Before reading this chapter, you should be aware that this is the darkest and most intense chapter of this series so far.

Heavy trigger warnings this chapter, for transphobia, intentional misgendering, bullying, manipulative behavior, mentions of drug abuse, mentions of violence, discussions related to blackmail and gaslighting, more discussion related to possible kidnapping or murder, physical violence, physical child abuse, emotional child abuse, blood, and long-term physical injury.

I don't own RWBY

Unfortunately, not every Schnee dinner could have Winter present. Weiss simply hoped by gritting her teeth and dealing with Jacques, she could quickly push through the meal and return to solitude in her room.

"Whitley," Jacques asked, as Weiss took a bite of her steak. "I've heard once more that you have excelled in class. This is exactly what I hoped for. Neither your brother nor your sister managed this high of an average."

"It wasn't difficult," Whitley said, grinning that obnoxiously cocky grin Weiss loathed. She once again thought Whitley was, in every way, the perfect embodiment of a teenage Jacques. Then again, if he was, then surely she wasn't too far off. "I truly don't understand why other eighth graders can't manage the same. Perhaps they are simply incapable of our level of thinking."

"You'll learn more and more as you advance that a vast majority of the world is below us," Jacques said. "There's a reason there are almost no mansions here."

"I almost feel sorry for them," Whitley remarked.

"You shouldn't," Jacques said. "Their failure simply gives us more opportunity. Now, Warren."

Weiss took a breath, pulling every bit of willpower into burying her disgust at that name.

"Yes, father?" Weiss asked.

"It's been some time since the last update. What is the status of your election?" Jacques asked.

"Tomorrow, we will be attending an assembly," Weiss said. "We will be giving a formal speech to make clear our stance. I will use this opportunity to win over those who didn't already have an opinion on me. Unfortunately, a few groups are likely out of my reach. Cardin Winchester will have more sway with the athletic students, and the liberal students will surely side with Robyn Hill. Fortunately, Marrow and I both appeal to the same students, but I'm far more qualified than he is. He hasn't placed a single campaign poster around the school."

"Winchester and Hill, what is your plan for them?" Jacques asked.

"I'm not worried about Cardin. He's popular, but that's all he has going for him," Weiss said.

"You've said that before," Jacques said. "But there's something you've been overlooking, time after time."

Weiss cocked her head, waiting for the inevitable rant.

"Did it skip your mind that a majority of the students there don't care about your stance?" Jacques sneered. "The intellectual students will obviously vote for the smartest choice, and I would seriously hope you would be victorious over a street rat and a feminist in that department. But the rest of the students will treat this like a popularity contest. If you can't win them over, your election will be a failure."

"Are you suggesting I pander to them?" Weiss asked.

"I'm suggesting you take a more active approach. What is your current standing, as far as popularity goes? Public image is everything."

"It's..." Weiss began, wincing as she remembered her rocky relationship with the Malachite twins. "Been better, but I can repair the damage."

"Explain how it's... been better," Jacques spat.

"Melanie and Miltia Malachite are the more popular members of my clique," Weiss explained. "And at the moment, they're upset with me because I didn't care for their shallow gossip."

"Tell me, when you run my company, are you planning on pissing off news reporters because you don't care for their vulturous career?" Jacques asked.

"Well, no, but-"

"When you're competing for success, you put your own feelings aside and maintain your connections. Very little is more important than that. I thought you understood something as simple as that," Jacques sneered.

"I can still do this without their help," Weiss said.

"And did it ever occur to your obviously shortsighted mind that being on piss-poor terms with people like them will actively harm your campaign?" Jacques asked. "You didn't just potentially lose a resource. If you keep fumbling it like you have been, you may turn it against you, right at a pivotal moment. When you're playing chess, would you sacrifice your queen, then allow the enemy team to promote a pawn?"

"Obviously not," Weiss said.

"Then why would you do something so moronic here?" Jacques spat.

Weiss flinched as he raised his voice.

"I'll fix things with the Malachites," Weiss said.

"Good," Jacques said. "Now, just having those connections is half of the equation. If Hill and Winchester have followers that won't help you, then you need to ensure that they won't help your enemies, either."

"What are you suggesting?" Weiss asked, nervously.

"You can't be serious," Jacques said.

