Chapter One
Avalon's P.O.V.
"I don't get it," I said again. "Why do you have to clean your blades with disinfectant every day? They're going to get dirty after each expedition anyway, right?" I watched as Levi and his squad vigorously rubbed the cleaning liquid into each and every one of their ten blades.
Petra sighed and stopped cleaning for a split second. Levi glared at her, and she immediately resumed the rubbing. "They're dirty." Levi said plaintively. I looked at him. The blades were silver. Maybe a speck of dust here and there. But there was dust everywhere.
I was sitting on a lone stool across from the couch, where the squad was seated. Well, Erd was standing, and I could see Auruo wanting to get up and move around too, but since Levi was seated, so did he. "In fact, isn't there an expedition tomorrow?" I hinted. "They're going to get dirty again."
"Then we'll clean them again," Levi answered. I nearly face-palmed. The whole squad was oblivious to the freakiness of the whole thing. "Are you coming on the expedition? It's designed so that our squad would be at the safest point." Though I wasn't an official member of the squad, I had gained enough familiarity to be noted as one.
"No," I muttered, "I'm going to the Trost District in Wall Rose. They're having a concert there, and I'm expected to perform. I'll be staying there for a week. I'm leaving tonight too." I was a performer, one of the singers. I also happened to be the King's niece, and one of his very few female relatives.
"Aww," Petra complained, "I wanted to see you perform!" She glanced at Levi. "Do you schedule these things so that I never have the chance to watch her perform in public?" He looked at her, disinterested with the topic of conversation. "Ah, look at the time! Avalon, I believe it's time for our daily cooking lesson!"
We both got up and headed for the kitchens. One of the things Petra beat me at was cooking. At first, I couldn't cook to save my life. "What will we be making today, Chef Petra?" I asked in a teasing tone as I tied up my pale blue hair.
"Mini fruit tarts with light vanilla custard, my student," she shot back, "They're one of Levi's favorites." I chuckled to myself. "Do me a favor and get me the mini tart pans, the flour, and the custard mix?" She busied herself to the task of organizing the rest of the ingredients.
For the next few hours, we made fruit tarts. They would have been perfect had it not been for the fact she left the decorations and final presentation to me. "They look a bit…odd, but it should be edible." Petra said, picking one of them up. We both took a bite at the same time.
The rest of Levi's Unit filed in. Levi sniffed at the tarts. "They look like shit." Nevertheless, he and the others each picked one up, about to take a bite. "And they taste like shit too." He spoke bluntly.
"I guess all the credit should be given to my marvelous student." Petra instantaneously said. I could almost see sparkles around her.
"Hm, yeah," I said without thinking, "Wait, and don't try to charm yourself out of this!" I yelled. The other members of the Special Operations Squad tried to smile, but only ended up with creepy smiles in an attempt not to swallow the horrific tarts.
"Miss Avalon?" A girl walked into the room, wearing a pencil skirt and blazer, obviously the woman in charge of me. "Please get ready. We are prepared to depart to Trost of Wall Rose in less than ten minutes. I would expect for you to don your disguise as well."
I frowned at her retreating back. Erd threw me a black hoodie. Large sunglasses soon followed to cover up my blue eyes. The routine was well-practiced within the squad. They knew of my clumsiness and my habit of pulling something together in the last minute that usually had a disastrous result.
I waved to the squad and went outside, where a boat was ready. "Miss Avalon, at your command, we are ready to leave for the outer Wall." A boating assistant said stiffly. I smiled at his effort at respect. "The trip is estimated to take a few hours at most."
"At ease," I said, "I'm the niece of the King, not the daughter. Please treat me the same way as you would treat a fellow friend." At once, the boy straightened up. "We may go now, if all preparations are ready." I walked off into my private room, and saw a green cloak with the Wings of Freedom on the back. I let out a huff of air. "For someone so clean, you would think he wouldn't forget his cloak," I muttered.
The ship carried on peacefully, wind rushing over the calm waters. I heard some grunting and yelling outside and curiously wondered what was going on. We were going into the Trost District, and my attention was soon diverted to the passing Wall Rose.
"Avalon, please come outside," someone said in a sweet tone. "We're arriving at the providence, and it would be best for you to make an appearance." I didn't recognize the tone, but stepped outside, my long fingers rubbing the hood of the black jacket I wore.
I was instantly knocked down, and someone grabbed my hands, tying them together with a piece of twine. There were three burly men grinning down at me. "Miss…Avalon." I turned and saw the same sailor before. He was struggling to crawl toward me.
I could see why. There were numerous gashes and stab wounds in his chest, and I was frankly surprised he had even survived. "Idiot," I smiled softly. "Why are you struggling so much? Escape. Leave me here."
He looked horrified at my suggestion. "Miss, I was born to serve. To leave my master in the time of need goes against everything I have been taught to do." He still spoke formally. "I still hope for you, Miss Avalon. To people of the lower status like me, you are our candle in the pitch darkness."
"Why…? I haven't done anything." I protested, only to realize his eyes had glazed over. He had died.
One of the guys laughed and walked over to him, poking him with a rifle. I narrowed my eyes at him. He reached down and took the sailor's wallet, shifting through the dollar bills. "This was not a good catch. He barely has any money for food."
