The City of Vale, the light of the future. How very poetic. I've lived here for twenty-five years of my life but I've never felt the nationalism that others have felt in this "Grand Country". I've spoken and preached, but my righteous words became distorted when they enter the ears of those corrupted with rage. Ozpin's magnificent school in the distance, always glowing, always gleaming, over the darkness below. Unfortunately, the light glares too brightly and it only irritates the beasts below, Grimm, faunus, and Human. The White Fang, the poverty gangs, the serial killers, the corrupt students, I wanted to end it all. I went to a good College, got into government, lied to remain true to my goal, took in all the necessary evils to compete, and here I am, In a run down building on the wrong side of Vale with a gun in my hand and my life flashing before my eyes as I realize that nobody will come for me. The individuals beside me grieve in unison to keep me company for misery loathes loneliness.
No one ever checked this side of Vale. For all that matters, we are dead. My mother and father died in this neighborhood as well, leading an unheard revolution. How fitting for me to pass in obscurity along with them. The lack of presence must run in the family.
I look out the window. The sky is silver, the brightest it could possibly be before nature punishes it with rain and lightning for being too kind to us lowly individuals. The authorities are here, but not where we are. Our location was deemed "too hot" to approach. We tried to escape but the grimm wants us to stay no matter how many times we tried to escape. They want something from us.
It could be Kiana, the silent faunus who always listens to her music. It could be Luther, the policeman of this neighborhood.. It could be Vanya, a member of the poverty gangs. It could be Cadea, the mother with a life within her but lost the life beside her. It could be me, the speaker. Whoever it could be, none of us deserve this. To be trapped in this area, surrounded, hunted. Cadea has never killed, Luther always protected, Vanya always gave and took in equality, Kiana never pestered anyone, I fought for equality and freedom. Yet we suffer, yet our pleads and cries must remain silent or else mother will hear and she will punish us with her friends below.
The dim sky begins to hurt my eye and I look around the room. My eyes land on two family portraits. One with the mother and father, another with the daughter. The parents are proper, upright, smiling correctly, looking in the right direction, perfect. The child is more loose with her masculine choice of clothing, her eyes looking slightly to the left of the camera, her smile too bright and blinding. She was most likely scolded after for being so peculiar with her choice of position. Maybe not. Perhaps the parents encourage her to be who she wished to be for the portrait while they themselves must stick to the status quo, for age has caused their brightness to fade and their imagination to morph into a metal city. It reminds me of childhood. I miss those days of ignorance and innocence, when I would play in the worlds in my head and talk to the people I create. Even now, I still live in a dream. I still think I can fight for my goals after I escape. What a fool I am.
If we escape, if we live. My eyes fall onto Cadea, sitting on the dirty, cold floor, one hand patting the tip of her belly, humming a tune that could make a grim fall asleep. The melody, sweet as spring, cold as winter, red like roses. We will live, we will escape. We are all together. There's nothing to fear. We are one, powerful and equal.
