(A/N): Hey guys, M4 here. I am back with another chapter to Second Chance. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I will talk to you guys later.

Beta Credit goes to CaptainPrice. I do not own RWBY. All credit goes Roosterteeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P).

Home.

That's the one place I wanted to be right now. There I felt safe, and annoyed because of my brother and sister.

I never thought I'd miss that feeling. Most kids that have siblings love to stay the hell away from their siblings as they get older and get annoyed by the things they do, and I am no exception. But in my current situation, I would kill for another moment like that. Even now I still expected my brother or my sister to come barreling through the door all loud and obnoxious, maybe teasing me about becoming a super soldier just to get a rise out of me. I was really craving it to happen, like a last ditch hope for this all being a bad dream.

So I waited and waited, but nothing came. No hurried footsteps. No laughs. Just the sound of passing cars coming from the window.

Groaning, I turned on the couch to try and get comfortable, but failed to note how close to the edge I was. The room was a blur as it tumbled when I fell to the floor.

BAM.

"Ouuucchh." I groaned as I grabbed the edge of the couch to hoist myself up.

Picking up the blanket, I folded it neatly and placed it on the couch. Stretching my arms up, I heard the satisfying pop of my back cracking. I sighed in relief. The feeling of cracking your back felt so good, at least if you did it right. You do it wrong, it's like you went to a shitty chiropractor.

"Hey kid." I yelped in surprise at the greeting. God damn, he can't do that! Tukson chuckled.

"I'm going to make some breakfast. You want some?" My stomach immediately growled after I heard the offer. It would have been the first thing I ate since lunch at school yesterday.

"I'll take that as a yes." Tukson walked over to the fridge.

He opened the fridge to reveal a well-stocked load. His huge arms sifted through the fridge with grace. Something you wouldn't expect from a big dude like him. When he came back out he had a package of bacon and a carton of eggs tucked under his arm.

"Go over to those cabinets and get me two pans, kid." He nodded to the cabinets on his right.

I broke out of my stupor and hurried over to the cupboards he indicated. Opening the cupboards I found a stack of pots and pans just waiting to be used. My eyes fell on the top of the first stack and I reached up and pulled off the top two. Once I had them, I set them on the counter in the center of the kitchen.

"So kid, like I said yesterday, we are gonna' talk. Maybe over breakfast, if you're up for it?" Said Tukson as he spared a sideways glance at me while he cracked an egg on the skillet.

Well, there wasn't much to talk about. I did give him the summarized play by play yesterday when we were talking downstairs. All I could do was just tell him in greater detail and see what came from it.

"Kid?" I snapped to attention when he spoke up.

"Uh, y-yeah, sure." I nodded at him.

Going over to the kitchen table I sat down and rested my head on the cool wood. My mind slowly wandered off to the possibilities of how the conversation would play out. The immediate result that popped up was it would result in Tukson not believing me like before which would soon end with me out on the streets and on my own again.

The thought alone made my brain go into overdrive and it began to raise all those questions I didn't want to face, but would ultimately have to if I want to stand a chance at living a new life.

Like, where am I going to permanently stay? Tukson let me stay here once, most likely out of pity. The chances of him letting me stay here again were slim. Not only that, I'm too young to rent out an apartment and have no job as proof of income. At this rate I'd be living on the streets like a lot of those homeless guys back in New York.

Crap... I REALLY didn't think through my decision for restoration. If I knew Tex was gonna' screw me in my fresh start I would've chosen different. I mean, he could have at least given me some money to start out with or something!

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't see the plate of cooked eggs, toast, and bacon laid in front of me.

"Kid, you still with me?" Tukson sat on the opposite end of the table with his plate.

"Yeah, why?" I sat up in my seat.

"You spaced out for a second. Just relax, I'm not going do anything to you." He chuckled before taking a bite of his eggs.

Sighing in relief, I began to eat as well. I shoveled the first fork full of eggs into my mouth and almost drooled. The eggs were without a doubt some of the best I ever tasted, maybe even better than my mom's. My mom was a hell of a cook, but Tukson could probably give her a run for her money. The eggs were scrambled to perfection, the toast wasn't burnt black, but a nice crispy brown with a thick layer of peanut butter on top, and the bacon… damn. Much like the toast, perfectly crisp and juicy with every bite that danced on my tongue.

He was the first one to break the silence of our breakfast.

"What you told me yesterday seriously stumped me, kid." Looking up I saw his eyes on me as he wiped his lips with his napkin.

"Yeah, I figured. You probably thought I was high as fuckin' kite, right?"

