Chapter Four

It was absolutely bonkers how being distracted in the minutest of moments was enough to make time skips practically a reality. In one moment, I was this five-year-old who wasn't about to anyone and anything ruin things for her, and suddenly in the next I was a seven-year-old girl ready and eager to get enrolled in a combat academy and snowball from there.

Sure, sure, you could all remind me that I wouldn't even be able to meet the minimum requirements for the admission exam until three or so years had passed. But then, so long as my life continued revolving around schoolwork, handling bullies, pranking a certain teacher, and making scapegoats out of said bullies, just like how things have gone for the past two years, those three or so years would be over before I knew it.

For now, I was glad that time slowed down to a screeching halt. It wouldn't have been in anyone's best interests if I didn't get to enjoy a little bit of playtime with the one kid in city who liked my presence—in our favorite hangout, of course.

Actually, no. I was wrong. Make that our only hangout, considering the circumstances involving large distances, possibly an airship ride, and motion sickness, the latter of which I apparently had in common with the kid. My own personal kryptonite. Nothing like bonding over the fact that a couple minutes of air time was enough to make us feel funny in the tummy, eh?

"So you're really gonna become a huntress like I'm gonna become a huntsman?" Jaune asked. He then proceeded to swing his toy sword at me.

…Did I also mention we were doing pretend sword fights again, mostly because Jaune saw this wicked match on TV and wanted to imagine we were right there on the arena ourselves?

As I brought my own sword up to easily "block" the blow (Jaune was slow, predictable, and stubborn about doing things his way), I wondered whether I should just stop being such a pansy and endure the airship ride I had to take just to do house visits with Jaune. Or, failing that, subtly drop hints to my parents that we should move houses… preferably somewhere that didn't involve uppity almost being on opposite ends of the country-sized city. A trip to the park took hours already, fer gosh's sakes.

But then, ugh, I had to remember that last awful trip I had to take with my parents. It had been the Vytal Festival—a celebration of the different cultures of the world—at the time, and we were heading north to Atlas to participate in the festivities. Yours truly was barely five minutes in the air before she started feeling like she'd committed the hugest mistake since the dawn of time. Despite distracting myself during the trip by folding sheets of paper into airplanes and sending them flying over the edge of the foredeck, my head and stomach continued feeling like they were spun over and over inside a washing machine.

On steroids.

Let's just say I practically owned a bathroom stall by the end of the trip. And that I swore a solemn vow never to shove food into my mouth before an airship ride, ever again. Ever.

"Yup," I said, shoving down that memory as hard as I could. I didn't even know why I thought of that one first before I so much as acknowledged Jaune's question. What was wrong with my brain? "What about you?"

Jaune snickered as he tried to break the stalemate the two of us ended up with. At first, I regarded him in confusion. Did my dear ol' pal get hit in the head or something? I knew my mind had clouded over for the past few seconds, but I was pretty sure that wasn't long enough for someone to swoop in and bonk the kid in the head. What's so funny?

I didn't have to wonder for long as Jaune then said, "I already said I'll be a huntsman!"

Must not. Palm face.

I felt my cheeks heat up and I promptly wondered what, indeed, was wrong with the squishy pink thing that's protected by my skull. Mallow Adel did not do airheadedness. She'd stomp on that flat and kick it down the drainage.

Of course, with me being me, I didn't acknowledge that mistake and grinned my embarrassment away. Barely. "I knew that! I was just testing you, you dork."

He blinked. "Testing me for what?"

"Stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Yup. Stuff."

"Right… okay," Jaune said. He didn't sound like he believed me, but it hardly mattered anymore as he then pulled back his sword and proceeded to do what would have been an elaborate set of movements in the shoes of a veteran combatant, but in his case, just a lot of wild sword-waving and clumsy steps that made me wonder how Jaune was still standing before me and not being rushed to an infirmary. Even the kids I saw play-fighting here from time to time at least knew how to maintain equilibrium.

Because I already knew how much of a reach Jaune had, I promptly made two steps back and watched the toy swing harmlessly in front of me. I really should stop abusing the fact that I was still something of a fifteen-year-old on the inside, one of these days.

Jaune then lost his footing and dropped down to the ground. Pathetically. I winced and felt my fox ears flatten accordingly.

It was a really good thing that there were no other kids around to witness this. Jaune's stunt was the kind of stuff you could immortalize for being the most epic of failures in history. Still, I didn't really feel sorry for long. Not when there was still one loose end to tie up. So when Jaune started pulling himself up, I started approaching him. Step, step, step, stop. I then raised my blade—Jaune's eyes widened—grinned wickedly, like I was about to commit a heinous crime against humanity, and then…

And then, in an anti-climactic fashion, I gave my friend's shoulder a gentle tap before snickering like I've made the bestest prank in the world.

