"Ms. Goodwitch?!"
Glynda crossed her arms, perturbed by her students' presence at school. "Don't make me repeat myself."
Ms. Goodwitch strode into the room with a questioning eyebrow. Her face twisted into confusion when she spotted a katana resting on the table. Next to it was a slingshot, and it looked like Yang wore brass knuckles.
Ruby hastily stood as the chair screeched against the marble floor. "We need your help, Glyn."
What caught the teacher's attention wasn't her nickname. It was the crack in Ruby's voice. The twinkle of hope in her silver eyes. A pleading expression. Goodwitch couldn't refuse that. It would be akin to abandoning a puppy in the rain.
"Only if you fill me in."
From the limited conversation she overheard, one of her beloved students was in danger. That was more than enough to know to help.
Yang guided her over to the computer and pointed at the screen. "We need you to drive us there. Not soon. Now."
It wasn't often that these girls asked for favors, so Goodwitch knew the situation must be dire.
"Consider it done," Glynda comforted them.
Since they didn't think convincing her would be so easy, the girls cheered. Ruby and Yang rushed to hug her while Blake kept her eyes firmly on the screen. Glynda merely patted them on top of their heads.
"You're the best!" Yang exclaimed and pulled away.
After Ruby pulled away, she carefully fiddled with the drone. "We haven't tested him yet. I don't even know if he can fly properly."
Blake met her gaze. "Now's the time to tweak him."
After a tiny groan, Ruby gathered the drone into her palm. Meanwhile, Yang took the computer and looked at her concerned teacher.
"Let's go."
Quickly, they gathered their weapons and dashed out of the school with Goodwitch leading the way. Rather than the front, she headed to the back parking lot meant for teachers.
When she pressed her keys, a black sports car lit up in the night. From how luxurious it looked, their jaws dropped.
Ruby couldn't believe she had one of the fastest cars in Remnant. "You have the newest Mustang?!"
"What? You need something fast."
When the girls were speechless, Goodwitch smirked and opened the driver's door.
"God damn…" Yang couldn't help but mutter.
This was unexpected, to say the least. Teachers weren't exactly paid well. And Goodwitch never dropped hints that she was loaded.
Eagerly, they hopped inside and buckled up. Ruby practically dove into the passenger seat and opened the laptop to show her where to go.
"Take a right on Sterzing street. Then it's several miles down the highway."
The engine roared to life as Goodwitch stepped on the gas. In seconds, they were out of the parking lot.
"Explain yourselves," Goodwitch said as she steered.
While Yang and Ruby filled her in on the situation, Blake looked out the window and focused on deep breaths. At least they were on the way. It was a miracle that not only Goodwitch was there, but she had a fast vehicle. There was hope.
It was the tensest car ride of their lives as suspense engulfed them.
They told Glynda about how Weiss lived under a different identity for half a year. How she tried to hide from her abusive father who was a gang leader. How her brother was here to drag her back. And how The Dusts intended to kill her.
"Unbelievable. Ms. Snow- Schnee-'' Glynda shook her head and kept her eyes on the vacant highway. "She's been intentionally getting average grades?"
Yang almost snorted at her reaction. "After all we told you, that's what stuck out?!"
Despite the anxiety-filled night, Blake almost laughed. "You're such a teacher."
"This is too dangerous," Goodwitch said in a chiding tone and slowed the car on the highway. "I can't in good conscience let you go. You can't join your parents so soon."
While the girls understood where she was coming from, they had a rescue mission to complete. And they would do it with or without her help.
"Please step on it," Ruby said, leaving no room for argument. "Weiss can't join them, either. She hasn't moved in a while," the red dot was in the same spot as it was an hour ago. "That's either really good or really bad."
Glynda frowned at her stubbornness and reluctantly accelerated. "I'm getting law enforcement involved. That's not negotiable."
"That's ideal," Blake agreed for them to avoid an argument. "But you have to drop us off there. This is a very delicate situation. We have a plan to try first."
In her lap, the katana glistened under the lights along the highway.
Glynda glared at her with the mirror and sighed. "What am I going to do with you girls?"
Since Blake tended to be the mediator, Goodwitch had to agree. These girls were smart. They wouldn't charge in without a plan.
After thirty more minutes passed, they were finally within view of a rundown building off a beaten path. Blake was right. It was a warehouse that'd seen better days.