He shrugged. "Well, that was my first thought. A random teenager saying he died and was revived by some angel is hard to believe by a longshot, and believe me, I've heard my fair share of weird stories."

I frowned. If there is one thing about me that people here would learn, it was that I was brutally honest. I lie every now and then, but only when I felt it was appropriate. Tukson was most likely still assuming I was a junkie of some sort.

He leaned in forward a bit. "I agreed to hear your story, kid. Just tell me the whole truth and we'll go from there. Sound fair to you?"

I nodded with a light sigh. I really didn't have much to lose at this point, anyway. My hands folded in front of me.

"To be honest, I don't even know where to start," I said with a grimace.

He folded his arms. "Well, start with where you actually are from and go from there." My shoulders bounced with a light shrug. Here goes nothing.

"Like I told you yesterday, I'm not from Remnant. I was born on a planet called Earth. It's a planet similar to Remnant here with civilizations, societies, laws, nature, sciences and conflict, although there are some areas where both Earth and Remnant fall short and surpass each other. Anyway, I was born in a country called the United States of America. It's a big country made up of fifty states that can be viewed as provinces or smaller countries to put it in simpler terms. The state that I was from was New York. I Grew up in New York City," I began.

My eyes flicked up to take in his reaction, but did not see much. The man was with the White Fang, and like he said earlier, he had seen his fair share of crazy things. He had leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, eyes fixed in a contemplative stare. No trace of a smile, frown or any other form of disbelief. Just utter neutrality.

"Anyway, I was an outsider throughout my school years. Sure I had friends, but I kept to myself mostly. Because of that I was bullied a lot. I guess I was an easy target since I was quiet and didn't say much unless I had to. The bullying got worse when I went to high school. The ones that bullied me started giving me death threats, and even tried to follow up on one of them."

Tukson remained silent as he continued to listen to my story. There wasn't even a shift in his facial expression when I told him about the death threat. Maybe it was coming off as too hard to believe? Then again, he probably would have stopped me if he thought I was blowing smoke.

I shuddered at the memory of that death threat. Kids make those, "I'm going to kill you!" threats all the time. Never thought I'd see one try to follow through with it.

"I was jumped in a train station which prompted me to transfer schools, but it didn't help that much. I did have more friends there, but I also made more enemies. Which led to my death."

Tukson lightly scratched his sideburns and a breath escaped his nostrils.

"You seem to be a glutton for punishment, kid. Why did you make so many enemies when you switched schools? Kids don't just single you out as an enemy, you had to have done something to piss them off," said Tukson.

I flinched at that. He wasn't wrong with what he said. I didn't mean to make enemies, but my anger has been the sole cause for it. Those idiots would say something that I tried to ignore, but they managed to get the best of me and it either led to a fight or me making threats.

My eyes began to sting with unshed tears and I blinked to try and make them disappear.

"I-I snitched on a couple of potheads, but they ended up jumping me. I did take martial arts and fought back, but they ended up overpowering me and..." I paused with tears streaming down my cheeks.

Tukson handed me a napkin which I gladly accepted. Wiping my tears, I breathed in before continuing.

"They put a bullet in my head and you can guess what happened when they did. Instead of going to the afterlife, I met this angel named Tex. He revived me here in Remnant and I woke up in an alley. I walked around a bit, found your bookstore and the rest is history."

There was a long and quiet pause. My nervousness took over and I began to shift uncomfortably in my seat. He took a sip of juice and set the cup down.

He sighed. "As much as I want to say this is crazy, I'm finding it hard to do so."

I sniffed and wiped more tears away, not making eye contact with the man in front of me. The answer he gave me was not what I expected. I half expected him to mock me or even make some offhanded comment about how everything that happened to me could be written as a short story and sold in his store.

"So, you believe me?" I asked looked up at him.

"Kid, you wouldn't have broken down like you did if you were lying," Tukson answered back with a small frown. "I can read people very well, and even though your story is out there, I believe it."

He believed it. Tukson believed my story despite its impossibility. For the first time since I got here, a genuine smile spread across my face.

"Thanks, Tukson." Tukson offered a light smile of his own and leaned forward. His eyes looked me up and down and he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Since I believe what you told me, I'm assuming that whole story about you being on your own since you were a kid was a lie because you needed a cover for me to hear you out," he said. I blinked and nodded back at him. Damn, he wasn't kidding when he said he could read people well, but then again, that answer was kind of a given after everything I told him last night and this morning.

"So that means you have nowhere to go. No family, no job, no money," he continued to list off.