The look of confusion on the blond's face just then easily resembled the one I had a couple minutes earlier. He'd gone from, what, fearing the unholy wrath he thought I was going to bring down on him and suddenly… nothing? A tap on the shoulder? What sorcery was this?

Then it dawned on him: he lost the game.

"You really should start doing that properly," I decided to say as he shot me a pout that I couldn't take seriously. "Can't you get someone to teach you? That kinda looked painful." And because I couldn't resist, "And stupid."

Said pout turned into a dirty look. Because it came from Jaune, though, it still didn't come off as intended, and the most it did was turn my grin wider.

"It's not stupid, and I don't need a teacher," Jaune insisted. Even for someone who was, if my math was right, just a couple months younger than me, he was being very stubborn. This wasn't the first time we had this kind of kiddie talk. "Anyway, I wanna see how high I can go at the swings. Come on!"

So long as none of us jump off the seats this time, I thought as the kid shot off like a freshly fired bullet. The last time we both pulled such a daredevil stunt, we'd both gotten ourselves grounded for a month—and that was after getting treated for sprains at the nearest hospital. Shiver me timbers, the way we were completely and utterly chewed out… it was the kind of song that bards wouldn't ever consider singing about in the years to come. We'd basically been told told to stop it because we weren't birds and no amount of swinging was going to send us flying into the air.

"Or to space," Mom had said before I even opened my mouth. "For the last time, Mallow, that space rocket idea you had is nice, but no one's yet to find an actual way to get there. Swinging like that isn't going to result to a miracle either."

Not with that attitude, I'd wanted to say, but the look on her face had been enough to freeze lakes.

Anyway, minutes later, we found a set of swings unused by any of the other kids in the park. The two of us plopped down, spent some time just sitting there, until minutes later Jaune got bored and decided to make a competition out of something so mundane as a couple minutes of swinging back and forth. Best of three, loser has to buy candy for the winner. I naturally accepted.

So the next thing I knew, we were trying to outswing each other like our lives depended on it. I loved how the air whipped against my face as I swung back and forth. But then I felt the metal frame wobble and threaten to uproot itself from the ground it was planted on. That had put a swift end to things. It didn't help that a random adult saw us and talked our ears off about "playing dangerously," only leaving once Jaune and I muttered our apologies. I made sure to stick a tongue out at the woman's retreating back moments later.

Now, we were just sitting there and waiting for our parents—in Jaune's case, possibly one of his older sisters—to come fetch us. We'd have gone to the other side of the park (where there were more things to pass the time with) if it currently wasn't inhabited by the local bullies. From our location, I could already see a few familiar faces. One of them even pushed a kid into the sandbox.

"So…" Jaune began. "Why do you want to become a huntress?"

My fox ears twitched at the sudden question. I turned to him but didn't immediately answer.

It wasn't that I was suddenly having second thoughts about my own decision to go down that particular path. My eyes were still firmly set on the prize.

It was just that, well, recently, I've found it more interesting to hear what people have to say when it comes to what they wanted to do with their own futures. Some had wanted to become heroes of legend, the savior that protected the innocent from evil. Some were following in their parents' footsteps like the dutiful children that they were. Some had a fighting cause (Faunus equality! Eliminate all Grimm! Make Remnant a better world for future generations!), and some just did it so they could support their families and improve their lives because being a huntsman sensibly paid well (you were risking your neck, after all).

There were all sorts of rhymes and reasons that my own motivations suddenly felt bland and selfish… maybe even spiteful… in comparison.

…And maybe I still couldn't state my own reasons with a hundred percent conviction. But I wasn't ever going to admit that out loud. Shhh.

"Why do you?" I decided on asking.

"Because I've always wanted to become a great warrior like my dad, my granddad, and even my granddad's dad," Jaune answered. He didn't even hesitate. But then he frowned. "But nobody's taking me seriously. I know I can do it!"

Adults rarely took their children seriously, that's for sure. Even back when I used to be fifteen, I was more likely to win a lottery than have someone giving me the time of the day. Just remembering how they all nodded at me before turning away and acknowledging my words no further made me want to clench a fist. It's improved a lot since my living here in Remnant, all thanks to my parents who understood the value of listening to their only child, but there were still those times when Mom or Dad seemed to doubt something I was absolutely sure of.

"It does suck when the grownups do that," I said. Then I grinned at him and raised a fist in the air. "But then that just means you can prove them wrong! Maybe you can get into a combat school like I'm gonna be in a couple of years."

"I… I dunno."

That wasn't the response I was expecting from the kid who owned a set of toy weapons. I tilted my head. "Oh, come on. You dunno?"

"My parents looked at me funny when I said that to them," Jaune said, absently making a circle on the dirt with the toe of his shoe. "Then they said they'll see what happens and didn't talk about it anymore. What does that even mean?"

A lot of things, I thought as I looked away and watched two lovestruck—and definitely hormonal teenagers—walk down the path.

