Chapter 4

On the ground

The car Ceres stole in Miva, small town in Vacuo, was all blue and had a four-wheel drive.

„I'm not sure I want to be in a car that is driven by a drug addict with withdrawal symptoms." - said Adam.

„I'm not a drug addict with withdrawal symptoms. I'm a drug addict without withdrawal symptoms." - Ceres replied, showing him a small bag filled with Dust.

„When did you..."

„The moment you were thinking about chopping off Raven girl's arm." - the girl sighed, stretched out - „I may be batshit crazy, but you're totally out of my league. Freaking sadist."

„I wish to mention it was Blake who left me."

„And you never considered it was your goddamn fault?"

Adam clenched his muscles.

„I..."

„Let get me something straight." - Ceres interrupted him - „I don't care about that girl. I don't care about your relationship. But I want you to understand one thing. People don't leave you because they hate you, people leave you because you hate them. You abuse them, you kill them and you threaten them. And that is the reason."

Adam for a second was sure he was going to slap her, to teach her her place, but suddenly he realized one of her pupils was gone.

„What, are you going to mess with my head again, you dirty addict?" - Adam laughed, but Ceres was not impressed by that hateful remark and completely ignored it.

„Get your ass in the car, Adam."

As for someone clearly not sober, Ceres was driving surprisingly carefully.

„I'm high most of the time, I really got used to doing ordinary things that way." - she explained - „But no way in hell I'm letting you do the same."

„I don't drink alcohol. And I don't do drugs." - Adam replied, watching changing landscape. They drove out of the city and forest and now they were in the fields.

„Where are we going?" - he asked - „I think it's about time you explained some things to me."

„Do you remember the Fall of Beacon?" - Ceres inquired suddenly.

„Yes I do."

„You know, when Cinder and her people attacked Beacon, I was there. One of the elder students was my plug in Vale."

Adam was silent.

„But to my grief, the kid got attacked by a Grimm and died. And I was in the middle of a fight I didn't understand. And my semblance..."

„You turned someone crazy." - he interrupted her. She slowed the car and drove into sideaway.

„I turned you crazy." - Ceres admitted - „It's not like you were sane before. But I altered you thoughts to Blake so much you were no longer a leader to the White Fang. You became an angry ex-boyfriend. And I when I heard about your new politics in the White Fang I immidiately understood it was me who made you this way. And I decided to follow you and wait for the opportunity to reverse that effect."

Adam hid his face in his hands and started to think.

„But since I cannot control Altering, I cannot reverse it. And by the time I realized that, you got yourself into a fight with Blake and Raven's girl. And because your mind was clouded, you lost and almost got killed."

Adam was sitting in silence processing information. Ceres opened the door and got out of the car. She lighted a cigarette and dragged on smoke. That was it. Because of her Faunus lost one of their most effective forces against humans. And Adam almost lost his life.

He was not the first person she twisted beyond comprehension, but she made a decision he would be the last.

They made it just before midnight. Ceres parked the car next to a beautiful blossoming magnolia bush. Adam waited a while before he left the car.

The building seemed a little too big for two people. It was made of dark brown wood and had green shutters. The house looked well-groomed, but Adam could feel a sense of loneliness from it.

„You live here?" - he asked as she was getting her case from the trunk.

„I do." - Ceres said and sat down on the stairs, lighting a cigarette - „We will be staying here until the kids are secured in Atlas and everyone believes you are dead."

„And then you give me my weapon back?"

Ceres sighed and reached her hand to him. She moved her fingers and something started to appear between them.

Wilt and Blush.

Adam rushed to get it, but it disappeared again.

I hate her.

„Where do you keep it?" - he asked with resignation in his voice - „Is that trick a part of your semblance too?"

„It isn't." - Ceres extinguished the cig - „I told you I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve."

„It's about goddamn time I got some real answers. I now know why you had saved me, but why the hell would you take me here?"

Ceres frowned.

„Looks like you lost a couple of brain cells along with that sword of yours." - she said - „Where would you go? Rhetorical question, I know you would start chasing that poor girl again. And you would get your stupid ass killed, but this time for real."

„And why do you try to save me from death so fiercely?" - Adam replied with a question. The amount of tension between them was unbearable and he wasn't sure which one of them will attack another first.

Ceres stood up.

„You are staying here until your goal becomes clear to you once again. You were supposed to save the Faunus, not kill them."

„My goal..."

„I'm taking the blame and please don't get in my way when I try to fix my mistake. And you could fix a couple of yours, too."

Adam put his hands on his hips.

„For example?"

„For example remove this ridiculous thing from your face; I want to see your eyes."

Adam took a step back, but seeing her face made him realize she wants to see his face even with that terrible scar acroos it.

With pain Adam remembered how Blake turned her face away when she saw his mark. Ceres seemed not to give a single flying fuck about it. Her face was showing no disgust.

„I'm sorry for what has happened to you." - she said in a soft, quiet voice and approached him, reaching her hand slowly to his face - „I can take away the pain in your mind."