And the seventh chapter is done. Thank you for all those who are reading and left reviews. You don't know how appreciated they are. I hope everyone enjoys the latest chapter, and don't be afraid to comment or criticize!

Saph's PoV

It was a constant shaking of my shoulders that woke me up from my deep slumber. I hadn't expected to sleep so well in this new environment, but the adrenaline pumping through my veins since the chase had worn off during the night, leaving me exhausted.

Blinking any weariness out of my eyes, I saw Isabel was peering down at me with a smile tugging at her lips.

"You must not have liked the pillow and mattress that much," Isabel giggled pointing at my awkward position.

Wiggling a bit, I found that I had somehow ended up on the wood floor with the blanket wrapped around my torso. "Did you wake me up just for that? I was happy sleeping on the floor."

Farlan held up two bottles that contained some sort of alcohol. "Isabel was wondering if you would like to join us. Levi is outside watching the night sky, we were going to celebrate getting out of the Underground."

That sure did sound nice, but having alcohol was a terrible idea. Alcohol was something I had no idea what affect it would have on me. Unaware how I would react to it, I thought it would be better to avoid it all together. If I got drunk, Levi might try something. Claim that it was an accident that I had somehow fallen off the roof to my death or somethin. "I wanna see the stars, but I'm not up for drinking."

"Then let's go find him and get this party started!" Isabel shouted under her breath.

All three of us snuck up to the roof, careful to not get caught by any awake Survery Corps. It was easier than I had anticipated. My assumption had been they would have fortified the place with multiple guards. Easy to see they didn't trust us, they should have made it at least a challenge to escape. Survery Corps most likely just under estimated the Underground scum's abilities.

Easing the door open, my breath caught as I saw all the pretty lights in the sky. Levi was seated on the edge with his feet hanging off. Sending a quick glance behind his shoulder, he snorted when he realized that it was just us.

"I can't believe you were trying to hog this view to yourself," Farlan scolded him lightly.

Isabel held the bottles in the air. "Let's drink up!"

Unlike Farlan and Isabel who greedily kept the a bottle to themselves, Levi just took a few sips. I hung back, aware that this wasn't a place for me to intrude. Content to just lean against the building and search for shooting stars, I was barely listening to their conversation. Something about how the stars go around and around? Weren't they just glued there? Like I knew anything about them, this was the first time that when I look up, I don't just see dirt. Six years, these twinkling, lights had been hidden from me.

My eyes flitted to Levi's broad back when Isabel asked, "Is it even prettier here than where Levi came from?"

'I don't know," Levi muttered.

I couldn't help but be a bit curious about their pasts. Where did they each come from? How long have they been together? Quizzing them about their life stories could lead to them wondering about my own, so I kept my tongue in check.

"Hey Farlan," Levi started, startling everyone, "I'm going to trust you."

Isabel clapped her hands excitedly before throwing them in the air. "I trust you too!"

Satisfied that the plan was going to work, I slipped inside the building. Giving up on the mattress and pillow, I just tucked myself into the blanket, waiting for sleep to come and find me.

"Attention all troops!" The commander, who stood in front of us, shouted.

Everyone stood still with their hands behind their backs. Unfriendly faces surrounded us. I could have guess they wouldn't like four strangers marching into their base. Personally, I would have tried to get rid of those strangers from my home turf as fast as possible too, but it's not like I wanted to be here. A detour to finding my brother was what I considered this experience to be. Anyone of these people could die on their next expedition, there was no reason to get close to any of them. Making them like me, however, was necessary if I wanted my life to be a bit easier. Getting information from them about any possible leads towards my missing brother could only be a plus.

His next words were much quieter, but no less stern nor heavy. "The four new recruits you see standing up here are your new comrades. They will be fighting along us starting today." Only a tilt of his head indicated that he was now speaking to our small group. "Alright you four, introduce yourselves to everyone."

Giving a pointed look at Erwin, Levi made sure to take his sweet time responding. A glower settled on his features, as he gruffly said, "The name's Levi."

Isabel was closest to her Big Bro, so she decided to go next. Throwing up a thumb and pointing to herself, she grinned. "Isabel Magnolia. Pleased to meet you," she greeted with no hint of seriousness. Not even a hint of warmth was shone in their expressions while they looked at the youngest and friendliest of us. If Isabel had a hard time warming their deadpan expressions, the rest of us were screwed.

One hand was closed into a fist as Farlan placed it over his heart, the signature salute of the military. "I'm Farlan Church."

It was either his form or his introduction but almost everyone grimaced as they watched him. Maybe he did their hand thingy gesture wrong and that made them mad? No one had even taught us it yet! Whatever it was, it didn't bode well for me.

