"Lieutenant?", Armin's voice broke my train of thought and I found myself back in the present once more.

"Yes, cadet, what's wrong?", my tone slightly annoyed either from the lack of sleep or the fact that I'd just recalled a bad memory from my Garrison days.

"Where did you live before you join the military?"

"Shiganshina. The same as you, I've heard. I knew Eren's father, doctor Jaeger.", he seemed to grow somber and averted his gaze from figure for a few seconds.

"Oh... so you were there during the attack..", he muttered, any further words becoming unclear to me.

"Yes, I was evacuating citizens.", I added. We fell silent, letting the night air engulf the remains of our conversation for a couple of minutes. It felt soothing, being there in the night, just hearing the trees whisper and having the wind softly graze my exposed hand and face.

"I hope... we can take back Wall Maria soon...", he sighed, finally ripping the silent veil between us.

"In time, Armin... That's why we train so hard.", I breathed, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. Not even the extreme tiredness my body was feeling left me relax and let the soft whistles of the night breeze lull me to sleep. My thoughts kept me fully aware of my duties as an officer and as a survivor.

"Mam... may I ask a question?", he spoke, piercing my ears with a sudden loud voice.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Are you afraid of the titans..?", it sounded like he was even afraid of mentiong them, from what his shaky voice led me to believe.

"Afraid..? What kind of question is that, Arlert?"

"I don't know... it's just that... I wanted to know if we ever lose the terror that comes from being next to one. When we where in the Trost district I... I saw my friends being eaten alive and, if Eren hadn't helped me... I'd have met the same fate as them... I couldn't move; I just stood there, waiting to die...", light paths of reflect moonlight shone on his face, as he was probably crying from remembering it.

"Listen...", a deep sighed escaped from my pursed lips. "Fear exists to protect us. You already have enough training to fend off against, at least, the smaller class titans. That gut feeling, that fear, will always be there but you'll learn to control it throughout the years.", I smiled and chuckled, thinking about how Hange dealt with the creatures. "Well, I don't think you'll get to Major Hange's level of comfort around them, but you won't be paralysed."

"When your team was attacked, where you scared?", my stomach turned and a knot formed in the back of my throat. The dirty bandage on my left hand seemed to sting a bit at the memory of what had happened but I did my best to ignore the familiar feeling.

"Enough questions, cadet.", the conversation came to a close with my words. I tucked a loose strand of hair away from my face before turning to him again. "If you're that curious, ask commander Erwin for the incident record."

"Record? What's that?"

"A report on what happened. But, now that I thought of it, I'm not sure if they let the cadets see things like those anyways..."

"Oh...", he stopped talking, gazing at the dark horizon. I dived again into my thoughts.

-FLASHBACK-

We always know when we're at home and I knew mine was not in that house. Of course, they were my family and we slept under the same roof but our happiness was merely temporary. The moment my father stepped foot inside of the house again, my life would be a living hell.

Fred woke me up, jumping on my legs and almost yelling.

"Wake up! Wake up!", he kept on insisting, pulling my uncovered arm.

"Ugh...", moans were the only sounds I could make in my current groggy state. I slammed my face further into the pillow so the sun didn't burn my closed eyes. "What... is it?"

"We need to go give out the cookies and sweets before mass starts, Martha! Come on!", his incessant screaming and jumping had my brain in a pile of mush in seconds. I'd forgotten he'd offered both of us to help out the old lady.

"Didn't you say you would do it?..."

"Come on! I can't take everything by myself! I'll do anything you waaant...", he offered in an alluring tone.

"Anything I want, huh?...", the covers rolled down when I sat up, smiling. "You'll clean my room until the weekend."

"Fine...", he huffed, annoyed. He pulled me again, urging me to get up. I simply refused to budge and rubbed my eyes, trying to wake up faster.

"What time is it anyways? Don't you have to go to school or something?", I cocked an eyebrow, scowling at him.

"It's 7, okay? Come on, or we won't get there in time!"

"UUUUGH...", a dragged moan escaped from my lips as I got up and out of bed. He remained seated over the covers, looking expectantly at me. "Hum, hello? I'm not going to get dressed with you here..."

"Right, okay, I'll go down and get your breakfast ready!", he ran fullspeed out of the room, stomping loudly as he descended the wooden stairs.

"Well... someone is very helpful this morning...", I remarked, yawning. As soon as me left, the pijamas were replaced by simple trousers, a shirt and my uniform boots. These ones were the most comfortable pair of shoes I'd ever had.