"It's obvious," Whitley said. "You destroy their image. Blackmail, smear campaigns, whatever it takes. You keep saying Cardin Winchester has popularity. Destroy it by embarrassing him. If Robyn has people following her for political reasons, then sever those connections."

"You're suggesting-" Weiss began.

"They don't even actually have to make mistakes," Whitley said. "Enough footage of Hill and a skilled editor can formulate a video of her saying whatever you need her to. Let her followers see that 'authentic' video of her denouncing their values, and her following will evaporate. You have money on your side, you can easily pull this off."

"Exactly," Jacques said. "Ruin their reputations and no one will be left with a platform to challenge you from."

Weiss looked down at her food, deeply uncomfortable at the idea.

"Is that... is that really the best way?" Weiss asked.

"If you have some other tactic, feel free to use it instead," Jacques said, having just finished his food. "Just remember what failure means in this family."

Weiss flinched once more, remembering the last time she hadn't met his expectations for grades. She remembered the stinging of his palm against her face. She remembered how hungry she had been that night. She remembered how loud his voice had gotten, she remembered him calling her a disappointment, a failure.

"Yes, father," Weiss said, standing to return to her room.

"One last thing," Jacques said. Weiss stopped, turning back to face him. "I have been paying attention to your grades. Aside from a few... disappointments... related to your biology class, your grades have been maintaining as expected. As such, I have a new assignment for you. You have had regular work assigned by me for years, but it has been a relatively minor degree."

"I usually have one to two hours a day worth, just from you," Weiss countered.

"Precisely. I feel that this leaves you with too much time on your hands, so I will be doubling your workload. After all, progress cannot happen if you aren't being pushed," Jacques said.

Weiss choked on her words, unable to formulate an argument. She knew better than to pick a fight with Jacques Schnee, so she just took a breath and nodded.

"I understand, father," Weiss said.

She turned to return to her room, doing her best to ignore her frustrations until she reached her desk.

With a sigh, she pulled out her iPhone, going to her chat group with the Malachites and Henry.

'I'd like to apologize for my recent behavior. I've been under a lot of stress, but that's no excuse to insult any of you,' Weiss said. She watched as all three of the other members' icons indicated that they read her message, and then Melanie Malachite began typing.

'You've hardly talked to us all week, how can you think we'd be okay with that?' Melanie sent.

'I know, and I'm sorry. This election is taking a lot out of me,' Weiss said. 'You all are still important to me, and I'd like to make up for this mistake.'

'Are you still considering a different VP?' Henry sent. Weiss sighed, thinking back to a few days ago, when she had mentioned that she might be looking for a different pick. Since then, Henry had been incredibly passive-aggressive with her. She felt stuck in an impossible solution. With Henry as her pick, her chances of getting elected were lessened, but if she tried to pick someone else, Henry would potentially actively harm her campaign.

She had been considering a few students for the position. Octavia, for one, could help cover the areas she had little access to, and could be for her what Harriet and May were for Marrow and Robyn. She also was considering offering the position to Pyrrha Nikos, for their mutual benefit. Pyrrha had been considering running for president, but was unsure of her qualifications. Weiss would certainly be improving her chances next year by giving her a platform as a previous VP, and in return, Pyrrha would be able to appeal to Cardin and Robyn's groups, a unique opportunity for someone as constricted as Weiss. Finally, she had also been thinking about Vine, who had connections all across the school and could be an effective representative of students Weiss had never even met.

The more she thought about it, the more she agreed with Ozpin that Henry was an awful choice for her pick, and would bring nothing to the table that Weiss didn't already have. On top of that, she would be happy for any situation in which she had to deal with him less.

Surely, however, turning him away would be the final nail in the coffin, isolating her away from all of her connections and leaving her campaign dead in the water. Cardin Winchester would have a better shot than her.

No, this was her circle and she needed to stick with it if she wanted any chance of moving forward. Surely Whitley and Jacques weren't the only ones that had thought of stooping to petty manipulation. If she became an enemy of Henry and the Malachite twins, who's to say they wouldn't use those tactics on her as payback?

And the thought of losing the election wouldn't be such a terrifying thought if it wasn't for Jacques. He had made it perfectly clear that if the election didn't go her way, it would end poorly for her.

