The house was burning.

Bright, angry, flames devoured anything in their way, tinting the walls of the mansion in an orange, reddish hue. The smoke filled air burned her lungs with every painful breath she took, as she sprinted through the corridor towards the staircase. The fire had already engulfed most of it. Stumbling down she could still hear the desperate cries of her mother and sister.

"Cinderella!"

Run!

She needed to run, to escape.

"Come back!"

The front door was behind a wall of hot flames, blocking her way out.

She was trapped.

"Help us!"

No! She refused to die here.

With as much energy as her little body could still muster she threw herself against the burning door, only to find it locked.

'Hot!'

A piercing pain shot right through her shoulder, as the wood before her began to splinter at the sudden impact. The hem of her dress caught fire, as she stemmed with all her might against the front door, but aside from emitting a loud creaking noise it didn't seem to budge.

'No!'

She had to get out of here.

Placing her small hands desperately on the wooden surface, she pushed it again.

Her heart was racing madly inside her chest, as the sheer hopelessness of the situation sunk in.

She couldn't give up now!

She was so close…

…so close…

Something was building inside her. A heavy aching, something raw and untamed, pressing right underneath her skin…

Behind her eyes…

The flames seemed to cool down, still licking at every inflammable fabric on her body they could find, but she couldn't feel them anymore.

The heat was simply…gone.

The pressure in her eyes worsened…

Her ears began to ring…

"CINDERELLA!"

The world around her exploded with a terrifying scream, as she felt a hot sensation running through her amber eyes, bursting the door out of its angle and she was finally free.

But she wasn't safe yet!

She needed to get away!

"Cinder…"

She needed to…

"Cinder!"

Needed…

"CIIIIINDER!"

Her eyes flew open with a start, as a shrill whistling noise seemingly tried to punch her eardrums out. In a fluid motion, she intercepted the hand holding the cursed thing that was responsible for this horrendous sound, and pulled it down, while she slipped out of the bed, turning herself around to pin the perpetrator against it.

Silver eyes widened comically as they made contact with hers and a sheepish grin spread over the young girl's face.

"Good morning, Cinder."

Cinder cocked her eyebrow at her.

This wasn't the first time that their mother thought sending Ruby to wake her up was a good Idea and it probably wouldn't be the last one either.

Sighing loudly she let go of her younger sister and shook her head in disbelief at the sight of the whistle in her left hand.

"Really, Ruby?"

Running a hand through her unruly curls she looked at the clock on her nightstand.

Six o'clock.

She could have slept for at least another hour…

Well…if the nightmare wouldn't have woken her up before that.

So in a way, maybe she should be grateful that Ruby did wake her after all.

Everything was better than living through her past again. As glad as she was that it would always end with her finding her new family, she preferred not to think about her old life too much.

Ruby's grin widened. Standing up from Cinder's bed, she beamed, holding the whistle in front of her.

"I thought it would come in handy.

Yang gave it to me.

She said it will help me make new friends, once we're at Beacon!"

'Oh!'

Right.

Her sisters would attend Beacon this year. It would be the first time all three of them visited the same school together and it was all thanks to Roman Torchwick. Ruby's fight against him and that mysterious girl, who had helped him to get away, had apparently impressed the headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin, enough to let her enroll two years early.

She really ought to talk to Neo about this.

Cinder knew that, after she had recruited the mute girl, her uncle had cut all ties with her.

Something that had hurt Neo deeply and took her nearly a year to recover from.

So him suddenly appearing out of nowhere again, clearly involved in some sort of robbery scheme, was highly alarming in her opinion.

Not the fact that he was a criminal, no, that would be very hypocritical of her.

After all, all of Cinder's teammates had a…questionable past to say the least. They all had been involved in some shady things throughout their lives.

That was why they worked so hard to be the best.

To show the rest of Remnant what lost causes could actually do.

Team CMNE, the band of misfits, currently the highest ranking team in their year, would revolutionize the world!

