Present: 18 years old
"You aren't going," Levi said, sitting in the chair by my bed. The sun had set hours ago, and the regimen would be leaving in the morning to go on an expedition. Levi reached his hand out to feel my forehead. "You're still burning up."
Forcing my eyes to stay open, I covered my mouth while a coughing fit took over. "I don't have the energy to argue. I must be dying," I joked with a smile. Laughing at my own joke made my body hurt. This happened because my immunity to the world above ground wasn't strong enough yet.
His eyes rolled but Levi smiled, too. "Not yet, Cori. You'll make it through this one. We'll return in a few days. Try not to cause too much trouble while I'm gone." He ruffled my hair as he stood. No one else saw this side of Levi.
Using what little strength, I had, I sat up and grabbed his hand. This will be the first mission since I joined the scouts that I wasn't going. "Just… come back, okay?" Sentiment wasn't my style, but Levi was the only person left that I cared about. Losing him would destroy me.
"Don't worry so much," Levi said, patting my head. He was always so calm and confident. Seeing how easily he takes down titans should make me feel better, but we both knew all too well that nothing in life is a guarantee. "I expect for you to be recovered when I return."
To anyone else that might have seemed harsh, but it meant he cared. It meant he wanted me to come, but knew I'd be a liability. The door closed with a thud, leaving me in silence. I fell back to sleep after only a few moments. Being sick really sucked.
Sleeping till the next morning was unusual for me. My normal sleeping pattern fell between four and five hours of sleep. This time, I'd slept for nearly fifteen. Rubbing my eyes, I got out of the bed, staggering to the window. The empty streets below set in worried feelings. "Did I miss it?"
"Yes, they've already gone. I'm sorry," The nurse said as she came in. In her hands was my cleaned uniform. "I would have woken you but he—"
Of course Levi ordered her to let me sleep. "It's fine," I cut her off. "Thanks for bringing my clothes." Taking them from her, I started to get dressed. These uniforms were complicated. With my cape draped around my shoulders and the ODM gear secured, I said, "I'm going out for a walk."
Despite her protests, I left. My body still felt weak, but a walk to clear my head wouldn't hurt. He was going to fine. Levi is the most capable solider. None of those helped, though. Walking through Trost, I sighed, glancing at all the people. I hadn't felt this alone since I was 12.
By the time I reached the town's edge, my legs ached worse than before. Maybe I'd strained myself too much. I should go back. Though, I didn't want to. Even with my hood up, I could feel eyes on me. No one would question a scout.
That didn't stop the fear of someone finding out. I was only half sure that the higher ups would protect me. Levi told me that in a few years, no one would remember. The crime would be forgotten. I didn't fully believe him either. Most of my life had been spent in the underground, and I'd learned that life is cruel.
As if I needed a reminder, the unimaginable happened. A loud strike. Titan steam rose from behind the gate. The colossal titan loomed over. I'd seen plenty of titans. And I'd heard stories about this one. Seeing it up close, though, sent electricity through me. Only a few times in my life had I truly feared for my life, and this topped all of those. All I could do was stare.
"L-Levi…" My voice barely worked. The panic set into my body.
Levi isn't here.
I'm all alone again.
The gate blew apart, sending pieces of rubble flying past me. There's a whole in the wall. Titans have breached Trost district. Wide-eyed, I slowly regained my nerves. Deal with what's in front of you. Make rash decisions. Then a thought struck me: The scouts left only hours ago. Only this morning. This is no accident or coincidence.
People around me screamed and ran, heading for Wall Rose. It was quickly dissolving into utter chaos. A woman fell, and no one helped. Just like down there… it angered me. "Move out of the way," I ordered, clearing the space around her. "Can you walk?"
She accepted my outstretched hand. "I think so. Thank you, miss," she said with a weak smile. Her body had shifted most of its weight onto her right leg. Someone must have stepped on her left one.
Stepping in front of a man running for the interior, I grabbed him by the arms. Shock registered on his face as he looked at my military uniform. "Help this lady into Wall Rose. If you refuse, I'll feed you to the titans."