She felt sick at the realization of what this meant, however. It meant she would probably have to undo all of the progress she had made sticking up for Mercury.

Refusing to out Mercury was one of the few things she felt confident about. It was the single moment she could look back on as proof that she wasn't like Jacques.

With a sigh, she looked back down at her phone.

'I shouldn't have tried to find someone else. Of course you're my VP,' Weiss sent. She pulled back to her gallery, looking at the picture she had taken back at Winter's house.

If anything, her guilt worsened.

The girl she saw there was like a picture taken of her soul. It felt more and more like the girl in the picture was Weiss, and she truly was just a distorted reflection. It felt like some science fiction or fantasy trope, that she was the clone that was twisted and evil. She knew exactly where her decisions were leading her.

If that girl was here with her, what would she say? Would she be angry at her for making these choices? Would she try to push her to make a different call?

If she chose differently, she would be putting herself in the path of so much potential harm. She would be right in Jacques' crosshairs, she would be the target of every ounce of manipulation the Malachite twins could muster...

But then again...

It was her fault May had been their victim. And it was her fault that Velvet had been. And Flynt. And Neon. And Penny. And Coco. And so many more students.

She had felt amazing when she stood up for Mercury, she had felt like herself again, for just a moment.

After all, she always wanted to be the person that would take the hit for someone else. She wanted to be like Blake, like Mercury, she never wanted to look in the mirror and think that she was in any possible way like Jacques Schnee.

She pulled the texting conversation back up, and her mind swirled with conflict as she considered making a choice that she could never truly take back.

"Ugh," Yang said, sitting in the cafeteria. Blake looked up, raising an eyebrow. "I spent almost the whole damn weekend looking at newspapers, police records, everything available to the public, and there was just... nothing."

"I'm so sorry," Blake said. "Hey, we'll find her, okay?"

"It just feels like she vanished. I've searched online for her, I've looked for social media accounts, registrations, everything. It's like she's just... gone. Like she never existed," Yang said.

"I have met very few students as determined as you," Penny said, from next to Ruby. "I have no doubt that you will find her eventually."

"Yeah, you've got this," Ruby said. "And we're all here to help."

"Thanks," Yang sighed, looking down at her cereal. "I just... I've asked Qrow, and he said it was probably best that I just drop it. I've been seriously considering asking Ironwood and Goodwitch, it just feels... awkward, you know?"

"Then how about we ask them together?" Ruby asked. "We'll go at lunch. I can help you ask, and since we're family, it might be a bit less weird."

Yang nodded.

"Thanks," Yang said. "That'll really help."

"If not," Blake sighed. "I might know one other option."

Yang looked up, cocking her head.

"I told you about Adam, right?" Blake said, looking down. Yang nodded, unsure of where she was going with this. "Adam has a friend that runs a nightclub downtown. I forgot all about him, until Adam mentioned him the other day. His name is Junior. His whole thing is that he has connections. If someone needs narcotics, he sends them to Adam, that's why they work together. But, he's good at finding information. Apparently he has contacts as far out as New York, Seattle, L. A., and Orlando. As long as the information is localized to this country, he has a decent chance of finding it, as long as you're willing to pay."

Yang sighed.

"That means a lot to me, but if this guy does business with that scumbag, he's not worth our time," Yang said.

"Yang," Blake said. "If Goodwitch and Ironwood don't know anything, or aren't willing to talk about it, this could be your chance to find info. I don't want your search to end up dead in the water, and this is the best option we have if they don't pan out."

Yang contemplated her words, unsure of what to say.

"Okay," Yang said. "I won't write Junior off. If nothing else works, I'll go see him. But we don't even know right now if we'll need to, so let's just focus on here and now."

Blake nodded.

"But thank you, Blake," Yang said. "I know that can't have been easy to bring up."

"If it helps you find your mom, I'll do whatever I can," Blake smiled.

"You're an amazing friend, you know that?" Yang said. "I mean, we've known each other for, like, a few weeks, and already you're my best friend."

"Really?" Blake asked, her eyebrows arched in shock.

"Uh, yeah," Yang said.

"You're a good friend too," Blake said, blushing. "I'd even say at this point you might be tied with Ilia as my best friend. I just didn't think you'd be so quick to feel that way about me."

