I gazed stoically at the body of Armin as we burnt him in the back, far away from our home and the fields. The smell was awful, but the fact that he tricked me made the smell worth watching his body burn into ashes. I had let a beast into our home, good thing father pulled out the gun and ended him before he ended any of us. I might have been questioning my parents about their stories about the beasts before.. but I believed them then.

Though I still wanted to explore, despite the risks. And I wanted to see that man again- I'd just call him work, since he decided it was all so funny to tell me that was his name - I wanted to ask him questions, maybe to see if he was a beast himself. "Mother?"

"Hm?" Her eyes were lit up by the fire, though she looked saddened. "How do I tell if someone is a beast, just in case there is a knock on the door again..,"

"You do not tell.. you do not let your guard down my boy, if someone other than your father or I steps into the house, they must be destroyed. They are all beasts, and we mustn't risk your safety,"

"But why only me, what is so wrong with me that all these beasts think I'm so awful?"

"You are different, Eren, you are not the same as the rest,"

What frustrated me was that I had no clue as to what made me different.. was it my eyes? How one was a golden yellow while the other a green like bright shreds of grass.. or even the ocean. Yes.. mother said my right eye, the green one, looked like the sea. "I cover up my eye mother, isn't that enough?"

"It is not. End of discussion," And just like that, mother refused to answer any more of my questions. That was probably the main reason why I ventured out into the forest the next morning despite what I thought about that very rude man. With rudeness came arrogance.. and arrogant people- beasts - knew plenty about the world. Wasn't that how it worked?

So as I climbed over on top of the rock, my shoes almost slipping over the moss, I did not dare point my bow at 'work', for he had warned me not to.

It did not take him time to tilt his head over towards my direction and notice my stance on top of the rock. He shook his head slowly then gestured me over with his free hand. Without much hesitation, I jumped off of the rock, set my things upon it, then walked over to the field where work was working. "Why do you not wear a shirt?"

My question was rather random, but my curiosity had always gotten the best of me. Why show your chest when such a thing was disgraceful? "Why must you bother with such a trivial thing, kid? It will be hot, so I am not wearing something that will make me sweat more than necessary,"

"Yes but it is very disgraceful to present yourself bare to the open eye..," I had no clue as to why that seemed so funny, why was the man snickering to himself as he weeded his fields.."You really are something interesting. Where did you get all of these idiotic ideas? Your parents?"

"Well, yes of course. They know so much about what's truly right, unlike those beasts who are distasteful for no reason! All I am suggesting is that you put your shirt on because it's distracting,"

Work raised his thin brow as I smirk played on his lips, he seemed very amused which was making me mad. "Is it now? Well maybe you should keep inside your trousers, I'm not putting a shirt on,"

"What in the hell do you even mean? I am in my trousers! Unlike you, I bet you'd disgrace yourself even more by taking off your trousers just to spite me,"

"Perhaps I will, would it make you shut up?"

"It definitely will not, you beast!" When I shouted that, work stopped what he was doing, the muscles in his shoulders and back tensing up noticeably. Had I finally gotten to him? His face was disgusted, though, when he finally tilted his head to glare sharply at me.

"Don't you even suggest that I am like those creatures. You and your bigoted family are more like beasts rather than I. So shut your damn mouth, kid," I swallowed thickly and nodded shortly. His voice was so low in warning.. He was aggravated and very intimidating, with how he looked at me. As if he could swallow me whole or step on me like an ant. "Yes sir,"

"Good. Now help weed,"

Maybe ten minutes passed, I was on my hands and knees, grunting every now and then as I picked the weeds. My pants were soiled from the dirt and the palm of my hands were black and dirty. I hadn't spoke since work told me to start weeding.. "Work?"

"That's not my real name, idiot,"

"I know but you have yet to tell me yours so I will call you work. Unless you want to tell me your real name?" The man only grunted in response so I sighed. I suppose not.. "Is it right to burn someone for being a beast?"

Work's eyebrows lowered as he clicked his tongue in distaste. "It depends. How do you really know they are a beast? You must know before you condemn them,"

"Mother says that everyone other than her, father, and I are beasts. So we must get rid of anyone else who steps under out roof,"

"That's blasphemy. Your parents haven't a clue..," Work's gaze shifted over to me once again, though I could tell he was looking at my white eyepatch that covered my left eye. "Got attacked by an animal?"

