A/N: I'm surprised to see so many people following along! Please leave comments and let me know what you think!
Laws of Attraction
The sun shone bright upon the dock, the sound of farewells, laughter, and tears echoing through the air. Just like her, there were a few other students heading off to various Huntsmen academies around the world for the new term; the nervousness and excitement shone on their faces as they hugged their friends and family goodbye, saying hello to the new faces heading to the same academies as them.
Unfortunately, no one approached Pyrrha. She simply stood with her bags, ponytail fluttering gently in the ocean breeze, her mother at her side. All the onlookers cleared a wide berth around her; there was no need to talk to her, to ask her where she was going, after all. Everyone knew that she had been accepted to Beacon Academy in Vale without a second thought – the best school for the best future Huntress, right?
Although she kept the same small smile plastered to her face, her heart was sinking lower and lower with every passing moment. She could see numerous other teenagers her age proclaiming proudly that they were off to Beacon as well, making friends and getting to know each other. And yet, why was she always alone?
"Pyrrha, dear, what's wrong?" her mother asked concernedly, cupping her cheek. Her short-cropped, flaming red hair swayed in the wind as well, dark green eyes wide and sweet.
"Oh!" Pyrrha cried, startled by the soft touch. Sheepishly, she giggled. "It's nothing, mother. I'm doing well, I promise."
Her mother smiled, caressing her daughter's cheek with her thumb. "That's a good girl." The boat blew its whistle, alerting the passengers that boarding would be finishing up soon. "Alright. Time to head out, then."
She chuckled half-heartedly, shoulders drooping. "Yeah, I guess so…"
Her mother raised a brow, pulling Pyrrha's face down to look at the smaller woman. "Hey." Her tone shifted to being hard, cold – business-like. "Who are you?"
Pyrrha groaned internally, straightening her shoulders and resetting her stance to be firm, open. "Pyrrha Nikos," she responded, but her heart was not in it.
"Good." The harsh glint in her eye softened ever so slightly as she patted Pyrrha's arm affectionately. "You're going to do great."
Before her mother could continue, however, a young voice broke them out of their conversation. "Hey, Mom, that's the girl on Pumpkin Pete's cereal, right?"
"Honey, don't point!" the boy's mother snapped, pulling her son's wrist down.
Pyrrha laughed, letting out a genuine smile for the boy. "That's right! Although it was only on a few boxes, it was fun working with Pumpkin Pete's!"
The boy grinned, extremely enthusiastic. "Mom, Mom, look! Only heroes and cool people are on Pumpkin Pete's, right?"
His mother, however, was not as amused at her son's actions; instead, she looked extremely embarrassed. "That's Pyrrha Nikos, honey- you need to show some respect! She's going to be a great Huntress one day!"
Pyrrha's mother laughed brightly, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "That's right, my little Pyrrha is off to Beacon today, actually! She passed her entrance exam with flying colours, of course," she gloated, voice haughty, proud.
"Wow!" the boy oohed and aahed at the redhead, eyes sparkling. "That's so cool! Can I touch your sword!"
Pyrrha laughed, beaming at the little boy. "No, it's a little too dangerous for you right now," she said mildly, "but you can look at my shield, if you like-"
"Don't bother her!" his mother chastised, pulling her son away. Bowing lightly towards Pyrrha and her mother, the woman said, "I'm so sorry for interrupting you two! Good luck out in Beacon!" before rushing her son away.
Pyrrha reached out a hand to the pair, but they were already lost amidst the throngs of people rushing around the dock. "But, it wasn't a bother," she whispered, crestfallen.
She didn't have long to linger on it, though. Her mother caught her attention again, the steely glint in her eye back once more. "There you have it, Pyrrha," she murmured lowly so only Pyrrha could hear. "You are Pyrrha Nikos. You have won fame, you have won prestige. Little children look up to you- you are their hero. Go out there and do well. I know you will- you've never faced competition before." She brushed her daughter's bangs out of her eyes, smile hard. "You won't face competition at Beacon, either."
Her brows were furrowed in discomfort, but Pyrrha still straightened her back and nodded sharply ."I'll do my best," she intoned. But she didn't mean it. Her mother said similar words to her before every competition, every new chapter of her life; no matter what she said, the underlying content was always the same.
If you don't win, you didn't try hard enough. Because if you tried, you'd have won.
Sometimes, it felt like her mother's love relied only upon her status, her life as a 'hero'.
As she carried her belongings onto the boat during the last boarding call, Pyrrha noticed that the other passengers gave her a wide clearance, just as usual. They acknowledged her, of course- some even walked up to her to smile and shake her hand, or chat about her future plans. But they soon left her after getting what information or tips that they wanted, leaving her behind to talk to their own friends, never letting her join them.
Pyrrha answered each question kindly, but inside, she was filled with turmoil. She had always wanted to be a Huntress, of course- but was the price to pay for her skill and strength going to be loneliness, forever? All she wanted was a friend, someone to laugh with. Someone who'd talk to her on trips like this not for curiosity's sake, but to actually talk to her.
She sat on a bench upon the deck for a long, long time, wondering about what life would be like with a real friend by her side. Maybe in another life.