They slept well that night, all except Shayne. He stood on the roof of the dorms and watched the sunrise. The sunlight hurt his eyes and still he stared.
"That will damage your eyes you know"
"Ed, what are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep; you look troubled, what's wrong?"
"Lots of things honestly, I don't know where to start"
"Well start small then"
"Nothing I'm worried about is small"
"We've got time, I'm not going anywhere today" Eddi drew her pistol and started disassembling it.
"Okay, I'll start with something relevant"
Eddi sat down on an air duct and laid out the pieces in front of her. Once it was in pieces her hands became a blur as she put it back together, she locked her pistol back together. Eddi was the gunsmith for many of the students attending that year.
"The information that we got from both the storage facility and Junior, was useless, Junior's info was only names of other contacts, all of whom are now dead. The file we got from the facility, none of that is useful here, the school is just too close to the forest for any of it to be of any use"
"So, that entire thing was a waste of time!"
"I'm afraid so"
"Anything else?"
"Ralen, I think he's like me, I think he bears something that doesn't want him to know he's bearing it"
"You mean Azrael...the angel of death"
"Yeah, I'm going to try to talk to him later about it, try to get him to let me try something that might help him"
"I'm not even going to ask what that might be"
"Probably for the best, now onto something different, Melanie Malachite"
"What about her?"
"You know I got you guys to leave without me"
"Where's this going Shayne?"
"Turns out I'm wanted for questioning on four counts of murder in Mistral"
"Four counts? But you only killed Adam...holy shit; they think you killed your mom!"
"Yeah, so I may have to disappear at some point soon to deal with that, but getting back to my point, I got you guys to leave as the cops were coming for me"
"So it won't be long until they come here looking for you" Shayne nodded.
"Melanie and I got to talking after you guys left, she doesn't like you much, but she wants out of there, her sister too"
"What's this got to do with me?"
"You and your contacts might be able to get them out and even shelter them"
"That's not going to be easy or something I'm going to enjoy you know"
"Yeah, but can you help or not?"
"I'll do my best but no promises" she turned to leave.
"Oh, hey Eddi, what's with the wings?"
She turned around and tackled him to the floor before putting a gun to his head. She kneeled on his chest pinning his arms with her legs.
"When did you see that?!"
"Last night at the club"
She let go of his throat and holstered the gun.
"Well I was hoping this would never come out honestly"
"What would come out?"
Eddi leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. Shayne was taken aback at the kiss but since he couldn't move he couldn't do anything about it. Eddi released him and sat back, a solitary tear ran down her face.
"Shayne, I'm sorry, it's just since I left Dundra I haven't felt right"
"Eddi, I don't know what to tell you honestly"
Eddi stood up and walked to the edge of the building. She looked down at the water, almost a mile long fall.
"Eddi, it's not worth it, more than a few have done that before you and many more will do so in the future"
"So why does it matter if I do the same"
"Because your team will not abandon you, like your father did" she turned, tears welling up in her eyes. Shayne caught her as she fell to her knees in tears.
"How..."
"The kiss, I saw what he did to you, how he left you in the middle of the city, alone, I saw what those men did to you, before James found you..."
"Shayne, I'm sorry you saw that" she interrupted him.
"Don't be, I have a newfound respect for your strength, you overcame so much to get here"
"Umm, what's going on here?" Jiang had come looking for Shayne.
He stood up and Eddi tucked her knees against her chest. Shayne walked over to her.
"Jiang, Eddi's having a tough time right now"
"Why? What's wrong, anything I can help with?"
"Unless you know how to fix a shattered heart, there's nothing anyone can do" he looked over at Eddi and thought back to what he had seen.
Eddi was seven, her mother had died three years beforehand and her dad had been drinking more often as time wore on. He had started to abuse her, mentally and physically. He beat her until she bled; he starved her, only giving her food when he remembered to. He left the roof over her bed damaged so it would drip water on her at night, keeping her awake for days on end. Then one night, she was in bed and she woke suddenly as he came crashing down the hall way.
