Chapter 1:
Blood pumped through my viens as my heart pounded faster and faster against my chest. The muscles in my legs screamed for me to stop running but I couldn't. My decision, I decided, was final. I don't care anymore what my parents think. My younger sister didn't talk to me much, so I never heard her thoughts about me wanting to join the Scouting Legion. She's only five years old though, so she wouldn't understand.
Of course my mother, who was the last true Oriental left that I know of, wanted me to learn sewing techniques that were passed down through her family. She was the one that got mad whenever I mentioned that I wanted to venture outside of the walls, into the vast land conquered by the titans. My father just sighed and shook his head whenever he heard about it.
I'm almost old enough now to join the Trainees Squad for this year, and I'm as sure as hell that I can survive almost a month until the three years of torture start.
I decided to enjoy the cold night air as I slowed my pace. Some long locks of my black hair danced around in the wind. The more populated parts of Wall Maria appeared in my sight. 'I wonder if my family has noticed that I left yet? Even if they do find me, no matter what my punishment is, I will not give up on my dream. Now, where's a good place to sleep where no one will notice me?'
My gaze darted around the empty streets. One thing caught my eye; a pair of green eyes that matched my own, staring straight into my eyes. It was an intense stare, like the creature was looking into my soul. I noticed the animal move closer to me until it was down by my feet.
"A cat?" I accidently questioned aloud. No one was around, so I found it easy for a smile to grace my lips as I reached down to pet the cat's soft black fur.
As a purr rumbled through it's throat, it looked up at me once more and blinked, then turned and ran into a dark alley. I hesitated for a moment, but sucked up my fear and followed after it. It didn't take long for my eyes to adjust to the dim light, but once it did, I saw the black cat standing in front of what looked like an old underground cellar.
"Mrrow!" The cat yowled at me and started pacing, apparently wanting me to open the door and follow it inside.
I walked down the steps and placed a hand on the door knob. The rough feeling of rust rubbed against my hand as I turned it. I figured that it would be locked if no one wanted company, but it looked like it was abandoned so I just pushed on the door some more until there was enough space for the cat and I to get through.
"You seem happy, cat. Was this your home?" I asked it as it rubbed it's head against my leg.
I stopped speaking whenever I heard footsteps. The cat arched it's back as it stared into the shadows, seeing the figure of a boy that I could only see the silhouette of. But what I could see clearly was the glint of a clean knife. I took a step back towards the open door, pondering whether to run for it or try to fight him. I chose the latter, because this would be the perfect place for me to stay until I join the Trainees. I may not be very skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but at least I have the guts to try and defend myself against a person with a weapon.
I ducked as the knife was sent my way, peircing into the stone wall behind me. I saw this oppertunity to grab the knife and use it to my advantage. But by the time I hand my hands gripped on the handle, I had been slammed to the floor with a kick, knocking the breath out of me. The boy placed the heel of his boot on my face to make sure I didn't move.
"Tch. Nice try, but I really don't think someone like you should try fighting." The boy's face was now visable to me from the corner of my eye. He had short-ish black hair and an annoyed look on his handsome face. His dark brows furrowed as he reached down and grabbed the knife that was laying on the floor next to me. The weight on the side of my head dissappeared, and I slowly sat up to see what was going on.
I couldn't help but to sweat-drop at the sight in front of me. The boy took out a cloth and was cleaning the knife, and then the door knob, and then he walked over to me and glared. I finally brought myself to speak.
"What did you mean "someone like you"?" I asked, moving my bangs out of my left eye and tucking them behind an ear so that they wouldn't get in the way.
"I can tell you're just weak." He replied, blue-grey eyes looking over me. I squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, and I noticed how his face lightened up some from that scowl it seemed to be stuck in.
He knelt down in front of me. "I wonder how much I'd get paid for you?"
"W-What?!" I hissed at him. The cat from earlier seemed to have left, which I didn't blame it.
"You're an Oriental, right?"
"What if I am? That doesn't mean you have the right to sell me to those perverts at an auction!" I knew all to well about this sort of thing, since I had heard of the slave rumors.
"Answer my question." He said strictly, pointing the knife at me again.
"I'm half." I answered plainly.
"I assumed that because of the green eyes. Now tell me a reason why I shouldn't sell you to a pervert." He said with a smug expression.
"I'm going to join the Scouting Legion!"
"You? A weak person like you? Ha, you make me... Disgusted." He frowned.
"How so?" I ask, confused.
"You'd never make it through training." He stated and flicked my forehead, and I flinched.
"See," he points out, "You just flinched. I could tell by the way you hesitated minutes ago that you weren't anything worth wasting my energy on."
"I thought that the whole point of the Trainee Squads are to teach you how to become stronger?"
