Chapter Seven
"Well I've got all night long so start where ever you want." Clarisse replied.
Annia nodded and started her story "I was with my half-brother when the colossus titan appeared, we had been playing in the street when suddenly I felt this chill run down my spine and I turned to look at the wall. I was the first person on our street to see it. The hand came down on the wall and I froze staring in absolute terror. My brother began to shake me wondering what was wrong as I froze up in terror. He looked over to the titan after a few seconds and began to scream. Everyone else on the street noticed it and started to panic.
There was this sound like an explosion, it was from the titan kicking down the wall. These enormous boulders went flying everywhere. One crashed just down the street from us crushing our neighbour and his cart. My brother and I stood frozen as we stared at the bloody severed hand and blood stained road when we heard someone scream at us. Another boulder was flying at our street it smashed into the roof above our heads and caused the debris to rain down on us.
My brother had gotten knocked out, people were running every which way and I called out for help but no one was stopping. I managed to climb out of the debris and started to dig through the mess, my half-brother woke up when he was about half way out. He was dazed and disorientated but managed to help me pull off the last bits of debris.
I helped him to his feet, but he couldn't run on his own he had hurt his foot. So I swung his arm over my shoulder and we started to run together. When we turned our first corner that's when we came across our first titan, it had a woman in its hands and as she screamed it lowered her towards it's open mouth. We froze for a few precious seconds, and then Alan and I ran in the opposite direction. He told me to run home but I said we had to get to the river to the ferries. But he insisted that we go home, he forced me to take him home.
We ran as fast as our small legs could carry us, no one tried to stop us as we ran in the opposite direction. A few shouted out in alarm but were too fixated on their own survival to stop us. Somewhere along the way my brother relied on me less he was almost running on his own the pain must have been fading. But we passed two other titans on our mad dash devouring people. There was a four meter one that had bit a man clean in half, the dripping remains were being dropped into its mouth. The other one we ran past was eight meters and snapping its victim in half with its hands. We were thankful that they were distracted at the moment for us to get past. But really the only thought in our mind was to run and not stop, we were reduced to instinct really.
However when we turned down our street it was empty except for a titan, it was a ten meter class walking down the street looking for someone to hunt. It saw us immediately and started to chase us. We turned in terror and began to run. I remember looking over my shoulder and realising that at this rate we were both going to die. I shouted at my brother 'Alan you need to go down the next alley, there's no way you can out run the titan. I have a chance!' and I remember the look he gave me. At the time I thought it was a panic stricken look that he was afraid for me. But I didn't give him a chance to object.
At the next alley we passed I shoved him away from me and down the alley. The titan didn't seem to notice that which is what I had hoped for, and Alan took off running not even glancing over his shoulder at me. I put my head down and started to sprint. But while trying to run from the titan and avoid other titans I got lost in the streets and cornered myself. I got trapped in a closed alley and was forced to back up against a wall as the titan approached me. I remember yelling at it angrily not ready to die but my body was locked in fear.
Suddenly there was a swooping sound and a solider landed down next to me, he looked at the titan then at me. He grabbed me and hoisted me up onto his shoulder taking off, we were flying through the air. We only went a few roof tops away though before he put me back down. I didn't realise I had been trembling until he grabbed my shoulders and told me to calm down.
He asked me if I knew where my family was but of course I didn't know he asked me what I was doing on my own and I told him. He patted me on my head and he told me that I was brave. He also promised to get me to the ferries safely. He swung me up onto his back and told me to hold on tight. I latched on and shut my eyes as he swung around. I was amazed I didn't even know you could use maneuver gear with someone on your back but he managed. He landed down on the street next to two other soldiers.
They must have been in charge of helping the survivors escape, because he told me to go with them and explained what had happened. However as they were talking a titan rounded the corner. I pointed and screamed getting their attention on it. I remember freezing up and being locked in place as it charged down the street. The soldier that had saved me was yelling but I wasn't registering what he was saying. The other soldier behind me was trembling.
The one who saved me and the third one locked eyes with one another and nodded, they took off to attack it. The second one also sprang into action while I stood rooted to the spot in terror, the one who was also scared wasn't concentrating enough and the titan grabbed his line and yanked he went flying around into a building and the titan swallowed him whole. The other two soldiers froze up in terror, and then swung back to me, the one that was partnered with the one that just died grabbed me. Getting out of the city was a jumble, I had missed the ferries. The two soldiers had landed with me just as it set off. But they didn't have the heart to leave me behind, they got me through with themselves as they retreated.
