Chapter 5: Escape

Weiss

Winter break is over. The full two and a half weeks have come and gone, and I haven't left this fucking room. I haven't seen sunlight, haven't seen anyone but Adam. Adam. Adam's different now. I don't know entirely what happened, but he changed since that night. He's softer in my presence. I can't help but think that maybe he's changing his mind about me, or has he already changed his mind? I look down at the breakfast that he left me before having to go on his way on some kind of self-assigned mission. I sigh and bat around the oatmeal, stirring it constantly. I'm not hungry, and I haven't been for a while. I think I might be homesick, but I don't know if I want to leave, barring that I can.

I take a bite of the oatmeal, repressing my revulsion to the thick substance, I eat it. I have to. I can't just let myself starve or waste the food that Adam literally risks his life to get for me. There's no way that I'd make him lose his life in vain. I shake my head. It won't come to that. There's no way that he could ever die, not with his skill, not with his thick skulled determination. I sigh and lay down my spoon. How come I even care? I've only known his for two weeks. He KIDNAPPED me, and I'm thinking about his sacrifice for me. Fuck.

I push the table away from me and lay back in the bed. Raking my hands down my face, I almost want to throw a tantrum. I just can't make any noise. I can't have the guards or other White Fang members to know that I'm here. I'd rather not die today,thank you very much. This is fucking confusing, that's what all of this is. I've read about stuff like this, where people develop connections with their kidnapper or tormentor, and I can't believe I'm falling into the fucking stereotype. I know how impractical this all is, yet it's still happening. I do as he says, think about him all day, wait for him to come home. Fuck, I just called this place home. I'm in too deep. I think I'm going to have to escape. I have to get out of here, distance myself. I don't think I'll be able to take this much longer.

I scrub another hand down my face and sit up. Taking a deep breath, I go to the door and hesitantly reach for the knob. This is my chance. I can get out of here, I can leave and never have to see this place ever again, never see… never see Adam again. I hesitate for just a second longer as his face flashes across my mind, but my hand lands on the door knob, and I turn it gently. Poking my head out cautiously, I look both ways. There's no one there, no guards at all. I almost woop in victory but catch myself. Why didn't I think of this sooner? I smile in utter defiance of that thought. I'm doing it now, and that's what matters. I can escape. I take a deep breath and take a tentative step out of the door. So far, no one has come, so I take another step and close the door behind me. No going back. I have to keep moving forward. I decide to go left, looking for an exit.

Three lefts and one door later, I'm outside. This place sucks as a base. Adam should really think about reinforcing this place. Adam… I shake my head and look ahead of me. It's a forest. A forest full of Grimm, most likely, and I don't have a weapon. I sigh and start my trek home, to Beacon, to my team. North is the best bet at this point, and I wouldn't mind getting lost and enjoying the outside for a while. I smile and start forward. Best idea I've ever had.

Worst fucking idea I've ever had. I'm lost, totally, utter lost, in a forest for fuck's sake. I groan as my bare feet are sliced open yet again by stones and sharp twigs. This is great, just great. I'm lost, and bleeding, and hungry, and thirsty, and I just want to get out of this god forsaken woodland area that I now deem hell. Fuck! It happened again.

I look up from inspecting my foot to see a cliff. A cliff. Beacon! Beacon's on a cliff. I run up to it and start to climb. It's haphazardous, really, especially with my feet and hands slick with blood, but I press on. Freedom is just so close. I can taste it, and I can't let it go. There's no way that I'd let myself die before I can see my team again, see Beacon again. I keep climbing, focusing and narrowing my attention to the placement of my limbs. If I can do this, I can do anything. I repeat over and over again that I can do it. All I have to do is find one more hand hold. It feels like forever before I'm at the top, grabbing grass and real dirt. I take a deep breath and push my muscles to the max, pulling myself over the lip. I fall over as soon as I'm up, not even bothering to see which cliff I just climbed. I take deep, panting breaths, trying to get oxygen back into my muscles. They throb weakly, pulsing bits of dull pain throughout my body. I don't want to move right. Maybe I can just lay here for a while. Maybe I can just sleep. My eyes close of their own will, letting me sink into a painless dark.

"Shit! Weiss?" A voice wakes me up. I open a groggy eye to see a flash of yellow come at me. I can't even move right now. It just hurts so much. I feel myself being lifted up and moved. Where are they taking me? Who is this?

I lick my lips, finding them dry. "Wha?"

Apparently, my barely audible question reaches the person's ears because they answer. "Weiss, are you okay?"

I grunt. "No." This person has some nerve actually asking that.

A laugh, a familiar laugh sounds. Whose laugh is that? I know it, really I do. I just can't place it. "Man, you scared us half to death when we didn't see you yesterday, you know?"

Yang. It's Yang. That's who's carrying me. "Yang?"

I open my eyes fully to see her staring down at me. "Where were you? You weren't even answering your scroll, and I find you at the edge of a cliff in this state, without you sword, too!"

