Chapter Four: Plus One Friend
(Ryker POV)
"But why now? The school year isn't even over for another few weeks and I'm not even in my senior year? Nobody my age is working right now. They are all focusing on school and will work during the summer."
I pulled away from her, Mom's face contorted into a mix of emotions I just couldn't understand.
"Just think about it. Please, Ryker." She begged.
I just groan, turning from her and heading to the door. "I will see you later, bye," I say waving over my shoulder as I open the door.
"It's your fault I died, Ryker."
I stopped in the doorway, my blood freezing from the comment. "What?" I ask, turning around, seeing Mom stand there, dead eyes, her entire body taking on a bluish tint.
"I said it's your fault I died, Ryker." She snipped, ice spreading out from where her feet stood on the wood-paneled floor. The temperature in the room dropped quickly. " I only worked that awful job because I had to take care of you. If I had never taken you in I wouldn't have had to work at that stupid office."
"Mom?" I gasp, taking a step back towards the apartment door. "Mom, why are you saying this?
Mom grinned, her teeth looking like daggers in her mouth. She took a step towards me, the ice spreading closer and closer to me, as the walls, furniture, and ceiling froze over. "Because it's true if I lived on my own, I could work practically anywhere and I wouldn't have died. You made me have to take that SDC job."
"That's not fair." My hand reaches behind me, trying to find the doorknob.
"What's not fair is that I had to take care of some human brat, instead of my own cub. You were never my son, just a leech, a parasite, a burden." She snapped the ice now only a few inches from reaching my feet.
I turned around, fully intent on pulling the door open and running as fast as I could from the nightmare, but when I did the door was gone. A giant sheet of ice barred me from even touching the door. I turned back around, and Mom walked slowly towards me, the closer she got the more she looked like death. Her skin was entirely blue, her eyes sunken in, and her lips purple. Blood fell from her eyes like tears as she reached out towards me.
"You should have died instead." Her voice rasped her decayed hand with razor-sharp claws reaching for me.
I gasp, eyes flying open as I sit up in my seat. My eyes darted around, taking in the surrounding airship that I was in. My trip to Vale and more specifically Beacon was almost over.
Turns out getting out of Mantle was easy, and hitching various rides to neighboring towns made leaving the Kingdom of Atlas way easier than I had initially thought it would be. I had left that night, with the proof that I could rewind time. I wasted no time. I gathered my mom's weapon, the lein, the dust, and even cashed the check the SDC had given me. They would never see a single lein of what they claimed I owed them, and it brought me an immense amount of pleasure knowing that they basically funded the trip.
Though it wasn't all glitz and glamor, the nightmares were happening more often. Upwards of five days a week, I would wake up silently screaming for my mom to stop. It was always the same, replaying our last conversation, till she blamed me. Tortured me for simply being the one to live. It didn't matter though, the nightmares would go away if I just fixed this. I just needed to get into Beacon and train enough to grow my semblance enough that I could save Mom.
During my travels, I was able to apply to the school and even request a personal meeting with the headmaster, a man by the name of Ozpin. Due to the circumstances surrounding my application and my lack of credentials, I was allowed to plead my case instead of outright being rejected. I also was sure to cite a lot of private family training as a replacement for my lack of a combat school education. It was a flimsy application, but it was enough to get me to be able to talk to the man.
I also was able to practice my semblance. Though it always exhausted me I was getting better and better and consistently activating it. Controlling how much I put into it though was another story. Sometimes it just felt like my semblance was like a black hole, you give a little and when you try to pull away you just get sucked in. The accuracy of my rewinds was a big issue, and the amount of time I could rewind was also limited. I could manage around two hours on my own through my own practice and training. It was starting to feel hopeless. The amount of aura I needed to generate to go back far enough was growing by every second, something I felt like I just couldn't keep up with, but I just kept telling myself that Beacon would change everything.
"Stay focused." I mutter, the airship I was on announced that we would be landing in Vale shortly. Though being scrunched together with so many other people, humans and faunus alike, I was managing to stay relatively calm. I was here for a specific reason. It was the only thing that mattered, nothing else did.
As the bulkhead landed I was greeted by a tall blonde woman, her hair pulled into a professional bun, it reminded me of my mom and how she would style her hair before she would go to work.
"Are you Ryker Thorne?" She spoke, her tone sounding bored and clipped.