Under my feet, the old creaky wood whispered, as I got down to the ground floor. Fred was already putting the sweets and cookies into baskets so it would be easier to carry and, looking at the table, I saw that a plate of bread and milk was waiting for me. After eating rather quickly, rushed by the impatience in his gaze, we carried a basket each and left the house.

"See you later, kids!", yelled mom, closing the door we'd left open. Fred took the lead, snaking through the busy streets, whilst still making sure I was following him. Despite having been out of town for the most part during these last three years, the mental map I held of our neighbourhood hadn't been forgotten. However, from what this path, one could guess that mass wasn't simply father preaching in the middle of the street to a bunch of old people.

"Where are we going, afterall?", I managed to ask Fred, as he slowed his pace down.

"The church is up ahead. Dad says churches are supposed to be beautiful and enormous like the ones in Wall Sina but the higher order priests think that there aren't enough people here who follow the church, so they don't want to built one of those...", we reached the door of a house. A few couples with kids and some elderly people entered before us and, as we passed the doorway, the interior was visible to my eyes.

The room we were in was a small one. It looked old but well kept as there wasn't any dust or cobwebs near the corners. It had a small stand, propbably where dad preached his sermons to the people. The rest of the room was full of chairs, so that the attendees could sit, I assume. Whenever I was on leave, I'd always find excuses not to attend service so it was rather normal that I hadn't heard of this change in scenery.

"Frederik, good morning.", a tall young man greeted us. He couldn't be much older than me, his soft brown eyes smiled at us.

"Father Jaime! Hi!", Fred answered, smiling at the man.

"No, not yet. Only after I've finished the seminar.", his voice was gently and calm. "And you must be Martha, isn't that so?"

"I am..", what was this pit in my stomach that made me feel so shy all of a sudden? This man was so kind and handsome, I couldn't help but feel a light flush rise to my cheeks as he looked at me. This is so embarassing...

"Frederik talks about you a lot.", he chuckled. "Is that cookies I'm seeing in those baskets?"

"Yes they are.", I nodded, lifting it up so that he could see better.

"Mrs Gertrude asked us to bring them here for her.", Fred interviened. "She's still sick."

"I understand. It's a shame she cannot attend service today, we'll pray for her health. Thank you for having brought those things. Come, I'll show you where you can put the baskets down.", we followed him further into the house, towards the far corner of the main room, where a long table stood against the wall.

"Well, we should get going..", I suggested, as soon as we'd finished what we'd gone there for.

"So soon? You won't stay for the service?", brother Jaime questioned.

"I need to go to school...", Fred replied, in a disappointed tone.

"Then you should get going", the brunette in robes smiled, patting my brother's head. "It's very important to learn everyday. And you, miss?"

"Well, I... was going to visit a friend...", my voice was but a soft whisper.

"Stay and listen. Father Charles is very pleasant to hear. Your father likes him very much."

"Well...hum-", I didn't want him to know of my lack of faith and religion. To know that my beliefs about the Church of Walls were that it was a cult, a false pretense to force people into fear and hate. I feared the way he'd react to it if it were to be said, specially, since father was a priest. I'd be called a heretic and shame would be brought upon our family name. "I guess I can stay for a while..."

"Very well then.", he smiled. "I have something to give you. It's your father's."

"You do? What?"

"A box with his things from another church. A few weeks ago, the district's main priest, Father Raymond, passed away, rest his soul, and he left all of his posessions to us."

"Oh... sorry to hear that..", I muttered.

"We appreciate your condolences, miss Martha. Please come with me.", we walked through a narrow corridor, the floorboards creaking under our feet. At the end was the beginning of a descending stairwell. "The box is down there, let me just fetch some light to illuminate the way.", he left me alone for a couple of minutes and, as soon as he returned, we began our descent.

The basement had a series of covered furniture and boxes. It reeked of mold and humidity, the damp air entrailing itself in my clothes and making it almost hard to breathe. As brother Jaime approached a pile of cardboard boxes, he let the oil lamp rest on top of one of them, picking up the topmost one.

"Do you mind carrying the lamp please, Martha?", he asked, turning to me.

"No, not at all.", I answered, picking up the metal holder of the lamp and leading the way back up. "I could carry that, brother..", I remarked. After all, the years of training weren't for nothing although the muscles my body had strengthened were well hidden by the loose fitting clothes.

