Ch 8: A New Challenge
The sun rose over the clouds until it was in the very center of the sky. No other clouds threatened to hide it, and it seemed like the day was going to be very warm and sunny.
Two days had passed since the attack on Trost, and many events had occurred since. The tunnel where the titans had entered the city had been assessed and was now guarded as reconstruction took place. Meanwhile the citizens who had been evacuated were now granted access to return to their homes, which also resulted in finding all the parents and guardians of the children who had been left behind in the district. It was a rare, happy accomplishment, and people seemed to be in a good mood knowing the worst was over.
After hearing about what Mya had done during the Trost incident, Commander Erwin requested that she joined the scouts on their next mission outside the walls and be apart of Captain Levi's squadron which consisted of all the people at the castle she was was living with currently.
Things seemed to be moving quickly now more than ever, making Mya nervous that she was going to mess everything up and watch it all slip between her fingers. Still, the little flame of excitement at advancing so early on and not knowing what lay beyond the walls her helped her feel grateful. It reminded her of her old, child-like self that always had a long list of ambitions and how they always seemed attainable with enough confidence and bravery.
It was two more days until Mya's first mission, and for once she had nothing she needed to do beforehand.
It was noon, so Mya thought it was about time she got lunch. She walked down the dirt road in her scout uniform that consisted of knee-high born boots, white pants, brown straps that ran all over her lower frame, a dress-shirt, and a tan-jacket with the wings of freedom on the back of it. Her short hair tossed around in the summer breeze, shining a healthy glow.
As she walked towards the large building in the center of the camp, she took in the peaceful nature around her. Her thoughts weren't anxious or all over the place, only bringing up random thoughts like:
"Why do we wear white pants? Wouldn't white pants get dirt all over them? What's the point in that? And why do we have to wear boots all the time? Boots make my feet super sweaty with the summer heat, so why do we wear them in the summertime? Why not just normal shoes-
To her left Mya watched as trainees practiced self defense in the grassy fields. They each took turns pinning each other to the ground before switching. Mya watched only for a few seconds before she caught someones gaze. She tried to look away and then back but found the eyes continuing to lock their focus on her. It wasn't long before she realized that the young man was marching towards her. Behind him, some trainees paused what they were doing to watch as the Commander seemed to be too distracted by other things to notice what was happening.
"Skipping out on practice, huh? What makes you think that you can cheat your way to the top so easily?" said the young male trainee down to Mya. "I don't care how "naturally" good you are at maneuver gear, but it's unfair to let a trainee advance forward when she hasn't even finished her training yet!"
Mya stared up at the young man. He was about four inches taller than her, but almost felt taller with the way that he leaned his neck downward to stare directly into her eyes. He was skinny, but toned, with short grayish-blonde hair that pointed in all directions. As his blue eyes stared into her own, she knew she had to stand her ground somehow.
She tried to respond. "It wasn't my decision-
"I heard that Commander Erwin personally requested that you joined the scouts, pronto. In fact, I'd say that everyone in camp knows. Why wouldn't they? It's not normal, and it's fucking stupid. So since nobody else has had the guts to tell it to the Commander or anyone else on Captain Levi's squad, I will just tell you personally: finish your training and graduate like the rest of us."
Mya's eyes darted over to the other trainees who had completely stopped doing the exercise to watch the drama unfold. She could hear Commander June's voice from further away. He must have just realized he was missing a student.
Knowing he would be punished, the young man started to turn back towards the field. He spoke in a lower tone.
"I'm not only saying that it's unfair, but haven't you thought over yourself? Do you really think maneuver gear is the one thing that will save your ass? It might save you for a while, but I wouldn't want someone that doesn't know any skill besides that with me outside the walls. Then you're just miles closer to getting eaten by one of those giant freaks."
He stared with a hard frown into Mya's eyes. She stared back at them.
"So maybe you should say something about it before you realize that you don't know what you're doing. And you hesitate. Think about that," the young man sneered under with breath.
Although Mya felt attacked, she also could hear the slight rise in his voice at the end of his talk that sounded concerned. But with plenty of frustration.
Commander June yelled again and the young man gave Mya one last look before jogging back to practice.
Mya stood there alone on the side of the road. She took a moment before walking towards the main building.
Everywhere Mya went, it felt like eyes were on her in some way. On her shoulders, her back, her forehead-everywhere. Anytime she was in public with an audience, people whispered, changed the subject and talked in a more hushed tone while she was nearby.
Mya found herself wandering away from other people and far away from the training grounds because of it. Soon she didn't even know where she was. There was only just forrest, and trees, and bugs making noises in the green summer grass.