"Uh yeah, I'm Ryker, I have a meeting scheduled with headmaster Ozpin." I replied, the bulkhead whipping up the air around us as it lifted off and left.
"Very well. I am Glenda Goodwitch, you may only refer to me as Professor Goodwitch. Please follow me." She spoke before turning on her heels and walking away. Her heels clicked loudly against the stone ground as she walked without looking back to even see if I followed.
I scramble to catch up with her, her long legs making her strides much longer than my own. She was easily a foot taller than me in her heels. I was cursed to be short, standing at barely five foot three, I tended to be the smallest person in the room wherever I went.
As we walked, well as she walked and I jogged next to her I cleared my throat, unsure of what to say. Goodwitch seemed like a no-nonsense kind of person, someone I tended to have the hardest time understanding. Her face was one of stone, it made it impossible for me to tell what she was feeling or thinking. "So umm…Professor Goodwitch?" I began.
Glynda didn't bother to respond, but she was now looking at me from the corner of her eye, her face not turning as she kept walking.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Uhhh yeah…umm…What is Ozpin like? Like is he nice or is he…like…you." I trailed off before choking on my words. "I mean not that you are mean. I just wanna know if he's super professional, strong, independent, and pretty… I mean not pretty, you aren't pretty, I mean you are just that I don't-"
"Ozpin is a man like no other." Glynda interrupted, her face losing some of the professionalism for a moment as her mouth quirked up with the smallest of smiles. Her amusement slipped through before she reigned it in. "Ozpin is both intelligent, kind, wise, and powerful. He also has a level of love and care for all of those who attend Beacon, be they human or faunus. He is quite possibly the greatest headmaster this school and any other has ever seen. You have nothing to fear when you speak to him. He cares." She finished, her pride for her headmaster showing through her gruff exterior.
I breathed a sigh, so he wouldn't be hard to talk to…hopefully.
"Though," Glynda started grabbing my attention. "I don't know if he would be classified as pretty. Handsome maybe, but you will have to tell me if you think he is pretty." Glynda teased, my face burning in embarrassment.
We walked in silence for the rest of the way, Glynda leading me to an elevator. "Press this button, it will take you to Ozpin's office. Good luck Mr. Thorn."
"Thank you, professor, I appreciate your help," I spoke, pressing the button she pointed to, the doors closed leaving me alone in the small enclosed space. I breathed a sigh of relief, the embarrassing conversation with Glynda having set me on edge on top of all the other reasons to be anxious about the meeting.
The elevator dings, the door sliding open revealing Ozpin's giant office, the window showing the bright blue sky of Vale, the view of the city breathtaking. Ozpin looked up from his computer, his expression, light and friendly.
"Mr. Thorn, I have been expecting you." He starts as I slowly walk into his office, taking a seat at the chair set out for me in front of his desk.
"Yeah, I know normally I would just send in my paperwork and wait for a letter of acceptance, but I needed to come in person. I needed to ask you in person. Sir, I need to attend Beacon Academy. I was told this was the place I needed to go if I wanted to become strong." I state, leaning forward in my chair, hands clasped together as I practically begged the headmaster.
"Yes be that as it may, after going through your paperwork I'm going to get right to the point. I can't let you attend Beacon. The answer is no" Ozpin stated, taking a sip of his coffee as he looked across his desk from me.
No? Already? I had gotten to say a few words, not even get to debate and he was already telling me no.
"What do you mean no? Professor, I have to enroll at Beacon. You are my only hope." I begged.
"What I mean Mr. Thorn is that you are not equipped to join Beacon. You have no sort of formal training, no referrals from respected huntsmen or huntresses, just the vague notion of private familial training. You had poor academic performance in the last normal school you were in, and it is simply too dangerous for both you and whatever students you would be paired with to allow you to join Beacon."
"But-" I started before Ozpin held up his hand, silencing me.
"Why do you want to be a huntsman so bad Mr. Thorn? You are nearing eighteen years old but your paper trail shows you have shown no interest in being a huntsman, something that many young huntsmen and huntresses start working towards as young as thirteen. So why now?" Ozpin asked, his eyes staring blankly at me.
I opened my mouth to answer, a small sound escaping my lips before my mouth clicked shut. I tore my eyes away, looking anywhere in the room but at Ozpin. "B-because…"
Ozpin leaned forward, setting his mug on his desk. "Because?" He encouraged me.
