Chapter 4

"I'm Velvet Scarlatina." Velvet introduced herself. "I'm a freelance photographer. Well...I actually work at a shop...well...it doesn't matter. Aside from Pyrrha and Glynda, I've been in the group longer than anyone. Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, it happened about a year ago. I was dating a girl named Coco. She was my whole life. She was a fashion designer and we met through my photography. She was the first girlfriend I ever had, and one of my only friends. I've always been kind of shy and awkward, and Coco was the first person to really get me to come out of my shell.

"We had a good solid relationship, even if Coco was a bit forward and adventurous for me. She showed me a world I didn't even know existed. Not everything was perfect though. She earned a lot of money, but she always seemed to be short and I couldn't figure out why. Eventually I found out she was into drugs and threw most of her money away on the habit. I encouraged her to stop, and I'm sure she was trying, but she couldn't do it.

"One day I went out to do a photoshoot, leaving her at home. When I got back a few hours later she wasn't waiting on the couch like she usually was when I got home. I called her name but there was no response. I figured she'd gone out or something, but when I walked into the living room I saw her laying on the floor between the couch and the coffee table. There was drug stuff on the table. I rushed over but she wasn't breathing. I called an ambulance and tried CPR, but the overdose had killed her hours earlier." Velvet tried to go on but choked on her tears.

"Take your time." Glynda said.

Velvet took a moment to compose herself, wiped her face with a tissue, then continued. "When the paramedics arrived they did some quick checks of Coco and knew she was gone. They covered her and I knew what it meant. I started screaming, crying uncontrollably. I threw myself on her body and wouldn't let go. When the medics pried me off I grabbed a knife and was about to cut my wrists, but they stopped me. There were police there too because I'd told them about the drugs. They helped the paramedics subdue me, and took me to the hospital's psych ward.

"Glynda happened to be volunteering at the hospital that day, as she does a lot of the time, and she came to see me. It turns out I went to the school where she had taught. We started talking about Coco, about me, about what I was feeling. I cried a lot, but I somehow felt a little better. We scheduled a session and I started seeing her for regular therapy. After a few sessions she invited me to the group and I've been coming ever since."

"Thank you Velvet." Glynda said. She directed her focus to the amber-eyed girl beside Velvet. "Blake, you're up."

"Okay, I'm Blake Belladonna." Blake said. "When I first started college, I made some very poor decisions. I ended up running with a bad crowd, and I got into drugs. One night I was in this back alley looking to score some. An argument started between the dealer and one of his customers. Both had their friends get involved and out came the guns. Suddenly I was in the middle of a shootout. I just froze, standing there as bullets whizzed past me. I was sure it was the end. Then this guy came out of nowhere, tackled me, and covered me with his body.

"When the shooting stopped I was still in shock. The guy got up and introduced himself: Adam. He was handsome and had this aura about him. Plus he'd just saved my life. He suggested we go get something to drink to calm my nerves. We went to a bar and he picked up the tab. That was our first date. One thing led to another, I moved in with him and quit school. When we were first going out he bought me drugs, which was good because I couldn't afford them, but as time went on he actually helped me quit. I felt like he'd saved me again. But then things started to change. I found out he was in a gang, high ranking too. Without the drugs I was more independent and harder to control, and he didn't like that. Looking back I realize it was an abusive relationship, but at the time I didn't see it because he never hit me. He just manipulated me.

"Eventually it got to the point where I only stayed because I was afraid of him. I knew that if I tried to leave, Adam or someone from his gang would track me down. So I stayed. I never even tried to leave. Once I had loved him, and I was fooling myself into thinking I might love him again. Then, one night, I was in our apartment alone, drinking. There was a knock at the door. I figured Adam forgot his key or something, but when I looked through the peephole I saw two cops. I was so happy. Whatever the reason Adam was going down and I was finally going to be free.

"I opened the door and I was surprised that the cops didn't present a search warrant or anything. They asked if I knew Adam and I admitted that I was his girlfriend. They asked if they could come in and I consented, leading them to the living room. They suggested I sit down. They told me Adam was dead, shot and stabbed, some sort of gang deal gone wrong. They wanted me to come identify the body. I felt like it was too good to be true. Adam wasn't just out of my life, he was gone for good. I went to the morgue with the cops and identified the body. I was so happy when I saw it. I was free, finally free!

"For a few days I felt really great. It was like I had a new lease on life. Then the doubts started to creep in. I began to realize just how far off the rails I had gone, how low I'd sunk. Adam had manipulated me for a long time, but I let him do it. I was too much of a coward to stand up to him. Then I was happy when he died. I loved him once, he saved my life, and now I was happy to see him dead. I felt like a horrible person. So I decided to kill myself. I cut my wrists but then I had a change of heart. I called an ambulance and I was taken to the hospital. I almost bled to death but they saved me.

