It wasn't easy. Hiding in wait until they were certain that they wouldn't be renumbered by authorities, getting someone in Vale's underground to forge IDs and transcripts, passing Beacon's entrance exam, and trying to avoid killing all humans was actually pretty stressful to someone like Adam Taurus, believe it or not.

Adam sulked, sitting on an airship flying towards Beacon Academy next to his partner, Blake Belladonna, somewhat-relieved that what he considered the hard part was over but still irked. They were in a back corner, away from the other people - mostly humans, as requested by Adam -, so they could speak freely.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Adam scowled lightly, looking over at her. His eyes were concealed by a red ribbon, which he was fortunately able to see through with his one good eye. "Damn you, Blake." At that, Blake let out a small laugh.

"It was this or trying to learn how to deal with humans while also being homeless, Adam." She smirked lightly, and all went silent between the two. "... Don't you dare say that you would rather be homeless."

"I'm not saying anything. Just thinking it." Adam rolled his eyes, then he looked down, somewhat uncomfortable. "Couldn't I have at least kept my mask? This is... Weird."

Adam had taken Blake's advice to try and talk less, as she called it, scary. She claimed that most people their age weren't as "dark" and "violent", and that Adam would have to get used to being around humans, teenagers, and human teenagers. He still couldn't help but hate each and every one he saw, but Blake assured him that she would make sure she didn't maim and/or kill anyone.

"I would have-" Lie. "But it would have looked too suspicious."

"... Damn you, Blake."

"Are you going to say that to me every few seconds for the entire trip?"

"Yes." The "conversation" was interrupted by a report on the news. Adam recognized the human woman from other reports he had seen before, she was Lisa Lavender.

"In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony." She announced, and Adam's eyes narrowed. "The once-peaceful organization has now disrupted-" The anchorwoman was cut off as the screen disappeared, a hologram of a strict-looking woman appearing and glaring at the students.

:Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such at task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world.:

Protect the world, eh? Adam would believe it when he saw it.

The airship arrived at Beacon, and Adam and Blake were among the last to depart. They walked side by side, Adam's hand firmly wrapped around Blush as he looked forward and Blake's head bowed, as she was reading a book.

"Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, again?" Adam asked quietly. Blake nodded once.

"Yeah." She replied, starting to get absorbed again. Then, the two noticed something further up the path - a girl in white was yelling at a little girl in red and black.

Adam instantly knew that the pale girl was a Schnee, as he could see her luggage and the men hired to escort it, along with the insignia on her jacket. The little girl in red looked terrified of the older girl, and even though she wasn't a Faunus, Adam immediately wanted to kill the Schnee for yelling at her in such a way. Adam would have wanted to kill her either way, given the scar on his face, but this made it even more justified and satisfying. Catching a Schnee in an act of cruelty... He prepared to draw Wilt.

"Adam." Blake warned, and he paused. "Let's... Try this with words. Get a little bit of practice in."

"Blake, what you are doing is pretty much the same thing as enlisting a kid into an army and immediately shoving him through a door and onto an actual battlefield. Let's walk away, or the Schnee dies."

"Well, I'm going to try it. We're going to have to deal with the Schnees if we're going to try to find peace, so..."

"Fine, fine... I'll try." Adam sighed, glaring but releasing his hold on his weapon and letting it hang from his belt. "But I'm not making any promises." The Schnee was waving Dust in the girl's face, and the kid sneezed, causing an explosion. "That... Was awesome." Blake doled her eyes and picked up the Dust that had been the culprit, and the two walked over as the Schnee kept yelling.

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

"I'm really, really sorry!"

"You complete dolt! Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon? This isn't an ordinary combat school! It's not just sparring and practice, you know?! We're here to fight monsters, so watch where you're going!"

"Hey!" Red finally had enough. "I said I was sorry, Princess!"

"It's heiress, actually." Blake commented, and Adam crossed his arms from his place by her side. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company: one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

"Finally!" Weiss turned around and looked at Blake, beaming. "Some recognition!"

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." Blake stated bluntly. Red snickered, and Adam let a small smirk out.

"What?! How dare-?! The nerve of-!" The Schnee glared at Blake, but the disguised cat-Faunus - for that was what Blake was, with the black bow covering her ears - didn't back down, so she just snatched the Dust away.

"Oh, and Princess..." Adam used Red's nickname for the girl. He liked it, he was definitely going to be using it. "Ever think the kid's here because she's good enough? At her age, she's as good as you are currently, probably better. She's already ahead of you personality-wise." The Schnee blinked, then scoffed and stormed off, and Red turned to Blake and Adam.

"I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day." She sighed, looking down before looking at the two Faunus. Blake hadn't moved because Adam hadn't. "So... What are your names?"

"Blake."

"Adam."

"I'm Ruby... Thanks, for what you did." The girl shifted uncomfortably, looking up at the two Faunus with bright silver eyes. The two nodded and walked away, not seeing Ruby fall down dejectedly and a blonde boy helping her up.