For starters, Jaune's parents could be referring to money troubles. Eight children sounded like absolute hell to support financially. And if the Arc family somehow managed to earn money just fine, there were also safety hazards to consider; hunting Grimm and being safe was oil and water. But then, while this wasn't my favorite assumption, maybe Mr. and Mrs. Arc just saw something… aptitude-related about Jaune when it came to anything involving combat. Never mind if the Arc family came from a long line of warriors, if the tales were true.

But since I wasn't a mind-reader, though I wish I was since the money I could be making from that would be insane, I couldn't give any decent answers.

"I don't know, either."

Jaune made a small shrug. "I guess if nobody can help me, I'll just help myself and prove I never needed it in the first place. Great heroes could do stuff all by themselves."

Now it was my turn to look at him funny. I even wanted to correct him that uh, no, heroes who refused help when available were exactly the kind of poor bastards who died first and often in a gruesome way, but I doubted that was something a kid would have wanted to hear. Plus, I didn't exactly want any lone wolves suddenly bearing down on me because they insisted they were quite capable of handling things all by themselves, thank you very much. You bastards should feel lucky I was so considerate.

"I'll help you," I said instead. Jaune's eyes widened at me, as if I'd just spoken Latin in perfect fluency (does Latin even exist here?).

"What?"

"I'll. Help. You," I repeated, rolling my eyes. I then grinned at him. "If I get into a combat school first, I'll pass on what I know to you. You're quite welcome!"

"But—"

"But nothing," I cut him off. I stuck a tongue out at him. "Don't be a dork, Jaune. If you can't get into a combat school, I will. I'll learn stuff for you and myself and pass them like a note in class! It's a good plan." I jerked a thumb at myself. "It's also mine."

"Really?"

"Really. Jaune, just 'cause you're the only other boy in the family doesn't mean you have to step up or something and do things yourself. Some things are meant to be worked on together."

We separated ways an hour later, with me repeating my promise to Jaune because when my mind was made up, it was made up, deal with it. The kid still looked doubtful as he walked away with his dad, but I was certain he'll come around. I've planted the seed in his mind; all that needed to happen now was for the darn thing to sprout and convince him that this was a very viable option and he'd be dumb not to take it.

It was a good plan, really. Jaune got to learn what he needed, I'd get to learn what I needed, and we both would be moving forward without the other getting left behind. I know I'd want someone to keep pace with me in this world as I discovered more and more new things. Makes it all feel less lonely, y'know?

Of course, just when I was confident about how things were going to play out in the long run, life decided to break the monotony.


It was a Friday when Mom suddenly called me downstairs. I'd just finished stuffing into my backpack all my school essentials (pencils, notebooks, itching powder), and I'll admit, I might have gotten too distracted with the task that her voice shocked me. I nearly sent said backpack flying. Outside the window. Not one of my finer moments there, let me tell you.

I tried not to panic. Mom never really called me like that unless I was in huge trouble. If she'd found out what I was planning on doing today at school, suffice to say this was going to be a mission failed.

Reminiscent of a prisoner awaiting execution, I stared at the shut door, waiting for it to be kicked open like the FBI would during a drug raid. Now I'll never be able to watch one of the bullies in school scratch himself raw—and I'll never be able to make a lame pun about having the itch to do something.

But then nothing happened. I was still staring at the door, but I slowly relaxed. It then occurred to me that there didn't seem to be any commanding tone to Mom's voice.

Ugh, right. How could I forget? She stopped shouting like that years ago.

Anyway, since I've also been hearing some other voices talking for the past half hour (how did I forget this too?), there was only one assumption: whatever it was Mom needed me for, it involved meeting a couple of people before we left the house.

Visitors or no, it still a school day. And while I tended to break a rule or two when I was left to my own devices in the classroom, neither of us wanted to put a stain on my perfect attendance record. Don't even ask how that made sense, especially when I was willing to go to detention for the greater good.

I shrugged to myself and made my way downstairs. As I reached the landing and made a turn towards the hallway leading to the front door and the living room, yours truly found that she was right on the money.

"Hi!" I said, focusing on the two visitors who were standing by the door. From the way they were all positioned, Mom was going to see them off, just as soon as I got acquainted with the visitors and them with me. It definitely looked that way when I noticed how Mom had nodded in confirmation towards the fair-skinned, brown-haired man wearing a surprisingly casual attire. The little girl that resembled him was looking at me in a friendly way, never breaking eye contact the moment my light blue eyes met her dark ones.

…Wait, I've seen the two of them before. During those family get-togethers that rarely ended well due to the chilly tension in the air.

"She's quite the sweet little girl," the man—my unclethen said to Mom, who rolled her eyes. But she was smiling, so that definitely didn't mean I was suddenly ranked low on her favorite list of children.

Oh, wait, there was only one child on the list.