She came to a grassy hill and sat down at the top of it and let herself take in what nature had to offer in front of her.
Below lay a valley of greenery. Consisting of many trees that were bunched together like bushes with only their leaves showing. She listened as the wind blew through their leaves and then through her hair. Normally she would re-adjust her hair afterwards, but this time she was alone, and didn't want to.
"Do you really think maneuver gear is the one thing that will save your ass?"
The man's words circled around her like the breeze.
".. maybe you should say something about it before you realize that you don't know what you're doing. And you hesitate. Think about that."
She didn't recognize the man from her training, but did see other familiar faces when he was with her.
His words rang true. What was Commander Erwin thinking? Without maneuver gear, what was she? She didn't have good social skills, no real combat experience, and she also …
Mya recalled the memory of nearly getting eaten by a titan…twice. The only real reason she was alive right now was because of the Commander and Captain Levi.
And also, she did hesitate. She always over-thought things. What good would that do for the upcoming mission? What if she hesitated for too long and someone got hurt? Or what if she acted too quickly and it was the wrong decision? There was just too much at stake. Lives were at stake.
And for the first time, Mya really realized all that could happen in two days time.
Her first mission could be someone's very last. It could also be her first and last as well.
Too distracted by the sound of her own thoughts and the wild wind brushing past her, Mya failed to hear the grassy footsteps coming up from behind her.
"Hey. You shouldn't be all the way out here," said a monotone voice.
Mya whipped her head around and looked up to see that it was the Captain. Captain Levi, dressed in his casual clothes but wearing blades at his sides. She must have wandered somewhere in the woods where he liked to practice using his gear. Not that he really needed to practice.
"Sorry," she replied in a surprisingly bitter tone, "I got lost and took a break from wandering".
She sucked at lying, and knew he saw right through it. But she would break if she told him anything having to do with her inner emotions. Instead of leaving, she turned back around to face the opposite direction of the Captain and stared at the scenery in front of her.
Just how much trouble was she about to get into for ignoring the Captain right now?
As she waited for a reply, she got none, and figured he must have turned around and left. However, to her right she heard something shuffle. She turned her head slightly towards the noise and was shocked to see that it was the Captain sitting next to her.
She looked down at the grass around them. It looked very bright and very clean. She thought she heard somewhere that he wasn't a fan of getting close to dirt.
Mya found herself trying very hard not to glance towards the Captain, and now had an undeniable feeling of being trapped. Not able to leave, and feeling incredibly awkward every second she stayed.
She tried to loose herself in the dandelions. Watching as each seed took flight every time the breeze swept through the circular plants, carrying the small objects up towards the sky and then back towards the ground where they eventually landed. Mya looked up at the sky and noticed just how brilliant it looked with the clouds and atmosphere. It was a true sight to behold, even if it was always above her.
She stole a glance towards the Captain and noticed that, he too, was busy looking up at the sky as the wind blew his bangs back. He almost looked a little enchanted by it, but she looked away too soon to know for sure.
Several more minutes went by.
After several more, he spoke.
"We should get back."
Mya looked down at the grass at her feet and nodded.
The Captain and Mya arrived back at the castle where Kathryn and several others were.
"Mya, how does loaded potato stew sound for dinner tonight? I could show you how to make it!" said Kathryn cheerfully as she laid out ingredients on the counter in the kitchen.
"Sounds great," said Mya. She glanced at Captain Levi who had entered with her. His serious face had returned ever since they had wandered back.
"Just make sure to clean up afterwards" he said as he walked away to his room down the hall.
"How could I forget?" Kathryn muttered under her breath while smiling up at Mya.
She chuckled and rolled her eyes as she heard a door slam.
"We've been under the same roof for over a year and he still tells me that. If there's anyone who reminds everyone else about cleaning up after themselves around here, it's him and me. And I say it because some people need a reminder to not get on his bad side. Which is easy to do when you leave any kind of mess around."
Mya sucked air through her teeth. "Yeah… I may need to get better at that. I've heard some things about his… um…" Mya couldn't think of the right word.
"Cleaning priorities?" Kathryn responded. "Yeah. They're real."
"I'd never expect that coming from a guy who has to get his hands dirty… killing titans" said Mya.
Mya quickly remembered how the Captain had protected Kathryn while they were in Trost after a titan nearly grabbed ahold of her. She rephrased her response.
