CHAPTER 2

She never dreamed. Perhaps it was the way her brain had been wired, or that she overworked her mind so much during the day that it was the only time it could truly shut down. Either way, black unconsciousness was all she tended to see during those hours of slumber, for which she was grateful for. The permanent feeling of fatigue caused her to crave that ethereal feeling more often than was healthy, yet she couldn't be bothered to care about the effects of oversleeping. If no one was to wake her up, she would spend the entire day in bed dozing or simply being lazy.

However, there were times where she couldn't sleep, the over indulgence causing her body to remain hyperactive for a few days and forcing her to stay awake. It was in those times that she would drink herself into a stupor in order to black out and just rest. Being awake was miserable, especially for more than twelve hours.

Her slumber was interrupted as the sudden feeling of falling shocked and awoke her, just in time for her reflexes to take hold and push her hands out to catch the rest of her body from slamming into the hard floor. Her heart was beating erratically inside her chest as she tried to calm her breathing and wake up completely. Waking someone during the middle of their REM cycle was dangerous, but most people either didn't know or didn't care.

"Honestly, first night home and your already drunk and oversleeping." for this person, it was the latter.

"I'm not drunk," she winced while shakily standing to her feet. They were inside the infirmary, apparently the evening before she had passed out onto one of the beds instead of walking back to her quarters. "well, not anymore."

Cristoff Owen, captain of the rescue and medical unit, towered over her small form with his arms crossed and a very evident frown. He was generally an easy-going man, taking to her like a father to a daughter, but when he was mad...oh boy was he mad. Work came before play, and as a doctor himself, he took things seriously.

His light brown eyes stared holes into her head, "honestly Lina, I thought you'd take things a little more seriously now that you have been promoted to team leader and have pupils of your own."

She scoffed, "It was one night of drinking after a long two months of nothing but responsibility. I finished all the paperwork that was needing to be done, and I also organized and inventoried the supplies." noting his still disapproving look, she glanced down. "I'm sorry, I will take things more seriously, Captain."

He seemed to accept her answer, because instantly she was pulled into a tight embrace and twirled in circles. "I missed you my little progeny!"

"Please stop spinning me!" she gagged while trying to hold in her sick.

"Consider it punishment for drinking without me!" he roared with laughter while rubbing the back of his graying hair.

"You are an evil old man!" she cried before holding her stomach and running to the waste bin in the corner of the room. When finished, she rested her head on her forearm while still leaning over the bin. "Levi did this on purpose...I'm going to kick his ass."

Cristoff walked over to her while rubbing her back soothingly, "you two are the worst when together. Honestly, if the titans don't kill you, the other will."

She nodded her head slightly, "at least I know dozens of different ways to make his death look like an accident."

"I wouldn't normally condone using your knowledge for evil, but if it calls for it, I'd rather you be around than that little asshole."

At that she looked up at the older man in surprise, not used to hearing him joke about something like that.

"What?" he questioned in mock confusion. "You can be an asshole too, but you're my little asshole that at least knows respect when needed."

Adelina let out a soft laugh, "I like this version of you...did you finally get laid while I was away?"

He slapped the back of her head which caused her to yelp in pain. "Don't be so vulgar!" he embarrassingly rushed to the door while yelling back at her, "eat some food and be at the training field in half an hour!"

"I'm taking that as a yes!" she called back before pushing off the bin and moving to the wash bin in the far corner. Cupping her hands and dunking them in the cool water, she brought her face closer to the water before splashing it over her face. Her head still felt over pressured and the light hurt her eyes, but she could admit that this was one of the nicer hangovers in her years. Expensive alcohol was definitely nicer in all aspects, as opposed to the garbage they normally got from town.

Upon entering the dining hall, she immediately wanted to retreat back to the safety and quietness of her quarters. Everyone was so loud and animated for it being so early in the morning. Grabbing a plate, a piece of bread, and cup of coffee, she looked around in boredom and slight agitation before spotting just the person she was looking for.

Sitting daintily across from him, she gave the best glare she could muster. If he was hungover, he definitely wasn't showing it as he sipped the black coffee from his mug while giving her an annoyed expression.