"Sure", she answered Ruby absentmindedly, while searching for her clothes, as she rummaged through her already packed bag, "if you want them to avoid you, be my guest."

Out of the corner of her eyes she could see the younger girl's expression fall.

'Guess I could have worded that better.'

Sighing softly, she ran her fingers through black hair, tugging a few lose strands behind her ear, as she let up from her bag and turned around, mustering her sister thoughtfully.

"Look, if you want to make new friends, just…be yourself."

Be yourself, kid.

You're not as scary as you might think.

…

Well, at least that sounded closer to actual advice a big sister would give.

"Yeah…that's what Ma keeps telling me too…", Ruby muttered almost inaudible, lowering her eyes towards the ground, as she tried to avoid Cinder's probing gaze.

'…strange.'

That should have at least provoked a smile out of her.

Normally she wouldn't pass up the chance to tease Cinder for her choice of words.

"Alright, out with it, what is troubling you?"

If she knew one thing about the girl in front of her it was how passionate she was when it came to Beacon and being a Huntress. She had wanted to become one since she had been a small child, tagging along to Cinder's own training sessions and then later on Yang's, just to start training as early as possible, which in retrospect made her current mood somewhat peculiar.

"I thought attending Beacon was your dream. How come you are so gloomy all of a sudden?"

"Oh, I…I had a talk with Yang the other day and she told me everyone at Beacon will think I'm the bee's knees, but…I don't want to be the bee's knees. I don't wanna be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees…"

"You don't want them to think that you are special."

"I'm not like you…I just want to…blend in and not draw attention to the fact that I got moved ahead two years."

A small smile spread over the dark haired girl's face at that. Call it what you want, but she did like to be reminded that she was one of a kind.

"For the record, no one can be like me!

And no one can be like you either. But that doesn't mean you will get special treatment.

Fact is, no one in Beacon will think you are the bee's knees as you put it. You got there because you are good at fighting Grimm?

Awesome, so did they."

Cinder paused, as she crossed the distance between them and put her right hand on her little sister's shoulder.

"What I mean is", she continued in a slightly softer tone, "You getting in two years early won't matter to them. So if you don't want unwanted attention you won't get it unless of course, you do something extraordinary to warrant it."

"Like you and your team did at your initiation?"

She smirked at that. Her initiation had certainly been a spectacle, that's for sure. She never had been scolded and praised so much for one and the same thing in her entire life.

"Yes, you probably shouldn't try something like that, if you want to fly under the radar."

Ruby pouted at that.

Seriously, the girl couldn't seem to make up her mind, could she?

"But that's the best part of it, fighting monsters with my beloved Crescent Rose."

Giving her sister a pointed look seemed to do the trick though, as she gave in with an overdramatic sigh.

"Ugh, fine, but if the others start to treat me like a little kid, I won't guarantee for anything."

She had half a mind to retort: "Then don't act like one" to her, but she still had too much to prepare for school and frankly this conversation was going on long enough. Not to mention that it was probably…not the most considerate thing to say.

She definitely was not a morning person.

"Glad to be of help.

Now, get out of my room!"

Ruby didn't even seem surprised, instead she speeded to the door without complaining…too much. Cinder watched her hesitate at the doorstep for a few seconds, before she turned her head once more and gave her a warm smile.

"Thanks sis."

"Look who finally got out of bed", were the first words that greeted Cinder when she finally managed to join the rest of her family in the living room.

She rolled her eyes in response.

Typical Yang.

Her sisters sat on the couch, each of them holding a plate full of pancakes with way too much syrup on top of them.

Ruby had stopped shoveling that sugary sweet into her mouth and gave her a quick smile, before continuing to apparently inhale her food.

…just what was it with Ruby and food honestly?

She could hear the clatter of dishes sounding from the kitchen, which probably meant, their mother still wasn't completely finished with preparing breakfast for all of them.

