1 year ago: Rylie's POV

I'd only wanted to have fun. Being outside the walls, outside of the crowded city, wasn't worth it unless I could get out of the building we were stuck. What's the point in leaving if we weren't going to see anything cool. Getting Kasia to come along had been easy. She never… well rarely did anything out of line. Model daughter. But, she had a longing to see the world that she'd missed when in the underground city.

Kasia never talked much about her life before Levi joined the Scouts. All she ever told me was that it was dirty and dark, and she never wanted to go back. Every time she discovers something new, something as simple as a new flower, she always looks so in awe. Kind of like a child discovering the world for the first time. That's why I wanted to show her the valley. I knew she wouldn't have gone if I'd told her the truth.

Now, sitting on the hard ground in this hole in the tree with a titan clawing at us, I began to regret my choice. There weren't any reports of titans in the area. I know they said it was clear. Sighing, I knew that Kasia wouldn't forgive me for this one for a while. We'd gotten caught before, but this? Dad was sure to explode on me.

"Rylie, we have to run. We're sitting ducks here," Kasia said, staring at the titan.

My head shook as I tensed up. No way. We wouldn't make it. We'd get eaten! She's lost her damn mind! "No!"

Kasia gripped my wrist with deadly force and pulled me behind her. The titan followed, gaining on us. Stealing a look behind us was a mistake. My foot caught on a tree root, knocking me over. Kasia's grip on my hand never faltered, not until she looked around. I heard it too. The 3DMG. Someone had found us. He was moving so quickly and made the kill with such precision, it had to be Levi.

Kasia fell back onto the ground, breathing heavy. She looked… disappointed? Or maybe she knew we were going to be in so much trouble. I'll take the blame. I mean, how hard can it be convincing Levi of that? At least I don't have to deal with—

"Rylie Aeryn!" My dad's voice boomed from behind me.

I gulped, slowly turning on my feet. Maybe I shouldn't say anything at all. Kasia wouldn't look at me and followed Levi when he came up. Sheesh. He could at least yell at her or something. Kas's shoulders slumped and they disappeared into the woods. Then, dad blocked my view, staring me down.

"Let's go, Rylie." Dad took me back to the base camp. He gripped my arm tight.

I kept an eye out for Kasia and Levi but I didn't see them from my bedroom window. Dad paced, lecturing me. It's too dangerous. You could have been killed. Kasia could have been killed. We're too young to be wandering off alone in the woods. His last statement caught me off guard. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

My gaze tore away from the window to stare at him in disbelief. "Tell you? Are you serious?" I rolled my eyes. "Like you ever have time. All you would have said was no."

"For good reason."

"To keep me locked up in this stupid building!"

"To keep you SAFE." Dad's voice raised, scaring me out of my tantrum. He waited for me to sit back down before grounding me for a few days. This had become routine.

As the sun set, I realized that Kasia still wasn't back. Alone in my room finally, I sighed. Where the hell is she? I shouldn't be worried since Levi is with her, but she is my friend. Geez, she won't be happy when she gets back. Adrenaline still pumped through my body, making my hands shake, and the only thing keeping me from falling on the floor in tears. Titans were HUGE. And Kasia faced it like it was nothing.

My stomach growled and I ventured out of my room to find food. I spotted Kasia dragging herself up the stairs. She looked exhausted and she moved slow. "Kasia! You okay? My dad exploded on me." If looks could kill…

Kasia stayed quiet, glaring. Out of breath, she tried to pass me.

"I'm sorry," I offered, smiling a little. That got her attention.

"You're sorry?" She whirled around, backing me up against the wall. She might be shorter than me, but she could be intimidating. "That's all you have to say? It's your fault we were almost titan food! How stupid can you be!?" Hate showed in her eyes.

I expected her to be mad, but this is ridiculous. She was a lot like Levi. Broody when angry, never really lashing out. Quiet. When I first met her, she wouldn't even speak to me. I'd worn her down, practically forcing friendship on her. "You don't have to be such a bitch," I replied.

Kasia gritted her teeth. I'd hit a nerve. She was too focused on me to hear the footsteps coming up the stairs. One set heavy, probably my dad, and a second pair. "Go figure you can't take anything seriously."

"You're just no fun, Kas. If I'd told you the truth, you wouldn't have come. You can't tell me you didn't like seeing it."

"None of that matters if we end up dead!" She said loudly. "For once in your life, take some damn responsibility."

I laughed. "Says the girl who is afraid of the outside world. I didn't force you to go with me." I goaded her into to, sure, but she could have said no. She thinks she's so brave having survived the underground city, but the truth is, she only survived because of her dad. Tired of her being up on me, I shoved her back. "Get over yourself, Kas. You can't hide behind your name forever."

Wrong choice of words.

Kasia swung at me, hitting my jaw with enough force to knock me over. My head spun from the impact.

"That's enough," Dad said, approaching us. He had his eyes on Kasia. "That was out of line." He towered over her little 5-foot self. Most anyone would be terrified of him.

Kasia turned her head away, no remorse. "I'm not one of your soldiers."

"Some friend you are," I mumbled, not getting up. The hallway still spun a little. Shit she had a hard punch.

Her icy gray eyes stared at me. "We are not friends."

"Kasia," Levi said, putting himself between her and my seething father. It was hard to tell if he was mad at her or not, but the tension between him and my dad was strong.

"Levi," Dad said, watching Kasia go into their room. "If she ever puts her hands on my daughter again—"

"Then you'd better teach Rylie when to hold her tongue," Levi replied, his eyes meeting mine. It sends a shiver down my spine. He's totally terrifying when he wants to be. He instructed a cadet to make sure Kasia stayed put, stating he had work to do.

Dad inspected the fast-growing bruise on my cheek. He was pissed at Kasia. Hey, maybe he'll shorten my grounding. Maybe antagonizing Kas had worked out in my favor. She was so insecure and so afraid of her own shadow that it had been easy to get her worked up. I still think we're friends, though.