"Ugh, get a room," Ruby joked.

Yang gave a fake gasp of outrage, turning to Ruby.

"Oh, come on," Ruby said. "You two are practically lovebirds at this point."

Blake blushed even harder than before, unsure of how to respond to that. Yang, on the other hand ruffled Ruby's hair.

"You're such a dork," Yang teased. Ruby quickly tried to get her hair back into a semi-manageable shape, batting away Yang's hand. "What, are you jealous?"

"Pff, what is there to be jealous of?" Ruby scoffed.

"I dunno, dating?" Yang asked.

"Laaame," Ruby said. "Nah, you can keep all of that weird kissy-hand-holdy-stuff to yourself. I'm not interested."

"Besides, that just means more time for your friends!" Penny smiled.

"Exactly!" Ruby said. "And on that note, I've been thinking. If I annoy dad about it enough, I can try to get him to take us to Wahooz!"

Wahooz was an arcade and amusement park right outside of Boise's official limits, and one of Ruby's favorite places in the world. Between laser tag, go karts, and all the arcade games, she could get lost there for hours.

"I would enjoy that," Penny said. "I have been there before, once."

"Oh, we have to do go karts!" Ruby said. "It'd be so much fun!"

"You need to invite her to your birthday party, too," Yang said.

"Right!" Ruby said. "It'll be the weekend before Halloween!"

"I would love to attend," Penny smiled.

"And on my actual birthday, there's the Halloween dance!" Ruby said.

"Wait, your birthday is Halloween?" Blake asked.

"Yup!" Ruby said. "I've already got my costume and everything! This year I'm going as Tracer from Overwatch!"

"I haven't really celebrated Halloween in a while," Blake said. "It'd be fun for us all to go together."

"Who are you gonna go as?" Yang asked.

"I'm not sure," Blake said. "I'd have to give it some thought. Do you know who you're going as?"

"Sonya Blade from Mortal Kombat," Yang said. "Ruby and I figured we'd go with video games as a theme this year."

"It'll be so much fun," Ruby said, as the bell rang. She stood, picking up her breakfast tray. "I'll see you all later!"

"I look forward to that!" Penny replied, nodding.

"Coach Goodwitch?" Yang asked, knocking on the open door of Goodwitch's office.

"Come in," Glynda said. Yang and Ruby entered, and Yang took a seat at her desk.

"I had a few questions to ask, if that's okay," Yang said, trying to keep her hands from trembling.

"I'm always happy to help my students," Glynda nodded.

"It's... not exactly a school related question," Yang said. "Dad mentioned that a while ago, you and Mr. Ironwood were friends of his, and that you knew Raven Branwen."

Glynda looked down, taking a deep breath.

"I wondered if at some point you'd come by to ask," Glynda said. "Yes, Yang, I used to be friends with your mother."

"I'm trying to find out what happened to her," Yang said. "Do you know if anything weird happened, around the time she left?"

"I'm sorry to say I wasn't really around during that time," Glynda said. "When you were born, I was studying abroad."

"Oh," Yang said, disappointed.

"Yang," Glynda said, taking off her glasses to clean them. "I know you want to know what happened, but I knew her. She wasn't fond of commitment, and if I'm being blunt, she usually didn't like responsibility. I'm afraid this situation is very likely what it looks like."

"But that's just it, everyone keeps saying it made sense that she'd leave," Yang said, frustrated. "But I don't think so. I've seen pictures of her with me, when I was a baby, and she didn't look upset or scared. She looked happy."

"Yang," Glynda began.

"Something happened to her, and I need to find out what," Yang said. Glynda sighed, putting her glasses back on.

"If you're determined to, then none of us can stop you," Glynda said. "But please be careful if you're planning on looking for her. Some of Raven's friends were dangerous."

"Her friends?" Yang said. "I thought her only friends were you, Mr. Ironwood, dad, and Summer."

Glynda immediately seemed to regret her words.

"I doubt you've heard about the others she spent time around," Glynda said.

"But that just backs up what I'm saying," Yang said. "If she knew dangerous people, what if one of them did something?"

"Yang-"

"Who were her other friends?" Yang asked. Glynda sighed.

"I'm not at liberty to say," Glynda said. "I understand that this is difficult for you, but I'm afraid I've told you everything I can."

