Chapter Text
Sunday 4/7
It was a nice and sunny early spring afternoon in the countryside as a train sped by with only a few passengers on board. Some were on their afternoon commute, some were students who got stuck with spring break cram school. However there was a young redhead who sat alone, she was tired yet anxious because she was finally about to start high school. Though she was unaware of the life changing events that would defy her expectations.
The train ride had been long, a few hours too long, as she began to dose off she remembered the parting words of her friends who decided to go to a local high school instead. It’s a complete fresh start, she won’t have the same friends she had, nor will her dad be there. The thought made her a little sad, but at least her older sister would be there for her. The train was coming up to a tunnel that went inside a mountain, and the whole car where the girl was sitting went dark. On the other side was a large pacific northwest city known as Vale. As it exited the tunnel, she was greeted by a nice view of the large city
Wow! The girl thought to herself as she caught a glimpse of the skyline before the train went down another tunnel, and the car went dark again, but this time lights came on. This was probably to indicate that this was the last stop
A mechanical voice began speaking.
“Next stop, the Vale Union station. This is the final stop, please grab all your belongings before exiting the train. If you are transferring...” the announcements continued. The girl then got up from her seat, and grabs her red and black gym bag. She hasn’t been to Vale by herself before but she remembers what her dad told her to do before she left; head straight for the dorms. She made her way up from the tunnel to the streets of Vale. It was a beautiful, bustling, and large city. Car horns can be heard from multiple directions, the sidewalks were packed, if one listened closely they could hear the metro rails passing through underground and above. This was Vale’s Central Square; the busiest part of the city during rush hour. The girl was used to the peace and quiet of living in the countryside of Patch. This was almost a whole different world to her. She heard the news stations talking about who the police were looking for, she wasn’t really that interested. However it was difficult to tune out.
“Police are still on the lookout for the gang known as the White Fang, who robbed a cargo train belonging to the Schnee Diamond and Mining Corporation....”
The news continued as the girl made it to a large intersection, this city was huge. Unfortunately for her, the lights were still green, so she reached for her headphones as she waited for the walk sign to change.
“....in other news, due to a string of robberies and the Vale Police Department is advising all citizens stay indoors at night and only come out only if you have to...”
The girl plugged in the headphones into her phone, she turned on the music then checked the directions to the dorms, it wasn’t too far from the train station. She then noticed something mysterious on her phone. It looked like a demonic symbol. Her curiosity drove her to open it as she didn't remember installing such a strange looking app on her phone. As soon as she touched the app icon she got an intense ringing in her head. The world went silent for a brief moment, the sky turned black as night, all the cars and people disappeared, and the music on her headphones slowed to a crawl before going silent. It took a few seconds for it to register to her, she was somewhere else.
“Excuse me?” A random passerby said “The light changed, you can cross the street”
The redheaded girl was awoken from her trance, then she noticed the sun was still out, the sidewalks were still packed, cars were still blaring their horns, and then she noticed the light had changed. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said as she hurried along
The dorm was only a few blocks away, it was hard to miss too as it had more ornate architecture compared to the basic buildings that surrounded it. The sign read “Beacon Academy Vytal Hall”. Yep, this was it, her new home for the year. The girl walked through the door, and was greeted by an older looking interior that felt strangely cozy, maybe because of the soft carpet. The lobby had two couches facing each other with a table in the middle, a large flat screen TV was attached to the wall in the middle on the right side of the entrance. Not too far from the entrance to the lobby there was a set of stairs that split off into two different directions, both had a sign for the Red wing and the Gold wing. The left side had a counter with a sign-in sheet and piles of flyers for events going on at the school. Behind here sat a woman who looked bored out of her mind and perked up once she noticed someone entered the building.
“Why hello there”, a voice from behind the desk said “You must be the freshman they said was coming today.” A tall platinum blonde woman with green eyes stood up and walked from behind the desk. She wore a white blouse, coupled with a tight black skirt. She also wore black stockings with high heeled leather boots. Truly a woman with a intimidating air to her.
“My name is Professor Glynda Goodwitch, but you’ll refer to me as Professor Goodwitch” she said with authority, "I'm the residential assistant of these dorms"
The girl was already intimidated by the woman’s demeanor and height. However she felt the need to say something, “Uh..nice to meet you...Professor Goodwitch...?” She muttered out with an awkward but friendly smile.