My head tilted to the side a little as I thought about his question. "What do you mean?"

"You're wearing a patch on your eye. What happened to it?"

"Oh uhm.. It's nothing. I just wear it so one eye is used to the dark, it helps when I go exploring," It really wasn't a lie.. But it was not the whole truth.

The man only offered a soft hum in response before we both got back to work. I didn't know if he believed me or not, but I was thinking the latter.

After a hour or so passed I stood up and dusted my hands off onto my trousers. Damn I was all dirty. "Well, work, I'll have to go now. Can I come back again?"

"Do whatever the hell you please," I nodded with a soft smile, then I quickly scurried off to the rock. I grabbed all of my things I left on the moss, then I began on my trek home. Mother and father should not be awake for another half hour.

It gave me enough time to get home, put my bow and arrows under my bed along with the burlap sack, and change into fresh clothes once more.

I walked down to the kitchen once mother and father were up and I rubbed my right eye a bit. I had definitely not been getting enough sleep. But that was alright. "Mother? What did father do with the kids ashes?"

"He poured them in the stream just outside our acre,"

"Oh. Alright," I said then went out to feed the chickens without mother having to ask.

I honestly was feeling conflicted on the inside. I knew I had to do as mother and father said, since they were always correct, right? Parents were never wrong, they always knew what was to be done. Though.. that man did have some points. Didn't my parents sound a bit.. hypocritical for condemning a beast.. because the beast was going to condemn us, possibly? Plus.. how was Armin supposed to hurt us with his leg all mauled as it was..

That gave me the reason for why I headed over to the stream I once stepped into a long while ago, the one Armin was poured into. I walked over to that stream right after I fed the chicks, I did not need breakfast, I was hardly hungry.

Once I got the the stream, I sat down right before the grass stopped and dirt slumped down into the curve of the stream. The water was muddy, from how shallow the water really was. What I was doing there really didn't make sense to me, but as I twisted the grass between my fingers and tugged them loose from the ground, I began to speak. "Hello, Armin… I uh, I have a few questions.. if you could possibly answer..,"

The water just kept on rolling down stream and I let out a slow breath. This was just stupid wasn't it.. though talking about it should get the stress off my shoulders.. "I never knew mother and father would shoot you, through the skull even.. that was a bit harsh wasn't it. You were already injured enough.. were they right to do that though? Were you really a beast that just came to take me away?"

No answer. I lifted the eyepatch from my left eye.

"I do not understand! Neither mother or father will tell me about why I am targeted, why the beasts want to destroy me. Shouldn't I have the right to know these things.. it is my eyes, I can only assume that. Mother and father always say how peculiar they are, but it is not my fault! I have my mother's green eyes and my fathers golden ones.. how am I supposed to prevent that? I wear a patch on my eye.. shouldn't that not be enough? But the beasts still want me! Oh those monsters are horrible, why won't they just mind their own damn business and let me live as I should, it's my birthright to be able to explore!" Tears of frustration welled in my eyes so I furiously wiped them away with the backside of my hands. "What is so bad about being abnormal anyways.. I wish someone would tell me," My voice was quiet yet full of frustration, my teeth grinding against each other.

I would get mother and father to tell me. I would, somehow, figure out why I was condemned to live a life of isolation.

During lunch, after I washed up, I sat down at the table with mother and father, and I cleared my throat. I had no clue how to start this. But I had to do it. "Why do the beasts want to get me?"

"I told you before Eren, you are different,"

"Yes mother, but.. why are my eyes such a problem? It's just a little mortification.. it isn't all that bad is it?"

"Boy, in the world we live in, differences as that are condemned. You would be exiled, or killed. We mustn't have that happen," Father said to me. So it definitely was my eyes. But honestly.. I covered one up!

"Eren we had this conversation just the other day, do you not remember?" Mother sounded exasperated, I suppose she was tired of me asking. But, I was tired of them never telling me the details of things that involved me. Didn't I have the right to know? "I do remember mother but you never specifically answered,"

"Forget that then. Eat up and go back out and work. You're becoming lazy again," I huffed out a breath when mother said that and I picked up my spoon.

"I am not lazy!" She had successfully distracted me.

Perhaps three days passed after that- maybe weeks even, since the crops had budded, the leaves and stems popped out of the ground healthily. Nothing looked out of order, I had spent so long making sure all of the fields were perfect. Mother and father expected nothing less. They were strange about perfection, and how imperfection could lead to destruction.

