3 | Chapter 2: Forever Falling

"Sofia! It's a big day!" I lie there in bed, staring up at the ceiling, my mind blank, and my eyes seeing nothing. I was thinking about who knows what, when I was rudely interrupted by mother.

"Coming, mom!" It's my sister's birthday… It was her fourteenth birthday. I sighed, letting my useless anger overwhelm me. Why did she decide to name her Blake? Of all the names in the world why Blake? Not to mention this is the same day I decided I'd go to Beacon Academy to become a better Huntress, believe it or not. I was a faunus, but I wouldn't let that horrible prejudice stop me. Prove them wrong about us. I always told myself when I had doubts about their acceptance. It won't be easy, but then again, nothing is supposed to be easy.

"Come on," mother growled, becoming impatient, "You're gonna miss Blake blowing out her candles!"

"Mom! I'm not a kid anymore." another voice butted in, obviously Blake.

"I said I'm coming mom! Jeez." I hated Blake. She always hogged all the attention. I was always reminded it was like that because "she's the youngest, dear," and "you were like this at her age". I was sick of it. Now, at 19, I get the least amount of attention. So, I decided I would be pursuing my dream of becoming an official Huntress. I finally quit being ignorant of little Blake's birthday and headed down stairs. I only really wanted a slice of cake before I ran off to Beacon for training. After we sang happy birthday to Blake my mom went into the kitchen for some plates, forks, and a knife that she forgot to take out so she could cut the cake.

I followed her,

"Hey mom… "

"Oh, morning dear" Kal- I mean, mother, had said this cheerfully. But that was about to change, I could feel it.

"Mom… today's a big day for me as well."

Mother looked over at me quizzically. "Sofia…?" I took a breath, and dove right into the shit-storm I knew was coming.

"I'm heading out to Beacon today to continue my Huntress training. The passenger ship leaves later. Around noon. "

Mother's confused face turned into sorrow. "Sof… Sofia… I'm… " It hurts to think that mother felt like she had something to do with me leaving, she felt… guilt? Sadness? Her emotions were probably a jumbled mess.

"It's not you mom…" I tried to comfort her,

"it's just I've been training to be a Huntress for a while, and I'm going to finish my training at Beacon." I reassured her that she wasn't the reason I was leaving. In all honesty, Blake was the main reason, but I didn't tell mother. The other main reason was that I was almost done with my training as a Huntress. It had been quite sometime since I began; when I was 13, I decided to attend Haven Academy to start on my path to becoming one of, if not the best, faunus Huntress Remnant has even seen. So I started at a very young age, had gotten to a great point into my training only to have been brought back home, after 3 years. Upon returning home I never returned to Haven Academy even though Professor Lionheart was one of the best Faunas teachers in the Academy, but I was young and full of energy, exceeding the expectations of most of teacher by completing most of the mission the school had to offer. I'm looking for more of a challenge, so I decided to try my luck at Beacon.

"Sofia, this is such a surprise…" Kali had nothing to say; she was shocked.

"Well it's been 3 years since I've been in active training, so what better way to go back to what I love than train at the Academy I want to go to." Kali was hesitant of this idea.

"Dear… Vale is a long ways away from home..."

"C'mon mom, its one of the most prestigious fighting Academies in all of Remnant. I've done everything at Haven, I've meet all expectations, there's nothing left at Haven for me." mother wasn't convinced.

"Ghira!" She calls for her husband for his opinion. A hulking man with a neatly trimmed beard and sparkling eyes enters from of a small room branching from the living room to see what Kali needed.

"Yes?"

"Come here! It's important!" He turns back to shut the door to the small room, and proceeds to the kitchen.

"What is it, dear?"

"Sofia just told me she's leaving to go to Beacon Academy."

"You're doing what!?" Ghira, now shocked as well glares angrily at his daughter. Fearing an outburst, Sofia goes to explain.

"Please, I'm 19… I'm old enough to make my own choices! Not to mention I've completed every mission and passed expectations. There's nothing left to do, I need to expand my horizons."

"Let me get this straight," Ghira tried to lower his voice for his daughter's sake, but was finding it difficult.

"You're leaving home to go to a school miles away, and tell us just hours before you leave?" His words resonated with a growl.

"Please dad." Sofia's eyes sparkle sadly in the light of the sun coming through the kitchen window. She was getting impatient… as much as she loved her parents, she just wanted to get away from Menagerie, and away from Blake. Ghira looked away, he couldn't stand to see his daughter stare at him like that. He thought silently for a moment, then made his decision.

"If your goal is to be the best Huntress… This will be your test to prove that what you're saying is true and not all talk, understood?" Ghira made it clear to Sofia what he wanted from her. Her eyes lit up with joy.

"Ghira!" Kali gasped, her hand flying to her chest.

"You're going to entertain her fantasy? What if she gets lost, or hurt? What if she can't live without us?"

"Kali," Ghira chided her, "she's old enough to take care of herself. I'm sure she will be okay on her own. Besides, she can bond with other people and work with them." Ghira thought about it to himself again shortly, hoping he made the right choice. His daughter's admiration to become one of the best Huntress reminded him a lot about himself.