I want to tell her to shut up, but it's just nice to be found, to be worried over. I sigh then start laughing. It hurts so much, but I don't care. My father never told them. He didn't even release it to the press. No one knew. Fuck, this is priceless. I get control of my breathing, and I feel strangely better, like the pain is slowly starting to dissipate. I look around me and see a faint yellow glow. She's healing me. She's giving me her Aura. I clear my throat. "I was kidnapped."

She looks down, startled. "What?"

I nod. "Yeah, and by the way, could you put me down? I think you've healed me enough."

She looks at me and blinks once before slowly lowering me to the ground. I brush off my clothes a bit. Despite the dirt and blood stains, this outfit actually held up pretty well. Maybe I'll keep them. "Kidnapped?"

I look up at her. "Mmm, yeha. I guess no one knew?" Despicable, that's what father is. I bet he even has a new heir right now, assuming that I've died by terrorist or some bullshit like that without even concerning himself with actually checking.

"You guess!? What the fuck, Weiss. Wouldn't something like this be on the news?" Her eyes have gone red from her obvious anger. They sort of remind me of… No, I'm not going to think of him. I needed to distance myself, not find ways to remember him.

I hum in thought. "Not if Father didn't want it to be." I smile. "Thanks for worrying, though. I was able to escape." It wasn't much of an escape. The most effort I put into it was climbing that cliff, which apparently was the Beacon cliff. Interesting.

Yang scoffs. "You were gone for only a day, technically, for us. Ruby was the one the most worried. You never answered any of her calls or texts." She puts her finger on her chin. "THough, there was that one time when a man answered, telling us that you were fine."

I gulp. "What did he sound like?" It was probably Father.

"Hmm, like, it was average, I guess. Not too squeaky, not too deep. He sounded about our age, you know?" She shrugs. "Why?"

I almost hyperventilate. It was Adam, wasn't it? It wasn't Father,that's for sure. Father has too deep of a voice for that to be him. I shrug it off, though, for Yang. "Just wondering."

"Okay, well, I guess we better get to the dorm, not that we weren't heading that was anyway." She takes my arm and leads me back to the room. I'm actually glad that I'm back, aren't I? I'm pretty sure, but why does it feel like I'm missing something, like a piece of me that should never be left behind?

When Yang opens the door, she just has to be loud about it. "Guess who I found!"

I see Ruby look down from her bed with wide eyes. "Weiss!" She jumps off her bed and comes at me to tackle hug me. I reciprocate, of course. I strangely missed her hugs.

I sigh into her shoulder. "God, I missed you guys." It's barely a whisper, but I know she and at least Blake heard me.

She gets pulled off of me by Yang, who holds her aloft. "Now, now. Don't break her the first day back, Rubes."

Ruby actually pouts. "Awe, but I haven't seen her in forever."

I laugh a little, startling Ruby. "It's fine. I'm used to it by now." And I am. She wouldn't be Ruby if she didn't tackle hug me at least once a week. I just brace myself for it and let it happen.

I look over to Blake, who is looking at me strangely. "Those clothes." Her voice is soft, like she's remembering something she'd rather not.

I look down at them. Adam. They're Adam's clothes. Oh no. She knows. "Yeah."

She actually gets up and does something I would never have thought that she would ever do. She hugs me. "Weiss." She pulls away from me, holding me at arms left. "Did they hurt you? Did he?"

I look into her eyes and smile. "Surprisingly, no."

Her frown deepens. "Then why are you wearing his clothes?" She hisses it, like she didn't want to think about him, speak his name, or drag up those memories. I respect her wishes. No matter how easily it is for me to say his name, I won't say it. I'll keep everything locked inside. THey don't have to know, and I don't have to tell.

I sigh. "I stole them."

She looks at me skeptically. "You stole them."

I nod, looking straight into her eyes. I have to be convincing. She has to let this go. "Yes. I stole them and escaped."

She hums in thought. "Right, well, at least your back." She pulls me in for another hug and whispers in my ear, "I want the whole story later. Do you understand?" She gives me a hard look before returning to her bunk. The rest of the night was pretty much laid back. I could breath in the relief that I'm finally back, but I can't help but fall asleep thinking about Adam.

A/N: She escaped... *sigh* This is where everything gets complicated, guys. Stay with me. I swear... Nevermind. Can't promise anything. It'll give away things. Of course, I will leave you with this:

A catalyst, a cause.

People stay, people go.

What stays forever

is the love we all show.

An angel in the dark

is still the purest of light.

But a demon can appear

in the darkest of night.

Taming a beast,

changing his heart,

is a goal and feat

that only angels can start.

Foreshadow? Or has this already happened? All I know is that I wrote that poem at 10:36 am EST on 2/19/2016. Like, right now. lol. I just wanted to do something creative and add it in. And! I finished the epilogue last night, so I'll be posting this one daily, 'k? So, like, yh. Finally got it out of my head. Woo!

I do have a account. The link is on my profile. I'd appreciate any contribution. :)

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