"Not that that's always a bad thing…"
Kathryn gave her a small smile. "Well, if that's the one thing I have to put up with, then so be it. Now, let's get started. We need potatoes, onions, cheese…"
For the next hour, Kathryn gleefully showed Mya how to take the vegetables from the garden, clean them, and use other ingredients stored away in the pantry. They laid all of the ingredients out on the countertop on top of a white cloth so that when the time came, everything could be ready.
"Now it's all set for later. Thanks for the help!" said Kathryn while wiping the counter.
"No problem," said Mya, her eyes darting down and up again, smiling a faint smile.
"I was thinking of making it around sunset if that works for you?" said Kathryn.
"Yeah, sure. That would work," replied Mya slowly backing towards the side door.
Kathryn got the hint. "Okay, well I'll see you then!"
Mya nodded awkwardly and turned to leave, but just as she was about to open the door, she stopped herself. She turned back towards Kathryn.
"Umm, Kathryn?"
Kathryn looked up from wiping a dish dry, "Yes?"
"I have a quick question," said Mya timidly. "…Has anyone been recruited to the military before completing their training before?"
Kathryn seemed to be caught a little off-guard with the question. "Well, I don't think so… maybe?"
Mya waited for Kathryn to say more, but when she didn't, she swiftly nodded, smiled again, and exited.
Mya walked down the dirt road once again with many thoughts on her mind. She really didn't want to be thinking about anything that might stress her out, so she turned to the greenery beside her along the path. Several trees stood in neat rows a few feet away from the road, with bushes covering their roots from view in front of them.
Soon Mya found herself at the training grounds again. But this time they were deserted with no trainees in sight. She wandered over to target practice where several targets stood in a row. She spotted a bow that had fallen behind a table with a carrier containing arrows. She grabbed them both and walked over so that she was in front of a target and loaded her bow. She fired the first arrow, hitting the target, but it was a few inches to the right of the very center. She loaded her bow again, but before firing, she heard another noise.
She turned around to see a young woman that appeared around the corner who froze once they made eye contact with each other.
"Oh-I'm sorry. I didn't know someone was here," she said, immediately turning to walk back the way she came.
Before she did, her eyes starred at the bow Mya was holding with a confused look, and then over to the table where Mya had found them.
Mya made a quick observation.
"Are these yours?" she asked.
The girl stopped turning away and then back to Mya.
"Well, no, but I was going to use them," she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly while looking down at the ground. "But that's alright."
Mya put two-and-two together. It seemed like the girl has hidden the arrows and came back later to use them. Or so she thought.
She quickly unloaded the arrow and held the bow and arrow in front of her.
"Here, you should have a go," she said plainly.
The girl returned Mya's offer with a curious look, but walked towards her none-the-less.
Mya stood back as the girl stood with the bow loaded and several arrows located in a container pouch behind her back. After several seconds, she fired her first arrow and it promptly missed the center by several inches, veering to the right. Just like Mya's had.
The girl reloaded, licking her lips in view of Mya as she turned back to grab another arrow to load. They both stood in silence before the arrow jumped at the target. This time it was slightly too high, but closer to the center.
She fired the rest of the arrows, all missing the target by inches. The girl stared at the target before walking forward to pull them out.
She stared down as she walked back to where she was, slowly raising her head until she caught Mya's eye.
"Do you want a turn?" she said.
Mya raised her eyebrows for a second before speaking. "Sure."
Mya took the equipment from her and fired the arrows once more. She managed to hit the center two times, but only two, out of six arrows.
She walked to pull them out, then gave them to the girl.
The girl fired again, missing the center the first two times, and then missing the third as well.
Mya watched quietly, but then couldn't help but notice the girl's stance.
"Umm, I notice that your feet are positioned a bit more to the right. Maybe that could be causing your arrows to go that way."
The girl hesitated but didn't turn around. She repositioned her feet slightly to the left and fired. The arrow was now very close to the center. She fired again. Closer. Fired again. BINGO.
The girl turned around, smiling.
Mya returned with a small smile.
The girl then walked over to retriever her arrows.
As she pulled each one out, she spoke with Mya.
"Are you nervous for the exam coming up? Is that why you snuck out here?"
Mya frowned, having no idea what she was talking about.
"No… I just wanted to practice a little, you know"
"Oh," the girl chuckled, " yeah, I'm freaking out a little, so I wanted to get more practice in before the end of the week. Everyone else seems to have it down, but I didn't grow up hunting in the woods all the time, so I more time.." she spoke casually, sounding more relaxed.
"Yeah… I didn't grow up hunting either," said Mya in a lower tone.