"Now the fact that I had tried to kill myself was weighing on me. What was wrong with me? But then after a few days in the hospital Glynda showed up. She'd heard my story from another psychologist and wanted to help me. We talked for a bit, and I did want the help, but I knew I couldn't afford regular sessions. So Glynda gave me the info about the group. I started coming pretty regularly and I started to feel better. I was only a few classes away from an Associate Degree, so I went back to school and got it. Now I'm a librarian. Once I had some income I was able to start regular therapy, and combined with the group meetings I feel like I finally have my life on track." She smiled wryly and shook her head. "Well, that's my story."

"Nora, if you'd please." Glynda said, gesturing toward the diminutive ginger seated beside Blake.

"I'm Nora Valkyrie!" Nora said with a cheerfulness that did not at all fit the setting. "Well, it all started a few months ago. My husband Ren was meditating in his dojo." She told the story as if she were reading it from a storybook. "Suddenly, seven ninjas attacked!"

"I thought it was six ninjas?" The blonde man cut in.

"Then you haven't been listening monkey-boy!" Nora exclaimed. "He drew his katana and cut the ninjas to pieces. His enemies lie dead before him but Ren had been cut by a poisoned dagger! Soon he would surely die. He dragged himself to me, and with his dying breaths begged that I find the person responsible for his death and bring him to justice! That's why I'm here, looking for leads. I'm close, I just know it!"

"Well, thank you Nora." Glynda sighed. Beside her Pyrrha shook her head, looking subtly disappointed but not surprised.

Winter was beyond confused. She shot Yang a look as if to say "what the hell was that" but Yang just shrugged.

"You're welcome!" Nora said happily.

"Alright, it's your turn Sun." Glynda said to the blonde man.

"I'm Sun Wukong." Sun said. He was wearing a button-up shirt that was for some reason unbuttoned, showing off his chiseled abs. "I run a parkour gym. Winter, if you're interested, there are discounts for new members."

"No thank you." Winter said.

"Suit yourself, you're missing out on a great deal." Sun shrugged. "Anyway, I founded the business with my best friend Neptune. We'd been friends since we were kids and we were really close. I'm talking closer than brothers. We both saved up money from our jobs to start the gym, and when we got started he handled the business side while I did the instruction. He was in good shape for a nerd but a bit clumsy, so parkour wasn't really his thing. He'd still help out sometimes though, but mostly he just made sure the bills got paid.

"Well, even though the gym kept us really busy, we still hung out a lot. We went to lots of parties, and I'm talking crazy parties. I could tell he wasn't that social, but he went for me. Awesome wingman that guy. So we went to this party out in the woods. There was a big bonfire, lots of booze, sexy ladies, that whole nine yards. We're both pretty drunk and he says he's going to go take a piss. There was this little stream nearby so he walked over that way and disappeared into the woods." Sun's tone suddenly turned serious. "The problem was he never came back. After about an hour of waiting I got a little worried. Still, I figured the worst that could have happened was he got a little lost."

"I went into the woods to look for him, following the path to the stream. The ground sloped down toward the water, and that's when I saw him. He wasn't moving, laying face down. I ran over and pulled him up but he wasn't breathing. I'm CPR trained for my job so I tried to revive him but it was no use. It turns out he tripped and hit his head, knocking him out. Then he fell face down into like three inches of water. It wasn't much but it was enough to drown him.

"I felt really terrible, you know? And it wasn't just grief. He was only at that party because of me. I closed the gym for a few weeks, and I still wasn't right when I reopened it. One of my students noticed how bad a shape I was in and he gave my Glynda's info. I started doing sessions, started attending the group, and here I am. I feel a lot better, but it still hurts. With time though, I think I might be able to come to terms with it."

"That's the right attitude." Glynda said. "Keep at it and you can overcome this." Sun nodded.

"I guess I'm next." Yang said with a quick glance toward Winter. "You already know me, but for the sake of formalities, I'm Yang Xiao-Long. I'm currently unemployed, which is not going to help my already desperate financial situation." Winter groaned but Yang kept smiling. It was in good fun. "Anyway, I lost my sister Ruby. She was diagnosed with cancer almost two years ago. She hung on until a few months ago. Her mother had died of the same cancer when we were both little. Then our father died in a car accident when we were in our teens.

"As much as she was my sister, Ruby was like a daughter to me. I was pretty much the only parent she had. When she was diagnosed they said she wouldn't survive, but I wouldn't accept that. I took her to all the experts, and I even moved to Vale from our home on Patch so she could get the best treatment possible. I ended up having to sell our house to pay for the treatments anyway. I couldn't even afford an apartment, so I slept in her hospital room. I gave everything I had, but in the end it wasn't enough.