"I have to make things right," I whispered.
Ozpin seemed to think for a moment before leaning back in his chair. "I'm sorry Mr. Thorn, but I can't let you enroll this year. I would be glad to help you enroll at whatever combat academy you would like. You could go there for the four years an-"
"No!" I interrupt, my voice losing any sense of respect or civility. "I need you to say yes." I snap, aura flaring as electricity arcs out of my body, the world stilling and snapping to attention. The final thing I saw just before the world ripped away and changed was Ozpin, his brown eyes flashing a vibrant green.
"Why do you want to be a huntsman so bad Mr. Thorn? You are nearing eighteen years old but your paper trail shows you have shown no interest in being a huntsman, something that many young huntsmen and huntresses start working towards as young thirte-" Ozpin stopped as arcs of electricity settled around my body before dissipating, his eyes widened, the only reaction to the appearance of the aftermath of my semblance.
Another downside to it was that others could always see when I used it, though knowing what it meant without prior knowledge of my semblance meant it didn't really matter in the short term. I hadn't meant to only go back a few moments, the telltale of my semblance too obvious to just do discreetly. I meant to go to when I was in the elevator, to retry the whole conversation.
"I need you to say yes Ozpin. I'm not taking no for an answer this time." I breathe, the tension in the room suddenly feeling overwhelming. This was now feeling like the absolute worst idea ever. I was basically threatening the headmaster of Beacon Academy. He could probably kill me without giving me enough time to activate my semblance again. Why was I so stupid?
Ozpin stared at me, this time he slowly stood up from his chair, bringing his mug to his lips as he took another sip. "I would like you to tell me what you just did Mr. Thorn."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I mutter, stumbling back slightly.
"You just used your semblance. Everything feels slightly off, like deja vu. I will ask again. What did you do?"
How could he tell that I had rewound time? Nobody had even the slightest clue when I had used my semblance around them. Was he just that powerful? Did he have a semblance that would allow him to know something is up?
My aura flared one more time, this time taking a larger chunk out of me, the electric arcs of my soul coiling around me as the world snapped once more.
I groan as the electricity around my body settles down. "Let's try this again."
The elevator dings, the door sliding open revealing Ozpin's giant office, the window showing the bright blue sky of Vale, the view of the city breathtaking. Ozpin looked up from his computer, his expression seemed troubled, did he still remember?
"Mr. Thorn, I have been expecting you." He starts as I slowly walk into his office, the tension in the room returning in force.
"Yeah I know normally I would just send in my paperwork and wait for a letter of acceptance, but I needed to come in person. I needed to ask you in person." I state, my shoes clicking against the marble floor of his office, coming to a stop in front of his desk.
"Yes be that as it may, after going through your paperwork I'm going to get right to the point. I can't let you attend Beacon. The answer is n-" Ozpin stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening before pulling out his tablet.
"What's the matter, professor?" I ask, my heart rate starting to climb. Did he still remember?
Ozpin looked like he was about to confront me, his eyes boring through me. However, all the tension in the office dissipated as he exhaled. "I will give you the same chance as everyone else. I will allow you to take the entrance exam, and if you succeed you will be fully enrolled in Beacon."
I breathe out a sigh. "Oh thank the brothers." my hand shook as I felt all the anxiety and adrenaline flood from my system.
"Though for you to enroll at Beacon you must reveal what your semblance is and give it a name."
I paused, Ozpin looking at me with a small smile on his lips, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "H-how"
"Mr. Thorn, just like you are hiding from me what exactly you can do, so shall I hide what I can do. Now, please explain your semblance. It is after all the only reason I am allowing you to take the entrance exam."
I nod dumbly, my anxiety climbing again. Both of us settled into the silence of the room, the only sound coming from the clock Ozpin's office was built inside. The subtle ticking echoed into the room. This was a stupid plan to begin with but I had gotten this far. "My semblance is called 'Rewind'," I say finally, breaking the silence. Ozpin nodded, his hand gesturing for me to continue as he focused intently on me, his face not giving away his thoughts. "In exchange for aura, I can go back in time. My current record is two hours."
"I see," Ozpin muttered, clasping his hands together and bringing them under his chin as he leaned onto his desk, his eyes steady on me before breaking and looking down. "That is a powerful semblance and a dangerous one. Does that mean that if you were to grow your aura, you could travel back further than just a few hours?"