"Don't mind, miss, don't tire yourself. You know.. you're lucky to have your father. His heart is in the right place.", he said, the last sentence had an absentminded tone to it, like brother Jaime was thinking about something else. Like he, of all people would know if father even had a heart...!

"I'm sure didn't always agreed with your parents on their opinions of what you should do, brother Jaime.", the comment slipped from my lips before I'd even noticed it.

"My parents had a very strict ideal of what path I should follow."

"I'm sorry, I didn't-", the issue sounded like a sensitive one.

"Don't worry.", he chuckled lightly. "I've made my peace with it. Despite them not having approved of my choices, I know they always had in mind my well being.", when he said this, it felt like something he'd repeated many times to himself, to convice himself and not the actual truth.

However, I decided against asking any further questions and the rest of the way back was made in absolute silence. He guided me to a small room, almost unfurnished, placing the box on a simple desk.

"Here it is.", he stated.

"How did my father leave these things there?"

"I don't know, miss. Anyways, it was father Raymond's wish that your father would keep this and, since I know he won't be back until next month, I thought it was a good time to give it to you."

"Right.", I nodded, peering into the semi open box, to try and take a look at what was inside.

"Brother Jaime!", a voice called from the hallway.

"Ah, it's father Charles. Service will start in a few moments. Let's go, miss Martha.", taking the box in my arms, I followed the man to the main room, where the cult was already assembled. Sitting in the back row, the next hour was spent listening to yet another boring man speaking about the Great Architect and insulting the military forces.

When I arrived at home, mom had already left so it was probably a good idea to wait until she got back before trying to pry into what was inside the box. It stood there, atop of the table, looking at me, almost begging to be opened. Because of this insatiable curiosity, I thought it best to leave and walk along town to distract myself.

Sheila's house was almost on the other side of town, on the far end near the inner gate. It took me more than an hour, walking through unknown streets, getting lost and trying to find a way back but eventually, I stood in front of her door.

"Sheila! It's me!", the muffled sounds coming from inside told me she was coming to greet me.

"Martha!", she smiled, opening the hardwood door. "Come in, come in."

I spent most of the day there with her brothers and sisters, playing with little Annaleigh and helping her mother take care of the twins while she was working at the forge. After saying my goodbyes, it took a while to get back home, where I sat waiting for mother to arrive.

"Honey, I'm back.", she smile as she entered the house. "What is this?", she asked, pointing at the box of dad's things.

"A box with stuff from dad. One of the monks at the church gave it to me."

"Hm... I don't know any of these things...", she mumbled, as she was rummaging through it. "Wait... this was mine!", she stated, smiling widely as she lifted up a colored ribbon. "When your father and I met, I always wore my hair tied up with this ribbon. He liked it so much that ended up giving it to him."

"Aww... that's sweet... And this?", I asked, picking up a small locked wooden box.

"No idea... I'd never seen it before. It's best if we don't touch anything else and wait for you father to come back.", she advised and her words were met with a nod.

Like that, two weeks had passed in a breeze and my first day of work arrived.

"Mom...", I called silently, trying not to wake Fred up.

"Hm?"

"What do I do now? I need to go to the Wall, but Fred can't see me in a uniform. Furthermore, what do I tell him so he doesn't get suspicious? Afterall-"

"The military police only operates in Wall Sina...", she muttered, sitting up. "Listen, dear, we'll just have to tell your borther. He'll understand."

"What?! Are you insane? If he finds out, he's going to hate me!"

"He's a boy, those things never last. You're still his sister after all. Don't worry Martha, it's going to work out."

"No way... he can't find out... I'll have to leave the house then."

"Don't be ridiculous, dear. What's with this unnecessary drama anyways? Besides, who do you think is going to pay for your stay at their barracks? I can barely afford food for us...", she stated, her tone increasingly annoyed. "Just tell him."

"I won't. I'm not asking you to lie for me. Just... don't tell him anything, please."

"We'll see if that holds up when your father comes home..."

"I have to go, I'll see you later, mom.", I smiled softly.

"Goodbye, sweety.", she pulled me into her arms and hugged me, laying a gentle kiss on my forehead. I ran towards the Garrison headquarters, near the outer gate and joined the other cadets.

"Very well-", a tall blonde man began talking. "I am capitain Ronald Aberdeen. I am the Shiganshina district's commander. Our job here is to maintaign the population safe against the threat of the titans.", his voice was stern but he wasn't shouting, walking amongst our ranks while he spoke. "Go get your uniforms and report back here. You will be assigned different sections of the Wall. Dismissed."