"You look like shit." Levi stated.

She rolled her eyes as she took a bite from her roll, "at least it is only after I drink excessively. You, on the other hand," she gave a smirk, "have to live with that ugly face every day."

His brow gave a miniscule twitch, but he said nothing else. Realizing that he wasn't going to bicker and play along with her, she stuffed the rest of the bread in her mouth and washed it down with the sweetened coffee. Leaving her dishes on the table, she stood to her feet and strolled to the door of the dining hall, giving a small glance back to see his face contorting in rage at the mess she had just left.

Tally that one for a win.

With newfound energy and happiness, she skipped out the doors and hummed her way to the training fields. It was her first day as a team leader, and she was actually excited to see who she would be assigned, and how they would fit well with her new students.

It was a short walk, but she was almost proud of herself for making it just in time to see the entire squad lined up and saluting Cristoff. He gave her a side glance but remained stoic, trying his hardest to appear ruthless and professional. She had to mentally laugh.

Stepping beside him, she glanced at all the new faces in their ranks, surprised at the numbers before her. The Survey Corps weren't many recruits first choice due to the high mortality rate, and given that, with each new batch the numbers seemed to dwindle. This time, however, it seemed that they had more brave souls, ready to lay their lives on the line in order to help mankind.

Considering the squad they had chosen, that also meant they were smarter and stronger than the rest – minus the elite squad – which made training that much easier for the leaders. The rescue and medical unit was one of the more important ones of the Corps, being that it was they who would be saving those injured or in trouble on the field. They had to be able to fight and kill titans efficiently while also knowing basic medic healing in order to safely remove soldiers.

The majority only learned the essentials, such as resetting broken bones or bandaging wounds. Those who showed extra potential would be moved into a special course, in which they would have off-site medical training. They would be doctors.

Cristoff had been her teacher for years, and now it was her turn to step up and take a new batch of soldiers under her wing. She had been allowed to recruit her own from a different branch, and since she could only manage to reel in two, the other three were to be chosen from the squad and placed in her team.

" – and as such, I commend you all for the path you have chosen. For life to mean more than fear of the unknown," she was brought back to reality as he ended his speech, "we will now move you into your new teams, at which time your team leaders will take control and begin training!"

The soldiers banged their fists to their chests and waited patiently for Cristoff to dismiss them to look at the fliers on the side of the field so they could find their names, and then move to the correct teams.

Cheers and moans could be heard throughout the trainees, as Adelina watched the group carefully. Lukas and Klaus were of course walking toward her and waving enthusiastically, but aside from them she didn't see any others moving in her direction. Perhaps there weren't any good enough to begin the advanced training this time around?

"You seem so bored and lonely!" Klaus exclaimed with a large smile.

"Aren't there supposed to be more of us?" Lukas replied, his eyes glancing questioningly over to the dispersing group of soldiers. "I didn't really pay much attention to the names or who went where."

She sighed, "You have to be more observant about things."

"Shouldn't you know who's on your team?" he reiterated with a raised brow.

"I – uh," she sputtered in embarrassment, before barking back, "I'm your superior, you have to treat me with more respect!"

"A bit hard when you act like a child most of the time,"

"Why you – "

"Miss Smith?" Adelina stopped mid-complainy to look at who had spoken her name. There were three others standing before them, two females and one male. The one who had spoken stepped forward, her hands in the proper salute position. "Petra Ral, previous member of Squad 71!"

The girl was mousy, being only an inch or so taller than her with shoulder length amber hair and eyes. The other two were taller, the female sported a pixie cut and had black hair and blue eyes, while the male looked to be in shape, but not overly muscular with brown hair and dark blue eyes.

"Then you two are?"

"Hanna Wilde, ma'am!" The woman stepped forward and saluted.

"Mischa Yates!" the man followed suit.

The last two she had seen around the squad, seemingly perfect at everything they did. They were going to be a wonderful fit for her team, and hopefully able to snap the twins into shape before their first expedition outside the walls. Petra however, was a new face. Squad 71 was the more advanced soldiers that tended to go on solo missions; her small and fragile appearance was nothing but a ruse then, and being selected for medical training meant she was smart.