This was the moment I decided how to portray myself. Levi and Isabel both went with their usual personalities. Sure that mine wasn't going to do anything but make people hate me, I let my gaze fall to the floor. Pretending to be nice to Isabel was one thing, but altering myself to fit into the Survey Corps was another. Farlan had somewhat accepted me for what I am, he took people at face value. Levi knew what I was and hated me. He had never tried to change me. This place was filled with dreamers who believed in something beyond the walls. They all had thrown their lives away in an attempt for a better future, that was their decision, not mine.

My better life lay in being with my sibling, not getting out of the walls. We would be together, with no chance of someone seperating us. I wouldn't have to be alone anymore. No one could take him away from me. I was stronger, faster, and smarter than I was in the past. Now I just had to use my smarts to get what I wanted.

Angling my chin downwards, my hands wrestled with each other behind my back. A foot, slid back and forth across the stage. Taking a deep breath, I peeked beneath my brown curls to view the people beneath me. "Hi," I whispered, loud enough they could hear me if they listened closely, "my name is Saph… Monstrum." My last name, the last thing connecting me to my parents. It's syllables had been solely tasted in my mind for years, never to be heard by anybody else. I shared it with my brother, the bond formed because of it, was not to be unappreciated. Out of the four of us, only Levi didn't mention a last name. An innocent smile appeared on my lips.

With our introductions over, the commander went on with his little speech. "All four of them will be assigned to Flagon's squad-"

"What?" The man, who I could only assume was Flagon exclaimed. Displeasure was written all over his features as he moved his head back and forth from the four of us to the commander. "I thought they would be put in Erwin's squad?"

That was what I had been thinking too. Erwin was the one who captured us, and it was clearly his idea to enlist us into the Survey Corps. No complaints were heard from me. That man gave me goosebumps, and I would never want to be on the other of end of his blade if we ended up having to kill him. At least we had some distance from him, might be a bit harder to get the documents, but less chance of Levi murdering him before we got what we came for in the first place.

I was too busy mulling over things in my head to hear the commander's reason, before I knew it, Isabel was nudging me in the direction of Flagon. The man was silent as we followed him to a building. Inside, there were bunk beds lined against the walls. Levi took his fingers and ran them over the surface of the wood. A look of pure horror crossed his face before it settled into disgust. Guess it didn't meet his standards.

Still mad that he was stuck with us, Flagon used this opportunity to jab at our past living conditions. "You guys are probably used to rolling around in the dirt, since you lived in the Underground and all, but here we expect you to keep it tidy."

My eyes widened, not because I was hurt by the insult, but because I suddenly feared that Levi was going to ruin everything. You could insult his shortness with a few repercussions. You could insult his attitude only to have him ignore you. You could bad mouth his friends to receive some threats, but no is allowed to talk bad about his ability to clean. Jaw dropping, I stared at Levi as he whipped his head around to face Farlan.

"What the fuck?" he snarled, fist shaking in anger. "I dare you to say that again you shitting son of a bitch."

Flagon gaped for a minute before recovering. He had to bend down a little to get eye to eye with Levi. "What the hell is wrong with you? I am your superior!"

It had been one of the first times to not be on the other side of Levi's fury. I would have enjoyed the scene if it wasn't for my worry that all had been for naught. Thankfully, Farlan had always been good at defusing situations involving the shortie.

"Don't worry, Squad Leader! We promise to keep it clean. Won't we, guys?"

Isabel and I nodded like we were supposed to. It didn't seem to relieve any of Flagon's fears, but at least he wanted nothing to do with us. Leaving us be, he walked out of the building after informing us that we had to go to the training grounds after we got ourselves situated.

Silence descended on us with Flagon's absence. As if the containment of his anger was undone all at one moment, Farlan began to shout at Levi. "I thought I told you not to make a scene!"

"I dunno, sounded like a shit-stained pot calling the kettle black. Did it sound that way to you?"

Farlan, still aggravated, began to rub his hands over his face while taking deep breaths. "Listen to me. That guy will get in trouble if people find out how he's treating us, so-"

"If he keeps this up, he's going to be getting a royal salute from me," Levi growled out while picking up various objects off of the floor.

Isabel hopped on the top bunk, her pigtails swinging wildly. I joined her on the bed, crossing my legs as I listened to the two talk. I liked this spot. Always sleeping on the floor, it was a nice change to not be on the ground and actually higher up. Sliding off of the mattress onto the floor would hurt a bit more though. Didn't matter, I would just have to not roll off anymore. Hopefully, I could sleep up here as long as Levi doesn't mess this up.

If Farlan couldn't convince Levi. No one could, but Farlan wasn't going to give up. "You can't be serious. Did you really forget why we are here?"

"No. I remember just fine."

"Then do me a favor," Farlan finally lowered his voice, "until we get those documents, make sure not to arouse any suspicion.

