"We are now on our final approach to Vale International Airport. Estimated time of arrival is fifteen minutes."

Weiss Schnee looked up at the ceiling of the aircraft, at nothing in particular, her attention pulled from her absentminded thumbing through her Scroll. Barely ten minutes ago, she had uploaded a snapshot she had taken of the skies of Vale with the caption "Starting a new chapter of my life" and she had gotten over four-hundred likes and one-hundred and thirty-two comments.

Not that she would bother responding to any of them. Not that those four-hundred likers really cared. Not that those one-hundred and thirty-two commenters really meant what they said.

She just liked numbers and at the end of the day, that's all they really were. Numbers.

Her crystal blue eyes went back to her Scroll. What else was there to do but this? She had seen every nook and cranny of the Schnee private jet, marveled at her reflection on the spotless silver surfaces, felt the cool metal against her skin. No, she would rather stare at photographs of beaches, of sunsets and first-class restaurants. She could tell which one was a subtle marketing stunt and which photo was real or almost real.

Without thinking, she clicked on the "Search" option, lithe fingers hovering over her Scroll's keypad. Before her thumb could make contact with the device, she stopped herself and stared out the window, out into the tiny city below, her new home.

She had other things to worry about. She had to settle in, to survey her new school, to get a handle in the development of the new Schnee Dust Company branch here in Vale. She had no time to waste on trying to find her. Weiss knew she was here in Vale. It won't be long until the two of them would bump into each other anyway.

She just had to be patient.

Weiss leaned back against the plush seat and closed her eyes for a moment. Every single time she thought about the vision she had seen all those months ago, she felt excitement, thrill, impatience, followed by the overwhelming feeling of sadness and regret. There was no telling what other things that Madame Leona character had done in her life, but she was wrongfully incarcerated and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Madame Leona has already seen it, child."

She must have also seen what would happen after their meeting, hence her reluctance to do what she was famous for: to see into the future, to see the eyes of the person anyone would spend the rest of their lives with. Most of all, she would know when and where they would meet.

But Weiss wasn't paying much attention to the time and date of their meeting. She was too anxious to check her watch. All she could remember was that it was in front of a shabby pink building called Johnson Hall, the sun was about to set, enveloping the entire scene in a blanket of warm gold.

Weiss would have to find out if tomorrow was the day. She would stand in front of the building and wait. She had been waiting for months. What's another twenty-four hours?

She picked up her Scroll and resumed her absentminded thumbing, double-tapping if she saw something that mildly interested her, but mostly just sparing a quick glance at whatever cheesy image people posted for all to see. Still, there was the lingering afterthought that it might not hurt to try and find out if she had a social media account, to find out what kind of pictures she'd be putting up, what kind of life she leads, what kind of person she is without her.

"Miss Schnee," a jovial voice said from behind her followed by a soft sneeze, "Excuse me, is there anything you'd like before landing?"

Scroll still held up to her face, Weiss turned to see Klein Sieben, cheeks tinged red from the smile he flashed at her. She couldn't remember the last time that she had been this happy to see anybody in her life.

"No." she smiled at him, "Thank you, Klein."

Klein had been working for the Schnee family for as long as she could remember; a loyal servant since before her younger brother was even born. He was responsible for attending to the wants and needs of the Schnee daughters, managing their schedules, their education, and just about everything in their lives. But Klein Sieben was more than just another servant in their household. He practically raised her and her sister, Winter. He was family.

He looked at her for a moment, his moustache twitched and his eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. He did practically raise her, so he knew that something was troubling her even before she figured it out for herself.

"I do believe," his voice was low, but Weiss could hear him clearly over the sound of the engine, "that she is here In Vale."

Weiss double-tapped on the image of an oil magnate's daughter relaxing by the pool before she put her Scroll away. She wondered which color eyes she would see if she turned around, so she opted to stare outside the window again.

"This is your captain speaking," a voice from the aircraft's sound system cut through her silence, "for your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seatbelt…"

"You better sit down, Klein." Weiss announced, her hand brushing against the cool metal around her waist.

He opened his mouth to say something; Weiss knew that he would, but she was glad that he had said nothing and sat himself down on the chair behind her. Klein always knew what to say, but Weiss was more grateful that he knew when to say something and when to keep quiet.

Her hands gripped the armrest as the aircraft began its descent onto the runway. It wasn't as if she was scared of landing. The Schnee family only employs the best and brightest. No, it was the unease building inside of her. She was getting so close into the new chapter of her life that she mentioned on her uploaded image earlier. A new chapter that both terrified and thrilled her.