She hid quickly. He came barging in. He didn't bother to switch on the lights.
"Where are you, you bitch! Get out here now!"
He started tearing up the place, throwing furniture at the walls, he tore the curtains down. A chair was thrown through the window and the wind flowed in, making the room cold.
"I know you're in here! Come out now!"
He was met with silence and he left, slamming the door behind him. Eddi breathed a sigh of relief. A chair had landed on her and had cut her head open. She knew she had to get out but she didn't know how. She tore open one of the many stuffed animals and used the stuffing to stem the bleeding. She was young, not stupid; she had read several books on first aid so she knew what to do.
The next morning she was clearing up the wreckage when her father walked in. Eddi turned, fear in her eyes. He scanned the room and a tear rolled down his cheek.
"My sweet innocent Eddi, I'm so sorry, I just miss her so" Eddi padded over to him and hugged him. He smiled and hugged her back.
He may have been an abusive man but he still loved her.
"I'm going into town, would you like to come with me"
Eddi nodded, she had learned to stay silent.
"Why won't you talk to me? You have a lovely voice, much like your mothers"
They went into town later that morning. The town was buzzing as usual, people doing business and pickpockets taking from the rich and easily distracted. Eddi watched them all, gaining knowledge about the people and the area in which they found themselves.
Her father had slipped inside a shop and she waited outside for him. When he didn't return she became worried, she remained where she was in case he came back for her. Time passed, as did a lot of people, some have her money and others just sneered at her. She didn't understand what was going on.
Darkness fell and she became cold. She walked for some time before a voice in the darkness called to her.
"Hey now, what's a nice young girl like you wandering all alone at this time of the night" she didn't answer him.
The man walked under a street lamp and she studied him. He had grey stubble and a scar that ran the length of his face and down his neck, one of his eyes has faded to white. He wore dirty torn clothes and a red woollen hat that had what looked like sick on it, sick mixed with blood.
"I'm not gonna hurt ya, I wanna help ya. Now, what's yer name?"
Eddi stared at him blankly.
"Do ya not remember?"
She nodded once.
"Well what is it girl?"
Eddi found a stick and wrote her name in some dirt.
"Eddi, now that's an unusual name you've got there"
Eddi nodded again.
"Why aren't ya talkin little miss?"
Eddi blinked once.
"We'll I can see ya ain't gonna talk so I'll do all o' the talkin" he offered her his hand.
Eddi took it somewhat reluctantly. They walked and she listened to his stories. They arrived at a dark building.
"I have some friends here that'll just love ya, come on follow me" he said smiling.
Eddi followed without hesitation.
He led her to a large dark room, a trash fire burned at one end, three men sat around it staring into the flames.
"Boys I've brought a friend to meet ya, this here is Eddi" he let her past and she walked over and walked to the fire.
"Archie it's been a while since you brought a young one"
"Now Richie, she just a girl, no older than seven, can't ya let this one be"
Richie walked over to him.
"No Archie, I'm not" he plunged a knife into his one good eye, killing him instantly.
Eddi turned at the sound of his body hitting the floor boards.
"Now, my girl, you're gonna do as I say or I'm gonna cut your little throat out, do you understand me" she nodded vigorously as the knife was pressed against her cheek.
"Good" he grabbed her by the arm and forced her to the ground.
She struggled against his grip as he cut her clothes off. She cried as he hit her on the back of her head. She screamed as he tore her underwear off.
Then he burst into the room.
"You leave her alone!" A boy, no more than twelve shouted at him.
The other two men had dragged Archie's body away and hadn't returned yet.
"Get outta her kid, this doesn't concern you"
"Let her go, now!"
"And you're gonna make me are ya?"
He stood up and walked over to the boy. He punched him in the face repeatedly. Eddi saw that he had left the knife and made a decision. As the man tired of beating the boy Eddi pressed the blade against his throat and spoke for the first time in a long time.
"Leave him alone"
"Well well, the little girl comes to her hero's rescue"
Eddi stepped around to face him, she whipped the knife across his throat and blood spurted from the wound. She turned to the boy and crouched down.
