This will be the shortest chapter of the story for sure. It was originally the second half of chapter 8, but I decided it would be better as it's own separate chapter.
Also, we have now caught up on all of the chapters I have fully written and reviewed. I'm going to continue this story and keep writing it as quickly as I can while still keeping it good. We're about halfway through the story, so I'll upload more chapters as they're done. I'm planning on finishing the story completely before RWBY Volume 4 starts. Kind of ambitious but lets see if I can make it happen.
Thanks for all of the feedback and I'll hopefully have something up for you all soon.
Chapter 9
Aurum sent Silvia a message once they got back to Beacon. He told her Ciara and Leo's full names, but made sure to include that the White Fang had somehow gotten their hands on Atlas equipment. He tried to play it off as something he had heard from students at Beacon.
Silvia responded ten seconds later by calling his Scroll. As Aurum clicked the "Accept Call" icon, alarm bells rang in his head: Silvia knew something was up.
"Hey Silvia," he said, sitting down on his bed. Team ASSH's assigned dorm room seemed unnaturally quiet without the rest of the team there. "What's up?"
"Aurum, what the hell happened?" Silvia sounded like she was in a parade of emergency vehicles. "What did you do?"
"Didn't you see my message? I've been at Beacon resting. I heard some students talking and thought you might-"
"Aurum, I'm at a dance club that looks like a bomb was dropped on the dance floor. Tons of people are hurt, fifty Atlas robots have been destroyed, and there's rose petals all over the floor. I know you had something to do with this."
"What?" Aurum tried to feign surprise. "That sounds pretty crazy. What happened?"
"Aurum, cut the crap." Never had he heard Silvia this mad. "You promised me you would take it easy."
"And I did-"
"Don't lie to me." Was her voice trembling? "What were you thinking? The doctors said you shouldn't even be on your feet for too long."
Aurum sighed. Time to come clean. "Look, we just went for information. We didn't know that the freaking White Fang would attack."
"We?"
"Ruby, Sun, Blake, Yang and I went to ask about Ciara, the lady who attacked me."
"Well, that explains the rose petals." Silvia had seen Ruby fight with before. "Why would you even go here?"
"Yang said the club owner could help us." Aurum got defensive when Silvia snorted. "And he did. He told us everything he knew."
"Was that before or after his goons attacked you? There's a man here who was rushed to the hospital with a chest wound that I know was from your hatchet."
"Is he going to be okay?"
"He'll be fine, but that's not the point." Aurum heard someone say something to Silvia. He waited a few moments.
"Look, we got you some seriously good information," Aurum insisted. "What do Loden and Ivy think of what we found out?"
"They are very busy at the moment with the mess you've made," Silvia snapped. "I admit the information is good, but why couldn't you have let us interrogate the club owner?"
Aurum was silent for a moment. "I didn't think about that."
"Right, you didn't think. Instead you threw caution to the winds and just acted on impulse, like usual." There was a pause. "Professor Ozpin himself said your aura couldn't shield you right now."
"You talked with Ozpin?" Why was the headmaster of Beacon taking such an interest in him?
"He visited us this morning. He told us that we will need to keep an eye on you." Silvia took a deep breath. "Aurum, you could have died."
"Isn't that part of our job?" Aurum demanded. He didn't need Silvia or the rest of the team worrying about him. Didn't he just prove today that he could take care of himself?
"We are training to go out and battle monsters," Aurum continued hotly. "There's always a chance we'll die. It's part of our job."
"But you're not a Huntsmen yet," Silvia nearly cried into the Scroll. "You know what happened to Loden and Ivy's team?"
She didn't wait for a reply. "They lost a member on a mission. Her name was Scarlet. Their other member left the team shortly after. Loden and Ivy still feel the pain of Scarlet's loss. I don't want our team to go through that and lose someone, especially you."
"Why me?"
"Because you're our leader," Silvia said a little too quickly. "Slate, Henna and I talked and we've agreed to not tell Ozpin about this only if you stay at Beacon. This Ciara lady is after you now. Beacon is the safest place in Remnant. Henna has already asked other Haven kids to make sure you don't leave. Until we get back, you're not to leave school."
"So what, I'm a prisoner now?" Aurum nearly shouted. He didn't remember getting to his feet but he felt the sudden urge to throw his Scroll against the wall. What was his team doing? Did he not just prove he could look after himself? Aurum hadn't planned on fighting the White Fang. That wasn't his fault. Plus, he had been with Yang, Sun, Ruby, and Blake. He had only met them a few weeks ago, excluding Sun, and he trusted them. Aurum was safe with them.
"That's not what we're doing," Silvia insisted. "We all just want you to be safe. We are a team. We look out for each other."
"Really? Because it seems like you three have decided all of Team ASSH's decisions recently," Aurum snapped. "I'm the team leader. Don't I have a say in this?"
"Aurum, I'm sorry but please," Silvia pleaded, "just listen to us this time. If you won't stay there for the team and you won't listen to me, please do it for your family."
"My family?" Aurum had not expected Silvia to bring them up.
"Before we left Mistral," Silvia said, "your mother asked me to keep you safe. I know she supports you training to be a Huntsman, but your mother really worries about you."
When Aurum didn't say anything, Silvia continued.
"Your brother, Nave, he really idolizes you. Your mother is allowing him to go to Haven next year. If you were killed, imagine what she would feel knowing another son was also going to try and be a Huntsman like you."
"That's not fair," Aurum murmured. Since his father had left them, Aurum had looked after his mother, brother, and little sisters. He loved them all and never wanted them hurt. For Silvia to use them against him was below the belt.
"I'm sorry but if it's what it takes to keep you in Beacon, then I don't care." Silvia sighed. "Look, I have to go but we'll try to catch these people as quickly as we can. Henna reckons we'll be back in time for the dance."
Aurum sank back onto his bed. He had been looking forward to the dance, getting to hang with his teammates and possibly take Yang as his date. But now that his team was working behind his back, he dreaded spending time with them.
"Right," Aurum said with a groan. He ran his hand through his hair. "I'll see you guys later then."
"Aurum, I-"
Aurum ended the call, tossing his phone onto another bed. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep. But feelings of betrayal delayed its sweet relief till long into the night.