The sea of people surrounding me moved towards the uniform distribution site and, we were given not only our clothes with the Garrison insignia but also the 3-D gear we'd use from that day foward. Captain Aberdeen split us up into several groups of ten after we'd returned.

"Martha?", a familiar voice called.

"Mathias..?", it was him, and seeing him again made me smile. "Mat, hi!"

"Looks like we're on the same team.", he smiled back. An older man, in his mid thirties guided us to the top of the wall.

"Brats!", he yelled as we reached the top. "My name is Jack Strauss and I am in charge of the front section of the Wall. From this day foward, you will be assigned a segment of it. That entails polishing the cannons, maintenance, etc. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir!". Soon after, my team was assigned to the 6L secction in the front portion of the wall. Cannon anatomy was something we'd been taught during our time in the Trainee Corps so, I had my fair share of knowledge about how to handle one of those things.

Time seemed to stand still when my eyes crossed the top of the wall. The landscape was immense; it's green fields extended until they touched the far horizon. A river as wide as the canal that flowed through the city snaked its way into the forests on the far left of where I could see, almost as if seeking shade from the already risen sun.

Behind us, the city seemed tremendously small, when compared to the immensity of the outside world. Then, I saw the titans approaching in the distance; humanoid creatures that appeared to move slowly.

"Wow...", Mat whispered to himself. He was just as amazed as I was.

After that, we were basically abandoned by captain Strauss to fend for ouserselves. My groups didn't seem bad but it was clear they didn't intend on working very much.

"I know a great bar close by, you guys wanna come?", one of them asked.

"Eh, why not...", another commented, shrugging. "Not like there's anything to do here."

"Aren't we gonna take care of the cannons?", I questioned.

"What for? We're not even going to use them. Relax, no one's gonna save the world here...", he replied dryly. I didn't say anything else and they eventually left to go wherever it was they were going to. The rest of us went to find our section.

There were two rows of cannons on rails, all pointed outwards. We spread out throught the four cannons and each started inspecting the machinery. A scream pierced the air around, coming from the otherside of the small wall that separated each section. As I crossed over to see what it was, a small group had formed near the outer edge of the Wall.

A few cadets were leaning against the separators, almost shaking.

"Is something wrong?", the naiveness of my voice must've been evident. A blond boy, a few years older than me looked back and smiled.

"No, everything it fine.", he was holding his back almost behind his back, hiding something. "We just noticed something weird down there."

"Really?", I murmured, feeling the curiosity take over me.

"Yeah, why don't you come a little closer so you can see better?", the others cleared a parth for me to approach and, as I stood there near the edge, a cable almost pierced my arm, attaching itself to the embossed segment that signaled the change between sections. The suddeness of this startled me and I looked down, seeing a boy hoisting himself with that cable.

My eyes trailed the other one back up and saw that it was the blonde boy who was holding it.

"What-", before I could finish the sentence, someone pushed me out of the platform and off the edge. The sizzling sound of one of my cables unravelling at high speed told me this was really happening. The ground was closing in and the wind howled in my ears.
I was falling and I was going to die. I need to turn around, sounded more like an order than a thought. The fast paced images floating around in my brain were confusing and distracting me.

My hands reached the belt, feeling the reel vibrating from the excessive speed with which it was turning. Finally, I managed to turn around and saw the top of the wall getting farther, while I dived in its shadow.

Without further thought, my hands grabbed the metal cable, it burning and digging into the skin. I couldn't recoil it, since the guy was holding on to it, else we'd both fall. I launched the other one, seeing it burying itself into the stone and I stopped falling, feeling my spine compressing with the shock. It took me a few minutes to get back up there and as I hoisted myself, my bleeding hands held the ledge firmly.

"Welcome to the Garrison, newbie.", the blond guy laughed. If stares could kill, no doubt he'd be dead already, that disgusting idiot. Trying to calm my pulse and panting, I didn't answer, looking at him in silence. "That stare... uh, I'm so scared... Here.", he reached his hand out to me and my bloody palm grabbed it.

As he noticed the red liquid almost dripping down from my hand and let go of it, making me fall on one knee.

"Or not.", he laughed. My balance was off but I managed to lunged foward and catch myself with my elbows, instead of hitting the ground with my face. My stomach was turning like a wheel and the blurred vision made it difficult to focus on anything. I sat down and looked up to the people around me.

They seemed incapable of talking, let alone help me stand. The boy I'd seem climb back up was curled up by a cannon, shaking.

