[6-B] Ere We Were
Yang lay awake in bed for a long time, listening to Ruby breathe. When she was sure her little sister was asleep, she slipped out from under the covers and padded across the room to her dresser, where she retrieved two small objects she'd hidden there before she went to bed. She opened the door as quietly as she could and slipped into the hall.
The attic stairs were harder, but she managed to ease them to the floor with a few creaks rather than a crash to wake the house. She pulled out the first thing she'd brought from her room, her flashlight, and clicked it on. Then she stood there for a while, breathing in the musty smell.
Upstairs, the box was right where she'd left it. She swallowed hard and dragged it over to the stairs. It was heavy, but she managed to lug it all the way down to the first floor. The only close call came when she was passing Uncle Qrow's room. He slept with the door ajar, and she heard a sleepy mumble. She bolted, bare feet nearly silent on the carpeted floor.
Yang slipped out the back door and out into the yard, then set the box down on the ground. She steeled herself before shoving the lid open again. Immediately the wrongness sent her heart hammering.
She hadn't meant to look at them, but the corner of one caught her eye. Her stomach lurched and she reflexively pushed the trunk a little further away. The photo covering it shifted, and suddenly she couldn't stop staring.
She and Ruby were in the photo, but she hardly even noticed that. Her eyes were drawn to the two strangers—both girls about her age. One of them was white-haired and haughty-looking. She was trying to escape Ruby's arm slung over her shoulder, even as she failed to hide a small smile from the camera. The other's amber eyes were startled wide, as if she hadn't realized someone was taking her picture. A book lay across her lap, with one of her fingers trapped between its pages.
Yang's mouth worked open and closed for a long moment. Then she retrieved the other item she'd taken from her dresser—a book of matches. She struck one, dropped it into the box, and watched as the too-familiar faces curled and blackened.
The next morning, Yang woke in a cold sweat. Grumbling something unintelligible, she did her best to block the sun with one hand and sat up. In the bed across the room, Ruby whimpered in her sleep.
Yang could sympathize. She could remember dreaming... something, though it had faded into distant impressions. Looking down, she flexed her right hand.
It took her a moment to remember it was Saturday, and another to realize that it was already well into the afternoon. That was normal for her, but Ruby had always been a morning person. Yang frowned, got to her feet, and yanked the covers off her little sister.
"Mm... no..." Ruby grabbed at the sheets.
Yang prodded her cheek. "Wake up, Ruby."
Ruby slapped at her hand and opened bleary eyes. "What time is it?" she rasped.
"Yikes. It's about two, and I'm getting you some water."
"Thanks!"
Yang tipped her a wink, then ducked into the hallway. Her bare feet scuffed against the carpet, and for a moment she could almost believe that last night had all been one giant, messed up dream.
"Hello, Yang," said a voice from behind her. Yang started to return the greeting, but the words died in her throat as she turned around. Summer was standing there, one hand on the banister and the other hanging loosely at her side. She was smiling, but it was as though there was something opaque just behind her silver eyes. Her expression looked plastic. Wrong.
Yang stumbled backwards and would have taken a header down the stairs if she hadn't managed to grab the railing in time. "What's wrong?" Summer tilted her head to one side. Her voice sounded almost normal, but something was missing. It was as if she was reading from a script.
"Nothing!" Yang retreated into her room, slammed the door, then fumbled for the knob and locked it. There was a knock from the other side. Ruby opened her mouth as if to say something, only to be frantically shushed.
"Yang? Are you alright?" Summer called.
"Yeah! Just... still tired! I'm gonna grab a nap!"
Ruby stared at her, halfway between confused and incredulous. She rubbed her eyes, as if all this strange behavior was just some leftover dream she could scrub away. It would have been nice, really.
When Summer didn't say anything else, Yang let herself sag bonelessly to the floor with a muffled groan. Her breath came faster and faster, until she got so dizzy she had to lean her head against the door.
Ruby knelt down beside her. "What happened?"
"Something's wrong."
"No duh! I kinda figured that from all the door-slamming!"
"No, I mean... there's something wrong with Summer."
"What?!" Ruby grabbed her shoulder. "Wrong how?"