Adam and Blake continued down the path towards the school, Blake reading her book while Adam looked around. At least something could be said for the scenery... Adam noticed some human boy talking to a Faunus girl, who was sitting on a bench and reading a book, doing her best to ignore his comments.

"What are you supposed to be, sweetheart?" The boy asked, laughing as he tugged on a little brown ear on her head. The girl did not react, simply continuing to read her book like the boy wasn't there.

"With your size, you must be a chihuahua." The boy sneered, and the girl appeared to grit her teeth. Seeing that he had finally managed to get to her, the boy grabbed her book from her hands and threw it. "Fetch!"

The book landed at Adam's feet, and he picked it up, looking up at the scene in a rage with his body threatening to start glowing. The bull-Faunus went to step forward, but Blake stopped him as the girl got up, glaring at the boy before taking a few deep breaths to keep calm.

"You'd think that for someone training to be a hero, you would be a bit less biased towards those who are different." She frowned slightly, seeming irked rather than angry now that she was calm. Adam, also calming down, actually took a moment to take in the girl's appearence.

The girl had long, brown hair - calm at the top and curly towards the bottom - that was held in a loose, low ponytail and fell to her upper back, along with a pair of big brown eyes. She wore a high-necked, sleeveless black jumpsuit covered in turquoise armor plating - a breastplate that dipped up top and cut off at the base of the ribs, shoulder pads, knee pads, and a battle skirt that, hanging from her belt, wrapped around her waist and went to the back of the knees, openong in the front to allow for better mobility - with shiny black lining. She had turquoise armored boots with that same shiny black lining, shiny black armored fingerless-gloves, and a shiny black armored belt.

She almost seemed like some sort of punk-knight, and as Adam examined her further, he noticed a shiny black strap that was slung over her right shoulder and wrapped around her body, a strap that that held a large, silver object to her back. She was, as the boy had rudely pointed out, a bit shorter in stature. She wore no heels, and it was easy for Adam to tell that she was around Ruby's height because of that.

"What did you just call me?!" The boy asked, quickly growing angry. The small girl took another deep breath, closing her eyes, then opened them again. She now seemed to possess a deadly calm that reminded Adam of Blake.

"Biased. Is your brain too devolved to comprehend that word?" She asked with snark, and the boy blinked. Hell, even Adam and Blake blinked at that. "Let's try a few others, expand your vocabulary... You're also judgmental, stereotypical, racist, cruel, and overall pathetic." The girl suddenly grabbed the astonished boy's arm, flipped him over her head and slammed him into the ground. The boy looked up, wincing, as the girl crossed her arms, seeming annoyed. "Get out of here, before I change my mind and give you a real beat-down, you ass." The boy got up and ran, and the girl sighed, closing her eyes. Her hands were shaking, but she reached over with her left arm to grip her right hand and steadied herself. "Damn it all..."

"What?" Adam asked, he and Blake walking over. "That was impressive." The girl looked up at him, surprised, and Adam was able to take in a few more of her features.

Sun-tanned skin, a small and pointed nose, a small mouth with pink lips, those big brown eyes, a widow's peak in her wavy hair, and light freckles under her eyes. He also picked up her scent, something that all individual Faunus had and could detect from others, and he smelled pine-needles and wood mostly. Whoever this girl was, she had grown up around trees.

The girl looked down as Adam held her book out. She blinked again, then she slowly reached out and took the book gingerly before looking up at Adam, giving a small nod.

"Thank you." She spoke quietly, seeming a bit embarrassed. Adam's partner looked at her.

"That really was impressive."

"It was nothing, really." The brown-haired girl looked down, smiling awkwardly. "I just hate people like him. But I shouldn't have let him get to me like that... These first-day jitters, they're making me forget to control my temper."

"You're not the only one." Blake looked up at Adam, who rolled his eyes behind his ribbon. Then, Adam looked at the girl's ears.

"Dog?" He inquired, and the girl blinked. Only then did she seem to notice that Adam was a Faunus as well, and she gave a small sigh.

"Wolf, actually."

"You don't see too many female wolf-Faunus." Blake noted, and the girl seemed to grow a bit uncomfortable. Or wolf-Faunus in general"... I'm Blake, and this is Adam."

"I'm Jenna." The girl managed a smile, then she saw Blake's book. "I read that one a few times. It's good." Blake blinked, then looked at the book in Jenna's hands.

"What's yours?"

"Oh. It's about a girl who has to travel through woods full of monsters, strange creatures, and magic to save her best friend from a powerful dictator with power over ice and snow. It's one of my favorites."

"... Is it Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen?"

"Yeah." Jenna nodded, growing even more embarrassed as she smiled and rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I know it's a bit of a kid's story and it's pretty old, but I love it... I'll let you two go. You looked like you were doing your own thing, and I would really hate to be a bother... I guess I'll see you around, sometime?

"Yeah." Blake replied, giving a small smile. "We'd like that." Jenna smiled back, looking up at Adam before turning and walking off, hugging her book to her chest. Adam got a brief look at the device on her back - a large silver rectangle, which was probably the collapsed form of her weapon. "... How did she keep her cool for as long as she did while that boy was doing that to her? It had to hurt..."

