"Titan sighted!"
"Furlan, Isabel! We have to retreat!"
"Isabel, run!"
"Elea. You were always like a big sister to me. You're strong and wise. Beautiful and warm. Always taking care of me, saving me, protecting me. Just for once, let me protect you, too...
"Furlan! Furlan!"
"Elea..."
"NO!" I screamed, my eyes torn open. It was just a dream...again...
Carefully, I raised myself up. I was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily as I raked my fingers through my hair. I pressed my hand against my chest, trying to calm my heart which still pounded rapidly. Even if their death was long ago, I often dreamed about them, about their last moments, their last words.
Sighing, I pulled myself up and got out of my bed. It was already morning, the sun high in the horizon. I changed into my uniform and darted a last glance to the mirror. Then I stepped out of my room and headed down to the mess hall.
My thoughts flooded back to that dream. For a brief moment, I closed my eyes before opening them again, a short flicker of bitterness in them. I kept on going and thrusted my thoughts aside, ignoring the dream as I nodded at the soldiers who stopped to salute me.
Finally, I reached the door and pushed it open. Immediately, I groaned innerly upon seeing the bickering between Oluo and Petra early in the morning while Eld and Gunther tried to calm them down.
Since we joined the Survey Corps, Levi became the leader of the special operation squad. Though he refused it at first because he didn't like the idea of having the full responsibility on his shoulders but unfortunately it was Erwins order to do so. Levis only condition was it to hand pick his squad by himself. Erwin didn't seem to have a problem with it and agreed. It didn't surprise me though. Levi had shown great aptitude for leadership over the time and gained the whole respect from everyone in a short space of time. He was even called humanitys strongest soldier now.
I made fun of him as soon as the news reached me. Hearing Levi being called like that at first sounded so ridiculous to me. And his scowling face when someone called him like that, made it no better. But now everyone was used to it, including me.
I had also been given the offer to become a leader myself. But I refused and joined Levis squad. Although Erwin thought of it as a pity, he still accepted my decision and appointed me to be the second in command instead.
"With the right methods, there's nothing I can't defeat." I heard Oluo say proudly.
"Stop trying to imitate captain! You're nothing like him! How many times do I have...Oh! Good morning, Prim-san!" Petra greeted as soon as she saw me approaching, only to continue her stupid argument with Oluo again.
"Morning." I took my usual seat beside Levi who was already sipping on his morning tea as he narrowed his eyes at me.
"You're late."
I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm always late. Nothing new."
"Tch."
I ate my bread in silence and observed the other four. Petra and Oluo still argued while Eld and Gunther seemed to have given up on them.
In the beginning, we didn't really get along. Everything was so difficult and awkward at first, though some of them attempted to hold a conversation with me and Levi which didn't really end well I must say. But now, I quite appreciated their company though I never really showed it. The same went for them when they finally got accustomed to us over the years and our ''difficult'' ways of dealing with certain things.
All of them had their own unique characters, as well as pretty reliable skills.
Eld Jinn seemed like an responsible and firm leader with a strong sense of duty, someone who doesn't talk much but when he did, he always spoke quite bluntly and in a straightforward manner which surprised me at first.
Then Gunther Schultz. Out of the four he seems to be the most reasonable one, always serious and strict when it came to certain tasks. He was a soldier, you could count on.
And then the only girl of the four, Petra Ral. I could see in her a kind and caring person. Even if she doesn't seem to be that strong, her abilities are quite impressive. She's pretty skilled in using the 3DMG and obtained a quite high kill record of Titans.
And the last one, Oluo Bozado. The one who always finds a way to get on my fucking nerves every single time. He annoys the shit out of me. He's self-confident, an outspoken individual and is always enjoying boasting about his own process. Despite that, I must admit that he's the best out of them with the highest solo kills. I would never confess it but his fast progress and fighting skills impresses me every time.
Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by an really annoying voice which bursted through the door, getting the attention of the whole legion as she made her way towards...great, us.
"LEEEVIII! ELEEEAAA!"
I sighed. My morning, ruined by Hanjii Zoe aka the Titan freak.
