Disney
"This is just ridiculous" I say as Bertholdt comes running with the Mickey Mouse ears with my name on it, grinning. He convinced me to go to Disney with him and Reiner and now he wants me to put on those stupid ears.
"A little smile and, Annie," he puts the ears in my head "it will be fun!"
It sure was fun, but really exhausting and hot.
We have already been three hours in the Island of Adventures Park, walking, under the too-bright sun. It´s about 40° here and I won´t take off my hoodie. No one has ever, ever seen me without my hoodie. It just feels strange to be without it, like not wearing clothes.
I can´t stand it anymore. I stop Bertholdt and hand him my ears. He frowns at me for a second and I turn my back on him. I grab the hem of my shirt that´s under my hoodie and with the other pull it over my head. I turn again with my hoodie in hand. I´m wearing a white sleeveless t-shirt and it feels good because I'm not that ho anymore. Bertholdt and Reiner stare at me in shock.
"What?" I demand but Bertholdt just grins and puts my ears on again.
"You look so cute! But you look strange and not you" Reiner says pulling the hat down so it covers my eyes and I sigh. He suddenly punches my shoulder friendly and I punch him in the stomach "Yep, nothing to worry, she´s the real Annie" A laugh escapes me and he now looks at me more shocked "Did you just laugh?" he says offending me a little.
"Dude, she´s human. Of course she can laugh" he punches him in the arm "now you owe her"
He sighs and kneels with one leg. He puts his arm back and says "Climb"
"What?" I say
"C´mon Annie, you can´t weigh that much" I stay silent with my arms crossed over my chest and deny with my head "or do you?"
"Fine" I say climbing and climb to his back for him to give me a piggyback ride.
We go to at least thirty different roller coasters and end with a pile of photos of each one of them. In everyone they are making either funny faces or with their hands up in the air screaming at the top of their lungs. I just hold on as hard as I can, hoping not to fall even though I have about twenty seat belts.
In the next one Reiner says they know where the camera is and that the photo must be funny. Berthold tells me he´ll squish my hand when the photo will be taken and tells me it will be on the right side.
When we get there we go fast through the line and take the first sits that are the front ones, the first row. The roller coaster is not that bad like the other ones. It´s called the Hulk and it is really fun. It has a lot of loops but isn´t that hard. The photo is by the end of the ride and, as he told me, he squishes my hand and I laugh. The ride ends and I'm still laughing, though exhausted.
The three of us laugh and I stumble as we walk of how tired I am. We get to a place called Seuss Landing and find a bench to sit on, well, collapse on. My shirt is still soaked with water from one of the rides but I don´t care. Reiner and Bertholdt go to the little store and I just wait for them to get back. I close my eyes and breathe in and out, in and out, still laughing. This people are the only human beings I can laugh with, the only persons that are kind with me and not afraid of me nor intimidated.
I put the back of my hand to my forehead, covering my face from the burning sun above me. Suddenly someone shakes my shoulder. It´s Bertholdt with Reiner at his side with a shopping bag in one hand.
"C´mon" he says but I sigh and shake my head "Annieeee, let´s gooooo" he insists
"I can´t walk" I say sitting straight in the bench "it´s too hot and I'm too tired to walk" I sigh again "and I won´t let Reiner give me a piggyback ride again, he stinks"
He laughs and says "if you won´t stand, I'll have to carry you"
"I said I was not going to be-" but he pulls me to stand up and makes me walk a few steps. He carries me by the armpits and sits me in his shoulders. I´m short so I don´t weigh much, and he is tall so he is strong enough to carry me with no problem.
"There you go" he says resting his hands in my shoes "better now?"
"Hmmhmmm" I say resting my hands in his head "much better now"
My eyelids get heavy and I rest my head on top of his. My arms hang at my sides and I fall asleep. I wake up in our hotel little apartment, the Orisons, and it´s already dark. My hair is loose and I leave it that way because I don´t care when those idiots are around. I walk out of the room to our little living room and kitchen. Reiner is cooking something and Bertholdt is watching T.V with swimwear on for some reason.
"Reiner, Annie´s up!" he calls to him, and he turns the stove off and approaches to me, using also swimwear. I have a bad feeling.
"Ready to go swimming, Annie?" Reiner says grinning at me
"No" I say "I don´t wanna go swimming"
They exchange looks and grin and turn back towards me. "Oh, but you will"
Laughing, they raise me between them. Their arms under my knees and on my back, as I struggle to get off, they take me outside, ignoring the kicks and hits, and go to the edge of the pool.
