Camilla and Genevieve stood side by side, watching the other refugees scurry around to get something to eat. They found that they weren't hungry after being unable to find either one's parents. Camilla thought about searching for her mother's sister, but knew that if her mother and father didn't make it, neither did she as they were at her house when the wall came down.
"You should eat." Genevieve looked at Camilla with a heavy sigh. "I know you aren't hungry, but it's been two days, Genny."
"Don't call me Genny, Camilla. I think of..." She closed her mouth, tears filling her eyes. Camilla stared at the ground for a while longer until Genevieve nudged her. "Look. An old man is pointing at us with his... grandson, I guess." Camilla looked up at the pair as the boy came their way. She noticed the old man's hat, a smile shadowed underneath with something glistening next to it.
"Um..." The boy had shoulder length blonde hair and light blue eyes. "My grandpa thought you were hungry, so he asked me to bring you this. He said he had kids to feed... which isn't entirely a lie." Camilla looked at the bread in his hands and then at Genevieve. "Unless you don't-"
"Thank you," Genevieve said, carefully taking the bread in his hands. "We just... We aren't exactly..." She looked back at the old man. She handed half of the one she had taken to Camilla. "It has been two days, Cammy."
"Don't call me Cammy," Camilla mumbled nibbling off of the bread. "Thank you... What's your name?"
The boy jumped, seemingly afraid of her now that she had spoken and acknowledged his existence. "A-Armin Arlert." Camilla nodded. "And yours?"
"Camilla Rodriguez, and this is my best friend Genevieve Aiken. It was a pleasure to meet you, Armin. I hope to see you again under... better circumstances." Genevieve was amazed as the blonde tried to slide back into her polite upbringing, but her dead voice did nothing for it.
Armin examined her, not so surprised that she could speak any longer, and said, "Whatever you saw, it will one day be okay." He smiled brightly. "It always is." He looked to the side, searching for a face in the sea of people. "I'll see you later then?" Armin left them then, and Camilla looked down at the bread. Genevieve hadn't touched hers yet. Camilla smiled as small a smile as she could and took a huge bite.
"You should eat, Genevieve," Camilla said, wiping her mouth of bread crumbs. She turned to her friend, a bit of her old spark back. Genevieve knew it was only temporary, so she smiled back and ate the bread, watching the refugees with hope. Until there was a movement and a scream and the crowd parted. There was a man from the Garrison with her hand up.
Camilla was on the move and Genevieve moved a step ahead of her after a moment's hesitation. Camilla grabbed the man's arm as he tried to hit the child again. Genevieve stood between them, protecting the victim on the ground. "You gonna beat up on three girls?" Genevieve's voice was a low growl. "I probably have more of a dick than you." The crowd gasped at her language. "I dare ya to hit me." Camilla let go of the man, backing up a step and walking around to the girl on the ground.
The man looked around before walking away with a grumble. Genevieve watched him go before turning around and getting on the crowd, glaring at the crowd to go back into movement. When the girl looked up, Genevieve thought she was seeing a ghost. She looked almost exactly like Jennifer, the biggest differences being the length of hair and nose. This girl's was slightly more narrow than Jennifer's. "What's your name?"
"Annie Leonhart." Camilla stood up and held her hand down. Annie grabbed it, lifting herself to her feet. Camilla and Genevieve nodded before handing her the rest of Camilla's bread and walking away.
During the next year, Camilla and Genevieve worked for their food and shelter, going to sleep most nights cold under the thin blanket they had to share. They saw Armin on occasion, but he only gave them a smile before being whisked away by two other children. They didn't see Annie at all during the year, and figured she either died or found a family in a different district.
When they sent people out to reclaim Wall Maria, they said goodbye to the man who employed him, wishing him the best of luck before seeing Armin with his grandfather. "They're joking..." Genevieve breathed. "He can't go out there. He has kids to take care of!" The redhead ran to Armin as his grandfather walked away. Armin smiled at them, but Camilla only stared back and Genevieve looked at the ground.
"He'll come back," Armin said. Genevieve looked at him and Camilla hid the pang of sympathy she felt for him. "He has to. He promised."
They later returned without him, and Genevieve and Camilla could only offer condolences. Genevieve wrapped an arm around him, but it felt awkward, so she stopped trying. "It'll be okay, Armin..." She gripped his hand and gave it a squeeze before he walked away to join the two other children he was always seen with.
They laid in their old room that they had to leave behind that night, staring out of the window. They regretted the overall loss of human life, but their employer had been kind enough to house them, even if he was often complaining about how much of a waste of space they were. It was quiet until Camilla opened her mouth. "We should join the military. Garrison, Police, Survey... I don't care. Just something."
Genevieve sat up to look at her best friend who seemed to have drifted from her over the last year. She was coming back as she had been before Jennifer's death, but Genevieve wouldn't believe her to be the same until she could be called "Cammy" again. This just shocked her, though, because it felt almost unreal. They had joked before with Jennifer about joining the three branches. They figured that Jennifer would live it easy in the Military Police, Camilla would live extreme in the Survey Corps, and Genevieve would go with the Garrison because everything else seemed unlike her. "What?"
"They admitted it to me, Genny." Genevieve had a slight hope that her best friend was back. Camilla loved to piss Genevieve off, and Genevieve had taken less to Genny over the year. "They didn't kill the one that killed Jennifer. That tore her in half and left her body there to rot. They only cut off the head in an attempt to get us both out of there." She sighed. "I can't remember what it looked like, I won't lie. But they've taken so much from us... Family... Friends... Ourselves. We have a right to those things." Camilla turned her hazel eyes to Genevieve. "We have a right to take them back... To kill them as they've killed us and take back our world. This is our right, Genevieve, not theirs."
Genevieve smiled as passion entered her eyes like never before. It meant a lot to Camilla to do this. It meant getting her back, one Titan at a time, and Genevieve was more than willing to take back everything with Camilla at her side. She nodded. "We'll join as cadets next year."
Camilla smiled before rolling over. "Thanks, Genny."
"No problem, Cammy." No reaction. Genevieve felt a small piece of victory. She had already gotten one thing back, and that was her best friend. Now came getting revenge for Jennifer.