"Only around visitors." Mom said. "Anyway, yeah, if you'll remember, that's Mallow. Sweetie," this time, her voice was directed at me, "you haven't forgotten who these people are, right?"

The only way I would was if someone plucked my brain out of my skull, mixed it on a blender, and stuffed it right back in.

For starters, that man over there? That was Robin Adel, also known as the brother Mom was apparently on speaking terms again. He was rich, though not as famous (or infamous) as the Schnees up north in Atlas, but still worth a damn for being the owner of the largest mall in Vale, Stellae Galleria, located in the heart of the city's commercial district. It was something he'd inherited from his father (rest his soul) and brought to new levels of renown. When the mall used to be this casual hangout place for certain people a generation ago, now it was practically a shopping wonderland for all.

(Or so Mom says, anyway. She'd know what qualified as a shopping wonderland.)

Next, there was my cousin, Coco Adel. Brimming with self-assurance at the age of seven, older than me by roughly three months, and already possessing an aptitude for a career as huntress, she was someone who was definitely off to a good start in the reputation-making department. She also dressed well.

Anyway, I didn't really know my cousin beyond what my parents told me. Thanks to us being in different social circles and thanks our parents being distant with each other, until now anyway, the brown-haired girl seemed more of a stranger to me. A friendly one, but a stranger nonetheless. A part of me wondered if we'd get along well, if given the chance to bond. It wasn't hard to imagine a scenario where I ran up to her doorstep, took her hand, and said, "Let's go bowling, Cousin!"

Ignore that last part.

"Yup. Sure do." I nodded, brightening my smile to an additional hundred watts. I also did that fox ear-twitching thing that my parents somehow found cute... Which also made me feel like a total idiot at the same time, but at least I left a more positive impression. I hoped.

Uncle Robin gave me one nod and a small, but genuine smile in response before he returned his attention to my mom.

"Anyway," he said, "we won't keep you any longer. I know you two still have a lot to attend to."

"That's an understatement."

For a moment, my uncle didn't seem to know how to react. He must've still been walking on egg shells when it came to Mom, even if the two of them called a truce behind the scenes. But after my mom's smile remained unchanged and there wasn't a hint of vitriol seeping out of her, he relaxed.

"Right, of course," he said. Then he cleared his throat. "Still, Cara, before we go… I just wanted to say I'm glad we're finally talking again."

"It was about time you finally came to fix things, you mean," she said, placing a hand on her hip.

For a moment, she looked like she was going to berate her brother in a way that could make my toes curl. But then she shook her head.

"Look, I still think that the business proposition Jacques Schnee gave you is practically the equivalent of you making a deal with the devil, if the rumors about the Schnees are true. I'm not about to easily forgive you for giving me the cold shoulder for a long time, either. But," she raised her hand before her brother could open his mouth, "I promise not to raise hell like I did last time. You have to admit, that had been childish of me." She smiled. "So if you need my help, just contact me. We'll work things out."

"Really?"

"Really. Come on, we only have each other these days. Are you seriously looking to ruin that beyond repair?"

My uncle looked like he was about to say something, but he was cut short by a quick hug from Mom.

"You're an idiot, but you're still family." Mom stepped back and smacked her surprised brother on the shoulder. "Now go on and get going! You can be sentimental on your next visit—or ours."

"You're sure you're not pretending again to be okay when you actually aren't?"

"If I was, you would know."

"Good point. Then I'll see you soon," my uncle said with a relieved smile.

Soon, he was off with his daughter. The two of them left the driveway in a surprisingly nondescript automobile, and Mom closed the door shut after waving goodbye at the retreating vehicle. Then, after closing her eyes, and exhaling the breath she felt like she'd been holding, she released all the tension she'd been skillfully hiding from my uncle. And me.

Note to self: improve observational skills. Could mean life or death.

She then turned to me. And crossed her arms. Despite feeling like I was about to be interrogated about a murder I didn't commit, I waited for her to speak.

"You do remember that there's no school today, right?"

I blinked. I actually was not aware. First of all, I had yet to refresh myself this morning of the daily going-ons of Vale. Then there was Billy from school the other day who was adamant about correcting me that there was going to be school today despite the maintenance checks—oh, that horse-faced bastard.

"Well, whoever you're about to swear vengeance on, make sure the teacher doesn't catch you," Mom said, shaking her head at my stormy expression. At this point, it was a lost cause to stop me from doing something that would get me in trouble. Mom had decided it was in everyone's best interests if she reminded me as much as possible to be subtle and clever about things instead.

There was also that part about Mom admitting that she'd be a hypocrite if she said she didn't approve—she hip-deep in mischief during her childhood—of my actions, but that was neither here nor there.

"Right," I said, turning away to head back upstairs. "I'm just gonna head upstairs."

"Wait just one second there, sweetie. You're not staying at home, either."

