RWBY: The Stepmother

Chapter 16: A Ray Of Hope

It was the middle of the night. Winter laid awake in her bed, her mind racing with what happened earlier today. Needless to say, she was mentally scarred for the rest of her life. Not every child had the misfortune of watching their parent die in front of them, after all.

Just like Willow, Jacques' death was cruelly brushed under the rug, but unlike her, he did not even receive a proper funeral. Instead, Mother forced some of the remaining servants to cut up his body with a hacksaw and burn the pieces into ash. Winter had intensely mixed emotions about that. Although she never cared for her father, even he didn't deserve that.

If Winter had to be honest, she was downright terrified of what the future could have in store for them. Mother had always insisted very strongly that her own existence be kept a secret from the outside world. But now that Jacques was dead, it would only be a matter of time before someone found out. People would suspect foul play. The manor would soon be swarming with cops and news reporters. By then, it would be impossible for Mother to hide herself any longer. What would she do then, after being found out? Would she leave? Would she give herself up to the authorities? Or would she go out there and slaughter everyone in her path?

And of course, Winter had no idea what Mother had done to Whitley, or what she could be doing to him now, for that matter. She had a lot on her mind, to say the least.

The door to her room slowly creaked open. Winter bolted upright, feeling like her heart was about to beat out of her chest... only to see Weiss quietly slip into her room.

"Weiss," sighed Winter, feeling immense relief. "Thank goodness. For just a moment, I thought you were..." She sucked in a deep breath and tried to suppress a shudder. "Did... did you make sure nobody was following you?" Weiss nodded. "I did. Do you have the number that father gave you?," she asked anxiously. Winter nodded and held out the slip of paper, which she had been holding onto the whole time. With her other hand, she took out her scroll and dialed in the number. Her palms were literally sweating with anxiety. She had no idea whose number this was, or how Jacques had even gotten it. But it was the only hope they had left.

After dialing in the number, Winter's finger hovered over the call button. She nervously glanced at Weiss, unsure if she should go through with this. Weiss looked just as nervous, but nodded her head as if to tell her to go for it. Winter took a deep breath, pressed the call button, and held the scroll to her ear, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up.

Finally, someone answered. "Alright, this better not be some fucking prank call. Who the hell is this, and how did you get this number?" The voice sounded like it came from a gruff male, and it sounded a bit slurred too, as though the person had a few too many drinks.

"H-hello?," said Winter, trying to sound brave. "To whom am I speaking to?" "...What the hell? You sound like a kid. Damn it, I knew this was a prank call. Listen kid, I just had a long day and I'm trying to unwind right now, so... go bug someone else, alright?" It sounded like he was about to hang up on her. "Wait!," cried Winter, then quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. "I mean, wait. Don't hang up. Please," she whispered, desperation leaking into her voice. "Listen, my name is Winter Schnee. I'm calling because–" "Whoa, whoa, hold up. Winter Schnee? The heiress to the SDC? You're kidding me, right?" "I'm not. Please listen. I need your help. We are trapped in our own home. M-my sister and I. We're being held captive by this... this... I-I don't even know what to call her anymore. B-but please, come help us. We're at the Schnee Manor in Atlas. Please hurry. S-so many people have already died here, and my brother is missing, and I don't know what she's done to him, and–" Winter probably would have gone on rambling if the mysterious man on the other end of the scroll hadn't interrupted her mid-sentence.

"Stop. Hold on, kid. Just stop. Let me take all of this in first." Winter waited for ten long, agonizing seconds. "Okay. Judging by the tone of your voice, I'm guessing this isn't a prank call. So you're actually Winter Schnee? And you're really in danger?" Winter nodded, then realized that the man probably couldn't see her. "Yes. We all are. Please hurry." "...Alright. I'll come over as fast as I can. But I swear to Oum, if it turns out that you're just wasting my time..."

"I'm not. I... Thank you, sir. Thank you so much!" Winter felt like she was going to cry with joy. "Yeah, yeah, no problem, kid. I'll be right over." "W-wait," Winter said quickly, before the man could hang up. "I never got your name, sir." "...It's Branwen. Qrow Branwen."

After the call had ended, Winter slowly lowered her scroll and looked at Weiss. "Did it work?," Weiss asked hopefully. "Is someone finally coming to help us?" Winter wanted nothing more than to burst out in tears and hug Weiss, but she managed to restrain herself.

"Yes, Weiss," she said, smiling softly. "Someone's finally coming to help us..."

Meanwhile, in a rather inconspicuous bar in the middle of Atlas, Qrow Branwen hung up, then quickly downed the rest of his drink. "Who was that, Qrow?," asked a woman sitting next to him. She had dark hair with red tips, silver eyes, and wore a large, white cloak.

"Some kid who needs my help, apparently," said Qrow, slapping a couple of Lien on the counter to pay for his drink. "Hey Summer, why don't you come with me? It's not like you've got anything else to do tonight, and I could use the backup in case things get a little hairy."

Summer smiled daringly. "Sure. Today was boring, anyway. I could use some action."