*Author's Note-Next chapter guys! Thank you all for the comments last chapter, it was really motivating. Next chapter, all the OC's will get introduced. Well, except for Rikken, he comes later. Sorry buddy.:P
If you have any questions or comments, please review and support!
BluePhoenix34 does not own Shingeki no Kyojin, the property and creation goes to Hajime Isayama. However, BluePhoenix34 does own Gianne Starken and all the characters unfamiliar to the SNK series. Now please, sit back and enjoy!
Chapter Two: The After Math
Her room was destroyed. The kitchen her mother cooked in was demolished by two large feet. The roof that used to keep her and her family protected was now pushed to the ground. Her home was gone. Sereak still ran though.
A Titan with blonde hair was too distracted to notice the girl. The woman in his massive grip squirmed around to break free, which amused the humanoid monster. Sereak screamed out, in hopes to somehow help her.
"Mom!" she shrieked.
The woman locked her eyes on the dark haired young girl. Sereak noticed the waterfall of tears streaming down the sides of her face. She was scared. The sight made Sereak angry. She felt completely pathetic that she couldn't do anything. But she kept running.
"Mom!"
"Sereak!" her mother managed to yell back. "Run!"
"No!"
"Sereak, run now!" she began to cry harder when her body moved closer to the open mouth. There were only a few more seconds of her life. Sereak was too blind to notice. Her mother began saying her last words, taking them in with meaning. "Run! Find your father and run! Run and live! Run and survive! Run Sereak! Run–"
The Titan's teeth silenced her when she was bitten in half. Blood sprayed out. The Titan swallowed. She was gone.
"MOM NO!"
She was gone. Her mother, Teresa Poljor, had died at the hands of a Titan. She will never make Sereak meals again. She will never tuck her in to bed again. She will never hum her favorite song when she cleaned again. She will never play with her again. She will never see her again!
She had to run, Sereak knew that, but her emotions got the hold of her.
The Titan left without even noticing the girl, dropping the other half of her mother's corpse without care. Her green eyes caught the sight of the mutilated body before it hit the ground, and her heart wailed.
Sereak fell her knees and sobbed. The tears were coming out to fast, making her world blur. She had to move on, it was over now. Finding her father was the only goal she could think of. That made her determined and fearless. No more mourning for the dead, she had to react. But she couldn't see. The tears, smoke, and dust in her eyes clouded her vision. She tried rubbing them away, but it only moved the cover around. She needed water, but getting to it was going to be a challenge. Not being able to see was the worst thing ever. Sight was important, but she had other good senses. The animal within her took charge.
Scrambling up to her feet, she turned her ear left to hear the Titan walking away. Her non-dominated hand was placed on the floor when she crouched down, feeling for any movement nearby. The ground didn't stir, there were no Titans on her left side. Springing back up, she ran towards that direction and kept rubbing her eyes.
She could see a little better, but the far distance was still hard to picture out correctly. She ran farther up until she came to meet an intersection. All four paths went different ways, but which one lead to the north? That's where the boats were and the place where her father could be found. Tears abruptly slithered out her eyes, but not from depression, it was to clean out the dirt.
Sniffing the air, there was smoke coming from one direction. She followed the gassy smell and learned that it came from the path straight in front of her. Going up closer, she could hear mixed screams of various individuals. Men, women, barking dogs… children.
Sereak shook her head, she had to stay focused. Turning away from that path, she went to the middle of the intersection and looked right. The path lead to another side of the town, were more screams could be heard and free smoke from furious fires danced its way up to the sky. The smoke and frightened souls were going somewhere. The Great Beyond is what Sereak thought.
The only road that seemed safe was on her left. The path lead up hill, something Sereak didn't notice before. Going uphill meant taking the path to the main wall. The main wall will have the boats there and her father as well. Sereak had a vision of her father. His tall and lean body dressed in that same soldier uniform with a rose badge marking his place in the military. She was always indifferent about the Garrisons, protecting a wall that didn't need to be babysat and keeping the exterior residents at peace. Now, she needed him more than ever.
Their life was so peaceful when they lived up in the mountains. The forest was filled with wild animals Sereak wanted to meet. She would stay up all night to listen to the howls of wolves, the bears singing to one another, and the smaller creatures adding in as the choir. It was the music of the forest, her mother told her. It was a reminded to the world that the wild was still alive. She said it was the most precious thing to hear, and Sereak agreed completely.
She could almost hear the wailing sounds of wild dogs mixed with the clicking noises of squirrels and chipmunks. The song reminded her of home, her life, her love for animals. Her mother…
"Hey kid!" a sound was heard from behind.
Rotating her body around, she spotted a rather hefty man with stringy black hair and bouncy cheeks. He wore a Garrison suit, like her father, but it looked exceedingly ridiculous on him. When he got up to her, she spotted someone else with him. Going around his large body, the sight of Gage came to view.
"Gage!" she ran up to him and hugged him tightly. She squeezed his body hard, like she hadn't seen him in years. The thought of letting him go felt as if he was leaving her again. She couldn't stand to bear that. However, she trusted him, so she loosened her arms and looked towards his face.
His expression was blank.
Those aquamarine eyes were empty with no emotions found. He quivered under her touch, but didn't try to look at her. There was a splatter of blood painted over his pale face, worrying Sereak greatly.
"Where are you bleeding Gage?" Sereak asked softly.
"He won't talk." she looked up at the man again, and then it clicked. Smoke! That man was Smoke! He spoke again. "I've been trying to get some words out of him, but he doesn't seem to know how to speak."
"Where are you bleeding Gage?" Sereak repeated, looking straight at him and putting more demand in her words. He mumbled something softly. "What?"
"It's not mine." he cried out, finally looking at her with his dead eyes. "It's not mine. It's not mine. Blood. It's not mine. Blood!"
"Poor kid…" Smoke muttered sadly. "His family was crushed by a piece from the wall. The whole bakery was squashed, his parents were still inside. I found him holding a piece of someone's arm. That thing was bloody."
