"We've got everything we need now," Levi called out, "Let's head back."
"Got it," the other three responded. The group of thugs flew from their pursuers with ease after completing the day's mission. Levi and Annabel lead the group as they were the fastest and most skilled with the maneuvor gear. Over the past two years Annabel had become a key part of the team. When they had first brought the girl into their little team they never would have thought she would have a knack for surviving the underground world. Not only was she surviving but she was helping Farlan, Isabel and Levi to thrive with the amount of work they were doing. Her innocent face and personality had people easily trusting her.
None of her friends were keen on putting her in dangerous situations as constantly as they did but Annabel didn't mind in the slightest. She was happy she could help the group as much as she was. Even though she was aware that what she was doing wasn't morally right she knew that not paying off her debt would be worse.
"That was a close one," Annabel commented as they landed out the front of their base.
"It sure was. They put up a good fight but they couldn't lay a hand on you," Isabel laughed, "You're a natural Anna."
"Thank you," Annabel said as she walked in. She grabbed a glass of water and took a seat at the table. "How much are we getting for that one?"
"Enough," Levi muttered.
"Do you think we'll have enough to get citizenship soon?" Isabel grinned in hope. No one responded. They had no idea how much money it would take to get citizenship to the surface other than a lot. The people above were greedy and never took into consideration the people less fortunate than them. They were always hungry for power and if it meant shoving more people where the sunlight can rarely be seen then so be it. The world was a cruel place.
Levi took a seat at the table and began to clean the blood from his knife just like after each mission he used it. "This place needs a clean," he mumbled to himself. No one dared to argue with him and got up to clean every bit of dust out of the small house. When Annabel found out about Levi's cleaning habits she made to keep her room accordingly. Her cleaning skills weren't the best and it took her longer to get everything done but she didn't have to be told to do it over and over again.
As they were cleaning Annabel thought back to the events of the previous day. Someone came by the house with an offer and some interesting information. A messenger from Nichols Lobov was a well known name in the underground. He was the one who put guards on the stairway to the exit and controlled the world of the underground. To have someone come around on his behalf other than to beat some sense into a certain person was extremely rare.
The group was told that the scouting regiment was looking into them and were interested in recruiting them. Levi had raised an eyebrow when he was told this as he along with everyone else was sceptical. Annabel was frightened. The scouts went outside the wall and faced the titans head on. The thought of titans scared the crap out of her. She couldn't imagine what they possibly looked like or how they behaved. She couldn't understand how creatures could crave one source of food just to throw it back up again.
The job Lobov wanted the group to do was to go into the scouting regiment and find some documents that the branch had on him that could possibly be used against him. He used two forms of bribery: hostage and an offer they would struggle to refuse. They took one of Farlan's friends to a hospital for treatment on an injured leg but were also holding him there until they left. They were also offered citizenship above ground.
Annabel felt conflicted about the whole ordeal. She wanted to live above ground but she felt at home in the Underground. She had gotten used to the charms of the place despite the dangers that it held. It was life on the edge and she enjoyed the rush that it gave her. Though she loved the place now, she couldn't leave her friends if they were to go above to the surface. She promised she would stay with them until they didn't want her around anymore.
"Hey Brat, you've been cleaning that same spot for five minutes," Levi snapped. Annabel came out of her thoughts back to reality.
"I'm sorry," she chuckled. The three of them gave her a weird look and stared.
"What were you thinking about?" Farlan inquired, "You completely spaced out there." Annabel shook her head.
"Nothing important," she said dismissing the subject, "What are we having for dinner?" She moved away from the counter she was wiping down and checked for any signs of dust on it. She was satisfied with her work and sat on the couch the group had recently acquired.
"We just have some bread for tonight and don't lie to us. What were you thinking about?" Levi stood up and walked in front of her. It wasn't that he distrusted her anymore; she had plenty of time in the past two years to do something like that plus she was too helpless when they met that she couldn't have possibly been trained beforehand. He just wanted to know what was bothering her.