So despite waking up way too early, she somehow still managed to be late for the first handout.

Muttering a soft curse under her breath, she sat down across from her sisters, crossing her arms impatiently.

She had wanted to get going as soon as possible to meet with Emerald and the rest of her team, before boarding the airship.

'Oh well…guess it can't be helped now.'

"What's wrong, sis?

Afraid of keeping your top spot at school, now that me and Ruby are joining?"

Cinder stomped down the impulse to roll her eyes again.

Great, now she had to deal with Yang's self-proclaimed rivalry for the next two years.

That sounded like fun…not.

"It's Ruby and I actually", she shot back, allowing herself a pleased smirk, as Yang's expression soured.

"Like I asked, know it all!"

"Now, now, is that any way to talk to your sister?"

"Mom!", literally all three of them managed to call out almost in tandem, as Raven Branwen stepped through one of her very famous portals and joined them in the living room.

Not that this was an unusual occurrence, but one could never be too sure about when their mom decided to drop by. The disbelief must have still been shown on their faces, at least on Yang's, because Raven rolled her eyes at them and stemmed her hands into her hips.

"Don't look so shocked. I wouldn't miss your big day."

"Mom…I-", began Yang, still watching their mother as if she had just seen a ghost.

Maybe she had. Cinder knew how much her younger sister looked forward to Raven's visits. How much she wished to impress her really.

But before the blonde could finish her sentence another voice could be heard coming from the kitchen.

"Raven, did you use your semblance again?"

Summer appeared in the doorway, balancing several more dishes loaded with pancakes on her arms, staring at their mom with something that looked like a stern pout, causing Raven to scowl, crossing her arms defensively.

"What? You didn't like me coming through the window last time."

"Why can't you just use the door like a normal person?"

Sighing loudly, Summer broke their staring contest and huffed a bit.

"…fine. Here, you can carry your own plate then."

Raven for her part simply shrugged, after Summer literally pushed a plate of pancakes into her hands, and seated herself next to Cinder, who was handed her own portion finally.

Cinder would never admit to it, but she did enjoy a sweet breakfast just as much as her sisters, especially if it was made by Summer. Nothing against Raven's cooking skills, but the last time she had tried to make them something the kitchen had looked as if a horde of Ursas had been trampled through it, Summer's words, not hers. The meal had been pretty decent, but it hadn't been quite worth all the hours it took to repair and clean the kitchen after that.

As the dark haired girl started to eat she threw a sideway glance at her mothers. Raven, who was apparently fed up with being ignored, dragged Summer down onto her lap, muffling the small squeak she let out by surprise by kissing her softly as some sort of unspoken apology and murmured something into her ear that she couldn't hear, but that made her mother's face flush almost as red as Raven's eyes. When the bandit tried to feed her some pancakes next, cocking her head to the side and smiled at the woman she loved with her most charming smile her mother practically melted on the spot.

Cinder exchanged a knowing look with Ruby and Yang at that display. The younger girl grinned almost bashfully, while the older one just rolled her eyes and she couldn't fault them for this. Everyone in this family knew that Summer never stayed mad at Raven for long. Sometimes the siblings even made bets about it. Cookies being the favorite inset most of the time.

Noticing the stares their mothers broke away from each other, as Raven cleared her throat and tried to start a conversation.

"Tai already left?"

Thankful for that practical icebreaker Summer nodded and sat down right next to her.

"Yes, he had some kind of teacher conference before the semester starts."

"It can't be helped then.

So…", Raven's eyes landed on Ruby who had continued stuffing her face with her second helpings, "are you ready for your own team, Tiny Summer?"

Like a deer caught in the headlights, the younger girl swallowed visibly after almost chocking on her food.

"Oh…uh…I don't know if I'm leader material…"

"Nonsense, your mother was one of the best and seeing as Cinder here will obviously win the Vytal-"

"I know my team will top even yours, Cinder!", Yang called out fully motivated while slapping her fist and hand together soundly, giving her sister a challenging look "Better be prepared for the Yang bomb to hit ya."