Sereak looked down at Gage's hands. They were coated with red. His parents are dead too. And now he's gone insane.
"It's not mine." he kept repeating. "Blood. Blood. Not mine. Not my blood. It's not mine."
Sereak felt her hand being grasped by a larger one. Smoke began guiding the two children forward. "Come on, we have to get to the boats. My partner, Norman, is already searching for your friend. What's her name… the wild red-head that gave me a black eye?"
Gianne.
Sereak felt like a terrible person. She forgot about her one true friend, and worst of all, left her alone. No, Gianne could defend herself from people, yes. From Titans, she wasn't exactly sure. Gianne was too stubborn to die though, so she had to be okay. And Wet was going to save her!
Except the only thing that got her worried was what Smoke just said.
"You remembered?" Sereak asked. She thought they were too drunk to even recall that day. The three of them were all wrong. Now she was in trouble.
"Of course, we both knew." he admitted. "But I didn't want to tell my comrades how I got my ass-handed by a little girl. So me and Norman kept quiet and tried to forget."
"You mean Wet." she said.
He shook his head, "Kids and their unamusing nicknames for people."
"Gianne came up with them."
"When you see her again, tell her to change it goddammit." he growled.
"Not mine. It's not mine. Not my blood."
-:-
The pier was completely filled. Men, women, and families tired pushing their way on to the boats, but the spaces on them both were quickly getting destroyed. The first boat left five minutes ago, and now, everyone expected to be saved by the last one. Sereak and Gage managed to get on by the help of Smoke. But not everyone could have that luxury.
Sereak looked over the edge to spot a certain red-headed girl, but the crowd made it impossible. Everyone was squashed together in one enormous whole, like cattle. Just seeing them all piled like that made Sereak think they were ringing a dinner bell for the Titans.
She looked back at Gage who was still horror-struck. He sat with his back against the building of the boat and his legs tucked into his chest. The dried blood on his face began to peel off, but it still scarred him deeply. That was his parent's blood, not his. Sereak wondered if she would turn out like him if she had her mother's blood coated on her face.
He kept muttering his same words.
"Not mine. It's not mine…"
Sereak looked back out and glared into the crowd again. Two kids were getting on this time. One was a boy with teal colored eyes who also looked horror-struck and the other was a pale girl with a red scarf around her neck. Sereak felt like she's seen them before, maybe around town once. The girl anxiously looked towards the boy, but he didn't even twitch under her eyes. He looked like he was already dead, but motion was still working well. The two of them got on and were instantly greeted by a blonde boy. Sereak soon then lost interest and turned back.
Her heart did a summersault.
Sereak watched carefully as that same man, Wet, and her father sprinted towards the docks. Wet was bloody on his left side as he carried a figure over his shoulders. The figures upper body was behind his back, preventing Sereak on learning who it was. But, seeing those moist leggings and oversized torn shirt gave it away immediately.
Her father's uniform was too covered in a red color, but it wasn't soaked like Wet's. They were both panting when they begged their fellow comrade to let the child on. Sereak heard extreme injury and jumped from shock. Leaning over the docks, she hollowed towards them.
"Dad!"
He didn't tense from her voice. He didn't hear her! Wet walked towards the boat while her father began turning away. She bent over and hollered louder, almost falling face first into the river.
"Dad! Dad!"
This time, he paused where he was and looked up. The crowd around him somehow vanished in Sereak's eyes. She was directly focusing on him. Her eyes locked onto his for what felt like the last time. Their bond they shared so deeply quivered under that one stare. Her natural furious face melted into a rather sorrowful expression as tears started to reveal on the corners of her eyes. Sereak was too cowardly to look away. She wanted to gaze upon him forever.
From behind, Sereak could hear a million mutters being said all at once. Something was gently put down a couple feet from where she stood, but she didn't look back. She heard Wet crying for a nurse or doctor, but no one volunteered. When he repeated himself again, someone from afar stood up and rushed towards him. It sounded like a woman, but Sereak didn't dare break the eye contact.
Her father mouthed something to her, Sereak could read it. He was saying; I love you. Then he did something with his right hand. He placed his middle and ring finger at the top of his thumb with only is index finger and pinky aiming straight up. He held it over his head in order for Sereak to see it and she chuckled, forcing the trapped tears to finally escape.
He made a hand puppet of a wolf. That was something he would do when she was younger. The silly little hand tricks somehow managed to make her smile, and right now, it did. Her cheeks felt weird when they were pushed up. It made her face feel fat. Smiling never came to her easily for some reason, but it did that moment.
She smiled and cried; two things she never expected to do in her life. It felt different from giving everyone a stern glare or frowning whenever something happened. She wanted to show her father her soft and carrying side before he left, because it would give him a reason to also try and survive through this day. To come back to his daughter in order to see her smile again, that would be his motivation.
Finally, they let go.
Her father went back to doing his duty while Sereak turned away to go to her wounded friends. Then, the boat began to move and the wild rampage from many confused citizens broke out. Sereak couldn't remember what happened out there, and she didn't want to know.
The crowd went hysterical. Their screams of terror rang in Sereaks ears. Some people on the boat covered their own ears to block it out. Many citizens on the land were begging the passengers to stop the boat, but their requests were ignored completely. A couple men jump to the wooden edge. Some made it while others fell to in the river. Sereak didn't know what to think of that.
The people just went wild, like frighten animals that are only seeking to survive. Sereak went back to the edge and watched the crowd with interest. Men began fist fighting, frantic women cried out to God, and small children were clueless as ever. Everyone wanted to live. No one wanted to die. It was just like the animal world. You try and make it through the disaster or you give up.
It was that simple.
-:-
Gage tried to remember his childhood, but he couldn't. Memories of his past were just erased from his mind. The days of him and his parents were impossible to recall. Because when he thought of his mother baking chocolate chip cookies, all he saw was that bloody arm detached from her body, lying in front of the crumbled bakery shop.
