Nevan pushed his bangs out of his face and squinted in the harsh light. He was tall and his hair was the same length it was when he was a kid. He wore a sleeveless brown tunic with blue laces with a dark shirt underneath, brown pants and boots, spiked knuckles covered his hands. He stretched; glad to be out of that stuffy airship. He heard footsteps behind him but didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Hey didn't you reject that girl kind of harshly?" His sister asked. Her childish pigtails had been traded in for a ponytail. She wore a green tunic with a low top and shorts that showed off her long legs with green flats. A sniper rifle was strapped to her back.

Nevan sighed "Miki I'm here to study, not fraternize with girls" He groaned

The ginger shrugged 'He's always such a stick in the mud' She thought, her gaze turned to see two girls running towards them "It's Cerise and Nelly!" She cried "Hey!" She jumped up and down in place, waving

Nevan pinched his nose, he knew he and Miki were the same age but sometimes it felt like he was babysitting a three year old.

Cerise caught the gingers hug and turned to see her friend trailing behind her.

The aqua haired girl smiled apologetically "Sorry guys, I can't run very fast" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

Nevan placed his hand on her shoulder "Your fine" He said gently.

Nelly returned his smile and met all her friends eyes before breaking into a larger grin "We're finally here!" she cried

Miki grabbed her hands "I know, isn't it great!?" She squealed

The dark haired boy covered his ears as the two girls erupted into loud squeals. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Cerise was staring at him with sympathetic eyes.

"You'll survive" She said softly

Nevan sighed, looking over at his sister and praying they'd end up on different teams.

Headmaster Pine looked over the new batch of students from behind the curtained stage. Maybe it was the general excitement in the air that bolstered his optimism but these students looked promising. It had taken years to clear out all the remaining Grimm after the school was taken back and even longer to rebuild the basic structure. The overall frustration of starting from the ground up introduced many unwelcome barriers as well. Rogue Grimm attacks buried and destroyed structures and some parts too damaged to return to their former glory forced the project to be pushed back multiple times. They finally finished last year but the scars of the fall could still be seen. Burn marks and crumbled pillars were everywhere and even entire sections of the school had to be torn down and rebuilt including several classrooms and the cafeteria. Through it all, the tower could never fully be rebuilt. Communication was shoddy at best and only stretched as far as the airspace beyond the courtyard. Even so, the people adapted and the school stood strong once again as a shining example of perseverance. Oscar couldn't be prouder.

"They look quite promising this year" A voice said behind him

The headmaster turned to Professor Oobleck, the only staff member that had remained after the fall. His hair was greying at the edges and he had stubble on his face. Bartholomew Oobleck, or Marty as Oscar called him, was one of his closest friends after he became headmaster. Without his wisdom and advice Oscar doubted he would've ever gotten the school off the ground. Even after most of the original staff retired it was good to know that a small piece of the school's original luster still remained.

Oscar matched the man's friendly smile "I was just thinking the same thing" He said

"And there's nothing better to inspire promise then a rousing speech" Oobleck said proudly

Oscar chuckled "I'll try to remember that" He took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage, the auditorium grew silent and all eyes turned to him as he cleared his throat

"Years ago" He started "Vale fell victim to an attack, an attack of hatred and vengeance. An attack that was fought barely a generation before by brave men and women who's sacrifice will never be forgotten. Today, their children once again come together in peace to mark the end of another Great War. To rejoice in a sense of unity through diversity, human and faunus equal. Many brave warriors gave their lives to this future, but it is the young who will truly raise their voices in defiance to the heinous evil that threatens our world. The young who will live on, to follow the path set by so many of those who fought so hard to protect it. When I look among you I see hope, defiance and acceptance. Those before us carved this path and we follow it with pride!" He raised his hands in triumph and the auditorium erupted in cheers.

Cerise looked away from the stage, her gaze shifted to the ground and her hands balled into fists.

The cheering subsided and the headmaster dismissed them to gather their sleeping bags. Cerise sighed; it was going to be a long night.

The next morning the friends were huddled around the breakfast table. The cafeteria had been completely redesigned; the room was bigger and opted for smaller tables spread farther apart rather than long benches to fit more students. At the end of the room was a long table with food where students could form an assembly line and serve themselves.

Nelly sat down with a tray full of food "Morning everyone" She greeted cheerfully

The twins said their hello's but Cerise merely waved half-halfheartedly, pushing at her food. A voice could be heard from a few tables down

"Hey, is that Cerise Arc?"

Cerise' grip on her fork tightened

"You mean Ruby Arc's daughter?" Another asked "That's so cool!"

The redhead set her jaw 'Just ignore it' She told herself, turning back to her meal

"Maybe I can ask her for training tips"

That was it. Her fork echoed loudly as it slammed on the table "I need to use the restroom" She deadpanned, getting up and leaving without another word

Nelly watched her go, her face laden with concern. She turned to Nevan, her eyes sparkling questioningly. The dark haired boy merely shrugged and gestured after their friend. Nelly smiled and nodded, she was about to get up and follow her when suddenly a cup of soda came flying at them from another table. Nelly flinched as the foam cup hit the back of her head. The lid came off as it flipped, landing on the table and drenching her breakfast. The twins lifted their trays as the offending liquid spread.

They heard a yell behind them "Rotten Schnee!"

Miki looked over and saw a wolf Faunus boy with thick tail, silver hair and mauve eyes. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him.

Nevan grabbed a napkin and handed it to his drenched friend "Are you okay?" He asked

Nelly took it gratefully and started to dab her hair "Yeah, I'm fine" She smiled

Nevan looked unconvinced as he grabbed another napkin and tried to dry the table "You really shouldn't let them treat you like that" He said

Miki turned back "We can teach them a lesson if you want" She offered

Nelly shook her head vigorously "No, no, no, trust me I'm fine, don't worry about it" She grabbed the napkin from Nevan, crumpling it with her own 'Retaliation only makes it worse' She thought as she threw them out

Miki glared over again at the Faunus boy. She knew Nelly was too nice to fight back but the guy definitely deserved it. Her eyes lit up as a thought crossed her mind. That was it; she'd get revenge for her. She broke out into a smirk; Nelly just didn't have to know.

Later, all four friends were standing on pressure plates overlooking the cliff face. Nelly ran her hands over her stomach, after the incident that morning all she managed to salvage from her soaked breakfast was a few bites of scrambled eggs, a couple measly pieces of toast and half a peach and she was sure the rumbling was loud enough to drown out the headmaster. He looked up at the man as he finished his instructions.

"Lastly students, I advise you to stay safe and return as quickly as possible" He smiled "Good luck"

Nelly pushed her hunger pangs aside she prepared to launch. She could feel her excitement building at the other students being flung. The morning disappeared as she closed her eyes, waiting to fly.

Finally her plate activated and shot her into the wild green forest.