Several seconds of silence passed, in which Yang fidgeted, frustrated with Glynda's silence.

"Okay," Yang sighed. "Thank you, Coach Goodwitch."

Blake watched with a smile as Marrow delivered his speech, Harriet standing at his side. Between the elected candidates, Marrow and Robyn were easily Blake's favorites. Whichever of the two of them won, Blake would be gleeful to see the position go to someone that understood what it is like to be marginalized.

"Thank you for your consideration," Marrow concluded. "If you want to see a change in favor of education, vote Amin."

Marrow backed off, as Robyn Hill and May Marigold walked out from offstage.

"YEAH!" Joanna cheered from the row in front of Blake. Next to Joanna, Fiona was also cheering in support.

Blake couldn't help but notice just how vocal Robyn's support truly was, though. Coco, Velvet, Flynt, Pyrrha, even Emerald and Mercury gave their support.

"Thank you," Robyn smiled, picking up the microphone. "I know it's mainly the Juniors that know me, so I'd like to introduce myself to the Seniors and Sophomores. My name is Robyn Hill. I don't think it comes as a surprise to anyone here that this state is a hard one to be in, as a minority. What I want is to make it easier. I've been a member of the anti-bullying committee and a member of the student council since I first came to this school, a year ago, and I've noticed a frustrating trend in both. They try to fix bullying, they try to fix these issues, without addressing the root cause. As just a representative, I haven't had the power to bring this into the foreground. I know racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, all kinds of discriminatory behavior runs rampant in this school, and I think I speak for everyone like me when I say I'm tired of it. As student president, I would hold regular fundraisers to increase funding for amazing projects like our Pride club. I would be able to bring incidents like the bullying most of us face every day into the view of staff members, more frequently. I have also been trying to set up an environmentalism committee, and I know many of you support that as well."

As if to answer her words, many cheered at the mention. Blake joined in the chorus of cheers, already having decided exactly who she would be supporting this election.

"As it stands, I haven't been able to get it set up. As student president, I could approve it immediately. And in case anyone is concerned that they won't be heard, I'd like to introduce you all to May Marigold. If I could, I would have Fiona and Joanna up here, too. They all have a widespread connection, and I'm pretty sure everyone here has met at least one of them. I understand how important it is to have people that belong to marginalized communities, in a position to make things better. If you're being bullied, harassed, or otherwise discriminated against, and don't feel comfortable talking to me about it, that's exactly why they're here. May knows very well what that kind of bullying does to people, and that's why I've chosen her to be my vice presidential pick should I get elected. If you want to see a more equal Taylor High, then vote Hill this election."

May gave a sassy curtsy as Robyn set her microphone back on it's stand, and they backed up.

Blake was, however, astonished, just as the rest of the school was, when Warren Schnee walked up to the microphone alone.

"Hello, Taylor High," he said, pulling the mic back off. "My name is Warren Schnee, a name I'm sure you all recognize from my father's company, the Schnee Auto Company. I apologize, as I don't currently have a vice presidential pick. My goals if I get elected to the position are-"

Warren stopped, rubbing his temples. Blake raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to make of this.

"Our school has lacked focus on education, and like many, there has been an inherent bias in favor of sports. I, like many of you, understand how frustrating it can be to work relentlessly on assignments and grades, only for the praise and recognition to go to athletics. I..."

Warren stopped again, shaking his head. He walked back to the microphone stand, putting the mic back.

"I'm sorry, I can't follow through with this. I'm withdrawing from the election," Warren said. "To see the changes I talked about, vote Amin this election."

Blake watched in shock as Warren walked off stage, to a very puzzled crowd. Even Marrow, who Warren had just endorsed, looked surprised at the day's events. May, right next to Marrow, was just as shocked, and Robyn was watching skeptically as Warren walked away, as if she thought it was some kind of trick waiting to blow up in her face.

Before long, however, Cardin hurried over to Warren's spot, Russel Thrush following right behind.

"What's up, Taylor High!" Cardin called into the mic, grabbing it and looking around the crowd. "That was weird, right? Guess it just means less competition. I know you all already know me, but in case any of you have been living under a rock, I'm the quarterback that ran the touchdown against Centennial last year."

Blake was annoyed at how much of the crowd cheered at that, and she clearly wasn't the only one.

