"Excuse me, miss? Your ticket please." As Blake glanced around, she quickly focused her attention on the man in the uniform, who was standing above her. She had to fall asleep, something she hated to do on any kind of public transportation, and yet without much to do, and at this late hour, it was difficult to stay awake.

"Oh, right, sorry. Here it is." Blake answered with a smile as she reached for her ticket. The man looked it over, glanced at Blake, and nodded, handing her the ticket back.

"Seems alright, have a good trip miss." The man tipped his hat and moved forward to do the same for the other few passengers that were with Blake on the train.

With a sigh, Blake glanced at the window. Due to it being dark outside and the bright lights on the inside of the train, all she could see was her own reflection. Something that was the last thing she wanted to look at, the source of her biggest problems. Herself. Closing her eyes, it was no wonder she fell asleep. She opened her eyes only to look up at the clock that was hanging just above the exit from her train car. Seeing it, she shook her head, more to fight off any sleepiness left from her head, as it wouldn't be a good idea to fall asleep by accident right now. Soon she would be home.

She once again considered if she should inform her mom about coming back, but again decided against it. Her first excuse was that she wanted to make something nice, to surprise her parents. Yet the more she thought about it, the more it came to the usual with her. It was her own selfish way of dealing with things. She didn't want to be bothered with her mom preparing something special. She didn't want to be bothered with questions about if something happened or not when she'll be at the train station and all that. Perhaps bugging her through the ride as well. No, it wasn't to surprise anyone and as such, it was to no surprise to anyone, that it was just her being selfish. Thinking about herself and no one else.

She shrugged. Was this coming back or was this a visit? That... That would be the main issue while she's here. Blake wasn't even sure how to decide if she should stay or not. What are the points to convince her one way or the other? Also, would those points be associated with the old or the new place of living? Where should she look for an answer to questions like that? Who is there to ask? People who wouldn't be biased about the situation. As such, she had to ask people for advice, without feeding them too much information.

Blake nodded and relaxed a bit, it seemed like a good enough plan. Then again she wasn't sure just how many people from her past would still be around. She cut herself from her old social circle abruptly and without a warning. They probably asked her parents if something happened or whatnot. Or maybe not? Who knew. If she won't meet anyone from her past or they won't want to talk to her, that will make it easier for herself, as she won't have to talk to anyone and just ponder about this on her own. Something she was used to.

As she was brainstorming this, it didn't take long before the train started to approach her station. With a sigh, Blake prepared herself mentally to visit the old.

oooOOOooo

Stepping outside of the train car, she fixed the laptop bag that hung from her shoulder and hooked the duffle bag over her other arm. Her luggage wasn't that heavy, most of the weight was the laptop. Why even bring her clothes with her, since she was coming home? She just knew that over those years away her taste in clothes and even underwear changed. She'd rather have something of her own to wear rather than rely on the old clothes that her mom still kept. Maybe.

Glancing around, the train station was empty. No wonder, as it was closed for the night. Well, the actual building, at least. Nothing new, since there was no point to keep it open if there were little to no travelers at night here. People mostly used the train from morning till evening, to get to their jobs in one of the two bigger cities that surrounded her poor little town and then come back home. Even then she heard that buses were winning the race. If there even was a race for customers between those two. There were some lights on the outside of the building, which in contrast to the emptiness and the surrounding night made the place just seem eerier. Regardless she was glad for them, as otherwise, it'll be completely dark out here. Besides, it would be spooky regardless if it had these dim lights or not.

Taking a deep breath she moved towards the outside set of stairs, that would lead her towards the town.

The sight before her was just as she remembered it. Since the train station was located on a hill, she got a good look at her old home. The center of the town was a bunch of tenement houses a few stores as well as some old buildings that served as office buildings for the post office and the governance body. Around that were suburbs with some houses but nothing else. No farms or factories. In a way, this little town felt like her own life. Pointless.

She let out a small sigh, something she didn't consider was the long walk, since there were no buses and she didn't inform anyone about coming back, there wasn't anyone waiting for her. Fixing her baggage, she slowly began the descent down the stairs.

There were plenty of memories attached to this place. Good, bad, pointless, funny, sad, anger-inducing. Even if most of her younger years she and her friends tried to get away from this place, it was still a place where she spent most of her life. Just glancing up and seeing the lights, she remembered that this topic was often raised with the local council members. Savings on the lights, to turn them off at night. Blake chuckled, they had to not make any progress on that ever since she left huh?

She wondered if anyone would recognize her? Was there even anyone left? What if it became a ghost city? This made her stop and glance at some of the shop windows. They were stacked. Mostly family businesses that supplied the locals. She shook her head, how did she even come to such a ridiculous conclusion. Ghost city. If anything, this would be a zombie city.

That made her giggle a tiny bit. That was her town's pride, that back in the days, probably even before her parents were born considering how old it was, they shot a semi-popular zombie movie. The old building was left unchanged and now served as a museum for cinematography, although it was basically a temple dedicated to that dumb zombie flick. She knew that place too well since... Well, his parents were the owners of it. She wondered if he still worked there. If he was even still around.

