Shinganshina- The Crystal Mining District, year 850
Birds. Annie Leonhardt had always longed to be one; those creatures of the air were always able to soar freely, to wherever they pleased whenever they desired, limited only by nature. A flock stayed together, a mother bird would take care of her child, in return, the child will become live happily into adulthood, starting the cycle over again.
"What are you doing out here, kiddo?" a voice called from a couple of feet behind her. Normally, she would've jumped at the sound of another human's voice in the Outside, but she had long since remembered this voice.
"Hey, Reiner," she said, leaning against a tree, "where's Bertholdt?"
Reiner smirked as he stood beside her. "Oh, he's at home helping out around the house," he stated, crossing his arms, "so what are you doing on this fine day, my lady?"
Annie rolled her eyes, pulling her shotgun out. "What did you think I was doing, Rein?" she said, pointing her gun at a deer who was wandering about. A single pop fired from the gun and the deer dropped, limp on the forest floor.
Reiner sighed. "You should get a quieter weapon, you know. Don't want the Military Police catching us on the Outside," he said, rolling his eyes. They both knew that the lazy bums in the Shinganshina Military Police would nonchalantly shake off the thought of commoners going out into the Outside. Of course nobody in their in their right mind would ever go out of the Wall's "protection."
The sun started to dust its way over the horizon, brightening the twilight sky. "We should be heading back, kid," Reiner said, motioning to the Wall, "get the food and pray. You know what today is."
Annie looked over at him grimly. "Yeah, how couId ever forget?" she said.
When Annie had made it home, she found her father drunk in his bed, as always. Sighing, she took of her shoes and placed the dead deer on the floor, walking over to her filled a steel tub with cold water and cleaned herself up, scraping all the grime and dirt from her skin and nails. She grabbed a left over fork and combed her platinum blond hair (which would have been beautiful if it weren't for the circumstances she was in). She stared at her petite figure, her pale skin, pastel blue eyes, and platinum hair. She formed a french braid out of her hair, enjoying the sensation of her coarse hair against her fingertips. From her closet she found her mother's worn and tattered periwrinkle pale dress, a color that Bertholdt said would "bring out her eyes".
Looking in the mirror, she felt satsified with her appearance. She honestly did not care for her outward looks, for she was not anything special; as Reiner said, she was as pale as can be.
Turning to her father's drunken state on the couch, she sighed, lightly shaking his form. "Get up, Dad. It's reaping day," she said, the stench of alchol infiltrating her nose, causing it to scrunch up a little.
"What?" her father asked drowsily, still not over his hangover, "another reaping? Didn't they have it last year?"
Annie sighed and shook her head, trying to keep herself calm. "Yes Dad, they have it every year," Annie said, trying her best to be patient.
"Oh, okay. Then I can just go next year," he said, rolling over in his bed in attempt to go back to sleep. Annie looked over abjectly at her father, "It's a mandatory thing, Dad. We got to go or you'll get hurt," she says, a tone of desperation lacing its way into her voice.
"Okay, Annie," her dad said as he got up, throwing up on himself in the process. Annie looks away and starts heading towards the door. She quickly glances at her reflection at the window.
Reaping day.. she thought as she walked towards the center of the town, uncertain as to what the future might bring.