"In your dreams maybe", replied Cinder sassily, almost at the same time their mom inquired:

"Your team?", startling both her and Yang for a moment, both of their eyes landing on Raven.

"Well…yeah…I'm gonna be a team leader as well, you know?", said the blonde with something akin to hesitation, causing Summer to jump in in support.

"Of course you will, sweetie.

We believe in you, all of us do."

Raven's first reaction at those words were her furrowing her brows, throwing a quizzically look to Summer, before being subtly punched into the ribs by her, without breaking eye contact with Yang.

Sometimes things like these happened. Raven not being atuned to Yang's feelings and vice versa. It had never culminated into a full on fight, but if Cinder had to guess it was one of the biggest driving forces behind her and Yang's rivalry.

She knew she was something akin to Raven's favorite, but in the end that wasn't her fault, nor was it her problem.

You only got that because you are his favorite!

…

"…right", answered their mother after a rather long pause, her red eyes meeting Yang's for a second before looking away.

An awkward silence settled between all of them, neither really knowing how to steer the conversation back to a more pleasant topic.

In the end it was Summer who succeeded in letting the almost palpable uneasiness evaporate…by being the concerned mother she was.

"Oh Cinder, could you please stay with your sisters for a while? At least until you all reach Beacon?"

"Ma!"

The aircraft was as crowded as usual. Normally Cinder didn't care so much about that, but being stuck with her younger sisters in the first year section was getting on her nerves after a while. All these hyper, enthusiastic people thinking they were entitled to be here. How many of them actually had to fight with the authorities? How many of them actually knew the real world, the real Remnant?

She leaned casually against a wall, trying not to look as bored as she momentarily felt while she checked her scroll.

Still nothing.

She had tried to contact Emerald about a dozen times now. None of her teammates had deemed it important enough to reply.

Oh well.

She only hoped…

As the chatter around them stopped abruptly her gaze immediately snapped to the screen depicting the most recent news.

They were talking about Roman Torchwick.

'Shit!'

That was exactly what she had been worried about.

She hadn't been able to get in touch with Neo beforehand. And if this newscast was shown here it was shown in the third year section as well.

Balling her hands into fists she cursed silently under her breath, as she excused herself rather hastily from Ruby and Yang and made her way to the hallway. There was a small twinge of guilt, as her eyes met Ruby's, who still looked so insecure about herself and her situation. But she knew exactly how people would react to Neo. How they would try to harass her. She would be there for Ruby some more after she dealt with that.

Her team needed her more right now.

Try to enjoy your first year at Beacon.

'That's right...

Try to calm down...

No need to be nervous...

You can do this!'

Pyrrha sighed in relief when she finally passed the aircraft security and escaped the large crowd of people that called themselves her fans. It's not that she hasn't felt flattered the first times this had happened, but over the course of literal months...it had become quite frequent. And here she had thought moving to Vale would make a difference.

Maybe all of this was a mistake after all.

Coming to Beacon...

Everything was so...different from home...and she still hadn't been able to form a single friendship since she moved here.

'It's probably better this way'

Try to enjoy your first year at Beacon.

...god, she really missed her mom...

Heraima Nikos hadn't particularly liked the thought of her only daughter becoming a world renowned Huntress, but seeing how happy it made her, how fulfilling this path was to her, she had begrudgingly accepted it and given Pyrrha her blessing. The redhead couldn't have wished for a better and more understanding mother even if she wanted to.

She may have hoped her daughter would chose a simpler and more safer live, one where she didn't have to risk her wellbeing constantly...or was chased by excessive fans, but in the end she did enrol her into Sanctum Academy. And that had been everything that Pyrrha had wanted for so long. Even after it became clear that she was apparently a true prodigy, making a name for herself as the invincible girl her mother never once questioned her decision. To the contrary, moving to Vale and enrolling in Beacon had all been her idea. She really was that supportive.