"Martha?", it was Mat. "What happened?", no answer came from my mouth, as I was still in shock, my heart pounding frantically. He helped me up and my leg gave out from the strain of the maneuver gear.

"That blonde guy... he threw me off the ledge...", I whispered.

"What?!", he yelled, looking angry. "We need to tell someone!"

"Don't mind... I'm fine, you don't need to."

"No way, we're most definetely going to talk to captain Strauss!", he grabbed my hand but recoiled his immediately. "You're bleeding... We need to get you to the infirmary."

"I'll go alone, don't worry.", were my words before leaving him there. Slowly, trying not to limp, I descended to the ground level. I ran past the infirmary, towards the house. I just wanted to get out, joining the Garrison had been a mistake.

My breath hitched and my head was pounding, so it would do me well to rest a while. Because of this, I decided to lean against an old looking house to catch some air. Suddenly, dizziness took over me and I couldn't keep my breakfast in anymore, spewing it on the pavement. Leaning once more against the wood, I slid until I was seated, closing my eyes and covering my face to stop tears from falling.

"Hoy. Do people nowadays go around and just do whatever they want near others' houses?", a voice from above scolded. Looking up, my eyes were met by hazel ones. A girl right about my age was staring at me from the window. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Oh.. I'm sorry...", I whispered, realising she was talking to me afterall. "It wasn't intentional.

"What happened to ya? You look awfull."

"Well... my first day at the Garrison isn't going that well..."

"Eh, that shit's a bore. Come on in, I'll get you something to clear that taste.", her house was very simple, almost no furniture and no personal items, only a couple of letters on the table.

She gave me a small towel to clean my mouth and face, which I imagine, were covered in blood from my hands.

"How did that happen?", she pointed at my ripped palms with a nod.

"Some random guy there decided to throw me off the ledge and I tried to stop the cable with my hands. Stupid fucker..."

"Hm.. interesting.", she muttered to herself. "That boy, how was he?"

"I don't know, I can't really remember his face. He was blonde and all... I think he had brown eyes or something."

"Right. Here use this.", she threw a small container. "Put that on your hands, else it will rot."

"Thanks. What's your name, by the way?", I inquired, rubbing the minty ointment in the cuts.

"Ray. You?"

"Martha. Are you in the Garrison as well?", the semi opened door the lead to her bedroom showed a neatly folded uniform.

-END FLASHBACK-

Looking out the corner of my eye, I saw Armin with his eyes close, probably half asleep.

"Cadet...", my soft voice called him, hand lightly touching his shoulder.

"What...? Lieutenant!", he yelled, realising he'd fallen asleep. "I'm awake!"

"Sure you are... Go to bed.", I told him. We got down from the branch we'd been sitting on and I approached Eren's tent. Petra had fallen asleep in the meanwhile, her gentle breath mixing with the night sounds. Opening the entrance to the tent, my gaze peered in to make sure everything was alright.

"Aren't you going to sleep, mam?", Jaeger asked, sitting up.

"Someone has to keep watch. I'm responsible for you guys afterall."

"Let me help you.", he got up and put on his gear before I could prohibit him. Looking out and over to the tree line, inspecting it. It'd been well over an hour and a half so Jean and Mikasa were probably asleep by now. I covered Petra with her green cape and walked towards the watch site.

The sound of Eren's anti-titan blades clanked loudly as he rushed to accompany me. He ended up sitting beside me on the branch.

"What do you do during these hours, lieutenant Krieger?"

"I think."

"About what?"

"About none of your business.", a light chuckle escaped my lips. "Plans, the past, the future. Those sorts of things."

"I see... I really want this to work... I want to control my powers so we can retake Wall Maria.."

"Me too, Jaeger. But we need to be patient. Things like these can't be rushed. All in due time."

"I know but, now, we really have a chance against them. It just requires that I...", he looked at his hand. "hurt myself."

"Listen, a lot of the time, we think we're ready for things when we really aren't. Don't get all excited just yet.", silence took over for a moment.

"Mam... today you called me Lee-"

"It was a mistake. I got carried away and let my emotions rule over."

"It must've been hard...", he murmured.

"Seeing people die is never easy, Eren."

"I know that.."

"You endured well the beating Levi gave you", I smiled. "Not everyone can say that."

"Thanks... I guess.."

"I imagine that, at the time, you didn't understand why he did it. Neither of us did. In fact, Mikasa almost jumped from the stand to defend you. That girl will do anything for you, you know that."

