"Morning Ladies!" Sasha sang in the room.

"What?" I said groggily.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

Mikasa and Annie were also sitting on their bed with sleepy eyes.

Sasha is the only morning person out of the four of us.

"Morning." I said with a yawn.

Mikasa and Annie just nodded.

They sure are quiet.

We all got dressed and headed towards the dining area.

I picked up my breakfast and headed towards the same table I was at yesterday.

I was soon joined by Marco and Jean.

"Morning you two" I said with a smile.

"Morning." Jean said with a yawn.

"Good morning Eri." Marco smiled.

"You guys okay with your roommates?" I asked.

"Yeah. We're each other's roommate" Marco said.

"Really? That's cool" I smiled.

"There were also two other guys. But I didn't care to catch their names." Jean said.

I couldn't help but to sigh.

I learned that Jean's personality is blunt and he doesn't hesitate to speak his mind.

All of a sudden, there was a commotion going on around Eren's table.

I looked over to see what was going on.

There were a group of people surrounding Eren, Mikasa and Armin. They were all being questioned about what happened two years ago.

I heard the mention of the 'Colossal' Titan. Apparently, that titan was 60-meters tall and the one that caused the fall of Wall Maria.

It has even come to the point where we can hear people asking them the most ridiculous questions.

"What a joke." Jean said annoyed.

"What's wrong Jean?" Marco asked.

"I bet that guy is probably asking for popularity." Jean said.

"Come on Jean. That's a silly opinion." I said.

"Who cares. It's not even a big deal." Jean said bluntly.

"Well I think it's brave of them to be here. I'm pretty sure they must've went through a lot that day. Could be a good reason why they are here you know." I said and looked over at their table.

I overheard more ridiculous questions being asked.

"How did the Colossal titan look!?" Conny asked.

"How did all of those titans look!?" Shouted one kid.

"Wait! What about the people!?" Shouted another kid. "Did you see people being eaten!?"

Eren started choking from his food when the last question was asked.

I can't take this! A thought yelled in my head.

I sat up from my seat and walked over to Eren's table.

"Hey guys. Lay off the questions. Are you trying to bring back bad memories for them!? Stop asking about the events from two years ago!" I yelled.

Everyone looked at me with a surprised look.

The group of people apologized and headed back to their seats.

"I'm sorry you guys had to go through that." I said towards the three.

"Thanks for the help Eri." Eren said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "But don't worry about me. I'm not bothered by my memories."

"I'm fine too" Armin said.

"Me too." Mikasa added.

"Oh? Really? I thought you guys were getting overwhelmed from all those questions." I said and shrugged my shoulders.

"You know, I'm excited to master those maneuvering devices. Killing those titans would be a piece of cake!" Eren shouted in excitement.

"I see."

I stared at Eren.

I'm impressed with this guy. He has a lot of passion and determination in him.

I can tell he'd want to join the Survey Corps.

"Watch you become titan food instead." Jean yelled from our table.

"Jean!" I yelled at him.

I glared at Jean and he glared back at me.

After a couple of seconds, he changed his facial expression and looked away.

"I'm so sorry for Jean's behavior." I said towards Eren.

"It's okay. He's just a coward." Eren said quietly.

"Eren." Mikasa said in a serious tone.

"Whatever." Eren said coldy and looked away.

Soon, the bell rung which indicated that it was time for the line up.

"Well, later guys." I waved and headed back to Marco and Jean.

"Eri, I'm going to be honest, you're actually pretty cool." Marco said with a smile.

"Eh? Really?" I looked at him confused.

"Yeah. Honest." He said with a nervous laugh.

"Thanks." I smiled at him.

Marco's a sweet, nice guy while Jean can be a jerk and hot-headed.

It sort of balances out our friendship.

I chuckled at the thought as we walked to the field.


We all lined up in our spots while Keith was setting up the machines for us to practice our maneuvering device.

"Today, we are going to test your ability of balance." Keith said. "Let's see whose worthy of being a soldier!"

We all formed a single line and waited for our turns with the device.

I could feel my body shaking in excitement.

I always thought those devices were cool based on how my parents explained the mechanism of it.

After the first group of people tested their balance, it was my turn.

I stepped up to the machine and grabbed my belt.

I attached the harness to my thighs and stood in place.

