Annabel brushed herself off as she got off the ground. She took heavy breaths as she laid eyes on her target: Levi. For the past three months she and Levi had been working on her combat skills and her strength nearly every possible hour. She had improved from being a completely helpless girl to someone who could fight off someone her size.
Levi had put a lot of effort into her training. As per usual he never went easy on her and made it clear what he was expected to do. For the first month he worked on building up her strength and endurance. Laps around the city, multiple types of resistance training and mother other methods to train and help her become stronger.
It was odd for Farlan and Isabel to see the most innocent one of the house learn something violent even if it was for her own protection. Despite learning how to protect herself she was still had her innocence about her. She was a very interesting person to all three of her friends.
Annabel looked ahead and charged forward; determination filled her pure green eyes. She held one fist out for attack and held one in for defence as Levi had taught her. Levi stood his ground as she approached and kept his focus on her moves. She was far more balanced than when she first started. Her moves had become sharper and she was now thinking about her actions.
She used her newfound speed and attempted to throw Levi off guard by changing her direction of movement. Levi raised an eyebrow at her new technique but again managed to easily throw her to the ground. She groaned at the impact but just like every other time and prepared herself again.
"You're getting better," Levi commented. Out of breath, Annabel simply nodded her head. "Your stance is getting stronger and you're making better decisions."
"W-why aren't I-I g-getting clo-ser?" Annabel asked in between heavy breaths. Her usual cheery persona was gone and replaced by a determined and frustrated one. Levi, as she asked, brushed out the creases in his sleeves.
"It won't happen like fucking magic. It takes a lot of freaking practise to learn all this shit," he explained. She nodded and took a deep breath. "You're making progress and for now that's all that matters for now. Let's go again."
Annabel again set up her stance when Levi noticed one fault in it. "You're footing's wrong." Annabel looked down and frowned as she searched for the problem. Levi sighed as he walked over to her. "Have your back foot slightly further back and be on the balls of your feet. It gives you a lot more speed." Annabel did as instructed and got ready to charge forward once again.
This time Levi knew to brace himself. When it came to speed she was naturally faster than him and telling her how to gain further speed gave her the upper hand. Also, her eyes now not only held determination but a flame his once held when he was being trained.
She pushed off and as Levi had anticipated she was almost flying. Analysing her moods Levi placed his stance appropriately but something was different she did dodge like last time but the thought never crossed his mind that she would change her direction once again. She must have picked it up when watching him and Farlan fight for her to learn different techniques she could later apply.
As she landed a punch to his side Annabel jumped backwards and smiled. "I got you," she cheered as she caught back her breath. Levi quickly recovered from the hit and stood upright once more.
"Hmph, you got me because of your speed but there was little strength behind the hit," Levi stated which shattered Annabel's spirit. "You're getting there. Remember you're not someone special who can magically master shit like this."
"I know. I'll keep practising so I can fight," she said as she put her usual smile back on her face; the smile that always made Levi weak at the knees. He never got over that of weakness as he had sworn to himself he would. He'd tried to think logically about it but nothing about his actions and emotions were logical in the slightest.
This routine continued for another three months. Every week Annabel's speed managed to somehow increase though her amount of strength barely rose. She managed to hit Levi a few more times and was becoming more thoughtful with each attempted strike. Just as Levi expected he never did beat her but she always put up one hell of a fight.
The two had just finished another session of combat and were walking back when Annabel brought up the question, "Do you think we'd be able to go above ground now?" Levi looked her over and sighed. She had been working hard for the past half year for this one chance. If they didn't go above now who knew what could happen.
"Tomorrow is your day off. I will take you up then," he explained to her. A grateful smile appeared on her face as excitement grew within her. She didn't say a word and simply nodded at Levi's answer. The two walked towards the house where dinner was waiting for them. It was Annabel's favourite hot pumpkin soup which was a rarity for the group. Annabel's smile only grew when she sighted the food and eagerly took her seat at the table. Levi took his seat next to her.
