Neo exuded nervous energy as she readied herself for the first day of school. She'd just finished doing her hair and was currently rearranging her scarf, staring in the mirror and fidgeting with it until she was certain no one would see what lay beneath.
"You look great, Neo," Saphron spoke from next to her, in the midst of straightening her hair and sending the younger girl a confident grin. They were both in the bathroom, currently sharing the large mirror over the sink.
Neo frowned, tying the scarf a little tighter. She signed towards Saphron in the mirror. 'You think so?'
Saphron giggled, "I know so."
Neo smiled timidly, then raised her hands to begin signing again before being interrupted by urgent knocks on the door. Jaune shouted through, his voice making it sound as if he had urgent business to attend to. "Are you two done yet!? You're not the only ones that need to get ready, you know!"
Saphron turned with a frown and shouted back through the door, "Just use the bathroom downstairs!"
"Edna and the twins are in there!"
"What about the other bathroom!?"
"Mom's in there with Opal and Iris!"
Saphron sighed and rolled her eyes, speaking lower so that only Neo would hear. "He's probably gotta pee or something. Are you done? I can finish straightening my hair in my room."
Neo ran through the mental checklist she'd made, then nodded. Her book bag already held everything she would need and was waiting by the door downstairs. There was only one other thing she wanted to do before heading out, and she couldn't do it in the bathroom anyway.
"Alright, let's give him the room." Saphron reached over and unplugged her straightener, then gathered a few things into her makeup bag before stepping around Neo to the door. "We're coming out!"
Jaune rushed in as soon as the door opened, slipping past both Saphron and Neo. He turned back with an anxious expression, seeming to dance in place while shooing them out with his hands. "Hurry up, Saph! I gotta go!"
Saphron turned to Neo and snickered, "Told ya."
Neo smiled and pretended to hide a laugh behind her hand, then followed the older girl out. The door immediately slammed shut, an exuberant "Finally!" coming from the boy in their wake.
Both girls walked the same direction down the hall for a ways before splitting up. Of the eight bedrooms in the house, only the twins were currently sharing a room. Neo had been moved in with the eldest, Ariel, but since she was currently away in Vale, Neo now had the room to herself. Even after being out of the hospital for the last few months, the room was still mostly decked out in Ariel's belongings. Neo had sectioned off her own little corner of the room with her bed, but shared the desk, dresser, and small walk-in closet with the older girl.
Most of Ariel's things still remained despite her absence. The larger bed, the TV that Neo now used for herself, the posters of huntsmen and huntresses decorating the walls, and the thick shag carpet that lay over the otherwise smooth wooden floor. The shelf above the desk held an array of tools, many of which Ariel used previously to repair and upgrade her weapon. Since the school had facilities of their own, it had been unnecessary for Ariel to take hers along for the year.
Locking the door beforehand, Neo made a bee-line for her bed. There wasn't much time left before they would need to leave, but she had gotten into a certain habit every time a situation felt like it might be too overwhelming. The first day of school definitely fell into that category, and so it was that she knelt next to her bed to lift the pink blanket and mattress, then pull out what was stored beneath.
Carefully extracting a small bundle of cloth she'd taken from the hospital, Neo slowly and reverently unwrapped the shard of glass she'd kept. She held it in one hand, staring at the fragmented reflection of herself within. At one point, Neo had gotten very close to doing something irreversible. The shard now served as a reminder of all the times she would have missed if she'd made the wrong choice that day.
'You can do this…' Neo breathed out slowly, psyching herself up while once again checking to make sure none of her scars were visible. The bulky scarf left everything to the imagination, fully covering what lay beneath. Neo gave herself a small nod of satisfaction, wrapping up the shard to slip it beneath her mattress once more.
Neo jumped when she heard a knock at the door, the voice of the mother, Aurora, coming through while slightly muffled. "Are you ready, Neo? You'll all need to set out soon if you want to make it to school on time!"
Neo quickly set the mattress back in place and jumped up, rushing to the door to fling it open. She smiled shyly up at Aurora, signing 'I'm ready' to answer her question.
Aurora smiled back, raising a hand to brush her fingers through Neo's bangs. "There's no shame if you're nervous, dear. If you start getting cold feet, just let Saph know. She'll bring you right back if you need to come home."
Though Neo was nervous, the jittering in her veins was more from excitement than anything. She shook her head, then signed 'I'll be okay', intent on reassuring the woman that was acting as her guardian. No one would ever be able to replace her own mother, but Aurora had been nothing but welcoming since the first day they met.