"I don't know."

"And she's strong. I don't think I've ever seen a girl who was that strong without using a semblance."

"It was a sight to see, I'll give her that."

With that, Blake and Adam kept on walking.

Jenna looked down at the book she was holding, then looked back over her shoulder to watch as Blake and Adam walked away. Once they were gone, she paused and sighed, looking down with a frown on her face.

In her pocket, a scroll buzzed, and the girl cursed softly under her breath as she drew it and raised it to her ear, her brown eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yes, sir?"

:Did you make contact?:

"Yes, Professor. It was just like you said - Winchester kept harassing me, and those two showed up straight away."

:And?:

"The girl, Blake, seemed nice enough. But the man... He seemed extremely tense, and angry."

:So?:

"... You're might be right about him being in the White Fang." Jenna frowned, closing her eyes and sighing. "Between what you've heard of him from those reports you've gotten and what I just saw, he certainly has the attitude for it."

:But what do you think? Can he be trusted?:

"Professor, you know me. I'm the last person you should ask when it comes to knowing who you can trust."

:Yes, but... Did it seem to you like he would have hurt Mr. Winchester if the girl was not present?:

"Yes. But to be fair, I ended up hurting Winchester."

:Very well... Do you believe that he would have killed Mr. Winchester if neither you nor the girl intervened?:

"... Sir, I-"

:Answer the question.: A moment passed in silence. Then, Jenna opened her eyes, looking up.

"... I think-"

Blake and Adam attended the welcoming ceremony, and they stood in the crowd, waiting for a while. Adam did his best not to show his discomfort amidst so many humans, and he decided to mimic what he had seen Jenna do. He took deep breaths, his eyes closed, and he managed to calm himself.

"I'll keep this brief." Professor Ozpin spoke into the microphone, frowning slightly, and Adam and everyone else looked up at the stage. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and where you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Next, Glynda Goodwitch stepped forward and spoke into the microphone.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight, tomorrow your initiation begins... Be ready." The woman warned everyone. "You are dismissed."

/\

Adam and Blake headed to the ballroom, and they decided to sleep between the boys area and the girls area so that they could be close together. Blake was reading her book again, and Adam was looking at his scroll.

Blake had changed into her pajamas, but Adam stayed in his normal clothes. He idly noticed that Jenna girl a few yards away, reading her book. Every once in a while, she'd look up and gaze around warily before going back to the book.

She was wearing white pajama-pants and a white pajama-shirt with black trim and tiny black paw-prints, along with an old, lime-green hoodie. Her hair was out of its ponytail, and the brown tresses fell freely over her shoulders like rippling brown waterfalls. She didn't seem to have a sleeping bag, her only possessions seemingly being an old black backpack (which probably held her combat-outfit and whatever else she had), the clothes on her back, and the book in her hands.

"You know, if she catches you staring, it'll creep her out." Blake commented dryly, and Adam looked over at her, glaring. "... She must be more shaken up than we thought."

"You think that jackass got to her? Didn't you see her take him out?"

"I don't know. Maybe she's just good at playing tough when the situation calls for it."

"Tch." Adam looked down, glaring. "Whatever."

This was one of the many reasons why he hated humans. If Blake 's theory had any truth to it, one of his own kind was having to pretend to be something that she wasn't just to survive. It made him sick...

Adam looked up idly as a boy with crazy black hair and green eyes in grey pajamas walked past with a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes in purple pajamas. The boy was talking excitedly, not taking any breaks, while the girl listened patiently but somewhat-irked.

"He's... Hyper." Blake commented, then she raised an eyebrow. "How is he not breathing?" Adam shrugged, not really caring.

"Don't know."

After Ruby and her older sister, Yang, came over and talked to Blake and Adam before getting into a fight with Weiss, Adam noticed the little blonde girl tilting her head and looking at him and his partner curiously with big blue eyes.

"... What are you looking at?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. The girl jolted, blinking in surprised, then she grinned awkwardly.

"Sorry! I was trying to see what book that is." She replied, and Blake looked up, surprised. "I'm Pandora, but you can call me Dora."

"I'm Samuel, or Sam!" The boy laying next to her called, beaming. "Genius, party-animal, and future mega-awesome Huntsman extraordinaire!" With that, he resumed talking to her at rapid fire about something, but she seemed to ignore him.

"Adam, and that's Blake." Adam greeted gruffly, rolling his eyes lightly. "And I suggest that we all get some sleep." With that, he closed his eyes, muttering softly all went silent. "Welcome to Hell, population: me."

That was definitely better than the first time around.

As readers of the original version know, I've made massive changes in Jenna Elurra. This was done to make her a stronger character, not just an OP girl who just exists as a foil for Adam.

I'm also going to be working to develop Sam and Dora some more. They won't just be goofy background characters to be tossed aside when they aren't needed anymore - they'll have purpose.

I love those three OCs, and now - I'm showing them a bit more love.

I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks. :)