"I know..", he lowered his head. He seemed embarassed but the pale moonlight wasn't enought for me to makeout if he was blushing or not.

"Do not make her take unnecessary risks. When I was younger- eh, nevermind, it's not important."

The sound of metallic cables and reels, typical of 3-D gear reached my ears and I turned to get a look at the origin of the sound. A shadow was approaching rather fast and, before either of us had time to get up, corporal Levi landed on our branch.

"Captain? What are you doing here?", I asked. A second shadow appeared behind him; it was Eld.

"We've been pursuing the shit who's been sabotaging us. We've followed it here.", he answered with a straight face.

"Right.", I nodded. "We haven't noticed anything odd."

"Where's Petra?"

"She's sleeping. We had a rough day. Jaeger here had an accident and we spent the afternoon with him, making sure that he was fine."

"Hm, come.", he jumped off the branch and we followed. Eld was chatting him up behind me and I quickened the pace, reaching Levi.

"Are we suspending the activities?"

"No, that would be suspicious. Proceed as usual."

"I've suspended Eren from tomorrow's activities as punishment for his recklessness."

"Forget that shit. Take us to your tent, we'll talk there.", he replied sharply.

"Right.", showing them the way to my tent, we walked through the camp quietly, trying to leave the sleeping cadets undisturbed. Inside, Levi took my maps and began scribbling over them, sitting on one of the corners, absorbed in his thoughts. Eren was told to get Petra. While we waited for her, the corporal filled me in on the facts.

"This guy only showed up after that brat arrived so it could be related to that.", he concluded.

"I see... Then what's the plan?", Petra asked, entering the tent and looking at the scribbled notes at Levi's feet.

"Tomorrow, do everything as normal. The kids go and do whatever it is they do here and we watch."

"And we leave Eren unprotected?", she asked.

"We can't get too close. If we want to get this guy, he can't suspect anything. Plus, it's safe to assume that he wouldn't try anything if ranked soldiers like us were there to protect him.", I replied.

"He seems to be smart enough to figure out it's a trap if we make the slightest mistake. We almost lost him on the way here.", Eld noticed.

"You.", Levi lifted his gaze towards Eren. "Not a word to the other brats, got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now scram. This doesn't concern you.", he left, leaving the four of us remaining.

"How are we going to distribute the surveillance? I've divided the kids into teams.", I asked as he scrolled his eyes over the sheet of paper that had the teams and we went silent.

-
"Very well... Petra, Krieger, you two take Ackerman's group and I'll take Jaeger's. Eld, keep an eye over the camp."

"Right.", we nodded. I got up and left the tent after he'd dismissed us. Someone had to continue the night watch and I was precisely making my way back to the tree when I heard rustling behind me.

"Rest, Krieger.", Levi ordered, passing by.

"Are you sure?"

"You look dreadful. Get out of my sight.", he replied. Somehow, it seemed like he meant it in a caring way, not that captain would ever show affection over anyone directly, for that matter.

"Goodnight corporal."

"So you're finally taking orders now, huh...", he murmured, walking away.

"Huuh?", I turned back. "What's that supposed to mean?", but he didn't answer. Petra was in my tent when I got back.

"So, did the captain told you to rest here as well?", I smiled at her.

"No. I was just wondering... are we really using Eren as bait to lure whoever it is out? I trust corporal Levi 100% but I'm afraid that something might go wrong... What if he panics and turns into a titan?"

"Eh, Levi's right. I still think it would be better to keep Jaeger here but then, we'd lose the guy for sure. It's worth a shot. I really hope Eren doesn't run his mouth to the others..."

"I doubt it...", she remarked. "He wouldn't disobey a direct order like that."

"True.. I'm going to sleep now, the sun should be up in a few hours.", I told her.

"Right, goodnight, Martha.", she left, leaving me alone. The unbelting of the straps was done slowly as sleep took over my tired body. I laid down and closed my eyes.

The sound of rustling and voices woke me up. As my eyes opened lazily, I saw the sun shinning through the fabric of the tent. It didn't seem like a lot of time had passed since I'd fallen asleep. Outside, the cadets scattered around like busy ants, preparing the meals and their horses.

"So everyone decided to wake up early today, huh..", the comment escaped my lips as Jean was walking by, a small potato in his hand.

"Petra gave us the morning's orders. She thought you could use some rest after spending the whole night on watch.", he replied.

"Is everything going smoothly?"

"To the last bit.", Sasha smiled, carrying a series of wooden logs to add near the firepits.