There was another knock at the door, and both of them jumped. "Girls? Would you let me in, please? I need to know if you're okay."
Yang stood up, ready to put her shoulder to the door and make sure it stayed shut, but Ruby had already ducked under her arm and unlocked it. Just like that, the flimsy barrier between her Summer disappeared.
It had been bad enough seeing Summer for the first time, but watching Ruby react to it was infinitely worse. Her face fell in an instant, moving through shock and horror into a kind of desperate longing. Then she hid behind Yang.
"We're fine, Summer." Yang forced herself to speak in a calm, even tone.
"If you're sure..." She seemed skeptical, but Yang just bulled past her and into the hallway, dragging Ruby behind her.
She wasn't sure what she was looking for. She just prowled from room to room, holding Ruby's hand and trying not to think. There had to be something around that might explain what was going on, some way to fix it. Maybe dad would know what to do, or... or...
She skidded to a halt, realizing that Raven was already in the kitchen. For a moment, her mother stared at her with glazed, impassive eyes. Then, a plastic smile spread across her face. There was two jars on the counter, peanut butter and mayonnaise. It looked like she was trying to make a sandwich.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Her concerned frown didn't reach her eyes.
Yang faked a grin. "Nothing! I'll just be, uh... over here!"
"That's nice. I love you." Yang's skin crawled. She sprinted through the doorway and into the hall. When she stopped, Ruby crashed into her side and clung to her shirt.
"What do we do? I mean... what's wrong with them?!"
"I don't know!" Yang snapped. Then she saw her sister's wounded expression and winced. "I'm sorry. I just... I don't know."
"We should get out of here. If... if they're not our parents..." Her voice cracked. "It might be dangerous."
"Right. Yeah."
But before they could move, a hand fastened itself around her arm. She yelped and tried to pull away, then realized who it was. "Dad?" A pit opened in her stomach as she imagined him giving her another empty greeting. But then she really looked at him and almost melted with relief. His eyes were wild, his every muscle tensed with some emotion she didn't want to try to place—but he was himself.
"Dad!" Yang said. "What's going on? Mom and Raven are acting really weird!"
"I'm sorry. I don't... just leave it. Please. It's safer that way."
Ruby poked her head out from behind Yang's shoulder. "What do you mean safer? What's happening?"
"You have to stop, it's coming apart. Whatever this is... just stop."
"We're trying!" A molten heat flared in Yang's gut, and for a moment she thought she could remember standing in the heart of an inferno, seeing red—red light, red hair, red sword. Her father slumped to the floor and rested his head between his knees.
"Dad!" Ruby reached out to touch his arm. "You're scaring us!"
Feeling suddenly dizzy, Yang tried to lean against the wall—but the moment she touched it, the plaster cracked and flaked off in dusty sheets. She pulled her hand away as if it was on fire.
"Girls! Tai!" Qrow emerged from the living room, his whole body tense and his eyes darting all around the room. He looked different, too unkempt and too well-trimmed all at once, but he was still her uncle and Yang threw her arms around him.
Ruby grabbed onto him, too, and tangled a hand in the hem of his coat. "What's going on?!"
His expression turned hazy for a moment. "Raven is making lunch..." he murmured, half-asleep. Then he blinked, shook his head, and groped at his hip. "Where... where do you keep the scotch, Tai?"
"What?!" her father hissed, incensed. "You want a drink now, of all times?"
He didn't seem to notice dad's glare. "There's nothing in the fridge. I can't find it anywhere..."
"Uncle Qrow!" Yang shook his shoulder. "What's happening? What did we do?!"
"Do?" Qrow swayed on his feet, touched his hip again.
"Girls!" Raven called out. "Lunch is ready!"
"I don't understand it," dad whispered, putting a hand on their shoulders. "But it's... it's okay. Everything's okay. We just have to leave it alone."
He went into the kitchen. Yang shared a frightened, baffled glance with Ruby before following him. Raven and Summer were both already seated at the table, digging into a pair of sandwiches.
Yang eyed her own lunch warily, then peeled it apart. Turkey, thank god. She wanted nothing to do with that abomination Raven was making earlier.