I nod in affirmation, the confirmation getting a sigh out of Ozpin as he stands from his desk. "I expect you to submit the rest of your paperwork, and for you to be at orientation in three weeks." Ozpin stated, walking around his desk to stand in front of him offering him his hand to shake.
I hesitate for only a moment, before taking his hand and shaking it. "Thank you, really. This means a lot to me."
"Remember Mr. Thorn, you are not guaranteed to make it through the exam, that is up to you."
Letting his hand go I shrug, a shit-eating grin plastered across my face. "I'll make it through no problem."
Ozpin stood on the stage of the auditorium, talking to all of the students who had been crammed into the space. His speech was clipped, and he looked almost like he was bored, his words going in one of my ears and right out the other.
I was having a hard time focusing, my mind elsewhere as I felt my anxiety climbing. I had managed to cram myself into a corner of the room, keeping my gaze averted from meeting any other students' eyes.
"-You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Ozpin finished, the students filling out the auditorium whispering as he walked off the stage.
The end of his speech chilled me to the core, it felt like it was aimed right at me. He didn't know exactly why I wanted to be a huntsman but he did know that I believed Beacon held the answer to what I wanted.
The day had been excruciatingly painful, my senses beyond overstimulated as I went from the overcrowded bulkhead to an even more overcrowded campus. It was starting to make me question if I could even handle this. I didn't even try to think about the even more difficult part, the practical guarantee of me having to go face-to-face with Grimm.
Glynda, who had stood by Ozpin's side during his speech, stepped to the mic. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." She spoke curtly.
With her dismissal the crowd of students began to file out, the horde heading to the exits.
"Too loud." I whimper slightly, the auditorium of students filled to the brim. There were too many, the number of people sending my heart racing and I just wanted to leave. The auditory and visual stimuli sent me into a panic as I pressed myself harder into the corner I had found.
The mass of bodies passing by me, little pieces of conversation from hundreds of different prospective huntsmen and huntresses filtering into my ears. I slid to the floor, hands cupping my ears trying to get the noise down, my face scrunched as I squeezed my eyes shut. My ears ringing, as the world ignored me, ignoring what it was doing to me.
I was startled when I felt a hand on me, opening my eyes to see a young girl looking down at me, her silver eyes showing concern, and another girl with wild golden hair standing right next to her, her face also showing a slight bit of concern.
"Are you ok?" The silver-eyed girl asked softly.
I went to respond but found my voice caught inside my chest. My eyes widened with panic, I had gone mute. I lifted my right hand up, slowly spelling out in sign to see if they could understand me.
"D0 you understand sign?" I repeated the phrase over and over again, each time slowly and methodically. The two girls saw my hand before glancing at each other and then back at me.
"Are you deaf?" Silver eyes asked.
I shook my head.
"Are you mute?" The blonde asked.
This time I nodded, I held up a finger assuming that they didn't understand sign, my other hand reaching into the pockets of my jeans to grab my scroll. I opened it up to my notes app, the app I used when I had to talk to someone while mute and they didn't understand USL (Universal Sign Language)
My thumbs typed out a small message real quick, turning the scroll around for them to see. 'I am mute sometimes. it's too loud in here, too many people. panic attack'
The girls scanned the message before they both nodded in understanding. "Oh, here, wear these!" Silver eyes exclaimed, making me flinch from the rise in volume. She grabbed something out of a small bag on her hip, pulling out a pair of headphones. She placed them gently on my head, my face turning scarlet as she adjusted them to fit me while I sat completely still. The moment the headphones went over my ears it felt like the sound in the room was sucked out, the noise cutting down to a fraction of what it used to be. I breathed out a sigh of relief, the quiet relaxing my over-stimmed mind.
How had I never thought of this? Noise-canceling headphones were a great idea.
"Thank you." I typed out, silver eyes smiling as she reached down offering me a hand up. I took it slowly, making it back to my feet. Standing I could now see that me and her were about the same height, honestly, I think I might have had half an inch on her at best.
"My name is Ruby," She introduced herself before pointing at the tall blonde next to her. "and this is my big sister Yang!"
I gave a timid wave before typing my reply. "My name is Ryker. It's nice to meet you both."