"It is, but it would be a lot less stress on your mind and body if you already were accustumed to the things you go through there. I suggest you toughen up before you join, or else you won't be able to keep up with me in any subject."
"You're going too?" I ask, somewhat glad about it. There's something about this boy that causes me to be drawn toward him, despite the eerie presence I felt.
"Don't ask any more questions, and please, just leave. I'll have to clean this whole place now since your boots tracked in dirt." He stood and offered a hand for me to take. I took it and he helped me up.
He pointed to the door but I stood glued to the spot I was at.
"What's wrong?" He asks.
"I don't have anywhere to go..." I trail off, looking down at my feet.
"Ughh. You ran away from home, didn't you? You wasn't smart enough to bring extra clothes or anything either. Just go back. I'm sure it's not that bad." He groaned.
I blinked at him a few times and still didn't move. I was trying to put on a sad face.
"What is your name?" He finally asks, and I try to smile a little as I take this as a sign that he'll let me stay.
"Lilith Eira Ackerman."
"Well then, Ackerman, call me Levi." He shoves me out the door and slams it shut behind me. "Stay out!"
'That fucking bastard. He acts like he accepts me and then kicks me out. I suppose I do need to get stronger. I need to learn how to defend myself especially since now I will be roaming around by myself. I guess I'll start tomorrow by finding someone to fight with. But first I need to get some rest.' I look around once more for a place to sleep, and decided to climb up a tree and sleep up off of the ground where it was safe.
Rays of sunlight shone on my pale face and awokened me. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Before I jumped down from the branch I was on, I heard sounds of an animal in pain nearby. I stood up on the thick branch and balanced easily as I scanned the area for the source of the sound. I lump of black fur was being kicked around by two boys. My heart skipped a beat whenever I realized it was the cat from last night, and I knew that I needed to save it.
"Well, this is the perfect opportunity for me to learn how to fight." I muttered and slid down the tree, landing on the ground below with a light thud.
Whenever I was within hearing distance of the voices of the two boys, I cringed at what one of them was saying.
"Look at it squirm! Hold it down again so I can kick it."
Anger pulsed through my body and overtook my mind, and it controlled my actions as I ran up to the boys and threw a punch at the one kicking the cat. My fist collided with his face, and I tackled him down to the ground and hit him repeatedly in the head. The cat fled from the battle. I stopped punching the boy whenever my knuckles started to bleed, but I never noticed the pain that I should have felt from it. I whipped my head around and looked at the other boy staring at me in fright. I'm sure I looked like a demon, because he took off running. But I didn't let him get away. I jumped away from the boy I had already beaten and ran after the fleeing one.
I caught up quickly, and I pounced onto him, knocking us both to the ground. I slammed his face into the dirt and leaned down and hissed in his ear.
"You will now feel pain. The pain that the cat felt whenever you guys kicked it." I rose a fist and got ready to hit him whenever someone dragged me off and tried to restrict me from getting away by locking my arms back with their own.
I knew this eerie presence, and I didn't expect to see this person again so soon.
"Calm down Ackerman." Levi said as he loosened his hold on me.
"I gave them what they deserve. Besides, wasn't you the one who told me to become stronger?" The silk of my dress was slippery enough for me to slip out of his grip, and I turned around to face him. "Also, just call me Lilith." I said with a wave of my hand.
His eyes narrowed at the boy that was standing up. "Take your friend and get out of here." The boy silently agreed and helped his almost out-cold friend to his feet and they ran off into the streets.
"I thought I told you to go back to your home?" Levi questioned me.
"I'm not going back." I replied with a stomp of my foot.
Levi sighs and crosses his arms. "Why don't you go back home?" I ask him, putting emphasis on "you".
His dark gaze locks with mine. "I'm a criminal, Lilith. I have to survive on my own."
"..." I was speechless, and I looked at my fists. They needed to be cleaned before they got infected.
No words were said as Levi grabbed me by the sleeve and pulled me along with him. I ignored the curious glances people gave us as we walked past them. Whenever he led me to his home, he pulled me inside of it and told me to sit down on a stool. He walked off somewhere into the shadows, and he lit a candle so that he could see where he was going.
Levi came back shortly with a small bucket of water, a cloth, and some bandages in one hand, and the candle in the other. He sat the candle down on a little table nearby, then he sits the bucket of water down by my feet. He sits down on the stone floor and takes my cold hands into his own as he examined them. I wanted to tell him I could take care of myself, but the words didn't seem to form in my throat. I decide to let him show this act of kindness.
Levi glances up at my face, then takes the cloth and soaks it in water. He takes my left hand and wipes the blood off of my knuckles, being gentle and making sure to get the dirt out of the cuts. He does the same with my right hand.
"The cuts aren't that bad, but it looks like they might scar." Levi tells me as he reaches for the bandages.
