Darkness. Darkness was all she felt. Darkness was all she saw. Darkness was all around her.

Darkness.

Darkness represented many things.

The dead.

The cold.

The misery.

The evil.

All the things that she hated.

And then a crack.

And another.

And another.

The darkness was peeling away. It started as a small piece being chipped away, shattering as it hit the black floor. Then it turned into larger pieces then into larger chunks.

Each landed with a thud.

And then a huge burst of light exploded in front of the girl as the last glass of darkness fell to the floor.

Icy blue eyes fluttered open, trying to adjust to the sudden appearance of that irritating light.

Light represented many things.

Life.

Hope.

Peace.

Happiness.

Trust.

All the things she avoided.

Then the only thing supporting her simply melted away and gravity did its job. She fell over with a thud, her golden locks undoing itself and veiling over her face like a shimmering curtain. The impact knocked the wind out of her lungs but only for a few seconds.

"Hey! She's awake!"

"Oh crap! Hurry! Get Levi Heichou or someone!"

Levi? That name sounded very familiar. Wait, before that, who was talking? Where was she? What was going on?

The girl slowly looked up, the world was spinning but it was slowing down. She felt weak and worn out as she lifted up a hand to brush her golden threads away from her face.

Ah, this place didn't look familiar at all. It was cold, dreary, and damp. Not very likeable nor very suitable for a frail girl like her.

A frail girl like her…

A weak girl like her…?

She glanced back and noticed weird chunks of clear, blue crystals scattered all over the floor. Chains were hanging limply from what seemed to be meant to hold up something.

Where was she? She couldn't really remember anything. Only a few vague images…

She looked up to see a man, trembling, and pointing what looked like a weapon at her.

A gun?

She sensed danger but kept her calm façade.

"D-don't move, you monster! Or I'll shoot!" he threatened.

Monster?

Why did he call her a monster?

Her eyes glanced at her surroundings once more but found no exit except for the door that was behind that man with the gun.

She shifted her arms to get a stable foundation.

"I said don't move! Levi heichou will be here any minute now. He'll make you pay for everything you've done," his eyes were filled with fear and with anger. "Female titan!"

Female…titan?

Her eyes widened as her pupils dilated.

Oh…

Oh.

OH.

The memories came flooding back like a tidal wave, crashing over her.

Reiner…

Bertold…

Eren.

She had to get out of here.

Fast.

Then almost on instinct she swung her legs, slamming them against the ankle of her guard. He gave a sharp yelp and tumbled to the floor, his grip loosening on his weapon. As he struggled to back up, the girl made a sprint towards her exit. The deafening crack of a gunshot and a sharp pain burning into the girl's leg was enough to make her realize that this was not going to end very well. She tried to ignore the murderous sensation crawling up her calf but it was too much for her. She panted as she leaned against the wall, doing her best not to faint. She felt weak and defeated, her hair swishing against her face which annoyed her. Normally, it would've been in her usual bun but right now, her hair was the least of her problems. She forced herself to walk, limping as she went. Finally, the smoke began to rise from her wound, signaling the healing time. It was slower than usual but it couldn't be helped. She was tired, hungry, and dying so it made sense for her titan abilities to have trouble doing its thing.

"Where is she?"

"She escaped! Hurry and find her! Levi heichou said he'll be here in five minutes!"

The voices bounced off the walls.

Five minutes?!

This was bad. She was already lost in this maze and now she only had five minutes to get out before that very skilled person got here?! She remembered how he was able to cut her up and escape with Eren all by himself in just a manner of minutes.

"Huh? He's not coming alone?!"

The girl jerked her head up, listening. He's not alone? That makes it even worse…

"A boy? Oh you mean that Eren kid? Ugh, why him?"

"Apparently he really wanted to come and wouldn't leave Levi heichou alone until he said yes."

"Ha! Oh well, at least we have another monster to help out with this monster."

"Haha! Funny. But you better hurry and find her before she shifts."

The girl furrowed her brows as she hid behind the corner of a wall.

She wished she could shift but right now her energy was running low.

And not only that…

Eren was coming here?! Why? Why was he coming here? He was the last person she wanted to see. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and continued her trek. After what seemed to be an eternity, her wound was healed. She immediately ran along the halls, trying to make her footsteps soft and discreet, but she was in a hurry. She had to escape. Now.

She ran and ran, not knowing where she was going, but she ran nonetheless.

She ran and ran and ran. Her footsteps gradually getting heavier as her lungs tried to take in as much oxygen as possible. She stopped, panting and eyes on alert, she scanned her area. It still looked unfamiliar. She sighed angrily, frustrated at her lack of progress.

"Calm down, Annie." She mumbled to herself.

She needed to relax and think things through. She was being too reckless like that suicidal bastard. She needed to calm her mind and emotions. Just like the usual Annie. She inhaled then exhaled. Alright, she thought of different scenarios that might happen if she did specific actions. If she continued to run the chance of bumping into random soldiers or even Levi was high. If she took her time and snuck around a bit, the risk of being caught was also high but better than slamming into her…former teammates. She decided to keep quiet and stay low. She slowly turned a corner, her eyes trying to detect another human being. No one was there…

She took a deep breath and slowly walked down the stone hall. She tried to be quiet, her breathing soft, and her footsteps light. She headed towards a flight of stairs and exhaled. If she went up there and found herself face to face with that midget or with Eren then she wouldn't know what to do except run. She could probably knock Eren over due to their past sparring but she didn't know about Levi. Maybe Eren got better too…

The very thought sort of made her…proud. Maybe even happy if she dared to say the word. She shook away the strange thoughts and sighed, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She was still a warrior, a failure as one, but she still had a job to do. She needed to capture Eren and take him where she needed to take him.

She softly walked up the stairs. She reached the top and cautiously looked around until she spotted a door ahead. That was it. That was the exit. She could see the sunlight peer through the cracks of the wooden exit. She summoned the remaining energy she had and sprinted towards her freedom. She grabbed the handle and wrenched it open.

Another burst of light. But this time it was warm and real. The rays of the sun wrapped themselves over the fragile girl, relaxing her muscles and calming her nerves. Then, she saw him.

"A-Annie…"

That shaky voice. Those emerald green eyes. That look of shock and fear.

Eren.