Attack on Titan: Bloodline – Chapter 1 (JULY 26, 2018)
The year is now 847.
Lorraine was jolted from her peaceful slumber by the city bells, signalling nine o-clock. She practically jumped out of her small, rather uncomfortable bed, and threw on her clothes. Her heart pounded in her chest. She thought in a panic as she pulled on her boots carelessly, "Damn it! Why didn't they wake me up?! If I'm late before I even start, I'm done for! The Commandant will kill me and then boot me from the Corps!" She stumbled and sprinted out the door and through town, dodging people swiftly and skillfully. She ran as fast as her short legs would carry her.
"Damn it," she cursed aloud, seeing the Cadet Corps building come into view, "So close. Come on!" She skidded to a halt in front of the female Garrison soldier at the booth and said, attempting in vain to steady her breathing, "I'm...I'm here...t-to apply...for the Ca...Cadets...!" The woman chuckled and said, amused by Lorraine's lack of breath, "Alright, miss. Calm down. Here's your uniform jacket. Orientation will be in just a few minutes in the courtyard down the hall and out the last door to your left." Lorraine threw her jacket on and ran off, calling behind her, "Thank you!"
As she dashed down the hallway, she felt herself collide with someone, but before she could process what had happened, she hit the ground with an audible thud. The boy grumbled, annoyed, "Damn it. Hey, why the hell don't you watch-" The two looked up at one another. A sense of familiarity hit both of them like a ton of bricks. They both said simultaneously, "Hey."
"I-I'm sorry, miss. Didn't mean to run into you."
Lorraine chuckled, "What are the odds, huh?" The boy had grown taller since they last collided two years ago. Though she had only seen him once, she noticed that his muscles were more toned and a little bit more prominent. His eyes still had their golden brilliance that Lorraine had pushed to the back of her mind and he had cut his hair short. She blushed quietly, taking his outstretched hand. The boy smiled and said, "Ah, by the way, I never got your name." Lorraine smirked and said, "Tch. Yeah, well, I never got yours, either, so we're even." The boy laughed heartily and said, "The name's Reiner. Reiner Braun." Lorraine shook his hand and introduced herself.
"Lorraine Ackerman. It's nice to meet you, Reiner."
Reiner let go of Lorraine's small hand and stated, "We should get going. Orientation should start in a few minutes." Lorraine nodded and walked alongside Reiner. The silence was only broken by the sounds of their footsteps in the halls and the chatter outside in the courtyard. The two stepped out into the bright sunlight, seeing over 300 Cadets standing in lines, anxiously waiting for orientation to begin. Lorraine looked around and saw that Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were very spread apart within the crowd, but before she could make her decision on where to stand, she heard Reiner calling back to her, "Hey. Lorraine. You coming?" Lorraine nodded and joined him, standing between him and another girl. The girl was about an inch shorter than herself. She had light blonde hair and a cold, ice-blue glare stuck on her face. Lorraine felt a shudder trail down her spine, but she kindly introduced herself, despite the girl's unfriendly demeanour.
"Um...hello," she said nervously, "I'm Lorraine." The girl turned to look at her and said in a monotonous tone, holding out her right hand, "Annie." Lorraine smiled and shook Annie's hand. Their exchange was cut short by a loud, booming voice that echoed through the courtyard.
"Listen up, Cadets! The 104th Cadet Corps Boot Camp starts now! Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Keith Shadis and you will grow to resent me. I will be your Commandant and I'll be the one to take you piss-ants through the next three years of tough-as-nails training, which will be a God damn ride through Hell. By the time you leave here, I expect you all to be waking up in a cold sweat every night for the rest of your miserable lives from memories of this place. Right now, you're all weak. Little more than livestock. But over the next three soul-crushing years, you'll learn what it takes to become a soldier and take down Titans. Ask yourself one thing: am I a fighter or am I feed? Think carefully and make your decision wisely. Your answer will determine whether you end up becoming a bloody, mutilated pulp at the hands of a Titan or whether you fight back. Now, without further ado, we will begin orientation!"
Lorraine furrowed her brow. Keith Shadis was extremely tall. He was even taller than the boy who stood next to Reiner. He had these sunken eyes in his weathered face that had no doubt seen many battles. On his chin was a goatee. Not to mention, just seeing him walk from Cadet to Cadet was intimidating. Lorraine thought the guy looked like he could scare the Titans away with a single glance. She clenched her fist, gritted her teeth, and tried to look brave. She glanced around the open courtyard and saw that many Cadets were clearly terrified. Shadis walked along the lines of recruits, screaming at each one; however, there were a few that he walked past. She listened as he shouted at Armin, "You! Mop-Top!" Armin gave a strong salute and Keith asked, "What do they call you, maggot?" Armin shrieked, "Armin Arlert from Shiganshina District, Sir!" Keith folded his arms and said in an unimpressed tone. "Wow. Seriously? Who would curse you with such a ridiculous name?" Armin announced loudly, "M-my grandfather, Sir."
"Why the hell is a runt like you here?"
