Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. That would be Monty Oum and the people over at Rooster Teeth.

This is my first RWBY story so I'm not sure how this story is going to work just yet. But then, I never do. Welcome to the improvisation station everyone, the train is leaving now. We will now commence with making stuff up as we go.

I stepped off the airship as it landed at Beacon. Seeing the building brought my mission back to the forefront of my mind. "Three years." I said to myself. "Three years and you're still here. Accept it. You may never get back home.

"No, I can't do that." I argued with myself. "I have to keep trying.

"You don't even know how you got here, so how are you going to get back?

"I'll think of something!"

"Are you just going to stand there talking to yourself or are you going to get moving?" a voice from behind me demanded. I turned and almost did a double take. She looked almost exactly like Weiss Schnee, albeit a decade younger. Everything was there, from the long, white, off-center ponytail to the white dress, excuse me, "combat skirt", to the revolver rapier at her waist. The face was a bit different, but aside from that it was like looking at a younger version of Weiss.

"Sorry, I was preoccupied." I extended a hand. "Kevin Malder."

"Lily Andell." She did not take my hand. "Aren't you a bit old to be starting at Beacon?"

"Yes." I said through gritted teeth.

"Were you held back or something?"

"No." I really didn't like this line of questioning.

"Then why?"

"Which response would you like?" I asked. "I could say it's a long and complicated story. I could say you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Or I could say it's really none of your business. Any of which would be completely factual."

"Fine." She walked off.

That might have been a bit harsh. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

I headed towards Beacon's main hall where I would be staying tonight, along with all the other new students. Ruby had made a point of giving me a map so I wouldn't get lost. I have no idea why she keeps after me. After all, I'm not her responsibility or anything.

Even if I do owe her my life. My mind flashed back to that day, three years ago.

It was a gorgeous day. Summer had only just settled in and the heat and energy was infectious. School was out, I had nothing I needed to do, and the weather was beautiful. A perfect day for a hike in the park. I gathered up my hiking gear, left a note for my mom explaining where I was going, and set off for the park. It wasn't far, easy walking distance. Perfect for when I just had to get out of the house and move.

The park was huge, covering acres of rolling hills, bubbling streams, and mysterious forests. Paths spread out from the park's entrance, but I ignored them. No sissy hiking trail for me, I was going to make my own!

I reached the edge of one of the small forests and strode straight in. My hiking stick in one hand, I forged deeper and deeper into the trees. The ground crunched beneath my heavy boots as I started up a hill. I'd been over every inch of this hill before, but because of the enviornment around it, it always seemed like there was something new to find.

Today however there really was something new. At thetop of the hill was a small clearing. Usually it was empty, but today there was something there. A circle of stones such as one might use to mark the grave of a pet lay in the grass.

"Huh." I grunted, slightly perplexed. It seemed an odd place to bury a pet. None of the paths led to it, and it wasn't even a particularly scenic location. Well, it wasn't my problem. I looked at the stones and noticed that one of them seemed out of place, like maybe a raccoon had overturned it looking for worms.

That was when I made my mistake. It was an honest one, and I suspect I'd make it again today if presented with the same situation, but it was still a mistake. I bent down and pushed the stone back into place, closing the circle. The world seemed to vanish before my very eyes, only to be replaced with a snowy vista. The summer warmth vanished and I started shivering.

"What the-" was all I got out before my day went from weird to awful. The park did have the occasional bear in it, but the wolf-like thing that burst from the trees to charge at me was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Its size was terrifying enough, but the thing was also armored and bipedal. I started to back away, but was interrupted by a red blur.

A woman dressed like a gothic Little Red Riding Hood appeared in front of me carrying what I instantly dubbed The Scythe of Doom, Destruction, and Despair. The wolf creature fell to the ground in two pieces, cleanly cut in half by that monstrous weapon.

My memories had taken me to the door, so I entered. I don't really remember all that much about the opening ceremony, save that it was brief. Ozpin gave a speech and then everybody was released. I did my best to avoid attention, sneaking off into a corner of the massive hall as soon as I could. I pulled a book out of the pack I was carrying. I opened it up and was about to start reading when something bright red invaded my space.