“Right, your dad already sent your stuff, it’s in your room. All I need now is your signature, all it means is that you understand that you’ll be responsible for everything that happens while you're attending Beacon, including here. If you cause any trouble, you will be disciplined” she said with a serious expression and gesturing towards the sign-in sheet on the desk. Based on her tone seems like she has to deal with troublemakers on a daily basis, she probably didn't want to deal with another one.
The young redhead then said, “Okay so, I have to sign here...”
Ruby Rose; the name she wrote down.
Glynda then handed her a key, “Good Miss Rose, now here is the key to your room. Do not lose it.” As Ruby took it, she leaned in closer to her, “I’m serious. Do. Not. Lose it”
Ruby was getting spooked a bit, until she spoke again, “Your room is upstairs to the right on the second floor, and last room down the hallway.”
Ruby quickly picked up her bag and hurried up the stairs. Her room wasn’t hard to find, and as she opened the door to her room it she noticed a large box in the middle of the floor in front of an empty bed which was close the far right corner of the wall, a desk near the foot of the bed, an empty dresser on the left with a miniature bookshelf above it, a small bathroom with a shower to the immediate right near the entrance, blank white walls with old tape markings, and a decent sized window that faced the alley next door. Thankfully it didn’t block her view of the Vale skyline. It was almost like a small hotel room.
“Well, I guess I better unpack everything”, Ruby thought out loud. She opened the box to find items her dad thought would be important for her to have. A medal from her middle school track meet, a picture of her with her sister and her dad. However she saw another picture that made her stop in her tracks. It was a picture of her deceased mother. Ruby couldn’t stop looking at it, she didn’t remember much about her mom, besides the fact that she left one day and didn’t return. She began to tear up, the thought of her mother always made her feel sad. There was then a knock at her door, she quickly wiped her tears away and opened it.
It was Glynda again, but this time she was holding a small notebook and a card. “I apologize Miss Rose, but I forgot to give you your planner and public transportation pass.” she said sternly, as she handed them to Ruby she continued, “Be sure to keep track of your activities on a daily basis, Beacon Academy will supply you with anything you need to succeed. However it is on you to make use of them.”
Ruby held the items in her hands, not really knowing what to do with them, and then she heard Glynda speak again. “Do you have any questions or concerns?”
Ruby remembered that she hasn’t seen her sister yet, “Have you seen my older sister, Yang?”
The professor rolled her eyes and sighed, “So you’re her sister? Yang a good kid but I don't recommend following in her footsteps.” she paused, “Since she’s a part of the student council, she's probably at the school planning events. Hopefully she’s not doing anything....sketchy.”
Ruby then asked another question, “Is there anyone else here?”
“Yes, but a lot of students keep to themselves the first few weeks.” Glynda answered.
“Oh right, I have one more question; you’re a teacher, right?” Ruby asked, “Why are you working the front desk of the dorms?”
The professor sighed.
“Yes I am a teacher and I just happen to be in charge of this dorm. The principal asked someone to do it, and I just happened to have a lot of free time on my hands”, she explained, "You don't need to know the details though"
“Well then Miss Rose, if you don’t have any more questions I suggest you get some sleep. You look exhausted”, she said as she began to turn and walk away, "Classes start in the morning, I doubt you want to fall asleep in class on your first day."
She was right, she was tired from all the traveling.
She then quickly unpacked her sheets and blankets and made her bed. The non-essentials can wait, right now she wanted nothing more than to rest. However this was different than usual, her eyes felt very heavy and she fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Ruby woke up. But this wasn’t the room she fell asleep in, the room was blue, black, and dimly lit. She looked around the environment frantically, trying to find anything to tell her where she is. In front of her was a desk, where a man with a balding head and a long pointy nose sat. Ruby has never seen anyone like this before, she gasped and realized she was sitting in a chair her own. The room looked like the inside of a clock tower, open gears and mechanisms were over her head and all around. She then noticed someone was standing next to him, was a tall, well dressed, slender but fit young man.
“Hello and Welcome to The Velvet Room”, the mysterious man said, “My name is Igor, I am pleased to meet your acquaintance. This room exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. Only those who are bound by a contract may enter.”
Contract? Ruby thought
“It seems that you have an interesting journey ahead of you. If you are here then that means it is my duty to assist you.” Igor paused, “Allow me to introduce my assistant. This is Julius.”
Julius then spoke up, “I’m pleased to meet you, I am also here to assist you on your journey. Please use our services to the fullest extent possible.”
Igor then said “It seems you have been given an extraordinary ability, one that has yet to be unleashed. My duties will become more clear once those powers have become realized. Until we meet again, I bid you farewell”
Ruby heard a feint ringing sound, and the room slowly turned dark.