“Once upon a time a girl not unlike yourself found herself in a mysterious world. Not unlike this one. But it was different, strange, both familiar and not at all. In this world, there were no Grimm, there were no hunters, and instead, there were simply students and a school.”
OP
As soon as my eyes drifted off I found myself waking up. Was I asleep? What time was it?
“With us Mrs. Nuit?” A familiar voice said, ringing out. It was Stella. Mrs. Nuit? What’s that supposed to mean?
“Uh, right sorry.” I said, sitting up in my chair. But this wasn’t where I sat. This wasn’t the Survival room at all. This looked like… I have no idea. The room was fairly linear, rows of desks facing a blackboard meant for writing on. Beacon didn’t have any rooms like this, at least to my knowledge. The silence of the class before Stella restarted the lecture was deafening as I reddened in embarrassment. I could see all of the usual suspects, Gratia, Lauren, Ben, Luke, Jericho. Everyone was here, I looked at Jericho, confused about where I was. He simply nodded with a smile.
I stayed quiet for most of the class, staring at notes that were… Mundane? Some math, some science, not much of it made sense though. I couldn’t find the symbol for dust anywhere, instead there was a table at the front of my notes with elements I had never seen before.
Where am I?
I approached Stella at the end of class, rubbing the back of my head in bewilderment. “Hey, Stella, mind if I ask you something?” I asked.
She turned to me with an indignant look on her face. “You do not call me
Stella.” She said flatly.
“W-what are you-“ I started.
“It is Mrs. Dodici to you. Bianca.” She replied.
Whoa… What?
“What are you talking about, Estelle?” I asked, getting angrier.
“I’m not your friend, do I need to call your mother?” She asked with a heated tone.
“N-no.” I replied, looking towards the door.
“Good.” She said turning her back on me to pay attention to the board once more. “You may leave now.”
I immediately found my way to the door. Pushing out into the crowded hallway. What the hell is this place? I’ve got to find the others. I should start with Luke, maybe Gratia.
“Bianca!” Someone called out. It was Jericho. Oh thank god.
“Jer, where the hell are we? A-am I dreaming?” I asked rubbing my head, even though I felt perfectly clear.
“Wow, you look a little pale. Are you okay?” He said, pushing some of my onyx hair out of my eye-
Black hair.
I have black hair.
What is happening.
I pushed Jericho’s hand off of the side of my head in shock.
“Bianca! I’m just trying to make sure you’re okay, that you’re comfortable. My lil’ chicken nugget.” He said.
That. That is not Jericho Piper. Jericho, first of his name, last of his god damned name if he has any say in it (he doesn’t) Piper.
“I-uh, I need to go for a walk.” I said pushing past him as a few girls laughed from behind me. I wanted to fly out of here. I wanted to leave. I-
My wings.
Where are my wings?
Why aren’t they here?
Stop.
Calm down.
You have black hair here. You are not Bianca, this is not real. You need to wake up.
“Hey Bianca, Jericho giving you a hard time?” A man asked. I stopped mid-tracks standing in the middle of the hallway.
“Uh, who are you?” I said glancing at him, he was quite a bit taller than me, must’ve been six foot four and built like a Mack truck. A mack… What the hell is that?
“It’s me… Lucas Schwarz? Captain of the football team, you childhood friend?”
That. That is not Luke. That cannot be Luke.
I know Luke. Luke is a great guy. I love Luke like a brother.
This was an oak tree of a man.
That was not Luke.
“Right, hey Luke! Nope, just going to run out really quick, got PE next!” No you don’t. You don’t have PE next… But, don’t I?
I pulled out my phone-
What is a phone? Where is my scroll?
I stood bewildered by the device in my hand before Luke gave me a heavy pat on the head and started walking me in the direction of the pool.
… I suppose there’s a pool here. Why do I know that?
My phone prompted me with a combination. My fingers flew across the number pad before I could even process what it was asking me and quickly tapped on the photos app. One saved photo, my schedule.
It wasn’t my Beacon schedule.
But I knew it. I had PE, then Photography, and ended my day with Calculus. With Lucas. Luke. Not Lucas.
As we walked into PE I saw the class had already begun without me. People were jumping into the pool, but the line seemed to be held up by one person.
I knew who it was. Not because I could make her out from here, but because of the pattern.
