Volume One
Chapter 1: Welcome To Sanctum
"Whyyyyyyyyy!" Eclipse groaned. "We're not even gonna be in the same classes and it's a boarding school! It's not like someone's gonna grab us off the street as we casually stroll home!" Her parents had dropped the bomb on her. Due to the recent kidnappings, she would not be going to Sanctum Academy this year.
Why do I haffta wait? She thought to herself. At fifteen years, Eclipse should have been sent to Sanctum two years ago, when she was thirteen. But something always happened to ruin what should have been an awesome school year. The first time it was because they had just moved here and the academy was no longer accepting entry forms. The second time some kid got into a whole lot of trouble with the police by releasing Rapier Wasps on school grounds. Now there was this.
Her dad patted her on the head. "Sorry kid." He groaned, "I really thought you'd be going this year."
Eclipse gritted her teeth. "You said that last year and the year before that." She grumbled. Why did this always happen! It wasn't fair! She hated being home schooled and wanted to go to a real school.
Dad just looked at the ground sadly. He and Mom had been home schooling her and her brother when they could. Eclipse mostly learned skills from her mom since their weapons were similar. But Her brother had learned all kinds of interesting things from Dad. Like how to use his inherited weapons, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, how to use detective skills, how to hang by his tail… and how to be a thief. Of course Mom didn't know about that part.
"If she did she would probably kill me." He'd said. "She could throw daggers at me with her eyes!"
Eclipse stormed into her room. How am I ever supposed to be a huntress if I can't even go to a beginner's academy! At this rate, I won't ever be strong enough to make it to Beacon! Eclipse wanted to go to Beacon more than anything.
Grumpily, she pulled a punching bag out of her closet and hung it on the hook in the corner of her room. She punched it until her arms were sore then flopped onto her bed. I wish anything could happen so I could go to Sanctum. She thought. Then she sighed. Be careful what you wish for, Eclipse. She reminded herself.
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Three days later the doorbell rang. Eclipse opened it to see someone she'd only ever seen on TV. Weiss Schnee. Part time Professor of close ranged combat at Beacon academy and owner of the Schnee Dust Company.
Her stern face broke into a smile. "And who might you be?" She asked.
"Uh… I'm…Eclipse. Eclipse Wukong."
Eclipse was normally good with strangers, when they weren't important, famous, grown-ups. Thankfully her mom came to the rescue. "Weiss?" She asked. Wait! Whaaaaat? Her mom knew Professor Schnee? Since when? "Come in!"
Schnee entered followed by two kids about Eclipse's age. One was a boy with snowy white hair and glassy blue eyes. He was dressed in mostly white as well. His jacket looked like something a kid would weir to an adult's party. He looked a bit too naïve to be dangerous. The only thin that said otherwise was the rapier on his belt.
The other kid was a girl. She was, at first glance, a total tomboy. Her long blue hair had been pulled into two high ponytails. She wore racing goggles on her head and a red, rumpled, jacket. Her hands were shoved deeply into the pockets of her dark grey shorts. When she walked past Eclipse she could see a rather large gun in a holder strapped to her back.
The two of them walked in perfect unison behind their mother. They were the exact same height. They wore the same straight face. Their faces were oddly similar, come to think of it. Then Eclipse realized what was going on with them. They were twins.
Mom showed Schnee and her kids to the living room. Dad spat up his coffee when he saw them. "Ice Queen!" He choked. "What are you doing here?" Ice Queen? Dad knew her too?
Schnee looked irritated. "Sun." She greeted. Dad glanced at her kids. "Ah…" He sighed. "Married your first love!" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I don't know how Neptune even puts up with you!"
"For your information, he could handle me better than you."
Dad pulled his hand away and put a fist to his heart. "Ouch. No need to be cruel, Ice Queen."
"Enough. I came here to talk to Blake, not you."
Dad held up his hands in surrender. "Talk away!"
Mom told Eclipse to go to her room and take the twins with her. But, of course, all three of them stayed and listened at the door. "First things first." Said Schnee, "Blake, are you still in your pyjamas?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Err… No… but it's three in the afternoon."
Mom gave Schnee her 'I don't give a poop about what your saying' face. "If you want I could go change and postpone this urgent meeting for another twenty minuets."
"No! It's fine… I'm good."