Before getting close, Goodwitch turned off the car lights and parked a good distance away to avoid announcing their presence.
"Alright, Brutis," Ruby said as she set him on the rolled-down window. "I believe in you."
Yang couldn't help but send some hope his way. "Go get 'em, little guy."
Sending in the drone first was for safety. They needed a full scope of the situation before going inside. With the laptop, Ruby was able to see what the drone could. It was like a video game.
After Ruby grabbed the controller, Brutis lifted up with the tiniest beep. They watched in amazement as he floated into the air like a balloon.
He tilted to the side and almost drifted back into the car, but Ruby expertly readjusted his path. Luckily, it wasn't a windy night. Otherwise, there'd be a lot more problems.
"He did it," Ruby said in glee as she studied the screen.
"Wow…" Yang watched in awe as it vanished into the night.
Blake grinned ear-to-ear. "Good job, Ruby. Weiss would be proud."
Goodwitch gazed at the screen in worry. "It's hard to see."
"We have to use what we can," Ruby informed as she tilted him a little East, directly at the building.
Since it was hard to see in the darkness, Ruby used the warehouse lights as a guide. While she concentrated on meticulously steering, her tongue stuck out.
"This could be a video game," Ruby said as she watched the computer screen and controlled the remote.
While she worked, Glynda looked over her shoulder to watch the screen. Blake and Yang leaned in close to give her pointers.
"Don't hit the tree," Yang advised when the drone narrowly dodged a falling leaf.
"Gee, if only I thought of that," Ruby retorted.
A measly leaf could easily take Brutis out and knock him down. Steering was intensely meticulous as Ruby bit her lip in concentration.
It took a few minutes, but eventually, Ruby found a broken window that Brutis could squeeze through. The glass was shattered on the second story. When the drone was finally inside, the group watched the screen in suspense as they kept their eyes peeled.
"Go to the first floor and work your way up," Blake suggested. "It looks like there's only three stories."
The warehouse was massive, but Brutis was like a housefly and even quieter. He could cover a good amount of ground in a short time.
Taking her advice, Ruby found stairs that had fallen apart. No one could access the other two stories with it in this state. Weiss was more than likely on the main floor.
After a few minutes of searching the massive, bland, and broken room, a person was spotted. He was short and adorned white hair.
"Found ya, you little shit," Yang growled. "Weiss can't be far."
It appeared Whitley raised his voice at a nearby pillar. Brutis couldn't pick up any audio, so they could only watch.
Glynda pushed up her glasses. "There's ropes around that pillar."
With their hearts dropped to their stomachs, Ruby steered the drone around the pillar. A few guys were gathered and appeared to be playing cards. Tied around the pillar was Weiss, who looked black and blue.
"Oh my god, Weiss…" Ruby mumbled and landed the drone to hide in the rafters.
They had a perfect view in this spot.
When they spotted her, they felt immensely relieved that she was alive. Although pissed off beyond comprehension that she was hurt by her own brother.
It looked like tears streamed down Weiss' face, but she raised her voice back at him without missing a beat. It was then that Whitley got a crazed look in his eyes and punched her in the face. Weiss fell quiet and her head dropped right after. The only reason she remained upright was the ropes.
Blake snarled at the screen. "She can't even fight back."
"Weiss…" Yang murmured helplessly.
Then, Weiss raised her head and shouted at him in anger. That brought smiles to their faces. She hadn't given up hope. Her signature defiance shined through even now. That made their resolve grow even stronger.
"I have plans for him," Blake said menacingly and unbuckled her seatbelt. "He won't be smirking like that in a few minutes."
"I'm going," Yang propped open the door, unable to watch any longer. "Thank you, Glyn."
When her door opened, two more followed.
"I'm going to get law enforcement," Glynda told them. "It will take maybe fifteen minutes. Do you think that's enough time?"
Ruby leaned over to give her a side hug before leaving the car and closing the door. "It's plenty. Thank you again. We owe you one."
"Don't do anything foolish."
After the doors closed, Glynda drove off into the darkness.
Yang watched her go with a small smile. "No promises..."
This was also made in Belize. I'm supposed to be on vacation but can't help it.
Lyrics from Redo: "Our resolve is so much stronger- and now we are together we can both emerge into this world we have made- I pray it won't fray."
Stay dandy
~Toto