I paused and raised my eyebrows at her, as if to ask, then what am I going to do, do handstands in the living room?

Mom was quick to bend down and ruffle my hair. You already do that from time to time.

"We're going to do a little out-of-town trip. Just a quick errand I have to do after the post office accidentally switched our packages with someone else's," she said before rolling her eyes. "I'm very certain the dress I ordered didn't magically turn into several Dust crystals during the delivery. It's nice and possibly more expensive than the dress, but that dress was a thousand times better."

"That dress was really pretty," I said in agreement. Mom had shown me the catalog a couple days ago and pointed out which she'd picked. It definitely matched the fur-lined black jacket she had, for sure.

"Exactly. So, like the kind soul that I am—don't look at me funny, dear—I volunteered to personally deliver where this is meant to go and do our little switcheroo." And then, after making sure my eyes hadn't glazed over from her long explanation, she said, "Plus, don't you agree that a change of scenery would be great for once? Not to mention that leaving you here all alone might be… a hazard."

Ignoring that last part, yes, indeed, a change of scenery would indeed be great for once. The sights and sounds of Vale had been very novel back when I was fresh from living a past life on Earth, but now I was looking to see some more variety. I didn't really get to enjoy the scenery change when we'd traveled to Atlas during that festival from before.

"So where are we going?"

Mom smirked, pulled a pair of sunglasses from her leg pocket, and slid them on. "We're going to Patch."


And that was how I found myself on a ship an hour later.


"You know," Mom said as I leaned onto the railing, eyeing the island that was steadily growing larger and larger. It was amazing how something that looked like a dot in the middle of the sea turned out to be one large mass of land. "I will never understand how you're hale and hearty on the seven seas but somehow dying a slow death up in the sky."

I shrugged helplessly; I didn't know what was up with that, either. This had to make for one massive dose of irony when Hope Summers spent her ship trips with a bucket near-permanently attached to her face.

"No, seriously. I'm actually wondering if this is somehow punishment for something you did in a past life. Which, in hindsight, is a stupid thought and air sickness strikes the unwary… but still."

She stared at me, as if waiting for my nausea to kick in and prove her wrong. But after a few seconds of nothing happening, she sighed.

"Oh well. Anyway, it's land ho in about thirty minutes. Patch has a small town that houses the pier, with a direct route leading to the only combat academy somewhere north of the island, but what little amount of homes that exist there are scattered across. We might have to do some asking when we're there," she explained. "For the meantime, I'll make sure our valuable package doesn't end up… you know."

Going boom? I mouthed for her. She nodded in agreement and absently patted the messenger bag she brought with her. Dust, whether in crystal form or powdered form, was pretty weird like that.

"Pretty much."

After that, I returned my attention to the water. At a glance, there wasn't really much to say. It was water. And it was blue. Okay. But the farther we got away from the city, the clearer it got, and soon I was catching glimpses of all sorts of fishes scattering away from the ship. In fact—hey! I think I saw something big swim by just now!

Mom seemed to have noticed, too, but the thoughtful look on her face as she gazed down was definitely not what I was expecting.

"Okay, water-watching's definitely over for now. Let's not wait for something nasty to come jumping out."

I turned to her. "Like what?"

Mom thought of informing me what, exactly, she was referring to, but decided against it and shook her head.

"I'll tell you when you're older."


The town was, just as Mom said, small and modest compared to the busy sights I was used to seeing back in the city. There were only a handful of buildings scattered around the area, and the gaps between them were so big I could see the forests in the background.

In fact, I was pretty sure the town only consisted of a shop for travel supplies, a post office for deliveries to and from the mainland, an inn for weary travelers, and even a tavern (the medieval fantasy nerd in me perked up at that) for the folks who liked to spice up their nights... at least before they got kicked out for being too drunk and rowdy. Standard stuff, though definitely fascinating in my point of view; it wasn't every day I saw my fantasies come to life. But other than that, there was a lot more dirt and a lot less cement, more greens than grays, and more silence than buzz.

It was also a tight-nit community where the locals knew each other by name and could spot a stranger a mile away. And when they did, they simply smiled at us and went on with their businesses. No trace of the usual faunus treatment, nothing. Even Mom relaxed the moment it occurred to her that she didn't have to be on defense mode all the time during our brief stay.

Before I knew it, Caramel Adel had moved on to getting someone's attention with a quick smile and a compliment of the town, asking them her questions and, after a nice conversation plus couple of info-sharing, finally receiving directions leading towards the home of a certain Taiyang Xiao Long.

"It's a bit out of the main road's way," the lady had told Mom. "Something about liking the isolation… or the risk. I don't know. What I do know is that you won't be having trouble finding the place if you just stick to that small winding path away from the road. In fact… let me get you a map, just in case!"