"Thank you..."
"For what, you saved me" the boy said spitting blood.
"If you hadn't come I don't know what I'd've done"
"I'm James, what's your name?"
"Eddi" she fell silent to the follow up questions.
Shayne snapped back to reality.
"Are you okay, you blanked me for a while there?"
"Oh, y-yeah in fine, just thinking about something" he walked back over to Eddi.
He offered her his hand and helped her to her feet. She walked back inside.
"Shayne, I don't mean to pry but what's going on with her?"
"Jiang, I'd love to talk about it but it's not my place to, now, you were looking for me?"
"Yes, Ozpin wants to see us"
"Well let's go tell him that last night was a waste of time"
"It was! Why didn't I know?"
"You were asleep when I read the files"
They walked to Ozpin's office, Shayne saw Eddi and Lina in the courtyard, Lina gave him a look that said everything. Eddi had told her what had happened and Lina was trying to Mao her feel better.
Jiang and Shayne arrived at Ozpin's office a few minutes later.
"Aah, just the people I was waiting for, well what have you got?" Shayne gave him everything they had gotten the previous night.
"Professor Ozpin, can I have a word?"
"Not now, Ms Goodwitch, I'm busy"
Glynda walked out and shook her head. The girl waiting outside hung her head.
"Is this it? This is all you got!"
"Ozpin, this is what you sent us after, I read it myself, it's all useless"
"Shayne, I expected better of you, now get out both of you"
"But professor..."
"Enough miss Ambeong, now I asked you both to leave"
Jiang opened her mouth to say something but Shayne stepped in front of her and pushed her slightly, she walked to the door without question.
As they left Shayne's eye was caught by the girl sat outside.
"Lina! What are you doing here?" She looked up and ran to him.
"Oh Shayne, it's my family, they've got my family"
"Hey now, calm down, now come on who's got your family?" She looked into his eyes. He saw the fear in her; the tears welled up and overflowed.
"The White Fang..."
Shayne's rage boiled within him. Lina felt him tense up.
"Shayne calm down, there's no need to blow up over this"
"There is every need to blow up over this" Shayne stormed into Ozpin's office.
"Mr Oceanstrider I asked you to leave"
"I'm not here about last night, I'm here about Lina!"
"And why would that be?"
"Her family has been taken by the White Fang; I want to help get them back" Shayne spat through gritted teeth.
"No"
"What!"
"No, I will not grant you leave to go to their aid"
"Why not!" Shayne planted his knife in Ozpin's desk.
"Because of this" he slid over a piece of paper.
Shayne picked it up and his face contorted in rage.
"I only killed Adam Taurus in Mistral"
"Well the police don't seem to think so, so I'm keeping you confined to your dorm until further notice" CRDL stepped into the room.
"You think they can make me go?"
"You will go, or nobody will be saving Miss Honeybloom's family, do I make myself clear" Shayne pulled his knife from Ozpin's desk.
He strode out. Lina clutched his arm all the way back to the dorm. When they arrived Shayne burst in and punched the table. Its legs splintered slightly.
"Out, all of you, now" Shayne commanded. All but Dundra obeyed.
"Shayne, talk to me"
"Dundra I said out" Shayne turned and stared down the barrel of Dundra's shotgun.
"Now talk"
Shayne explained the situation and Dundra listened carefully.
"So, you're confined here until Ozpin says so, and Lina's family has been kidnapped" Shayne nodded.
His eyes had a red tint to them.
"Shayne, let us help you"
"No, there is only one person who can help me, take Lina and the rest of the team and get her family back"
"Just the four of us?"
"Take whoever you need, but you're in charge"
"What're you going to do?"
"I'm going to sort this out, once and for all" Shayne holstered his pistol and pocketed his spare ammo.
"If I don't see you again, I'll take care of her" Shayne nodded and dropped out the window.
The others came in once Dundra opened the door.
"Where's Shayne" Dundra looked at the window and Lina rushed to it. She watched Shayne extend the glider and disappear into the trees.