CHAPTER 11

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When Amy woke up it was raining.

The raindrops against the window made a continuous faint noise, but in the silence of the room it sounded deafening. As if relentless hands were knocking on the glass, waiting for permission to get inside.

The sound was irritating and Amy's head throbbed hard in synchronization with the drops. The wind chose that moment to slam the wooden window shutter into the wall with an unbearable loud creak and Amy groggily opened her eyes.

It was dark. It took her a few moments to get used to it, but her vision was still foggy from the sleep. She stared at the ceiling. Thanks to the mildew it was rather dark green than the original white colour. It was disgusting. The ceiling was close and she felt uncomfortable lying right under it. But when she tried to push herself up with her hands she fell back to the bed with an anguished cry.

The sudden piercing pain made her remember.

When the titan grabbed her wire she managed to slip out the oversized gear, but her hand got caught up in the straps. If she had been slower, the titan would have tore off her arm, but she managed to escape. The fall was too high. When she hit the ground she landed on her right side; on her right arm. She heard the crack of the bone and a loud pop.

In that moment she lost consciousness.

Amy blinked. She didn't remember anything after that.

Maybe that boy really brought help.

She cautiously tried to sat up, but it was hard without using her right hand. Her dislocated shoulder was popped back and her arm seemed to be in a normal angle, but it was kept in place with some hardened gunge, which was completely covered with bandage, up until the middle of her hand. She could slightly move her fingers, but it was technically useless. Her left arm was also bruised, but the damage faded in comparison with the other limb.

She was dressed in some pieces of too large clothing, but they were clean and that was the most important for her. If she saw blood again, she might have lost it, but it was gone. However she hadn't been bathed. She smelled even worse.

With a grunt she pushed herself into a sitting position, balancing on her left hand. Her joints cracked audibly and she hissed out a curse. She pulled off the brown cover, drenched in her feverish sweat and tossed it on the ground. The dust on the wooden boards flew into the air, where the blanket landed. She wondered when was the last time this place was cleaned; probably not recently. The corners were covered in thick spider webs, one of them currently occupied by a fat spider.

She cautiously moved her legs, so that they were hanging off from the side of the bed, and her bare soles soon touched the floor. It was cold and unpleasant. She looked around, hoping to find something, even a sock to cover her freezing feet. There was a pair of boots prepared next to the bed and luckily it wasn't hers. She made a mental note to burn everything from that day. There was no amount of soap that could wash out the blood from her clothes and she would still see the stains even if it was completely cleaned.

It had to burn.

Remembering the amount of spiderwebs in the room she kicked both of the boots to their sides. Thankfully nothing crawled out of them, so she clenched her teeth and stepped into them.

When she stood up, pain went through her legs and her vision turned black. She tried to not move and patiently waited for the blurriness to pass. She heard a paper-like sound from the floor and when she could finally see clearly again she looked down.

It was a small piece of paper, that must have been on her body somewhere before she stood up. A few words were scribbled on it with an elegant handwriting, but it was hard to decipher from the distance. She didn't want to lean down and pick it up with her injured ribs so instead she squinted. The words were quite small, but after a few second she managed to make out the sentence.

When awake, go to Shadis' office ASAP.

Amy stared at the words in silence, before she cautiously started walking towards the door. She couldn't walk fast, but at least she wasn't limping. The wind howled outside, as if advising her to be cautious, but she pushed the door open with her left hand and stepped into the rain.

It was nighttime. The drops were falling fast and hard, but it felt refreshing against her skin. She tried to cover her cast with her large shirt, but when the clothing touched her arm she saw stars. She had to find shelter against the rain, but instead of Shadis' office her legs led her to the dining area. She was dying of thirst; her palate was sticky and her throat was burning. But before she could reach it someone spoke.

"Oi, brat! Are you blind as a bat? Haven't you seen the note?"

Amy looked towards the sound as fast as he could manage. A green cloak hid the small body, but she could tell from the voice that it was a man.

"I am thirsty," she said, the rasp in her voice confirming her statement.

"You think I care? If you followed your damn orders I wouldn't have to play an errand boy in this fucking rain."

With that the figure turned around and started walking in a fast pace. When she didn't follow he turned around.

"Are you waiting for a clap?"

They walked in silence towards Shadis' office. He didn't say another word and she had nothing to say either. Their boots squelched in the mud as they walked through the grounds, the wooden building they were approaching growing larger at every step. When they reached the door the man pulled it open with a swift move, saying, "Go," and she went, walking past the short man and a moment later the door was slammed shut behind them.

They went through a small room, almost completely filled with the three beds inside, but there was a small stove placed in one of the corners, a kettle boiling on top of its small flame. When they went through another door they reached their destination.

Amy had been in Shadis' office before, but she was still surprised how modest the whole place was. The man could have afforded himself a little luxury, but the desk was shabby with only the memories of varnish, the cabinet crippled with age, and no decoration hanged on the walls. The window was closed, but she still thought that the air was fresh. And even though the furniture was old, everything was clean and in order.