"You two slept awfully late," Raven teased.
"Did you stay up late playing that video game again?" asked Summer.
Yang risked a glance at them, then stared at her plate. "Yeah." It was easier than explaining that she'd struggled for hours to find sleep, seeing two strangers' faces whenever she closed her eyes.
Raven smirked and waggled a finger at them. For a moment, her expression seemed almost real—more a twisted reflection than something that had been painted on. Then, it vanished, replaced with a warm smile. The smile that used to make Yang feel safe.
"No point wasting the whole day. I know you like to sleep in—"
"Well, Yang does," Summer said. "I'm surprised Ruby didn't wake you up."
Yang glanced at her little sister and saw that she was picking at her food, refusing to meet anyone else's eyes. She'd sat between her and Qrow, rather than her usual place next to Summer.
"Well, they are teenagers," Raven said. "What's your excuse, Qrow?"
"None of your business." The table went silent. Qrow swirled the juice in his cup and scowled at it like it had just insulted his grandmother.
"Dude." Dad slapped Uncle Qrow on the arm. "That was uncalled for."
"Yeah, right." He stood up to his full height and slapped the glass of orange juice off the table. It shattered. The rest of the family sat there, frozen. Yang wished she could get away with doing the same. She didn't want to sit there and listen to stupid smalltalk, she just wanted to be alone, or maybe up in her room with Ruby. Reading to her had been nice... she could do that again.
Raven looked absolutely livid. She stood up as well, glaring after her brother, and gripped a fork until it bent.
"Sweetheart..." Tai moved as if to touch her hand. She slapped it away, and for an instant her eyes were sharp and focused.
"What—" she began, then frowned. Her expression clouded over. "...He didn't clean up."
Summer laughed nervously. "He's always been a bit of a slob. And moody, too..."
Yang couldn't tear her eyes away from her mother. She was sure now that the real Raven was in there, somewhere. If she could snap her out of it for a second, maybe she could get some answers.
"Mom?" Dad put out a hand—silently begging her not to do it. "Can I ask you something... um, in the living room?"
"Of course." She was still staring off into space. Her legs moved stiffly, pushing her to her feet and propelling her into the hall. Yang followed, shooting what she hoped was a reassuring grin at Ruby.
In the other room, Raven put a hand on her shoulder. It was freezing—Yang tried not to flinch. "What's wrong, honey?"
"You." Raven cocked her head. She looked confused, not angry.
"I don't understand."
"You—You're, um, acing all weird," Yang stammered. Her gut clenched. "Why are you even here, if—if you're not going to... to..." the sentence trailed off, unfinished. Yang couldn't remember what she was about to say.
"Of course I'm here," Raven murmured, putting both hands on her shoulders. "I'm always here for you."
Something snapped.
"No, you're not!" Yang hissed, shoving her away. "I saw you just now—that's how you really are, isn't it? Some angry witch that can't even act like a normal person around her own brother!" Her heart was pounding, and she wasn't sure where the words were coming from, but she couldn't have stopped now if she'd wanted to. "You're only pretending! Summer was my real mother!"
It wasn't until she saw Raven's face darken that Yang realized she'd succeeded. She backed away in a sudden panic. This had been the plan all along, but that was just a great example of why Ruby was the strategist of the family.
"What did you just say?!" Raven snarled, drawing herself up to her full height. Her hand clenched around Yang's forearm like a vice, and for an instant she was afraid her mother might actually hit her.
Then, the anger faded—but the clarity did not.
"I'm glad. She was always better at that than I was."
Yang swallowed hard. "This is you, isn't it?"
"What are you talking about?" Raven stared at her. Yang thought this must be what squirrels feel like, when they see a hawk and all they can do is freeze.
"I, um..."
"Raven, sweetheart!" Dad called out from the kitchen. "Is everything okay?"
She watched in abject horror as her mother's spine went ramrod straight. Then, slowly, she relaxed—and the air in front of her face shimmered and coalesced into something solid and white. It looked for a moment like she was turning to stone, but then the shapeless mass sharpened into what could only be the face of a monster. Yang fell back, landing sprawled against the foot of the couch and staring up at what had been her mother. A sword appeared from nowhere, sheathed at her hip. She drew it.