"Oh, come on, that was a mediocre play at best," Yang said, rolling her eyes.

"And there's more to leadership than that," Pyrrha nodded. "His ego is insufferable."

"So, you know what I think?" Cardin asked, pacing in front of the stage. "I think everyone here works way too hard to keep sitting around, bored. How often do pizza parties happen? Like, maybe once every other month? Nah, if I'm president, I'll make sure we get them every other week. I'm sure you're all aware, I've got the money to fund it myself if I have to. And on the note of funding, have you seen our gym equipment? What is this, 1990? We need an upgrade. And I happen to be great at organizing fundraisers. In fact, when I get elected, and I set up our gym fund, I'll match every buck donated to that bad boy. And I don't just mean our weight room. Track, basketball, tennis, where y'all at?"

Several students stood, cheering.

"Look at all these athletes, they need way better gear. Last month, we had six basketballs pop during P. E. and that's pitiful. Look at these two," Cardin said, flicking his head to Robyn and Marrow. "They can't get funding done to save their lives. I, on the other hand, can get any department the funding it needs, and the only other candidate that could do that just flushed his campaign down the toilet. Theater kids, how would you like better props and a newer sound system? Let me hear it!"

Cheering boomed from the crowd.

"Chess club, come on, I know you nerds are out there. Most of the boards are falling apart, and come on, those things look like they were bought at a dollar store. How about we set you up with some decent boards? Yeah?"

More cheering.

"Every club, committee, and department out there needs to get itself off the ground, because, let's be honest. This school has been needing funding. You vote Marrow in, and maybe he'll shift focus for the year he's here. Robyn Hill? Seriously? Come on, she'll maybe get a few new rules in that will be written out in a year or two. But this funding, the improvements I can make around here, that'll still be around when kids that are in preschool now come here. And if I'm not enough to convince you, feel free to ask my buddy Russel, who is gonna be my VP, what I did for the football team when I joined. Hint, hint, we've never lost a game since. You wanna get this place better funds? Vote Winchester."

Cardin dropped the mic onto the ground and backed off, grinning as a vast majority of the school cheered for him.

"If he's really so adamant on funding things better, he could just do it," Blake snapped. "We already have fundraisers, and the school accepts donations. This was never about funding."

"Yeah, but he's making his point clear," Yang said. "He can buy this election, and he was right about one thing. The only other person that could buy this election just dropped out."

Weiss looked at her phone as she walked, looking back over the texts.

'I'm sorry, I've thought about it some more, and I will be finding another VP,' Weiss had sent.

'Are you serious, man?' Henry had sent.

'Wow,' Melanie had sent.

'Yes, I'm serious. I take this seriously, and you're not the best choice for my VP. My choice is final,' Weiss had sent.

'Good luck with that,' Henry had sent. 'You know what? I don't want anything to do with you. Between this and how you've treated Melanie and Miltia, we all deserve a better friend than you.'

'Fine by me,' Weiss had sent, before closing the texts. She sighed, putting her phone back in her pocket.

"So all of that, just to drop out?" Henry scoffed, as she walked past him.

"What do you care?" Weiss snapped, turning back to face him.

"I'm just saying, you're not making any sense. Your excuse for all of this was that you're focused on the election. Clearly, that wasn't true, so what was it?" Henry snapped. Several students slowed around them to watch the argument. The Malachites, Nebula, Harriet, and Coco were all among them.

"Did it ever cross your mind that maybe I just don't like any of you?" Weiss asked. "The gossip. The bullying. The shallow, elitist garbage you all constantly push, I've never wanted any of it, and I'm done dealing with it."

"You sound like Sam," Henry scoffed, crossing his arms. Weiss glared at him, taking in a deep breath. Everyone around them was silent, not wanting to miss out on any gossip.

Now was her chance to take a step, a real step, something that made her stance clear. She hadn't fully stood up for Mercury, she had just blown off the topic.

"Her name is May," Weiss said, not blinking as she stared him down. "And if I'm being perfectly honest, I feel sorry for her, for having to deal with people like you on a regular basis."

"I never would have thought you'd be the SJW type," Henry rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, I'm embarrassed I ever associated with you," Melanie snapped, closing her locker.

