LENA-
The dog grinned up at me mischievously as though it was proud of the steaming … ugh... delight it had left for me on the kitchen floor. I was dog sitting for someone and they had decided not to inform me that my visitor was a barely out of the womb ruffian with nipping teeth and tearing claws. My fingers were torn to shreds from wrestling with it, little red dints littering my fingers where it had enclosed its jaws around my digits. Mum and my sister were at Grandma's house, luckily, staying over for her birthday. This meant I had time to clean up this... mess... before they returned tomorrow.
I set to work scrubbing whilst glaring at the bastard puppy tearing up our carpets. I wasn't a dog trainer. Seriously, when the owners came back I was going to rant. Firstly, train your puppy if you're going to leave it with someone. Secondly, if you haven't, give them a WARNING. I was going to charge them for every fucking scratch on our sofa and I wasn't going to be cheap. The stupid woman had barely given me any instructions, either. She had dropped the bastard thing off in a cage and given me a bag, then left. I barely had time to remember its damn name- Pepsi or something equally as daft. It was about as sweet as diet coke was healthy. I was thankful that Mike was good with dogs. Well, Mike was good with everyone. I'd introduced the dogs slowly and planned to lock Mike my room if need be. However, Mike had given one sniff to the puppy and searched for a quieter spot to sleep. The puppy had leapt like a kangaroo for a while, before settling on tearing up the bin in the kitchen.
My patience was wearing thin. Oh, so thin.
I tossed my phone from hand to hand, contemplating phoning the bastard owners up now and demanding they get back from whatever hotel they were at to pick up their ball of mayhem. I looked at the broken dishwasher... and took a deep breath.
"Right, you scoundrel." I began. "How about we get your trained?" The puppy glanced at me curiously, then decided to continue ripping up the plastic bag. "Do you know what Spartan training is like? No? Well, you're about to find out you little shit."
…
LEVI-
I sipped on the glass in my hand, tasting the sharp tang of fruit and alcohol mingle in my mouth. I'd probably exceeded the social unit guidelines for the current atmosphere- I didn't think 'absolutely wasted' suited a 'romantic night for two'. I'd be out of it on the floor in an hour. Well, actually, I was doing pretty fine. It was my plan to be out of it soon and I was doing my damnest to overcome my disease of an ability to hold my liquor ridiculously well. So far, a few slips of the hand were the only indication that I was intoxicated. That and Petra was looking rather attractive right now for once.
Oh, and my uncontrollable sharp tongue it seemed.
I sighed and laid down the glass gently, turning to face Petra in an attempt to make conversation. She was flicking through a rack of CDs with one hand, wine glass in the other.
"Thanks for the puppy." I said, meekly. Come on, Levi. What type of a conversation starter was that? "Uh, it was thoughtful of you."
"No problem!" She smiled from ear to ear. I winced as she tipped the wine glass by accident and the red liquid nearly splashed out onto the floor. "I knew you'd like it."
"I wonder if Hanji has trained him to meow yet."
"Hanji?" Petra frowned.
"Hanji?" I frowned back, confusion apparent on my features.
"The dog's not with Hanji. I asked her, but Hanji said she's going to see her cousin tonight."
"... Then," I began, feeling a sense of dread well up inside of me. "Where's Kola?"
"I paid someone my friend recommended to look after it."
"Do I know them? Do you know them?!"
"No, but he's safe."
"Bloody hell, Petra." I cursed, running a hand through my hair. "He's a puppy! He'll be terrified!"
"He'll be fine, Levi!" Petra huffed. She turned away from me and downed the rest of her glass.
"Have you got their number?" I refused to back down to her act. She was trying to pout in order to make me feel bad. No way, not this time.
"Levi, he'll be fine!"
"Give me the number!" I stood up, frustration causing a headache to spark in my head. Or it might have been the alcohol. "Give me the number, please." I added, trying to calm myself. With an exasperated sigh and an expression that clearly showed that she wasn't happy with me, Petra slammed her phone down on the table. I picked it up and scrolled through her contacts until I found 'Dog Sitter'. Dialling the number, I lifted the phone to my ear and tapped my finger impatiently. Ringing a stranger whilst tipsy was possibly not the greatest idea I'd ever had, but I thanked my strong liver that I'd probably be able to hold a meaningful conversation for a while.