"Good! Just so you know, Nicholas spoke with the Principal this morning. He made sure you'll be in the same class as Jaune. Don't be afraid to ask him for anything, either."
"Mom! We're ready!" Edna shouted from the bottom of the stairs.
Aurora gave one last heavy exhale before smiling and putting a hand on Neo's back to push her towards the stairs. "You heard 'em! Do your best out there! When you get back I want to hear all about it."
Neo nodded fervently, then rushed forward to take the stairs down two at a time. Edna was forced to dodge out of the way as Neo rocketed past, only slowing herself once she was back on flat ground. A sea of blonds greeted her eyes, the rest of the children near the front door. Neo slipped past to put on her shoes and heft her backpack, barely feeling the weight of the half dozen large books inside.
Saphron quickly scanned the group, making sure everyone was there and ready to leave. With a brief nod of satisfaction, she opened the door and stepped out, holding it for everyone as they flooded into the chill morning air. Dew still hung heavily from leaves and grass alike, the sun only just cresting the horizon and washing the land in a pale orange light. Neo took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and seeing her breath mist in front of her face.
Saphron returned to her place at the front of the group and began leading them down the road, away from the two story cabin that lay behind them. The clearing it rested in gave way to the forest in full, the group passing through the treeline and beneath the dense canopy. Neo's eyes remained on a swivel as she tightly clutched the straps to her backpack, gulping nervously while keeping an eye out for the grimm. Every snap of a twig was a potential threat, the cry of every bird a warning.
Edna seemed to have noticed her trepidation and punched her shoulder lightly, grinning confidently towards the girl that was a year younger than herself. "What's up, Neo? Nothin' to be afraid of out here. You can relax."
Neo glanced her way, then scanned the forest once more while signing, 'I'm looking for grimm…'
Edna snorted, "Don't expect to see them anytime soon. Dad might not be going on missions anymore, but he's been helping keep the forest clear with the other hunters from town. We should be safe."
"That's right," Opal chipped in while pushing up her oversized glasses. "He left this morning to do just that. I saw him take his weapon with him and everything." She glanced into the woods, "He's probably out in the forest as we speak, keeping any of the grimm from getting to us."
Neo frowned dubiously. After coming to terms with the connection she shared with the older man, she'd grown more adept at distinguishing the bond between them. Feeling out, she couldn't sense his soul anywhere nearby. Even so, the knowledge that he was out there somewhere with other hunters did help. Though she resigned herself to still keep an eye out, a small weight was lifted from her shoulders.
The walk to town took a bit longer than Neo would have guessed. Thankfully, the school itself sat along the same edge of the forest, meaning she wouldn't have to suffer the eyes of townsfolk on top of the other children's. The school itself struck an imposing figure, spanning several hundred feet in both directions, though it was longer than it was wide. Fenced off fields for sports lay by the wayside, connected to the far end of the building's property.
Already, Neo could see other students of varying ages mingling with each other outside the building. She unconsciously stepped closer to Saphron, but resisted the desire to grab a hold of her arm. Neo hefted her backpack instead, knuckles white from how tightly she was gripping the straps. She shied away from the eyes of onlookers, many of the students recognizing the Arc children as friends or peers of their own.
"You made it!"
Neo flinched at the voice that called out behind them before realizing who it belonged to. She turned at the same time as Saphron, seeing a darker skinned girl rushing through the throng of blonds to wrap the older girl in a hug. Saphron hugged her in exchange, the two embracing for a few moments before separating.
Neo smiled, glad to see a familiar face. Terra visited the house quite often, being Saphron's best friend. She'd taken a liking to Neo, something that the younger girl shared in kind. Terra was nice and smart, always able to lend a helping hand when Neo had been stuck on any of her make-up work for school. The other girls all tried to help as well, but Terra just had a way of explaining things that made them make more sense to Neo.
Seeing the two older girls beginning to excitedly talk with one another, Jaune rolled his eyes and trudged on ahead, soon enough being flagged down by other kids his own age. Neo pulled her eyes away to watch them closely, realizing that many of them would likely also be in her own class. Jaune greeted them with a series of fist bumps, for the first time giving off a vibe of popularity that had been absent in the home full of girls. He left with them, forming a medium sized group that all entered the school together.
