A/N: First: Heavenly's POV is triggering. Just a warning. Second: Two chapters in one day! Third: WHO WANTS TO TALK RWBY W/ ME OVER PM?! SPECIFICALLY, PYRRHA. LET'S TALK ABOUT PYRRHA. I'M ONLY ON SEASON ONE BUT I HEARD SHE DIED. SHIT I'M GONNA CRY

Heavenly Aquarius, District 7 Female, 17

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

Faces blur and swim. A masked assailant in the woods.. a threat.. that ten year old boy, a victim of the cruel hobbies of the mayor's son.. Autumn Aquarius's dead body, leeched of color..

I wake up screaming.

Daredevil, smart-ass Heavenly Aquarius. Untrustworthy, Untrusting, Heavenly Aquarius. Not Heavenly Aquarius the victim. Never Heavenly Aquarius the victim. My attacks must be hidden, my night terrors masked. I pretend they don't exist. I thought, maybe, it would make them disappear.

The door creaks open and I scream again. My throat has been rubbed raw from open-mouthed breathing and screeches, and I desperately need fresh air in my lungs. Panic surges through my veins, adrenaline. I knew he would come. I KNEW HE WOULD COME.

I was twelve years old, taking a shortcut through the woods.. Butter golden slices of light dappled across the leafy undergrowth, creating burning patterns of sunshine yellow over the ground. Silvery birdsong split the air as the feathered guardians of the woods marked their territory with song. I felt safe. Wanted. By the woods, of course. How could I have stopped coming here just because Autumn died? He would want me to share his forest, right?

And then I felt it. The seamless shift of mood.

I heard the footsteps on the undergrowth and immediately the patterns dancing on the ground shifted. They no longer looked cozy and comforting, but foreboding. The bird calls sounded like warnings. I saw a flash of cruel metal in the corner of my eye, my head split apart and burned with the fire of a thousand suns, and I fell.

I woke up, bloody and bound. Pain blared between my legs. I looked down and heaved. A shallow, gaping wound stretched between my legs, in my.. area. Blood-encrusted cuts streaked down my legs. My head spun and I let out a gasp of terror and pain. And then I saw him.

He was so tiny, so small. His skin was stretched and pale, his blue eyes glazed and staring emptily into the abyss. His chest was scarred with oozing red smiles. Slippery organs spilled out of his belly and pooled on the ground. I screamed until my throat was raw.

And then..

He turned to me. Not the dead little boy, but the man leaning over him. He smiled, a gruesome, cracked thing, as his lips were far too wide and splattered with blood and body fluid.

And then he spoke.

"Hello, little girl."

Ever since that die, I've practiced self-defense and weaponry skills. Time to put them to use.

I hurl myself out of bed and at him, my inhuman snarls tearing at my own throat. I knock him over and he lets out a surprised yell. Then I realize. This isn't him. This is my grandfather, Bark.

"Nieta! What-" His expression morphs from shock and anger into understanding. "Nightmares?" "Grandpa, I'm so sorry! I thought you were.. someone else." I gush, pulling myself off him. "Yes, nightmares." I nod. Grandfather sighs understandingly. "We all have them, don't we, nieta? But yours are more frightening then others, aren't they? He eyes me carefully. I say nothing. Sorry, Grandpa, but this is my secret to keep.

Telling you that they mayor's son attacked me in the woods may cause you to do something… rash.

Gareth Barkely, District 7 Male, 16

"Gareth, clean the plates." I shoot Jess an angry look but stand up, collecting the plastic slabs and dumping the remains of sausages down the trash. Welcome to my life. Day in and day out, I'm treated like a slave by my stepmother, Jess. A true Cinderella story, but without a ball, a glass slipper, or handsome royalty. Also, I'm a guy. A straight guy. I'd rather have a Princess Charming then a Prince.

It isn't so bad that I'm a second-class citizen in my house, as my dad, Rowan and stepsister, Ivy, wouldn't stand for me being treated like that. But they don't have enough power over Jess to make her stop ordering me around.

I quickly wash the plates and head out of there before Jess can demand I splatter lemony soap all over the plates. Ivy hops up and follows me, her face contorted with worry.

"I'm sorry about Mom." She murmurs, once we reach the door. "Oh, why do you care?" I spit savagely, anger churning deep inside my stomach. Ivy snarls, her eyes going dark with fury. "Don't take your anger out on me, Gareth! It's not my fault Mom's acting like a bitch!" I blink, chastened. "Right. Sorry…" I mutter. Ivy rolls her eyes. "Apology not accepted. You better work harder then that if you want to win my over, Gareth Barkely," She snaps. "Now, stop acting like a butthurt toddler, and get my coat." I raise an eyebrow at her, and she lets out a muffled laugh, swampy green eyes sparkling. "I'm not that cruel." She teases. "Or that cold. It is kind of chilly outside, so mister sensitive may need to protect his epidermis." I sniff. "Get away from me with that scientific language!" She pushes me and I stumble back, goofy and light. "Err, where are we going?" She raises a red eyebrow and puffs out a breath, freckled skin going suddenly sickly white. "The reapings."

At once, our playful air deflates, leaving us with the chilling thought of the Reapings. An icy bolt of lightning streaks down my veins, electrifying me and searing into my skin, bringing with it a thousand premonitions of death. What if I was reaped? What if Ivy was reaped? Terrifying thoughts sour the cool air. "Oh." I mutter lamely. Just then, saving me from making a weak comment like "It'll be fine, Ivy," Rowan and Jess briskly spill into the hall. "Right, time to go." Says Jess importantly. "Okay." I mumble. We step into the brisk air and walk towards what may be our doom- but we sure don't walk towards it like a family.

I file into the square and take my place in the 16 Males section. A few minutes later, the Dark Days video begins and the treaty of treason is read. After reading it, our mayor, Abrisca Belleview, walks offstage, to be replaced by our escort, Yunning Piercings. Yunning doesn't pause to dillydally. He simply dips a single hand into the "Females" bowl. I stiffen. PleasenotIvypleasenotIvypleasenotIvy- "Heavenly Aquarius!" I relax. I don't know her.

An olive-skinned girl from the 17 Female section walks up to the stage, her gaze as hard as flint. She only shows a semblance of emotion when Yunning places his hand on her shoulder, and it's only a spasm of disgust. Yunning's other hand gropes for a slip in the Male bowl. I close my eyes.

"Gareth Barkely!"

The world goes terribly still all around me. Ivy's scream hangs into the air. And what do I do? I walk up to the stage. Because what else can I do?