Mom had also been told to be wary when traveling, especially with a little girl in tow. Despite the best efforts of the local Huntsmen to keep the roads safe for travelers and visitors, there was still the occasional Grimm found lurking in the surrounding forest. The numbers never really shrunk down for some reason—people were even afraid to admit that they were rising. All the local Huntsmen and Huntresses could do was wipe the floor with any and every Grimm they saw and hope that the island continued to be safe and habitable for the many years to come. Nobody wanted another Mountain Glenn. Not that I knew what that meant, exactly.

Anyway, the Grimm problem was actually the point where Mom considered making me stay here while she did her delivery. Better safe than dead, right? I might still feel fifteen from time to time, but by all rights, I was only seven. And seven-year-old girls weren't supposed to be traveling dangerously just yet.

But then I'd thought, hey, who's to say I'd be fine and dandy even if someone babysat me here? If my previous life taught me anything, it was that accidents happened anytime to anyone. You'd have an easier time dealing with something you knew was coming. And I was pretty sure I'd hear a Grimm coming with these ears of mine.

So before Mom could even so much as ease me into accepting her decision of having me stay here, I'd opened my mouth and spoke. I basically told her that I promise to stick close to her as we traveled. I wouldn't be noisy, I wouldn't go off and explore even if the itch was there, and I'd have my mouth zipped shut until we were somewhere safer. And if she told me to jump, I'd skip asking how high and just do it. I did not just take a trip across the water and end up on an island just to stay in one place soon after.

Maybe it was the look in my eyes. Maybe it was my tone of voice. Whichever it was, it cracked through Mom's defenses and mollified her maternal instincts.

That wasn't to say that she didn't let me tag along without a catch, though. She only let me after I promised more than once to stay quiet, keep my eyes open, and keep finding potential hiding spots I could run to if a Grimm came by. That should be a piece of cake. I didn't have veteran skills at I Spy a lifetime ago for nothing. Hehe.

Thankfully, the whole trip was uneventful as it could be. That was to say, uneventful, but nerve-wracking, what with Mom stopping every now and then to gauge the situation and confirm that we were still safe on the road. Her hand never left her weapon even for just a second.

But in the end, the forest remained quiet, the leaves continued rustling whenever the wind blew by, and there were no large, black monsters that came growling and knocking down trees in their wake. We'd managed to navigate through the forest until we found a clearing and slowed to a stop in front of what appeared to be a two-story log cabin with a red roof. The relief my Mom felt as she regarded the sight was palpable.

"It looks really nice," I said. So peaceful, and so quiet—the only thing that would ruin the atmosphere was a sudden Grimm appearance.

(For the record, you monsters: that was not your cue to come and do just that.)

"Sure does, but it's technically not in a prime location," Mom said, moving towards the door. She smirked as she glanced from side to side. "It does speak volumes about the kind of people who live here, though. Think about it: if you could keep a house from toppling over like a tower of cards while being smack dab in the middle of Grimm Central, you'd have to be some kind of a badass. More specifically"—she raised a fist and knocked on the door thrice—"a Huntsman."

What opened the door was not, however, a Huntsman.

It was a little girl with lilac eyes and blonde hair, the latter which was tied into low pigtails.

Ah, don't you just love it when build-ups end up being epic disappointments?

"Hi. Can I help you?" the girl asked, staring up at my mom. She couldn't possibly be older than me. Then again, kids my age tended to look alike. I'd have better luck guessing the numbers for tomorrow's lottery. The girl did look kind of anxious, though. She was definitely not expecting us at all.

In fact… we might have even caught her at a bad time.

Mom gave the girl a friendly smile. "If I'm not wrong, this is where Taiyang Xiao Long lives, yeah? Is your father home?"

In an ideal world, this would be the moment when the girl said yes and retreated into the house, returning with her father in tow. Introductions would be made and handshakes performed, the switcheroo would happen, and the two of us would be merrily making our way back home with a mission well and truly accomplished. Then we'd talk about the whole trip over dinner with Dad, with the faunus-in-question paling the moment he found out Mom made me toe around danger outside the city. And so on, and so on.

Good thing this wasn't an ideal world.

The girl shook her head. "He went out for a bit. I'm holding down the fort for him while he's gone."

"Gotcha," Mom said. "So. Any idea where he might have gone? I've got something important I need to give him. I'd leave it here… but no offense, sweetie, it's something that needs special handling. I really can't."

"Yup," I piped in with a grin at the ready. Even if Mom didn't need the backup, I thought it'd make things easier if I helped establish a warm and friendly presence. "My mom's also here to get something your dad might have gotten accidentally. Did you guys get any mail recently?"

The girl's gaze looked distant for a moment as she recalled a particular memory. Then she returned to focus, and nodded.

"I think we did. So, my dad…" Her eyes briefly flickered over the bag that Mom had with her. "I think he went to Signal Academy. I'm not sure when he'll be back."

