Chapter 47: First Day

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Serena pushed the button, silencing the offending noise which had risen her from her sleep. It was early, 6 A.M. to be precise and today would be her and Adam's first day as teachers. Getting up, she stretched once then walked over into the small bathroom that was adjacent to the room she had slept in.

After accepting Ozpin's offer to become teachers at Beacon, the principal had offered both her and the Faunus to stay at their school for the time being. Neither of them had a flat or place to go, so they happily accepted it. The room she had been given was in the West wing of the giant building, not far from Ruby's room. Adam had been given a room one floor above her. It was nothing big, but Serena had been so tired after the fight that she had simply been glad that there was a bed into which she fell not ten minutes later. She had never slept so deeply before.

Brushing her teeth, she took off her clothes and jumped into the shower, the hot water flowing over her body and relaxing her still tense muscles. Grabbing some shampoo, she washed her hair, turned off the water and stepped out again. Wrapping a towel around herself, she rubbed her hair dry and, after combing through it once, went out into the bed room. Opening the closet, she took out a pair of black jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt which had been provided by Miss Goodwitch since the girl didn't have any other clothing except for that of the White Fang. She reveled in the feel of the clean clothes and quickly put on her combat boots. She checked herself in the mirror once more, before breathing in deeply and walking out the door.

Today would be her first day as teacher here and she was so nervous about it all. She had never taught someone before, excluding the times she had shown Ruby and Adam how to deal with Grimm, but other than that, she had no idea what to do. Though her primary worry were the teachers and students. They all knew about her and she was worried what they would think about her. Thinking about Adam, she guessed that it was an even direr situation for him. He was a Faunus, had once been part of the White Fang and no one really trusted him. She was sure that there would be some trouble.

Arriving at Ozpin's office, she noticed that Adam was already there, standing in front of the principal and waiting for her to arrive. He looked over his shoulder at her when she exited the elevator and she gave him a small smile in greeting, him returning it. She went to stand beside him and they both looked at Ozpin, waiting for him to say something. The man watched them for a few moments before speaking up.

"I trust you had a good rest?" he asked, swinging his cup of coffee which he always seemed to have with him.

"Very good, thank you for asking," Serena replied, giving him a light yet nervous smile. The man returned it and took a sip of coffee, setting the cup back down.

"Now then, I guess that the both of you are eager to get started." They both nodded. "Good. I have already informed the students and teachers about the two of you. But I must warn you, especially you Mr Taurus; there could be some of them who will cause you trouble." They both nodded, ready to face anything that was thrown at them.

"I already guessed that," Adam spoke up for the first time. "But we will show them that we are not to be messed with."

"We'll be able to handle ourselves," Serena added, eyes full of confidence. No matter what, they would get through this.

"Good. Let's go to your classes then and introduce you."

Serena and Adam followed the grey-haired man silently, not speaking a word all the time, occupied with the thought of meeting their new students. It was a long way, but finally they ended up in front of a large door. Walking in, they passed several columns and lockers before entering what looked like an arena. Seated around it, elevated so that they could see everything, were the students of Bacon. Glynda Goodwitch was standing in the middle, waiting for the three to make their way over to her before turning around and telling the kids to quiet down.

"As I have already told you, you will be having two new teachers from today on. Miss Serena Caldron," Ozpin said, lifting his right arm so that it was gesturing at the girl in question, "will be teaching you all about Grimm."

"But we already have Professor Port to do that," a student cut the man off before he could finish his sentence.

"I know that. But Miss Caldron will not only be teaching you about Grimm, but also how to tame them."

A murmur passed through the rows. Serena stepped forward and everyone shut up when she said, "I will be showing you on how best to deal with them so that they won't harm you. For those of you who find this hard to believe, you are welcome to visit my class and see for yourselves. I'm looking forward to being your teacher," she concluded with a smile, stepping back to let Ozpin continue.

"And Mister Adam Taurus will be teaching you hand-to-hand combat. Since Miss Goodwitch is more concentrated on the fighting with weapons, he will be teaching you all there is to know about combat without one. And even if he is a Faunus, I expect you all to treat him with respect. The same goes for Miss Caldron."

