decided, the better.
With a small hum to herself, she reached into her bag and pulled out the novel she'd been reading. She lost herself in the pages, her eyes never stopping and her mind working. The classroom around her drained away, the chatter from the students missing her ears entirely. Feeling left her body, the uncomfortable chair forgotten, all that mattered was the fantasy she was indulging in. The words filled her head, imprinting themselves into her mind.
That is, until a sharp slap of a ruler against her desk brought her attention away from her book. With a yelp, she jumped in her seat, dropping her book unceremoniously. With a blush, she sheepishly looked up at her attacker. She was greeted with a middle-aged woman, with long blonde hair tied in a bun. Her bright green eyes locked onto her own, and they did *not* look amused.
"The Man With Two Souls…? One of my favorites. You have good taste in literature… but please, don't let it distract you from my class. I'm not here for my own benefit, you know."
Blake gave her a shaky nod, picking up her book and placing it back into her bag. A quick glance at the clock showed she had been reading for much longer than she meant to. With a silent huff, she relaxed backwards into her seat, berating herself for a mistake she'd made so many times before.
"Now that there are no more distractions or interruptions, we can finally get started. My name is Professor Goodwitch, and -"
The door to the class slammed open, revealing a blonde gasping for air on the other side. Her violet eyes were wide, and her chest heaving from exertion. "Is this Professor Goodwitches class? Did I make it?!"
All eyes turned to their professor, her eyes squeezed shut and hand pinching the bridge of her nose. Through gritted teeth, she spoke "Yes… yes, you're in the right place. Please take a seat."
The blonde's face lit up immediately, all signs of her having exerted herself gone within an instant. Blake could already tell her type… every class had one. The one that didn't care if they were late, or if they were disrupting the class. The one that would hold audible conversations during lecture, or bully others into copying notes. She'd never gotten along with that type of student. They always wanted as much attention as possible, and she wanted the exact opposite.
As her eyes met violet, she pulled herself back to reality, realizing she was staring. She looked down at her desk, tapping her fingers against the surface, trying to make herself look as small as possible. A mantra of Please don't sit here, Please don't sit here… repeated itself in her head.
A sigh escaped her mouth when she felt the ground shake slightly, a loud plop coming from the desk next to her. Putting on her best glare, she glanced to the seat next to her, finding the blonde had already shed her brown jacket, revealing an orange tank top. Noticing the glance, the girl waved, putting on her brightest smile.
With a roll of her eyes, Blake directed her attention back to the professor. This class was not going to be a fun one.
And right she was. She shivered as she walked back to her apartment, snow piling up around her. She pulled her jacket tight, keeping her eyes on the ground in front of her to watch for any ice on the sidewalk. The walk back would be brief, but cold nonetheless.
Her thoughts tracked back to the girl… Yang Xiao Long, as she introduced herself to the class. How could she forget that name… especially when she shouted it that loud and confidently. Her sensitive ears rang for what seemed like half the class. But even through the tinnitus, her tormentor still managed to bother her all class. Every five seconds she would glance at her scroll and snicker, tapping out a quick reply. The times she wasn't on her scroll, she had her feet up on her desk, using them to rock herself back and forth in her chair, hands behind her head.
It bothered Blake to no end. While she hardly payed attention in class, she tried her hardest to not disrupt others. Usually opting to read or daydream, she prefered anything that wouldn't affect others. But Yang had no such reserves, and it drove her insane. She kicked at a rock on the sidewalk as she passed by.
That wasn't the only thing that bothered her. After Blake had blown her off at the start of class, Yang hadn't tried to grab her attention or socialize again. When Goodwitch called on her for introductions, her face twisted, clearly uncomfortable. In her peripheral, she saw Yang glance at her face before adoring a cocky smile, jumping up in her stead. "My name is Yang Xiao Long! I'm only taking this class because it's required… I hope you'll all Yang in there with me!"
The shivering faunus felt a smile work itself onto her face as she remembered the collective groaning of the class, herself included. But the cocky girl didn't seem to care. With a satisfied smile, she fell back into her seat and threw a wink at Blake. After gaining the attention of the class once again, Goodwitch seemed to totally forget about her own introduction and moved on to the syllabus.
On her way out of the class, she had made an effort to stop the blonde before she ran out the door. "Blake… my name is Blake. Thank you… for earlier, I mean." And then she ran. She mentally berated herself once again, remembering the shakiness of her voice, and her inability to make eye contact. Maybe Yang wasn't as bad as she seemed...
But that still didn't help her grumpy mood. For the first time in a long time, she had wanted to pay attention to the material in the class, but she couldn't. Not with Yang beside her, acting like she didn't have a care in the world. She felt a pang through her chest as she found the word for how she felt. Jealous. Yang was in a world of her own, one where the ghosts that haunted Blake herself didn't exist. A world where she had friends she could text, and the confidence to do it so openly. She longed for that world.
A small mew brought her out of her own thoughts, stopping her in her tracks. She searched around for the source of the noise, spying a cardboard box on its side, hidden to most by the foliage and snow. Another weak noise emanated from the box, and Blake felt it in her heart.
She stealthily worked her way over to the box, a skill she was well practiced in. She kneeled, hands resting on her knees, and was greeted with a site that made her heart wrench. A small black kitten, left on its own, curled up on itself for warmth in the corner of its makeshift home. Judging by the shivering, it had been there for a while.
A hum found itself leaving her throat as she reached out her arms. "Hey, little guy.. You look cold. I'd take you back with me if I could, but my landlord would kill me if he found I had an animal in the apartment…" she wrapped her hands around it, gently pulling it out of the box and into her lap. The kitten snuggled into her, trying to warm itself against the cold air around them.
Blake felt the past creep up on her once again. She could relate to the kitten… all alone in a cold world, ignored by most passerby. Abandoned and left to fend for itself, doing its best to get by, but just barely holding on. She felt coldness overtake her as her thoughts dug deep into the past, holding on to the kitten for warmth just as it did to her. They were one in the same. And even though she could barely take care of herself… maybe she could take care of this one.
Once the shivering had subsided, she placed the kitten back into its box, feeling her heart drop when it looked back up at her, confused. "I wasn't lying about not being able to take you home with me. But I promise, as long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you." After a moment of hesitation, she removed her scarf from around her neck, wrapping it as best she could into a makeshift bed inside of the kittens box. "I promise to be back first thing in the morning. I'll bring food and water, and something better to sleep on."
She stood, walking back to her apartment, trying to budget what little money she had in her head to accommodate for her new friend. It would be tight… but she could make it work. She might have failed before, many times over. But the new Blake Belladonna was not going to break a promise.
A\N: Hey everyone! Hopefully you enjoyed the start to a project I've been working on for the past few weeks or so. This is... my first time writing anything, so hopefully it's at least acceptable. I'm not sure I'm 100% happy with it, but I also have a bad habit of never being 100% happy with the stuff I make. Feedback is super appreciated! Especially negative feedback, I want to learn. So many stories I've read have changed me, and I want to do the same for others. At some point I'll probably come back and redo the early chapters, when I feel more confident in my writing. Thanks again!