"Oh no, Bertholdt I-" they throw me to the water with clothes and everything and I panic, I don´t know how to swim. I struggle to get to the surface because they threw me to the deep part of the pool. They keep laughing until Bertholdt notices my panicked face and comes in to the pool to help me.
He carries me bridal-style in his arms as I gasp for air and breathe hard. He carries me to the less deep part of the pool until he stands on the ground and sits with me, still breathing hard. I have my eyes shut closed as I mutter "get me out, get me out, get me out" He rocks himself, with me still in his arms, back and forth, back and forth, slowly, until I calm down.
"What happened?" he asks a little worried "you could´ve drowned you idiot"
"I don´t know how to swim" I almost whisper to him "I'm afraid of… of…" I can´t say it, it´s a stupid fear.
"Sorry, we didn´t know" he says
"What ha-" He shots him a warning look and he shuts up.
"You weren't scared in the game" he says softly
"In the game i wasn't in the water dumbass" I say, my voice shaking.
"Sorry" he says
My whole body shivers because I'm soaking wet and it's the middle of the night. I hug my arms and let out a shaky breathe. After a few minutes of just sitting there I start coughing so he stands, with me still in his arms, and we goes to the room.
I go to the bathroom first, get dried and change into a oversized t-shirt that Bertholdt gave me because our bags with clothes were still closed and I didn' t want to dig for my pajamas. It covered until almost my knee so it was okay.
I came out and then Bertholdt went in and came out after a minute in a pair of long pants and a white t-shirt.
When we were all finished we all went to our beds. Me alone in one, and them in the same because there were only two. I fell asleep instantly but had a nightmare where I was drowning. I woke up scared, my body shaking. I stood up from my bed and went to the sofa in the tiny living room. I collapsed in it and fell asleep again, but the nightmares wouldn't stop. After two minutes I woke up again and this time I was not alone. Bertholdt was standing next to the room door rubbing one of his eyes.
"You ok?" He asks me still rubbing his eyes. I shake my head.
"You were screaming" he tells me
I hug my knees and shiver again. "Nightmares" I say
He walks towards me and gathers me in his arms. He carries me gently and take me back to the room. He lays me between Reiner and him and I rest my head in his chest facing down. It doesn't help the nightmares though. Every half an hour I woke up muttering "get me out, get me out" and Bertholdt would wake with me and calm me down. After three times waking up, I finally fall asleep in peace.
The next morning I woke up to get the terrifying news: they were going to help me overcome my fear.
I changed to the only bikini I had and met them at the edge of the pool, talking, with their feet in the water. They turn to me smiling. After all I owed him for making him wake up every two seconds; after all it was his fault.
Bertholdt carried me like the day before and slowly entered the pool, step by step, going deeper. I start breathing hard when the water reaches my stomach and wrap my arms around his neck tightly.
"It's okay" he says laughing a little "I got you"
He keeps going deeper until the water reaches my shoulders and I tense even more.
"Bert" I say digging my nails to his skin but he keeps going "Bert, it's too-" he stops, finally, right were the water reaches my throat but only reaches his abdomen.
"Listen to me" he says "I'm gonna let you float just a second, okay?" I shake my head and tighten my grip. "One...two...three" he sinks to the water and I panic until he stands up under me and I end up sitting on his shoulders.
"I'm gonna fucking kill you" I say trying not to touch the water with my feet and hugging his neck.
"You're strangling me" he says taking my arms from his neck. "Hey Reiner!" He calls "come in here"
"Yes sir" he says and gets in the water next to him.
"H-How are you supposed to make me overcome my f-fear?" I ask them stammering.
"I dunno" Reiner says "do you?" He says bumping his shoulder with Bertholdt's.
"I have sort of an idea" he says "but I don't think she'll like it"
"W-what idea?" I stammer.
"You'll have to trust us" Reiner says looking up at me
"I only trust myself" I mutter under my breathe
"If you want to get out of this pool..." he gestures to Bertholdt and he starts folding his knees going deeper. I panic and cross my legs over Bertholdt's face. I start breathing hard.
"Bert, don't" he keeps sinking "okay, okay, I trust you, I trust you" he stands properly again "you're an asshole" I say to Reiner.
"If you want us to help you, you must close your eyes and relax. Don't think, just relax. Okay? If you panic too much just tell us and we'll stop"
I nod "okay" I say, and close my eyes.
I uncross my legs and arms. I feel the water tingling my feet, and then it reaches my legs. I breathe in slowly and then out, in, out, until it reaches my waist. I start panicking again.
