An Aura of Hope: A RWBY Fan Fiction

Chapter Eighteen

I didn't process the words at first. I didn't understand why the woman was led away as she burst into sobs. I didn't understand why Avery gasped and covered her mouth. I was numb. I stared blankly at the police officer who directed the meeting.

"What?" My voice was raspy when I spoke.

Officer Jackson took an audibly shaky breath. "We believe her death was one of a string of bizarre murders throughout the kingdom. All of the victims have been left as nothing but skeletons that do not even contain enough DNA to identify them. However, we believe the killer left in a hurry, because whatever was different about this instance left her hair and some of the tissue on her neck intact. What really puzzles us is that it was done indoors and there's evidence that she was bound to the wall by chains. The condition of the room also suggested that she had been in that location for weeks. In the previous murders, the bodies were found outdoors and in relatively public locations, meaning they were either dumped there from elsewhere, or the murders took place within the scope of a few hours." Jackson looked at me. He seemed to be waiting for me to respond, and he took a couple steps toward me.

It was incredibly hard to talk past the knot in my chest and the ball of confusion in my head, but I managed, "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"You were one of the key witnesses to her kidnapping, and Professor Rose asked specifically for your help in finding the murderer."

The word burned in my mind. Murdered. I played a part in her murder... if I had just-

"Stop." Avery's words felt like ice in my brain. "You're blaming yourself. I can... I can tell." I stared at her for a moment. There was a fire in her eyes that I hadn't seen before. "Please, James. Nobody blames you, I'm sure of it. You shouldn't either."

"I... can't help it... she came up to the school because I needed a ride..."

"Young man, I think you should listen to the lady. Nobody performs a kidnapping like that on a whim. It would've happened anyways. In fact, if she had been abducted from her home, it's very possible we wouldn't have known about it for weeks. You helped Yang's case get started quickly. If it hadn't been for you, we probably wouldn't have identified her body."

I started to get irritated. "Is that supposed to encourage me, officer? Because it's doing a pretty lousy job."

"Well, I got you to at least express an emotion other than sadness, so.." He turned around and walked back to the center of the room. "I think that's enough for today. We can meet another time when everyone has a better hold on their emotions." He exited with the other police officers.

I sat there for another couple minutes as the other people began filing out of the office. Eventually it was just me, Avery, Weiss Schnee, and Professor Rose. The latter two were in their seats conversing quietly. I saw the tears on the professor's cheeks. Then Weiss Schnee gave her a consoling hug and helped her stand up.

"We're going to check on Blake. Ruby says you don't need to feel pressed to leave, but you do need to be back in your dorms by curfew." Weiss Schnee led the professor out.

"We should go, too," Avery said. "Come on, I still owe you a fun night." She stood up and held her hand out to me. I stared at it for a second, then took it and stood.

"You're right. I'm putting too much blame on myself. I need to lighten up." I gave her a weak smile. "So what's your new idea of a fun night?"

"I remembered an old board game I found in the library. Looked like fun. I'm gonna crush you."

"You're on, Eisenhower." I followed her as she led me to the library, trying to keep my mind off the grief and guilt.

She crushed me in that game.

A/N: Well, after a whole year of updating, I finally beat the writers' block and made it through. Shoutout to SkarletForestfire and SavannaKannel for motivating me to start this thing back up. I love you all that like this work and thank any of you that stuck around this long