Chapter 35: Boiling point

Music Fest was in full swing on its first day. The venue was already packed and people were practically swarming in trying to find their favorite bands.

The Three Dragons were no different, they were performing one of their classics pop songs to a stadium so packed, the people attending couldn't move with bumping into one another.

"Huh, talk about a safety hazard. If a fire were to break out, most of these guys wouldn't make it. How did this get approved?" Cinder said as she leaned against the wall backstage listening to the song as she watched the large screen showing the performance. "If I snapped my fingers, everything would go up in flames. And I'm so terribly bored right now."

"Don't even think about it!" Adam's voice shot through her ear piece causing the girl to flinch. "What's wrong with you?! In case you forget, we're in here too! Light a fire and we'll all die together! Why would you even say something like that?!"

"Geez. Relax, would you?" Cinder said, sticking a finger in her ear. "I was joking. No need to shout."

"Well stop joking then!"

"Would both of you please stop that? We need to stay focused today! Failing your first mission is never a good start to a career." Amber said as she monitored the cameras in the security room. Her eyes glowing a bright shade of gold. "Enough talking. It's time for your reports. See anything suspicious or out of place? Remember, nothings too small to mention."

"Pfft! Why are you even asking? We can all see what the others are looking at." Cinder replied as she glanced in a nearby mirror looking at her own glowing, golden eyes. She had to admit, Amber had a pretty handy semblance. With this active, anyone could get the perfect vantage point or watch their own back.

"Glad to be part of the team!" Eric replied through the earpiece from his post. He had been stationed in between the stage and the audience. The stage was elevated and a small cubbyhole had been fitted under the stage with easy access onto it. What's more, there had been a one way window set up so whoever was Inside could look out at the audience without being seen. The perfect place for security to hide.

"So, do tell what it's like to be in the club! I'd love to hear it as the only one not hooked up to the Amber camera." He quipped as he scanned the stadium, looking for any hostility for the fans, causing Cinder to roll her eyes.

"Let me rephrase." She said in a mischievous tone. "Everyone important can see."

"Ouch."

"Cinder. Would you please stop?" Amber reprimanded, her tone sounding tired. "Sorry, Eric. But I can only link a total of three people at once. And one of them has to be me. It's the way my semblance works. Even after all my years of training, I still don't understand why that's one of its conditions."

"Well, don't beat yourself up over it. I know a thing or two about having a weird quirk in their semblance." Adam said as he stepped carefully through the scaffolding. He was positioned above the lights and was impossible to see as it was almost complete darkness. But with his vision being the way it was, he could see as if it was perfectly lit.

Cinder knew most Faunus had incredible night vision, but seeing it through Adman's eyes was something else entirely! She had developed good eyesight in the dark from both training at the Glass Unicorn and navigating its vents, but there was only far training could get a human. And it was nothing compared to Adam's! He could see so clearly that the area might as well have had light flooding every corner!

And now that she thought about it, the Phantom had unrealistic night vision as well. Back when he attacked them at Mr. Beige's house, he had been able to see and attack in complete darkness that not even Cinder could see through. Could he be a Faunus as well?

No. That wasn't necessarily the case. He had also attacked her after being blinded by a smokescreen. He probably was just at the level where he could sense aura around him. Apparently both Tai, Mr. Beige, Qrow, Adam, and even Fang (to a lesser degree with the later half.) had this ability. They had said something about training your aura for more than just offense.

Tai had begun teaching Cinder, but right now she was just at the level where she could sense if someone in front of her had an active aura. And that was only if she stopped and concentrated.

"Honestly, I'm impressed you can stretch it out this far." Adam said. "Doesn't it drain your aura?"

Amber laughed and shook her head. Something they knew as they saw her vision moving.

"Not quite. My semblance has a nice little caveat that allows me to use it for a prolonged amount of time." She explained. "If I have a good idea of my target's personality, or something that I can attach to them in a mental manner, then I can link with them much more effectively with little to no aura cost. And the more info I can attach to a person, the easier it becomes."

"Huh! So that's why you looked so drained after the fight when we first met. You didn't have anything to attach to me beyond that first interaction." Cinder said interestedly. "And that's also why you couldn't link to Adam or Eric when we went to save them. You didn't have anything on them so you needed to know where they were. I never really thought about it, but in theory, you could be the ultimate tracking machine if you have enough info on someone."