Armin said, his voice cracking, "To help humanity overcome the Titans!" Shadis grabbed the top of his head roughly, physically turned him around, and shouted, "That is what I like to hear! You're gonna be a great light snack for them! Row three, about face!" Armin's eyes were wide. Lorraine looked at him and swallowed hard. She felt herself wanting to crack under the pressure as Shadis moved onto row four. He stood in front of the blonde boy at the end of the line and asked, "So, what do you call yourself?" The boy bravely said, giving his salute, "Sir. My name is Thomas Wagner. I'm from Trost District." Keith yelled, "I can't hear you!" Thomas repeated himself loudly, "I'm from Trost, Sir! My name is Thomas Wagner!" Keith growled, "That's more like it. Next!" The girl next to Thomas said with confidence, "Sir! Mina Carolina from Karaness!" Keith leaned down and shouted in her face, causing the poor girl to sweat, colour draining from her face.
"Is a pathetic worm like you the best Karaness has to offer?!"
Mina cried out, "S-Sir! I'm afraid that is the case!" Keith stood up and said, "We've got some work to do with you, yet!" He walked right past the tall boy and Reiner and stopped in front of Lorraine. He looked down and said, "Alright, Short-Stop! Your turn!" Lorraine saluted and shouted, feigning confidence, "S-Sir! Lorraine Ackerman! I'm from Shiganshina District, Sir!" Keith grabbed her head and said, "You're shaking like a leaf in a windstorm, Ackerman! I would feed you to the Titans, but with your small stature, you'd barely even make a snack for them!" Lorraine spoke up without thinking.
"Honestly, Sir, I am terrified of the Titans. But with all due respect, that's exactly why I'm here. To learn to fight them. I'm here to fight my fears and help stop the Titans; not to be judged for my height, much less be insulted for it."
Keith fell silent, taken aback by her response. The other Cadets and Lorraine waited in anticipation for Keith's response. Lorraine felt her heart pounding in her throat. Much to their surprise, Keith smirked.
"Ah, you've got spunk. Excellent response, Ackerman." Keith moved on from Lorraine to a tanned, black-haired boy. Lorraine let out an inaudible sigh of relief, but jumped a little when she felt a light nudge on her arm. She glanced up at Reiner, who gave her a small wink and a smile. She smiled back.
"Fourth row, about face!"
They turned around to face the next row. Shadis yelled, "What do we have here?" He stood in front of a boy with light brown hair cut short, and a long face. He had a look of pride on his face that really didn't sit right with Lorraine. The boy spoke up with a tone of arrogance in his voice, "I'm Jean Kirschtein, Sir. I'm from Trost." Keith clearly didn't take well to Jean's tone, either, and said, "Why are you here, Cadet?" Jean smirked and said, "To join the Military Police, Sir. The best of the best." Keith chuckled and said, "Really, now? You want to live in the Interior, do ya?" Jean's eyes lit up, but before he could answer more than a simple "yes", Keith slammed his forehead into Jean's sending the boy toppling to the ground, holding his head and groaning in pain. Lorraine winced. Keith shouted, "Who said you could sit, Recruit? If you can't handle this, Kirschtein, then you can kiss the Military Police good-bye!" The next boy was fair skinned with brown eyes and black hair, his face dusted with freckles and he had a smile on his face. He was a little surprised when Keith yelled, "What the hell is wrong with your face, you smiling idiot?" The boy said quickly and panicked, "Marco Bodt, Sir, from Jinae District, south side of Wall Rose! I'm here to provide my services to the Military Police and give life and limb to the King!" Keith's voice softened.
"Well. That makes you an idealistic fool, then. Do you want to know the truth, Bodt? The King doesn't have much use for your life or your limbs other than as Titan fodder."
Marco clenched his fist against his chest as Shadis moved onto the shorter boy next to him.
"Hey, you! You're up next!"
The smaller boy looked around for a moment, but then pounded his left hand onto his right breast. Lorraine furrowed her brow and the boy shrieked, "Oh, right! My name is Connie Springer! I'm from Ragako Village, Sir-" He was cut off by Shadis, who grabbed his head and growled angrily, "You've got it backwards, Connie Springer. This salute is the first thing you're taught. It represents the resolve in your heart to fight those bent on the destruction of humanity! Is your heart on the right side!?"
The courtyard was silent. Everyone looked at the auburn-haired girl. She had a potato in her clenched fist. Keith dropped Connie to the ground and walked over to the girl. He asked calmly, "Hey. You there. What exactly do you think you're doing?" Everyone's eyes were fixated on her. She glanced around, then took another bite of the potato. Keith shouted, "I'm talking to you! State your name if you don't want me to break you like a toothpick right here and now!" The girl swallowed and, still clutching the potato, gave her salute.
"My name is Sasha Braus! I'm from Dauper Village, reporting for duty, Sir!"
Keith sneered, "Sasha Braus, huh? Tell me: what is that in your right hand?" Sasha answered matter-of-factly, "It's a steamed potato. It sat in the mess hall begging to be eaten, Sir." Keith said, "I understand the theft. What I don't understand is why you would choose here and now to eat it." Sasha stated, "It looked quite delicious and it was getting cold, so I decided to give it shelter in my stomach, Sir." Keith said, still baffled by her bold actions, "But, why? I just don't understand. Why would you eat that potato?" Sasha asked, a little confused, "Are you asking me why people eat potatoes, Sir? I-I'm surprised you don't know, Sir." Keith remained silent. The entire group of Cadets was stunned. Sasha then sighed, broke the potato into two pieces and gave one to Keith.
"Here, Sir. You can have some."
Keith took the potato. He gaped at the brunette's sincerity. Keith took it and looked at her, still very much at a loss.
"What the...? Really?"
Sasha smiled, her face still covered in pieces of potato.