The Underground always had that distinct musty scent with a hint of sewage. Artificial balls of light just barely lights up the city so that you can see, but can never tell if it's day or night. That is unless you look up between the bars of the sewage drain, some precarious cracks, or dangerously hole punctured through the high ceiling does and make out the faintest speckles of stars that you can only image litter a vast and endless sky. During the day you might have been lucky to catch a glimpse of a few white, fluffy clouds where your loved ones live beyond. However, the sun…The sun was always missing.
A young girl barely older than fifteen out the window of her dingy classroom where the walls were as brown and dusty as the surface of her desk. Out in the distance she saw three shadows soaring through the air. The teacher didn't seem to care much about what they were teaching and the girl wondered what the point of all this was. They tell her to be grateful to have the privilege of access to education, but there was nothing useful the son of a bitch was saying or writing on the chalkboard. Just by sound, she could hear that the teacher was struggling to write down a long mathematic formula with a little white nub.
The man growled in frustration and sighed, "There goes the last of the chalk." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I hope everyone wrote the formula down! I'll repeat it one more time but that's final." The girl paid no mind to the warning. "Oi! Adeline Donovan!"
The sound of her own name finally made the girl turn and face the front making the teacher smirk devilishly. "Since you seem to think you're so above an education that you can barely afford, I assume that means you already know the material. Why don't recite the quadratic formula for the whole class?" The class of a mere ten other teens giggled.
"What are you doing?" the teacher yelled. "Stand!"
Nervously Adeline stood up from her seat and hesitated for a moment before a loud cracking sound reverberated throughout the room. The teacher had picked up a wooden ruler signaling that if she were to get the question wrong she would be punished for not paying attention. However, if answered right, she would still be punished for humiliating the teacher.
Tears peaked at the corners of her eyes daring to fall as she stuttered, "A squared plus-"
"WRONG!" Adeline flinched at the sound of the ruler whipping against brittle wood once more.
"It's rotten kids like you that don't have a shred of hope getting out of a shit hole like this unless your relying on that pretty face to fuck its way up to the top," he seethed through his teeth. "Get up here and show me your hands. It's ten lashes for disrespecting the kind teacher who just doesn't want to see you become the whore you're likely to become."
The backs of Adeline's hands were red, raw, and almost bloody. The teacher really did not hold back this time and even ending up breaking the ruler against her thin hands causing small wooden splinters to light pierce through her skin. She would have to spend the rest of the day trying to find and remove them.
"Doesn't that hurt?" The girl walking beside her asked worriedly.
Adeline put on a kind smile and responded, "Yeah, but it's fine. I deserved it anyways."
"You always space out like that Addy," the girl then nagged at poor Adeline. "Sensei had a point you know."
"That I'm destined to be a whore?"
"No! That if you don't try, you won't get anywhere. Especially not to the surface."
Suddenly Adeline began to laugh, "Jane, Jane, Jane! Stop making me laugh!" Adeline held her stomach with her stinging hands. "There's no way any of us are making it to the top! Not even a girl with a big brain like you! That's just how society works!"
"So you're just going to die down here a whore?" Jane argued angrily with her friend.
"Well," Adeline gave Jane a solemn smile that made Jane's heart drop. "I can't just leave my mother by herself, can I?"
"You could-"
"Take her to the surface with me?" Adeline giggled. "How foolish. Her legs would rot before then. Besides what can a future whore and that whore's whore mother do to get all the way up to see the light of day?"
"You're so vulgar."
"I'm saying the truth."
"So you won't even let yourself have a dream?"
"Do you even have one?"
Jane stopped in her tracks and looked at Adeline determinedly, "I'm going to be a doctor! I'll get a higher education on the surface, then I'll take my mother up to surface and treat her atrophying legs first!"
Adeline scoffed, but it didn't bother Jane much. It was how Adeline always was. She had come to accept the girl for who she was since no one else seemed to care. Jane believed in the good in people and somehow had come to enjoy Adeline despite her grim perspective. Perhaps, Jane believed that she could change Adeline.