Pyrrha should have been ecstatic...she was...but...

'What am I-?'

Her thoughts where abruptly interrupted when she forcefully collided with another person, throwing her off balance in the process. She tumbled, already feeling herself disconnecting from the floor underneath her, but then, so fast she almost didn't catch sight of it, a hand reached out to her, holding onto her waist and keeping her afoot long enough for her to steady herself again.

"Are you alright?"

Even more startled, Pyrrha's eyes darted to her rescuer. Amber, or maybe gold, was the first thing that her vision caught, as she took in the person now standing in front of her.

The owner of those really mesmerizing eyes seemed to be a girl, appearing not much older than her, staring at her with something akin to curiosity. They were funnily around the same height, so Pyrrha must have been really zoned out to have not noticed her sooner. The girl cocked her head to the side, her curly, dark hair falling over her left shoulder in the process, as her gaze landed on her hand still on Pyrrha's waist, a small smirk flitting over her features as she disentangled her hand and stepped back, allowing the redhead to breathe freely again. She hadn't even realized she had been holding it to begin with.

'How weird...'

Now with a bit more space between them, she could make out the Beacon uniform the dark haired girl was already wearing, which meant she was at the very least in the right airship.

One could never be too sure while being chased by a mass of fans.

The other mustered her strangely now, her smirk giving way to a frown and Pyrrha realized with sudden clarity that she had spent the last few minutes just straight up staring dumbfounded at the stranger in front of her without ever answering her question.

"I'm sorry!", she finally said embarrassed, her cheeks flushing slightly, as she frantically tried to organize her jumbled thoughts again.

"I didn't watch where I was going."

The other girl's expression went from mild concern to amuse almost immediately.

Well...at least one of them seemed to find this awkward situation entertaining.

The seconds ticked by and Pyrrha began to look around somewhat nervously.

Those fans sure had made her a bit jumpy...or maybe it was the dark haired girl's intense look that just didn't let up.

She was onto her, wasn't she?

Figuring out just who she was and then...

Letting out a tired sigh, she tried to smile politely.

...she really needed a break from...all of this, at least for a while.

'Stop deluding yourself!'

A soft melodic sound reached her ears, as the other girl begun to chuckle.

"You sure are nervous, aren't you?"

Nervous?

No, more like-

But before Pyrrha was even able to finish her thoughts, let alone answer the question, the stranger threw her a charming smile and added pleasantly:

"And no need to take all the blame. I haven't been paying attention to where I was going as well."

The girl gave her another searching look.

"You are a first year."

It sounded more like a statement than a question, but Pyrrha nodded nonetheless.

"Yes...", she said hesitantly, eying the other girl with confusion.

There still seemed to be no recognition whatsoever, which was good, but-

"What's your name?"

'Huh?'

Did...she really not know?

But why had she looked at her so strangely then?

Was she aware of-?

No, that would be absolutely ridiculous.

She must really not recognize her.

It was so rare to meet people like that, seeing as almost everyone knew her as the invincible girl.

The dark haired stranger must have misinterpreted her silence for hesitation on her part, because she seemingly shrugged and offered her her hand.

"Cinder Branwen. I'm a third year student at Beacon."

Pyrrha didn't know why, but that girl, Cinder, did intrigue her. There was this...pull for a lack of a better word, incredibly soft, but definitely present. It almost felt like...

'Destiny...'

A small smile spread over her face, as she shook the outstretched hand.

"Pyrrha Nikos. It's nice to meet you."

She looked at the other girl intently to gauge her reaction.

...nothing.

The name really didn't seem to tell her anything.

Did Cinder just not keep up with the media and commercials?

"Well aren't you polite?", asked Cinder certainly amused.

"That wasn't so scary now, was it?"

The redhead's eyes widened, as it sunk in just how insecure she must have appeared to the other girl and she hurriedly raised her hands in front of her in a desperate attempt to explain herself.