He held it. Gage wanted to feel her one more time. He placed her palm against his cheek, like how she did when he did something that pleased her. Everything he did pleased her though. When he baked his first bread the first time and burnt it, she just smiled and caressed his cheek. When he brought home a mud pie and accidently ruined their wooden table, she just laughed and rubbed her thumb on his cheekbone. Gage wanted to feel that warm touch one last time, but he couldn't. The arm was warm from the blood coated on the skin. The hand itself was icy cold. No sign of life was found. Gage was just pressing a cold, dead limb against his face. His mother was gone.
Now his friend was hurt badly, and he didn't even attempt to help Sereak out.
The people on the boat crowded around the scene where Wet, Sereak, and a nurse with medical supplies tended to an unconscious Gianne. Gage watched too. Just like the audience, he needed to see a miracle. There had to be some spark of hope after today. The sky was getting darker and the boat departed from the Shiganshina District twenty minutes ago. They were heading to the cities of Wall Rose, but what were they supposed to do there?
The nurse, who looked to be in her middle ages, finished stitching up Gianne's gash on her stomach. The wound was just above her bellybutton, and Gage began wondering where it even came from. As she and Wet cleaned the blood from her skin, Gage counted eight-four stitches sown on her. It would've been awfully painful if Gianne was awake during the medical care. He imagined her howling out in pain and fighting the nurse away, ordering her to never touch her with a needle again. It was a good thing she was knocked out. He didn't believe she was dead… yet.
The two adults than flipped her to get a good view of her back. There was a much deeper gash there, making a lot of people gasp with doubt.
"Do you have enough string for here?" Wet questioned the nurse sternly.
"Ugh, I don't…" she looked in her bag and pulled out a long cord to measure out the length. "The gash here is longer than the one on her stomach. I'm sure if I sow it carefully, then I'll be able to stitch together most of the cut. But it won't be perfect. She may need real medical attention when we get to Wall Rose."
"Just try as much as you can." Sereak said. Her glare present like usual.
The nurse looked rather frighten by her look. "Y-Yes of course…" and she got right to work.
Gianne loved to irritate Sereak, but in a sisterly way. Sereak would get angrier than she already was and attempt to fight back as much as she could. The two shared a rather simple relationship with each other, but right now, Gage witnessed how that relationship seemed much deeper than he realized. Sereak held on to her friend's deathly pale hand and muttered words of encouragement in her ear.
"Get up you idiot. Stop faking and wake up. I know you're fine, why are you being so dramatic about this…?"
Well, it wasn't the encouragement he expected, but it just proved that Sereak had faith in her friend's survival. It was almost like she was determined for Gianne to live. She did lose her mother, though, and losing her friend would just add to her misery.
What if she did die? How would Gage feel about that?
He only accepted her as a close friend, and nothing more. Well, he wasn't exactly sure about his feelings. But would he be distraught like Sereak or indifferent? Gianne was always there to save him when he was in trouble, so he always looked up to her. He wanted to have that fire that burned within her and that confidence that could take on the world. She was difficult to get used to, but he was patient enough to see more to her than just a wild, reckless girl who loves heights. She was his hero, his inspiration. If she died, he would no longer have a reason to get stronger. He would just be a cowardly boy with muscles. But most of all, he would be losing a great friend.
Don't die Gianne, please. He begged, unconsciously gripping his knees.
So he just watched the procedure and listened to sounds of cannons booming from the other side of Wall Maria. Shiganshina was still terrorized by the Titans and the Garrisons were doing all they could to protect the gate. If the gate was breached, than it was all over.
While he was watching patiently, there was a rather large thunderous sound coming from Shiganshina. The sound got louder and louder, getting closer to the wall with each step. Was it a Titan? Do Titans run?
Then, the most unforeseen event occurred. Just like the wall before, the gate exploded! Wall Maria had been breached!
Gage stood up to get a better view of the sight. Standing in front of the enormous hole was a rather peculiar Titan with shiny skin. It was much taller and muscular than most of the Titans Gage had seen today, and the shiny skin looked more like metallic armor. That Titan was able to break through wall. Now it really had come to an end. After a hundred years of peace, the Titans were finally ready to demolish it again.
It's over.
Sereak and Wet looked back to finally spot the gigantic, extraordinary Titan. As well as the dozens of normal Titans that followed in its path. Sereak just looked away and closed her eyes tightly. Wet's bushy brows came together in a furious expression as he bowed his head in defeat. Gianne's stitching was finished and the paranoid nurse began wrapping were torso. The red-heads breathing was still feeble, but the sound of her inhaling and exhaling still gave Gage hope.
Gage heard the sound of whimpering and turned to his right. There, sat a boy his age with dark skin and long choppy black hair. His face was buried in his face while he sobbed, and he kept repeating mother over and over again. He lost his mother too, just like Gage and Sereak.
Just then, someone from his right stood up and walked towards the edge of the boat. It was another boy around his age with dark brown hair. Gage felt as if he's seen him before.
"I'll erase their existence from the world…" he muttered to himself. A girl with pale skin and jet black hair stood up in concern.
"Eren…?" she said.
Eren. Maybe Gage did know someone with that name. A blonde boy walked up to him, but he just shoved him away with his shoulder. Gage watched Eren closely as he slammed his hands on the edge and began to cry.
"I'm going to kill them all!" he screamed out. "Not a single one of them will be left! I'll kill them!"
Gage was abashed by this. He looked back towards the dark skinned boy and saw him staring at Eren as well. His golden-brown eyes looked rather mesmerized by him. He even caught Sereak sneaking a glance at the Eren boy, looking rather interested herself. Gage then sudden felt a pang of anger twisting in his stomach. The thought of his father and mother raced through his mind and how they died from that godly red Titan. The blood of his mother was still imprinted on his skin, pushing him to avenge his loved ones.
Yes, kill them all. I want to kill them all as well…
-:-
Gianne was stuck. The path she was taking led her to two different directions.