"Not quite. If I have enough info, I can link them, but I'd need to see clues to where they were. Even if I link with someone, I don't immediately know where they are." Amber replied. "And one more thing about my semblance. I need you all to stay calm when it's active. Strong negative emotions can cut the link. So if anyone gets to worked up, then we can all be disconnected. And trusted me, that is NOT a pleasant feeling."

"T. L. D. R. Adam, Cinder, keep your egos under control." Eric joked, annoying both his teammates.

"Put a sock in it!"

"Shut up!"

Amber let out a sigh as she listened to her two teammates getting on Eric's case. Their negative emotions send a wave of discomfort through her skull. She measured how much information passed through her link, but with both of them bombarding her she couldn't block their negativity out while stopping her own from leaking out. And she would die before she let her anguish out.

Sometimes she wished her semblance just transferred sight. While significantly less powerful, it would mean she didn't have to crack her skull open trying to keep her emotions off the link.

It was day one of Music Fest and she already couldn't wait for this mission to be over.

After the show.

An army of fans had queued up as the Three Dragons made their way towards a private path that would take them back to their practice area. The red rope was lined with event security while team AACE kept closed walking with their charges.

"So much security and nobody's tried anything yet." Cinder muttered as she and Adam trailed behind the band. "You'd think someone would have at least said something about a team of huntsmen guarding them."

"Yeah, well. That might not so rare anymore." He replied. Both looked through Amber's eyes to see another band being escorted around by a team of full grown huntsmen.

"Tensions are running high right now. Apparently some psycho is running around the city attacking people with no clear reason." Adam continued as they approached the entrance to the employee only area. "People from Vale are blaming Atlas and vice-versa. It's getting so bad Grimm are getting closer and closer to the city. It's only a matter of time before we start seeing them swarm into Mountain Glenn. At that point, even us first years will be sent down to help the crowd control."

Cinder bit her lip at his words. She hadn't told her team about her run in with the Phantom or what she and Fang had discovered about Minstrel. Nor did she have any plans on doing so. They wouldn't understand her need for revenge and would probably try to sway her. She didn't want their judgment or commentary. They hadn't been forced to sit by completely powerless as their sister was nearly killed right in front of them!

Fortunately, she was spared the trouble of replying as they made it away from the crowded street and into the employee only zone.

"Well, that was fun!" Fai cheered. "I'm going to look at the city sites! Who wants to come with?"

"Pass." Kang grunted as he turned and walked back towards their practice area. "I'm going back to the music room. If you need anything, meet me there."

"Umm, guy? I don't think that's a good idea." Amber said into her radio. It was hung around Adam's waist broadcasting out so she could speak to anyone without an earpiece. "Our formation was built with you all staying together. If you split up, we can't protect you as effectively. If you want to, come back to-."

"In that case, I'm heading out as well." Jiao said, completely ignoring Amber. "There's a musician I want to watch today and she's on in half an hour. See you guys later!"

And with that, the three of them began heading off in different directions.

"Guys? My radio working? Because I was just saying you shouldn't split up. You-."

"I'm pretty sure we're paying you to protect us, not cage us." Kang said in a condescending tone. "So how about instead of complaining, you do your job? I'm sure if you spent half as much energy as you spend on complaining to come up with a new strategy, this wouldn't even be an issue. Huff! Little girls are so demanding."

While the radio stayed silent, Cinder and Adam saw Amber facepalm and could practically hear her groan of frustration. Which felt very weird as for once, it wasn't aimed at Cinder.

"Okay, fine. I'll figure something out." Amber said, trying to keep frustration out of her voice. "Stick with your charges and keep them safe. If ANYTHING happens, radio both me and event security. I'll make sure to send someone if anything happens."

"Pretty sure we can handle a few love sick fan girls on our own." Adam said quietly into the radio so the band couldn't hear him as he and his charge headed out.

"I'll second that." Cinder said in an equally quiet tone as she trailed off a safe distance behind her's. "It's not like anything has even happened today! No threat, not even an attempt! Honestly, why did they even bother hiring guards in the first place? This seems like such a waste of my time and talents."

/Ugg! Why did She have to be my partner out of everyone at the exam?!/

Immediately Cinder's head suddenly shot up in confusion! What was that?! She KNEW had just heard Amber's voice inside her head! No! That wasn't her voice, it was something else! It was as if Amber had put those thoughts directly into her mind without the need for words or any form of communication at all!