"I was just thinking about what happened last night that's all." Levi's mind went back to the conversation they had when they went above ground. He knew that she wasn't keen on the idea but it was what they had been working towards for years. He had said to do nothing until the job really begins which was a smart idea. He didn't want Annabel to become uncomfortable when they left but would they end up living in the same house or would they separate? What would become of their little group? They hadn't thought about those details; all they had thought about was becoming free.
"Don't worry about it Annabel. Whatever happens we'll stick together," Isabel said confidently, "Isn't that right Big Bro?" Everyone turned to look at Levi who turned to look out the window.
"It doesn't matter. If the job happens it happens." Everyone accepted Levi's response. They knew they needed to be patient with this matter.
Afterwards it was a rather quiet night. No one came asking for jobs and they weren't interrupted by any of the thieves in the area. They simply ate their meal and organised the current jobs they had taken on. Afterwards one by one they went to bed. Annabel was the second one behind Farlan to hit the hay that night. She knew it would take a while to drift off and she knew that the sleep most likely wouldn't be a good one.
Annabel changed and took her place on the floor and wrapped the blankets tightly around her. She struggled to calm her mind down enough to sleep but eventually managed to fall into a restless slumber.
All night she tossed and turned as the vicious images flashed through her mind, terror, murder, loss. These horrors haunted her dreams every night yet she never remembered a thing in the morning. All she could remember was the name Jacob and she could now faintly make out his face.
That sleep was by far the worse she'd had. She remembered more in that night then she had before and that shook her to the core of her very being. Sweat dripped down her face as she dreamed more and more. When she finally woke in the early hours of the morning she let out a blood curdling scream.
Everyone in the house woke up and rushed to her side panicked.
"Annabel what is it!" Farlan yelled out. The three friends gathered around her and tried to shake her out of her little trance but nothing was working. She was shaking fiercely and sobbing incredibly. She shook her head over and over muttering, "Jacob" over and over as if it was the only word she knew.
"Annabel, snap out of it please," Isabel begged and pulled her friend into her arms. Annabel froze as the contact and looked around as if she had only just awoken.
"I-Isabel, make it stop please," she said barely above a whisper, "I can't handle a lot more of this. I don't even know what this is but it's driving me insane. I don't want to know anymore. I don't want to know." She started to silently cry into Isabel's shoulder. Everyone looked at her with wide eyes. Only Farlan had known about the nightmares but he didn't know how bad they had gotten.
After crying for what seemed like hours she fell back into a peaceful sleep. Isabel careful put her onto the bed before meeting the others in the main room of the house. She was tired from waking up at such an hour but she was more so worried for the welfare of her friend.
"She's starting to remember," Farlan said frustrated. He knew that it was a high probability that she would remember but when he spoke to her about remembering her words reached him and he realised that she completed the team. If she had to leave it'd be hard to relearn how to live without her.
"Tch, what a pain. If this keeps happening to her she's going to lose her shit," Levi mumbled to himself. He didn't appear it but he was worried. Would she be alright if this kept happening or would she really lose her mind? He didn't want to think about it. "We're going to have to be with her when she falls asleep. That's all we can do," he explained.
"Do you think she'll be alright? She seemed so shaken back there," Isabel sighed.
"It depends on her," Farlan replied, "Well her past actually. If it's all as bad as she made it out to be then she could be in trouble. We don't know anything that can help her at this point."
"Who is Jacob is the question we need to figure out. I've never heard the name before," Levi pointed out.
"I've never heard it either and by the sounds of it we won't hear it again. It seemed like something pretty bad happened to him," Farlan pointed out, "Poor girl having to see something like that. Out of all things to remember it had to be something like that."
"Hmph yes; for someone such as her that would be horrific," Levi pointed out. They nodded in agreement. "All we can do is be there for her. She's lost enough as it is." Now the two looked at Levi carefully. "It's not like she can do this on her own. She says she owes us but she's paid off her debt and more. It's the least we can really do."
Smirks appeared on Isabel and Farlan's face but Levi couldn't be bothered commenting on it. The two wanted to laugh at how naive Levi was being with his own emotions but they weren't really surprised. Making connections wasn't his strong suit so it wasn't a shock that he still wasn't admitting it to himself.
They were interrupted by Annabel entering the room. She didn't make a sound as she took a seat at the table as normal. She rested her head on her arms and closed her eyes. The night had taken a lot out of her and though she had just woken up she felt completely out of it.
