The Burning Rose

Chapter 24: Flight in the night

In a darkened corner of Vale, two cloaked figures weaved through the shadows towards each other in an alley next to an electronic store. Their faces were hidden by the long shadows the cloaks cast as if they were spotted, they'd be in big trouble.

"Couldn't find them in any of the slums or hobo cities. No one even saw them! Wherever they are, they clearly Didn't want to be found." The first figure said, not bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice. Her yellow eyes burned with anger. "Brothers help them! When we find them I'm going to rip them to pieces!"

"Cinder, you don't always have to get violent when people annoy you. Try to have at least a little empathy." The other cloaked figure, Amber, chastised. "I'm sure they must have a good reason for being out this late. We just need to find them and show them the secret way into school so they don't get in trouble."

"Or we could just leave them to rot."

Cinder shrugged as Amber gave her a hard look. "What? They brought it on themselves by staying out this late. Not our fault they can't follow basic rules."

Amber stared at Cinder, then let out a sigh. "Look, like it or not, we're going to be teammates with them for the next four years. So, can you at least try not to constantly antagonist them? With the kingdom starved for huntsmen, we'll be going on real missions at some point in the near future. And they'll be a lot easier if you're not constantly at each other's throats."

Cinder openly rolled her eyes as she let out a huff. Why did she always have to compromise? Adam had started the fight. He should be the one trying to get along with her, not the other way around.

"I'm guessing you haven't interacted with others outside your family much, have you?" Amber asked, her question catching Cinder off guard.

"Not really. Most of my classmates were so unbearable I didn't bother getting to know them." Cinder replied honestly. "Knowing them wouldn't have helped me in any way, shape or form. I knew I'd leave them in the dust when I came to Beacon. So there was no point becoming friends with those lesser than me. They would only slow me down."

Amber stared at Cinder for a few seconds, a strange glint in her eyes. Cinder shifted under her gaze uncomfortably. She hadn't seen this side of the girl back in the forest.

"For someone so against Atlas, you sure sound just like them." Amber said bluntly, causing Cinder to immediately feel heat burn instead of her stomach.

"How dare you!" She snapped, struggling to hold herself back. She didn't want to cause a scene. Her hands clenched into fists as they started shaking. Her teeth were grinding as she glared at the dark skinned girl.

"I'm nothing like them! I detest their elitist horse shit! They-!"

"I'm better than my classmates, so why should I associate with them?"

Immediately Cinder's protest died on her lips. She hadn't meant it like that! It was just a slip of the tongue. She wasn't-!

"People should be treated based on their abilities to fight. And anyone who is weaker should be left to die."

Cinder felt a horrible feeling twist her guts. She turned away as she struggled to reply. "That's different. I didn't mean it like that."

"I'm the standard for what people should archive and anyone who hasn't has nobody but themselves to blame. Anyone who wants a normal school life is just goofing off and should be thrown out because they work differently than me."

Cinder hands were shaking for completely different reasons now. She couldn't even find a rebuttal. Who knew Amber could be so savage?

"Other people are suffering, but I've gone through something that I believe is worse. Therefore, they should just learn to put up and shut up. They can't have any luxuries that i didn't because I overcame it on my own. And even though I escaped mine, they have to go through the hardships because-."