Shiganshina District-Outer rim of Wall Maria- 845

Kala Dobb heaved the water pail and splashed it all over the front steps. She grabbed the brush and began scrubbing the steps one by one. The dirt mixed with the water and ran in dirty rivulets through the cracks in the stone. The sun was high and hot. She stopped to wipe her brow several times before going back to scrubbing. Sweat began to drip off her nose, several strands of chestnut hair stuck to the back of her neck and forehead, the back of her olive shirt was soon dark with sweat. Once the stone steps were scrubbed as clean as she could get them, her step-brother slammed into her. She hit the back of her head against the rail and slid to the floor.

"Out of my way, worm!"

"Ky! Be nice to your sister! Get back here and apologize!"

But Ky was already too far off to hear his mother scream after him. Kala rubbed the back of her head, feeling the sore spot with the tip of her fingers and pulled back her hand. Of course, blood. Again. She winced at the tenderness of her head.

"Kala! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine" she hissed as she pulled away and stood abruptly. The world swung around her and she fell to the floor again.

"You have a concussion. Here"

"I'm fine" but this time she winced and her step-mother gripped her shoulders gently as she took her inside.

Mrs. Dobb finished cleaning the small cut at the back of Kala's head. Her skull hadn't split open, thankfully, but still...it was a nasty cut. Ever since she had married Kala's father, Kala's life had been flipped inside out. Her father was a good man, but most of the time, he overlooked Ky's mistreatment towards Kala. He believed one day they'd get along, but that would never be.

"I just don't understand that boy. How could he be so cruel? That's just not like him"

"Was Ky close to his father?" she had never asked before. Now seemed like a good time than any.

Mrs. Dobb closed her eyes and sighed, "Yes. Yes he was"

"That would explain most things. He probably thinks you're replacing his father with mine and knowing you love him...and I'm assuming me as well, that might be why he takes his anger out on me. He most likely thinks you're replacing him with me"

"Oh...oh no. Kala, I love you both equally. He's my son and you may be my step-daughter, but I love you like you were my own" she sighed, "I hope he realizes that"

"You should tell him. Before it's too late"

"Kala" Mrs. Dobb kissed the top of her head gently.

"I'm going outside for a while, I'll be back"

"Ok. Be safe Kala"

"Always am" she smiled before closing the door.

Shiganshina is a small, quaint little town on the outer main wall of Maria. These small towns served a purpose of distracting the Titans should on one fateful day, they break in and come through. While distracted with the people in the small area, the rest could escape to the inner wall. This plan had always bothered Kala. Using them as bait to protect others. Sacrifices had to be made but human lives are still important to protect. Even in this cruel, cruel world.

"Answer me heretic! Huh?! Hit me! Show me how wrong I am!"

"I'd never stoop that low to your level. Plus this proves that I'm right"

Kala looked up and above her on the steps that ran through the village, was a blond boy being choked by an orange haired boy with an evil grin on his face, the glee that reflected in his eyes was even more frightening. Ky. So this is where he ran off to. Kala began to run up the steps but she was too far away. From far above she heard a slightly familiar voice.

"Hey you bastards! What are you doing?!"

She heard the boy's name vaguely as she continued to run. Eren. Eren Jaeger. He was Dr. Jager's son and the angriest boy she'd ever seen alive. But, he possessed an incredible indomitable spirit than anyone else. He wore that fierce expression as always as he ran down to the blond boy. The group of boys Ky was with didn't run away. They laughed until they saw another figure behind Eren and freaked. They began screaming and crying as they got away from Eren and the other figure that was with him. They pushed past Kala, who pressed herself against the wall. Ky turned, took one look at her, sneered and disappeared with the boys. After they were gone, Kala looked back up the steps and saw Eren reaching a hand out to the blond boy, who struggled to stand but didn't take Eren's hand. He didn't look offended as all three of the children began walking away. Kala was struck deeply by the scene that she had witnessed. So there was good in this cruel world. She just wasn't looking hard enough. She kept looking up the steps even after the three of them left. Kala smiled and walked back down the steps and through the market area. There was angry talk about the Survey Corps coming back with little to none new information about the Titans. She herself had never seen a Titan, but something deep inside cried to her about climbing over the wall to overlook the outside world. Thinking about going outside was taboo inside the walls, but it did spark interest in the eager eyes of the children growing up sheltered in the Walls, herself included. She had considered going into the military and possibly joining the Corps, but her father forbade such talk in his home. Even if she was his daughter, he couldn't see her putting her life on the line for the sake of humanity with her dead eyed expression and lack of empathy for anything. Someone like that didn't belong in the Corps.