Neo hesitated, unsure whether or not she should follow. She'd already been told what class she'd been assigned, but finding it was another matter entirely. Neo was completely unfamiliar with the layout of the building, and didn't know how to actually get to where she needed to go. With only a few minutes left to spare before classes were supposed to start, she nervously decided to slip away from the rest of the Arcs and follow along behind Jaune and his group of friends.
The wide halls gave a significant enough leeway for Neo to trail through the crowd without too much difficulty. Long glass bulbs lined the ceiling, giving ample light to their surroundings. Lockers were arranged across the side of the hall, each designated with a letter and a number. Many were open, their owners already present and storing away their coats and bookbags. The squeak of countless shoes on the tiled floor could be heard among the throng of voices, many children running in every direction while preparing for the first day of classes.
Neo raised a hand to hold it over her throat, making sure her scars were obscured by the scarf wrapped around her neck. She was confident in its ability to hide them normally, but with so much tumultuous movement nearby, she didn't want to risk it getting caught on anything, or anyone. 'Better safe than sorry,' she thought to herself. It was a phrase she'd learned during her time with the Arcs. It was a necessary motto to live by with so many children sharing the same home.
Neo followed Jaune as he took a set of stairs with his group of friends. They quickly ascended, rising up to the second floor. Much like the lower floor, lockers lined the hallways, only interrupted by a myriad of classrooms. Taking a look ahead of them, Neo was glad to spot a sign jutting out above one of the doors, signifying the home room she had been assigned. Jaune and his friends kept moving towards it, eventually all entering the class to sit amongst themselves.
Neo continued to follow until she reached the door, glancing inside with mounting trepidation. Many of the other students were already present, putting away their things and getting ready for class to begin whilst talking amongst themselves. The teacher stood at the front of the class, too busy writing on her whiteboard to pay attention to anything the children were doing.
Neo was anxiously gripping the side of the door frame when another feminine voice spoke up behind her.
"Excuse me? Are you going in, or just looking?" The voice spoke with disdain.
Neo turned to see a pretty girl with long, straight black hair standing behind her. She was flanked by two others, both holding their arms crossed while one tapped her foot impatiently. Neo's cheeks colored as she stepped out of the way, beginning to sign an apology with her hand before realizing they wouldn't understand her. She was so used to living with the Arcs that it had become second nature for her to use sign language.
The black-haired girl frowned, raising an eyebrow after seeing Neo doing the wordless gesture. A brief look of realization flashed through her eyes and her haughty mood lessened, disdain replaced with a softening of her features that made her seem even prettier to Neo. "I'm sorry! Are you deaf?"
Neo shook her head, then undid the straps on her backpack in order to zip it open and pull out her notebook. The other girls waited patiently while Neo began to write, eventually spinning the notebook around in order for her to read it.
'I'm not deaf. Just mute. I can't speak.'
"Oh," the girl spoke uncertainly, still appearing confused by the entire prospect. She seemed to understand that Neo could actually hear her though, and continued to speak plainly. "Is it your first day here? I don't remember seeing you before."
Neo nodded, flipping to one of the pages she'd already filled out.
'My name is Neo. I'm new here. Thank you for having me.'
The girl read it, then began to smile kindly. Her mood had shifted completely from where it began, now far more welcoming by comparison. She stepped past to glance inside, eyes roaming over the available desks before spotting what she was looking for.
"There's a place for four near the back. Do you want to sit with us, Neo? Oh!" She smacked herself on the forehead, then held out a hand, "My name is Jade by the way. And that's Ivy and Kindle." She pointed towards the other two girls in turn, both offering up a smile when their names were mentioned.
Neo shyly accepted the handshake, glad that the encounter had taken a turn for the better. She excitedly nodded her acceptance, and followed Jade towards the desks that were furthest back in the room. Neo sat at the one in the far back corner. Jade took the seat directly ahead of her, and the other two girls took the closest desks nearby. Neo was essentially surrounded by the three, but thought nothing of it while opening her bag to put her things away in her desk.
The bell rang, announcing the beginning of class. Neo looked up towards the board, finally able to read what was written across it. She paled slightly, understanding immediately what the teacher would be expecting of her when she read her own name beneath 'Introductions'. Neo had only ever had to introduce herself once before, but it appeared as if this new teacher would be expecting it of her.
The teacher turned to face them. She was a young woman with red hair in her mid twenties, dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a modest yellow blouse. She waited for the students to eventually quiet down while staring at them with a frown. Once they had, her expression brightened, eyes glancing over the array of children before finding their way to Neo.