I remembered that I was so grateful to them but I simply cried the entire time when they said their good byes unable to actually make any discernable words out." Annia finished and looked over to Clarisse, "So you see I had an opportunity at a young age to get acquainted with the titans. I had my chance to freeze up in fear and be scared. I'm sure if you had been there you wouldn't have frozen up today, so don't feel bad."
Clarisse nodded, "That's such a sad story, I'm sorry you had to live through that." She whispered and Annia shrugged, "Did you find your family? Did they make it?" Clarisse asked.
Annia looked over at her, the look in her eyes was like that of a wounded animal. A single tear ran down her cheek and she looked away, "Never mind then I shouldn't have asked that." Clarisse said and Annia nodded in understanding, "You know I don't think I can ever get mad at you again after hearing that, you're just too damn likeable. I now understand why you were the way you were at training." She laughed and Annia smiled slightly, "But you know I like you better when you're like this."
"Thanks, I'll take first watch Clarisse get some sleep." Annia said.
Clarisse nodded, "Hey earlier you said that Richard liked my smile is that true?" she asked her quietly as she settled in against another tree.
Annia nodded, "Yeah he told me that he liked your smile. Actually he asked me not to tell you but I think you deserve to know. When we were strategizing together he asked me to specifically look after you. He knew that his life would be one of my priorities but he asked me to save you over him." Annia admitted, "I think he was going to tell you his feelings when all of this was over."
"You're not making this up to make me feel better are you?" Clarisse asked her and Annia in response shook her head. "Well I guess you're rooting for me paid off, did it hurt to hear the guy you like say how he liked someone else."
"A bit, but you now talking about my past made me remember about my first crush, I think that Richard may have just been sort of a replacement for the emptiness I had. But my first crush had been…" Annia trailed off not sure how to describe it.
Clarisse giggled, "You know this is the weirdest time to ever talk about crushes. But I guess it's a good way to cope huh? I mean our minds are completely off the topic." She glanced over at Annia her face getting mischievous, "So what was he like?" Clarisse teased.
Annia's face flushed fifty different shades of red and settled on a tomato red from her neck to the roots of her hair, "It was a silly thing really I was only nine." She insisted.
"Oh a childhood crush huh? So do you still see him?" Clarisse teased I've never seen her so riled up before it's entertaining she mused.
Annia shook her head, "No, I heard he enlisted the year ahead of us because he was older. So that means he's already graduated. Maybe I'll see him again." She answered her face still steaming.
"Well I guess I should be getting to bed don't you think so?" Clarisse yawned, she stretched and closed her eyes ready to drift off.
It's going to be a long night Annia thought to herself her cheeks finally starting to cool and the blush finally fading away. Her thoughts were now undoubtedly stuck in the past now as she kept alert and on watch.
"Is that a book?" Annia asked leaning over the shoulder of a little blonde haired boy she had seen before playing with his friends. She had wanted to approach him for a while now but with her brother Alan approaching people was difficult. But he looked sweet and nice.
He looked up at her, his large bright blue eyes staring into her brown ones, "Y-yes it is." He answered almost as if afraid to admit he had a book in his hands. She had heard that he had gotten bullied before and figured that was why he was acting so scared.
Annia leaned in closer curious to see what was on the page and trying to read over his shoulder. He in response leaned over it shielding it from her, "What's it about?" she asked curiously.
"Nothing really." He answered quickly and again as if afraid.
Annia frowned, "I promise I won't ruin it or tell anyone. I just wanted to know because I like to read." She promised as she crouched down next to him and shifted over to see the book, "So what's it about?" she tried again.
He smiled back at her, "It's about the outside world." He admitted shyly.
Annia's eyes lit up with excitement then on hearing those magical words the outside, "Really there are books like that!" she exclaimed then covered her mouth, "Opps didn't mean to be so loud. Sorry." She giggled, "What's it like? The outside world?" she inquired sincerely.
The boy smiled back at her his eyes also had brightened now that he saw her interest, "It talks about things like the ocean and the desert, here look." He eagerly explained pulling the book over to his lap and her lap. They eagerly poured over the book together reading passages out loud and then discussing what was written on the page.
"I never got your name what is it?" Annia asked the boy looking up from the book, he looked up at her and smiled softly before glancing away shyly.
"Armin." He responded.
"I like that name." Annia chirped, "Armin let's see the outside world together one day!" she exclaimed, "Let's make a promise." She insisted offering her pinkie finger to him, just as he locked fingers with her someone's hand clamped down on Annia's shoulder.
"Annia it's time for you to go home." She turned and looked up onto the green eyes of her half-brother Alan. The only thing they had in common between the two of them was their light brown hair, otherwise there was no way they could be identified as siblings. His face was narrower than hers and he was much larger much like their shared father. Ever since she could remember he had shadowed her and guarded her first out of brotherly devotion but lately it appeared to have become a chore for him.