Suddenly the whipped by the two girls swishing their hair back.
"It's them!" Jane yelped excitedly.
Three bodies flipped in the air like acrobatics right above their heads before diving down to the ground. One was a girl a tad older than Jane and Adeline with red hair tied into messy pigtails. The second was a dashing blonde man with a set of cool blue eyes. The last was a man with black hair and a set of unfeeling steely eyes.
"That was so fun!" the red headed girl cheered. "Can we do it again Levi nii-chan!" She was referring to the man with dark hair. The infamous Levi.
"I think that might be enough training today for you, Isabel," the blonde boy.
"But Farlan!" the red head named Isabel whined.
"C'mon," Levi said cooly. "It's getting close to dinner time. Let's pick up some ingredients."
"Okay!" Isabel chided giddily.
Adeline watched Levi closely without even thinking. She had to admit that if she did end up becoming a whore, she wouldn't mind a man like him as a regular paying customer. In the midst of Adeline's inappropriate fantasy, Levi's eyes met her's for a moment shooting fear down her spine. Adeline immediately turned away.
With her back turned, she could only hear the zipping sounds of their 3D maneuver gear as they whisked themselves away from the street. Adeline kept replaying how Levi had looked so cold and dangerous when their eyes met in that brief moment. What was so wrong about thinking about the man? It wasn't like their paths would ever cross intimately in the Underground where millions of people live and die.
"Don't you envy them?" Jane's question caught Adeline's attention once more. "How they can just fly and soar like free birds."
"They're criminals," Adeline noted bluntly.
"They help those in need," Jane argued.
"Why don't you go join them?" Adeline challenged.
"I wish," Jane replied genuinely catching Adeline off guard. The cheery brunette turned to Adeline with a devious smirk on her freckled face. "So I can take that Levi from you!"
"Geez," Adeline half scoffed and half laughed. "You're insufferable."
"C'mon I saw how you looked at him all google eyed!"
"Okay, okay!"
The two made their way back home through the bustling street holding their books that barely held together by their binding. The two parted half way through their walk leaving Adeline by herself. She never liked this part of her day, but it was better than what would ensue within the walls of her own house.
Jane turned around with a look of realization on her face, "Oh wait, Addy!" Adeline turned to face her friend who just smiled. "You'll meet me tomorrow before dinner, right? In the plaza? I had something to show you!"
"Why can't you just tell about it me now?" Adeline raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"I just want an excuse to get out and see you," Jane winked her eye at Adeline. "Besides it's something to show not just tell. Well, see you later then!" Jane ran off in the direction of her home.
Adeline found herself standing outside the wooden door of her apartment her hand grasping the knob but not turning it. From behind the door she could hear screams, shouts, and the shattering of glass. If she could just stay there and not go inside, it could be avoided. But outside the door was a world full of bad people and bad men. Sure people like Levi and his group helped people, but who would fly to the aid of a pathetic girl in a big city like this?
Levi held a large bag of groceries with Farlarn as Isabel jumped happily up and down. It sometimes even surprised Levi himself the amount of patience he had for such a rambunctious character. Truthfully, he found it quite endearing. It was hard to pick up such a bright attitude in a filthy place filled with even filthier people. Who was he even kidding? He was just as guilty and dirty as everyone other person here. They all were except Isabel. She remained pure at heart and if Levi could do anything about it, then he would keep it that way.
"You that excited for dinner?" Farlarn asked the younger red head.
"Of course!" Isabel replied loudly. "I used to have to steal for scraps of bread, but to think that we can actually start to make food!"
"Don't get used to it," Levi reminded her. "This isn't going to be a regular thing. We just happen to have enough money for it today."
"What are we making tonight?" Isabel completely ignored Levi's grim remark.
Before Levi reprimand then answer Isabel's question, Farlan interjected, "Hey, isn't that the girl from earlier that was staring at you, Levi?"
"What girl?" Isabel growled protectively. "Who was looking at Levi nii-chan!"