With a sigh, she glanced at the night sky. It was clear and unlike back in the big city, she could spot way more stars, like shining eyes peeking through a dark blanket. This made her smile bitterly. "I'm running away." She said out loud. Not to herself, but towards the stars. Was it an admission of guilt? Of course, what else? Was there anything to be proud of? Not really. Or maybe she was just stating the obvious. Was there any emotion attached to her little escape plan? No, well not exactly. Not towards the escape itself. More towards the reason for her to be on the run in the first place.

She hated that there were so many stars here. That was the first and main reason she wanted to be out of this town, to move out, to have her place somewhere where the stars couldn't reach her. She never told anyone, why should she? They wouldn't understand. They'd assume she's crazy or worse, that she's joking or making light of something important.

"Khh..." She gritted her teeth and moved her head to make sure that she saw the pavement before her and nothing else, as she quickened her step.

oooOOOooo

Her house was at the very edge of the town as if it was some kind of a border guard between it and the suburbs. As if anyone cared. City people probably didn't even know when they were leaving one and entering the other. Her house was a bit big when compared to other buildings, especially in the nearest vicinity. Her friends always called it a castle, mostly to tease her, she knew that, but it always made her feel bad. She never wanted to be someone that stood out, be it for good or bad reasons. As she moved to stand in front of the main door, she paused. There was no reason for it, it's not like she was fighting with herself between knocking or running away. She was already running away. You can't run away from running away, that's just silly.

At first, that was exactly what she wanted to do... Well, knock, not run away. But then she remembered what time of night it is, and she opted to simply use the doorbell. The familiar sound echoed inside the house after which Blake waited. Her mom had to be asleep, which explained why it took so long. If anything this made her feel worse for waking her mom up in the middle of the night.

Soon she heard footsteps on the other side together with some mumbling. It was odd to hear all of this as if her senses were sharpened by how quiet it was around. Dark and quiet. Once the voice got close enough, there was another pause. Blake knew why. Her mom was looking through the peeping hole. She tried to look as casual as possible through that little spying moment. Soon there was an audible gasp and Blake heard as all the locks were hurriedly unlocked and in a few seconds the doors opened

"Blake!?"

Smiling sheepishly and not sure what to do, she offered a small wave. "Hey, mom."

oooOOOooo

"So, how's the school going for you?" Her mom asked, breaking the silence.

"It's going fine. You already asked." Blake paused, clearing her throat. "Three times before."

The older woman blushed and turned her gaze to the side. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to nag you with the same questions." She once more glanced at Blake, smiling. "I'm just happy if a bit surprised that you decided to visit." Her eyes moved to the side for a split second. "You're positive that nothing happened? Nothing bad?"

"Yes, I just didn't want to meet anyone immediately after getting off the train." Blake let a small sigh. "I should have at least informed you."

"No, no, it's fine. It's your home, Blake. You can come in whenever you want." Her mom announced cheerfully, to which Blake couldn't help but to smile.

A bitter smile at its core, but a smile regardless. This awkward conversation was going on for about an hour. At first, there were some questions that Blake could answer, but it soon became one-sided and later it went into a silence that was only from time to time broken with the same question that Blake already answered. All over tea that wasn't to her taste, and while drinkable in its hot state, now it was cold swamp water to her at best. She wasn't trying to be critical, it was simply a fact. It was somewhere else that she learned to enjoy tea, and she never tried to get her mom to buy the tea she liked since it... Well, her mom enjoyed this one, so why should she bother her with this stuff. It's just tea, isn't it?

They did talk weekly over the phone, but it was for a few minutes. Typical questions with the same answers. At some point, Blake just decided those were calls to see if she was alive, nothing else. Not that she blamed her parents for it, she was the one who always kept conversations one-sided. With a sigh, she instinctively moved the cup to her lips, and as soon as she felt the cold tea hit her tongue, she cringed. No, this had to stop. For her sake and for her mom's sake. She faked a yawn and stretched. "Is my bed still intact?"

"Of course it is, your room hasn't changed ever since you left." The older woman answered with a smile. "I'll prepare the bed for you." Saying that she immediately started to get up.

"No, no! It's fine, I could sleep on a rock tonight, trust me. Besides, you're probably tired as well." Blake raised as well.

"Blake, you're home and I want you to feel at home. Now go have a shower, once you're out, your bed will be done and I'll be off your case for tonight, promise." Her mom said, already moving to leave the room.

"Mom, that's not..." She started, but paused, as she noticed the older woman turn her way and shake her head before winking at her and disappearing behind the doors. Blake let out a sigh. She could use a shower right now.

oooOOOooo

Entering her room, the bed was prepared for her just as her mom promised. Her eyes glanced around the room. It didn't change ever since she left. Posters of various rock bands were still hanging on the walls. From her times when she pretended she cared about pop culture. Various smaller and bigger stuffed animals were spread across the room in a strategic way. From her phase where she tried to act as if she had any taste. Part of her rooms was black, another colorful, and some parts bland. Some of it looked messy, while the other parts seemed tidy. Each of those small fragments was part of her past. A part of who she was, at least for a while, as she tried to find who she really was. In the end, she figured it out. She was a nobody. No, not a nobody. A monster, that's what she was.