"Hey, you say something?" Cinder asked into her radio and immediately she felt that weird sensation again.

/Fear! Panic! She messed up!/

This time it felt different, less like a direct thought and more like uncontrollable emotions boiling over! As if this knowledge was her, yet still Amber's! Or maybe some mix of both of them?! She didn't know! And why was she suddenly so frustrated at her own incompetence and guilt?!

What was happening!?

"No. I don't think so." Amber said, completely normally. "But if you heard something, that may be my fault. See, my semblance has a bit of a drawback I forgot to mention. If used for a prolonged time, it can…well…it's like having a roommate. Eventually they'll drive you crazy! And my semblance can have a similar effect. Sorry! I'll cut the connection!"

This time Cinder didn't feel anything strange or out of place. In fact, once the connection was cut, all those emotions still lingered in her mind. As if hanging around in the back of her mind, but they were fading rapidly like something from a dream. And after only a few more seconds, they were small enough that she could smother them with her own emotions.

But even so, Cinder knew something was up. She had caught how quickly Amber had cut it. And how she had a convenient explanation right at the tip of her tongue. As if she had been prepared, or had said that exact same line before, like a liar or an actor. She was definitely hiding something.

After all, it may have only been for an instant, but she was sure she had seen blood dripping from Amber's hands.

Cinder and Jiao made their way to a different event hall near the ocean avoiding any attention as the singer had put on a hat, coat and a pair of very large, dark shades. Though if Cinder was being honest, she was even more confused on where he had wanted to go so badly.

They were seated in a VIP area of the young talent show, an event where the kids of musicians or celebrities could show off their stuff before several rich sponsors. Something Jiao wasn't.

As for the singer, he for the most part didn't seem interested in any of the participants, working on the lyrics for a new song instead of watch. But after half an hour or so, a name was called that made the singer put down his book and looked up with a focused expression.

And the name made Cinder almost choke!

"Now presenting a girl all the way from Atlas!" The announcer said. "Many of you will have probably heard of her by now, but let's still give her a huge hand as let me assure you, she didn't buy her way here! Trust me, I would have let her!" His joke got a laugh from both the audience and participants alike, but as he called the girl's name, the room went completely silent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Weiss Schnee singing a personal song, Mirror, Mirror!"

On her cue, a young girl with beautiful white hair stepped onto the stage. The spot light turned on her and her petite stature made the deafening silence all the more pronounced. Nobody clapped, or cheered. She was greeted with complete silence as everyone in the audience struggled to understand what the newly crowned heiress was doing in Vale.

Glancing beside her, Cinder saw Jiao leaning forward, looking intently at the girl. All his arrogant mannerisms were gone and he looked like someone who was just waiting with baited breath for something he was looking forward to.

"You came all the way out here for this?!" Cinder whispered angrily to the singer. "This is such a waste of time! You can't honestly think a spoiled princess like her is anything worthwhile? She's-"

"Sshh!" Jiao hushed her with an annoyed look before turning his attention back to the little girl. Clearly he did.

Cinder let out an annoyed sigh, but didn't comment. She was his guard, so she'd have to suck it up and deal. If nothing else, she could at least tell Yang how badly the Schnee heiress sucked-!

"Mirror, tell me something

Tell me who's the loneliest of all?"

Immediately Cinder found herself staring right along Jiao, eyes wide in surprise. The girl was actually very good. And as her song continued, Cinder soon found herself completely captivated by the melody she was hearing!

Now, the dark haired girl had heard her share of music. At the Glass Unicorn, she had heard her share of music, both live and not. But this was something else entirely! It was closer to an opera then a classic music! It told a story of loneliness and pain, of living a life of captivity that one had no hope of escape.

But more than anything, it sang of loneliness and the inevitable hell it brought.

Her voice carried powerful emotions and incredible passion. As if she was screaming. Calling out for something! Not in a demanding way, but more like a plea! She was (and Cinder couldn't believe she had come to this conclusion!) calling out for someone to help her! It was both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time!