"Why don't you come with us to the ballroom." Ruby's hand grabbed one of my own, the energetic girl not really asking more than telling me that I was coming with them. I let out an undignified yelp as she practically dragged me with her sister following behind us snickering at me.
"Uh-oh Ryker, looks like Ruby has adopted you as her first friend here." She teased, the comment making me flush with embarrassment. I was Rudy's friend? Her FIRST friend? How? All because she helped me while I was having a minor freakout?
"Yannnnnggggg" Ruby whined as we made our way through the hall. "Don't be weird." She pouted.
Ruby dragged us through the halls, finding our way into the ballroom. The two sisters excused themselves when they went to the women's locker room to get changed for bed, the entire ballroom being converted into what felt like one giant slumber party, every student's bags having been brought to the ballroom, my own two bags being there as well.
I thought about going into the men's locker room to get changed, but the thought of being in there with a bunch of guys getting changed was quickly vetoed by my brain. I instead found a supply closet to get changed in instead. It was a tight fit, but at least I wasn't surrounded by a bunch of dudes in various states of undress. I chose a simple red hoodie and gray sweatpants. The idea of showing any sort of skin or brothers forbid walking around shirtless like some guys I was now seeing in the ballroom was horrifying.
I held Ruby's headphones in my hands, the noise of the Ballroom much less compared to the auditorium, with most of the students winding down and going to bed, it was manageable without them. I had put my sleeping bag in a corner of the room, close to a window. I always felt more comfortable in spaces when I was near the exit. It just made sense to me.
I spotted Ruby and Yang only a few dozen feet away from me, the two talking to each other. I needed to give Ruby back her headphones. As I got closer to them I could hear their conversation.
"Well, what about Ryker? He was nice. See plus one friend already!" Yang encouraged with Ruby pouting in response.
"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. Back to zero." She grumbled before turning her head to me, my footsteps announcing my approach. "Ryker! Are you ok? Are you having another panic attack?"
I smiled softly. "No, I'm ok Ruby."
Ruby gasped when I spoke, her eyes practically having stars in them at how excited she was. "Oh my gosh, you can talk. I'm so happy, I was worried that you would never speak again!"
I quirked an eyebrow at that, Yang giggling at her sister's antics. "That's not really how selective mutism works, or at least not how my selective mutism works." I held out Ruby's headphones to her. "Here, I really appreciate you giving me these when it was so loud earlier, but it's pretty quiet now and I don't wanna keep you from them."
Ruby slowly grabbed them smiling as she did. "It was no problem, I'm just glad I was able to help you. If it ever gets too loud again, let me know and you can borrow them any time."
I nodded before all three of us got distracted by a new light being turned on, our head-turning to see a black-haired girl with a bow in her hair placing a candle next to her.
"That girl…" Ruby gasped.
"You know her?' Yang asked.
Ruby cringed a bit, her fingers tapping against each other as a guilty look crossed her face. "She was sort of there when I exploded this morning. I didn't really have a chance to talk to her."
"You exploded?" I questioned though Yang just waved me off.
"Well now is your chance." Yang grinned, getting up from her spot on the floor and picking up a protesting Ruby, dragging her pathetically to the raven-haired girl before promptly dumping Ruby to the floor in front of her. "Hello. I believe that you two may know each other."
"Aren't you the girl that exploded?" The raven-haired girl asked.
"Wait so that wasn't a figure of speech you actually exploded?" I asked.
"I mean it was just a tiny, itty-bitty, teenie-weenie explosion," Ruby whined, her voice petering out as she finished her sentence. "Anyway…my name is Ruby!"
"Ok."
Yang groaned, grabbing Ruby by the shoulders and turning her around. "What are you doing?"
"I don't know, help me!" Ruby aggressively whispered back.
"Whats your name?" I ask softly, pulling the girl's attention to me as the sisters bickered back and forth. "I don't really want to keep calling you the 'pretty girl with the bow' in my head." The moment I finished the sentence all three of them looked at me, Ruby in horror, Yang in glee, and the girl with the bow in suspicion. It took me a moment to realize what I had said, the moment my brain started working again my face matched Rubys. "Oh, my brothers. I'm so sorry, that's not what I meant. I mean I did mean it but I didn't mean to say it like that. I'm… I'm just gonna. I'm-" My voice cut off, face flushed as I refused to look at any of them, eyes focused solely on the floor.