The first one followed directly to a cliff where the road ended. She knew if she chose that direction, than she would be able to do what she's always dreamed of doing. Sprout vast angel wings and fly away to many unfamiliar places. That was her dream after all, so why would she reject that open choice.
The second one led to the destroyed Shiganshina District. There, Titans roamed around the city searching for free victims and wild fire was spreading from home to home. One Titan, she saw, caught hold of a crying boy and ate him rather quickly. Gianne shivered under the sight.
There was no question about her choosing, so she followed the first path. Taking the left road, she walked ahead a couple feet before someone from the other side called out to her. The voice sounded like Sereaks!
"Gianne! Gianne come back!"
Come back? Why would she come back? There was a golden opportunity to travel the world and leave all her problems behind. No more Titans. No more of humanities silly laws. She would be free and above everyone else. Sereak would want this for her; she was a good friend like that. But the cries continued.
"Please Gianne, wake up and come back to me!"
"Listen to us Gianne!"
That was Gage's voice. Gage was with Sereak. So, did that mean they were both in the Shiganshina District with those roaming Titans? Oh no, what if they get killed?! Leaving her friends because she was selfish, Gianne wouldn't be able to live with that guilt.
"Wake up!"
"Gianne I know you're awake so open your eyes!"
Gianne looked back at the cliff that taunted her to dive off it. If she jumped, she would be safe and free. If she jumped, all her problems will be gone. She could fly away and not have to deal with the hell she lived in. That chance, however, needed to wait.
Without looking back, she raced out of the left path and sprinted to the right one. There, the Titans saw her coming and stuck out their hands, preparing themselves to grab anything. She was insane for choosing this path, but her friends needed her. And she couldn't ignore a cry for help.
"Wake up dammit!"
"Wake up!"
Blackness ate her clear vision away and then her eyes snapped open. In her view, Sereak and Gage looked down at her with reassurance on both their faces. Gianne just stared at them.
"Oh, thank goodness you're awake." Gage said while squeezing her hand. "We were worried."
Sereak placed her palm over Gianne's head. The red-head felt comfortable with the warmth. "You're still pale, but not completely dead looking."
"How do you feel?" Gage asked, his hand still not leaving hers.
"What happened?" Gianne asked, slowly progressing what was going on. She rotated her view to the right and felt something crunch under her head. It scratched her scalp and smelled like hay. Where they in a barn?
"You got seriously hurt," Gage explained. "There's a gash above your stomach and on your back. Marlene stitched you up to stop the bleeding, and then when we got to Wall Rose, you were taken to real doctors. They said you were in a coma after so much blood loss. You were out for two weeks! They kept their patients in this barn, so you're not the only one here."
Gianne took her hand away from Gage's and lifted it up to her shirt. Digging it underneath the torn fabric, she felt strong string sown into her flesh. Grazing her fingers across the long stitch, nausea hit again and she hauled herself forward. Covering her mouth, she feebly stood up and wobbly ran to the barns exit. When the beam of sunlight hit her face, her upper body bent down and she started to gag.
Sereak and Gage ran by her side while she tried hacking out the acid and spit. Gianne's stomach felt dangerously empty.
"How come…" she wiped some spit away from her mouth, "How come I'm not dead? How did I last for two weeks without food or water?"
"Marlene would wet your lips everyday so you stayed hydrated. She said water was more important than food." Sereak said.
Gianne looked around the unfamiliar area she was in. There were people everywhere, too many in her opinion. The Garrison soldiers were handing out bread and supplies to anyone who needed it most, but their irritated expressions revealed all. They were running out of food because of the large amount. Gianne was confused.
"They're bringing in more survivors today." Gage told her. "I just hope no one got eaten."
"What happened?" Gianne asked.
"What are you talking about?" he questioned.
"Why are we here? What happened to Shiganshina? Where are your families?"
Sereak and Gage gave each other fret glances. Something's wrong, Gianne wondered. Why are they looking like that? Then, Sereak's hard scowl shot to Gianne's face. "Don't be dense. Even the squirrels can recall what happened at Shiganshina."
"But I don't know what happened. Enlighten me." she begged.
"Wait, are you saying you don't remember?" Gage asked. A hint of disbelief shined in his aquamarine eyes.
"No, what happened?" she asked, furious at how they weren't giving her a straight answer.
"Gianne," Gage sounded very depressed when he spoke. "The Titans took over the Shiganshina District and the gate of Wall Maria was breached."
"W-What…?"
"The Titans took over, and now, one third of humanity is gone."
"But…"
"My family is dead and so are Sereak's. There is no more Shiganshina. Our home is gone."
-:-
The bread was stale but filling and the water was cool on her throat. Marlene told her to eat her bread slowly so her body can function again. After she left, the trio sat around in a circle to discuss what happened.
It took an hour to repeat the whole incident to Gianne. She took in each word carefully and began making a puzzle. Each event her friends revealed helped her recall what happened when she was alone. How she escaped that first Titan that tried to grab her, when she helped that Armin boy and his grandpa by pushing them forward, and how she was saved by Wet. Though, there was another thing missing but she couldn't remember it clearly. There was a Titan and a painful sensation running around her body, but that's all she could remember. She admitted her fuzzy memory when her friends questioned her about the injury.
"That's so weird. It's not a normal gash," Gage observed. "It almost looks like you were getting cut in half."
"Good thing I didn't…" Gianne rolled her eyes and finished her bread. She was still hungry. Somehow, that sudden hunger made her remember something important. She gulped her last chunk of bread and asked her friends. "Where's Kota?!"
"Kota…?" Sereak said.
Gianne pushed herself forward and gripped onto both the girl's arms. Taken by great surprised, Sereak was shook back and forth violently. "Yes where is he! Is he here? Is her still on his mission? Is he alive?!"
"Stop Gianne! Stop!" Gage tried ripping the two girls apart before Sereak's neck snapped. He knew Gianne would ask about her brother eventually, so he took this opportunity to tell her his good deed. "I sent a letter to the Survey Corps Commander, Erwin Smith, asking him about Kota. I sent it two days ago, so the messenger will be back possibly next week. I knew you would act like this." He cackled lightly.
