Chapter 2

Inken sat on the roof opposite her old home, until the sun was almost set behind the wall. The comings and goings from the house seemed normal, but the one person she actually wanted to see had yet to enter or exit. Her mother shot across the window panes, the flurry of her business as a seamstress constantly keeping her in motion. She couldn't go in, not unless…

"Are you seriously that afraid of Mom?" The voice that rang out behind her caused her to turn and instantly open up her arms. Her little brother, Leo, came crashing into them like a wrecking ball, almost knocking both of them off the roof.

Inken ran her hand through his hair and kissed his temple. "You've gotten so big," she whispered as she fought the tears brimming at her eyes. "I'm so happy to see you."

She unwrapped herself from him to look at his features. Three years had brought him up to her height, darkened his hair to a handsome grey, and lightened his eyes to a sky blue, though his skin remained just as pale as hers. They were both clearly Lancaster children, though many had no idea that it was all in their looks. No one had seen their father in years.

Inken assumed he was dead.

Leo saw him as a martyr.

"You've shrunk some," he said with a laugh as her face turned sour.

When she backed away a bit more the sour expression only worsened. "Why are you wearing that?" she asked as her eyes fell on the jacket he was wearing. "When did you join the cadets?"

He took a step back and saluted her, causing her to cringe. He only smiled at her with a strange mix of desperation and pride. She noted the worn qualities of the jacket, every patch, stitch, and fade. He had been in the cadets for far longer than she'd clearly like to acknowledge. "A few months after you left, ma'am."

Inken cringed again. She had feared the day that her brother would run off and join the cadets to try and walk in their father's shoes. Even worse, she feared the day he would call her ma'am. Or the day he would think he was able to join the Scout Regiment. She would never let that happen so long as she was still breathing. "What legion do you intend to join?" She noted the small bead of sweat that had begun to move its way down his temple as he swallowed hard. A few more precious seconds ticked by before she stepped forward and gave him a look that leveled even the hardest cadets. "That vein that sticks out in your throat when you're nervous…looks pretty good from this angle down here."

Leo swallowed again. He had been preparing for this moment for three years, but suddenly felt weak in the knees. Stories of his sister's conquests and triumphs had swirled around him like some sort of constant tempest that threatened to break his confidence. Some part of him knew that he would never be as great as his sister, another part of him knew he had to try. "I will be joining the—"

"Military Police?" The sharpness in Inken's tone told him to hold back his true response. "That's what I thought you were going to say. Mother will be so proud of you."

"I don't want Mother's praise," he said as he dropped his hands to his sides. "I want to be outside of these walls helping humanity the only way I know how. I don't want to be the little brother of Inken Navokov the Titan Slayer. I deserve my own reputation. My own title."

Inken stepped away from him and turned to look into the window of their house again. "That's fine, you'll earn a title soon enough. Three years is a long time to be alive in the Scouting Legion and I doubt I have many more chances to take before I meet my fate one day, but when that day comes you will be safe behind these walls. With the Garrison or the Military Police. You'll be known as the last surviving Lancaster and probably the most honest and noble of the family's line, but you will be safe. Is that understood?" In that second her mother made eye contact with her, something that Inken didn't expect, causing her to draw back and almost knock both of them over.

"I've trained hard," Leo insisted harshly as he steadied her.

Inken sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, accepting that she would now have to face the last person she wanted to see. "Then it should be no issue for you to join the Military Police."

After a few tense seconds the strain from their conversation began to ebb away and the Lancaster children descended to the road to meet their mother. She was a short woman with all the spitfire in the world contained inside her. The only thing that Inken took away from her was her slender frame and fast reflexes. Perhaps, only the slightest bit of her temper.

"Mother," she saluted her, slowly bowing as well, hoping for the anticipated storm to be only a passing cloud. Three years had to be long enough time for Inken's mother to remember that she loved her daughter and to embrace her success as a Team Leader with the Scouting Legion.

The pair of sheers that were suddenly braced against the side of her throat told a different story though. "I thought I told you never to step foot into this house again?!" The shrill scream made Inken wince and upright herself, but she didn't let the salute fall.

"I've only come to get a few of my things before I set out again," she whispered as she eyed her brother with contempt for not having disarmed the crazy woman with scissors before she had entered. He merely shrugged and moved to slowly take the sheers from their mother.