"Ryker?" Ruby asked softly, the concern in her voice back.
I shook my head, my hand at my side letter signing sorry over and over again while my other one wrapped around me in a sort of hug. I always made a fool of myself, always saying the wrong thing. I kept spiraling till I saw a foot enter my vision, the black-haired girl gently tapping my leg with it making me look up at her. Her face is somewhat gentle, with a soft smile on it.
She set her book aside, bringing her hands up as she began to sign. "You are ok. My name is Blake," she spoke alongside signing back to me in USL.
"Wait, you can sign?" I signed back.
"You know sign language?" Ruby gasped.
Blake nodded. "I know a bit, but I wouldn't say I'm fluent." She spoke, while at the same time still signing to me, though she had to spell the words she didn't know the signs for.
"I can still hear, so you don't need to sign back. I'm just glad you can understand me, my scroll is back in my bag." I replied, my body slowly relaxing as I stuck to signing. Blake nodded in understanding as she picked her book back up.
"Well, it's nice to meet you Ruby, Ryker, and…" Blake looked to Yang.
"I'm Yang, Ruby's big sister."
Blake nodded, seemingly giving up on trying to read, though her annoyed expression from before my little freakout was gone, she seemed more neutral toward us now. "Well, it was nice to meet yo-"
"What is going on over there! Some of us are trying to sleep!" A shrill voice screeched, the noise making me flinch as I instinctively grabbed Ruby's hand from the sudden sound. I blushed pulling it from her as she offered me a small smile before I turned around seeing a very angry, very pale girl shooting all four of us the nastiest look.
"Oh, not you again!" Both the girl and Yang shouted pointing at each other. Apparently, they knew each other, and from the pissed-off look in Yang's eyes, it was not a good meeting.
"No Weiss is right. We are being too loud, people are trying to sleep." Ruby spoke, trying to calm her sister down. I smiled a bit, tuning the sisters and the pale girl named Weiss out. I turned to Blake who seemed to also be amused at their antics.
"Goodnight Blake." I signed.
"Goodnight Ryker." She signed back before turning to her candle to blow it out.
(Ozpin POV)
I overlooked the city of Vale from my office, a fresh cup of tea in my hand as Glynda went over various paperwork behind me. "Thoughts on our latest batch of candidates?"
"Nothing I haven't already said. though I feel like you're not asking me about the new prospective students as a whole and asking me specifically about two candidates I told you shouldn't be here." Glynda replied, her tone showing just how much she hated my choice to offer one Ruby Rose and Ryker Thorn admittance into Beacon.
"I believe I have already explained to you why both Ms. Rose and Mr. Thorne need to be watched over."
"You are still setting them up for disaster. Ms. Rose I partially understand, she is an excellent huntress in training, her grades and training from Branwen prove that. However, Mr. Thorne is an entirely different story. You are sending that young man out to his death. I doubt he will last long in tomorrow's exam and if he somehow makes it through he will likely die during one of his first missions. He is untrained and unprepared. You had already told me that you were going to deny his application and help him enroll at a combat school instead!" Glynda ranted, she had been badgering me about this anytime I neared the topic about the newly enrolled students for the year.
"I was, then Mr. Thorn literally turned back the clock and was going to keep doing so until I said yes. If I were anyone else I would have been none the wiser to what he did."
"So why Beacon, why couldn't he be sent to Signal and have Branwen look after him?"
"It is simply too dangerous to let Mr. Thorne go off and disappear to who knows where, even having him in another academy or school like Signal is simply too far. That young man's semblance is too powerful to just let him roam around freely. That's why we need to train him. That's why he needs to attend Beacon. That's why we need to make sure he remains on our side of this war."
Glynda sighed, setting her paperwork down on the desk, leaving it a mess for me to finish. Her goodwill for me was all used up for the day. "It will not matter how powerful Ryker Thorn's semblance is if he dies before we can train him."
I took a sip of my tea, nodding in agreement as Glynda's heels clicked against the marble floor of my office, the sound of the elevator opening up. "I tend to find that when someone is both desperate and determined, they can accomplish things thought impossible by others. Goodnight Glynda."
The door to the elevator shut without her even bothering to reply. I turned to my desk and sat down to finish all the paperwork that still needed to be done before tomorrow's exam. Tonight will be a long night.