"Hello?" A voice chimed down the phone. I stopped. There was something about that voice.
"Hello, I'm Levi. Sorry to bother you but are you sitting a dog right now?"
"Ah... yes? Why, do you know the owner?" I recognised it.
"Yeah, sorry. I am the owner. My girlfriend dropped him off today."
"Oh I see. The bas- ah, Pepsi is yours. What's the matter?" I felt like correcting her on the name, but a more pressing matter was occurring. The drilling in my chest. The swirling in my abdomen. I felt like I was about to spill my guts on the carpet and suddenly regretted the last glass I'd drunk. Blood was searing through my veins, making my fingertips pulse against the phone. Petra looked across to me, an ounce of concern ebbing onto her features. She raised an eyebrow at me as I caught her eyes.
"Ahh... no, what I … Is he okay?" I took a deep breath. "I didn't realise she'd left him with a stranger... sorry for causing you trouble."
"I was wondering what the owners would be like to leave something so young in care." The woman huffed, clearly irritated. "I'm glad at least one of you has sense. If you commit to buy a dog, you look after it properly, okay?!"
"I know, I know." I sank back into my seat and tried to calm my breathing. I definitely recognised this voice and the frustration of not knowing was driving me crazy. The voice on the other side paused.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. What time did she say we'd be picking him up?"
"Your girlfriend said tomorrow evening."
"Make it tomorrow morning, if that's okay. I'll pay you extra for the trouble."
"No no no!" She protested. "I couldn't take more than what I charge."
"I insist."
"I won't take it."
"Then..." An idea arose into my drunken mind. "Let me take you out for a drink or something. I can't let this slide. I'm sure if he tore up our sofa, he'll have shredded yours." There was a pause that could only mean yes, the dog had wrecked her house.
"... Fine. If your girlfriend is okay with that, I'll take you up on the offer."
"Great, I'll see you tomorrow." I murmured, hanging up just as the world began to spin. I felt my head loll against the table as the room faded out.
The aching in my chest wouldn't go away. Her face wouldn't leave me. I felt her cold skin on my finger tips, ran my eyes down her grey pallor. My mind tricked me with a painter's palette of colours and sensations. The fawn of her hair, the alabaster of her skin, the spice of her eyes, the punch of her lips, the lavender of her scent, her Arctic anger and her butter smile... the brown of her hair, the grey of her skin, the dead of her eyes, the stone of her lips, the stench of her smell, her empty anger and her blank smile. She had left me. She had really left me.
My breath hitched painfully and I clasped at my chest. This hurt. This hurt like hell. I squeezed my eyes shut and forced a shaky breath through tired lungs. Biting my lip to the point of pain, I tried to blink the water from my eyes so that I could see the pile of dust before me. I touched her ashes, as though hoping to feel her life reignite somehow. Nothing. Nothing. They crumbled through my finger tips and left a stain of grey across my nails. I gasped another breath and cursed. I cursed over and over. I swore. My head felt heavy and dropped like a stone into my soiled hands. Tears streamed from my eyes and my breath staggered, shoulders shaking and a pathetic moan sobbing through twisted lips.
I felt like the pain would never leave me. I felt like it was tearing a hole in my stomach. I wanted the pain to go away. I wanted to erase it.
I woke up with a pain my chest and burning cheeks. After several seconds of shock, my breath hitched and I realised I was crying. Really crying. I felt like I'd lost everything and an irremovable weight pressed down on my shoulders. I sat up quickly, rubbing furiously at my eyes and trying to calm my erratic breaths. For some reason, I felt awful. I knew I was mourning instantly, but I couldn't remember a damn thing. I woke up knowing that I'd dreamt something horrid, but couldn't recall anything. Suddenly, something moved out of the corner of my eye.
Petra was sat up in bed, staring at me with stunned eyes. I looked away from her and chewed my lip, trying to stop the flow of tears. I felt like someone had booted me in the intestines repeatedly, and my heart rate wouldn't slow down.
"L-Levi?!" She gasped, utterly dumb-founded. She wasn't the only one.
"It's nothing." I said, hastily, standing suddenly and staggering towards the shower. Before she could stop me, I enclosed myself in the bathroom and locked the door.