The lyrics and song reached out and spoke to Cinder in a way she wasn't completely comfortable with. Yet she couldn't look away, couldn't tear her eyes off the girl who was singing her heart out on stage! It tugged at her heartstrings in a way no music ever had and for the first time in her life, Cinder found herself at a loss for words. Unable to even press anything beyond the song. She even forgot she was on guard duty or that she was annoyed with Jiao!

But as the song came to an end, Cinder blinked as she snapped back to reality. She hadn't expected to be captivated like that! This girl was incredible! Forget she was a Schnee! Forget she came from Atlas! Cinder knew this girl had earned herself a new fan!

But as she looked around, she noticed the whole room was still deathly quite. Nobody was clapping, nobody was even acknowledging her!

Glancing over at one of the other guests, she saw a posh woman whispering to her husband a snide comment, then laughing at it. And I'm the silence of the theater, it echoed through the entire building, letting everyone hear the thirteenth year old being called a money grabbing whore who didn't know what enough meant. (Not those words exactly, but that was the general idea.)

Cinder felt rage boil up in her stomach as she saw the white haired girl face twitch slightly, then turn away from the audience and begin making her way backstage. She never thought she'd feel sorry for a Schnee, but after that performance, if nothing else, she wants to hear the girl sing with that kind of passion again!

But before she did anything rash, the sound of clapping filled the air.

Turning in shock, Cinder saw Jiao standing up in his seat, clapping for the heiress' song. He and he alone was giving her the respect she deserved! She hadn't expected that!

With a quiet chuckle, Cinder joined in, applauding the heiress' work alongside her charge. And as she did, slowly but surely, others began to join in. And soon, the theater was bursting with the sound of clapping hands.

Back on stage, Weiss had glanced back when the clapping had first begun and quickly spotted its source. And now being showered with this applause, while she didn't show it, she felt a warm sensation fill her. Something very foreign to her.

With a genuine smile, she curtsied, hoping that her message had reached its intended recipient.

After the concert, Cinder and Jiao made their way out and began heading back towards their teams.

"Huh, you have a soft spot like that? Who would have guessed." Cinder said as she trailed behind her charge. "You're less of an asshole to kids? Or is it just those who have talent?"

Jiao glanced back at her as they made their way through the crowd and into the staff only area.

"A pretty thing like you shouldn't talk like that. It's not very ladylike." He said turning to face her, a grin across his face. "But I suppose a woman like you would be very exciting to be around. But if I'm being honest, I still like mine more feminine."

"You can fuck whoever you like, I don't care." Cinder said with a patronizing wave. "Are you going to answer my question or not? You have a soft spot for kids, or was it just because she's rich?"

"Aawww! I see how it is." He said as he reached out to cup Cinder's chin. Only for her to push his hand away. "You're curious about me, aren't you? Well, no need to act all coy. If you wanted to get to know me better all you had to do was ask. I'd love to tell you all about myse-."

"Ugg! Never mind. Don't answer." Cinder cut in, immediately moving to walk in front. "If you're going to flirt, I'd prefer not getting an answer. Honestly, I was just trying Amber's method of giving you the benefit of doubt, but I should have known better than to think a spoiled punk like you had anything underneath."

Cinder pressed ahead, not bothering to look back as she made her way back towards the studio they were using.

"Come on, let's hurry up and get back. There aren't going to be many more attractions that could top that performance. Half to admit, as much as I hate the Schnees, even I have to admit she can sing. But I guess I should have seen it coming. The rich have more than enough time to pick up a hobby that requires a lot of time and money. I wonder how many people she had to interview to be able to write that song? You know a lot about this stuff right? How many interviews does it normally take to-?"

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. There's always more underneath a person even if they don't show it."

Cinder froze mid step at Jiao's tone. His normally happy go lucky voice had been replaced with a dead serious one she didn't think the boy was capable of. In fact, judging by his tone alone, he was as serious as Fang had been when they had spoken in the chemistry lab.

"Ohh! Got a problem with what I said? Think a brat like you knows more about the world than me?" She said, turning to face Jiao, a smirk across her face. "Let me guess, you're some little boy who's suffered a bit and now you get all butt hurt when someone doesn't see you the way you do?" She spoke in a mocking babying tone, relishing in his face as he tried to hold his calm demeanor. He had been so unbearably annoying she was ecstatic to have finally found something to get back at him with.

"People tend to only see what they want. You'd be surprised what lies beneath the surface." Jiao countered. "You think you've got everyone all figured out, that you know everything about everyone. But in reality, you barely even know your own teammates, do you?"