"While you two go and get supplies Annabel and I will be going above ground to see what's been going on lately. I trust you two to get all we need," Levi told the two across the table from him.
"You're taking her above ground?" Farlan asked curiously. He eyed his friend cautiously wondering what he was thinking.
"I can't exactly stop her can I? If she went by herself we know she'd never come back and you two already planned to go out." Levi glared at Farlan once he noticed him studying him. He knew that they would be having a chat later and he wasn't looking forward to it.
"You're going to love it!" Isabel yelled with a wide grin. She herself had been above ground once before and she never forgot the feeling of sunlight on her skin for the first time. Going above ground was expensive and a rarity. Isabel had managed to sneak above one morning while the guards of the stairwell were pissed drunk. How she wasn't caught she had no idea. It was a real stroke of luck for her.
A smile appeared on Annabel's face that she found hard to remove. She hadn't seen the light of day for a year and a half or possibly longer; she didn't know. At the thought question entered her mind; was she from the Underground or from the surface? Surely if she was from the Underground people would have recognised her easily. If she was from above ground the how did she end up where she is? Either way it didn't make much sense to her.
"I'm looking forward to it," she quietly said. She didn't want to completely cheer otherwise she knew that Levi would probably become annoyed. She was also pretty tired and couldn't be bothered expending anymore energy. "I'm going to go to bed now. Goodnight everyone," she said with a gentle wave. Farlan and Isabel said goodnight while Levi said nothing at all.
Isabel soon after went to get some sleep leaving Farlan alone in the room. The two stayed silent and stared into each other's eyes. Levi's continued to grow annoyed with the lack of conversation when he knew quite well that Farlan had something he wanted to say.
"If you have something to say then say it," Levi eventually snapped. His glare grew cold before he looked away, sick of the little staring concert between the two.
"You know exactly what I'm going to say. The question is whether or not you're willing to admit it," Farlan said with a slight smirk. Despite him not knowing completely what was going on it was amusing for him to watch his friend's confusion.
"I have no idea what the fuck you're on about. It sounds like you're just talking shit," Levi grumbled. He was extremely annoyed now for no real reason. He didn't appreciate the interrogation in the slightest and was ready to leave if he heard one more piece of crap.
"Surely you've noticed the change in yourself when you're around her. You care about her," Farlan said cautiously.
"She came with no knowledge of anything. If I didn't keep an eye on her she would have ended up dead," Levi angrily explained. He knew what Farlan was implying but he wouldn't have any of it.
"When she first got here you were only interested in training her and having her help us with our jobs. It seems completely different now. You're a lot softer now. I mean you're taking her to the surface tomorrow. You know how expensive that is?" Levi growled irritably.
"She got the money herself. I had nothing to do with it. Do you know where she's been going at night? She's been doing jobs on her own to try and get us more money. The brat deserves to go," he defended. What he said was true; every couple of weeks Annabel would get a job of her own with a high pay which she managed to find and do herself. When Levi found out about this he tried to stop her but she begged him to let her go.
Levi was hesitant and ended up following her throughout the mission. What he saw surprised him completely; she didn't have one problem. She easily got the needed supplies with a great deal of stealth. When she did get into a fight she took everything he had taught her and easily took out each obstacle in her path.
When Farlan heard this he raised an eyebrow. How hadn't he noticed her going in and out of the house at night? Levi probably found out because of his insomnia. She must have been rather sneaky to not wake anyone. Farlan shook his head and got back to the conversation.
"You can deny it all you want Levi but you know she's different," he sighed, "I'm going to bed. Be careful tomorrow."
"Hmph," Levi responded. As Farlan left the room he took a seat at the table and began to think, "Is she really affecting me?"
It was a normal night until two in the morning. Annabel woke up with a start after having the most vivid nightmare that she could remember. Sweat drenched her body and her breathing was heavy and uneven. Though she was aware the nightmare was vivid and horrifying she had no recollection of what it was actually about. All she remembered was that it felt completely and utterly real.