"Oh no, I'm...actually only surprised you don't know me...eh, recognize me, I mean."

She trailed off when she saw Cinder furrowing her eyebrows, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Should I?", the dark haired girl asked with something akin to...mockery? She wasn't sure.

Trying to ignore that tone Pyrrha tried to explain herself further.

"Not at all, I'm just...kind of famous around certain parts of Anima, so I thought-"

"That I would fan girl over you as soon as I figured out your identity?"

The redhead's eyes widened in shock once more. That wasn't what she had meant at all.

"No! I would more than like it if people don't..."

She trailed off.

Cinder's smile had returned in full, her amber eyes glowing with mirth.

Pyrrha didn't really appreciate how that girl was talking to her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as her voice dropped to a stern tone.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't like the way you're-"

"I am joking, of course."

'She really loves talking all over me, doesn't she?'

She gave Cinder a doubtful look that she returned with a pleased expression of her own.

Just what was this girl's deal?

"But you do remind me of some other first year student who doesn't want to be seen as special."

That did catch her interest. Another prodigy?

She should take note of this.

"And who do you mean by that?", she asked, her voice still having a slight, concerned edge to it.

She really didn't feel like being made even more fun of right now. Watching Cinder carefully, she saw the older girl shrugging nonchalant, never once losing that almost overbearing smirk of hers.

"How about...I introduce you to them? Seeing as you already missed Miss Goodwitch's speech and all."

As much as this girl rattled her at the moment, it was probably a smart idea. Better than standing around in the hallway. Cinder apparently thought she didn't need to wait for an answer, as she simply turned around and walked into the direction she obviously had come from before bumping into her. Pyrrha sighed almost resigned, but followed her nonetheless.

The corridor of the airship was really more longwinded than she had imagined, with the occasional windows and different branches dividing their way. If there weren't any holographic signs pointing to the first year section Pyrrha was sure many students would have gotten lost by now.

Finally the narrow path gave way to a more spacious room with several people standing around in small groups, seemingly chatting with each other in total excitement.

Who could fault them?

Getting into Beacon was no small feat. And the next four years were promising to be the greatest of their lives.

...at the very least they wouldn't be boring.

Still following the dark haired girl she was led to two other girls standing a bit offside from the others. The taller one, with hair so impossibly blond that Pyrrha wasn't sure if she may be able to radiate like the sun, was talking animatedly to the smaller one, whose hair appeared to be a perfect mix of dark red and black. Both of them seemed to wear their usual Huntress attire, but then again, none of them had started Beacon. They would get the standard uniform once they formed their teams.

When Cinder drew nearer to them, the girls threw her a quizzical look.

"Back so soon, sis?", the blonde haired girl shot at them almost immediately, a big grin spreading over her face, as she stemmed both of her hands into her hips.

'Sis?'

So Cinder and her were sisters?

"Who's your friend there?", asked the smaller girl, mustering the redhead with curiosity.

Her tone was definitely far more pleasant than the mocking one she had picked up from Cinder and her sister.

Before Pyrrha could even step forward to introduce herself, the taller girl patted the smaller one's shoulder with a short laugh.

"Oh c'mon Rubes, Cinder doesn't do friends.

So what poor soul did you drag here?"

The girl sounded almost challenging, but all it did was cause Cinder to roll her eyes at her, while she motioned towards her.

"This is Pyrrha Nikos and let me tell you she has far more manners than you will ever have."

She sighed almost dramatically when she turned her head to Pyrrha and just vaguely pointed to the girls in return.

"These two are my younger sisters. The one with the big mouth is Yang Xiao-Long and this..."

She paused, as she realized that the smaller girl had stepped closer to the redhead while she had talked, looking incredibly transfixed at her...armor?

Chuckling softly, Cinder finished her sentence.

"This weapon crazed little monster is called Ruby Rose."