He did as I demanded, at least until they were out of sight. Titans began to make their way in. I should go back to headquarters and help organize the recruits. The garrison regimen has no idea how to handle a situation like this. It's been over five years. They've gotten lazy again.
Since joining the scouts, I'd learned how to maneuver into a crowded area quietly. The cadets from the newest class were here at the headquarters and made up most of our reinforcements. Standing back in the shadows, I listened and waited.
Kitz Woermann seemed to be the ranking military officer here. A cowardly man, who will probably piss himself if he actually has to face a titan. Rattling off orders, the fear in his features became more and more noticeable. His strategy made no sense. Why in the hell would the elite's stay back in the rear?
After dismissing the soldiers, he walked toward the inside of HQ. Spotting me, Woermann narrowed his eyes. He didn't really like me. "You, scout regimen girl, you'll be in the vanguard-"
"I don't take orders from you," I cut him off. His face contorted in anger. "I'll go with the center guard since you think it's a great idea to send rookie kids in by themselves while you take the safest position to save your own ass." Irritated. That's how he made me feel. Levi would have smacked me for saying that to this man.
Woermann grabbed me by the collar, jerking me up to him. "Listen here you little rat. You will follow my orders or I'll send you back to that underground city that you somehow managed to crawl your way out of. That's where trash like you belongs. I'm the ranking military officer here."
"Of the garrison regimen. I'm a Scout, which means I take orders from two men: Levi Ackerman, and Erwin Smith. Neither are present, which makes me the ranking officer of the scouts," I replied, losing my temper. I might be from the underground, but that doesn't make me… I twisted his wrists to make him release me. In reality, I had no authority in the regimen because I didn't exist.
Woermann retreated, too busy worrying about how to keep his life to argue more. Brushing my clothes off, two boys arguing caught my attention. They were from the 104th cadet group. Seems like they need a little guidance.
"What the hell, man? What's wrong with you?" The shorter one asked.
"What kind of question is that, Eren? We're all about to be titan chow. You expect me to sing you a little happy song? You're loving this, aren't you, you little psycho? Of course you are! Your whole life's aspiration is to be eaten! I was one day shy of shipping off to the MPs." The taller boy with the dirty blond hair said. So, he wanted to live the easy military life…
"Jean get a hold—"
"No! Not all of us are suicidal!"
"Dammit, shut up for a second!" Eren shouted, slamming Jean against one of the pillars. This kid seems reckless. Reckless soldiers underestimate titans and end up dead. "We're trained for this. What do you think the last three years were about? We survived. We stared death in the face, and we lived. Not everyone can say that, can they? Some people couldn't take it and either ran away or were thrown out. Hell, some people died, but not us. Am I right? We powered through for three years. One more day. You can do this, Jean, alright? The MP will still be waiting for you tomorrow."
Both of them stood in silence, so I couldn't help interrupting. "Don't take this situation lightly. Training and the real deal are nothing alike. If you can't stay calm and use your head, you're as good as dead."
Eren's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Woah, are you a Scout?"
"More or less. I'm here to help the new kids," I said with a smile. He wants to be one. I can already tell. His enthusiasm for our crisis could be misinterpreted, but it meant he had passion for the human race.
"Yeager, we're going," Someone yelled.
Eren had no time to question me and ran off. Jean cured under his breath. "Aren't you going with him?"
Shrugging my shoulders, I coughed. All this exertion on my body was taking its toll, but I don't have time to be sick. "Seems like you need me more than he does. I mean, one of your teammates is crying on the ground. Listen, I don't want to take over. I've never been a leader, but my titan kill count is one of the highest in the scouts. I'm willing to help out if you want me."
Jean turned to the boy on the ground. "On your feet, Daz, and stop bawling." He ordered. After a moment of pause, he turned back to me. "I'll take all the help I can get."
Smart kid. Rookies who can't accept assistance will end up dead. This boy was terrified, I could see that, but he had a level head. Hopefully he can keep it together on the battlefield. I didn't like these odds, since the scouts were gone. Word was probably on the way, but who knows if they'd make it back in time. I can't let that get to me. Focus on the mission. Stay alive.