Though it was impossible to leave her past troubles behind in Atlas, she should have at least stowed them away in the deepest recesses of her thoughts. There was nothing to worry about. She was Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee family fortune and the future CEO of Schnee Dust Company – Vale Office.

And she was going to meet the love of her life soon enough.

It won't be long until she would be certain that she wouldn't have to walk this path alone, that she would have somebody to lean on when the business gets rough, the days would grow longer and there wouldn't be enough of the night to sleep in.

And oh how she longed for a soft, warm bed right now.

Despite the private jet, the flight from Atlas to Vale had taken over nine hours. It saved her two hours if she had taken a commercial airline. Not that she would. A Schnee always travels in comfort and style.

Weiss always hated the landing, when the air pressure would change and the force that came when the landing gears made contact with the runway. Finally, the aircraft taxied into a private terminal, closed off from the public so that she may be able to retreat into the waiting car that would take her to her new apartment in the city.

She hadn't been to Vale since she was a younger and even then she disliked the crowded streets, the bustling passersby and the filthy streets. It boasted being a much more advanced city, a progressive one, but that didn't mean the public cleanliness should recede back to its primitive stages.

She had Klein make sure that her new home was far from the unhygienic residents of Vale. She understood that those types of people were far too busy to clean up after themselves, understood more that they didn't have the means to pay someone to clean up for them.

That was how the world is. Some people were skilled at growing their meager incomes until it became a multi-billion lien business empire while others did not know how to manage their finances at all. People should be more like Nicholas Schnee, patron of the Schnee family, a former farmhand who had invested his hard-earned lien in the right places until he had enough to open his own little stall in public markets.

That was her grandfather and Weiss was proud— and, to be perfectly honest, a little bit scared — that she will be the one to uphold the legacy of her grandfather's name, of her name. Her fears aside, she knew that she was perfect for the job and she wouldn't do anything that could jeopardize it.

The ride from the airport had taken a little over an hour and by the time, she and Klein had walked in through the front door, it was already dinner time according to her Schnee schedule. As the chauffer had carried her belongings to the apartment, Klein had offered to prepare dinner for her, which she declined. She was a little too exhausted than hungry anyway.

Besides, she was thrilled to start getting to know her new apartment. A space that was going to be completely hers. Far away from the machismo atmosphere back in Schnee Manor.

Everything in the apartment was a much lighter shade of baby blue from the wool carpet in the middle of the living room to the walls in every room. The doors were all white with silver handles. There were large awning windows on one side of the wall that overlooked the neighborhood. Everything looked perfect.

The apartment was wide; one big kitchen, a dining area that could seat eight people, a living room with an eighty-inch flat screen TV with a sleek sound system. There were three bedrooms; the biggest one was hers, the other was for Klein and a guestroom that she might possibly need some time in the future. Who knows?

She was a Schnee. Everyone knew the Schnee family name and everyone knew who Weiss Schnee was. She was heir to the Schnee Dust Company, its properties and the massive fortune tied to the name. And if Beacon University was as prestigious as the website and pamphlets claimed it to be, she'll have no trouble creating her own circle of elite friends.

But first she'll have to get some sleep. Memorizing the layout of her new apartment will come tomorrow. This was her new home. She had all the time in the world to familiarize herself with every nook and cranny. Weiss Schnee did not like uncertainty.

She groaned as she lay underneath her covers. Fifteen minutes had passed since she had actually gotten into it and despite her exhaustion, her body refused to sleep. She thought of hopeful things while she waited for sleep to finally take over, thinking of that two-thousand-lien vision, minus the fate of the Faunus fortune-teller. There will be room for regret some other time.

Tonight, she only thought of red.

And red was the only thing that she couldn't get out of her mind the entire first day at Beacon University. It was not as she thought it would be. This distinguished educational institution that boasted "world-class education", its renown known all throughout the four kingdoms of Remnant was crawling with the most repulsive creatures — Faunus.

One or two would have been excusable, but she had seen several running around and spreading all kinds of diseases in the air, sat in the cafeterias and walked wherever they pleased.

When did this happen?

She had to give the administration a call. No, she had to go there personally and demand answers from whoever was responsible for this travesty. If her father found out about this, he would throw a fit and drag her back to Atlas. It had taken all of her wit and careful explanation just to convince him to let her study abroad and these filthy animals were not going to take this all away from her.

It was already a quarter past five and the offices would have already been closed half an hour ago, but she was Weiss Schnee, heir to Schnee Dust Company and its properties and fortune. She will meet with them and they will sort all of this out by tomorrow morning. The only response that she will accept is "Right away, Ms. Schnee". Nothing less.