The students stayed silent and Ozpin left the room, Serena following him so that he could show her to her new classroom. Adam stepped forward, scrutinizing the students. Some were looking at him with light fear. He had spotted those at the fight yesterday and guessed that they knew that he had been a White Fang member and had also seen him fight. Others were either looking at him with disgust, some with curiosity and others just looked at him in a neutral way.

"Like Professor Ozpin said, I will be teaching you all hand-to-hand combat. You might think that my methods and training are sometimes a bit harsh, but I advise you to do your best and concentrate."

A scoff in the rows made him pause and he looked up and to the left to see a boy with brown hair and blue eyes look at him in a discriminating way. Cocking an eyebrow, he asked the boy if he had something to say. The boy's eyes widened in slight shock at being caught before he puffed out his chest and boldly declared that he did not want to be taught by a Faunus. Narrowing his eyes, Adam told the boy, who was wearing his school uniform, to get on his combat clothes and get down into the arena. The boy seemed confused but did so while grumbling.

Five minutes later, both were standing opposite the other, Adam studying the boy. Miss Goodwitch came up and told him not to do anything stupid, but he simply waved her off with a hand, telling her that he knew what he was doing.

"What's your name boy?" he asked.

"Cardin Winchester, leader of team CRDL," the boy declared proudly, a smirk finding its way onto his face.

"Well then Cardin Winchester, if you think that you don't need to be trained by me, let us find out who is the stronger one. We will be having a small fight, about one minute. You're allowed to use your weapon if you please, though I won't."

"Suits me," Cardin replied after a moment, not quite sure if that was such a good idea.

"You may attack any time," Adam said, pose relaxed and waiting for the boy to make the first move.

Cardin didn't need to be told twice. He ran forward, lifting Mace over his head with both arms before swinging the weapon down, aiming for Adam's head. It almost looked like he would hit but just before the metal hit the Faunus, he suddenly disappeared and the weapon crashed into the ground. Blinking in surprise and not understanding what had happened, Cardin was kicked in the back of his knees, making him fall to the ground. His weapon was kicked out of his hand and he suddenly found himself lying face flat on the ground, cheek pressed against it.

Looking up, he spotted the red-haired Faunus standing over him, foot placed on his back and holding him down. He looked to the side, trying to find his weapon but noticed with dismay that it was lying several feet out of his reach. The male tried pushing himself up, but Adam simply applied more force, keeping him in place.

"I guess that settles that," Adam spoke, lifting his foot off the boy's back and stepping back. Cardin picked himself off the ground, cursing under his breath and went back inside, changing into his uniform before settling back by his team. The others snickered when they saw him and his face flushed pink, embarrassed that so many people had witnessed him being beaten so easily.

Adam looked over his class, seeing that anyone that had doubted him before now no longer did and started his first lesson, enthusiastic for once to teach someone. He hadn't been like this since the time he had trained Blake and he started to see just how much potential the students had.

He could work with this.

Serena looked around her at the teenagers that were staring back, waiting for her to start their first lesson with her. It was the same class that had been in the arena when Ozpin had introduced them to the pupils and she could see the boy who had spoken up when Ozpin had told them that she would be teaching them about Grimm. It was a young boy, about seventeen years old, with blonde hair and blue eyes. His expression told her that he was someone who was sometimes insecure and did not know how to act. Next to him sat a girl with red hair tied up in a ponytail and green eyes. She recognized the girl; she had seen her on a corn flakes box once when she had shopped in town.

"So…"

She started off a bit shakily, not really knowing what to say. She had never taught someone. Sure, she'd taught Ruby and Adam the basics, but this was an entire class that would be under her wing. She would be responsible for them and have to make sure that none of them got hurt during training. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves and decided to just do it her own way.

"As Professor Ozpin said, I'll be teaching you all about Grimm and how to treat them so that they won't attack you. Now, to start off, what do you already know about them?"

"They're made of dust," one boy said.

"They disappear when they are killed, returning to dust," another added.

"Their sole purpose is to kill and exterminate mankind," a girl said.

"That is what everyone believes, don't they?" Serena said, a smile finding its way onto her face. She had been waiting for this to be said.

"What? It's the truth," another boy with brown hair and blue eyes interjected.