"Levi?! What's up? Please, say something! Tell me what happened!"
"It's nothing, leave it!" I said, gathering myself together.
"LEVI!" She was behind the door now, furiously trying to open it.
"I'm taking a shower." I said. I jumped as she banged her fist against the bathroom door, cursing.
"Levi I swear, get out of that goddamn room NOW." I knew I was going to have to explain something and my brain racked though a million and one options. The truth? Get lost. There was no way I was telling her about my madness. Then...
"Petra, I..." I began, hearing her calm down when she sensed the change in atmosphere. "I had a dream about my mother."
She was silent. At first, I thought she was still angry. Then I realised that instead, she was listening. She was listening to what I had to say without interrupting.
"I don't know why but I was beside her ashes and it just..." A half lie. I had dreamt about someone's death, but it hadn't been my mothers. I'd have to apologise to mum's grave later. Petra finally sighed.
"Tell me these things." She said, softly. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend, right? I want to know about you. Is this why you've been acting strange recently?" I didn't say anything, fingers hovering over the lock. "Levi... can you tell me about your mother?"
…
HANJI-
"Hanji, don't talk while you're eating." Eren chided me, pulling a face. I stopped ranting and pouted.
"I need to talk to your dad though, Eren!"
"He's not going to be home until late!"
"Exactly! So I'm telling you!"
"Just come back later!" He stabbed at the meat on his plate viciously. "I don't understand all your sciency talk."
"You used to love it." I said, reminiscent of the times where Eren used to ask me about my research into animals with bright, eager eyes.
"That was one time, Hanji. I learnt my lesson."
"But there's so many more lessons to learn!" He just sighed at me, exasperated. I glanced up at Mikasa, who was chewing silently, and wondered if I should begin asking questions now. I didn't know if I should speak of such a thing in front of her. I had no idea how much she knew.
"So, what did you really come here for?" Eren asked, placing his knife and fork together in the centre of his plate and leaning back to make eye contact. I nibbled the end of my fork and glanced once more to Mikasa. "Mikasa knows."
"Oh, well that makes things much easier." I said. "Tell me everything. WAIT!" I jolted up and out of my chair, scrambling for my bag to retrieve my notebook. Once I'd sat down again, Eren tapped his finger in irritation.
"You never cared before." He said, bitterly.
"It's not that I didn't care, it's just mental illnesses are not my forte." I shrugged. Eren's mouth hung open.
"Ah great, thanks." When I didn't reply, leaning forward eagerly for him to begin speaking, he rolled his eyes and began to talk.
"Like I said before, I don't remember everything. I just know that this world existed. "I had two friends and we lived in a city surrounded by walls- huge walls. Designed to keep something out... and to keep us in. At some point, they were broken and these... things... these titans began to come inside the walls. They can be anything from 5 metres to 50 metres, and they eat humans. I've had nightmares about them over and over, a smiling face chewing on limbs like they're some sort of treat.
"I remember fighting them, too. Being a soldier. But it's strange... I have memories of a titan, sometimes. I remember being the one standing 10 metres tall and looking down on humans like ants."
"What about Levi?" I probed, scribbling furiously.
"He was a soldier, too. When I met him, here I mean, I remember thinking 'wow'. I had so much respect for him even though I'd never met him. I also know that I used to call him 'heichou'. When I met him in this world, I said it without thinking. Levi-heichou." He repeated, as though testing the words on his tongue. "Levi said he remembered you, too." I stopped writing and looked up. "He didn't say much and he said it wasn't for certain, but he felt like you were from this world too."
"If that's so," I began, finger trailing down my chin, "Why don't I remember anything?"
"There's something else I remembered the other day." Eren said, glancing across to Mikasa who was sat there silently, absorbing the information. "Ackerman." Mikasa looked up sharply, making eye contact with Eren.
"That's Mikasa's real surname, right?"
"Yeah. I don't know what it is about it. I had a dream. From what I gather, the Ackerman's were the ones who knew the truth."
"About the giants?"
"Yeah," Eren nodded. "But I feel like they have a link to this world, too."
"You mean, the Ackerman's know the truth about the link between the other world and this one?"