Did that not mean that I was destined destruction of myself, or of those around me? I was not perfect, my eyes were not even the same colour for God's sake!

I had learnt to deal with my mismatched eyes ever since I was old enough to realise their difference, but just in the past month or so, I had grown oddly obsessed with them, and how different and peculiar they were. Honestly, who would have ever expected a child with such disturbing eyes? Despite how beautiful the colours might have been, they were not matching- thus they were ugly, weren't they?

'Work' and my parents had a whole different perspective on being different though. When I asked mother and father, they shunned the idea of being different- said it was absurd and that if anyone had a difference, they should hide it. In fear of the beasts.

On the other hand, when I asked work as we watering his seedlings, he only hesitated for a few seconds before speaking. "It depends on which kind of different you mean- a person could have a higher pitched voice than a regular man would- that does not make them a bad human or a disgrace, just a woman. Though, if you have an extra toe, per se.. you are prosecuted for it. You call those people beasts, do you not? That is a valid name for them, the way they discriminate different people is just inhuman. It makes me sick,"

I knew that as I listened to each of his words, that work was a good person. He was not a beast as I had accused him off plenty of times. He was a human, with a soul that shone with justice. He would not condemn me for my eyes, though I would not ever show him. I wouldn't dare lift my patch up from my eye. "You are not what I expected you'd be, work,"

"And you are not as much as an annoyance as you were when you came walking through my eyelids those first few visits of yours. You do work well,"

"Yes well, mother and father work me like a dog,"

"Oh how unfortunate for you," The sarcasm made my eyes roll.

"Hey, at least I help you occasionally. Are you really alone here?"

"Yes. Indeed I am," There was sorrow in his voice, as if the man was still mourning over something, maybe a loss perhaps? It wasn't my business though. But I couldn't help but to pity work. Such sorrow should not be held in one mans voice. "I.. am grateful though, for your help,"

"You needn't be. Some company other than my parents is nice, plus… breaking the rules is fun. It's like an adventure every time I come here," An elated smile pulled at my lips as my gaze went to the man. Seeing him, over the past while.. had been an eye opener. I had two different views of the world.. my parents, and his. Though, I still did not know whose view I should believe.

"You have such innocence, kid, I could be jealous of you," My brows raised a little as work noticed my gaze and met it with his own, cold eyes. The steel grey looked hardened, as if.. mishaps had made them solid and cold.

"Jealous of me? No, you shouldn't be. I am just like cattle, I am fenced in and unable to fully leave. I am jealous of you, and your freedom," As well as his knowledge.. if I could only know as much as he did, maybe then I'd understand the world.. the beasts. Maybe my parent strange ways, their rule to keep me in when all I wanted was to be out.. maybe they'd all make sense. Or maybe they'd all be poppycock.

"I suppose, you are right," Though his words were agreement, the tone of his voice.. I just could not put my finger on it but… maybe freedom was not the first thing on his list of things he wanted.

Maybe I'd learn more about him, about the world and the beasts perhaps, if I kept on visiting him.

So I did, day after day, I'd visit in the morning. I'd always try to ask a question about the beasts, and he'd answer them in a way that might have made sense to him.. but to an outsideer without knowledge.. I hadn't a clue about what he was talking about.

Even after a month passed, both our crops were green and healthy, I didn't even know his name. But for some reason, that did not bother me. I called him work, or man.. or even sir. And he'd call me kid, brat, or idiot. They were offensive at first.. but somehow I knew he meant no offence by calling me them. We didn't need proper names, no.. it was not necessary.

One morning, when I went over to visit work, I was shocked to see him not in the fields.

It was only second nature to think that the beasts got him. The thought made me so upset and angry. Work was my.. he was my friend. And the beasts had gotten my friend.

I searched around the mans farm, in between each field.. I even peeked into every window of his house and knocked on the door several times.. but there was no answer.

There was none for days.

On the seventh day of trying, I finally accepted that the beasts were ruthless and cruel.. that they had taken that man from me.

That man who had served as my.. sense of freedom. My friend whom rolled his eyes at me and called me an idiot for some stupid thing I preached.. some stupid thing my parents taught me.

But the beasts were indeed ruthless, and I somehow started to hate them more.