She stormed off to the direction of an ancient building that was in need of repainting. The sun was already setting and she had to hurry, but that was no excuse to stomp around like a klutz. She did it with grace, with all of the Schnee dignity her legs would allow in her fury.

There was one problem.

She didn't know where she was going.

She had visited the campus before, had tried to memorize which class was going to be in which building, but she had never actually gotten around to knowing what the other buildings were for. She looked around at the few students passing her by without any recognition of who she was until she was left entirely by herself, a confused young woman in front of this building.

This pink building. The sun was about to set and she was standing in front of this pink building. She had been in this moment before, had seen it play out a million times in her head. This was it. This was where she was going to meet the one.

Is today the day?

All she had to do was wait a little bit longer, stand right where she was standing this very instant and wait. She looked around at the pink building and had found the sign: Johnson Hall, bronze engraving almost faded from years of neglect.

It wouldn't hurt to have the filthy animals crawl around campus another day. She doubted she'd get a warm reception at the administrative offices anyway.

Is today the day?

Weiss Schnee ran her clammy hands through her off-center ponytail, straightened her sleeves and dusted off whatever microscopic bacteria had clung to her skirt. She could not afford to look anything less than immaculate. Not today of all days. If today really was the day.

Where are you?

"A-are you lost?" a small voice squeaked behind her. Weiss turned to the source and stifled her own squeak. Standing before her was a young girl, smaller than her voice dressed in a brown coat three sizes too big for her, blue ripped jeans and a pair of red beat-up sneakers.

Where did she come from?

Weiss took another look at this girl, from her mop of black hair with its ridiculous red-dyed tips, her childlike face, the nervous smile on her lips, the way her small hand scratched the back of her neck, but most of all, Weiss Schnee stared straight into a pair of eyes she had never seen before — silver.

She couldn't help but stare a little bit longer at her unusual, but not at all unpleasant, eyes. In fact, they looked… enchanting?

"Hello?" the girl's hand had found its way right in front of Weiss's face, waving her back from whatever trance she just had.

"What?" Weiss cleared her throat, "What did you say?"

"Are you lost?" the girl giggled nervously, pulling her hand behind her back and bouncing on her heels as if she couldn't bear to be motionless for more than two minutes, "Because if you are, I could show you where you need to go."

"That's fine." Weiss folded her arms over her chest and turned away, "I'm not lost."

"Then are you waiting for somebody?" she pressed on.

Yes, I am.

"No." Weiss lied, hoping that that would be the end of the conversation. A Schnee waited for no one. Everyone would flock towards her, would shower her with attention. Weiss never waited for anyone.

Except now.

"Are you new here?" the girl asked again, her left foot digging into the pavement, "I've never seen you around before."

Weiss froze. This girl did not know who she was, had no idea who she was talking to. Slowly, she turned towards her, mouth open and ready to introduce herself — something she had never done in years — to this girl.

"I'm We—"

"Weiss?"

Weiss Schnee swore she had heard that voice before. Not recently, but she had heard it so often in her younger years. She turned her gaze back to the pink building, her blue eyes locked on to a pair of bright green eyes that she knew she had seen before, framed by soft ginger hair, freckles peppered over the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. She looked exactly like she had been since the last time they saw each other. Only, this time, she didn't have a smile on her face.

"Penny?" Weiss watched as Penny Polendina stood beside the girl she had been speaking with, watched as the frown where her smile used to be deepened the longer she looked.

None of them had moved and it was beginning to feel a little too uncomfortable for Weiss. Penny clearly was not going to say anything more to her and she had no intention of prolonging this agonizing staring contest.

"I'll be going then." Weiss stepped around them and made her way to the entrance of the university, somewhere she was sure of and where Klein would be waiting for her. Still, Penny and the other girl had said nothing and simply watched her leave.

It took all of her willpower not to have shouted at Penny. They hadn't seen or heard from each other in years and this was how she greeted her? She used to be nicer.

She used to be happier around me.

In the distance, Weiss heard several voices. She was grateful that she had missed them and they had missed the awkward encounter with Penny.

Everything was not going as she expected. That stupid Faunus lied to her. Madame Leona had assured her that everything was going to go smoothly. She had even seen it when she held that crystal ball. Weiss took back every single feeling of regret and guilt she had ever felt about what happened to that fortune-teller. Two thousand lien for empty promises and an unexpected meeting with Penny? Weiss was glad her father had that cheater imprisoned.

But the damage was irreparable. Despite everything that had happened today, she still felt that little flicker of hope burning low in her soul. She had gotten this far. There was no room for giving up.

Weiss Schnee will have her happy ending. All she needed to do was come up with a contingency plan. Maybe several.