Gianne let go of Sereak gazed at Gage. She was happy and so relieved that someone thought of her brother while she was in her coma. Right now, she wanted to kiss Gage for what he did, but that would instantly destroy their friendship. So instead, she pounced on his body and gave him a tight hug. Gage blushed madly at her affection.
"Thank you so much!" she cried in his ear. "You're the best person ever! When Kota comes back for me, I'll force him to adopt you!"
"Don't get your hopes up..." Sereak muttered to herself. Except, Gianne caught her remark.
Pulling herself away from Gage, she looked hard at Sereak. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing," she insisted. "I'm just saying."
"You're just saying what?"
Sereak averted her glowering eyes to the ground and sighed with defeat. "Okay, I'm just saying that you shouldn't get excited for something that may not happen the way you want it. Like, what if your brother isn't coming back?"
"Don't say that!" Gianne hissed harshly, offended by her words. "He's not dead."
"How would you know?" Sereak fought. "Do you go with him on his scouting missions that we know nothing about, or are you secretly hiring a spy to stalk him? No Gianne, you don't know and I'm just saying that whatever that return letter says when you get it, you have to accept it."
"And I'm going to accept the fact that he's alive."
"Or not!" Sereak burst.
Gianne's face went red with fury, her brows knitting together and her freckles once again vanishing. She countered Sereak's dagger look with a glare of her own. Standing silently to the side, Gage could feel powerful tension between the two girls. He knew if he disturbed, they would both force him to choose sides, and Gage didn't want to be a part of this stormy war.
"Why are you saying this to me?" Gianne questioned venomously. "You're my friend, but you're being a total jerk."
"I'm a friend who is trying to get you out of the fantasy life and bring your big ass back to the real world. Wake up and smell the blood Gianne, life isn't easy anymore!" Sereak replied.
"Are you losing hope already?"
"After I saw my mother get eaten by a Titan right in front of me and getting a correspondence that my father died in Shiganshina, I began debating whether hope is really on our side or not." Her bold green eyes hardened grimly. Gage remembered when Sereak received that letter from a Garrison soldier. He apologized for her lose before she even read it. After she did, she didn't cry like he expected her too. She just stood there looking utterly wrathful.
"Just because you're family died, doesn't mean you can predict the fate of my own brother!" Gianne spat out.
Gage just stared at her in incredulity. Her irate expression proved that she was serious about what she said. He feared the outcome of her words, knowing what Sereak would do. She's already dealt with so much the past few weeks. All these miserable events were like a stab in the stomach, making Sereak slowly bleed to death. Before he could confront Gianne for her words, Sereak slammed her hard fist into the red-heads face.
"Sereak!" Gage yelled in alarm.
Gianne fell back from the vigorous punch, feeling a searing burn on both her nose and left cheek. She lifted her cool palm to press against the hot skin and felt her muscles lock from the impact. For a moment, she couldn't move her jaw and she moved her hand away to notice blood stained on her fingers. Her nose was bleeding.
Sereak's eyes burned into Gianne's face as she bit her lip. Her fist throbbed a little and stayed its magenta color. Gianne attempted to say something about the punch, but her friend beat her too it as a waterfall of tears ran down her face.
"They were your family too you stupid bitch!" she said the last word coldly, like an icicle just stabbed through Gianne's heart.
Then she turned and jogged away from the duo.
Gage just stood there, dumbfounded on what he just witnessed. Before he could comfort his fallen friend, he noticed how she was gone as well.
-:-
"My god, there are too many stomachs here." a soldier complained to his fellow comrade. "Do we really have to share our food with them?"
"It was an order to keep the survivors from starving to death." the other man replied, sighing with irritation. "Why don't we though? If the Titans didn't manage to eat enough of them, maybe kicking them out would be a better option to save our food supply."
From above, Gianne sent down daggering looks at the two soldiers. Their selfishness urged her to climb down from where she was and hurt them in their sensitive spots. Except, they were sober so it would be rather difficult to physically abuse them without getting hurt herself. Being above high ground, she was too comfortable anyway, so she stayed put.
It's been a week after Gianne's awake and her fight with Sereak. Her skin was slowly regaining its fair color and the meals she got everyday managed to give her some energy again. Though, most of her days, she would climb up the barns rooftop and sit by herself, enjoying kisses from the winds and waiting patiently for the messenger to return. Today, she was positive that he would be arriving.
"Gianne!" someone called her name. She looked down to see Gage struggling to climb up the side of the barn. He wasn't a great climber, but his effort managed to get him half way up. Except, one loose mistake and he would plummet twenty feet from where he was. Gianne saw him sweating and looking down at the floor fearfully. He turned back to her, begging for assistance. "P-Please help!"
Laughing heartily, she reached her long arm down and offered a hand. Gage took it quickly, his grip tight and his skin wet from sweat. Hoisting his body up, Gianne dragged him over the edge and pulled his large structure closer to the middle. When he was finally safe, he shivered with anxiety.
"How do you do this? Climb up tall heights fearlessly?" he gasped out, trying to breathe normal.
Gianne couldn't force back the smile towards her friend. Chuckling to herself, she stated. "I'm just unnatural."
"I know." he replied. Privately regretting changing the subject, he forced out his words. "You should go apologize to Sereak."
Gianne's positivity immediately dropped, making the red-head glare at the brunette suspiciously. "Did she tell you to come here just to make me feel guilty? If so, I have no intention to apologize to her now."
"But," Gage tried to be patient with her stubbornness. "We shouldn't be fighting right now. We should be trying to survive and aim towards the future. Do you have any idea what we're going to do?"
"Yes. Kota will come back and he'll take care of the both of us. Sereak can beg if she wants to come along." Gianne said harshly. Gage just sighed, not intending on arguing with the girl. He decided to change the subject once again.
"You know this place used to be a food storage." he noted quickly.