"Where's Petra?", I asked and was told she'd gone to the river nearby. "Take care of things here, I need to talk to her."

Moving away from the camp, I could slowly begin to see her figure, kneeled by the water behind a tree. She was washing her face and, on the other riverbank, Eld and Levi were doing the same.

"Good morning.", they greeted me. The captain simply looked at me in a greeting style.

"Morning. Thanks for handling things back there, Petra. They're almost ready to leave.", I replied.

"Signal me when you give the order so I can take your place.", requested Eld.

"Right, I'm going back there now.", the cadets were already tending to their horses and saddling them up. "Very well, before we start today's exercise, I have to announce that Jaeger's punishment has been lifted so.. rejoice.", I joked. "Remember, keep together within the groups as much as possible and protect eachother. Don't let your teammates fuck up when you can help. And no stupid stuff.", I flashed Eren a death glare.

"Understood.", they answered.

"Dismissed."

The day went by swiftly as Mikasa's group stayed fairly close to roads, mapping the area thoroughly and marking strategic sites. As they were preparing to return, I signalled Petra my early leave. Afterall, I needed to warn Eld and get back to the camp before the cadets did.

"Did you guys make any progress?", I asked nonchalantely, while I brushed my horse.

"We're on the right track.", Corsini aswered, securing his mount on the makeshift fence.

"Good. Don't forget; tomorrow is your last day to complete this assignment.", I warned. Petra came to meet me and discuss Eren's group. "So, what did the captain find out today?"

"Nothing, the guy is probably planning something. Corporal thinks he might try to separate Eren from the rest."

"I see... Okay, I'll watch over him during his watchi shift. Will we all meet after the cadets are asleep?"

"I don't know yet. The captain mentioned that he was going to scour the area, looking for clues. Either way, I'm glad things turned out alright."

"I agree..", a heavy sigh escaped my lips. "I hope that fucker doesn't start sabotaging us now.", the memory of my broken cable during the training course popped into my head. How hadn't I noticed anything off? or Erwin, if his equipment was tampered with, i had to be from someone on the inside.. Really, how did they get in, though..?

About two hours had passed until dinner was ready and we sat around the firepits. The kids were making great progress, specially Eren's group, which had already corrected most of the map's errors and still had a day left. When they came to deliver me the day's reports, Armin asked to speak privately with me.

"What's the matter?"

"Lieutenant, today during the mission, I felt like something was off. It seemed like we were being watched. Sasha noticed it as well, so I thought it best to mention it to you."

"Hm, very weird, Arlert...", how could they have possibly have sensed the captain? these kids were better than I'd imagined. "It's probably your senses playing tricks on you. That or, your next target, the giant wild boar. He lurks around in the forest, I'm surprised none of you has crossed paths with it already."

"Right...", he didn't seem convinced but it was doubtful that he'd do anything to try and understand who was following them. It was best that nothing was confirmed instead of them being visibly different just because a superior officer was watching them.

"Don't worry.", I smiled. "Sometimes our keep senses are a bit too overactive."

He joined the others and, after a while, I did the same, sitting next to Petra. She was telling them stories about her missions. The cadets where all sitting around her like little kids; it was almost adorable.

"Is it true that captain Levi has stopped in the middle of fights to clean his swords?", Connie asked.

"Yes, it is. He likes to have his things clean."

"What, are you serious?!", they laughed, her expression turning annoyed.

"Hey, you do not mock an officer of superior rank! Specially no when he's l-"

"Do you brats want to measure the perimeter of the clearing using your thumbs or what?", I interrupted, knowing she would reveal Levi presence accidentaly.

"No, no! We're sorry!", they replied, seeing my harsh face.

"Good.", my eyes darted to Petra, who sighed in relief. Soon after, the watch hours began.

I climbed the tree where Jaeger was doing his shift and sat leaning agaisnt the main trunk. Looking at the darkness sorrounding us, a deep breath helped me relax. The smell of rain lingered in the air, although no cloud could be seen yet. Not that one could see a lot, since the moon was starting to wane.

"How was it today, Jaeger?", the softness present in my voice was only due to my lack of attention to the conversation, my focus being more on surveilling the forest for any intruders.

"Why do you ask, mam? Was the report lacking anything?"

"No, I'm asking if you felt well during today."

"Oh, yeah. Yes, I did. Thanks for asking.", he smiled. "I didn't have any problems."

"Good.", silence took the place of our conversation once again. "Listen, I don't want you wandering around alone, it could be dangerous."