"But mother said I got to stay out until dinner time today." She responded trying to get back to the book with Armin. Her brother grabbed her arm and lifted her onto her feet, Armin turned to say something but Alan spoke before he had the chance.
"Annia I said it's time to go." He insisted, and began trying to drag her down the street. Annia fought against his grip reaching out towards Armin.
"But I wanted to talk with Armin!" she insisted.
"You're going home." Her brother said in his tone that said his decision was final and he would hear nothing else.
"Goodbye Armin!" Annia called out in farewell as her brother towed her down the street helpless to fight against his strength.
"G-good bye!" Armin shouted back waving as his friends came down the street behind him.
"Let's play again sometime!" Annia called out as her brother shushed her, "What was that for I wasn't doing anything bad." She hissed to her brother in frustration.
"It's not good for you to hang around him, he gets picked on." Alan stated as he continued to drag her his grip like iron. He was two years older than her and enjoyed using his strength against her, her wrists were usually seen reddened or bruised from being dragged around. In the past few months the soft gentle boy he had been had been wiped out by a cruel and harsh older brother. His friends were known bullies that Annia did not like.
"Well what's wrong with that? I'd make sure he doesn't get picked on." Annia responded annoyed, she had been getting in trouble lately for responding to her brother like this. But she couldn't stand it the way he talked to her, when they were younger they had been inseparable, but lately he had been acting colder and harsher towards her. Annia had her suspicions it was because they were only half siblings, she being the illegitimate one. And with age her brother was coming to despise her because they were a wealthy family and she was a tremendous disgrace.
"It will look bad on the family if you're seen with someone eccentric like him, and if you stand up for him it makes him and your family look bad. Girls shouldn't be standing up for boys." Her brother growled. Annia's face hardened she was angry with him, she despised it when he went on and on about how a lady should and shouldn't behave.
"He's nice." She insisted thinking of Alan's new friends and comparing them to Armin's friends.
"I told you to stay away from him." Alan barked out, the argument was settled once again with his power over her. Annia in mock obedience hung her head down, she was biding her time and planning. Something her hotheaded brother was bad at, planning. She had already devised a plan to spend more time with Armin while avoiding her brother, it'll just take time to enact it.
That's where Annia's flashback cut off, it was only two weeks later that Shiganshina had fallen and Annia became a refugee and orphaned. She knew Armin had survived and heard rumours about him, but she didn't try and approach him. It's silly really I should just forget about him she thought to herself.
She heard the horse snorting in the underbrush and then it walked towards her, she clucked out softly for it and it approached, "Hey you, you came back for us didn't you." She cooed at the horse as it came over to her. It nuzzled her and she laughed softly and began to rub its snout, "You are a very good horse you are." She told it, she stayed diligent on watch attuned to every sound.
The horse wandered around in the underbrush frequently eating grass but it eventually stopped and rested next to Annia for companionship. She unconsciously stroked it with her hand. Annia couldn't figure out how she had managed to live, that incident in the titan's mouth was such a blur. At first when she heard that crunch she thought it had been down on her spine or head and she had died. It wasn't until she had landed next to Clarisse that she had realised it was her arm. And even now she couldn't cope with the fact it was gone, there was a ghostly impression it was still there. She glanced down at the make shift bandaged stump. It wasn't also just the loss of the arm, it was the blood loss, how am I still so fine after so much? I should be dead by all accounts. She thought to herself and grinned, guess I have a tendency of not dying.
Her watch was relatively quiet and she could help but wonder if they had gotten all of the titans that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Clarisse, Clarisse." She called from where she was sitting, she would have gotten up but her legs were too weak. In fact she had begun to feel steadily weaker with each passing hour.
Clarisse shifted in her sleep, it had been a fitful one with lots of tossing, but Annia didn't have the heart or energy to wake the other girl. She needed the sleep after what they had been through. She called out to the girl another two times before she managed to wake her, Clarisse shifted and scrunched her eyes and slowly opened her eyes rubbing them. She then snapped wide awake, "Ah! Annia I'm so sorry! I'm awake. I'm ready for watch duty!" she exclaimed and then clamped her hands over her mouth realizing she had been yelling.
"'Night." Annia stated and rolled over onto her left arm to get some sleep the horse sniffing her hair. She fell asleep quickly despite having a nagging doubt in her stomach about leaving Clarisse awake alone. Her nagging feeling in her stomach had proved right, Clarisse awoke her twice hysterically, the first time it had been an owl screeching and the second time a fox sorting through the bushes. Annia forced herself not to be frustrated with the other girl and fell back asleep both times.
Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan or any of it's characters