"What do you want shitty glasses." Levi looked very pissed. I guess because Hanji interrupted his precious tea time in the morning.
"I have a favor to ask you both!" She exclaimed excitedly while failing to hold her stupid grin in.
I narrowed my eyes and glanced at her suspiciously. Hanji Zoe was always a strange person. I never really got along with her and her freaking Titan obsession. In the beginning, she always made attempts to get to know me and Levi better. And every time we practically ignored her. But still she didn't stop bothering us.
Our relationship improved over the years, though I still dislike her recklessness and her obsession with Titans. And if the freak asked for a favor then it definitely had to involve Titans. I scowled at that. The same like always.
"Forget it. We're not going to help you capturing a Titan on the expedition tomorrow."
"EHHH?! How did you know that Elea?! And why won't you want to help me?!"
"Remember the one time when you chased after a Titan by yourself? We had to go after you because of your stupidness and Oluo almost fucking lost his life because of your selfish action."
Even if I disliked them, I never doubted her theories she may have on Titans. They made sense. After years of working together, I knew that I could trust her in many ways. But sometimes her recklessness just took over which could turn into dangerous situations like the one in the past.
"B-But..that was an accident! And we received really relevant information by that! You remember? Ilses notebook?!"
"No." I lied.
She just cried at that and clung onto my arm while Oluo complained about the fact that his near death couldn't be just called an accident. I threw her a dirty look but she continued to fuss. I ignored her, hoping that she will give up some time when she suddenly hit her arm against Levi who subsequently spilled his tea over his neat pants.
Everyone in the mess hall gasped in shock at that, apart from me as I sensed the enjoyment and anticipation in me at this sight. I chanced a glance at Levi, licking my lips and hell did he look pissed. Hanji didn't even realize her mistake as well as Levis growing temper. Instead of that, she still clung to me while literally crying her goddamn eyes out on my precious bread.
Hanji, I hope you enjoy your punishment.
"AH! AH! W-WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LEVI?! AHH!" She screamed in pain as a furious Levi grabbed her by her hair and literally dragged her outside.
Silence filled the mess room while everyone seemed to pray for Hanjis safety. Well it wasn't her first time anyway. She'll get over it.
I couldn't believe it.
I prepared myself to train intensively one more time before the expedition tomorrow. But according to Levi cleaning was more important.
Pissed, I swept the floor with a broom as the stupid dust always made its way towards my nose which leaded to me sneezing constantly.
"Ehm...Prim-san? I think the dust wouldn't spread out everywhere if you would soften your grip a little. And don't sweep too hard." Petra chuckled and scratched her head.
I followed her advice. And indeed, the dust didn't spread out anymore. I sneered at that.
"My cleaning skills are pretty bad." I grumbled at which Petra faintly chuckled. Well, I always hated to clean. Stupid Levi and his cleaning obsessions.
I continued to carefully sweep the floor, with Petra cleaning the windows. After a long time of silence, I noticed Petra being all fidgety. It seemed that she wanted to ask me something but was afraid of doing so. It wasn't the first time that I noticed her being all fidgety. I often felt her hesitantly glancing at me and how she always took a breath, attempting to start a conversation which eventually failed every time.
I pretended to be unconscious about that fact. But today she repeated her attempt to speak to me again and again. She kept banging her head against the window lightly out of frustration. Enough is enough, I guess. Though, I kind of enjoyed it, seeing her all struggling and so on.
"Do you have something to say, Petra?"
My voice seemed to catch her by surprise as she stumbled a bit from her chair. Just when it seemed like she would fell, she steadied herself again and breathed in relief as she came down from her chair. Then she wheeled around and laughed nervously at me while playing with her hands behind her back. I crossed my arms and and tilted my head at her at which she gulped. "You don't have to hold back. Just ask me."
"I-I was just curious how you and Captain Levi met and how you made it into the Survey Corps. I mean, because you two are from the Underground..."
My eyes widened at that in surprise. This is what she wanted to know so desperately? "Ah! But you don't have to answer me, Prim-san! I can understand that-
"It's okay. I tell you."
"Huh?"