Levi turned his gaze to what Farlan was talking about. Surely enough it the girl he had matched eyes with for a second. She was quite young, perhaps younger than Isabel which made her a little too young. Her hair was long, black, and tucked behind her ears. She had two books tucked in one arm while the other hand clutched door knob to what he presumed was her home. They couldn't make out much else other than a green eye that held a sadness about it. Before Levi could say to ignore her and move on, Isabel had already marched forward.
"Hey!" Isabel greeted causing the girl to jump. "Is this your house? Why don't you go inside? It's getting dark."
"I-" Thunk! The girl with black hair flinched at the sound. Isabel heard a woman wail and sob.
"What's happening in there?" Isabel asked angrily while rolling up a sleeve ready to burst through the door. The stranger stopped her by grasping her wrist.
"Please," she begged tears suddenly rolling down her face. "Please don't go in."
Isabel looked down at the hand that held her from moving forward and saw the thick red streak that was turning into a bluish purple bruise. Right then the door swung open violently knocking Adeline back. Adeline braced herself to hit the ground, but someone caught her.
"Tch," the culprit scoffed. "You brought friends with you?" He was big, burly man with a sour expression on his face. Behind him and the doorframe was a woman face down on the floor sobbing excessively.
Adeline looked up to see who had caught her and it was the same man she had been looking at earlier, Levi. He glared at the man who had forcefully pushed the girl.
"Don't give me that look, kid," the man grunted before walking away.
Farlan brought his fists up but Adeline said, "Don't!" So he let the man walk away. Once out of sight, Adeline pushed out of Levi's arms and walked straight toward the woman sprawled on the wooden floor. Levi, Farlan, and Isabel gathered around the doorframe to make sure everything was alright.
Adeline's mother rose from her position to reveal a black and heavily swollen eye accompanied by blood dripping from both her nostrils. Her mother's face was just as sour as that of the man who had just walked out as if he had nothing wrong. But only for a moment, until her expression softened at her sobbing daughter. She placed a loving hand on top of Adeline's head and pet her hair soothingly. Suddenly, it appeared as though the woman had forgotten the events that had just taken place.
"Welcome home," the woman said. She looked up to see the trio standing outside the doorway. "Oh, are these your friends? You guys are welcome in for dinner! We don't have much, but I can figure something out!"
"It's okay," Farlan responded politely. "We don't actually know your daughter. We just saw her outside your door and got worried."
"Oh," the woman continued to stroke her whimpering daughter's hair. "Then I'm glad she's safe. Thank you."
"We'll be off then," Levi announced eager to leave this pessimistic scene.
"Wait," Isabel stopped him yet again. "Girl with the pretty face! Could I get your name?"
Adeline couldn't help but glare at Isabel for her lack of common sense but decided to reply, "Adeline Donovan."
"It's nice to meet you! I'm Isabel!" Isabel was much too loud of Adeline's liking. "That's Farlan and Levi! I don't really know what the situation is, but if you ever need help you can always try to find us! Right guys?"
Adeline wiped her eyes and smiled. She walked towards the door and in an instant her smile fell. "Have a nice day." Was all she said before slamming their door straight into their faces.
She noted that Levi's face didn't move a single millimeter.
The next day was the long awaited weekend allowing Adeline to sleep in and not worry about class. When her eyes finally opened, she raised the back of her hands to her face. The hits from the ruler that were stark red the night before had turned into a multi-colored bruise. If hadn't hurt so goddamn much, Adeline could've almost found the colors intriguing. Pretty even.
When Adeline left her room, the house was dead silent. It appeared as though her mother had already left for her day job as a waitress. It hurt Adeline's heart that her mother had to work two jobs just to make ends meet and send her tragic excuse of a daughter to a school Adeline cared little for. That even when Adeline offered to quit school and start working odd jobs to have a little more than just bread on the table, her mother struck her straight across her right cheek. Thinking about it made the very spot tingle with the memory of the burn.