"I need to look more intimidating anyways." I said, trying to add a bit of humor in this situation.
"The way you looked ealier was intimidating. If you were like that last night then I'm sure I would have been in trouble. What happened to make you like that?" I'm not sure if he was joking to make me feel stronger about myself or not, but I'll go with him telling the truth.
"They were hurting a cat." I replied.
"Hn. I don't think they'll try it again." Levi tells me and wraps the bandages around my knuckles, then puts away the stuff he got out. He pulls out another old wooden stool and sits in front of me. Wanting to talk I suppose? I place my hands in my lap.
"Why did you stop me earlier?" I ask him, really wondering why he did.
"You had the intent to kill."
"Why would you care?"
"I can care about what I want to."
"So Levi, why did you become a criminal."
"I do what I want."
"Okay, then are you going to kick me out again?" I ask with a hint of venom in my voice.
"Maybe." Levi replies.
Before I open my mouth to speak again, my stomach growls. I flush in embarrassment, and I look down at my feet. I could have swore I heard Levi chuckle, but it might have been my imagination since he hardly shows any emotion.
"Let me teach you how to get food around here." Levi tells me and stands up. He blows out the candle and walks over to the door and opens it with ease. "Come on." He says and I follow him back outside.
Once out in the streets, Levi looked at the merchant stalls, then back at me. 'Oh no, don't tell me..'
"Lilith, it would be best if we used you to get food."
"Why can't we just steal food instead?" I ask him, annoyed.
"There are too many people around that are stocking up for winter. We'd be caught quickly."
"Then tell me how I can get us some."
"Your looks are sure to get the attention of someone. Just act all cute." He tells me and punches my shoulder in a friendly manner.
"But what do I say?"
"Eh, you'll figure it out. I'll be right there waiting for you." Levi says and points towards a large tree. I stare after him as he walks off and leaves my side, making me feel uncomfortable and alone.
'Okay, I don't want to dissapoint him, so I'll try my best!'
I walk towards the direction of what looked like a meat stall, and there was an old lady standing behind the counter. Her grey hair was put up on top of her head in a neat bun to look elegant. She looks down at me and smiles. I put in all of my effort to smile sweetly, and I clasp my hands together behind me in a proper fashion as I look into her kind, grey eyes.
"What a pretty young woman. Would you like to try some turkey?" She asks me.
'Act innocent.' My mind reminded me.
"Y-Yes please. If you don't mind." I said shyly.
She nods and reaches down to grab a little sack of meat. She hands it to me and I smile brightly at her.
"Thank you!" I say happily before I ran underneath of the tree Levi was laying under.
His eyes were closed and he looked relaxed. I sat down a few feet away so I wouldn't disturb him, but his eyes snap open whenever I do so.
"What did you manage to get?" He asks me as he sits up.
"Turkey." I tell him.
"That's good I guess. Now let's go cook it."
Levi picks up the sack and carries it back to his place. He starts a fire in a small fire-pit that was in the corner underneath of a small window, which he opened to let out the smoke.
"Can you cook this for us?" He asks me sharply after he got the fire started.
"Sure." I reply and he motions with his hand for me to come over.
I placed the two turkey legs in the small kettle that was over the fire. Levi walks over to his bedroll and lays down on it. I had no idea his gaze was on me the whole time I cooked, but whenever I was done, we ate in silence. Levi cleaned up the mess quickly. 'He's really something else. A germaphobic criminal? Ha!' The thought made me snort in laughter.
"What's so funny?" Levi asks seriously, glaring at me.
"Do you really want to know?" I ask him as I stand up and walk over to him.
"Yes." He growls.
"The fact that you're a germaphobic criminal! It's hilarious." I smirk and poke his chest. He takes a step back from me.
"I did not give you permission to touch me." Levi says and adjusts his dark red shirt's collar.
I grin some more and step towards him and poke him once more. The way his expression seemed to darken was more than enough of a warning for me to get away from him. Before I moved a muscle, his hand latched onto my face as he pinched my cheek roughly.
"Ow, ow, ow." I said quietly as he glared at me. 'That's gonna leave a mark.'
He let go soon and flicked the small bruise he left on my face, making me wince in pain. He turns around and groans in an annoyed tone. "I don't know if I can stand having you around."
"If you can't even stand me, then I don't know how you're going to make it through training."
"True.." Levi trails off. He walks towards his bedroll, his boots making clicking sounds on the stone floor. He runs a hand through his black hair as he thinks.
"Are you staying here?" He finally says and turns to face me.
"That's up to you."
Levi blinks and stays quiet. "I really don't like the idea of making you sleep on the floor." He says after a few seconds of silence.
'He actually cares?!' I couldn't believe it.
"As long as it's clean, it's fine." I waved it off.