Yes, she mused, her team was absolutely perfect.

The first day had come with the basic formalities and getting to know their future teammates. Everyone seemed to get along well enough, though she was a bit put off at how serious Mischa and Hanna could be. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but she enjoyed conversing and teaching those who could be friendly and joke around with her.

She was a leader and their superior, but she didn't want to be like some of those hard-assed ones that only wanted to make emotionless robots. In their line of work they needed to have human emotions in order to think clearly, empathize, and get the job done correctly.

Petra was a quick learner and willing to do whatever was asked. She was also very sweet, and up for joking around with everyone, especially Lukas and Klaus. Her heart seemed to be in the right place, but Adelina wondered if she was more interested in titan killing.

Heaving a large sigh, the blonde woman lifted her hands in the air as she stretched out her aching muscles. The reports and transfer paperwork was almost complete, and with the signed waivers, she could officially begin training in the morning. Erwin had mentioned an expedition in the coming months, but he hadn't been precise about the actual date, which meant she had a short timeframe to begin the proper procedures of field rescue operations.

Already, the stress was beginning to fill her veins as she tried to relax her breathing. Doubt set into her mind. Would she be a good leader? Would her team survive their first mission? Was she ready to fill out death reports?

Biting her lip until she could taste the copper on her tongue was the only way to bring herself back to reality and to the matter at hand. Licking the small dribble of blood, she signed the last paper before looking to the clock on her desk.

1137

Shuffling the papers into a neat pile, she rubbed her tired eyes and walked out of her office. Her quarters weren't far from where she was, and thankfully she had already showered beforehand because she couldn't bring herself to now. The corridor was empty and silent, making for an almost eerie and lonely walk. Her mind began to play horrific scenes throughout the darkness, causing her to pinch the skin between her thumb and index finger so tightly that she let out a small whine.

Rushing into her room and slamming the door, she quickly discarded her uniform and threw on a simple shirt that acted like a gown on her small body. Looking around at the vacancy that was her room, she quickly pulled on a pair of clean pants and her boots, before grabbing a lantern and lighting it with a match. Heaving a deep breath to try and calm herself down, she opened the door, shutting it behind her and walking back down from where she had come from.

Being promoted meant that her dormitory was now close to the infirmary in case of any late night emergencies. It wasn't a horrible arrangement, and in fact, she actually liked being situated so close to everything work related – it kept her from wandering off and getting into trouble.

However, the only downside was that the other barracks were now further than she was used to, meaning she had to basically jog in order to escape the darkness that was attempting to engulf her. So, with quick steps she made her way outside and then back into another building, careful now to remain silent as her boots made contact with the hard floors.

"16...17...18..." she counted under her breath as she passed each door. Her eyes didn't dare look any further than the lit candle inside her lantern in fear of being grabbed by unseen entities; looking up only when she had reached the desired number, she reached a hand up to knock, but instead dropped it to the handle and pushed open the door.

Inside, there was already another lantern lit and sitting on a desk near the window as its occupant was bent over and shining their boots. She exhaled a sigh of relief as she quietly shut the door, set the lantern on the floor, and began to remove her own boots.

"You took longer than usual, I was starting to think that the monsters might have actually gotten you this time." Green eyes glared ferociously at the voice's owner, but said nothing as she removed her pants and folded them neatly next to her boots. "Your boots are disgusting, do you ever clean them you filthy pig?"

"I am too tired to do this tonight, Levi." she sighed. "If you want them clean, do it yourself."

"You forget that you are in my room, wench. You are a grown adult who can't stand being alone at night, how pitiful."

"And yet, you continue to stay up and wait for me every night." she countered brusquely while moving to sit on his bed.

He rolled his eyes, "don't flatter yourself, I have other things keeping me occupied this late into the evening. I couldn't care less if you appeared or not."

She didn't even have the energy to reply, because as soon as her head hit his pillow, his scent wafted through her nostrils and her heavy eyelids shut. Instantly she lost consciousness as her mind drifted into another place filled with nothing but black.