"Ah, there's our new student. Neo, would you like to come to the front of the class and introduce yourself, please?" Her eyes jumped to the blond sitting in the front row, "Jaune, if you would be so kind as to help her?"
Jaune's friends looked on in confusion as he stood. He waited for Neo to get to him, then walked with her to stand in front of the whiteboard. Neo's heart raced in her chest as all eyes fell on her. She glanced at Jaune to make sure he was paying attention, then raised her hands to begin signing. As she did so, Jaune translated for her. He'd doubled his efforts since the first day they met, now more adept than many of his siblings at understanding the silent gestures.
"Hi, my name is Neo. It's nice to meet you."
Several of the students stared in confusion, so Neo decided to reiterate what she'd told Jade previously. Jaune continued to translate.
"I'm not deaf. I can hear everything you say. I just can't speak, so I need to use sign language or my notebook to communicate," Jaune struggled with the last word before using context to figure it out. He grinned proudly, turning back to the rest while showing off his skills.
"Thank you, Neo. Just so you know, my name is Miss Maize. Now that's out of the way, are there any hobbies you'd like to share with the class?"
Neo frowned and tapped her chin in thought, then shrugged. 'I like to draw and read.'
"She's a nerd," Jaune teased. Neo glowered at him until he translated correctly, still smug over his own joke.
"And where are you from originally? I know you were taken in by the Arcs, but where did you live before then?"
Neo's breath caught. She shared a look with Jaune, who began to speak for her after a few moments. "Neo is, uh... from another town."
The teacher raised an eyebrow, "I understand that, Mister Arc. I'm asking which."
"Ummm…" Jaune shuffled nervously, uncertain whether or not he should answer. Neo stood beside him, her hands in tight fists while memories of a burning town and pitch black grimm danced through her mind. After a few moments, Neo exhaled slowly and leaned into Jaune's shoulder, using him as a physical reminder to bring herself back to the present.
Neo's hands raised to unconsciously adjust her scarf. She caught Jaune's attention and slowly signed the name of the town letter by letter, flashing him a semi-confident nod to show it was alright with her.
"Uh, Ferdinand. She's… from Ferdinand."
A few gasps echoed out from amongst the students, the loudest of which came from Jade herself. The girl had paled, now looking at Neo in a new light. The teacher grew flustered as well, realizing all too quickly what she'd just asked of the young girl.
"Oh, I'm… so sorry. You can both take your seats now… Let's get class started…"
Many of the students didn't recognize the name, and began whispering back and forth with each other while glancing periodically in Neo's direction. In only a short span of time, it was known to all exactly what the name 'Ferdinand' entailed.
Jade glared at the ground and refused to look at Neo as she walked past to her seat. The other two girls looked at her hesitantly, then back to Jade. Neo's shoulders raised defensively as her body slumped, not knowing why the girl had suddenly shifted to ignoring her. Wanting to make friends still, Neo mustered up her courage and leaned forward to tap Jade once on the shoulder.
Jade flinched away from the contact, then turned around slowly. There was an indistinguishable fire in her eyes, and a hardness to her expression. She kept her voice low as she spoke, now lacking the welcoming quality it had held previously.
"Are you really from Ferdinand?"
Neo didn't know where the sudden shift was coming from, but timidly nodded regardless.
Jade stared closely at her, lips eventually transforming into a sneer. She glared even more fiercely than when they'd first met, and spoke in a clipped tone. "Don't talk to me."
Neo flinched away as Jade turned around, completely baffled and intimidated by the hostility those words held. She glanced at the other two girls in turn, both of which shared one last look before also facing away. Neo shrunk in her seat, now feeling completely isolated from the rest of the class and not knowing what she possibly could have done wrong. Jade had been so nice before… 'What changed?'
'Maybe… maybe there was some misunderstanding?' Neo decided to leave the girl alone for now, but later… later she would try to rectify whatever was wrong.
A few hours passed before it was time for gym. Many of the students let out a collective cheer, while Neo could only sigh in relief. Landlocked from the other students in her corner, she'd been incapable of truly speaking with anyone since the girls closest were all so intent on ignoring her. Now that she was free, Neo hoped to try and make friends elsewhere as well, or at the very least introduce herself to them during gym class.
All of the students went downstairs en masse, moving in a herd towards the largest room the building had to offer. They stepped through the double doors, admitted into a room with a waxed floor and a raised ceiling. Neo spotted a set of stairs leading up to a large balcony on the opposite end, workout equipment and mats waiting to be used if they were ever needed.