"Oh, alright then." Levi says and curls up to sleep on his bedroll without a second thought.
'What the hell? And here I was thinking he was starting to be nicer.' I mentaly cursed. I glanced out the little window that was above the fire-pit to see if it was even dark outside, and it wasn't. 'Levi must be tired after putting up with me all day. I feel bad for making him clean my wounds while I could have done it myself. I guess I'll go for a little walk until I get tired.'
I open and close the door as quietly as I could. It was a couple hours until dusk, so I have plenty of time to walk around. The busy streets from earlier weren't nearly as crowded, and people were walking home with their children. The thing that caught my eye was the old lady that was nice enough to give me food, and the woman with black hair that was talking to her. 'Oh no, oh please God no!' The woman turned her face a little, and that confirmed my suspicions. It's my mother.
My mother turned around, and started walking my way, but she hadn't noticed me yet. I whipped around and started running, but...
"Lilith!" My mother yells at me strictly. "Lili-chan, wait!" She then cries out desperately. I hear her sweet voice talking to a blonde man in a Stationary Guard uniform that I seen nearby her before I ran. In a matter of heartbeats, footsteps could be heard storming after me.
I told myself not to look back. I may not know this area very well since I only went here a few times with my mother to the markets, but I could at least trick the man chasing me. I made a left turn around the block, where there were two ways to go on the other side. I thought I would be home free until there was another guard ahead, and I had no way around him. This man seemed to be aware of the situation, and got ready to catch me.
"Fuck my life." I yelled angrily and barreled into the guard's chest, trying to knock him off of his feet but I did not succeed. His muscular arms grabbed mine and he twisted them behind my back. I twisted my body around and managed to bite his arm. I could feel him tense up but he tried not to show any signs that it hurt.
"Hannes! I got her." He called out to the blonde man coming towards us. Not far behind him was my mother, and I started spatting curses and screaming wildly like an injured animal.
"You shit-head! Let go of me!" I yelled desperately whenever my mom stood right in front of me.
"Thank you, sir. I'll take her now." My mother told the man and he released me, but then my mother grabbed my wrist roughly.
She dragged me harshly through the streets and hissed angrily at me. "You are in so much trouble, Lilith Eira Ackerman. I heard what you said to them, and you need to show more respect to the people who work hard to guard this place."
"Yeah, like they do such a good job sitting around drinking all day." I mumbled.
"Lilith!"
"Sorry."
She dragged me over to where our family's horse stood, tied to a post. She untied it and hopped up on it.
"Get on the back." She told me and I obeyed. "We'll talk whenever we get home."
It only took minutes until we arrived back at the cabin. I dreaded ever leaving Levi's cellar, because this time it will be harder than ever for me to sneak out. I usually jump out of the window in my room, but I think they'll make me sleep with them from now on. It doesn't matter, my mind is still set on joining the Scouting Legion, no matter how stupid they think it is.
"Where in the world have you been?" My father asked, more like yelled at me whenever he, my mom, and I sat at the table. Mikasa was in her room sleeping.
I covered my hands with my sleeve, trying to hide the bandages. My mother noticed this slight movement out of the corner of her eye and decides to question me about it as I avoid their gazes.
"What are you hiding?" I didn't reply.
"Answer your mother." My father said.
I look up at them, with overwhelming emotions swirling in my green eyes. I sit up straight in my chair, and let my bangs fall over part of my left eye. "I am hiding nothing that concerns you." I say, with my eyes narrowed at my mother.
"I'll ask you again. Where have you been?" My father asks.
"Do you really want to know?" I ask deviously, a smart ass plan forming in my mind.
"Yes Lilith." Both of my parents say.
"I've been hanging out with a criminal." I look down at the table and smirk, although they couldn't see it.
"You WHAT!?" My mother slams her hands on the table and jumps up.
"Life here is boring. Besides, you don't have to worry about me since I'm becoming strong enough to join the Scouting Legion." I tell them.
"Over my dead body you will!" My mother screams at me.
I stand up and smooth out my dress. "If that's what it takes, then I will make sure of that to happen." I tell her with no emotion on my face before I turn to walk towards my bedroom.
She stands there dumbfounded, staring after me with her mouth gaping wide open.
"You do not treat your mother that way." My father tells me.
"I only treat people the way they treat me. So mother, whenever the titans break down these walls, I don't want to hear you complain at all whenever I am the one fighting them instead of father." I say and walk away. I slam my door shut and move a dresser in front of it so they can't get in.
I go into my bathroom, throw away my bandages, take a shower, then I go to sleep. 'Hopefully they will understand now.' I roll over on my bed and look out of the window, up at the night sky. 'I'm glad that I met Levi. Even if I've only known him a day, he has taught me how to become a stronger person. I promise that I will one day venture outside of these walls keeping humans caged like animals.'