Behind the table however wasn't Shadis. The blond man looked up from his papers and a polite smile appeared on his handsome face.

But before he could say a word, the other man interrupted.

"Found her, out of bed, walking around in the rain like an idiot."

Amy sent a dark look towards the man, but it bounced right off of him. She couldn't even find a hint of reaction on his unwavering face, only concentration, as he neatly smoothed out the wrinkles of his wet cloak, after he hanged it on a hook on the wall.

"Thank you, Levi," said the blond man, before looking at Amy again. His smile was still present, but it seemed like something he mastered through the years rather than a genuine one.

"You must be Amy. Please, have a seat."

Amy nervously swallowed. The man's smile didn't reach his eyes and although his features weren't stern like Shadis', he was just as intimidating. There was a chair placed right in front of him, on the other side of the table and she obediently sat down. Her injuries didn't appreciate the movement. The hiss of pain changed the expression on the man's face and with now genuine concern he asked:

"Are you all right? Ah, of course you're not, it was a silly question. Are you fine enough to talk?"

"Just talk?" she croaked.

"Just talk," the man smiled reassuringly.

Amy nodded.

"May I offer you some tea?"

"Yes!" She said a little too quick, so she repeated herself a bit slower and also added a barely audible 'please' at the end.

When the man stood up she realized how tall he really was. She had enough time to notice his good posture as he walked to the cupboard. Inside he found four porcelain cup, but took only three. He placed them on the desk, before leaving the room for a few tense seconds. She felt incredibly small as her previous companion stared at her, his gaze not wavering until the blond man returned with a kettle.

"I've already put the leaves in. I hope black tea is fine."

Amy nodded. She wasn't a big tea drinker since she never really had the time to boil one, but it was liquid and it was warm, and she was thirsty and cold. She couldn't care less about the favoring at the moment.

The man poured for everyone, and after giving one cup to Levi he took his seat behind the desk again. Meanwhile Amy already took a big gulp and the hot drink burnt her tongue and throat.

"Please, feel free to refill. You must be thirsty."

In that moment, Amy decided she liked him much more than she did his friend.

They enjoyed the tea for a few minutes, before the blond man placed his cup on the table.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Erwin Smith and the men who kindly escorted you here is Captain Levi. I'm the Commander of Survey Corps, but as you can see my scope of duties stretches beyond that. Do you know why we are here?"

She paled at his words.

"The titan," she whispered.

The man nodded. "Excellent. So you remember. I have to admit, we were a bit worried, that the injury on your head had some more severe consequences than a simple bruise."

"It clearly affected her reading ability."

Amy remained silent.

"Now, now. Let's not change the subject. You see we've just got back from a mission when this incident happened. When we've arrived you were already unconscious, so we used that time to investigate the scene and ask some questions from the other survivor."

"Where is he?"

"You don't need to worry," he said with a small smile, "he is fine and on his way to the Wasteland by now. One of my man personally escorted him."

"He hit me so he could get away," she said in a deadpan voice.

She didn't turn to look at Levi's expression, but Erwin looked a bit surprised. However he composed himself quickly.

"We didn't know that. But what done is done and you are alive; that is the most important. However we would like to ask a few questions."

She remained silent again and waited for him to elaborate.

"Let's start with the easiest one," he said, turning suddenly serious. "Did you kill the titan?"

Amy didn't know what to say. Did she remember killing it? No. The titan was alive. She didn't really have the time yet to ponder on the titans fate. But maybe this was the chance for her to get back to training. After all, after the questioning, the other boy was sent to the Wasteland again... but if the people who saved her killed it and they realize that she is lying...

"When Shadis' men rescued you, they said there was no titan around," Erwin continued. "As you must know titan corpses evaporates to skeletal remains, than to nothing at all, so that could be an explanation. So I'll ask you again. Did you kill it?"

I'm not going to the Wasteland.

"Yes."

Erwin cocked an eyebrow. "That's... interesting."

"Then don't believe me."

"Please don't misinterpret my words. It is just unusual that a drop out is capable of that. Could you tell us how you did it?"

Amy shut her eyes and concentrated on breathing. They knew that she was lying. How could they not? She was looked weak and now she was crippled. They are going to send her back. They are going to put her on a cart again... There would be the smell of urine and sweat and than finally the smell of iron and all that blood...

Amy felt the panic creeping up her back and she wanted to hide behind her hands and curl up into a little ball, but she couldn't because of her cast.

"Are you all, right?"

"I... I don't feel well."

Erwin nodded understandingly. "There is no rush. Take your time."

Amy breathed in and breathed out; the stench of the cart was replaced by the sweet scent of black tea and soon she was calm again. When she found her voice she started talking.

"It's a bit blurry, but I've put on the gear... it was too large and I couldn't adjust it... didn't have the time. The... titan" she mumbled, "grabbed my gear when I've... killed it, but thanks to the straps' size I've managed to slip out of it, before it could pull me along. I don't really remember anything after that."