"You're such a pain in the ass," Levi muttered, continuing with his cleaning.

Tired of their fighting, Isabel leaned down to get between them. "Just leave Big Bro alone! Just beat them up like you did in the Underground, Farlan."

Farlan sighed, there were dark outlines underneath his eye. "Shut up, Isabel. dumbasses shouldn't talk."

"Who are you callin a dumbass?" Isabel growled.

Levi ignored there bickering as he pulled the sheets off of the top bunk. Shifting over, he didn't meet my eyes as he pulled the cloth away. It seemed as if he was going to order us to clean soon. While Flagon had told us to be at the training grounds when we were done, he didn't know Levi and his cleaning style. We could be here all day!

"Hey, Saph?" Isabel shouted making me flinch. "What's eighteen plus twenty-two? Farlan asked me, but I'm not good with that math stuff."

Biting my bottom lip, I held my fingers to my face. It was a vague memory, my parents teaching me how to count with my little brother. I've never had to count in the Underground. It was easy for me to look at a number of objects, and say how many there were. Adding was a different story. "Is it thirty?" Eight plus two equals ten, and ten above twenty is thirty.

"That would be correct if Farlan said eight plus twenty-two, not eighteen," Levi sighed.

Isabel pointed at Farlan, "See? I'm not the only one who can't do addition. It's not like you need to know how to add to survive," she pouted as Levi ruffled her hair. It was an unusual kind gesture from the shorty, and something he just showed to Isabel. Not that I wanted my head to be petted or anything.

"Since you said you didn't want to make a scene," Levi huffed, moving past the beds to a broom, "then I guess we should get to cleaning."

2 hours of excruciating, painful, cleaning later…

At least Isabel is having fun riding the horse. Mine on the other hand, was refusing to let me even try and get on it. The girl that was helping Isabel and I ran up to my side. "He just isn't used to you, just move slowly and let him sniff you."

I approached the horse from the side, holding out a hand like I was instructed to. It was a new experience for me to have to deal with animals. Nearing the nose of the beast, I let it inhale my scent. Without any warning at all, the thing let out a gigantic snort, making me leap backwards in fright.

Her body began to shake as the girl covered her mouth with one hand, desperately trying to contain the giggles escaping from her. Irritation came swiftly, and I refused to direct any of my attention towards her. A growl began to swell within my throat. This wasn't the place for me to be sharp. Make nice. How would Isabel want me to react?

"He won't bite you or anything," the piggy-tailed girl smiled as she stroked the horse's face. "There is no reason for you to be so scared."

Tilting my head slightly, I let my long hair hide some of my face. "I've never touched a horse before," I murmured shifting my feet slightly. "While people used them in the Underground, I never pet any of them."

The ground trembled as Isabel led her horse galloping up to us. "You can ride with me if you want to Saph!"

My cheeks puffed out as I acted as if I was sulking. "I could just my own two feet."

"You may be a super fast runner, but I don't think you would be able to outrun a horse," Isabel teased.

"Are you really that fast?" the girl's voice was small, as if she was intimidated by us, yet it was brimming with curiosity. We must be like foreign creatures to her. This is the first time I've ever heard of people from the Underground being allowed into the military. Not only was this new to us, it was new to them too.

I licked my lips as I considered my answer. "I'm pretty fast, but I don't think could outrun one the horses."

"What are you being all modest for," Isabel asked gruffly, mimicking Levi as she crossed her arms. "Big Bro said the only reason you are fast is because you're constantly running away from your problems."

My innocent demeanor was almost thrown off completely when I heard that. "He's… a big bully."

"Big Bro isn't a bully!" Isabel shouted, indignant on Levi's behalf. "Take that back."

I smirked at her. "If I beat you at a race, you on the horse, and me on foot, then you're going to have to admit that Levi's a bully."

"You already said you couldn't beat one of the horses."

"I haven't tried yet, have I? Just give me a head start of about five seconds. You can count to five?" I taunted, reminding Isabel of her lack of knowledge regarding numbers. The girl stared at the two of us, aware that she should reprimand of us for our childish behaviour, but to afraid to do so. She seemed surprised to see me so fired up after how shy I had been acting before. Isabel was gripping the reins with a fearsome strength. We may have been both younger than her, but we were also from the Underground. This was a battle she wouldn't win, and knew it. The girl startled as Isabel whipped around to face her.

"You tell us when to go, and when five seconds have passed. You also tell us where we are supposed to go." Isabel steadied the horse underneath her as she waited for an answer. Guess she wasn't confident in her ability to count to five.

Pointing with a quaking finger, we all found a small shed in the distance. "That's where you will race to." She took a deep breath, "I'll get there first so I know who crosses it." Isabel and I waited as she jogged away each one readying themselves.