The twins snickered beside Eclipse. "I came here to talk to you about the kidnappings." Eclipse held her breath. "As a detective you may have already noticed that most of them were between age thirteen and sixteen." Dad nodded. "But… Neptune noticed another pattern today. They were all either registered or proven unregistered Faunus."
The twins gave Eclipse a worried look. No doubt they were staring at her cat ears. Eclipse was definitely not going to school this year. All because of her heritage. But then Schnee changed all that. "I know you think it's not safe to send your kids to school this year." She said, "But right now I think the schools are the safest places for them to be."
Yes, yes, YES! Grinned Eclipse. She was going to Sanctum! She listened excitedly as Schnee explained the things she needed to do to attend. She would need a weapon. Check! Demontail. Her whip. And a spare gun, of course. Most people now carried multiple weapons instead of a gadget that transformed. She'd need an entry form. Check! Schnee had already given two of them to her parents. And finally, she'd need a selected outfit to wear in combat. Check. She had made one a month ago.
Eclipse left her listening place and rushed to her brother's room. She pounded on the door. "Midnight!" She called, "Hey, Midnight!"
"You know, Eclipse, there's a sign on the door. I think you should read it."
Eclipse didn't bother. She already knew it said 'Do Not Disturb'. "It's more important than a stupid sign!" She shouted, "Let me come in!"
"No."
Eclipse opened the door anyway. "You need a lock or something." She told Midnight. He was sitting on his bed, reading a book. "I've got great news!"
"What?" He asked flatly.
Eclipse grabbed him by the arms and jumped up and down. "We're going to Sanctum this year!" Then she frowned. "You don't look exited."
"I… am." He looked unconvinced when he said that. "It's just… I didn't really care about going this year. I thought we were staying here."
"Well, professor Schnee insists we go."
"She's here? In our house?" He looked at the door and saw the twins. His face gained a few shades of red. "Oh, um. Hi."
The twins entered. "We were never properly introduced." Said the girl. "My name's Sapphire, and this is my trusty sidekick, Frost."
"Sidekick?" Asked Frost.
Sapphire wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled his cheek. "Of course, what else would you be?"
"I don't know. Your brother?"
"You're my little twin brother sidekick. I'm just too lazy to say the whole thing."
"Can't I be your equal partner?" Frost pleaded. Sapphire pretended to think it over. "Nope." She answered, "I don't think so." Eclipse was seriously starting to like Sapphire. It was as if they had matching personalities. Plus Eclipse would have totally pulled on Midnight's cheek and called him her sidekick.
Sapphire let go of Frost and he rubbed his check. Eclipse smiled causing him to blush. "Well, as you already know, I'm Eclipse." She pulled Midnight off his bed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "And this is my sidekick, Midni-" He punched her in the stomach.
"If anyone's a sidekick it's you." He said without a single hint of emotion. He spoke like that all the time; straight face, emotionless and with a slightly deep voice. "Okay." Eclipse wheezed. She noticed the look on Frost's face. It said his thoughts outright. Should I have done that too?
After a while Eclipse, Midnight and the twins were called into the living room. Mom told her what was going to happen. She and Midnight were going to Sanctum. They were instructed to stay in contact, be safe and stick with each other. Eclipse hardly heard anything her mom said. She was too busy daydreaming about the years ahead of her. She would be the best. Try her hardest. She was so exited that she almost jumped right through the ceiling!
So when the day came that she and Midnight boarded the aircraft for school, she waved good-bye and didn't look back.
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Eclipse's heart was pounding so hard as the aircraft landed on the school grounds. She wanted to push past all the other students and rush to the gates. Finally she stepped onto the marble pathway. She speed walked to the gates, only stopping to look up at the magnificent building before her. Midnight came and stood beside her. "You know, you're standing right where people need to walk." He said, grabbing her arm and pulling her to a large water fountain in the middle of the school grounds.
"Now what?" He asked.
Eclipse didn't get to answer before someone shouted her name. "Eclipse!" Called Sapphire from the end of a pathway to her left. "Hey Eclipse!"
"I gotta go." Eclipse told Midnight. "I'll catch up with you later!"
"But-"
Eclipse left before he could finish. Her first day here and she had already made a friend. Two if she decided to count Frost. This was a good start to an even better year!
"Welcome to Sanctum!" Said Sapphire. "I promise this year will be the best one ever."