"Are you ready!?" Keith asked.

I nodded my head.

Ready.

"Go!" Keith yelled.

I could hear the device making a noise and felt the harness lifting me up high.

At first, I wobbled around a bit and almost my balance.

Luckily, I managed to stay in my spot and got used to the device.

"Excellent! We have a lot of good soldiers here!" Keith said and nodded his head.

At first Keith looked amused and then looked at the device machine next to mine.

I didn't notice that Eren's machine was next to mine.

Unfortunately...

"Jaeger! You think this is a game!?" Keith shouted at Eren.

Eren was flipped upside down.

He had a shocked look on his face.

I myself am shocked too.

I thought he had potential. Didn't he say that this was going to be easy?

We all removed the harness and lined back in our spots.

"Pft. I thought this guy was supposed to be tough or something. What a joke." Jean said.

"That's not nice Jean." I said and glared at him.

"Jaeger, since you seem to be the only failure, I'm giving you another chance after lunch to master this. If not, then you're unfit to be a soldier." Keith said. "DISMISSED!"

We all saluted and walked towards the dining area.

I could hear people snickering towards Eren and even making fun of him.

I felt bad.

People shouldn't be making fun of others.

But that's how humanity is. We all have our differences.

"What did I tell ya? You'll end up as titan food Eren." Jean taunted.

"Tell me, how did you guys do it?" Eren questioned. "What's the trick?"

"Trick? There's no trick. It's just a matter of balance. Besides, if there was a trick, I wouldn't have told you." Jean said and walked away.

"Please! Eri! I'm begging you! Tell me what's the trick!" Eren begged.

"Woah, Eren. No begging please. I am confident you'll master it after lunch." I said, trying to prevent Eren from embarrassing himself.

"Come on Eren. Mikasa and I will help you before lunch is over." Armin said.

"Yeah." Mikasa added.

"Alright." Eren sighed and followed his two friends away.

I picked up my lunch and sat next to Jean and Marco.

I looked at Jean and he was smirking.

"Boy did I enjoy Eren being pathetic." Jean said.

I sighed.

"Come on Jean. He does have one more shot." Marco said.

"Yeah but he should know what he's capable of before speaking. Who knows, you'd probably end up being he laughing stock like right now." Jean said as he ate his food.

I just shook my head and ate my lunch.


Once lunch was over, we all headed back to the field to observe Eren's second chance at the devices.

Eren put on his belt and harness and stood in front of the maneuvering device.

"Are you ready Jaeger? No more games!" Keith said. "Let's see if you're capable of being a soldier!"

"I'm ready!" Eren yelled with determination.

"You got this Eren!" I whispered quietly, cheering for him.

"Go!" Keith shouted and the harness lifted up Eren.

At first, It seemed as if Eren was going to flip again.

This time, he managed to maintain his balance and handled his form.

He mastered the maneuvering device!

I could see a couple of people cheering for Eren.

"Yeah! Eren!" I cheered.

I could hear Jean giving a light growl.

I gave a light laugh at Jean's behavior and stopped.

How cute. I thought.

"Excellent Jaeger. It seems you somewhat have what it takes to be a soldier." Keith said.

Practice for the maneuvering device was officially done and Keith instructed us for our new training.

"Now, we will practice on combat. In order for us to become strong soldiers, we must learn how to fight." Keith said. "You will all pair up with a partner and spar with one another! You will be provided with an dummy knife to practice."

All the recruiters picked up their fake weapon and paired up.

Marco, Jean and I paired up together to fight.

We decided to take turns so it started off with Marco and I.

Marco and I stood a few feet apart and took our fighting stance. Jean stood at a distance to spectate.

"Ready Eri?" Marco asked.

"Yup" I said.

"Here goes!" Marco shouted as he turned his knife and headed straight at me.

Right when the knife was about to touch me, I dodge at the last second and grabbed Marco's hand.

I removed the knife from his grip and threw it to the ground.

Then, I grabbed his arm and flipped him to the ground as well.

"Oof!" Marco grunted.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Marco! Did that hurt?" I asked, concerned.

"No. I'm fine. You're pretty strong Eri." Marco said as I held out my hand and helped him up.

I looked at Jean.

"Your turn." I said with a smirk.

"I won't lose to you." Jean said.

"We'll see about that." I taunted.