Hefting her backpack and the contents that remained within, Neo followed the other girls to the locker room in order to change. While they were busy getting undressed amongst each other, she vied instead for the connected bathroom. Needing to change out of her current clothes and into a t-shirt and shorts, Neo knew the possibility of accidentally showing off her scars was very real. She wanted to avoid that at all costs, so instead chose the privacy of a stall. In just a few short minutes she was changed and ready to go, scarf back in place to keep her secret hidden.
Neo stepped back out of the bathroom to find that most of the other girls had already left. Seeing some still undressed, she decided against trying to talk to them at the moment and moved over to an empty locker instead. Neo pulled her notebook from her bag, then paused, uncertain how she was going to use it while also attending a gym class. Figuring that Jaune would be available if she needed him, she decided to leave the notebook in her locker instead.
Casting an eye around the room before she left, Neo froze as she noticed Jade sitting on one of the benches. Both of her friends sat on either side of her. Jade's shoulders shook, her head in her hands while Ivy and Kindle leaned in to offer comforting hugs.
'Sh-should I… go help?' Neo hesitated, knowing Jade was angry at her for something, but also wanting to help in whatever way she could.
As more of the other students started to clear out, Ivy spotted Neo from over Kindle's shoulder. She gave Neo an accusatory glower, then whispered something under her breath that caused Jade to glance up. Neo faltered back a step upon seeing the girl's red-rimmed eyes beneath her dark bangs. Jade's brows narrowed into an angry glare when her eyes caught on to Neo as well.
Neo had no clue how to handle the situation. She flashed a weak smile and stepped back, raising a hand to wave a hasty goodbye. Anxiety welling up, she spun on her heel to dart from the room, glad to be away from the angry trio.
Neo could only sigh again once she was back out on the gym floor. Her classmates were all milling about, waiting for the class to truly start. A bulky, middle aged man stood near the center of the room that Neo could only assume was the teacher. He was tall, and thickly built with an oversized gut and a mess of facial hair. He wore a dirty grey tank top and red shorts, long black hairs covering the majority of his arms and legs. Whether that was a faunus trait or just natural human hair, Neo wasn't quite sure.
The gym teacher's eyes slowly roamed across the gathered students until stopping on Neo. He raised a meaty hand in greeting to get her attention, then lumbered through the other students on his way to her.
"Neo, right?" He spoke with a deep, booming voice. "Mister Arc called this morning to inform us of your… unique situation. Unfortunately for the time being, you won't be able to participate with the rest of the class. He assured us that would be a very bad idea…" The gym teacher looked her up and down skeptically, eventually shrugging his shoulders. "Sorry, kid. I don't make the rules. As long as you aren't endangering the other students though, you're free to do as you please. I won't stop you from having some fun on your own."
Neo's heart sunk in her chest at the news. Many of the other students overheard as well, and began to whisper to those that hadn't. She raised one hand to rub it across the opposite shoulder, both rising defensively at the undue attention. Searching around, Neo decided to head over to the nearby stairs and up to the work out loft, intent on escaping from the eyes and whispers that followed. She noticed Jaune just then stepping out of the boys' locker room, but decided not to bother him as he was talking very animatedly with his friends.
Neo climbed the stairs one by one, hearing the gym teacher's whistle as he started to get the other kids rounded up. Her head only lowered more as she reached the floor of the loft, crestfallen that her second opportunity to make friends had been snatched so cleanly out of her hands. The other kids shouted excitedly as the gym teacher announced they were playing kickball.
Neo walked over to the railing and sat down, slipping her legs beneath the bottom rung so that she could lean against the bars while her feet dangled. She watched as Jaune and another boy were chosen to be team leaders, the other boy picking first before it was Jaune's turn. Neo also noted that Jade and her friends weren't present, and were likely still in the changing room. Neo leaned against the railing in a slump, trying to be content with just watching the other kids play and wondering why the first day had taken such a steep turn for the worse.
Jaune frowned, looking at the mass of students in front of him with growing confusion. He finally turned to the gym teacher and asked something that Neo couldn't hear. It became obvious what he'd asked when the older man nodded in Neo's direction. Jaune's eyes widened when he spotted Neo up above, then turned back to speak with the gym teacher again.