"Are you a savage, taking trophies from the dead?!" I yelled, tears rushing down my cheeks. The rope dug into my wrists, blood seeping into the rough string. "What do you want from me? A ransom? The King won't pay it! I'm only his goddamn niece!"
The other man was about to reply when I heard several screams. A giant crash. I struggled to turn around, but the three had run off, afraid of what had come. The ground shook, and for a moment, I wondered what had scared my kidnappers so much they had fled without their victim?
When I saw the Wall, I knew. The Wall had fallen. A Titan loomed over me, its face stretched into a gruesome, permanent frown. I pulled against my bonds, and the rope finally came free. The kidnappers were definitely not known for their knot-tying skills.
I ran. I grabbed the green cloak along the way, holding the clothing article close to my chest. More screams ensued in the following minutes, and streaks of tears shone on my face. They were suffering. "Come on!" I saw a woman up ahead. "Hurry up!"
She held out a welcoming hand to me. I took it, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flash of a glass vial. She plunged the needle into my upper arm as I twitched, numb in her arms. "Why are you doing this to me?" I asked numbly, my blank eyes looking at her.
The woman only smiled faintly. "We need at least ten."
Levi's P.O.V.
"Auruo," Petra complained, "Stop it with the acts!" She impishly put her hands on her waist as we rode back to the Walls. Auruo made an attempt to reply, only to slip on a few rocks and bite his tongue.
The whole way back, he had a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth, nursing the wound. "What's going on?" Erd asked as he studied the smoke rising up into the clouds. We were within sight of the Trost District of Wall Rose. Disinterested, I examined my cloak. Tch. Some dirt had gotten stained on it. I resolved to clean it as soon as I got back to headquarters.
As we got closer, I could hear many screams. "The Wall's been breached!" Erwin yelled, "Save as many citizens as you can, make sure all find refuge in Wall Sina!" Quick with orders like usual.
But then I remembered something.
"No," Avalon muttered, "I'm going to the Trost District in Wall Rose. They're having a concert there, and I'm expected to perform. I'll be staying there for a week. I'm leaving tonight too." She pouted, a look I found completely adorable. Of course, I didn't say that out loud.
Avalon was probably dead.
Third Person P.O.V.
Ten Years Ago…
"Miss, he's not safe to approach!" The guard protested as a young girl strode into the dank cell, wearing a bright expression. "He's going to die by hanging tomorrow anyway! He's a criminal that can't be saved." With her was a blonde man with a stoic expression.
"Everyone can be saved," she said placidly, "We are not prisoners of the past; it is merely a reminder for us to never repeat the same mistakes again." She bent down right next to the jailed up twenty-year old man. "I'm Avalon. You're Levi, right? Meet Commander Erwin of the Scouting Legion." She gestured toward the blonde-haired man.
Levi scowled at her. "Are you sure about this, Avalon?" Erwin asked skeptically. "The Scouting Legion is always welcome to members, but he's on death row. Can you convince Dallis Zacklay to let him live?" He folded his arms. "I'm sure he would make an excellent soldier though."
"Hey," Avalon bent down near Levi, putting on hand on his shoulder despite the guard's protest. "You want to live. I know you want to live. Right? Because we're human. Humans will always struggle to live, even when there's no chance. You aren't alone at this, Levi. We can hope. We can survive."
Five Years Later…
Levi's P.O.V.
Tch. What was all that noise now? I opened the door to my cabin and saw Avalon smiling cheerily at me. But it looked forced. "What do you want now?" I muttered. "It's fucking four A.M. What could you possibly want now?" I glowered at her.
"The squads died again." She said, still trying to smile. "I was supposed to help with the planning…it's my fault I didn't place them in a better position to avoid the Titans." She rushed into my arms without my offering to hug her. I was going to have to clean that shirt later.
"I promise you…I will keep fighting and wipe every single last Titan off the face of the Earth and survive." I muttered.
I made a promise that day. And I'll keep it. Because it was a promise made to the girl who saved me from the dark pit of despair.
Avalon's P.O.V.
I howled in pain, clutching at my right shoulder. Tattooed on the upper part were the numbers 07. My blood came away in my hands, a monstrous electric-blue slippery liquid. I rubbed it on the floor, crying.
It reminded me of how inhuman I was now.
The woman had gotten me into an underground lab. I was the seventh experiment of ten, and one of the three survivors. The vaccines that got distributed within our bloodstreams guaranteed a full day of throbbing, burning agony.
The other two survivors were Experiments 04 and 09. I knew 04 was female and 09 was male. Telling them our names were forbidden. We couldn't even see each other's faces. Whenever we attempted to introduce ourselves with our real names, the collar shocked us so hard, it'd take a lot of strength and willpower to not pass out.
I dimly thought about Levi, hugging my knees close to my chest, arms linked around the perimeter of my knees. The cloak was on me, buttoned securely. The scientists were decent enough to let me keep it. The scent of cherry wood and fresh rain filled my nose.
Though I right next to Death's door, I briefly smiled.
Then the explosion racked the lab, fiery flames roaring and incinerating all within its grasp.
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