"Well, your aim is better than mine. At least you've got a technique in your head. I still haven't gotten mine figured out yet."
Mya shrugged, "you'll get the hang of it in no time".
The girl finished pulling all of her arrows out and walked back towards Mya.
"What's your name by-the-way?"
"… Mya."
"Oh, cool name."
Not the reaction Mya thought was going to take place. I guess not everyone had heard about her transfer to the corps. She felt a little more at ease.
"What about you?"
"Ave."
"Cool," said Mya.
"So where are you from?" asked Ave as she reloaded her bow.
"Umm, I'm from the country side several miles from anywhere."
Ave held her arrow back with her hand so it was next to her lip. "So, where is the nearest town for you?" She fired the arrow and it landed a few inches to the right again.
"I guess… maybe a village called … Ragako? We live on a farm and deliver produce to several villages within so many miles."
Ave shot again and missed. "I think of heard of someone from there. I'm from a tiny village close to Ehrmich. My Dad works in construction in town and my mother sews clothes for people that live around us. I have a lot of siblings that are a lot younger than me, so she's always around the house watching them, feeding them. We help out of course, but with school and delivering her projects, I'm not always around as much."
Mya watched as Ave fired again, hitting the target but just on the very edge of the center circle. Ave adjusted her feet again.
"How many siblings do you have?"
"Five. Two are my older brothers who work with my dad, then there's me, and my two younger sisters who are four and two. They are sweet but can be a handful. I remember thinking I would loose my mind watching them. My mom knows how to keep them manageable. I guess it comes with having so many kids."
"Cool."
"What about you?"
"I'm an only child"
Ave hit the center with her arrow.
"Oh, I don't know what that's like."
"It's nice sometimes, but can be boring if you have no one to talk to."
"I can see that," said Ave. "I never got used to screaming and people talking over me all the time. Home was always a mess, I almost wished I was an only child. But I guess family is family," she chuckled while loading another arrow.
"My Mom and Dad are nice, they are naturally social people and it helps when finding new buyers. They basically know everyone in the 50 mile radius from our house."
"Ha, my parents are like that too. Always befriending someone. That how we get so many free things. If you are good friends with someone who has extra crops that are about to go bad, we'll get them for super cheap and live off of them for as long as we can."
"Sounds like something my parents would do. People love cheap food," said Mya.
Ave finished her last few arrows and walked to the target to pull them out.
"So did you join the military to get out of the country?" Ave asked.
Mya hesitated. "You could say that." Before she had more time to give a longer answer, Ave cut in.
"Ha, yeah. That's my story basically. I was sick of feeling like my only goal in life was to help around the house. So I told my parents about my idea to join the military and they freaked. Out. But I was determined, so they respected that and now here I am. Pulling out arrows because I can't get his archery thing figured out". She chuckled.
"You'll get the hang of it," Mya said encouragingly.
"I better. I have two days. It sucks."
Mya looked down. "Well, … of you want… maybe we can practice together again sometime. Then we'll both be ready for the exam."
Ave looked at Mya. "You'd… be okay with that?"
"Sure. I could use the practice anyways."
Ave's mouth welled into a grin, "OH-KAY! I hate being out here by myself, so as long as you don't let the word slip, then great! Also I think talking helps me focus. Sometimes. You're good at giving me feedback so, yeah."
"Cool," Mya smirked. "So, same time tomorrow?"
"Well, I don't know actually. Maybe we'll meet tomorrow and then I'll let you know if I can get away. What times work for you?"
"I have stuff in the morning, and then I probably could work around things in the mid-afternoon."
"Cool. So, meet here again. Same time. See what time works and then go from there?"
"Cool."
"Cool," said Ave.
She quickly hid the bow and arrows back where they had been perviously. She gave an awkward, silly grin at Mya, giving Mya huge indicator that they had been hidden on purpose.
"I have to head back now before someone realizes I'm gone. Later Mya!"
Then she was gone.
Mya collected herself and started walking back towards the castle. She had two days before the mission. Two days to hopefully get better at things she would have learned in training, but Commander Erwin thought she didn't need to focus on. However, she knew she would feel much better if she did them before leaving the walls. And although Ave wasn't the best at archery, maybe she was good at other things, and could teach Mya how to do them.
She recalled Ave speaking about the exam.
Yeah, it will be like she would be taking the exam too. So they were just helping each other out. And it's not like the trainees had to watch every person complete the exam. That would take too long. So she could cover it up no problem.
Mya looked down at the road that she walked on and rounded the corner until the castle was in sight. It had to work. It had to.