"If you really think she can handle herself in the real world... "

"I know she can," he assured his wife.

"It's settled then. The next ship out to Vale is within the hour." Kali told Sofia absentmindedly, as if she was still struggling with the realization that her oldest daughter was leaving for what could be forever. Without looking at Sofia any longer, she left the kitchen to go inform Blake that Sofia was leaving for Vale.

"Sofia, I'm sure you are going to do great things."

"I won't fail you father."

"I know you won't..." A silence envelops them, and each Belladonna tries not to cry.

"Come on you two!" Kali shouts from the door.

"You'd better get going, Sofia, a long journey awaits you." Ghira puts out his hand, Sofia takes it as they walk to the door.

"I'm proud of you, honey." Sofia smiles brightly at her mother as she praised her.

"I've worked hard for this moment mom, I'm not going to pass it up." She promises, and pushes open the front doors of their home with confidence. Ghira and Kali follow close behind, standing proudly. Sofia stops in her tracks at the bottom of the stairs and looks over at the flowers in the garden.

"Dear… is everything okay?" Kali notices Sofia's conflicted expression and is immediately worried. Sofia, now looking at the plant, correctly but ironically named, Belladonna. A poisonous plant to its consumer, yet for some reason the faunus love it for the pleasant scent given off.

Sofia shook herself lightly and smiled back at her parents.

"Oh… Yeah. I'm fine."

"Want to bring it with you?" Ghira, who had followed Sofia down to the garden, gently brushed his calloused hand against the pitch black berries.

"A reminder of home…"

"Really!? It's poisonous, are you sure it's a good idea?"

"Yes, I know you'll be careful with it." Sofia jumped with joy as she picked the plant from her very own garden.

"Hurry up, don't want to miss your ride, do you?" Sofia, with the Belladonna in hand, ran up to her mother kissed her on the cheek before walking on ahead.

Ghira comes up next to Kali.

"She's acting as if she was young…" Kali teared up,

"Oh, how she's grown." She threw a saddened smile Sofia's way.

"Oh come now honey, she's all grown up now… she's going to make us proud." Ghira was confident in his daughters capabilities, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life, letting her go.

"I know, it's just she's still innocent for being so mature."

"Ahh I see." He now understood what Kali ment. Blake now stood at the doorway watching them head out. They approached the port at which the ship had been docked at for just a few moment.

"Wow" Sofia's eyes brightened at the sight of the large, well kept ship out on the water.

"There's the ship you'll be taking to Vale."

"Hurry now, you don't want to miss your ride." Kali felt this was right to say, only encouraging her oldest daughter to be free, to achieve greater this beyond her home and beyond the island of Menagerie. Sofia goes to run but hesitates as she remembers she can't just leave without saying goodbye. She turns around and jumps into her parents arms.

"I'll miss you guys, i'll remember you, and i'll keep you in my thoughts as I go through my training, oh and i'll write periodically. I love both of you very much." She started to tear up a little.

"Good luck dear, I love you and am glad you're my daughter." Kali meant every word as she tear up herself.

"Take good care of yourself little one, focus and patience will make you an exceptional fighter." Ghira's short speech was motivational for Sofia,

"I'll make you proud, I promise."

"I have no doubts, I love you and be safe."

"I love you both and I'll keep in touch. Bye for now." Sofia now turned the other way facing the ship Breathing in, then out she starts to run after it before it departs. Kali now with her eyes full of tears and Ghira now trying to comfort her.

"There there honey, she will be safe and she will comeback after her few years of training." Kali wipes her eyes with the sleeve of her dress.

"I'm gonna miss my little kitten."

"She will do well, you worrying too much Kali." As they wave to there oldest daughter goodbye as she tears up herself at the sight of her home and parents getting farther out of view.

"A goodbye would have been nice… I wish I could have wished you luck." Blake watches from a tree not far from were the ship had been docked just moments ago, she now teared up as she had thought her and Sofia had always had a close relationship but today she was witness to the truth first hand…

"...Im sorry I couldn't have been a better little sister…" The trip was long and somewhat enjoyable for her, it gave her time to breath and appreciate the simple things in life. The breeze through her hair and the sent of the salt water was refreshing, she felt… free.

"This is for the best…" her journey was long roughly 12 hour trip, luckily for her she was given a room to rest in if she ever got tired. She was alone… with only her thoughts of Beacon. She thought of home… she was now only 4 hours into her long journey and was already having thoughts about home. Ghira was first, she really didn't know why… maybe it was his last words leaving an impact on her.

"Man… I'm really gonna miss that old slugger, he's tough, hmm, he's gonna be so proud when I get back home, i'll be a true huntress by then." then Kali, she knew her mother would miss her like hell so she promised that she would write her letters and make periodic make calls via her scroll every other week. She shuffles around in her pocket for a moment only to pull out a necklace that her mother gave to her when she went to Haven years ago. It was shaped like a teardrop, made of a rare material mined in Menagerie. She teared up already missing her mother…