1 year ago: Kasia's POV
"Wanna sneak out of here and go have some fun?" Rylie asked, slipping up beside me in the corridor. The stone hallway of cool gray and blue tones didn't dull her signature grin, telling me that she was bored and looking for trouble. She got this way anytime we moved to a new location with the scout's regimen.
"We're in the middle of a forest. Where do you plan on going little red riding hood?" I asked sarcastically, returning my eyes to the book in my hands. I'd just left the old library that was full of new books I'd never seen before. Some were in strange languages but this one I could read. It was called Peter Pan. Fairytales, according to Hanji. I didn't understand the allure of them but I couldn't get enough.
Sticking out her lower lip, Rylie turned to walk backwards. "Come on, Kasia. You know that no one gets your outdated references. There's no way you can be content with just reading all day. Let's be explorers!" Rylie was always getting into trouble with her antics.
I shut my book, dust rising from the creases. No reading would get done with the chatterbox walking next to me. "Do you want to be eaten by a titan?"
The grin returned. "We won't go passed the patrol ring, I promise!" She saluted me.
Staring at her, I knew she'd go with or without me. She talked a big game but she could be a big chicken when it came to any kind of danger. But… I wouldn't mind getting some fresh air and seeing the nearby scenery. On a better note, if dad couldn't find me, he couldn't make me assist in cleaning. We'd be fine if we stayed close to this temporary home. As I chewed on my lip, Rylie's eyes lit up. She knew she had me. "Fine. Just for a little while."
She clapped her hands together. "I knew you'd come around! Let's sneak out the back stairwell. Everyone's busy unloading and cleaning so no one should be back here." She led the way.
No one saw us leave. I had to hand it her. Rylie might act like she's oblivious but she's cunning. In her past attempts to sneak out, she had memorized the whole layout of the building before she'd even stepped one foot inside. Her biggest weakness though, was that she could be impulsive. All actions have consequences.
The air out here smelled so clean. I'd left the underground city a while ago but it all still astounded me. Grass was so soft and the sun warmed my skin. The trees grew so tall outside of the wall. I'd used the 3D M G to get to the top once. Who needed to live in a fairytale when the outside world looked like this? The world was so vibrant and colorful, unlike where I'd spend most of my life.
"Whoa! Kasia! Check this out!" Rylie had already begun to climb the little hill.
Looking around, I realized that we'd strayed far from camp. I couldn't hear anyone shouting or working. It sent me into an instant state of cautiousness. We weren't safe. The forest lay behind us, opening into hills and flat ground. I didn't like it. "Rylie, wait."
"What? Are you afraid?" She taunted, sticking her tongue out at me. She could be such a child. At the top of the hill, she spun around in circles. "The view is amazing up here!"
"I'm not afraid," I mumbled, jogging up to the top. My legs burned by the time I reached her. I disliked running. Rylie had been right. The view took my breath away. The hill sloped down and then dropped off down into a valley. There were a few titans but they were much too far away to be a threat. A waterfall dropped off into a river at the bottom. I'd never seen one before, only read about them, and it was more beautiful than words.
Ryle sat down, picking up some flowers. Her blonde hair moving with the wind. I wished I could be as carefree as she is. Falling back on the grass beside her, I watched the clouds float by. My view suddenly disappeared when Rylie leaned over me. Her bright blue eyes staring down at me. "This is way better than a book, right?"
The ends of her long hair tickled my face. Pushing her back, I smiled too. "Yeah, I guess." It was so peaceful out here, like nothing could ever touch us. Sitting up quickly, I looked back. No horse hooves and we've been gone for a while. "We haven't seen any patrols." My heart dropped to my stomach. Oh no.
"Well yeah. We're—" Rylie stopped, looking away.
"Tell me we're still safe." My voice quivered.
Rylie pulled her knees up to her chest. "I just wanted to show you something cool."
"We're going back. Now. I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!" I snapped, heading back down the hill. She was the only other kid who came out this far from the city with the scout's regimen. Plenty of the soldiers had families with kids or siblings my age, but none got this close to dangerous territory. We didn't really get along but we tolerated each other.