Whatever the teacher said, Jaune didn't seem to like it. He argued briefly, but the teacher's body language showed how little he was willing to relent. Jaune angrily tossed the kickball to the other team captain then pointed at one of the other boys before turning and marching towards the stairs. The other boy stepped out of the crowd hesitantly, glancing between Jaune and the gym teacher. The teacher waved him forward, encouraging the boy to take Jaune's place as the other team captain.
Neo watched as Jaune disappeared around the corner of the stairs, eventually hearing his heavier footsteps as he made his way up to the work out loft with her. Blond hair came into view first, followed by an annoyed frown that decorated the young boy's face. His expression softened when he caught Neo's eye, giving a shake of his head in exasperation while moving the final few feet towards her.
"The coach said you're not allowed to play with us?" Jaune asked, sitting down next to her. He mimicked the way she sat, slipping his legs beneath the bars and leaning against the higher rungs.
Neo's mood brightened a bit to have Jaune with her. He was a welcome addition within her fortress of solitude. She gave a weak shrug and began to sign, having to pause for a moment to think about how best to explain the situation to him.
'Your dad gave me his… aura,' Neo spelled out the final word, uncertain what the sign for aura was and knowing Jaune wouldn't know either. 'I can be really strong on accident.'
Jaune frowned, "So… you're like Ariel? With the whole shield and everything?"
'I don't know how to do that, but… yes,' Neo shrugged.
"And they won't let you play because of it?" Jaune shook his head, slumping against the bars as Neo had. "That sucks."
'Yeah.'
They sat there and watched the other kids beginning to play for a few minutes, Neo sending Jaune the occasional worried glance. Even though she enjoyed his company, she didn't want him to feel obligated to suffer with her, and eventually decided to bring it up with him.
'Don't you want to play?'
Jaune waved a hand nonchalantly towards the other kids, "Nah, I'm fine with watching. It's just kickball anyway."
'You seem popular.'
"Heh, yeah. I'm the captain of the soccer team and we like, never lost a game last year. Mostly because I'm awesome~" Jaune smirked, then noticed the doubtful expression that Neo was sending his way. "What? I am!"
'So awesome,' Neo rolled her eyes as she signed, trying to get across how sarcastic she was actually being.
Jaune understood her well enough and glowered, turning back to look at the work out equipment behind them. "Fine, you don't believe me? I bet I can lift more than you, even with your 'super strength'." He raised his hands to make air quotes as he said it, mocking Neo in return.
Neo pouted, then pulled herself back to her feet. Even if it was going to be a pointless challenge, doing anything with Jaune was better than doing nothing at all. He followed with her as she moved over to the free weights, a long set of dumbbells arranged along the back wall. Neo stood staring at them for a few seconds, noting that they numbered all the way from one, to fifty pounds.
Jaune scoffed confidently and stepped past, lifting one of the thirty pound weights off the rack with both hands. He huffed in place, slowly turning around to face Neo before grunting with effort and lifting it up to his chest. His grin was strained as he held it there, eventually growing tired and lowering it haphazardly on to the mats below. The full weight of it smacked against the ground, eliciting a surprisingly satisfying 'THUMP!'
Jaune breathed heavily, "Beat… that…"
Neo gave a shrug and stepped closer, leaning down to try and pry the dumbbell out of where it had sunk into the mat. She frowned as she felt its weight, eyes widening as she realized how light it felt. Neo used only her right hand to pick it up, marveling at the ease in which she did so. She held it near her chest, turning it in place while wondering if Jaune had just been messing with her.
Going off his dumbfounded expression, Neo guessed he was just as surprised as she. Jaune stared, slack jawed as Neo returned the thirty pound weight to the rack. She walked down further down instead, moving all the way to the fifty pound weights before tentatively pulling two of them off. Even with the extra twenty pounds to account for, Neo could barely feel the difference.
"Holy Hell!" Jaune stared in bewilderment, completely baffled by what he was seeing. Neo nervously set the weights back down and dusted her hands off, growing more self-conscious by the moment.
Neo's fingers hesitated before she started to sign, 'I guess I win?'
Jaune snorted, beginning to laugh in short, intermittent bursts, almost sounding hysterical while continuing to stare between Neo and the weights she'd lifted. "I-... I guess so…" Starting to recover, Jaune shook his head in disbelief, "I need to ask Dad to unlock my aura, too. Our team would never lose a game!"