"Everyone knew she was close to death, Ruby included. Then one night she went into cardiac arrest. The doctors asked me if they should try to resuscitate her. I told them not to because I didn't want her to suffer anymore. She was in so much pain." Tears rolled down Yang's cheeks. "But it was my decision that she would die then, and I could never forgive myself for giving up like that. I never even got to say goodbye. I just gave the okay to give up and she died right in front of me. She was my whole world, my everything, and I just told them to let her die." Yang continued crying, now too much to speak.

"Take your time." Glynda said. "If you can't continue it's alright."

"No, I'll finish this." Yang said. She drew her arm across her face to wipe away the tears, but they were immediately replaced by fresh ones. "I had my shitty job as a bouncer and an apartment not fit for human habitation. That was it. I had no one. Then out of the blue my Uncle Qrow showed up. He told me about Glynda, who had helped him with PTSD after he was discharged from the army. So I scheduled a session. Our first one went terribly, but she invited me to group and I kept trying. I'm still not where I need to be, but any place is better than where I was. Now at least I have hope."

Winter looked over at Yang and saw the emotion in her face, the crushing pain of loss but also the slightest glimmer of hope. She had a newfound respect for the tattooed, buxom blonde who had punched her in the face. Despite their differences, perhaps they were more alike than Winter had realized. "Well, Winter, we've told our stories." Glynda said. "If you're not comfortable you don't have to, but we would very much like to hear yours."

"I suppose it's only fair." Winter said, her voice shaky with nerves. "You opened up to me, I should open up to you." She took a deep breath. Before she could speak she realized her eyes were tearing up. All the icy calm her father had drilled into her counted for nothing now. "I'm...I'm Winter Schnee." There was a noticeable change in Nora's expression when Winter said that, but she had no idea what to make of it. "I'm a manager at the Schnee Development Corporation. I've taken a leave of absence to grieve. My...um...my sister Weiss...passed away a few weeks ago."

Winter broke down sobbing. "It's alright." Yang said. She started rubbing Winter's back. "It's alright."

"It's not alright." Winter sobbed. "I'm supposed to be above such displays of emotion."

"No one is supposed to be above emotion." Glynda countered. "Emotions are part of who we are. Without them we can't function, and without them we can't heal. Hiding them isn't strength, it's a sign of weakness. Embrace your emotions. Only then can you begin to overcome the pain."

Winter took a few seconds, struggling to calm down. She failed but decided to go on with her story regardless. "Weiss and I had been to a board meeting at my father's request. It ran late and by the time we were heading home it was almost midnight. I was tired, but I decided I was good to drive. I wasn't. I drifted off to sleep, and when I woke up, I panicked and crashed the car into a tree. The dashboard was crushed into Weiss. She was in so much pain. She was so scared." Winter took another moment to compose herself, getting back to the point where she could speak again.

"Winter, you don't have to…" Glynda started.

"No, I do." Winter cut her off. "I couldn't see it but my sister's legs were crushed. She bled out fast, before I even realized she was dying. She died and it was my fault."

"We don't assign blame here." Glynda said. "Her death was no one's fault, certainly not yours."

"I wish I could believe you." Winter wept. "Everything reminded me of her, the pictures, the stuff, even the snow on the ground. I had to get away, so I came to Vale. I figured the new sights and experiences would get my mind off her but it didn't work. When I close my eyes I still see here there, terrified and dying right in front of me. I tried drinking, but that was a temporary fix at best. I just...don't know what to do, for the first time in my life."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Glynda encouraged.

"And we'll be here to help you." Yang added.

"Thank you." Winter said. "May I have a tissue?" Velvet helpfully produced one and handed it down the line to Winter.

"I know this is hard, but you never said how you ended up here, at this meeting." Pyrrha observed.

"Yes, if you don't mind telling us." Glynda said.

"Well, it's going to sound insane." Winter said. She remember Nora's story and realized she could not match that level of insanity if she tried. "Anyway, I got really drunk, called Yang a bimbo and she punched me. She was fired as a result, and I felt terrible. So I went to her apartment to apologize and offer some cash. We got to talking, found out we both lost our sisters, and she invited me to the group."

"She wants to bang you." Sun said.

"Sun!" Glynda exclaimed.

"Yang around pretty girls is like a kid in a candy store." Blake added.

"Blake!" Glynda shouted.

"Nora!" Nora yelled, leaping to her feet in the middle of the semicircle.

"Alright everyone, settle down." Pyrrha said. "Come on Nora." Nora shrugged and sat back down in her chair.

Winter looked at Yang. "I deny nothing." Yang said with a smile. "But I do genuinely want you to get the help you need. I don't want someone else to end up like me. I hit rock bottom, and I could tell just from the little time we spent together that you were on your way there too."

"Thank you...I think." Winter said.

"Well, thank you very much for telling your story." Glynda said. "That was very brave and it's a big step on the road to recovery. Thanks to the rest of you as well." Glynda took a deep breath. "Now, does anyone have anything you'd like to discuss?"