With slow, calculated strokes, the faunus boy brought the paper to life with his words. Each blank line was soon filled with ink; he made sure to carefully write out each letter with finesse. He had been practicing how to properly read and write lately, a skill that had recently been taught to him. Never had he gone to school, the very thought made him shudder. It wasn't due to the teachings or anything of the sort, it was something else entirely.

The very thought that humans would be there shook him to his core.

Never had he been accepted anywhere. He was pushed out before being allowed any kind of service. They stared, they hated, and it was all thanks to the horns on his head. The more he thought about that the more self-conscious he grew, causing him to reach up to his head mid-sentence and tap the pen on his horn. It made a sound against the object; he both heard and felt it. This was a reminder, a constant one, that he would never escape this fate of being hated.

It was alright though, he hated them too.

Adam had joined the White Fang not too long ago; the higher-ups seemed to have noticed something within him. The boy with crimson hair, he had a stare like that of pure ice. He was cold, calculated, and they had a feeling he would grow up to be a wonderful killer for them. He was being trained to be a machine, he knew that too, but it didn't matter to the boy. They wanted his skills, and he wanted to take his anger out on humans. As far as he was concerned, this was the perfect relationship.

However, he needed to gain a few more basic abilities before he could be considered a great asset. The boy, like most faunus his age, didn't know how to read or write. They grew up on the streets; the only loving embrace they ever felt would come when death crept up on them. He had seen it countless times before, the children he had been acquainted with perished during the harsh winters.

It was during a particularly cold winter that he was seen by the White Fang. Adam remembered it all so well. The wind was harsh but he hardly felt it. The snow was stained red with fresh blood. They captured him, humans, and tried to torture him for the hell of it. He managed to escape, only because he bit one of the captors when he got too close. He could still taste it, that disgusting salt in his mouth. The young faunus had grabbed the knife the human had dropped and advanced on one of his attackers. Of course, the others ran as soon as they saw their companion drop to the ground, clutching his neck as the blood pooled out from the slit.

Adam figured it would have been harder to kill a human, but it was surprisingly easy. And it felt good.

Upon coming to the White Fang he had met a girl that was around his age as well. He was still a bit older, only by three years, but it made him feel like he could be a mentor to this girl. Despite that train of thought, it was the cat faunus that usually taught him. She told him amazing stories about her books, informed him of all sorts of riots and protests, even the latest with humans. She knew it all, and he was convinced she was far smarter than him, destined for more.

It wasn't until they were out in the town and the girl pointed at a sign. Adam hadn't been able to read it, so the young one took it upon herself to teach him how.

"Adam!" Speak of the devil, the boy thought, for that same girl came running up to him. She was out of breath, panting slightly as she leaned forward to place her hands on her knees. "You're... you're always hiding on me..."

Well, he was stationed in a corner away from everyone else. He just didn't like being around the others very much, Blake was he only one that he liked spending time with.

"I wouldn't call it hiding," he held up his journal, and then set it back on his lap, "I just wanted some peace is all."

"Oh... how are you holding up?" she straightened up, blinking curiously at the bull faunus.

"Alright, better than last week. Still having some trouble with a few words..." the boy trailed off, stretching as he spoke. "So, what did you want?"

"Ah!" she gasped, nearly having forgot why she found him in the first place, "will you come with me to a protest later today?"

The boy groaned, rolling his eyes. He looked back down at his journal, resuming his sentence, "why would I want to do that?"

"Because!" Blake exclaimed excitedly, moving forward a step to really get his attention, "because nearly everyone is going to be there, this one is a rather large one! Our leader says it will definitely change the way humans see us! Y'know, make a difference…."

It was times like these when she actually became excited did Adam enjoy the way her eyes lit up. He shook his head however, sighing loudly, "They're so dumb though. How could you possibly think that shouting and holding signs will ever make a difference?"

"You'll never know if you don't try, Adam..." her ears drooped a little upon his refusal.

"No, I won't go. They're stupid," his mind was made up, "now how do you spell boycott?"

Blake frowned, crossing her arms in a haughty manner in front of him, "no."

That caught him off guard. Adam blinked, then raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Blake-"

"No I won't tell you. I'll even stop teaching you words if you don't come."

He should have known, she's always been the one to get her way between the two of them. This was ridiculous; he could just ask one of the other members of the White Fang. Just when he was about to tell her he paused, his mouth open but no words came out. It was then he realized just how embarrassing that would be to ask, especially at his age. The boy closed his mouth and looked away from her, irritated.

How was she so good at this?

"...I'll go," he muttered it, barely audible.

"What was that?" she knew what he said, he could tell! But of course she had to try and get it out of him yet again.

"I said I'll go! You're so immature sometimes Blake," which was odd, considering even at her age she was one of the most mature people in this place.

She was only ten yet she was so gifted. Adam was never jealous of her unlike the other children here; he always admired her for it. His favorite moments in this place would have to be right before lights out, since that was when Blake read to him.

"Good, I didn't want to go without you," she might have acted tough on the outside, but Adam knew that deep down she disliked being entirely alone. He did too; he couldn't even imagine life without Blake now. "I'll tell you how to spell that when we get back too, just to ensure you're coming."

She was way too good at this.