"Is it worth it? Siding with all of them?" Miltia asked, stepping over to Weiss. "Did you think they'd pity you?"

"It's not about pity," Weiss said.

"Yeah, sure," Henry rolled his eyes. "Have a nice life."

Henry shoved past her, storming off, followed by the Malachite twins.

"Damn," Cardin chuckled from the crowd. "I mean, I don't know why you committed social suicide, but it helped my campaign a lot, so thanks, I guess."

"Shut up," Weiss spat. "Let me get something straight. My falling out with them doesn't mean for even a single moment that I'm going to side with you. I would vote for Robyn or Marrow a hundred times over before I'd let you get elected."

"Ooh, tough words from a loser like you," Cardin laughed. "For all you talk about taking sides, you really can't look around, can you?"

"What are you talking about?" Weiss snapped.

"You just made yourself free game," Cardin said, shoving her back and smirking as she tripped. "Look around. The elite aren't gonna help you. And those freaks you tried to pander to? They're not in your corner, either."

Weiss glanced over at Coco as she stood, and was unsurprising to see that Cardin was right. Coco, and Flynt behind her, were both looking at her just like they had before.

Aside from Winter and Ciel, who were miles away, Weiss was truly alone. She would be alone here, and she would be alone at home, with Jacques.

And no one within city limits would lift even a finger to help her. She took a deep breath, trying not to let tears leave her eyes.

"Like I said, it has nothing to do with sides," she said, picking up her books from the ground. Cardin laughed as she walked off, hoping the rest of the day would go by quickly.

Yang and Ruby walked past Warren on the way into Ironwood's classroom, eighth period having come to a close.

"Hey," Yang said, as they passed him. Warren turned, irritated.

"What?" Warren snapped.

"What was all that about, during the assembly?" Yang asked.

"Funny enough, it's none of your business," he said, before turning to storm off once more. Yang rolled her eyes.

"That was... weird," Ruby said.

"Yeah," Yang said, before approaching Ironwood.

"Yang," Ironwood said, while organizing homework assignments. "Ruby. Is there anything I can help either of you with?"

"Yeah," Yang said, taking a seat. "I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about Raven Branwen."

Ironwood turned to give Yang more direct attention.

"Coach Goodwitch told me you might be coming by to ask. Unfortunately, I can't really tell you anything she hasn't already," Ironwood said.

"Were you traveling, too?" Yang asked.

"No, I was still in college," Ironwood said.

"I thought you'd all graduated by that point," Ruby said.

"We had all graduated BSU," Ironwood said. "I was furthering my education at Atlas University, a while outside of Boise."

"Alright," Yang said. "But is there anything you noticed, anything weird, about when she vanished?"

Ironwood clasped his hands together on his desk.

"No, there wasn't," he said.

Yang sighed, standing.

"Fine," Yang snapped, turning to leave.

"Yang," Ruby said, hopping up after her. "Look, I know you wanna find out what happened, but it kinda looks like she really did just..."

"She didn't just abandon me," Yang said, as they stepped back out into the hallway. "She can't have abandoned me. It doesn't add up."

Ruby scratched the back of her head, awkwardly.

"Yang," Ruby said, concerned.

"I'm not crazy, or stupid," Yang said. "I know how this looks, but I feel it in my gut. Something is really wrong here."

"Okay," Ruby said. "Then we'll keep looking."

"You did what?" Jacques roared, causing Weiss to flinch. She mustered what courage she could. She was out of patience with his control over her. Whitley watched from the dining room, as Weiss scrubbed dishes, while also arguing with their father.

"I withdrew," Weiss said. "Because this isn't what I wanted."

"This isn't about what you want, it's about what you need," Jacques barked.

"What I need is to be around people that aren't two-faced," Weiss argued. "And I know for a fact that not being president isn't a death sentence. This may come as a shock to you, but quite a few students at that school aren't president, they aren't even on the student council, and astonishingly, they're still okay."

Jacques glared down at her, irritated with her attitude.

"How many of those students are set to inherit a fortune five hundred company?" Jacques asked. "You don't think things through, just like your fool of a sister."

Weiss felt her temper flare.

"Winter knows leagues more about real life than you do," Weiss spat.