"Yeah," I said with a nod, trying not to flinch at the reminders. Tukson let out another sigh and leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his face with his hands and kept his gaze looking toward the ceiling. The man was mulling something over, but what it was would be made known when he was finished.

"Ah, damn it," he said as he dragged his hands down his face. He finally cast his eyes back to me.

"Look, I'll make you a deal. I don't want to repeat myself, so listen closely," said Tukson. I nodded back eagerly, all the while wondering what all came with the offer he had.

"Since you're a kid you won't be able to live on your own until you're eighteen and have money, so here's my offer to you. I'll let you stay here at my place until you're old enough to be on your own. In return, you'll work in my store and do any chores or side jobs I have for you," Tukson said, his tone of voice became stern like a parent's.

"Really?!" I perked up not believing my luck.

"I'm not done, brat," he quickly retorted. I shut my mouth and waited for him to speak again.

"Now, so long as you're here, you'll abide by my rules. I know you're a troublemaker with your story, so I expect you to stay out of trouble by getting another job to stay busy and save up your money and move out when you turn eighteen. And here's my one warning to you. If you ever, and I mean ever fuck up and get in trouble with the law and bring them to my doorstep, I'm kicking your sorry ass out of here."

I felt my heart skip a beat and almost shrunk back in my chair. Tukson's eyes were sharp as he gave me a firm look. He was going on a limb for me to act as a guardian and he was bringing the hammer down hard. This guy could probably make that beating those thugs gave me look like child's play if I ever pissed him off.

"If I'm giving you hospitality, the least you can do is become a good man and figure out what you want to do with your life. This world's full of scumbags and it sure as hell doesn't need another one. Do you understand me?" Tukson sat upright.

My mouth was dry, but I managed to find the words I was looking for.

"Yes, sir!" I nodded back.

"Good. So we have a deal then?" Tukson asked.

"Yeah."

He nodded and held his hand up for me. I gripped it and felt the corner of my mouth twitch as he gave my hand a firm squeeze and shook it.

"We'll need to work on that handshake of yours…" said Tukson before he adapted a look of realization. "Sorry, I never got your name earlier."

He made a good point. I was tempted to give him my real name. It wouldn't have made a difference, but since I was starting off on a clean slate, I might as well give myself a whole new name to boot.

I cleared my throat. "My name is Alex. Alex Beretta."

"Nice to meet you, Alex. Don't let me down, you hear?" Tukson let my hand go and got up from his chair.

Tukson looked to the clock and let out a small grunt. Our talk had gone on longer than he had anticipated. It was almost nine o'clock.

"Well, it's almost time to open the store, let's get you started for your first day. Come on, I'll show you what you'll be doing," said Tukson.

I followed him out of the apartment and back down the stairs into the store. Sunlight seeped through the closed blinds, begging to enter the dark store. Dark silhouettes of people walked by windows going about their day.

Tukson led me behind the counter where the register was. His hands disappeared under the counter and returned a second later with a bottle of glass cleaner and a rag.

"Your job is to clean the shop. The windows, the floors, and the shelves, and I expect them to be spotless. SPOTLESS!" His voice echoed around the empty shop. "You're to alphabetize any new books we get by works of fiction, nonfiction, and genre. You also have to be a people person to suggest books to get sales or trade ins. I expect you to know our inventory inside out."

Each new thing he listed off made it more difficult for me to remember the thing he said before. Attention to detail was not my strongpoint like it was for people with OCD.

"Do you know how to do simple math?" He looked at me.

I tilted my head and gave him a flat look and he merely shrugged back.

"Just thought I'd ask. You need to be able to know how to make change and count the profits we take in," said Tukson.

"Sure. I think I can manage." He gave me a pat on the back before pulling something out of his pocket.

Wait... I think that was a scroll. That was definitely something I'd need once I saved up some money.

"I need to make some calls. I got some people that I'd like you to meet and they should be able to visit today. In the meantime, clean the windows inside and out. It's Monday and it's usually slow, but if anyone comes in I expect you to give them great customer service."

He went to the back of the store as I walked out with the cleaner and the rag. As I began to clean the windows, I also began to hum the tune of Same Girl by R. Kelly. The jazzy yet fierce music felt really nice. Plus, it featured Usher. I mean, come on, who doesn't like Usher?

The sun was not overwhelmingly hot and offered a nice warmth for the early morning. It was easy to pick up on any fingerprints on glass, but it was tedious work. The windows were pretty large and took a while to clean since I stopped to inspect them again and again for blemishes. I wanted to prove to Tukson I was taking this seriously and it wouldn't be a good first impression if I screwed up on a simple job like this.