With that, I ran towards Jean. He threw a weak punch at me which gave him an immediate opening.

I grabbed his arm and flipped him in a matter of seconds.

I pointed the fake knife close to this throat.

"Got you." I said with a smile.

I was sitting on top of him with my face close to his.

I looked at him and could feel something weird in my chest.

I felt my heart pumping fast and my face getting hot.

What is this feeling I'm having?

Why do I have a nervous sensation in my system?

I heard Marco clearing his throat which snapped me away from my thoughts.

"S-Sorry!" I stuttered and got off of Jean.

"Heh. Didn't think you'd be this strong." Jean said, trying to not show his embarrassment.

"W-Well, I do want to be like my parents." I said quietly.

"Well, I guess it's my turn with Jean." Marco said as he picked up the knife from the ground.

"Y-Yeah." I said as I stepped back to spectate.

Jean and Marco started their combat and I looked around.

I noticed Annie sneaking around, avoiding anyone in her way.

She wasn't even practicing her combat.

With that, I approached her.

"Hey Annie." I greeted her with a smile.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Why aren't you practicing your combat?" I asked.

"That's because I think it's pointless." She said.

"Hm? Why do you think that?" I asked, tilting my head.

"We're here to fight titans. Not people. When do you think we would ever use these skills? I'm pretty sure we'll die if we use stupid knives around the titans." She said.

"I guess you do have a point." I said, finger to my chin. "But you'll get into trouble if you're just walking around, not doing anything."

"Then let's spar." Annie said and took a stance.

I was startled by this but I smiled and took my stance as well.

"No problem for me." I said.

I threw the first punch towards Annie and my hair flew into my face.

I was caught off guard because of that and Annie took advantage of it.

She took a grip at my arm and shoulder and flipped me.

Boy did she flip me hard.

"Ouch." I said as I landed on the ground.

"Sorry. That's how I fight." Annie said.

"No complaints here. You're an amazing fighter Annie. I'm impressed." I said as I got up. "How did you learn to fight like that?"

Annie looked at me and then looked away.

She seemed deep in thought.

She then answered after a minute. "My father." She said.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry if my question made you feel uncomfortable." I said, feeling bad.

"It's okay." Annie said "Here."

She took something out from her pocket.

It was a hair clip.

She tossed it to me and I caught it.

"A hair clip?" I looked at her confused.

"The only reason why I was able to flip you easily was because your hair was in the way. Use this hair clip. It'll help prevent you from being titan meat when we confront them." She said.

I was happy at the fact that Annie was being so kind to me.

She was so quiet last night and this morning. It was nice to finally talk to her.

"Thank you Annie." I smiled and placed the hair clip on my head.

Now my hair won't get in the way anymore.

I looked at Annie and noticed the corner of her lips curl up a bit but then she went back to her cold, quiet look.

"Don't worry about it." Was all she said.

We were soon approached by Eren and another guy.

This guy was around the same height at Jean with blonde hair and muscular.

If I remember correctly, I think his name is Reiner Braun.

"Wow Annie. I saw how you flipped Eri. That was really cool" Eren said as he stood next to me.

"Just so you know Eren, if Annie were to flip you right now, you won't think it's cool anymore." I said with a laugh.

"We'll see about that." Eren said as he took his fighting stance.

Within a few seconds, Annie flipped him with ease and I started laughing.

"What did I say Eren." I said, still laughing.

"Wow. That was still cool." Eren said while getting up. "You should teach me Annie!"

"Why?" Annie looked at him as if he was weird.

"I want to learn that flip. It is really strong." Eren said with passion in his eyes.

"Uh. Sure." Annie said quietly and then looked at Reiner. "Hey Reiner. You haven't said a single word."

I looked at Reiner as well. What I didn't notice was that he was staring at me the entire time.

"Uhm. Is something wrong Reiner?" I asked, waving my hand in his face.

It was like he was transfixed on me or something.

Suddenly, Reiners' face turned red and he looked away.

"It-It's nothing." He said

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah." He stuttered.

"You're pathetic Reiner." Annie said with a sigh. "He thinks you're pretty Eri."

"A-Annie!" Reiner called out her name.

"Eh?" I blinked a couple of times in confusion.

Me? Pretty?

Does Reiner like me? I thought to myself.