"Wait, Kasia! Please," Rylie called after me. "I just wanted to get away for a few hours!"
Whirling around to face her, I glared. "You wanted to rebel against your dad, I get it. Erwin can be overbearing but this? There are a lot safer ways to throw a tantrum." I yelled. We are going to be in so much trouble.
Rylie balled up her fists, staring at the ground. "All you ever want to do is fall in line with what Levi says. Can't you just be fun for one day!? Or is boring just in your DNA?"
Before I could open my mouth to respond, I felt it. The ground rumbled beneath my feet, almost knocking me over. Rylie swayed too, looking around. This time my heart dropped to the ground. Titan. Oh shit. "Rylie." She looked down at me, fear-stricken. "Run." I waited for her to reach me and then I grabbed her wrist, towing her behind me. The ground trembled harder. "Keep running."
How far are we from the patrol? I cured under my breath for not paying attention. Against my better judgement, I stole a glance behind us. A seven-meter titan fumbled along after us. We'd gotten a head start but outrunning any size titan was near impossible. If we didn't make it back to the regimen base, we were—
I shook my head. No. Don't think those thoughts. Concentrate on keeping your feet moving. What do I know about seven meter titans? Unless it was an abnormal, which my gut feeling told me it wasn't, then it should be slow and easily made to fall. In the underground city, out maneuvering someone trying to kill you wasn't easy, but I was a good listener and learner. Dad had taught me how to survive.
My grip on Rylie tightened as I jerked her around a tree and headed in a new direction. The titan faltered, hitting the tree so hard it cracked. Rylie's breathing was heavy and shaky. She was such an idiot! But I should have seen the signs of how far out we'd gone. My curiosity had gotten the best of me.
As the titan gained on us, I tried to think of another plan. Maybe we could find a tree to climb. We stood a much better chance of living if we could buy some time for someone to come looking for us. These trees were much too tall. Rylie was eight inches taller than me and there's no way she could reach a bottom branch, which left no hope for my five-foot self.
I skidded to a stop, Rylie hitting my back. "W-what are you doing?" She shouted.
"Over there." I hauled her over to a big tree. In the bottom was a hole. Who knows what kind of animal made it but it would have to do. I shoved Rylie in first and forced her all the way to the back against the bark. My arm in front of her to hold her up almost in reach of the titan.
Her legs shook. The titan fell to its knees, shaking the ground again. Its arm reached out, getting three fingers inside. Not enough to grab us, but barely so. Again, and again it tried. It even tried to fit its face, showering us with rancid breath. I needed a bath so bad. Whatever punishment awaited me, all I could focus on was how disgusting my body felt right now.
"Now what! We're trapped!" Rylie snapped, falling onto her butt, shivering. Our light was slowly disappearing. In a few hours, we'd be in complete darkness.
I took my scouts jacket off and dropped it on her. "Now we wait. They'll realize we're gone soon." I didn't really believe my words but Rylie seemed to relax. Either the titan would give up and wait for us to come out, or it'd break the tree to eat us now. Whichever it chose, we were totally screwed.
"We're so screwed when we get back aren't we?" Rylie asked after a moment.
I didn't have to answer. She knew her dad would be pissed. And mine? If I was lucky, I'd only be stuck with cleaning chores. Sometimes, I'd rather him just bust me like he used to.
My head shot up when the tree cracked. Only one option now. "Rylie, we have to run. We're sitting ducks." I could only hope we'd bought enough time. She shook her head, fear filling her again. I grabbed her wrist. "No other choice. Ready?"
"NO!"
Good thing I'm stronger than her.
The titan rose to its feet, lumbering after us. I felt Rylie trip tumbling to the ground. Turning to watch the gaining titan, I jerked on Rylie's arm. So screwed. The whir of 3DMG searching out a tree to lodge in rang out. Saved by seconds. Rylie lifted her head to see who it was. I sat down, out of breath and relieved we were still alive. The titan hit the ground with a loud thud. Whatever awaited us after…