"Really? Then tell me…" Serena trailed off, not knowing how to address the boy since she hadn't asked them for their names yet.

"Cardin," the boy replied, and she noticed a somewhat haughty tone in his voice. She assumed that he was one of the people that knew everything better and would soon be proven wrong.

"Cardin. Tell me, what has brought mankind to develop so quickly?"

"The Grimm," he stated, the haughty tone still present and a smirk forming on his lips.

"Correct. And what made humans develop weapons such as the ones you use and create communities?"

"The Grimm," he answered, not getting what she was on to.

"Exactly. It is only through the influence of Grimm that humans have, up until now, been forced to create incredible weapons and form such strong alliances. If they did not exist, none of this would probably exist. Humans would perhaps have more advanced weapons, but nothing like the ones you have now. They would not have created cities and would most likely live in their own small communities, maybe even rage war against each other to gain more territory. So, you see," she continued, walking up so that she was standing closer to the students, a few feet from the first row, "it is only through their help that we have what we have nowadays."

Students looked at each other confused, mumbling to their neighbors. They had been taught a lot about Grimm, but never before had a teacher told them that they were the ones responsible for their development and rise to power. Serena could see that some were still skeptical, but most seemed to honestly think about what she had just said. Quieting them down, she continued her lesson.

"Now, the most important part for you and the coming generations, is to be able to communicate and get along with those, as you would call them, monsters. I will show you how to do it, though you will all have to find your own way. Each of you has a different personality and therefor a different approach to things. I will be here to help you find that certain approach. To do this, I would like Ruby to come down and assist me quickly," she said, looking at the girl that was sitting beside her sister Yang.

Ruby nodded and went down. Serena quickly told her what she had in mind and both girls nodded to each other before Serena went into another room while Ruby placed herself at the far side of the room. The students looked on in anticipation as to what would happen. Their eyes went wide when they suddenly saw their teacher leading an Ursa into the room. The animal was smaller than the ones that were fully grown out, but the kids tensed nonetheless. A Grimm was, after all, still a Grimm.

"Don't show your fear," they heard their teacher say as she continued to lead the animal inside, keeping eye contact with it until it was completely in the room and the door closed behind it, cutting off any escape. Serena stood straight from her slightly bent pose and looked at her students. "Now, I will leave Ruby to taming this Ursa without interfering unless needed."

"Are you crazy?!" Yang cried out, obviously worried about her baby sister. But a look and nod from Ruby and she settled back down, though ready to interfere at any second. Serena looked at the silver-eyed girl before stepping back and leaving the front to her and the Grimm.

The animal was about to pounce on the girl until she did as Serena had shown her, reaching out her hand and looking the animal calmly in the eye. The beast calmed down and only moments later was she cradling it, petting its head while it sat down on its hind legs and gently rested its head in her one hand that wasn't on its head. The students' jaws had dropped long ago and they could only stare in awe at what the girl had done. Some began clapping and soon everyone was and some even cheered.

"Very good Ruby. I see you've found your own way," Serena said, walking up to the girl, giving her a pleased smile.

"I've had a good teacher," the girl replied before going back up to her seat, immediately being hugged by her sister who was glad that she was unharmed.

"As you see, they are not as frightful as they seem. We'll be starting tomorrow to find out which way suits best to each of you and then take it slowly from there."

The bell rang and students filled out, most saying goodbye except for the boy, Cardin, who only gave her a sour look and left with a snort. Her first day had gone quite successful, and Serena couldn't wait to continue teaching the next class that would be coming after lunch.

Maybe she wasn't such a bad teacher after all.

A/N: I do not own RWBY or its characters. I do, however, own my OC Serena and any other OCs that appear in this story.

First of all, thanks to all the people who tried to cheer me up. It really means a lot to me. I'm a little better now, and writing on my new story really helps me coping with the death of my good friend.

Now the… Yes, both are teachers and Adam already kicked Cardin's butt while Serena embarrassed him even more. For those of you who are fans of Cardin, sorry, but I just had to do this. He's always so stuck up that I feel it's time he learns a lesson.

I hope that you liked this chapter, if you did, tell me in a review. Looking forward to the next chapter and bye!