Adeline walked the streets of the Underground leisurely that day not thinking about all the work that was ahead of her for school. Again, why did any of it matter? Kids born into the Underground only saw a life on the surface as criminals and fate always found a way for them to wind back down those stone steps. Everyone around her had sullen faces hardened from the years without sun and were living off of the pure human instinct to survive. What was the point? Everyone no matter who they were or where they were born were destined to die. Death was inevitable, but the difference between people up there and people down in the Underground was that those in Underground had no dreams. No drive. It was like watching a million walking corpses with their lifeless eyes and dilapidating legs ready to give out right from under them. Even children knew it and the few kids like Jane had ambitions that would be cut short by the harsh bite of reality. They would never make it out.
The wind whooshed by Adeline's face as she unknowingly walked through an isolated alley, but didn't take her out of her nihilistic trance. Adeline continued to put one foot in front of the other until her face hit something soft and squishy but a terrifying chill overcame her.
"Oho," the voice came from a gruff man. Adeline dared not look up and yelled at herself in the her head to fucking move when the man's hand grasped her shoulders. To run. The man's grasp was tight, there was no way she would be able to get out."Isn't she pretty, Donald?"
"She is, Dimitri-san," another voice called Donald replied. "Young too. She should know better than to walk through here."
This was it for her. This was end of the Adeline Donnavan as everyone knew. Everything would end here and even if she made it out alive, she wouldn't be able to handle herself.
"This won't be very fun if she doesn't struggle," Dimitri commented then pushed Adeline to the ground where she finally snapped and began to desperately kick and thrash around. It was no use, Dimitri had a hold of her legs while Donald immediately grabbed on to her wrists holding them above her head.
Dimitri laughed cruelly, "That's more like it! Struggle a little more for me would you!" Adeline felt her white collar shirt slip past far past one shoulder revealing her plain beige bra. For the thousandth time in the past two days she cried helplessly and begged for help even though she knew it was unlikely help would come.
Then, as if to prove her wrong, a breeze blew by her. It happened so fast that she didn't even hear the kick that was blown into Dimitri's old, wretched face. Donald still had a grasp on her wrist but transferred them into one hand so that he could hold a dull, rusty knife to pale stretch of her neck.
"Stop!" Donald hollered.
Adeline's eyes here closed shut as she tried to find the voice with her to scream. Somehow her eyes cracked open to see Levi grasping Dimitri by his collar. Such a small man that packed a fierce enough blow to knock down a man like Dimitri so easily. Adeline felt Donald's hand shaking around her wrists and the knife vibrate dangerously against her throat. No matter how unconfident Donald was, it didn't ease Adeline's own tremors.
"Tch," was all Levi let out.
Out of the blue Adeline heard Farlan's voice from behind, "You should watch your own back, sir." Adeline could only guess that Farlan was behind Donald with a weapon of his own that made Donald release his death grip on Adeline.
"Adeline!" Isabel swung through to the ground and helped the black haired girl to her feet. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" The look in Isabel's eyes were of pure concern. All Adeline could do was nod her head to indicate that she was okay.
"Thank goodness!" Isabel cried out in relief and wrapped her arms around Adeline.
Farlan threw Donald at Dimitri who was being held still by Levi and the two round bodies tumbled together. Levi calmly walked towards Adeline who was wrapped in Isabel's arms. The girl's hair was a black mess, her emerald eyes wide open in fear, and her clothes disheveled. It took a moment for Adeline to come back to her senses and soundlessly she pulled her shirt back over her shoulder and patted down her hair.
"It's getting pretty late," Levi sighed. "We'll walk you back home."
"Late?" It hit her like a ton of bricks. Adeline was supposed to meet Jane in the plaza before dinner. "How late?"
"Like dinner time," Isabel answered.
"Shit!" Adeline cursed. It was alright, she was close to the plaza. Her walk was already in the general area, she could still catch Jane before Jane would leave. Then, outside the alley, the four heard a distant scream. Adeline froze again.
"It's coming from the plaza," Farlan said seriously. "We should go check it out."
"Yeah," Levi agreed. "Isabel, take the girl with you. We'll take her home after."
"Roger!" Isabel saluted.