"So..." Gianne trailed bluntly.
"Just trying to have a conversation." Gage sighed feeling defeated.
Gianne didn't respond. She didn't even look at him. Her eyes were just staring freely at the new environment she was now going to have to call her home. Gage knew how much she hated change. It made her uncomfortable and insecure. Even the Garrison soldiers that muttered angrily to one another about giving up their food weren't helping.
An idea than hit him.
Grinning towards Gianne, he asked. "How about a game?"
"What kind of game?" she said with little life in her voice.
"It's what my mom and I played all the time. So I say a specific word and you have to say another word that relates to it," He explained. "We'll go back a forth! I'll go first."
"Sure..."
"Cat."
"Animal."
"Food."
"Hungry."
"Belly."
"Stitches."
"Injury."
"Cu-" she stopped suddenly and narrowed her eyes towards something. A wide gaping look was switched on her face. Suddenly, she sprang to her feet which surprised Gage. "He's here!"
"He's here doesn't relate to injury." he pointed out.
"Not the stupid game dummy, the messenger is here! Come on let's go! He may have my reply letter!"
-:-
Gianne had to literally pull Gage down from the barn roof and drag him all the way to the crowd that surrounded a young man on a horse. Every hand was raised up, each voice demanding a letter while the messenger was struggling to give them all the right ones. Gianne held on to her friends hand as they pushed their way through the adrenalized adults. One hand gripped on to the messenger's tunic and tried jerked him down, but the frantic young man swatted the hand away.
One by one, he picked out the letters and read out the names they were addressed to. There were many sighs of relief and slight sobs when each individual read their message, making Gianne restrain her anger, fear, and anxiety. What would she be so nervous about though? Her brother was a strong soldier, one of the top three strongest soldiers humanity had. He will come back to her. She didn't need to worry.
"Gage Butler!" the messenger waved a golden envelope above his head, calling out the brunettes name once more. "Gage Butler?"
"That's me sir!" Gage tried raising his hand through the cluster of people in front of him. Lucky for the messenger, he was above the all by his trusted horse, so he spotted the fighting boy easily.
"A correspondence from Erwin Smith, commander of the Recon Corps." he bent down forward, attempting to hand him the envelope.
Retrieving it and thanking him, Gage and Gianne raced away. When they found a nice private area, the smiling red-head ripped the envelope out of his hands and began tearing the cover off. Pieces of paper floated down to the ground and Gianne just kicked them away. The note was finally in her hand and she read out the first five words, until she stopped. Gage was suspicious about her puzzled look.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Um…" her face began to turn bright red and she shook uncomfortably. "I-I can't read cursive." she shamefully handed him the note. "Can you please… um… read it for me?"
"Of course!" he smiled and gently took it from her. Reading it to himself, Gianne crossed her arms and tapped her foot agitated. The air right now seemed to be getting thinner, her breathing became difficult. Her palms shook when the sweat reached them, and they wouldn't stop.
"What does it say?" she croaked.
It took Gage a few seconds to turn away from the letter and stare at her, his eyes suddenly softening into sympathy. The look made Gianne freeze in place, hold her breath, and count her heart beats. Gage said, "I'm sorry Gianne, but… he's gone."
An abrupt chill ran down her spine, making her body shiver. In her eyes, she felt a sword drive its blade into her heart. What was this feeling? It felt like she just died.
"W-What…?" she squeaked.
"He died during the mission. Missing in action is what it said." he said more clearly.
"What does that mean? What does that mean?" she asked, sobbing in between her words. Her legs wobbled feebly, like her muscles loosened. She then fell on her knees, slamming her palms on the ground and staring widely at the floor. The information wasn't coming to her directly, but only because she didn't want to believe it. "I don't understand. What does this mean?"
Gage just stared at her, a weight dropping down to his stomach. He knew what was happening, because he went through this when his family died. She was trying not to accept it. Sereak did warn her, but she didn't want to believe in reality. Now, Gianne was about to go through the same depressing state her friends went through.
"I don't understand. Kota is really… dead?" after her words, she turned to Gage with a grim expression. Her eyes glared a dark look towards him while her teeth tightened. "You're lying."
Gage looked down to avoid her gaze, "No I'm not. It says here in –Ack!" he was cut off when his body smashed against the wall behind him. Gianne's grip on his shoulders were hard like stone, her nails digging into his grey fabric until it reached the skin. His abashed expression twitched from the stinging pain. The wild red-head creature before him looked menacing with furious burning eyes and a dark energy releasing around her. If escaping Titans was frightening enough, Gage didn't know how to save himself from this.
"Liar, I don't believe you!" she shrieked in his face. Gage could feel her hot breath on his cheeks and trembling lips. "Don't play games with me Gage! He's a live, I know he is, and you're a fucking liar! I'll kill you! I'll kill all you liars! My brother is a live!"
Gianne all of a sudden had her spine make contact with the hard ground. The force pushed the air out of her lungs, making her unable to breathe for a few seconds. Looking up at the source that pulled her away from Gage, burning golden eyes met hard grey ones.
The girl looked around her age, short and petite with light blonde hair that was up in a bun-like hairdo. Her pale nose was large and pronounced and her grim expression reminded Gianne of Sereak. Behind her, a tanned skin boy with dark brown hair stood next to Gage looking anxiously towards his companion.
"Is this how you normally act?" the girl asked. "Like a reckless little brat?"
Her comment clouded Gianne's mind with complete rage and made her throat tightening with emotion. She wanted to so badly hurt this unforeseen stranger, but she stood still when the girl talked again.
"If so, then you're more useless than I thought."
Gianne didn't remember swinging her leg towards her feet, but she was proud she did. The girl tripped slightly and then steadied herself before falling. The powerful feeling Gianne kept locked in her heart suddenly exploded, polluting her body with complete adrenaline. Distress and fury controlled her mind, commanding her to stand up for herself. There was no time for crying, no time to mourn.
She pushed herself forward form the ground and sprang towards the blonde.