I lifted my broom, placing it against the wall and made my way towards the desk. Lowering myself on a chair, I made a gesture to Petra that she should sit. She nodded hesitantly and took the seat opposite from me. I grabbed the handle of the teapot in front of me and poured Petra and myself a cup of tea.
"Well, where should I begin?" I asked myself and took a sip from the tea. It was Levis favorite. The aroma of black tea, filled my mouth at which I sighed in satisfaction. I placed my cup back and looked back at Petra but she kept her eyes on the ground and chewed nervously on her lips. I narrowed my eyes at her and leaned back, crossing my legs.
"Do you fear me?"
She immediately snapped her head back up and shook her head at me. "No! Not at all, Prim-san! It's just that I feel kind of ashamed. I mean, you lived in the Underground for a really long time so you must have experienced terrible things, I could never imagine. And because of me now, you have to recall everything back again."
"I don't. My memories whether good or bad are a part of me, I won't ever forget. And now shut up. I'm gonna start."
Astonished, she stared at me for a second before straightening herself. Her eyes were filled with anticipation and curiosity.
"When I was fifteen, I almost died. I was starving, couldn't move a bit anymore. You know at that time, I seemed to have given up on life. Every time I opened my eyes, I just saw darkness and emptiness. To me, humans were just disgusting. Selfish people who couldn't careless about anything in the world but only their own life. From that moment on, I realized how unfair and cruel the world really was. And so I lost hope in humanity. Haha, if I ever even got any hope for humanity in the first place." I laughed bitterly.
"Nooww, don't look at me with such miserable eyes full of pity. I ain't dead am I? " I exclaimed at her glance, stretching myself as I crossed my arms behind my head, staring at the ceiling. "Cause I hate that look of yours." I mumbled.
"I-Im sorry! I didn't mean to offend you! Ehm, so... Captain Levi saved you?"
I chuckled faintly, still staring at the ceiling. "Yeah...yeah, I guess he did." I whispered and loosened myself again.
At that she leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with admiration for Levi. I knew that Petra held much respect for Levi. It seemed to increase even more now. I could comprehend it very well. I felt the same, just never showed it. I possessed a too high pride for that.
"He found me and somehow convinced me to stay with him. From then on, my meaningless life changed into a whole new one. I finally found a meaning in life. Since that day, I was always by his side."
I kept a neutral face but my inside were filled with warmness. Still observing Petras reaction, I grabbed the handle of my teacup and took a sip again, my eyes turning dark at the following memory. This one mission which turned everything upside down.
"And then one day, we met a noble man from the surface. He gave us a mission. Our reward was a life on the surface. Of course we accepted. But the mission consisted out of two tasks. The first one was to steal a certain document and the second one was to kill Erwin."
"W-Wait what?! Erwin?! I-I mean...Commander Erwin Smith?!"
I nodded again which made her jaw drop. Her reaction amused me but then again I couldn't blame her. Anyone would react the same way.
"We planned to let the Survey Corps capture us after making a scene in the Underground. And it worked. We were captured and to our luck, Erwin was among them. But instead of being in suspension, he offered us to join the Survey Corps. And that's how we got here."
"Then he just let you into the Survey Corps? Just like that? What happened afterwards? I mean your mission and and, arghh, I can't keep up anymore!" She whined and griped her head.
"If I'm not mistaken, you just asked me how we met and how we got into the Survey Corps, right?" I practically teased her and brought my teacup back to my lips, drinking the rest of it before looking at Petra again.
Fidgety, she sat in her chair, struggling to find the right words. In the end, she just stuttered the whole time. I placed my cup back to the table and reached my hand out to her, flicking her forward lightly which caught her by surprise.
"I tell you some other time, I guess. It's late. You should go to bed. Tomorrow is the expedition, after all."
I got up and was about to leave, already stepping through the door when she suddenly stopped me. "Prim-san!"
I halted and listened to her words without turning around. "I really can't imagine how much misery you faced in your life but even so, you're still standing right in front of me. I respect that. Thank you very much for sharing your past with me. I really appreciate it." She bowed.
I didn't say anything at that and left. My face filled with bitterness as I recalled the past once again. Still, I kept moving forward.