"W-wait!" Adeline tried to protest, but she was already flying above the buildings. She wondered if this was what birds felt like. Liberated. Adeline tilted her head up and noticed one of the sewer vents and caught a glimpse of the sky. She had never seen a sunset before but could see a patch of purple-orange gradient. Never had she been so close. Adeline's grip tightened around Isabel had they descended at an unnatural velocity and screamed. They dropped to the ground and Adeline lifted her face from Isabel's shoulder. Slowly Isabel let her down.
"Oh my God," Adeline laughed in exasperation. "That was-" Isabel's expression was frozen in shock. Adeline's legs were still shaking from the soaring experience that took her on the high of her life, but in the Underground moments of happiness never lasted very long. The girl turned to look at what everyone seemed to be looking at.
It was a body. A corpse. Of a young girl with brown hair and freckles scattered across her pale face. A knife stuck out of the girl's chest where her heart was. Adeline only knew that's where the heart was because Jane would always remind of her body parts and the location of vital organs. She used to tell her the function of each organ and how they made the body work. After all, Jane's dream was to be a doctor.
"Jane!" the shrill voice of a mother screamed. "My Jane! Who did this to you!?"
Adeline dropped to her knees. It was her fault her friend was dead. Sprawled out on the ground with red staining her clothes. Not even in death, did anyone in the Underground look at peace. Jane's face would permanently hold the shape of fear for the rest of eternity. At least that was how it would remain in Adeline's mind.
"You!" Jane's mother's cry was suddenly directed at Adeline. "You were supposed to meet her? Where were you? Why didn't you come? Why did you let her die? "
"I-" Adeline had nothing to say.
"I'm deeply sorry," Farlan began to reassure the woman, "but Adeline here was actually in a bit of trouble herself. My friends and I-"
"Shut it!" Jane's mother screamed. "I don't care! I just want my daughter back!"
The woman crumbled before a crowd of people who witnessed the public atrocity. Too many questions and thoughts were running rapidly through Adeline's mind. How could this have happened? Why did it? How could she even call herself a friend when she had so completely abandoned Jane? Was she guilty? Even if she weren't guilty of such an awful crime, why did she feel guilt?
Out from the crowd, two tall men pushed through. They were wearing those iconic tan jackets that were branded with a horse symbol indicating that they were with the Military Police Brigade. The two stood over Adeline who shakily looked up at the men eyes.
"Are you Adeline Donovan?" one of the police inquired.
All Adeline could do was nod.
"Come with us," the other policeman instructed.
"Hey!" Isabel attempted to step in to stop the soldiers from grasping Adeline but Levi held out a hand to stop her. "L-Levi nii-chan."
Levi said nothing as he watched the girl oblige to the wishes of the military police. It wasn't any of their business especially when the police got involved. There were other, more pressing things to be concerned about. Farlan placed a hand on Isabel's head and ruffled her hair trying to be somewhat comforting, but the situation did settle well with any of them.
Adeline was brought to the station and was dragged into a dark room where she sat in terrifying silence for at least twenty minutes. When would this day end? Hadn't she been through enough already? It was already passed dinner, her mother should be worried sick. Was her mother even okay? What if Adeline would never make it home?
"Adeline Donovan," from the shadows appeared a much older man his face lined with years of hardship and experience. "That's your name right? Daughter of the prostitute Arabella Donovan."
"Y-yes," Adeline found the tiniest voice from within her to reply.
The man held a white cup in his hand with steam rolling from it. He placed the cup before Adeline, but Adeline merely stared at it puzzled.
"It's tea," he reassured. "It's gotta be better than the shit you guys drink down here. Drink." The order left no room for objection or question so Adeline did as she was told. He was right, it was better than any of the shit they had down in the Underground. The taste was bitter at first then melted into a soothing sweetness immediately calming her nerves.
"My name is Djel Sannes," the man introduced himself with a stern voice. "You're probably wondering why you're here." Adeline nodded.
"Hm," he grunted. "You're friend, Jane Love, I hear she was bright student."