"I understand, I won't, mam. Hm... lieutenant?"

"Yeah, what?"

"When was the... first time you ever saw a titan? Jean told me you were in the Garrison at the time of the attack.."

"You cadets are very snoopy! Always asking about officials' lives", I huffed, annoyed. "Well, let me think.. I believe my first time seeing one up close was in my first year there."

-FLASHBACK-

"Come on, don't you wanna score easy money?", Ray insisted, her eyebrow cocked at me.

"Not really... I mean, obviously a couple of extra bucks wouldn't do me any harm but I don't even know if I can reach the minimum time...".

According to Ray, there was a secret betting system that was based on the proximity to the titans down there. The closer and longer you were there, the better. I'd been more than a week since the incident and my hands were completely healed, thanks to her ointment.

"Eh, suit yourself...", she shrugged, walked back to her section. This week, apparently, the challenge was being held on that section, 7L, right next to mine. I used to watch the guys go down there, since she told when it would happen. Whenever the champion changed, they switched spots; either that, or when some of the higher ups suspected anything.

The patrol group lead by that blonde idiot, who I'd learned was the son of captian Strauss, helped Ray and some other guys keep it a secret. She and those guys interviened when things went too far and someone got close to getting hurt.

Curiosity started to take over me as soon as someone jumped off the ledge and they started counting the person's time. I'd get close to the edge, on my side of the separator and lay down on my stomach to watch. My eyes followed as the silhouette became smaller and smaller and eventually mixed in with the landscape.

Most of them got scared after passing through the lower half of the wall and got back up, losing the money they'd invested. And so, a small fortune accumulated as the hours passed.

The meetings weren't very often. For now, tuesdays and fridays, when the senior guards where known to be slackers who didn't even bother to show up. Despite of most people turning back and getting back up here without actually having done anything, most of them still came with a wild smile on their lips, as if the adrenaline of doing something possibly dangerous was enough thrill.

Could it be that exciting but so scary for so many people to hold it down there yet still wanting to return day after day? I'd saved some money for lunch that day but I could go without it this time.

"Ray, I'll go next.", crossing to her side of the separator, my heart increased its speed. What was the maximum time so far? 10 seconds, apparently but... it was on top of a titan's head. 10 seconds isn't a lot but time up here and time down there passed at different rates.

"Okay, ready?", she asked me. Attaching my cables to the wall, I nodded yes, jumping.

To willingly jump and to be thrown off the ledge were very different things. When Strauss had pushed me, I was vulnerable, distracted, powerless you could say; atleast for the first few seconds. Here I was... I was free, I was flying, all the control possible was in my own hands.

My equipment was kept under religious conditions; inspected everyday and cleaned thoroughly. I had nothing to worry about. The sound of the reel working didn't scare me this time, instead, it only made my heart beat faster and my excitement to get down there grow further.

As the heads of the larger titans drew nearer, I lowered the speed at which I was descending, until it came to a complete stop. The one closest to me didn't even seem to notice my presence, since it kept clawing at the wall down bellow. It was massive, I couldn't even estimate it's size properly.

It smelled like rotten eggs and it had a disgusting face, with a smile too big for it's head. I understood why people wanted to leave as soon as they got there but if anything went south, the Wall was right there and the gear would help me escape without any problems.

I looked back up at the top and signalled them that I was about to jump. Releasing the cables and jumping off the stone wall, I leaped though the air and landed on the creature's head. Immediately, my hands clenched its hair to keep me steady. At first, it didn't seem to notice me but, when I got up, it started looking to the sky, almost like it was trying to see me.

I could barely hold on to its thick hair strands with the way it started moving its head. It lifted its arms up and began clawing at it's own scalpe, trying to catch me. This was enought for me.

I didn't even think about it, I just jumped back to the wall and got up there as fast as I could. It was only as I passed the top ledge that my brain processed what had happened and I laid on the ground, my heart thumping loudly, trying to escape my chest.

"How... long?", my pants made it hard to speak properly. The shakiness in my whole body prevented me from moving.

"4", they answered. Damn it... it'd seemed like an eternity had passed while I was down there.

"Never... again...", I sighed heavily, letting Ray help me up.

"Well, at least, we didn't have to rescue you...", she spat, looking desdainfully at one of the boys that still shivered in shock. "I hate people who don't know their limits, tche.", she scoffed, rolling her eyes. Apparently, I'd been the last person to be able to go that day, so we got back to our posts in no time.
-END FLASHBACK-