"I can't" I tell him "stop"
He sighs and stands again. "If you don't trust us then you'll-"
"I do trust you" I interrupt him "I just..." I stare at the water and swallow hard "I can't, get me out"
"If you say so" Reiner says and he walks out again. He sits me in our umbrella's chair.
"I have never told anyone about this fear" I say glancing at Reiner "I trust you enough not to tell. And if you do, you're dead"
"Don't worry Annie" they say in unison "you're secret's save with us"
"I don't wanna go" I say crossing my arms and shaking my head "I'm tired"
"Annieeeee, you proooooomiiiiiiiiiiiiiised" he says poking my arm. I shake my head but he keeps poking until it hurts.
"Okay, but stop doing that" I say and he smiles. "But" I add "if I get tired, you´ll have to carry me"
"Deal!" he says and pulls me outside where Reiner is waiting in the car. We are heading to Downtown Disney. They act like five year-olds, wanting to go everywhere, every time, in every way they can. They clearly love Disneyland and they´re starting to make me like it. I wouldn´t have agreed to come if somebody else had offered, I only trust these idiots. They have been like brothers to me since kindergarten. They always act so protective for me, like if I was their little sister, and I have always felt they are my family, my only family.
When we get there the sun is shining. Those assholes hid all my shirts and bought me Disney-themed ones so I was wearing an "exclusive" Annie in Wonderland shirt and a huge black bow in my head. According to Reiner, my blonde hair fits exactly with the cosplay, whatever that is.
To try and bother Bertholdt, for how ridiculous he made me look, I said I was tired as soon as we got of the car and he sat me in his shoulders without hesitation. It didn't seem to bother him, though, he seemed happy to carry me around.
Every two seconds, he took out the camera and took a selfie of the three of us, and then complained I didn´t smile. He took about two-thousand pictures until we got to the Rainforest Café where he left the camera side to buy a bunch of things in the gift shop. Every time we were in one he asked me for a quarter. He never told me why he wanted it but I gave it to him anyways. Without he asking me, he bought me clothes also and forced me to use them every time.
Note-to-self: open the suitcases and hide my clothes as soon as I step in the hotel next time, or else they´ll hide my t-shirts.
The place was noisy and dark so I got a little dizzy inside. But the food was really good. I thought Bertholdt would leave the camera alone, unfortunately, I was wrong. He took another thousand pictures in the restaurant. Including: Reiner acting like a monkey, Reiner acting like an elefant and Reiner acting dead beside the dessert. When we came outside, without warning, Bertholdt carry me again sitting me in his shoulders, just like an hour ago, when I said I was tired.
We went to about thirty different stores. And I got about thirty-thousand souvenirs from thirty-million different themes. We passed all day entering different shops and walking down Downtown Disney. It was almost dark when Reiner spotted a photo booth. He pushed my legs backwards and I thought he had really threw me until Reiner caught me behind him and they both pulled me to the photo booth.
They closed the curtains and plucked a dollar in the little aperture. Reiner pressed the start button and the countdown started for the first picture. 5…4…3, Reiner pulled my black bow in front of my eyes and laughed and Bertholdt made bunny ears with his fingers behind Reiner´s head as we all laughed. Click! First picture.
I pulled the black bow to my head again as I laughed. 4…3…2, They both turned and kissed each of my cheeks and I blushed and laughed. Click! Second picture taken.
For the last one, they carried me in between them as my black bow fell again over one of my eyes and I plucked my arms around each of their shoulders, pulling them closer to me, so I wouldn´t fall back. 2…1…Click! Last picture taken. We went out of the cabin laughing and took the pictures.
"I love this picture!" I exclaim laughing
"Annie?!" Reiner says and then laughs again "who are you, and what did you do with our Annie?"
"I´ve never laughed so much in my life" Bertholdt says laughing "I´ve never seen you laugh so much in my life"
"Before I met you idiots…" I begin calming down and steadying myself "I… I have never even laughed once in my life. I was always focused on training and…" I fiddle with the army necklace with my father's and mother´s name on it, mother died in a war invasion and my father joined the army after that. Every time he came home he just trained me and taught me to hate everyone, not trust everyone "not trusting anyone, like he taught me to" I sigh "and now I only trust you and-"
"Annie" Reiner interrupts me "you´re way too sentimental"
They both embrace me in a huge bear hug and carry me again but now in their shoulders. These are the only people I can trust, I think, don´t lose them this time.