"She wanted to be a doctor," Adeline added only to receive another grunt from Sannes.
"Sir," he said. "Address me as sir."
"She wanted to be a doctor, sir," Adeline paused before she addressed Sannes how he wanted to be. "What's going-"
"Your friend," Sannes cut her short already knowing her question, "has committed a crime. A serious crime punishable by death by coming into possession of an illegal book."
"So the police killed her?" Adeline asked her voice beginning to shake again. "Over a book?"
"Adeline Donovan." The way he said her name made cold sweat run down Adeline's sheet white face. "The book Jane Love possessed was a book about the outside world." Adeline's eyes grew wider as Sannes pushed his unblinking eyes uncomfortable close to her face. "A book, I assume, she planned to show you, her best friend. A book you know is not meant for the eyes of such low beings such as yourself. Let me tell you now, child, that there are eyes everywhere. Eyes that watch. Eyes that will not hesitate. You think you're some nobody in the Underground and while that is true, I can assure you that the military has its ways. Take this as a warning for yourself. Whether you like it or not, you now have a permanent target on your back."
Sannes allowed for a second of silence. He observed the girl carefully as she her face relaxed into an unfeeling expression—one he had seen before in soldiers before him.
"Know this," he continued, "you are now in debt to the government. Whatever we ask of you, you will do without question. Anything we do, is out of kindness."
Adeline let out dark laugh before saying, "What's the point, old man?"
It was unclear when and how Adeline left the police station and made her way back to the wooden door to her home. It felt like none of this truly happened and she stood there frozen just barely hearing the same man from yesterday beat her mother. The sounds of her mother begging for mercy sounded more like the Jane's voice as she clutched onto an unknown book that brought the young girl to her demise. Adeline sunk into a kneeling position with her hands buried in her hair trying to shove her scream back down her throat. Of course those behind the doors would hear the psychotic child screaming over the traumatizing events that had ensued. She would wake up with more than just a couple lashes on the backs of her hands that day.
Levi found himself on his knees before the Commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith. A tall, blonde who appeared strong with equally strong brows and a pair of blue eyes that glared with such intensity and ambition. Levi's face had been harshly pushed down into a dirty puddle and was dripping as Erwin appeared amused at the sight of Levi's utter torment.
"You have a choice," Erwin said, "let the Military Police take you or join the Survey Corps."
Farlan and Isabel, who were also held captive on their knees, watched Levi carefully for his answer. Finally, after a small devastating pause, Levi responded with the word "Fine" and violently spit to the side. He locked his harsh glare with Erwin's blue eyes that shined like gems with pride. "I'll join the Survey Corps."
For Levi the end goal was never necessarily to climb up to the surface though that would be ideal. The goal, was to live and survive like he had been doing all these years. To come to a place where he could help those who need it. He would do anything for it. Even take down the indestructible Erwin Smith.
Two months had passed by since the passing of Adeline's friend Jane. In those two months, the infamous trio of the Underground had gone missing. Rumor had it that they were all arrested by the Survey Corps. Adeline found it rather strange that the Survey Corps were the ones chasing after them and sometimes pondered on the implications. The three were known mostly for petty crimes that assisted in theft, burglary, but never anything too serious. At least, not that she knew of.
Banging noises were heard from her mother's room accompanied by feminine moans and masculine grunts. It was always a cycle for the two. Fight, get hit, then fuck. Adeline wasn't quite sure if any of it was consensual, but her mother had always reminded her that women are underneath men. That if Adeline wanted to survive in this world, she would have to surrender to that even if the fact was morally tainted.
"S-stop!" she heard the muffled cry of her mother. "It's too much!"
"Fucking take it, whore!" the man yelled then proceeded to slap the woman.
Adeline sighed and sunk into her bed. She took the pillow from under her head and smothered her face with it. Constantly, Adeline had to remind herself that this was normal. This was life. This was what she was born into. There was nothing she could do about it. Nothing at all.