She quietly got untangled from her blankets and walk out to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She sculled it down quickly and wiped her face clean from any of the liquid. She let out a heavy sigh as the cold bit at her skin.
"Annabel; what are you doing?" Startled Annabel bolts around and grips her heart with her hand.
"Farlan, you scared me," she said with a quiet laugh. Farlan let out a laugh of his own before walking closer to the girl.
"Sorry about that," he said as he ruffled her bed head making it worse than it already was, "What are you doing? It's really early."
"It was just a nightmare. I'm sorry if I woke you up." She gave an apologetic smile to the older man who gave a small smile in return.
"No I just couldn't sleep," Farlan explained to her. It was the truth. Thousands of thoughts kept his mind active and unable to sleep soundly. His discussion with Levi left him with more questions than answers. When will Levi come to his senses? He wasn't usually this illogical and didn't lie to himself. It was possibly because of the past which was a somewhat mystery even to Farlan. Maybe it was because of the harsh and cruel world he lived in. Many possibilities flooded through his mind but none of them really fit.
He shook his head and turned back to Annabel who looked worried. "Would you like to talk about it Anna?" he asked.
"To be honest I don't remember it. I just remember being scared; I was terrified. Whatever it was felt so real..." Annabel trailed off as she tried to recall anything from her dream, "I remember the name Jacob but I don't know who he is." A hopeful smile spread across Farlan's face.
"Do you know what this could mean?" he said excitedly. Annabel tilted her head in confusion. "Your memories Annabel; that could have been one of your memories!" She looked at him in shock. Was she really remembering? Who was Jacob? What could have made her so afraid? Did she want to remember? Whimpers weakly left her lips as she started to shake. "Annabel are you okay?" She couldn't respond. Why couldn't she remember that dream or memory? "Annabel!" She jerked at the sound of her name and looked up. She hadn't noticed that Farlan had pulled her into an embrace and was holding her incredibly close. She hadn't noticed the tears now streaming down her cheeks and staining Farlan's clothes. She hadn't noticed how helpless she felt.
"W-what will happen if I do remember Farlan? What happens when I remember who I am?" Farlan was puzzled by her question.
"I suppose you'd be able to go back to your home if you had one and go to your family," he pondered.
"I don't want to go though. You're my family now and I don't want to leave you now," she said barely above a whisper. Farlan raised an eyebrow at her.
"But you could possibly live above ground and live a happy life. Why would you want to stay?"
"After all I have seen and all I have been through with you leaving isn't an option for me. You gave me this new life and I won't leave it," she said determined. Farlan let her go and ruffled her hair once more. "Go get some sleep. You've got a big day ahead," he smiled.
"Okay I will. You should try and sleep as well. Goodnight."
"You ready Brat?" Levi mumbled as he waited at the front door. Annabel was racing around making sure she had everything she needed for the day. Once she was sure of herself she went and met Levi.
"I'm all good to go," she smiled sweetly. Levi turned to open the door but also to hide the faint tinge of pink that graced his cheeks. The two walked in silence until they reached the staircase. They each got out the fee that was required and gave them to the guards. As soon as they were cleared they began their accent up the stairs.
The higher up they got the more sunlight became visible and the more Annabel's excitement grew. She was finally going to be above ground; she was going to feel the sun on her skin. For the first time she was finally going to feel free.
Levi observed the reaction of the young girl in front of him. Every time she got a taste of freedom her innocent beauty grew. It was something that only the human eye could observe and comprehend and he was satisfied that that pleasure went only to him.
When the two finally reached the top Annabel lets out a gasp of amazement. The streets were filled with people dressed in beautiful clothes; clothes far more expensive then the group could afford. They looked at the two who were both wearing simple clothes consisting of shirts and pants.
The people were also staring because of how noble the girl looked compared to the thug man beside her. If she wore a beautiful dress much alike what they were she would easily fit in with the crowd. Since she didn't have that social status her appearance didn't seem to fit her circumstances.