After I finished cleaning the glass outside I went back inside to finish them off. A light sweat had formed on my brow and I could feel it trickle down my face. The air conditioning felt nice when the door closed behind me.

As I continued to clean and hum, Tuskon come out and watched me clean.

"What's that song you're humming?" I felt myself shiver.

I really gotta be careful when bringing up some music or anything that has a remembrance of Earth.

"It was something my friends showed me." Which is true because I never heard that song until a friend of mine introduced it to me.

...

My friends...

I sighed. I gotta' forget about them, or at least suppress my emotions. I can't be this mentally weak, especially in Remnant. Which kind of adopts the funny phrase of Australia: Anything in this place can kill you, especially the wild life.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw Tukson with a smile on his face.

"Let's take a short break. Those guys I want you to meet are here. Come on." He motioned me to the back.

Guess I didn't notice people walk in because I was so focused on those damn windows.

We walked into the back and turned into another side room. I saw three people dressed in black with hoodies over their faces. One was sitting down, the other two were standing up. When they heard our footsteps, they look up.

"Guys, this was the kid I was telling you about," said Tukson turning to me. "Kid, introduce yourself."

I scratched my head in nervousness and sighed. Tukson was enjoying putting me on the spot all day today. First with the job duties in the store and now he was forcing me to introduce myself.

"My name's Alex Beretta. If you don't mind me asking, who are you guys?" I spoke up looking at each of them.

They looked at each other before one stepped forward. He pulled off his hoodie and he flashed me a goofy grin. He had gray hair, green eyes, and long, bat like ears.

"Name's Gem. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." He took my hand and shook it so hard I thought he was going to rip it off.

I'm sure if Jaune heard him say that he'd call him out for stealing his so called line.

He moved aside and the second one got up. When he stood up, I took a step back.

DAMN, THIS GUY IS HUGE! HE'S TALLER THAN TUKSON!

He pulled off his hoodie and the first thing I noticed was a long scar on his right eye. He had jet black hair with traces of gray from age, black eyes, and two black wolf ears jutting out through his thick mane. To cap it off, his thick beard only made his appearance more intimidating. Definitely the last guy you'd want to piss off.

"I'm Jade. Tukson told me you had some promise, so we'll see what you can do," was his curt welcome before he sat back down.

The last member of the trio was shorter and walked up to me slowly. Lifting up the hoodie, I couldn't find any words to say after I saw it was a young girl. I'd seen my fair share of good looking girls, but this one stood out among them. Her tanned complexion complimented her long, brown hair and her golden eyes. She was not much taller than me, but something told me she was stronger than she looked.

The girl took a step towards me and eyed me up and down curiously with her arms behind her back.

"My name is Sapphire. How are you?" I barely registered her question, still lost in her beauty.

Thankfully Tukson was there to bail me out and he gave me a hard nudge to break me from my smitten state.

"I-I'm fine. You?"

She giggled. God, she even had a cute laugh. Ok emotions, settle down.

"I'm great. So, you're the guy we're training, huh?" She sized me up again as she circled me.

The way she did that was similar to a hawk hunting their prey. It was a little weird, but I kept my cool as I watched her. In doing so, something caught my eye. There was a tail protruding behind her lower back. It was long with orange and black stripes.

"Tukson mentioned something about you being a fighter. You any good?" She closed the distance between us, making my cheeks heat up a bit.

"Y-yeah, kind of. Some fighting styles that use boxing and kickboxing techniques." I found my voice again.

She smirked before she threw a punch. My reflexes had become second nature by this point in life. I blocked her punch by throwing up my arm and quickly countered with a lunge. My arms wrapped around her frame and I tackled her to the ground.

I went for a pin, but she was already on the move. Her hips shifted and hit mine with a light nudge to knock me off balance. Before I knew it, she was on top of me with her knees right under my armpits to keep them pinned.

"Not bad, but you need work," she said as she stood up and held out her hand.

I took her hand and dusted myself off after she pulled me up. Before I could say anything, a sharp pain met my stomach.

"OOF." I held my gut.

Damn, she punches hard! Guess that was lesson number one. Never let your guard down!

"We can start tomorrow." Her words were more of a statement than a suggestion. "Be ready, Alex. We're going to train you hard."

She gave me a small smile before she hurried out the door with Jade and Gem. Tuskon smirked at me.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a crush on her." I glared at him and cursed my cheeks for betraying me as they burned.

Maybe staying here won't be so bad after all.

(A/N): Hey guys, I really do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a Like, Review, and subscription for more. PEACE!