It also showed that her mom had to leave things as they were, for the most part. There was no dust, so she had to do that much. Blake wasn't sure if she should appreciate it or not. In the end, she didn't really care. She wasn't living here anymore. Her mom should have to do whatever she wanted with this room. Or maybe that's what she did huh?

There wasn't much for the furniture. A desk, two drawers, and a wardrobe. The latter being quite massive, mostly for all the clothes her mom semi-forced her to buy... Well, bought it for her. Admittedly not all of it was bad... Actually, rarely anything her mom picked was bad. It was just that she disliked looking different each time she went out. Right, and of course her massive bed. Far bigger than the one in her apartment.

As her eyes focused on the bed, she noticed that on top of it was her old pajamas. The sight of which made Blake cringe. It was a dark lavender, the top had a hoodie and too long sleeve in which she could hide her hands. Contrary to that, the pants were a bit too short, revealing the lower part of her shins. Back in the day, it was her favorite pajamas. Made out of soft, fluffy material, with a black, sleeping cat on the front.

She glanced down at her own gray tank top and black shorts she now used as one of her sleeping sets. "Sorry mom, I grew out of these." She commented quietly, setting the thing onto the chair that stood next to the desk. While there, she reached towards the pants that were hanging from the same chair, as she wanted to get to her phone. Once she got that in her hands, she threw herself onto the bed, allowing her body to sink into the softness.

Closing her eyes, Blake allowed for the atmosphere of this place to engulf her. In a way it felt nice, being back home, in her old room. If only things didn't turn out as they did... Who knew if it wouldn't still be the norm for her...

Opening her eyes, she glanced down at her phone. She noticed she got a lot of messages waiting for her and considering that she didn't know that many people, it was pretty clear who sent them. If it wasn't the past that haunted her, it was the present. This made her angry. She already knew the content of those messages. A waterfall of excuses, apologies, pointless questions, and making her feel horrible. As if it was her fault that she had to run away. As if it was her fault that this girl attached herself to her like this. No, she didn't choose this. Neither Yang nor her sister. If anyone asked her, she'd immediately refuse, say no. Because this is the outcome of this. Frustration and pain. Sadness and anger. Not just for her, but for everyone involved. People should learn that she was a catalyst for disasters.

As her hand raised to throw the phone, she stopped herself. This was pointless. It was her fault. She allowed for this to happen, she grew weak and allowed Yang to get close. She could have done something to reject her in a firm way. But at least Yang could handle how awful she was. Maybe the blonde hoped that Blake would change over time? A pointless task, but still one that didn't require anything from her. Ruby? That was a different story. She did it herself. With Yang, she at least tried. It was her fault that Ruby felt the way she did. That she acted the way she did. If she left the girl alone, none of this would happen. For herself or for the younger girl.

With a defeated sigh, she decided to unlock her phone and see these messages. What she saw, made her eyes grow wide in shock. She thought it would be bad, that it would be Ruby blaming herself for her leaving, that she figured it out, or maybe that Yang told her. That all those messages would be the outcome of any of these things happening. No, it was... It was none of that.

Ruby: It's dangerous to travel alone, take these!

Below that text message was a dump of various pictures. Some funny, some cute, a lot of them having both of these qualities. The time stamps were different on all of these, as they were added over time. Blake couldn't believe this. She glanced, scrolled through these, trying to find anything, something. But there was none of what she expected. No, just... This.

She felt the phone drop from her hand, as she curled up and hid her head within her arms. She felt sick. Something that shouldn't be happening right now, yet it was how she felt right now. Was it because all her worrying was for nothing? Was it because of these pictures? No, of course not. That would be stupid. She felt sick because she assumed all those horrible things about Ruby. She wanted to think this way about her. She wanted to have reasons to push the girl away. She wanted to see flaws in her. If she herself was unable to push people away, she thought that maybe finding flaws in them would help her retain that ability. To be alone.

But that wasn't the case. No. Ruby had her issues, everyone has their issues, but she wasn't what Blake thought of her. She was far better than that. She cared about Blake. And that was, perhaps, the biggest reason that Blake hated Ruby for.

She cared.

Author's note:

Hey everyone! I know this is a short chapter and not really that eventful. But I thought this would be a good chapter to break the ice... Well, to get back into things more like. I was afraid to write this chapter, mostly because I always am afraid of writing secondary characters. I have a certain grasp on the main characters, most of them, but the secondary? Eh, that's always a gamble for me. Especially since some of them started having their own appearances in different types of media... Which I won't watch or read because I don't really have time for it.

I hope you guys are enjoying the ongoing new volume! I know I... have mixed feelings towards it. As usual tbh.

Once more, sorry for the short chapter! I hope to release heftier chapters in the future.