Cinder's eyes narrowed into slits at his comment. He had a lot of nerve talking to her like that. After everything she had seen and done, she was in no mood to let this spoiled brat talk to her in that unearned superior tone!

"You've got quite a mouth on you." She said shortly, hand moving to her blades. "Don't talk to me about stuff you don't understand. Unlike you, I have clawed through hell to get my power. Meanwhile, the only thing you've done with your life is built a legacy of sand that will crumble away in a few years when you can no longer sing and don't have a pretty face."

"Oh please. Don't get all high and mighty on me." Jiao said, completely unfazed by Cinder's words. "You? Work hard? Now that's funny. The only reason you got into Beacon was by dumb luck. Seriously, this is why I hate huntsmen like you. You act like it was all skill and you can't see how stupid lucky you got!"

Cinder clenched her fists, biting back the boiling rage in her gut. Brothers she wanted to shut this loser up! But she had to resist! She had to remember what was on the line!

"The only thing that matters is if you have a good trainer and a good semblance. Without that, you won't make the cut. And not everyone's that lucky. Sure, a select few have a semblance versatile enough to work around it, but not everyone can create explosions whenever they want. So people just get the short end of the stick and end up with a semblance that makes them unfit for the job!"

Jiao stepped forward, leering down at Cinder. He was so close she could break his nose if she struck. And every part of her was screaming at her too. But she bit her lip and tried to find something to fire back with as his words were cutting much deeper than she'd like.

"You got a good semblance and a good trainer. That's all. Don't go thinking you're some big shot just because luck was on your side! Some people have worked twice as hard as you just to get by! But of course a selfish little girl like you can't see it over the massive ego she's built to protect some fantasy that she's in complete control of every situation! Unlike you, I don't feel the need to puff my feathers out to cover my insecurities!"

Cinder found herself shaking as she fought tooth and nail to keep herself in check! He didn't know what he was talking about! She wasn't hiding any insecurities! She was strong! She had made sure she was! She had decided never to feel helpless again and worked hard to get that powerful!

But even as she reasoned with herself, the memories of recent, constant failures began to fill her head. And each one of Jiao's words seem to bring them more and more into the center of her mind!

As her mind raced, she became aware of Amber's voice coming from her earpiece. But she couldn't understand a word of it as she felt Jiao's words digging themselves deep into her.

"I bet things were so easy for you! All that power and freedom, you got to do whatever you want! Well, I hate to break it to you, but not everyone is that fortunate! So how about you think on that before I fire you and your sorry team and send you all back to Beacon in shame! I won't listen to a little girl who's had everything handed to her on a silver platter-!"

Bam!

Jiao let out a cry as Cinder slammed her heated fist into his face, effortlessly sending him flying a good few feet where he crashed into a nearby booth.

"Cinder!" Amber screamed through the earpiece as the singer groaned, placing his hand over his now broken nose, he suddenly found himself in the shadow of the enraged girl as she towered over him.

"Look here you little shit!" Cinder said, grabbing him by his collar and pulling him up till he was dangling off the ground. "I don't care what kind of stupid ideology you peddling, but if you think a spoiled little brat like you has the right to talk that way to me, your insane."

"Cinder! Enough! I know you're mad, but you need to stop!" Amber screamed again, but the dark haired girl ignored her again. Simply speaking loader to drown her leader out.

"You think you're so smart! But in reality, you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth! Your kingdom was out of the war first and as a result, by the time you were born they had rebuilt. I, on the other hand, grew up seeing both the old dynasty and the new republic and being forced to serve both. But if you want to talk about fair, let's talk."

Cinder's tone carried a sadistic tone as Jiao began struggling in her grip. Terror in his eyes as he saw an evil grin spread across the girl's face.

"W-what are you doing?!" He screamed, clawing at her arm. "You want me to fire you?! Let me go right now!" His threat didn't faze the dark haired girl who silenced by changing her grip for his collar to her throat.

"Cinder! Stop that right now! I'm warning you! Drop him! Don't-!" Amber went silent as Cinder pulled her earpiece out with an annoyed grunt.

