STRQ (A RWBY fanfiction) [Book 1]

Chapter 42

My head was still pounding when I opened my eyes. I was back in my dorm room surrounded by my team along with team WHTE.

"Summer! You're awake!" Qrow exclaimed.

"What happened? Is the school okay? What about that Grimm dragon?"

"The Grimm are under control for now. We got everyone to safety. And I don't think that dragon is going to be causing more trouble anytime soon. You did a lot of damage to it. On top of that, it got trapped underneath tons of rubble," William explained.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."

"Unfortunately, we can't stay at Beacon any longer. Our headmaster found out what happened and they ordered all Vacuo students to return to Shade. We just wanted to check in before we left," Heather said.

I felt disappointed, but I knew they had to leave sooner or later.

"Thanks for everything. I appreciate it," I replied.

"It's no problem. Take care, okay?" William said.

They left the room, leaving just me and my team.

"So... what do we do now?" I asked.

"You've been unconscious for a few days, but the school still has some repairs that need to be completed. Classes will still be taking place today So... I guess continue as normal," Tai replied.

I slowly sat up and attempted to stand. I felt extremely dizzy for a brief moment.

"Are you feeling okay, Summer?" Qrow asked.

I nodded slowly. "I'll be fine. I'm just going to go for a short walk before class starts."

"Okay. We'll come with you," Tai suggested.

"I'd rather be alone for a bit. If... you don't mind."

"Yeah. I understand. We'll see you in a little while."

I walked outside the dorm and gazed around the campus. Everything seemed to be fixed, minus a few cracked streets and buildings. Students were carrying on as normal. I hadn't realized that I had walked all the way to the tower. I noticed a man standing in front of it. He wore a green outfit like Gretchen. I couldn't see all of his features since his back was facing me. But he had black hair and tan skin similar to Gretchen's as well.

"Um... excuse me," I said. "Are you a student here?"

The man slowly turned to face me, and I got to look at his face. He had the same hazel eyes Gretchen had.

He stared at me. "No. I'm... here to recover Gretchen's body."

"Oh. Did you know her?" I asked.

He nodded. "I'm her older brother. My name is Hazel. You must be Summer Rose. Gretchen wrote about you in her letters. Her description was pretty accurate."

"Yeah... I only knew her a short time, but she seemed to be a bright and kind girl. It's a shame her life was cut so short. I'm sorry I wasn't able to save her..."

Hazel shook his head, his eyes gazing up to the tower. "It wasn't your fault. It was his."
His eyes flashed with anger as he stared up at Ozpin's office.

"Surely Ozpin has nothing to do with this. He did send her on that mission, but I can't imagine him just killing off an innocent girl like that."

"She was young. She wasn't ready," Hazel said, his eyes still gazing at the top of the tower. "I begged her not to attend this school. She went against my wishes... and now she's gone. And it's all his fault!"

I was silent, unsure of what to say next. After a while, Hazel turned away from me.

"Thank you for being with her at the end. Maybe our paths will cross again."

"Maybe... I'm so sorry for your loss," I said quietly.

He said nothing as he walked inside the tower, leaving me alone. I took out my scroll and looked at the time. Class was going to start in about ten minutes. I used my semblance to boost my speed and got to class a few minutes early. Raven was waiting for me, holding my supplies.

"Here," she said, handing my notebook and pens.

I took them gratefully and sat at my usual seat next to her.

"So... how was your walk?" she asked.

"It was interesting. I'll tell you more about it later."

Class passed by rather quickly. When Raven and I returned to our dorm, Tai and Qrow weren't anywhere to be found.

"I wonder where they went?" I asked.

"Most likely to class," Raven replied.

"Oh, right. Sorry... I'm a bit distracted."

I sat down on my bed. Raven walked over and joined me.
"Does it have anything to do with what happened during your walk earlier?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I met Gretchen's older brother, Hazel. He was there to get her body..."

"Is that what's been bothering you? Was he mean or something? If that's the case, I'm going to find him and kick his—"

"No! He wasn't mean or anything. But... he said something that bothered me."

Raven looked at me. "What was it?"

"He said that it was Ozpin's fault that Gretchen died. I didn't agree with him, but considering what's happened so far... You don't think he would just kill off a student like that, do you?"

Raven stood to her feet and paced for a few minutes.

"You never know. He did get heated with us the last time we met. To me he seems a little unpredictable. Maybe he does have it in him to kill off someone. I don't trust Ozpin completely, but I know that you and the rest of the team do. So... I would just trust him for now. But if I ever find out anything that doesn't seem right. Or if he ends up betraying the rest of my trust... I won't hesitate to leave."

I nodded slowly. "I understand that. Thanks for listening."

Raven put her hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "It's not a problem. We're a team, right?"

I smiled at her. "You bet."

Tai and Qrow walked in just then.
"Hey guys. What's going on?" Tai asked.

"Summer and I were just talking," Raven replied.

"I hope you aren't too busy. Ozpin has another mission for us," Qrow said.

"Another search and destroy mission?" I asked.

Tai shook his head. "No. This one sounded pretty important. He wants to meet in his office."

Raven sighed. "What else is new?"

I stood up. "Okay. I'm assuming he wants all of us there now?"

Qrow nodded. "Yeah."

"I figured. Let's get going, team."