"That's what it felt like. I could just be making stuff up now, you know, since I have mental health problems." I side stepped the jibe he'd directed and me and switched the conversation.
"Some sort of key to the mystery lock." I pondered, clicking the button on top of my pen repeatedly. "Ah, I have another question."
"Hm?"
"Levi seems to remember some girl, from the little he's told me. If you remember any girl with a connection to Levi, I want to know."
"I barely recall him, never mind his friends. I'll let you know if I remember something though."
"Well, now that's sorted!" I stood and stretched, excitement welling up inside me. "I didn't finish telling you about cytochrome c, did I?"
…
LUCA-
The sky was a dull colour today. Outside of the window, I could only see a slither of sky through the towering skyscrapers but what I could see of it was disappointing. Grey, grey grey. There weren't even shades of grey to imagine shapes and sculpture unicorns out of. It was simply a blanket of bleak, never ending cloud. I turned my attention back to the sea of people before me, looking up into the audience of foreign faces examining me piece for piece. I could read their minds as they attempted to decode mine, breaking down my features into piles of stereotypes to categorise me into one of two zones- money, or no money?
He's got a strong accent. Must be a country boy. He won't know anything about business.
He's wearing an expensive suit and looks confident.
I hear he's working for his dad. Must be the heir to some small company.
He keeps looking out of the window! How unprofessional.
The video stopped playing, though half of the audience wouldn't have noticed either way. They had their scribes to note down the details, whilst the entrepreneurs themselves simply judged the quality of my performance on this joke of a stage. I launched back into my speech, spewing out facts and statistics, occasionally making solid eye contact with a member of the audience. My father always told me to try and control my accent as best I could to give a better impression to the audience- that was one command from my father that I would refuse to obey. Stubborn and irrational as it was, my accent was staying.
Once I had finished, they clapped obligingly and I bowed my head to them in polite acknowledgement. The least interested in my proposals fired out of the room like bullets from a machine gun, whilst a few hovered around. I shook some people's hands and thanked them for coming until one man directly approached me, intent in his eyes. I raised an eyebrow and greeted him.
"Good morning, Mr. Hertz." He beamed at me. "That was a splendid presentation. You made the statistical analysis of facts seem like poetry!" He laughed and I returned the favour, half-heartedly.
"My thanks."
"Now, I have a proposal for you." The man was practically bounding from foot to foot. He was one of those overly enthusiastic and irritatingly happy folks. "I am the owner of a business and I would like my workers to present a proposal I have, but their social skills... Well, at least one of their social skills... are not up to standard, I'm afraid. I would be happy to pay you a reasonable sum of money to teach them the art of the board room. I hear that you have a degree in that sort of thing?"
"Yes I do. I'll be happy t'get back to ya on the matter. You have my business card from earlier, yes?"
"Brilliant. I'll send you an email."
"Thanks."
Perfect. I hated teaching, but dad would probably drag me into this somehow. Speaking of whom-
"Son?"
"Yeah, I've just finished. Before you asked, it went fine."
"Good, I expected so."
"No one had spoken t'me about takin' up the offer. I suppose some'll need time to think it over."
"Yes, probably. What time are you going to be home?"
"I have to go back to the office to finish some work. It'll be this afternoon, why?"
"It's your grandma's birthday. Want to go round?"
I thought about it. Lena and mother would probably be there...
"I've got too much to do. I'll ring her later."
"Alright. See you tonight."
"Bye."
AN:
I'M HEEEEEREE! SORRY FOR THE WAIT!
Exams are not over but I only have three left. Free tiiiiiiimmmee! I've had a bit of writer's block because of the massive gap since I've been writing, but I know where I'm going. I need to do a bit more planning and I should be back on track. Btw, I've been dropping storyline hints like mad... I wonder how many of you will spot them hehe~.
Arisu Winters- He was talking about Lena changing from being fierce and hostile, then it moved onto talking about Luann feinting on the first day of training and he implies that she has also changed. Hope that clears it up for up!
Shivziii- Not quite but not far off ;) Kurt is the type who would ship them, haha!
MzAkumaGore- Yup! There's a few more links to the song in there, too. And some more to come! It's like one massive songfic... (don't report me for that haha)
Allora22701- I love you for reviewing all the time – gives biscuit of gratitude -