I remember every caretaker I have ever had. More importantly, I remember every caretaker that has died. I remember their names, faces, voices, laughs, smiles, and the day they were replaced after they were too weakened by the sickness.

The first caretaker I ever had was my father. He was a very busy and important man. Despite the stress he faced from day to day, he still smiled around me and laughed. He helped educate me in reading and writing.

Every now and again, another man would visit. General Ironwood. He was always visably stressed, and talked to my father in a tone that sometimes bordered on hostile. He was very intimidating, and my father always praised me on how good of a girl I was when the General visited.

But... Years passed, just a few though. My father became more snappish, developing a temper that he desperatly fought not to take out on me. I would learn it was apart of the sickness after he passed away. His visits became more infrequent and shorter, each one becoming less pleasant than the one before. Until they stopped one day when the sickness took his life.

The General visited the day after my father passed away to inform me of my new caretaker: Winter Schnee.

Friend Winter was strict, yet underneath her millitant attitude she was kind and understanding. Winter took it upon herself to teach me about history and politics. When I asked why my father was not here to take care of me, she sat me down and told me of the sickness that ravenged our world like a wildfire. It made me sad to hear it. But Friend Winter kept me busy enough that I wouldn't have to dwell on the fact of our world's imminent doom. Not too much, at least.

A few months passed, before the General visited. This time with a man named Ozpin. I dared to ask them both the question Friend Winter always deflected when I brought it up.

Sirs? I had asked. Why am I here when all of these people are dying?

The General gave Mr. Ozpin a hard look, but Mr. Ozpin sipped from his mug before answering.

Miss Polendina. He said. You have a... unique role here.

The General tensed, growling out Mr. Ozpin's name. Mr. Ozpin waved a hand.

She needs to know, James. Before there's nobody left to te -

He then broke off into a violent coughing fit, hunching over. The General supported him.

Penny,

The General's eyes were hard and full of concern for Mr. Ozpin.

Do not ask those questions again.

I bowed my head. Yes sir.

Good. The General led Mr. Ozpin out of my room.

The next day, I was introduced to Specialist Ebi. He said it was unlikely he would catch the sickness - his semblance involved luck. He was a kind man. But his luck didn't save him. He caught it within the second week.

When I voiced my concern, he waved it off. I'll get over it, I'm sure! He had told me.

He acted convinced he'd be safe. But I could tell he knew he wouldn't last the end of the month. But he stayed positive until the end.

If only the others had had his strength.

After that, Friend Weiss had been there. She was upset with me - still shaken by her older sister's death. But she always video called her friend: Friend Ruby, daily. She was a hyperactive girl, compared to the composed Friend Weiss.

It was basically clockwork when Friend Weiss caught the sickness and stopped visiting when she passed.

The General gave a final visit. Whitley, Weiss and Winter's younger brother, would be my next caretaker. He seemed unwell, and I could already see the signs that the sickness had caught him.

Whitley was one thing to me: hateful. He only spoke to me one time, but other than that he looked around like a lost puppy who had no-one else to follow. Every day I talked to him, gave him my condolances over his losses and tried to get him to open up to me. Each attempt drove him further away. One day he snapped, screaming at me in a weak, raspy voice.

Shut up, shut up about them! You don't understand it! You don't understand any of this! And you never will! He had screamed until he lost his voice completely. In silent fury and defeat, he left. That was the first and only time he ever spoke to me. And it would be the last.

He never came back. But for a different reason. My final caretaker was Mr. Ozpin. He had shuffled into my room with sunken in eyes.

Mr. Schnee has fallen prey to a rather untimely and unfortunate fate. Mr. Ozpin had told me. When I asked what, he adjusted his pince-nez and spoke deliberatly. Miss Polendina, Mr. Schnee has taken his life in his own hands, by ending it.

I was in shock, and guilt-ridden. I knew I was the reason Whitley had killed himself. But a thought hit me in the following moments. I could get the answer to the question nobody ever answered.

Sir. I began, standing a bit taller and clasping my hands in front of me. Do you remember our conversation a long time ago? When I asked that question about why I am here?

Mr. Ozpin didn't show any reaction. He just nodded.

Of course I do, Miss Polendina. I assume you still are dying to have it answered?

I nodded and Mr. Ozpin took a deep breath.

Know that what I am about to tell you was never suppossed to be for you to know, Penny. Not at least for a long, long time. Mr. Ozpin had told me and I waited on edge.

His next words shook my world.

As I said, you have a unique role here on our world. Your role in our world is...

: This is somewhat a trial chapter for the story. Its a different format to what I usually do. The premise is that a sickness has wiped out nearly everyone else on Remnant, leaving only Penny behind. But she knows somewhere in Remnant that there's survivors — and the story is her journey to find those survivors.

Did you enjoy it so far? Please let me know if you did.