Before she could say another word, she felt the back of his hand strike her face, and she stepped back. Her cheek burned, and she felt tears well up in her eyes. She heard the cup she had dropped shatter at her feet, and pain welled in her ankles as small pieces of glass grazed her.

"I don't know where this attitude came from, but you clearly need to learn that your shortsighted mistakes aren't to be tolerated. This behavior is extremely disappointing."

"My behavior?" Weiss snapped. "You're supposed to care about my well-being, my interests. When have you ever cared about anything other than yourself?"

"I'm handing you the best future imaginable!" Jacques retorted. "I'm setting you up for success, and so far, all you've been good for is disrespecting everything I've ever done for you!"

"What you've done for me? You've decided every step of a future that you want, not me!" Weiss said. "I just want to live my life."

"You wouldn't have a life if it wasn't for me. You're my son, you wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for me," Jacques said. Weiss winced at his words, only getting angrier. "This is frankly absurd behavior. You're sixteen years old, you're practically a man at this point."

"I never wanted to be one!" Weiss blurted out, before she could stop herself.

Several seconds of silence passed, in which Weiss realized what she had just said.

"What did you just say?" Jacques asked. Weiss didn't respond, so he spoke up again. "Because it sounds to me like you just said you don't want to be a man."

Weiss took a deep breath.

"I don't," she said. "That's not who I am, and it never was."

"Who you are," Jacques rolled his eyes. "I knew it. I knew when she put you in a dress, years ago, that she broke you."

Weiss' heart felt like it was being torn apart at his words. She had always known he would never accept her, but hearing it confirmed was something she hadn't been ready for.

"She didn't break me!" Weiss said, as soon as she got her willpower to speak back.

"Really? Then what would you call this degeneracy?" Jacques scoffed. Weiss flinched once more, trying as hard as she could to turn her fear and hurt into anger.

"Why can't you just accept me for who I am?" Weiss asked, her voice wavering. She felt like her blood vessels had frozen solid. Her legs felt like jelly, her heart pounded like a machine gun against her ribs.

"You are my son," Jacques said. "A man. Even if you're deluded enough to think otherwise."

Weiss turned away, trying to retreat back to her room, but Jacques grabbed her arm before she could make it more than a step.

"I'm not done speaking with you," Jacques said. "Clean up the glass you broke."

"No," Weiss said. "I'm done speaking with you."

His grip on her shoulder tightened as he glared down at her.

"This is very unlike you," he spat. "What gave you the impression that this degree of disrespect was acceptable?"

"The crazy idea that I'm not your property," Weiss replied.

"You are my property," Jacques said. "I own you. I own every single one of your belongings. I own your records, your past. I own your school as long as I make the right donations here or there. I own your future as long as I have the connections that I do."

"What are you talking about?" Weiss scoffed.

"You want to go off and get some pitiful career elsewhere? I can ensure that you would never be hired. You would be blacklisted. If you're not my property, then what are you?" he growled.

Weiss tried to yank her arm from his grip.

"I'm a person," she spat. "And I'll never be what you want."

Jacques' face turned red with anger. He shoved her to the ground.

"You will clean up your mess," he said. Weiss was extremely lucky, as she had missed all the glass when she was pushed. A few inches from where her head had hit the ground was a long fragment of glass, with the sharp side facing directly up. She caught her breath as he spoke. "You will finish your chores, then you will return to your room to continue your personal assignments. If you thought you had a lot before, you have no idea how much work I will bury you under after this. After all, without the election to worry about, you have a lot more free time, don't you?"

Weiss tried to get up, and began to speak a retort, getting about a syllable out when Jacques' foot hit her back, pushing her back down.

Before, she had been lucky enough to miss the glass.

But this time, her change of luck was punctuated by a scream of agony, tearing through the house.

Time at that point became fuzzy and disorienting, she picked up pieces of what was going on but couldn't formulate the full picture.

Blood was everywhere.

She couldn't see out of her left eye.

She was screaming in pain, as the world spun around her.

She could hear Jacques yelling at her, telling her to get up.

She caught a glimpse of Whitley.

He didn't look cocky as usual.

He looked worried.

And then her vision went dark, and all she could see was flashing stars.

Thank you for reading chapter 13, which I believe is the longest chapter so far of this story. I'm currently writing chapter 14, so it should be out relatively soon.