Gianne then felt a sudden shock in her leg and cried out in agony. She kicked her! A couple people turned to witness the sudden brawl after the yell, but they just stood there like bystanders. While Gianne was kneeling towards the floor, her hands wrapped around the girls pale heels and she pulled them towards her. The girl gave a shocked yelp when her back slammed the ground, but before she could get up, Gianne crawl on top of her.
She placed her weight on her flat chest and pinned both her arms down with the use of her left hand. Her friend yelled out, "Annie!"
The girl, Annie, didn't look frighten at all. Her grey eyes just stared blandly towards Gianne's heated up face. This made Gianne even more furious. She wanted to destroy that dull look she received, it felt so unacceptable. Her brother just died, but no one cared. He was powerful and strong, coming home with a few marked scars from his mission but still in one piece. Now, he was dead. He left Gianne alone to fend for herself. Stupid, is what she described him. He was stupid for leaving. No one should leave family behind!
Taking the first swing, Annie dodged swiftly, making Gianne's hand turn numb. The floor was harder than she suspected. Her hand was red with pain and the muscles were tight. She couldn't move it. Distracted, Annie managed to hurt the girl even more. Wrapping her legs around her waist and twisting her wrists free from the fingers, she pulled her opponents body closer towards her own and jammed her fist right in her stomach.
Gasping from the sudden impact, Gianne didn't notice the pale fist racing to her until she saw nothing but black spots. Groaning from the ache and being blind, her entire body forcefully went to the ground. A heavy pressure rested on her waist and her wide out arms were pushed down. The black spots finally faded away, but Gianne wished she was blind again so she didn't have to stare unwillingly at the hard-looking blonde. Accepting defeat was not a trait Gianne was known for.
Legs and arms flailing to be free, Gianne thrashed around violently but Annie's mass held her down tightly. She could hear Gage calling out to her while she screeched, "Get off me! Get off me now!"
"Antonio," Annie called to her friend. "Give me my bread."
"Why?" he questioned with a puzzled tone.
"Just give it to me now." she demanded.
"Get off!" Gianne continued. "Get off now! I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you! I'll destroy the Titans and these walls! I'll kill you! I'll-"
A loaf of bread was shoved in her mouth deeply, silencing her outburst and freezing her body. Gianne couldn't bite or spit it out, she just gaged from the mouthful. It didn't even taste that good. Annie looked calmer than how she did before after bending her face down towards the red-head. Her hard grey eyes bored into teary golden ones. She spoke.
"Are you done?"
Gianne gave her a black glare. "Mmmhmmmmmhmm!" she moaned through the mouthful.
"Okay," she sighed. "You said you wanted to kill every. Me, the walls, and the Titans, am I correct? Now let me ask you this. What's more important right now, your life or your selfishness?"
Her heart stung from that last word. Gianne still couldn't talk, so she listened to the sullen looking girl.
"A lot of people died because of the Titans, what makes your brother so special? Women lost their husbands, children are orphans, and some are at the break of insanity. Death is death, you can't change that law." she brought her head away a few inches. "You can cry and you can mourn about your brother all you want, but you also have to move on with yourself. And you can't point fingers at innocent victims that had nothing to do with his death." she pointed towards Gage, "The fault isn't his or yours, it's just life. You're strong, so you shouldn't be fighting others who are weaker than you. It's not fair to them."
Behind her, Gianne noticed how Gage twitched uncomfortably. That was her friend, and she howled out saying how she wanted to kill him for being a liar. He wasn't, the truth was told. She was just too stubborn and shocked to accept that. The raging monster inside was going to drive her to hurt others, and for what? She only fought to protect her family and defend herself, but when she was exceedingly angry it turned her into a blind monster. When she thought about it, the image of the women and men getting devoured by the Titans caused her to shiver from realization.
"Here…" Annie broke her thought. Before Gianne could come back to earth, an instant punch connected with the side of her left face, causing her left eye to go white for a few seconds. No moan escaped her lips; she tried her best to endure it. The wound began to numb and her left vision was blurry. The left side of her face felt larger than the right. A black eye was forming. She could faintly hear Gage again.
"Gianne!"
"That will be a reminder of your stupidity." Annie said. No emotion was found in her deep voice. Her body loosened from the hold, Gianne would be free from this blonde.
Unexpectedly, Annie was pushed off and away from her. Gianne looked up to see who her savior was. Then, a hard pang of mixed emotion rammed against her chest. It was Sereak.
The dark haired girl stood over the fallen blonde with her natural scowl darker than usual. Her bold green orbs glared straightly at her with threat and fury mixed in. The same fang-like teeth revealed themselves; Gianne knew Sereak did that when she felt challenged. Walking over her fallen friend, she stood between them both. Gianne hoisted her torso up, spat out the stale bread, and watched her friend.
"Back off." she growled. Her voice was rough and low, like a dog when it was challenegd.
Annie just gazed at her with interest, and then looked back to Gianne. She still was scared or nervous, which puzzled the red-head greatly. Normally when people saw Sereak at her raging state, they knew it was best to engage with her. Annie wasn't fearless, she just didn't care. Gianne found the blonde very amusing.
Annie sighed and got up from the ground. Dusting herself off, she called to her companion, Antonio, who came to her with a look of worry written on his face.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "I know you don't like it when I get in your fights, but I had the urge to jump in and help you. Are you hurt or anything?"
She didn't answer him. She didn't even look at him. Her grey eyes just held on to Gianne's. She spoke, "Just remember that black eye stupid."
Gianne didn't have time to answer her. Annie just turned on her heels and walked away from the trio. Antonio jogged up to her, calling out her name repeatedly. "Annie! Annie wait!"
When the two were finally gone, Gianne looked down and released the tears she kept holding back. Her swollen eye was in too much damage to produce them, but her right one ran down like a river. Sereak and Gage went by her side to comfort the sobbing girl as she wailed out the emotions trapped in her throat. Turning to Sereak, Gianne jumped towards her kneeling friend and bawled in her shoulder. Her arms wrapped around tightly in fear that she may lose her best friend forever. Never again will she have an argument with her. Never again will she say those heartless words.
