Prologue: Sandy Makes a Friend by Sneezing

"We will be arriving at Beacon Academy soon," said a female voice over the intercom. "Please get ready to disembark." Sandy perked up and stepped toward the window, next to a guy who was sleeping in his seat with a spear nestled in the crook of his arm. She had to focus to see past her own reflection in the glass; her black hair was tied back in a short ponytail and her blue eyes looked eagerly forward. After a moment, she saw it. She'd seen pictures, but the sight of the school still took her breath away. Everyone else on the airship was carrying a weapon as well, and Sandy rested a hand on the hilt of her sword. Boarding this ship was her way of kissing good-bye to any hope of a normal life. Come on, Sandy, she thought, This is so cliché. No point in getting scared now. Just take things one at a time.

Just as she was contemplating what had taken her to this point and what she was going to do next, she sneezed. "Bless you." said a deep voice. She turned around to see she had woken up the boy with the spear. He ran a hand through his dark brown hair and stretched.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Sandy apologized, but he only grinned. "Don't worry about it. Looks like you woke me up at the right moment anyway, so congrats on your well-timed sneeze. Name's Richard, by the way." He held out his hand.

"I'm Sandy." She shook his hand; his grip was surprisingly strong. "Glad I could be your alarm clock today."

Richard chuckled. "Well, if meeting people is as easy as sneezing, I shouldn't have anything to worry about. But in the meantime, it looks like we're landing. Let's see what we're going to be dealing with."

As they stepped off the ship, the tower seemed even bigger up close. "Pretty impressive," said Richard. "Not to mention everyone's armed to the teeth. I think I'm gonna like this place."

Sandy looked around at the other recruits. "Everyone seems to have weapons that turn into guns. Is that the new craze, or what?" She took out her katana and one of her pistols. "I just always felt better covering multiple bases with Dust, although Razor Gale's hilt can only load one kind at a time."

Richard nodded and hefted his spear. "I hear ya. I don't pack guns either; Boltstriker's shaft is loaded with Dust so it can launch explosive blasts."

Sandy whistled. "That sounds fun. Oh, we'd better hurry, everyone else is getting into the entrance hall."

As Sandy stepped into the building, she marveled at the size of the foyer. "Wow, this room is huge! What could they possibly use this place for other than orientation?" She looked around, but Richard seemed to have vanished to who knows where. "All right," she muttered to herself. "Guess losing friends is as easy as making them."

She didn't wait long before Richard appeared again. "Sorry," he said, "Got separated. But I heard something kinda funny: apparently someone sneezed some Dust in the courtyard and exploded. Nobody's hurt, though."

"What is it with today and sneezing?" Sandy wondered. Richard started to speak, "I don't know, but- " before he was cut off by a sharp yell of "YOU!"

They looked toward the source of the noise: an angry-looking girl in white was confronting a short, dark-haired girl who leapt into the arms of a nearby blonde with a squeal of "Oh God it's happening again!"

"Let's keep out of this." said Richard. Sandy agreed. Moments later speaker feedback echoed through the room; a tall, white-haired man in a dark green suit was standing at a microphone on a raised platform. Sandy recognized him: the headmaster of Beacon, Professor Ozpin. "I'll keep this brief." he said.

"You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." There was no hint of emotion in his voice. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

"He's pleasant." Richard muttered. Ozpin stepped off, and Professor Goodwitch took the mic. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Your initiation begins tomorrow. Be ready. Dismissed."

Sandy sprawled out across her sleeping bag. Other students were talking excitedly all around her, and others were wrestling each other. A blonde boy in blue footy pajamas walked past, checking out several girls. Looking over to her left, she could see that Richard had already fallen asleep some fifteen feet away. She decided to follow his example; it was a big day tomorrow. As she pulled her sleeping bag over herself, she wondered how she was going to sleep at all with everything that had happened that day still buzzing through her head before passing out almost instantly.