“Lucas, that’s Beryl isn’t it?” I asked cautiously pointing.
“The girl who doesn’t wanna dive in? Who else would it be? She does this every day.”
My god.
“Okay, well I’ll see you in Calculus gotta go get changed.” I said looking for a changing room.
“Oh did you stop doing your thing?” He asked me.
“No, I didn’t.” I replied without thinking. What is my thing?
Why do I almost remember it?
I wear my bathing suit underneath my clothes. Because I don’t like the change room. Because of-
Oh my god no.
“Be right back.” I said storming into the changing room, which I now knew was to the left of the entrance. I left Lucas in my dust, leaving him scratching his head at my behaviour. I walked into the changing room and was met with my biggest fear.
I was right.
In beautiful leather thigh high boots, a black skirt and a sweater vest with a dress shirt underneath stood the one woman who had no right to be there.
“Vega.”
“What the fuck are you looking at, birdbrain?” She replied, almost sending me toppling over.
“I-Why do you call me that? I don’t have wings!” I shouted.
“Because you birdwatch… You freak.” This is why I wore my bathing suit underneath my outfit. Underneath my plaid skirt, and my- “Plaid on plaid again huh? Tragic.” She added.
Help me.
I need help.
I need Gratia. And I knew where to find her.
I raced out of the changing room, in nothing but my bathing suit. When I had gotten out of my other clothes?
I raced into room 2F and threw the door open, panting loudly. There was Ben and Lauren. Finally, of course they’d be together. They were always together.
“Jesus, Bianca – little sinful to be running around in basically-“ Lauren started “your
undies” She finished whispering as if to avoid saying it out loud.
“Ben. Hallway. Now.” I said, not even looking at him, I needed somebody. I hadn’t even spoken to Ben past pleasantries, but I was desperate.
“What’s up baby?” He asked. I took a step back in disgust to be met with the full picture.
He was overweight, had a lazy eye and refused to meet my eye line, instead looking right through my chest.
Okay. This isn’t happening. Go to the library. Why do I know where the library is?
I didn’t have time for these questions. I left.
As soon as I got there, however, I found a scene unfolding.
“Stupid bitch, I got a 67 on this, I know you’re smarter than that and if you bomb this on purpose I swear to-“
“Fuck off Cyan.” The words escaped my lips before I could think about what I was saying.
The girl snorted when she saw my outfit, stepping into my comfort zone. “Or what?”
“Or I’ll snuff you out.” I shouted. Cyan’s eyes widened and she backed off, taking a few steps before scoffing and pushing past me.
The girl who was being bullied looked up to me. “T-thank you, B-Bianca, that w-was really ki-kind of you.”
“Don’t mention it Gratia.”
No. Not her too.
“I need to leave, be good okay?”
“O-oh, s-sure.” Gratia replied, disappointed.
I stormed out of the school in nothing but my bathing suit. What is happening? How can this be real? My crocs caught my every other frantic step. At least they were comfortable though.
A homeless man approached me. Ozpin. It was definitely Ozpin. “Oz?” I called out.
“How do you know my name?” He asked, looking in the vaguely correct direction.
“Fuck.” I replied. Pissed off with myself.
I immediately made my way home, navigating the busy side-streets of San Francisco.
What is a San Francisco? It looks like Atlesian architecture with some…
What was that place?
M- something?
Mistarless?
Mistralese.
Mistral.
Where I was born.
I walked in the door, I could hear mom on the phone, smell the cigarette smoke in the air. But mom didn’t smoke. Mom wasn’t alive.
I ran upstairs as she called out to me, locking my door behind me.
The five by five room was tiny, probably one of the smallest in SanFran, but it was cozy. Not like I was used to much better.
I laid my head on my pillow, I remember buying it, we got them on sale…
A three for one…
My eyes were drifting once more.
And I awoke.
“J-jericho?” I stifled out, waking up in a room that looked similar to the survival classroom.
“Don’t fall asleep, we will regiment your sleep schedule after this class, you need to be healthier and readily available to absorb information in class. We will talk about this later.
“Oh thank god.” I replied.
“Don’t thank me, if Beacon were to fall because you were asleep, I’d never hear the end of it.”
ED
fledermaus,
Plank Sinatra,
Izurich