It didn't take a while for Caramel Adel to come to a decision. In fact, it was almost as if she was expecting something like this. "Then I'm off to Signal Academy. It shouldn't be too far from here, I think."

I wasn't entirely sure, myself. I wasn't exactly good at reading maps, but when Mom pointed where this house was, and then for funsies, pointed out where Signal was… it looked pretty far. Time and distance was pretty hard to get an estimation of from a piece of paper.

But before I could even do so much a flash a final smile at the girl, say a quick "Bye!" and turn around to follow Mom, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. Now I was the one staring up at the woman in question. What's the holdup?

"You're staying here until I get back."

I blinked. Once. Twice. I didn't know whether I was more surprised at my mom for suddenly being unwilling to let me tag along further when she'd already let me earlier, or at the wide-eyed girl, whom I now confirmed had an agenda that my parent was getting in the way of. I knew that look all too well. That was my look when my plans got ruined.

…And, well, my fox ears totally didn't miss that small, but sharp intake of breath.

"But—"

Mom knelt down and gave me a consoling pat on the head, one that I didn't bother shrinking away from. "Sorry, kiddo. Turns out, the trip we had to take just to get here was too much, even for me. I don't think my nerves can handle it if I took you even further within the island. Maybe…" She sighed. "Maybe when you're older."

I considered pushing back, insisting that I could handle whatever was thrown at me… but then I really took a look at Mom's face. The confident facade she wore daily was there, but there was a reason why people say the eyes were the window to the soul; I managed to read the fear and concern on her face. Maybe I should've stayed back in town, after all.

"Fine," I said. I shook my head and shot her a grin to show I was going to be okay. "Promise you'll be back soon?"

Mom smiled and straightened back up. "Promise. As for you…" She was referring to the other girl this time. "What's your name?"

"Huh?" The girl—whom I realized had been staring at the two of us with what I'd guess was longing… and a hint of jealousy?—rapidly blinked her distracted state away. "Oh! I'm Yang."

"Yang. Got it. So, you don't mind if Mallow here hangs around while I go find your father, do you?"

Uh-oh, Mom had that smile on. It was the smile that no one was immune to, the kind that practically said, "You wouldn't dare say no, do you?" The girl, Yang, was definitely no exception, and a bit of me felt a bit sorry she had to be the next unwitting victim.

"I… no. I don't mind."

"Great. Wonderful!" Mom said with a clap of her hands. "Then you girls behave while I'm gone. Don't worry, Yang, Mallow's a sweet girl. You'll get along just fine."

Yang and I exchanged glances, decided during that split second that we might, and stared back at the woman.

Mom nodded in approval. "See, you're off to a good start already! I'll just get going now. Be back before you know it."

And she was off. Just like that. But I was pretty sure that, despite those confident strides she took as she went back the way we came, the woman deep inside was taking a leap of faith by leaving me here. In fact, maybe, just maybe, she was also giving a silent prayer to the gods above that nothing bad happened during her absence.

Anyway, seeing as things were just going to get awkward if Yang just left me standing there, the blonde girl was quick to open the door and let me slip inside.

Yang's house was surprisingly larger than I'd thought, making me feel thoroughly rused by its outside appearance. I mean, seriously, just look at the living room! The large green carpet at the center didn't even cover the entire wooden floor, and on top of it the set consisting of the dark green sofa, the matching chair, and the coffee table was made to appear rather small by the room's sheer size. There was more than plenty enough room for bookshelves both big and small, even, and I ended up swearing that someday, I was going to own a house this nice.

…Not that I was saying ours at Vale was ugly, considering the family fortune (which at this point I was pretty sure my uncle had contributed to). But still.

Other than that, there just seemed to be one teensy, tiny thing that also stood out from the rest, after I finally picked up my jaw from the floor.

"Is that your sister? Why's she sleeping on a wagon?"

Yang retreated from the window she'd been apparently been peeking through while I made myself comfortable. Her lilac gaze switched from me to the wagon by the sofa, where a little girl with dark-ish hair in a red hood continued dozing… and Yang swallowed.

"Can you keep a secret?" Yang asked. She approached the object, took hold of the handle, and pulled it closer to her—and the door. And if I had to remember how she seemed anxious earlier...

Suddenly the puzzle pieces were snapping together.

"You're up to no good," I said, cutting straight to the point. "You are, aren't you?"

For a moment, Yang didn't seem to know what to do. She wasn't expecting to be suddenly shoved into the spotlight. And from the way she glanced at the door, then at me, her frown deepening, I'd say I wasn't wrong in guessing that she was torn between coughing up her confession or keeping it all tucked away deep inside. Then she finally came to a decision, and approached me.

"I'm just gonna go out and look for something," Yang explained. "I was supposed to do it earlier, but you guys came and—I'm not gonna do anything bad, I promise."

My blue eyes slid towards the wagon. "You're looking for 'something.' With your sister?"

