Sun did a double take.
"Wait woah. You're a Schnee? Are you gonna turn me in? You can't!"
I rolled my eyes again.
"I'm not going to turn you in. As you correctly determined, I'm a Faunus too."
"But wait, if you're a Faunus... The Schnees are known for their hatred of Faunus. You... You can't be a Schnee, none of them are Faunus! They would never adopt anyone, there are already two heirs!" He looked confused, and as he spoke his face gradually turned to shock. "You... No! That's against the law! It's one of the first things the humans agreed to after the war!"
I looked down at my feet.
"Yes." I said. "I'm a Pet." Now his face was turning red with anger.
"Those Schnees! They think that just because they're rich humans they're above the law!" He looked angrily towards the house. I put my hand on his shoulder, and we sat down on a nearby bench.
"Hey, hey. Calm down, monkey boy. It's not that bad."
"Not that bad? You're a person! Not an animal! They have no right-"
"Calm. Down. It's okay. Without Ruby, the younger sister, and my technical 'owner', I'd be dead. Having me as a pet was the only way Ruby could convince her father to let her take me to the hospital. Four months ago, I was laying injured, in an alleyway. The wound was infected, I was dying, Sun. Ruby and Weiss saved my life. Well, mostly Ruby, but without Weiss, she never would've convinced her father. At first, I hated them too, but they treat me like a sister. Mr. Schnee pretends I don't exist, and I stay out of his way. It's our agreement."
"You shouldn't have to obey anyone-"
"Sun. Like I said, he pretty much ignores me. I don't go downstairs while he has people over, I wear the bow outside of the house, and I stay out of his way. I leave him alone, he leaves me alone. In these four months, I've grown to love my friends, my... my sisters." He calmed down and we sat in half-comfortable silence. Finally, he spoke.
"Then why were you running?"
I looked away, not saying anything. I didn't want to say anything. This boy made me want to trust him, want to tell him everything. Ever since I found out how misplaced my trust in my father and the White Fang was, I'd had a hard time trusting anyone else. I didn't even fully trust Ruby, my closest friend. But this boy was a Faunus. He was like me. I never was able to make decisions quickly, so I decided to take it slowly.
"Meet me in the center of the garden in two nights. I'll explain everything." He nodded.
"I'll be there. I promise." I watched him take off into the trees, and disappear. I wandered the gardens a bit more, then I heard Ruby's voice.
"Blaake! Blaaake! Where are you! Come on Weiss, you're not helping!"
"Blake is a big girl, she can take care of herself."
Darn right I can.
"Weiss, if Dad finds out she's missing, she'll never be allowed back in the house! She'll starve!"
"Alright, alright. But calling for her won't work. We don't even know if she's here. She could be-"
I lost their sound as they left the range of my superior Faunus hearing. I guess these ears were good for one thing. Tired, I jogged back to the house. I climbed back up and through my window, locking it behind me. I took off the bow, re-tying it around my wrist. I slipped Gambol under my mattress, then changed into my pajamas. I crawled into bed and picked up the book on top of the pile Ruby had brought me. It was a book of fairy tales. I had always liked fairy tales. My favorite was an old classic, Beauty and the Beast. I flipped to that story and began reading. Just when I got to my favorite part, the part where she realizes the beast is still a man at heart, and they fall in love, Weiss came into my room like an angry blizzard.
"Blake! Do you have any idea how much trouble you should be in?"
A true Schnee, that one. Haughty, miss high-and-mighty princess. I loved her anyways. She had her soft moments.
"Hey! Blake! Did you hear me?"
"Yes Weiss. I heard you." Just then, Ruby came in too.
"Blake! Are you okay? I'm sorry I asked, please don't be mad!"
Signature eye roll, here we go.
"I'm not mad, Ruby." She looked relieved.
"Then why'd you run?" Weiss was fuming as Ruby stole my attention.
"I just don't like to talk about my past." The word echoed in my head.
"Well," snapped Weiss. "You better get over yourself, cause you're not going anywhere until you tell us. Ruby filled me in on what happened. Who is Adam? What do you know about the White Fang? Why do you have a weapon?" I sighed. This was going to be a long night.
"Weiss, I need you to hear me out. You know that the White Fang is a collection of... Misguided Faunus who are at war with your family. Correct?"
Both Ruby and Weiss nodded. "Do you know who the leader is?" Weiss shook her head.
"No one knows his name except him." I gestured for Ruby and Weiss to sit down on my bed.
"Yes," I responded quietly. "And no. No one knows his name except him. Him, and one other person. His daughter." Weiss looked shocked, and just stared at me, before taking a scoot back on the bed. Ruby took a bit longer, but she figured it out.