"Gianne…?" Sereak trailed.
"Sereak!" she cried out, finally accepting the world as it was. "He's dead! Kota is dead! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please don't leave me again! I need you!"
-:-
A few days later, the refugees were sent to cultivate land a secure food. Everyone, young or old, farmed in exchange for safety behind the walls. But that couldn't prevent the food storage from going empty. In the following year if 846, the Central Government launched a campaign to retake Wall Maria by using the refugees. Men were chosen to participate in a mission that led them to their fate. There were two hundred and fifty that left, but only a hundred returned. A fifth of the population was demolished. With their sacrifice, the food storage improved greatly. But it was a success no one dared to celebrate.
During the next weeks of working on the farmlands, Gianne and her friends took shelter in the barn, the place where she first awoke from her coma. It was very unexplainable, but the barn felt like home to Gianne. Maybe because she was desperate after so much loss, so were Sereak and Gage.
Gianne watched Gage awake from his slumber, shaking and wet with sweat.
"Are you okay?" she read out to grab his hand.
"Yeah, just… can't sleep. I had another nightmare, really happy I woke up."
"Wouldn't we all want that, to wake up from one big nightmare?" Sereak added bluntly. Gianne knew what she meant.
The air was silent between the three. The empty stall they slept in was filled with golden hay, but the dry straw wasn't comfortable. In fact, it itch their skin when they woke up and the irritation went away after a few hours. Though, it'll have to due until next year.
Next year. Gianne still hasn't told them yet. The silence right now was the perfect opportunity to reveal her next plan.
"Guys," she started. "I'm going to apply for the military training next year."
As expected, they stared at her, both surprise and doubtful. Sereaks glowering look soften while Gage looked away from her with shame. Sereak spoke first.
"Why is that?"
"Do you remember that story you read to me once, the one about the group of villagers that wanted to overthrow their king?"
"You mean… The Black Rebellion?" she reminded.
"Yes that one," Gianne said.
The story of the Black Rebellion was about a group of villagers that lived under the rule of their tyrant king. He was ruthless and malevolent towards his people. He took away the women and used them as game for his hunt. The young boys had their genitals cut so they wouldn't reproduce, the king claiming how he was the only father of all. The men were put in death tournaments to please the king himself.
Then, one day, a group of magicians came along and witnessed the terror in the village. They convinced the men to rebel against the king and take back their homelands. Though, the king was strong and powerful with an army willing to defend him with their lives. Then, the magicians had an idea. Using their powerful magic, they changed the village-men's eyes color from brown to violet. The new eye color gave them an advantage to see in the dark clearer than any other human. With that, the magicians also conjured up a spell to turn the blue sky completely black. The world was covered in complete darkness, blinding everyone and everything, while the magicians and men were able to see perfectly fine.
The terrified king was then assassinated in his throne room, confused and frightened about the sky's sudden change. After his death, the villagers burnt his corpse and the embers that flew up to the sky broke away the darkness to bring back the blue color. It was a victory the villagers and magicians celebrated for many decades, honoring the brave men that brought back their freedom and the sky that saved them all. The black sky was a symbol of revenge, and taking back freedom. That's what Gianne wanted.
"I want to make my own black sky." she admitted proudly. Sereak stared at her. "I want to be like those villagers and take revenge on those fucking monsters that destroyed my life and Kota's. I want to take is title as third best, or even better. I want the Starken name to be remembered by humanity. I want to be free."
For a while, there was nothing but silence again. Gianne wondered if she said too much. Then again, she did have a big mouth. But she didn't regret anything. Holding back on how she felt wasn't going to help her or her dream. Either way, she was going to join the military, with or without her friends.
"I'll come too." Sereak said.
"Same…" Gage trailed.
"What?" Gianne was shocked. "But, you guys don't have too if I'm going. I don't want you to get hurt or… die."
Sereak looked at her hard with a straight face. "I'm going because my father was in the Garrisons and yet, he died to save Wall Maria. Just like your brother, I'll follow in my father's footsteps. And," she averted her eyes to the straw, looking a little unsure of herself. She blurted. "And you're my family, so we have to stick together."
"Sereak…" Gianne sighed out. The edge of her lips twitched upward and her chest felt warm inside. Seeing Sereak admit they were family for the first time made Gianne see another side of her cold friend. Like they were much closer than best friends, they were soul sisters.
"I'm joining because I want to get stronger." Gage said.
"Gage, I'm happy you'll come along, and I'll protect you and Sereak no matter what–"
"No!" he cut in, staggering both Gianne and Sereak. "I'm done with you trying to protect me. I'm done with everyone calling me a burden. This time, I'm going to do all that I can to keep you safe. You don't have to mother me or Sereak anymore."
His eyes bored into hers, a serious expression masked on his face. Gianne was taken-back by his sudden outburst and a little hurt by his words. Was her overprotectiveness really being such bother to him? She did tell him to prove his capability to take of himself without the use of her care. This wasn't the proof Gianne was hoping for, but as a friend, she had to except that. If this was the best way to show her his own strength, than Gianne was fine with letting go of Gage and accepting his protection.
He was also right; he and Sereak don't seem to need Gianne's care anymore. Over their childhood years, the red-head would always defend herself and her friends from bullies or intoxicated soldiers. Gage was too gullible and nice while Sereak was quiet and a lone wolf. It was easy to pick on people like that, which is why Gianne acted like their hero. Now, they don't need a hero, they became their own.
"Alright," Gianne agreed with Gage. "But no matter what, I'll still mother you and keep you safe."
Gage forced on a smile, but kept quiet. Sereak sighed.
"Things are going to be different now, huh?"
She was right. Mentally, they were no longer children. That youthful age of playing and rough housing and being under the care of adults died longer ago.
"Yes." Gianne replied. "But we'll get through it together."
-Phoenix