"Come on Mom," he said with a smooth voice, "Inken's finally home. Can't we just enjoy her while we have her here?"

Inken knew exactly what was going to come out of her Mother's mouth before it did and turned her back before she had a chance to catch the reaction that played across her face. Every word felt like a knife digging into Inken's back, threatening to flatten her to the floor and slice her open. The cinematic playing behind her closed eyelids made her grit her teeth and clench her fists. Blood.

"Tell that to Nina," her mother spat, throwing her sheers at the back of Inken's feet. "Collect your things and leave."

Inken could hear the screams, feel the blood rushing in her veins, her heart's threat to explode from chest, and an insatiable urge to vomit. She turned and yelled, "Have I not suffered enough?!" Her mother's threatening brown eyes found her ice crystals. The vein in her brother's neck returned, this time twitching every few seconds. "I have spent my whole life trying to make up for something that wasn't even my fault. I have lost many comrades to the same fate as Nina. I was blind then, you cannot blame me for wanting to understand the circumstances that took my sister from me. For wanting to vanquish those that brought her abrupt end."

"You could have left that to your father—" her mother tried to interject, but Inken picked up the sheers, putting everyone on edge.

"Father is dead." Her whisper was low and threatening as her hands clenched and unclenched, trying to release the tension growing in her muscles. "Three years away from home and I never heard of any Lancaster's beyond these walls. He is as dead to us now as he was the day he left." She threw the sheers back at her mother's feet, making sure that the sharp end dug into the floorboards. "Malik's family is holding a welcome home event for us at their house just inside Wall Sina. You're more than welcome to come."

As she turned to go, hiding her labored breathes, her mother lashed out again. "You're leading your brother down this path. What will you do when he dies trying to emulate a sister who was just as ghostly as his father?"

Without looking back Inken murmured, "Leo and I have had that talk. He's going to join the Garrison or Military Police. He'll stay safe behind these walls and hopefully never have to face a Titan." She took a deep breath and examined the corner where she used to sleep and store her belongings. It was bare, exactly how she had imagined it would be. This allowed her to focus on something for a few seconds to regain herself. Her mind quieted and she was able to return to her normal posture. "As I said, Malik and I would be delighted to see you later tonight."

She ripped open the door and stormed out into the open air, feeling it rip through her hair as she raced down the street. Rounding the corner she felt her face connect solidly with a chest, but was able to only stumble back a few steps before regaining her composure. Squaring her shoulders, Inken looked at who she had run into, ready to level them with her eyes when she realized it was Braden. "Are you alright?"

Braden wasn't anything spectacular as far as men went. He was tall and lanky, fast but not strong, and wore glasses behind the walls. He would trade them out for goggles during ventures outside the wall. His hair, brown as the stones of the street, was cut into a neat style that suited him. He had a few scars along his jaw, the product of constant abuse from superior officers. Lana and Inken had started protecting him, seeing his potential with fixing and improving their gear. He had become the most grateful and honest of her allies.

"Will I see you at the event tonight?" Inken asked as she whisked by him, ignoring his question. The urge to get to Malik was growing now, just knowing that he was in range was suddenly starting to pull her towards him.

He understood her situation.

"I was on my way to go find Lana, then we were going to go together. Are you heading over early to have some quality time with the hubby?" Braden asked with a wink.

Inken slowly turned, causing Braden to drop the funny-guy-act. He knew when his Team Leader was inches away from leaping off the cliff, and he knew there was only one person who could pull her back. As the storm behind her blue eyes settled she whispered, "I'm going to pick up some information on our new commander. Then I'll be at the party."

Braden nodded, though the smirk slowly began to form on his lips again. "We haven't even been in town a full day and you already have information. Quite impressive."

Inken felt the wind pick up again and took a deep breath. "I need to know who I'm dealing with. Bene may seem like the knightly sort, but there will always be a tarnished piece of armor, and I'll find it." She turned to go, but checked herself, quickly turning back to Braden. "Do not tell my husband that I have gone to fetch the information. Better he not know of his commander's indiscretions before we set out for open land."

Braden nodded. There was always a reason to her commands and he wasn't about to question it now.