Mid-afternoon, Kala decided it was time to go back home. She ate an apple she'd sneaked from a cart, chewing methodically when her arm was yanked violently and she was thrown against a wall. She'd forgotten the pain that lay in the back of her head. This time, blood smeared darkly on the wall she'd been smacked into. Her vision went blurry as a tall figure approached her, grabbed the front of her shirt and punched her hard. Her vision went dark and then cleared again only to have a blinding pain errupt from her back and stomach. She coughed up blood as she was flipped on her back and cold hands enveloped her throat.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance" that voice, so full of malicious glee. Ky.

Kala groped at his hands, raking her nails into his hands but that only made him squeeze harder. Then a loud boom exploded around them and Ky let go. Kala gasped for breath as she struggled to get up, her knees shaking and buckling beneath her. All her limbs felt like jelly as she finally managed to stand up just in time to see a large red figure tower over the wall then disappear in a cloud of steam. What was that? A Titan? No, it's too big...but….

There were so many people running through the streets as debris rained down all around them, tearing down buildings and houses, creating large craters in the floor. Kala took off running. She ran deep into the town of Shiganshina. She had to get home. Her parents were there. Who cared about Ky now. The Titans...they finally broke in! There was so much screaming and scrambling, she didn't know if she should stay back to help others or help herself. She decided to keep running. Run as fast as she could. A thunderous boom jolted her off her feet and she looked up in horror to see a Titan a few meters behind her. A wide grin was splayed on its face, its teeth and mouth stained already with blood. Its giant belly jutting out as it kept walking towards her, making the ground shake with each step. Kala froze in terror, her legs telling her to get up and run but she couldn't. Why couldn't she move?

"Don't just sit there! Run!"

She looked around but there was no one there. No one had said that. She had.

"Kala get up!" she screamed and finally pushed off the ground and ran with all her might, the pain in her body and legs gone from the shock of adrenaline. She pushed aside people that were in her way as she made for the gate. They couldn't close it, not yet! Wait for me! She bumped hard into another person that was running in the opposite direction. It was Eren! She wanted to scream, take his hand and tell him to not go that way. But she knew he wouldn't listen. He was going back to save someone, but who? She turned around and kept running. She reached the street where her house was and found it already in shambles.

"Dad! Dad! Erica!" she choked back a sob and screamed, "Mom!"

She dug through the rubble until she touched something warm and fleshy. It was a hand. It jutted amongst the crushed rubble, the fingers were crushed and pointed at odd angles. Human fingers didn't look like that. Kala screamed and kept digging until she uncovered the bodies of her step-mother and her father. They were dead. They were gone. She sat back on her heels as she kept looking at their mangled bodies and she let out another scream. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Not like this. She never once called Erica Mom until now and she never would hear it. She couldn't stay here. They were gone, she couldn't take them with her. Her only hope was to evacuate with the rest of the survivors. She followed the flow of survivors out through the gate. There were so many civilians. They had already started to load boats. Kala pushed through a throng of people waiting for their turn to get onboard and sneaked in with a large group of children that were herded onto the boat. She sat in a corner and covered her head with her arms, wanting to block out the screams and desperate cries of parents and family members wanting to get on. One woman cried to a soldier to take her child and put him on the boat. She didn't care about herself, she only wanted to save her child. The soldiers held the people back. Many tried to throw themselves on but it was too late. The boat started to take off. She heard people murmur in fear prayers to God. For God to come and save them. A loud boom echoed over the river and Kala saw a large armored looking Titan loom in the entrance of where the gate should have been. It was too late for humanity. The Titans were already in. The screams faded from earshot as the boat floated further away towards Wall Rose. She stood up and went to the edge when a hand grabbed her ankle. On instinct she kicked it away with her other leg and looked down at who dared touch her. It was Ky. The smarmy bastard was still alive.

"It's your fault...all your fault...they're dead. My mother is dead...it's all your fault...you brought them here...the Titans...they're here because…."

He was mumbling nonsense. He was afraid. Afraid like everyone here on this boat. Like her. But no more. She'd been dominated too long by Ky. It was her turn to take over. She grabbed him and lifted him off his feet. There was a dead look in his eyes that she'd never seen before...and she liked to keep it there. She threw him down and spat on him.

"I wish the Titans had eaten you piece by piece...you piece of trash! You should've been taken and not them! They're the ones who should be alive! I hate you! DIE!" she kicked his stomach.

On the boat behind her, Eren screamed his revenge on the Titans. To eliminate every single one of the bastards.