Rose, Xiao-Long, Branwen?

Wait...those were three entirely different last names. Pyrrha had heard of siblings having two different ones before, but three?

That certainly was weird.

Not that it mattered to her right now. She supposed she was...somewhat grateful to Cinder for...trying to introduce her to her fellow classmates. Though she supposed that the real reason she did that might have to do with her younger sister, Ruby. She wasn't an expert on guessing someone's age, but it was very obvious the smaller girl was younger than 17. She was definitely the person Cinder had been talking about before.

Peering at the dark haired girl out of the corner of her eyes, a small smile managed to steal itself across her face. That was awfully considerate of her.

Maybe there was more to the girl than she thought.

"It's nice...to meet both of you", said Pyrrha, as her gaze snapped back towards Yang and Ruby, the latter still eying her up and down, literally squealing once she caught sight of her weapon, zooming into her personal space while giving her the most excited look she had ever seen.

"Oooooh, is that a spear? Is it a special type of spear? What can it do? Is your shield relevant? Can it transform?"

"Uhm..."

...wow...

The redhead literally wasn't sure how to respond to that onslaught of questions. Not that she ever got asked on interviews about them, but there she was able to determine the pace. This...was entirely new to her, but...it felt...nice?

People who didn't know her, who treated her as they would any other person.

Likeminded souls, wanting to become Huntsmen and Huntresses, sharing their excitement.

"Well, I leave you to it then, I was actually on my way to the senior section, can't have my team's reputation tarnished by hanging out with newbies."

Cinder's words caught her by surprise. Was that where she had been headed before running into Pyrrha?

Yang on the other hand didn't seem faced, leaning against a window cocking her head to the side in a similar fashion as her sister had done earlier.

"Oh please, you only want to go so your girlfriend can worship the ground you walk on some more."

The dark haired girl simply shrugged and stretched herself, as she turned on her heels and began to walk away from them, only throwing a:

"Jealous, Yang?", right back at her.

"As if."

"Say hi to Em for us", chimed Ruby in, waving after her sister, who waved back lazily over her shoulder with one hand while checking her scroll with the other, slowly disappearing into the crowd of students, leaving Pyrrha with her sisters.

Somewhat nervously the redhead's gaze flitted between Yang and Ruby, before raising her own hand giving both of them a short wave accompanied with a soft smile.

"Hello again."

Yang threw her a quick grin.

"Hope Cinder didn't intimidate you too much.

She's got a slight case of egomania."

"Yang!", scolded Ruby her sister, who simply stuck out her tongue in response, looking outside the window.

The smaller girl pouted before addressing Pyrrha, her hands fiddling with the seam of her red cape.

"Don't listen to her...they always talk to each other like that."

Yes...Pyrrha could imagine that very well actually. Not that she had any experience on that matter, but she had read about sibling rivalry sometime.

Anyway, maybe now was a good time to finally strike some real conversation with someone. After all, Ruby and her might have something in common.

"I...see, so what-?"

"Look at the view, Rubes! You too Pyrrha!"

'Seriously?!'

What was it with that family and interrupting others while they talked?

She trailed after Ruby to the window and followed her line of sight.

There, sitting right before a very impressive cliff's edge, was the school, overlooking the city of Vale. With Beacon tower being its highest point it did look like a castle.

A castle from a forgotten fairy tale.

"So this...is Beacon."

Pyrrha was so entranced by the sight that she only barely noticed Yang calling it their home now. She also almost blacked out the following commotion about a boy appearing to suffer from motion sickness vomiting over the blonde's shoes.

Staring at the larger and larger growing school it finally sunk in...

There was no turning back anymore.

Try to enjoy your first year at Beacon.

AN: Hello again =)

After taking a long break from writing, mostly because of college and personal

issues, I feel somewhat more confident to finally start my RWBY Summerlife AU.

Also special thanks at Laulink for naming Pyrrha's mom!

I hope you enjoy the ride ^^