"Well, that's really flattering." I said with a small laugh. "Thanks Reiner"

I smiled towards him and his face was getting redder.

"Eri!" Jean shouted.

I jumped at the sound of Jean's voice.

It startled me.

"Yes Jean?" I said, turning around to see Jean walking towards me.

"What are you doing here!? Come back with me!" He shouted.

He quickly grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the group.

I gave an apologetic smile and waved towards my friends.

I couldn't help but to blush as I continued being dragged away.

Jean was holding my hand.

That was making me blush.

Could it be I might be developing feelings for Jean? I asked myself.

Nonsense. I just met the guy yesterday.

I mean, sure he's kind of cute and charming. But he does have a nasty personality.

I shook my thoughts away.

I'm probably being silly.

"We almost lost you Eri." Marco said with a faint smile.

"Sorry. I saw Annie and walked up to talk to her." I said

"I saw the two of you spar. Boy is she strong." Marco said.

"Yeah. She's pretty cool." I said, smiling at how kind she was before.

"Well, what were you and that guy talking about?" Jean asked.

"Who? Eren?" I questioned.

"No. Reiner." Jean said, glaring towards Reiner.

I couldn't help but to chuckle which made Marco and Jean confused.

"Apparently he thinks I'm pretty." I said and gave a small laugh.

"R-Really!?" Jean said, startled.

"Yeah. It was flattering and funny." I said.

"D-Do you like him?" Jean stuttered.

"Eh? No. I'd like him as a friend. That's all." I said, smiling at Jean's behavior.

He sure is acting weird.

Jean heaved out a heavy sigh and looked at me.

"That's good. Now, let's continue fighting." He said and turned towards Marco.


Once combat training was over, Keith dismissed us for the day and we saluted.

We all headed back to our cabins. All four of us were there.

"Ah! What do we do now!" Sasha said, jumping on her bed.

"We lay down and rest." Annie said.

"But I don't wanna rest!" Sasha protest.

"Then we do nothing." Mikasa said.

"Well, how about we get to know each other more. You know, since the four of us will be stuck together for the next three years." I said with a smile.

"I like that idea!" Sasha shouted in excitement.

"I'll pass." Annie said.

"Me too." Mikasa added.

I gave a whiny frown.

"Awh. You ladies are such a mystery." I said.

The room had an awkward silence for a couple of minutes.

I need to break the ice.

"Hey Mikasa." I started speaking.

"Hm?"

"Are you and Eren related?" I asked.

They do seem quite close.

"Well, he's a friend, but I treat him more like a brother." She answered.

"Oh I see." I said and looked at Sasha.

She was already knocked out.

I looked back at Mikasa and she got up from her bed.

"I'm going to take a walk." She said.

"Oh alright."

With that, she left the room.

Then, I looked at Annie.

She always had a cold expression. It's rare to see her smile.

She seemed to be lost in deep thought again. That's something I would always see her do.

"Can I ask you something." Annie said.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Why did you join the military?" She asked.

"Oh. Well..."

I explained to her about my parents and my passion for joining the Survey Corps.

"...so because of that, I only have this piece of item to remember my parents by." I said and pulled something out from my shirt.

It was a medium sized locket.

"What's that?" Annie asked.

"My mother gave me this locket before their expedition. She told me that she hid some of her research information inside this locket. Too bad I can't open it to read it." I said.

"You plan on researching titans?" Annie questioned.

"Yeah. I want to be an Elite Soldier that researches the titans. I want to continue my mother's research and make sure they didn't die in vain." I said, looking at the ground.

"That's cool." Annie said. "I'm sure you'll discover a lot."

"Thanks Annie." I smiled at her.

I'm pretty happy to have this private conversation with Annie.

"What about you Annie? Do you know which group you'll join?" I asked.

"I'm going to join the police." She said.

"Oh.." I said sadly. "Jean wants to join the police too."

"Do you like him?" Annie asked bluntly.

"W-What!? N-No!" I stuttered.

Where did she get that idea from!?

"Suit yourself." She said and went to her bed.

I was getting ready to tuck myself into bed as well until Annie spoke.

"By the way, Reiner has a crush on you. So don't freak out if he acts weird around you." She said.

"Okay." I laughed.

Even though I only got to know Annie today, I had a strange feeling that I could really trust her.