"Wait, Blake. You're saying... Adam is your father? And... And he's the leader of the White Fang?" I nodded.
"Yes Ruby. Adam Taurus is my father. My real name is Blake Taurus. To prevent giving away his name, I used to go by my mother's last name. Belladonna. Blake Belladonna." So many names. Taurus, Belladonna, Schnee. I wasn't sure I'd have that last one for long though.
Weiss was tensed, hostile, and Ruby looked over at her older sister, unsure if she could prevent her from killing me. I remained calm, but even my heart was fluttering in fear of the hatred in her eyes. A few hours ago she had seen me almost as a sister, but now...
"And your weapon?" Weiss growled. "Where did you get it? Why do you have it?" Everyone got off the bed and I lifted the mattress up, pulling my beloved Gambol Shroud out and cradling him gently.
"This is my Variant-Ballistic-Chain-Scythe. I call him Gambol Shroud." I had made Gambol at the age of 10, using blueprints designed by myself. Adam didn't help me at all, and I was glad. Gambol was all mine, the only part of me not tainted by the blood on my father's hands. Of course, though it was no longer visible, Gambol's blade was bloodstained as well. Ruby's eyes opened wide. She was such a dork for weapons.
"Woah! Can I hold him? I'll be careful!"
"Ruby!" Weiss snapped. "She's not even supposed to have a weapon! Father has to authorize any weapon that enters this house, and he would never allow your little pet to carry around that thing."
"Weiss, why are you being so horrible? This is Blake we're talking about!"
"Yes. This is a Faunus, a member of the White Fang that we're talking about! In case you've forgotten, dunce, the White Fang are our enemies! THEY KILLED SUMMER! Don't you understand? She could be here to spy on us, or worse, kill us. Just. Like. Mother." Hmm. Summer must have been their mom. I wondered which member had killed her.
Ruby shied away. I hated seeing her like this, her normally trusting silver unsure of whether to trust me or not.
"Blake would never do something like that. Would you?" She looked at me. Her silver eyes showed sadness and betrayal.
"No, Ruby. Of course not. Gambol is merely a remnant of a past life." I tried to put my hand on Ruby's to comfort her, but Weiss began to reach for her Dust Rapier, Myrtenaster, so I backed off. "Weiss, listen to me. When Ruby found me, laying in the alleyway, the huge gash across my side, I didn't want to come here. I'm not a spy. Did you ever wonder how I got that wound?" both Weiss and Ruby looked thoughtful for a minute, then Weiss said
"Yeah, now that you mention it. I have."
"I'll tell you the story. Humans took my mother, Laurel Belladonna, from Adam. I was five. Once she was gone, he got angry. Really angry. He scared me sometimes, honestly. His piercing grey eyes... I just began avoiding him. Then, five years ago, he took over the white fang. He began training me as his heir. At first I supported him. He was fighting for Faunus equality. But four months ago, he decided I was ready. He told me I could either do as he asked, or leave. If I left, he would kill me, just like everyone else who had ever tried to leave. What he asked of me was too much. He wanted me to kill another Faunus, Tukson. Tukson had been discovered trying to leave the white fang, and like I said, my father did not take kindly to disloyalty. It was then that I realized how wrong what we were doing was. I nearly threw up. All I had to do was kill one dirty traitor, but I couldn't do it. So I tried to run. I ended up fighting against Adam. My father and my mentor, he had taught me everything I know. I managed to knock off his mask with a lucky strike, and I'm convinced that's why I lost. Behind that mask, the mask he hadn't taken off since mother died, his eyes were blood red, and pupil less, like a grim. This distracted me, and he was able to strike me in the side. He left me in a lonely alley in the middle of vale to die a slow death, but that's when Ruby found me, and saved me. So there. That's my whole story. Now do you believe me, Weiss?" Weiss was pale. She nodded.
"Ruby?"
"Yeah, Blake." Suddenly Ruby sat up. Weiss! What if Dad finds out! He'll kill her! And Adam wants to kill her too! She needs protection!" Weiss, who had recovered from hearing my story, put her hand on Ruby's shoulder.
"He won't find out. Don't worry Ruby. I have a plan."
Okay, Second chapter done/ posted. I actually have most of these written already, but I'm editing them according to reviews. Shadow Nightblade, thanks for reviewing. I took your advice and spaced it out, and I will try to add some interaction between Blake and Mr. Schnee. that sounds like a good idea, I actually hadn't thought of that.
and Cavetroll001, thank you also. Im glad you're looking forward to more.
I'll respond to reviews in the chapters because I enjoy reading Review Responses, so... yeah.
Please also suggest new titles if you think of any, I'm not satisfied with this one. and possibly a first name for Mr. Schnee.