"I can't leave her alone here," she said like it was that obvious. I'd argue that it would actually be safer leaving her here, possibly with me, but tangoing with a kid was the equivalent of yelling at a brick wall. Covered in cement.

"But you're going where?"

Yang's gaze was back to something far beyond the window. "Somewhere. I'll know it when I see it."

I found myself taking a step forward before I realized it. Yang's eyes widened... and so did mine.

I didn't know if that was what pulled the trigger, but suddenly, whatever fear was gripping Yang was suddenly replaced by cold, hard determination. For a moment her eyes might have even flashed red. But... hah, that was probably a trick of the eye. Pun unintended. Dying and reincarnating was one thing. But eyes changing color in just a blink? I'm pretty sure that still didn't count as the Remnant version of normality!

But no matter how hard I tried to make light of my situation, I was unsettled all the same. That anxious girl from earlier was just gone.

"Are you going to stop me?" she asked. I eyed her clenched fists and considered my answer. I also tried not to gulp.

Here was a girl who could probably beat me black and blue if she had to. She might be smaller than me by an inch, but looks were deceiving. Here was also a girl who might just be one small spitfire, but at the same time, something that made me think I'd feel the burn if she did so much as incapacitate me before leaving the house, sister in tow, and going to… well, wherever she planned on going. And while I was no wimp myself and could probably fight back tooth and nail if backed into a corner, or just outsmart my way to victory since all that brawn was garbage when you didn't know how to use it…

I did, more or less, promise my mom to behave.

"Well?"

But then, maybe it was the fifteen-year-old in me, but I also found the thought of a little girl leaving without some kind of guardian to be unsettling. It was like letting a puppy run free across the freeway full of speeding cars, except that there was no puppy here, just a girl who really was not taking no for an answer.

Where was I supposed to place myself?

"No," I said with a shake of my head. But I didn't back off, either.

Yang seemed to find that acceptable anyway and relaxed her hands. She gave me a small smile.

"Then just stay there and wait for me to get back. I'll tell your mom you were great," Yang said. Before I could say anything, she turned away from me and moved towards the door. She pushed it open, left that way, went back for the wagon, and began pulling it towards the great outdoors.

There was the brief thud of wagon wheels hitting the dirt, but other than that, there were no other sounds but those of footsteps, soon to be distant and inaudible.

Tick, tock, tick, tock. There was no mistaking the fact that I felt dumb just standing there, looking at the open doorway and letting two kids just walk away. Make no mistake, I could definitely feel two sides of me fighting for dominion between keeping myself out of danger and endangering myself just to make sure those two girls were safe. One side was selfish, the other noble, but then there were the more complicated portions that I most definitely did not have time to philosophize further.

Endanger two kids just because I didn't want Mom to come back to an empty house.

Let myself get in danger just to stop said two kids from going past the point of no return.

Argh!

I tugged at my pink hair in frustration and let out a defeated groan. Then I turned away, tried not to think about how I'd been at a conundrum for five minutes (at least, the clock said so), and marched past the open door. I then made sure to shut the thing close behind me so that nothing unwanted entered the house while its owners were gone.

Then I scanned my surroundings. I tried finding something, anything I could follow. I spy with my little eye a—yes, perfect.

While it wasn't as obvious as I'd hoped, there were still two lines traced on the dirt that moved almost endlessly forward into the woods. Lines that were definitely from the wheel of a wagon.

But, before I could take a couple more steps forward, I paused and looked back at the house. All those second thoughts were nagging me, pulling me back and insisting this was suicide. Was I really risking my neck for this? For a bunch of kids I didn't even know or, frankly speaking, care enough about?

But then I turned away and shook my head. And rapped my head for good measure (ow).

Next thing I knew, I was running through the woods and following the tracks. At the same time, I kept my ears sharp and alert for the sounds of footsteps and creaky wagon wheels.

Mom was totally going to kill me for not staying put.

…At least Dad's going to make sure the funeral's nice.


A/N: Hiiiiii guys. Thank you very much for waiting! It's hard to write all these when I work full-time and split the rest of my time between sleeping, gaming, and writing, but I managed to get this out just before the month ended. Silver lining, there!

Okay, so I hadn't really gone over this chapter with a fine-toothed comb just yet. I'm definitely going over this again in the future, so I'm not going to be surprised if you guys find something wrong or nonsensical about the chapter. As y'all should, because what makes sense to me might not to you, and it helps to have a second pair of eyes. :D

Other than that, I don't really have much to say other than me hoping some characters are portrayed alright - things are still pretty different since they're just kids at this point. So with that out of the way, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and feel free to let me know if you do via review, a fave, or a follow! It's all up to you guys.

(And, yes, next chapter is definitely something I hope changes some things for Mallow. You guys probably already know what's going to happen already. I just hope I have the sufficient skills to pull those later scenes off!)