Erwin nodded and slightly leaned ahead, as if what she said suddenly got interesting. "I see. And whose gear was that exactly?"

Amy tried to remember whether he mentioned it or not, but finally shook her head. "I don't know his name. But he was from the Garrison."

The men in the room shared a look, before Erwin turned to her again. "And now we've arrived to our problem. You see, the fact that you've managed to kill a titan with an oversized gear is impressive, however it raises some questions and legal problems. The man who was assigned to escort your carriage is dead and there are people who aren't happy about it."

Sitting baffled, Amy couldn't utter a word, so the man continued.

"You see, unfortunately for you, Barry Carter had regularly played poker with some quite influential people who are excellent at pointing fingers. The fact that you've lived wearing his gear and he died without it is a matter they want to take to court."

"You are here to arrest me?" she all but stuttered.

Erwin nodded. "Well, technically yes. You will stand before court, but I'm not going to lie to you; the chances of you ending up behind bars is higher than the opposite."

"What?" she croaked not believing her ears. "Why? I didn't do anything!"

"Then could you tell me how you've managed to obtain Carter's gear?"

"He wasn't wearing it the first place! He took it off, because he said the straps were uncomfortable!"

A tense silence fell on the room as they processed the information. Realizing that this was the time to deepen the blow she added:

"He was asleep, when the titan arrived. When he woke up, he cut the harness and tried to escape on horse. He said he wouldn't die for us, brats. But the horse got scared and pushed him off, so he started to run, but the titan was faster."

Erwin seemed to be at a loss of words.

"We... didn't know that. This certainly changes things. Levi, please inform Shadis of the news immediately.

The man nodded and quickly took his cloak and disappeared. They sat in silence, listening to the footsteps of Levi. The sound of rain sounded louder for a second and after a shutting noise, only tension remained in the room.

"Am I still going to jail?" she asked in a low voice, but her words sounded loud in the tranquil room.

Erwin thought, before answering.

"Maybe. They will refuse to believe what you've told us. They would rather put you behind bars than accept, that Carter failed as a soldier. However being a commander has its quirks and I might be able to pull something off, that worked a few times before." Erwin's expression turned stern. "But it has a heavy price."

Amy wanted to ask what that was, but before she could open her mouth Erwin continued.

"You have to join the Survey Corps."

Amy blinked. "What?"

"At the moment my hand can reach farther than theirs; if I said I saw potential in you as a soldier they would let me recruit you. I've had worse cases and won," he added and briefly looked at the door as Levi returned, shaking his head like a wet dog, before starting the same ritual with his cloak as before.

"You can get back to training and finish the one year you have left," Erwin continued, "since you've already passed the ultimate test. You've killed a titan. Also although you won't be able to train for a long time, you won't get kicked out again. I will have a talk with Shadis, I'm sure he will understand."

Amy mind was still fuzzy as she tried to understand his words.

"Can't I join another division?"

"No. But let's be honest here; would you really want to join the Garrison after what happened? Being someone there solely matters on connections."

"There's a lot more titans on the other side of the wall than this side," she said.

"That's true," said Erwin with a wry smile. "But they broke in once and they will break in again. The difference is that we actually know how to fight them."

Amy stared at her empty cup, flinching, when tea suddenly appeared in it. Erwin put down the kettle, before continuing.

"There's also a very interesting men in our ranks who might be able to help you a lot. I've heard you've failed at a lot of tests, but you've managed to kill a titan all the same. I think you might be a bit like him."

It was weird to hear Levi snort, as he mostly remained silent throughout the conversation, letting Erwin do the talking.

"I hope you are not talking about that clown," he drawled.

"Colton is a very useful asset, Levi."

"I'm surprised he's still alive after all that fucking around during missions."

"As long as he does the job well, I'm not complaining. At any rate," he continued, his words once again intended for Amy, "this is an unfair situation, but I can help you make the best out of it. At the end of your training, if you are still reluctant about joining our ranks you can always attend court hearing. Maybe they will forget about this by then, but I don't want to owe favors to others for nothing. So if you are absolutely sure, that you will refuse, please say so now. I will try to talk with the judge, but my words weigh lighter than Carter's friends' pouches."

"I... I don't want to go to jail," was all she said, but Erwin understood.

"So it's settled then. Leave the legal matters to me."

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading!

Thank you so much for the lovely reviews and I'm grateful to anyone who spends their free time reading this. I hope I didn't butcher poor Erwin and Levi... if you found them a bit out of character, please say so and I will try to do them more justice.

As usual if you find any grammar mistakes feel free to tell me!

Also the man they mentioned "Colton" is not exactly an oc of mine. To be exact he showed up for like two seconds in one of the SNK OVAs. Someone on tumblr noticed him and gave him the name "Nicholas Colton". So his appearance is what given and I'm going to give him the personality I see fit.

Thanks again!