Levi looked up from his boots to see the woman curled up and sleeping on his bed, her curly blonde hair fanned out around her and her fingers close to her mouth made her look far younger than she actually was. It was during this time that he enjoyed her presence the most.

He would never admit to enjoying the company, but it seemed to be a mutual feeling for them both. It had happened sometime after the deaths of his street friends, if he recalled correctly, they had both lost important people during that mission, and so naturally in their weakened states, they clung to each other. The following morning they had parted as if nothing had happened, but after that, Adelina continued to find him during the nights and he accepted her companionship – albeit a bit begrudgingly at first – as a way of coping with his own bitter loneliness.

She seemed to find comfort in him, but it was never in a romantic way. Unlike other women who would be pining for the attention and milking the situation, she instead simply slept there at night and then left in the morning, continuing to argue and banter with him throughout the day as normal.

Adalina Smith was like several people wrapped up into one tiny explosive package. He was amazed at how easily she could fluctuate between moods and emotions, yet never seeming to linger on one thing for too long. Normally it was her way or no way, but he had found that during his years as a soldier only three people had been able to handle her obtuse behaviors: Erwin, Captain Owen, and now himself. It was those three people that she seemed to cling to the most, because no matter how bad she got, they were always there.

She was a tough soldier, but had the mentality of a child.

Her heart was racing inside her chest as the hands clawed at her skin. Their dead sunken eyes loomed over her screaming figure as they blamed her for their deaths, one by one, more of them appeared as they began to rip chunks of flesh from her body. The blood was everywhere, the pain too intense to even describe – she was being torn apart.

Suddenly, she felt her body fall and then hit a hard surface, causing her to instantly wake up in both terror and pain. Groaning loudly, she noted that she was now face up and on the floor, her back aching from the sudden drop and her skin sticky from what could have only been sweat. The night terrors had come back, and as normal, Levi used his comforting abilities to the max by pushing her off his bed.

"You are not coming back into my bed with your disgusting sweaty body." he chided as he looked down at her. He had quickly removed his bedding and sheets in disgust, and moving to a drawer to remove new ones, "Thanks to your horrid dreaming, I am now getting less sleep than intended and have to clean even more bedding. Get out."

She could see the sky begin to lighten from outside his window, meaning that it was close to dawn and safe to return to her own bed. Without so much as an apology or goodbye, she stealthily slipped on her pants and boots and left his room. The cool autumn air hit her skin, causing goosebumps to cover her arms and legs as she quickly jogged back into her barracks and up the stairs into her bedroom.

Feeling absolutely exhausted and not at all rested from her nightmare, Adelina, in her zombie-like state, simply fell onto her bed and back into a dreamless slumber.

What felt like only a few minutes ended up being a few hours as a loud banging on her door stirred her awake. She could hear Lukas on the other side yelling at her about being late to training, to which she grabbed her pillow and covered her head in hopes of drowning out the sound.

It must have been far past 0700 for him to be complaining, but she honestly couldn't be bothered to get up and begin the daily lecture when her body felt like it had been hit with a wagon. Instead, she turned her head slightly and called out, "training is being pushed back until after lunch! I expect you all to have written three pages on why it is important to stretch your muscles before any physical activity!"

She heard him groan, and complain about "lazy instructors," before walking back down the hallway, probably to tell his teammates the horrible news.

Figuring she had bought herself at least a few extra hours of sleep, she lifted her body to remove the pants and boots that were still on, only to pause upon noticing that something was off.

Her once dirty boots were now almost sparkling as if they were brand new.

"Clean freak," she laughed, while tossing them and her pants across the room before falling back into the comfort of her bed.

A/N: I apologize for the shortness and lack of fluidity within this chapter! I'm in the process of moving, but wanted to get this out before I lost internet for a few days. I am thinking I'm going to stick with my original plan of this being a short story, since I already have most of the chapters fleshed out. Hopefully from here on out it will be more action packed and what-not.

Thank you for the follows and reviews thus far! I'm glad people are actually reading my writing...it helps knowing that you all want to read more. So review, review, review and give me fuel! : )