'I…' Neo started to sign, but trailed off, hands lowering back down to her sides. She shrugged uncomfortably, not wanting to ruin Jaune's hopes but somehow knowing that his father wouldn't be willing to unlock his aura. Like many other things involving the elder Arc, she understood him better than she should have. Nicholas took being a huntsman very seriously. He wouldn't unlock his son's aura for something so trivial.
"I gotta tell the guys!" Jaune said excitedly, beginning to turn around as if to rush back downstairs.
Neo quickly raised her hands in a panic, waving them back and forth while shaking her head. Jaune froze in place, frowning back inquisitively.
'Don't tell anyone! People have already been staring at me enough!' Neo signed desperately. 'I don't want any more attention!'
Jaune hesitated, looking between Neo and the stairs. After a few moments, his body deflated, shoulders slumping. Jaune nodded his head, turning back around to speak with Neo.
"Sorry, Neo. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."
Neo sighed, then nodded her thanks. 'Please don't.'
Jaune raised his hands defensively, "I won't, really. Still…" His eyes glanced past to the weights once more before a slow grin spread across his lips. "You are officially my coolest sister. Hands down."
Neo rolled her eyes, 'Ariel could do that, too.'
Jaune scoffed, "Yeah, but she's like, old."
Neo pretended to laugh into her head, 'I'm telling Ariel you said that.'
Jaune's eyes widened and his face paled to a ghostly white, "P-Please don't! She'll kill me!"
Neo smirked, 'Not my problem~'
The two devolved into sibling banter, eventually returning to their place at the railing to watch the rest of the game unfold. Jaune talked about some of the other kids, pointing them out to her so she could get a feel for what they were all like.
With time, Neo completely forgot about her previous woes, just enjoying the time spent with her new brother at her side.
It wasn't meant to last, though.
Once gym class was over, Neo separated from Jaune to head into the girls' locker room. The other girls followed suit, many excitedly talking about what their plans were for after school. Finally seeing an opportunity to introduce herself properly, Neo went to the locker she'd left her things in. She pulled aside her school clothes, then frowned worriedly, not seeing her notebook inside.
Searching the ground and adjacent lockers in confusion, Neo began to anxiously scan the room in search of it. The other girls walked to and fro, obscuring her view of the entire area while preparing for their next class. Neo ducked low, trying to search between legs and under benches. Still, her notebook was nowhere to be seen.
Anxiety mounting now that she lacked any way to communicate with those around her, Neo decided it would be best to wait until the others cleared out so search for her notebook properly. With time dwindling and her gym clothes still on, she resolved herself to look for it later. She wanted a little solitude as well to calm down, away from those she couldn't properly communicate with.
Neo grabbed her clothes and headed towards the bathroom. She hesitated at the threshold, hearing the sound of a running faucet once the door was cracked open. Peeking her head inside curiously, Neo couldn't see anyone else. She stepped in further and dipped low, trying to quickly glance beneath the stalls. No feet met her gaze. As far as she could tell, she was alone.
Shrugging in confusion, Neo began to walk towards the running faucet before stopping in place. She stared in utter silence, the rhythmic pace of her heart increasing by the second. Her stomach dropped, and her body began to shrink in on itself defensively.
Neo's pink notebook lay within the sink, directly beneath the running stream of water. The pages were soaked and the cover defaced, "GO HOME" etched angrily across the surface.
Neo tentatively stepped forward and turned off the faucet with a shaky hand, feeling sadness welling up as she lifted the notebook out. It was entirely ruined, the pages stuck together and falling to pieces with the lightest of touches. The world around her started to blur as Neo tossed the notebook into the nearby trash can. She rushed into one of the stalls and slammed the door shut, then lifted her scarf, burying her face in it to try and hold back the tears.
Neo's shoulders shook, her mind numbly casting about for some reason as to why someone would have done this. The only person she could think of was Jade and her friends, and Neo truly had no idea what she might have done to deserve it. She remained in the bathroom while she cried, utterly consumed by confusion and heartache in equal measure.
'All I wanted to do was make friends… Why did everything have to go so wrong?'
The weight of everything fell on Neo's shoulders all at once. The message 'Go home' repeating in her mind and bringing with it flashes of a bloody town in absolute ruin. Her chest heaved as she grinded the scarf into her face, trying and failing for several long minutes to get her emotions back under control. No matter what she tried, the tears continued to flow.
Neo jumped when she heard the door to the bathroom open. There was the sound of a tentative step, then a voice she recognized calling out her name.