"Hiya!" the girl in red said. Her pants, shirt, and hair all matched, each being the exact same shade of blindingly bright red that made her almost painful to look at. The lack of variety didn't exactly help either. "I'm Rachel! Rachel Charlotte!"

"...Kevin Malder." I said, wary. There was a nervous energy about this girl that put me on edge.

"Aren't you a bit old to be starting at Beacon?" she asked. "Were you held back?"

I sighed. "No, I was not held back. The real story is long, complicated, and you wouldn't believe it in the first place, so please leave me alone."

"Awww, how do you know what I'll believe?" she asked, a pleading expression covering her face. "Tell me, tell me, tell meeeee!"

I groaned. She was getting really annoying. "Alright, short version, I'm an alien from another dimension." That should get rid of her. It usually did. Even if it was the truth.

"Cool!"

That... was not the reaction I was expecting.

"Is that why you're reading a boring old history book before classes even start? Because you want to learn about this world?"

Okay, that was scary. This girl was clearly smarter than her childish antics had lead me to believe.

"Yeah, that's it."

"That's cool." She paused for a moment to consider, then asked her next question. "So how old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"How long have you been here?"

"Three years." I didn't want to admit it, but it felt... nice to be able to tell someone my story. Up until now I'd only ever told the people who absolutely needed to know. Team RWBY knew of course, they were the ones who brought me in, and they'd helped me explain the situation to the headmaster at Signal, but that was about it. Oh, and Professor Ozpin knew. And now this girl.

"So, what's your world like?" she asked.

"Do you always ask so many questions?"

"Yes. Yes she does." I looked up. And up. And up some more before my eyes finally came across the face of the man who had spoken. I'm fairly tall in my own right, but this man made me feel downright short. The dark blue afro on his head didn't exactly help either. "David Marin." He offered me a hand the size of a shovel.

"Kevin Malder." My hand vanished into his as we shook.

"Aren't you a little old to be starting at Beacon?" the inevitable question came.

"Yes, I'm-"

"He's an alien from another dimension!" Rachel blurted out.

"...Yeah. That. I'm from another world."

He looked me over. "I believe you." he said.

Again, not in the category of reactions I expected.

"Why?"

"Because you're not lying."

"And you know this how?"

"Call it intuition."

"David can always tell if someone's lying!" Rachel broke in.

"Sounds like a useful skill."

"It serves its purpose." he said. "Come on Rachel, we should give Kevin here some space."

"Thanks. See you at initiation." I picked up my book again.

"Seeya!"

"Good night."

Well that was very much unexpected. Maybe I'd end up on the same team as one of them. It would be nice not having to hide my secret.

I dove back into my book. You would think three years would be enough time to learn about the history of a place, at least, well enough to get by, and you'd probably be right. Unfortunately, history had ended up at the bottom of the list of things I had to learn about. Don't get me wrong, I like history, but practical matters came first. Between Dust, Grimm, Aura, and Semblances, I had plenty to learn about. And of course the last three years I'd been a student at Signal, where I'd learned how to fight. But now I knew I was going to have to learn. Signal had allowed me to skip the history classes as an allowance to my circumstances, which had also allowed me to complete the other courses a year ahead of schedule, but I was determined to make it at Beacon without any handicaps.

I grumbled to myself. How was history going to help me get home? It was interesting, sure, but not particularly useful. I shook myself. I'd spent three years of hard work to get into Beacon. I was already scheduled to spend another four years working to become a huntsman before I could even begin looking for a way home. It was only fair if I did my best to fit in in this foreign world in the meantime. I continued my reading. I had to finish the book by the end of the week, and tomorrow was initiation. I doubted I'd get much done that day so I had to get some extra reading in tonight. The last of the sun's light faded from the hall as my first day at Beacon ended.

A/N: That's it for chapter one. One minor note, this story actually does follow Monty Oum's rules for creating RWBY characters. Even Kevin follows the rules. Everyone's name is associated with a color, although I had to get creative with a few of them.

So, good, bad, boring as sin? Leave a review and let me know.