"I'm sorry I woke you all last night. I don't know what got into me," she mumbled. The others looked at each other and sighed.
"You shouldn't apologise Annabel; it's alright. How are you feeling now?" Farlan asked with concern. Annabel opened her eyes and looked at him.
"I'm okay; I'm just tired. I don't even remember what caused me to do that. It felt so real though as if I was there in that moment. I don't understand this," she trailed off.
"I don't expect you too. How about you and I go out and do something to take your mind off it? We could do whatever you like," Farlan offered.
"I'd like that," she smiled which caused him to smile back. "I'll go get changed and get ready," she said cheerfully. She went off straight away to get ready. She needed to relax and find something to take her mind off what had just happened. Farlan went the same and went to equip his gear leaving Levi and Isabel in silence.
"So what are we going to do today Big Bro?" Isabel said cheerily. Levi just gave her a slight glare before getting up to walk towards his room.
"How the fuck should I know?" he snapped. Once he left the room Isabel laughed quietly at his outburst.
"I guess ignorance is bliss," she sighed. It was fun to see Levi falling and Annabel not noticing a thing. It's not that Isabel thought she didn't have any feelings for Levi; in fact it was the opposite. Annabel was just too innocent to realise those types of things. It was quite the amusing show.
Once Annabel and Farlan were both ready with the gear equipped they left the house and started to walk. Neither of them had much of a clue where they were going but Annabel had a slight idea. She quickened her pace slightly so that she was leading Farlan who didn't have an issue following. After walking in complete silence for ten minutes they reached the clearing where the sunlight shown through into the Underground. It was a quiet place where Annabel could watch the birds fly overhead and she could feel the cold breeze on her skin.
She let out a sigh of relief as nature surrounded her, "Thank you for taking me out Farlan. I needed this."
"Don't mention it. You looked pretty bad this morning," Farlan explained, "Your memories are causing you a lot of trouble sleeping. Has it always been like that?" Annabel continued to look up at the sky.
"No not at all. I do have trouble sleeping sometimes but it never caused me to wake up screaming like that. I don't know what happened." As she finished a small bird flew down into the crevice and landed atop Annabel's shoulder. She smiled at the feathery creature and Farlan looked in awe. He only knew of Isabel who would be able to do that. Slowly Annabel lifted a finger and scratched the birds chin. The bird looked scared by the movement but soon closed his eyes in bliss. "What's going to happen when we join the scouts?" she asked worried. She looked Farlan in the eye and he could see the fear she held inside her.
"We'll stick together and get through this. We're a team remember so there's no chance we'll leave each other behind. It won't be that bad. It's not for certain that we will be taken there though. There is a chance that Lobov's sources were wrong," Farlan pointed out but Annabel shook her head.
"If he wasn't sure then he wouldn't have come and told us. He's a man far above what we could dream of reaching Farlan so he's reliable. The question is more when than if," she explained, "Things are getting way to crazy now." She let out a nervous laugh and the bird that was rested upon her shoulder took flight once more.
Farlan knew she was right but he liked to hang on to that ray of hope. Though, in this world hope was more of a dream. Hope is something no one can afford to have because the price in the end could be a life. It's a harsh reality that the people of the Underground had to face.
The two sat down for hours before the once blue sky turned a warm orange. "We should head back now," Farlan said as he stood from the dusty ground.
"I guess so," she sighed sadly. She enjoyed having some time with Farlan so when it was over she was slightly disappointed. Farlan noticed this and an idea popped into his head.
"How about we have a race with the gear? Loser takes on the other's cleaning space," he smiled mischievously. Annabel laughed at the punishment and nodded her head in agreement.
"Let's do it," she cheered. They both got their gear ready and lined up. "Five, four, three, two o-" Annabel didn't even get to finish before Farlan took off at full speed. "Hey that's cheating!" she yelled out as she set off behind him. He was a fair distance ahead but Annabel knew better than to use her gas to catch up as it was extremely expensive to obtain.