Dad walked into the living room and went pale as a sheet.
"Pathetic," Raven spat, moving the tip of the sword in lazy circles.
"Raven..." Dad backed away. He hit a wall and blanched again. She took a step forward, then another. His eyes darted around the room, before meeting Yang's—and pure terror shot across his face. "Not here!" He raised his hands in surrender. "Not in front of—"
The sword crashed into the wall behind him. Yang screamed, but he'd managed to duck and roll to the side. "Qrow!" he shouted. "Get them out of here!"
"What?" her uncle mumbled, as he wandered back into the room. He took in the scene in an instant, red eyes darting between the three people in the room. The fog lifted from him, and he sprinted to where Yang lay. Then he swung her over his shoulder and bolted for the kitchen. Raven let them leave.
"Wait!" she cried out. "Dad!"
"He'll be fine. Let's just get you—" he skidded to a stop, and Yang took the opportunity to swing down off his shoulders. Ruby was with Summer in the kitchen, clinging to her sleeve.
Summer was still staring at the table. "The food..."
"We gotta go." Qrow knelt down and tried to draw Ruby into a hug. She shook her head and clung to Summer even tighter.
"No!"
"You need to let go now, sweetheart," Qrow murmured, putting Yang down and kneeling on the tile floor.
"But..."
Yang touched Ruby's sleeve, offering her hand.
"What are they doing?" Summer asked. Something in the other room shattered.
Qrow couldn't look at her. Instead he stared at his shoes and clenched his fists. "She's not real. We've gotta go."
"You'll be late for school..."
Ruby let out a pained whine and latched onto Yang, burying her face in her shoulder. Summer reached out.
In that instant, it was like nothing was wrong—and Yang realized how easy it would be to believe her. To accept the lie if it meant the world would go back to the way it should be, when their family was whole and solid. Before everything tilted on its axis and they had to fill in the empty space she'd left.
"You're not real," Yang told her, dragging the words out and squeezing her eyes shut so she wouldn't see the look of betrayal. A hand touched her cheek.
"What's wrong? You're crying..."
She can't understand what I'm saying, Yang realized distantly. We're too far off-script for her to cope.
"Qrow," Ruby choked out. "We need to..."
"Yeah." A thunderclap went off in the other room. Qrow slung an arm around each of their shoulders and cast a final, helpless glance at Summer. Then he guided them towards the back door. Yang could see daylight through the window, until it started to crumble and flakes of blue sky and gauzy cloud peeled away like paint. Behind them was only a black void.
"Tai!" Qrow shouted. "Come on!"
"No!"
"I swear to all the gods, Tai, if you ignore all this just to—"
"I can't—" Dad grunted, cutting himself off. There was a crash from the living room. "I can't get away right now! Take the girls and go, I'll catch up!"
"But—" Ruby started to say, but Qrow hoisted the pair of them up onto his shoulders. Yang kicked him, reaching out behind her toward the fight in the living room.
"He'll be okay," Qrow said. "She won't kill him."
And with that, he launched himself at the door. Yang clung to him in sudden terror as the black hole yawned wide. And then they were through.
She was on the floor next to her bed. Sheets were wrapped around her legs, and her cheek was pressed against the thick Mistralian carpet. Her arm was stretched out, fingers curled into a fist.
Haven.
Yang rolled over, sitting up as best she could with only her left arm. The others were little more than silhouettes. She could hear their harsh breathing. Weiss had a hand over her heart, like she was trying to force it to calm down. Blake had climbed up onto the headboard. Ruby let out a whimper.
On a small table in the corner, the relic of knowledge rested against the wall, glowing innocently. The quiet chattering sounds it made grated in her ears, bringing back flashes—the smell of burning wood; the liquid smoothness of a frozen hand; faces in a photograph as they curled up and blackened.
She went limp, letting her back hit the side of her bed. Someone muttered a curse—probably Weiss.
"Okay," Yang said, after a long moment. "I don't care how important it is, if that happens again I'm punting it off a cliff."
And that's all, folks! Hope y'all enjoyed, and now it's time to go back into hibernation...