Levi noticed the strange looks they were getting but Annabel seemed oblivious to the stares. Her long hair was freed from her normal braid and now spun around her as she turned. She took in the sights of the well kept buildings and the stores that decorated the streets.
"Let's get a move on," Levi said as he grabbed her wrist. He dragged her along until they reached the clearing he had wanted to show her. It was empty as usual as no one bothered to go there. Levi wasn't the fondest as the place either mostly because there was a large amount of dirt but he knew she would love it.
As the two walked through the grass Annabel plucked a blade of it. She'd never seen anything like it and was fascinated by the simple piece of nature. As they walked Annabel noticed the flowers that were scattered around. Her eyes were wide open and it was as if the smile could never be removed from her face. She looked up to see a flock of birds flying past and jumped up and down.
"Are you coming Brat?" Annabel turned around to see Levi standing at the base of a large tree. He clicked his tongue as he became impatient.
"Sorry," she said with a laugh. She run over to where he was and looked up, "Wow." Levi didn't say anything as he started climbing the tree and settled himself on a sturdy branch. Annabel followed his lead and took her spot next to him. Her mouth opened in awe at the view. You could clearly see all the buildings of the city as well as the wall that protected them.
"That's Wall Sina right?" she asked as she turned to look at him. He nodded in response and she mentally cheered that she remembered. "That's the city of Stohess." Levi nodded once again. "It's so beautiful," she muttered to herself. She pulled her satchel onto her lap and pulled out her favourite book and pencil. Quietly she began to sketch the view.
"What are you doing?" Levi asked with curiosity.
I'm drawing the city. I doubt I'll be able to come up very often so I want to preserve the memory," she explained with her head down. "It's what I do with this gift of yours," she said with a sly smile. Levi raised an eyebrow. How did she know? He hadn't left a note or anything like that to say it was him. "You're not as subtle as you think you are. I saw you leave my room and you're the only one that would have gotten me something like this. Thank you." Levi didn't say a word and just looked forward.
The two sat in a comfortable silence until Annabel finished with her sketch. Once she finished she admired her work and let out a chuckle of satisfaction.
"It's good," Levi complimented. It was a good drawing indeed. You could immediately tell that it was a drawing of Stohess and had great detail to it.
"Thank you Levi. Also, thank you for taking me out today. I've enjoyed it." The innocent smile that graced her face made Levi's heart melt.
"Don't mention it Brat," he said as he ruffled her hair, "Just be glad we didn't get caught by the military police."
"Let's get going. I did what I wanted to do and I got to enjoy your company."
"Tch, I don't know what the fuck your on about. I didn't do a thing."
"You were here and that's all I can ask of you," she mumbled embarrassed. Her cheeks were turning a deep shade of pink which didn't go unnoticed by the observant Levi. He internally laughed before leaping out of the tree. Annabel carefully climbed down the trunk of the tree but near the base lost her grip and began falling. She gasped as she felt herself free fall. She expected to fall to the hard ground but instead found herself in a pair of strong protective arms.
"You can't do a fucking thing by yourself can you?" he muttered. He gently placed her back on her feet. "Let's get going." The two began to walk back to the stairs but took the long route through the city to enjoy what little time they had left.
"Do you want to come up and live here one day?" Annabel asked suddenly. Levi looked at her confused.
"When did you hear that?" he asked back. There was no point in denying it because it was indeed the truth. He had been in the slums of the underground for far too long and needed to escape the hell hole. That's why he had been taking so many jobs and why he had been careful with how much the group spent.
"About a month ago I heard you when I came back from a job," she replied.
"Do you want to?" he asked her. He did want to hear her opinion on the matter.
"Not really I like our house and I'm happy where we are. We are restricted but it's nice," she smiled sadly, "If you do decide to leave I will happily come with you if you want me to." Levi didn't respond and took her answer in. She did have a point and from her point of view it was understandable. She had just begun to call their little house home after losing everything.
Silently the two walked down the stairs but not without someone noticing. A tall man with blonde hair and piercing ice blue eyes watched the two thugs make their decent back to the underground waiting for his chance to strike.