The man brutally fucking her mother, Arabella, was not Adeline's father. The two did have one thing in common though, they were both once Arabella's customers. The difference is that one left and the other stayed even. Arabella always told Adeline to be grateful for the brute who offered them a place to stay, more financial stability, allowed Arabella to still work even as a prostitute, and was willing to pay Adeline's educational expenses. She always told her daughter that all good things came at a price and as women they had to be willing pay that price to survive.
All of a sudden, a realization hit Adeline. The the banging sounds of the man thrusting continued on, she couldn't hear her mother's stifled cries anymore. Something snapped in Adeline's brain as if a switched had turned off or on. The thudding sound of the headboard against the wall continued as Adeline silently made her way to the crammed kitchen space where she pulled a rusty knife from the drawer.
She stood outside the door of their room shaking but not from terror at the man. If anything, all the felt at that point was pure and undeniable anger at him. If there were to be fear, it was the fear of herself.
Finally, Adeline cracked open the door to see the large man fucking her mother's dead body unknowing that the frail body was nothing more than a corpse now. God or Satan must not have had enough fun torturing Adeline. Fury, disgust, and rage weren't the right words in this situation. Those words were only a fraction of the emotions rushing with adrenaline through Adeline's veins.
The man thrusted into Arabella's lifeless body once before releasing himself within the shell of a body. "You're always so fucking good," he moaned. Right as he pulled himself out something slashed at his throat. He saw red spurt all over Arabella's body and the cheap, white sheets. His vision began to dizzy and fell off the bed right off to the side.
Adeline's knees dug deep into the mattress as she laid at her mother's poor naked body. She clung onto the knife refusing to let it go. Adeline had never felt more betrayed and abandoned than in that moment. Hatred for own mother ran deeper than her hate for the man that killed her. How could she leave her like this? How could she have been so reckless? All that talk about survival, look at where it got her?
The person she hated most, in that moment, however, was herself. Adeline pried her bloodied and trembling fingers loose and heard the knife clatter to floor dusty wooden floor. Putting one foot after the other she forced herself step by step to the police station. If death was the sentence she had to serve then she would serve it. If anything she deserved something much worse than death.
When she finally made it to the station, she was greeted by none other than Djel Sannes who gave her that same sullen look. He looked down at her bloody hand clearly assessing that it was not her own. Sannes couldn't get a clear read of the girls face because it was buried in her own neck.
"Come with me, brat," Sannes ordered. She found herself again sitting in that dark room where the man had threatened her before with Sannes on the other side. "Do you know what happened up on the surface?"
"No," was Adeline's quiet response.
"Wall Maria has been breached," he answered. "Do you even know about the walls?" Adeline didn't answer the question that was clearly meant to insult her. "It's going to have huge social, political, and economic backlash on our world. People will be forced to live on the streets crammed behind Wall Rose." Adeline was still quiet and her face was still buried under her own shadow. "Many brave soldiers have died and the military must replenish. How you feel about joining?" The question did not waver in tone and sounded more like a demand that a job offer.
The question sat in the air waiting to be answered. Neither person moved until Adeline finally said, "Why?"
"You're going to have to be more specific," Sannes directed.
"I've just killed a man," Adeline's voice was a shaky whisper. "You should throw this Underground scum behind bars watch her rot or just kill her on the spot. Yet you're asking me to join the fucking military and giving this piece of shit a chance on the surface. Why?" The man refrain from answering in that moment. Adeline with her gaze cast downwards noticed something crucial. "Your shoes sir. They're clean. Not a speck of dust. Military police down here, they're shoes are always dirty from running around in dirt and rubble. Even if they get them polished, there's usually a splash of blood on them from kicking the shoeshine boy. You must be pretty high ranking and you must have a purpose for being here instead of up there where they need your help right now. Why would you want anything to do from an unremarkable piece of shit like me?"
"That time I visited was nothing more than a visit to check up on things down here," Sannes didn't hesitate this time, "When I met you I decided to pay more visits because had a hunch and that hunch was right." Adeline visibly froze and he could hear her shaky hyperventilating breaths. "You loved killing that man."
Adeline finally rose her face to reveal a wicked, deranged smile.