The race gave Annabel a feeling of freedom. It felt as though she was truly flying and that nothing could ever bring her down from the pure bliss she was feeling. The wind blew on her face and she let out a sigh. She never felt as alive as when she used the gear as her wings. They were her own wings of freedom.
Annabel scanned the area around her for any signs of a short cut. She furrowed her eyes as she studied the buildings and smiled when she spotted one. It was a small gap but it lead right to the front door of the house.
Acting fast Annabel made a sharp turn into the alley. She shrieked when she noticed a loose pipe but it was too late. She hissed as it sliced her shoulder and placed her hand on her arm to try and stop the bleeding. She continued until she roughly landed on the doorstep. A groan escaped her lips as she sat up. Tears were pricking her eyes but she refused to let them fall.
"What do you think you're doing Brat?" She looked up to see an annoyed looking Levi standing over her. His eyes left her own and looked down to where she was grasping her shoulder. "What have you done?
"I was racing with Farlan when I took a short cut. I didn't notice the pipe..." she trailed off and Levi let out a sigh. "At least I won," she said with a trembling smile.
"Let me see it," Levi ordered.
Annabel shook her head, "It's just a scratch Levi. It's nothing to worry about," she explained but he didn't bother to listen to her.
"I'm not taking no as an answer. Now, show me." Annabel let out a sigh of defeat and held out her arm for Levi to look at. Levi was careful not to touch any of the blood that was escaping the injury as he inspected the wound.
"You got lucky. It's nothing serious but it will have to be treated," he explained. Annabel nodded in understand and carefully got up from her spot.
"Annabel what happened?" Farlan said as he landed right next to her. His eyes widened as he noticed the gash on her arm. "Are you okay?"
"Yes I just nicked my arm on a pipe. It's no big deal," she said with a reassuring smile, "I'm sorry for making you worry." Farlan smiled and shook his head. He was a little angry that she would take such a risk just to win a simple race. "You have to keep your word. There's no backing out now." Her smile turned mischievous as she let out a chuckle. Levi raised an eyed the two as they spoke.
"Don't worry I won't. You won fair and square so I'll keep my end of the deal," Farlan laughed.
"Are you two done yet?" Levi interrupted. The two looked at him and nodded. Levi's expression was irritated and a strange feeling was gathering inside him as he watched the two together. He couldn't explain it; it was something he had never felt before. He didn't like it in the slightest and it was causing his irritation to rise.
He grabbed onto Annabel's wrist and led her into his bedroom. A blush appeared on her cheeks at the sudden contact and she looked down so that no one could see it. He grabs out a first aid kit from underneath the bed as well as some cloth and some rubbing alcohol. Levi went and quickly wet the cloth before he began cleaning out the cut. Annabel let out the occasional hiss at the stinging sensation it caused.
"You know you could have died from that stunt?" Levi asked as he continued to wash out anything from the wound. His voice wasn't angry or annoyed. For once he sounded genuinely concerned which touched Annabel's heart.
"I wasn't thinking that at the time. I'm sorry; I should have been more careful," Annabel apologised. Levi clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Just be glad you're breathing right now Brat. I'm going to put some of this on the cut so it's going to sting." Annabel nodded and closed her eyes. As soon as the alcohol made contact she let out a small scream. She grabbed onto Levi's hand and squeezed it tightly in hopes that it would relieve a bit of the pain. Levi's eyes softened as he eyed the girl in front of him. He didn't want to cause her pain but he knew it was highly possible that it would get infected if he didn't do this. As soon as she grabbed his hand his whole demeanour changed and a blush appeared on his cheeks. He was angry that she would risk her life so something so ridiculous but seeing her like this made his anger vanish.
Once he was finished he pulled his hand from hers and tied the bandage around her arm. She slowly opened her eyes one by one and inspected the work done on her arm. It was very neat and there wasn't a sign of blood left on her arm.
"You're all done. Don't do something so reckless again," Levi scolded. Annabel gave him a small smile.
"I won't Levi. Thank you," Levi nodded and left her alone in the room. Annabel was brought deep into her thoughts as she remembered the feeling she'd gotten when she held Levi's hand. Butterflies were moving around in her stomach and she began to feel nervous. She had no idea what it was but it made her smile and she was completely fine with that.