"Neo? You in here?" Saphron asked hesitantly, stepping further in to search for her.
Relief washed through Neo like a flood. Feeling a weight lifting off her chest, Neo opened the stall door. Saphron immediately noticed the tear tracks on her face and smiled comfortingly, holding her arms wide while waiting for Neo to cross the distance to her. She did so in a few short steps, thankful to be wrapped in a warm hug by the older girl. Saphron rubbed her hand up and down Neo's back, trying to sooth her as best she could.
"Jaune got worried when you didn't show back up for class, so he ran to come find me," Saphron pulled away slightly, enough to level a doting gaze on the younger girl. "Are you okay? Was it too much? I can take you home if you need me to."
Neo didn't have to think long on it. After the attention she'd already garnered during the earlier half of the day, she hardly wanted to gain more by walking back into class with bloodshot eyes. She could only nod weakly and lean forward, smothering her face against Saphron's chest while the older girl embraced her again.
"Alright. We'll go home as soon as you're ready." Saphron gently ran her fingers through Neo's hair, holding her for as long as the younger girl desired.
Neo eventually pulled away several minutes later, her breath back under control and her tears stemmed. She walked back into the stall to grab her school clothes, then collected her bag from her locker. Stuffing the clothes inside, Neo hefted it over her shoulder and nodded to Saphron that she was ready.
The two left, heading back home several hours before school would have ended. Neo and Saphron were both silent along the way, the older girl waiting until Neo was ready to tell her what happened, if she wanted to. Neo did initially, but her hands remained still after thinking back on how Jade had been crying before. Something else was going on, and Neo didn't have the heart to single the other girl out if she was going through something as well.
Once they got home, Neo went upstairs to her room. She lied in bed for a few minutes before hearing a knock on the door. Neither Aurora nor Nicholas were home, meaning the only person it could be was Saphron. Neo tiredly got up and went to the door, opening it to see the older girl standing with an array of movies in her hands.
"Pick one for us to watch~" Saphron stated playfully, stepping forward so that Neo was forced out of the way, then closing the door behind herself.
Neo hesitantly glanced across them before picking one at random. There were four individuals on the cover, three male and one female. Two of them were wearing black trench coats, and each hefted some kind of gun. Neo liked the look of the only woman on the cover, the black leather spandex gripping her body tightly as if she was ready for combat.
Saphron saw her looking at the woman in particular and grinned, "Carrie-Ann Moss. She's one of my favorites, too."
Saphron inserted the movie into the player, then joined Neo on the larger of the two beds. They both sat back against the headboard, Saphron wrapping a comforting arm around the younger girl while Neo leaned against her. The movie was a surprisingly good action flick, though it was hard at times to keep up with the plot.
Her biggest take away were the acrobatics performed during the movie. She loved the way the characters dodged bullets, always seeming to dance around their enemies in the middle of the fight. Though she didn't think of it at first, Neo eventually remembered the way she'd tried to jump over Ariel during their spar and realized that she would be capable of doing the same kind of movements if she practiced.
While the credits were beginning to roll, the sounds of other children arriving carried up the stairs to them. More time had passed than Neo realized, school now finished and the other Arcs back home. Feeling much better after the movie, Neo signed her thanks to Saphron and hugged her once more. She knew the older girl had just been trying to cheer her up; a very successful endeavor, all things considered.
"Anytime~" Saphron beamed, hugging her back before pulling away to slip off the bed. She walked to the door then glanced over, nodding out into the hall. "Wanna come downstairs? I'm pretty sure Mom was going to bring home some pizza. Mistralian ham and pineapple is your favorite, right?"
Neo nodded and hopped off the bed, quickly switching off the movie before following Saphron out. They went downstairs and joined the rest of the family, Neo once again feeling whole and loved by those that had accepted her. None of the other children commented on her absence, taking it in stride and treating her the same as they always had.
Neo couldn't be more thankful.
Once Nicholas got home, Jaune excitedly asked him if he could unlock his aura. As Neo had expected, he was turned down completely. Neo couldn't help but feel sorry to see Jaune's hopes crushed so deftly, but knew it was probably for the best. She didn't imagine kicking a soccer ball through another kid's chest would go over very well.
Though Jaune was initially angry about the decision, he eventually relented.
After dinner, Neo dug through her desk to find another notebook to use. She began to fill out the pages, replacing the premade responses she'd written down before.
Neo intended to keep it safer than the last one.
And find out why Jade didn't like her, while she was at it.