Recollections of a Transgender Farm Boy with a Voice in his Head

Dreams and Determination

They were chasing him. As he raced through the darkness, eyes scanning for something, anything, he could hear them scraping and shouting behind him. Oscar shot a glance behind him to face the creatures. Roiling masses flickered from image to image: a girl with piercing silver eyes, like Ruby but older, smiling as she turned away, white cloak flowing in the wind; a man with a shock of green hair, coffee mixing with blood as it ran down his face; a woman he recognized as Salem before she had fallen into the pools of Grimm, eyes brimming with tears. Mingled among them were younger faces, those of a girl with brown hair who bore a striking resemblance to Hazel; a young woman in armor, screaming as aura blazed around her; the flickering faces of countless teenagers, each with the familiar lights of a maiden's power flowing from their eyes, that eventually solidified into four faces, clearly sisters.

He kept running, barreling through the darkness with no marker for how long he'd been going. He couldn't get away from the monsters, no matter how fast he ran. His feet pounded against the ground as he ran. They never seemed to get any neither closer nor farther, no matter how fast he ran, yet he knew that they were coming, were going to catch him at any moment. Suddenly, he stumbled and slammed into the ground. He expected pain, but nothing came but panic. He looked behind him. The inky masses of figures and faces lurched toward him. Oscar scrambled backward, struggling to escape. He managed to get himself back on his feet before they caught him.

They finally settled into one image, that of a man and woman, with black hair and hazel eyes, who he knew too well. He'd lived with them for thirteen years; they were his parents, Poppy and Ojo Pine. His mother smiled a fake, plasticky grin.

"Come on, Hazel. We're going home." She reached out to grab him. He tried to run, only to discover his legs didn't work. As he struggled, he could hear his heart pounding in his ears like the frantic ticking of a clock. He twisted to reach away from her. "Now where are you going, Ozpin?" Salem's face glared down at him. He tried to scream, run, fight, anything, but he couldn't move. She grabbed him, and the world twisted wildly.

A black spire towered above him, cutting through the scarlet sky. Grimm circled around him, howling and salivating. His parents reappeared. His mother grinned that artificial smile once again. "Come on." He was angry now. He tried to fight once again as she stepped toward him. "You are being a very bad little girl and we are going home right now." Salem and his mother seemed to blend together, a haunting image of neither, and yet both. "That is enough of this. You are coming with me."

He squeezed his eyes closed as he tried to block it out. His entire body shook. She was coming for him. They were coming for him. Oscar felt the creature's hands wrap around his arm, cold and hard. He screamed, finally breaking whatever had held him still and silent. Within a moment, Oscar had bolted away, now running through the cold emptiness, crimson light filtering through jet-black spikes and tracing red stripes across his body. He had to escape before she caught him. He could only assume that she was chasing, and she wasn't going to find him.

Then a feeling hit him, like a splash of water on his face. It flowed through his body, washing away the terror and the fear, leaving nothing up a strange sense of peace. It made no sense. He could still see the figure approaching him, but it no longer felt any form of threat emerging from it. He stopped running until it hit him. As she enveloped him in her arms and cloak, the world went black.

Oscar's eyes shot open, and he sat bolt upright. Sweat soaked his shirt cold. He looked around in confusion. Ren stood on the side of the bed, hand pressed against the bedframe. "Are you okay, Oscar?"

"What happened?"

"You were having some kind of nightmare. I had to intervene with my semblance. You were screaming loud enough to wake up Adrian. Saphron and Terra are trying to get him back to sleep, but we had to quiet you so he could sleep."

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. You did nothing wrong." Oscar frowned.

"Thank you."

"Will you be alright?"

"I think so." Ren nodded and walked away. Oscar exhaled softly and picked up a book, the one Ruby had given him. He opened it and began to read. Within minutes, he was absorbed in the story. He didn't notice the passing of time until the sunlight streamed through his window. He yawned, stretched, and stood up. He quickly got dressed and went to the kitchen. Saphron was walking around the kitchen, making coffee.

"I'm sorry about last night, Mrs. Cotta-Arc."

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. Just, um, try to avoid doing it again. Adrian's going to be a bit grumpy today."

Terra stuck her head around the corner. "Yeah, his teacher is not going to be happy." He frowned. She walked into the room and up to him, holding Adrian to her hip.

"I'll be sure to try." The little boy smiled. He waved his hand at Oscar and giggled. Oscar smiled back.

"See, Oscar? He doesn't mind." Saphron smiled too as she handed her wife a mug of coffee. "Don't worry about it." He beamed and nodded, watching the baby wave and laugh. It was true. Adrian had, in fact, forgiven him.