"You know, I've been thinking. I wonder which is the biggest selling point for you, your face or voice?" Jiao let out a gasp of pain as Cinder's hand began to glow red hot, scalding his neck. "If I take one away, I wonder if you can survive with the other. Sounds like a fun experiment to test your so-called skills, wouldn't you agree?"

She brought his face closer to her, relishing his slightly red face and the smell of barbecue as she roared his skin. She had been forced to stay silent after Adam and Eric's little stunt and having to take crap from the losers who called themselves HER classmates had been exhausting! Now it feels so good to be able to correct people like this idiot!

"Not so tough now, are you?" She said with a smirk, watching his attempts to escape begin to weaken. "Back here I don't think anyone will disturb us. Though I must say, you're surprisingly durable. I expected you'd pass out from fear long befo-."

"CINDER!"

Immediately said girl's head shot up just in time to see Amber flying towards her using wind dust from her staff! She was coming so fast, the dark haired girl reacted on instinct, throwing Jiao at her and leaping back, drawing her blades in the same second!

But as if she was expecting that, Amber spun mid air, swinging herself around to catch the singer and using the fire dust on the other end of her staff to slow her descent and force Cinder back even farther, letting her land safely on the ground where she lay Jiao on the ground gently.

The singer immediately began coughing violently as his hands pressed against his neck. There, Cinder could see a very visible burn where her hand had been. That definitely wasn't going away anytime soon.

"Are you okay?!" Amber asked as she knelt next to him, trying to mov Jiao's hands to inspect the injury. "Don't worry! Eric has a healing semblance and he can repair most damage with little to no scaring! He'll-!"

"Don't bother."

Amber turned around to face Cinder as said girl spoke. She was glaring down at the singer with restrained pleasure written across her face. Her smug eyes seemed to gleam menacingly as she struggled to lap herself from grinning.

"Someone like him isn't worth the effort. Let him suffer and learn a little of what real life is like. Then maybe he'll think twice before opening that big mouth of his." She said in an uncaring tone. "People like him give the entire human species a bad name. Let him-."

"People like him are still people." Amber cut in, standing up to face Cinder, a stern and hard look on her face. "And in case that Isn't enough motivation, he's also our employer. And given your stunt just now, I don't even blame him for firing us now! You-."

"He won't." Cinder said as she shifted her gaze to Jiao who was still sitting on the ground. "Because if he does, then I'll have conveniently lost my reason for not taking his head off. And besides, I can't imagine how much his popularity would dip when word got out he was beaten so easily by a girl who wasn't even a huntress. It would be a career ender!"

"Cinder." Amber said, her tone becoming noticeably more strained. "You can just bully and blackmail your way through life. Someday it's going to get you in serious trouble."

"That's what everyone keeps saying, yet it seems when I do, everything tends to work out." Cinder said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "So maybe that mindset is outdated. After all, it was written how many years ago now? I honestly can't remember what wealthy, prepaid college philosopher said that. They all look the same to me. A senile old man who doesn't know a thing about suffering!"

Amber's hands clenched tightly into fists as she began to shake. Rage boiled in her stomach as she glared at the arrogant girl in front of her. Ever since they met, it had been one headache after another! Dealing with her on top of this mission was pushing her patience to its limit! Right now, every part of her wanted to jump on Cinder and beat some of the pain and stress she had caused back into her stupid face!

But she didn't.

Instead she turned around, no longer able to keep her mask on, and picked up Jiao gently.

"Cinder, leave." She said without turning around. "Get out of Music or go spend time with your family, I don't care. But get out right now. I can't deal with you right now."

Immediately, the dark haired girl took a step forward angrily.

"What do you mean, can't deal with me?!" She snapped. "I'm not a child! And you can't boot me from this mission! I'm-!"

"Just go." Amber said as she began walking away. "I'm not booting you, but right now, I have to take care of this and I don't want you causing more trouble. So go. And if, which is a very big if, we still have a mission to complete when you get back, you and I are going to have a VERY long talk about your attitude."

Cinder stood there, mouth hanging open as she watched Amber walk away. Fury burned in her gut, but it was different then before. She couldn't place why, but Amber had a way of getting under her skin like nobody else!

But instead of giving chase, Cinder turned on her heel and began walking in the other direction, still seething.

"Fine!" She said loud enough that Amber could hear her. "Let the strongest member of the team go! Really smart! You know, I think you're right! I should have been the leader! Because even a bitch in heat would be better than you!"