My steele gray eyes stared at the horizon as the wind gently blew my golden blonde locks held in a messy bun. I'll never get tired of the view from the top of the walls. I could hear my comrades arguing behind me. I tuned them out to just be background noise. To think my life would take this direction. Joining the military? Five years ago, I would never have thought of it. Until that day…the day Wall Maria fell. The day that changed my life forever.

5 Years Ago….

"Vivien Grimason! Get in here now!" I stopped in my tracks and turned to the voice. I puffed up my face as I pouted.

"But mom!" I started.

"No buts! The sun is beginning to set. You know the rules!" I crossed my arms and huffed. I reluctantly marched my eleven year old self inside the house.

Mom pinched the bridge of her nose as she shut the door, "I swear, you're giving me more gray hairs than I need." I stopped and looked up to my mother. Her face looked tired and worn. Her once brown hair was now speckled with gray hairs. Early wrinkles showing on her face, dark bags under her eyes. Her eyes open to show the dull gray eyes. They didn't use to be like that. They were as bright as mine. Raising a child on your own and holding a full time job will do that to you.

"Sorry mom." I apologized and bowed my head, "I just want to go out and play with other kids at the nearby village. Why can't I?" I asked and lifted my head back up.

Mom sighed and knelt down to my level, "It's difficult to explain. It has to do with your father, or rather the family he comes from. If someone outside this home found out about your parentage. I don't want to think about what they will do to you. Your father-" I rolled my eyes.

"I know, I know. Dad had to leave us because we would be safer without him. You've told me all of this before. What did dad's family do that's so bad that we have to hide?" Mom's eyes downcasted to the floorboards.

"I'm not sure of that history myself. Something very old, but all you need to know is that nobody can learn of your true heritage. Nobody. One day, when you're older. I'll tell you. Okay?" I nodded my head.

I closed my eyes as I felt mom place a kiss on my forehead, "Now, go wash up for dinner." She instructed. I nodded and walked over to the kitchen sink.

I took out the small wooden step stool from under the sink. I hopped on to it and began washing my hands. I looked up to peer through the window and froze seeing a bolt of lightning strike down. It came from the Shiganshina District, but there were no clouds in the sky.

"Mom, can lightning happen when there's no storm clouds?" I called out and turned my head to her.

"Lightning? What are you talking about?" She walked over to see what I was talking about. An audible gasp left her mouth. I turned back around and froze. Even from the other side of Wall Maria, a top of a hill, we could see it. A Titan tall enough to peer over the outer wall. The amount of steam coming from the Titan was immense. It almost looked like smoke.

I suddenly felt myself get picked up and mom running out of the house. She set me down just outside of the single stall we had for the horse. The horse mom used to go to work at the nearby village when she needed to. No words were exchanged by either of us. As mom got the horse ready, I could only watch. The Titan had disappeared but I could feel the slight tremors from here. Titans were breaching the walls. The walls kept us safe for over a hundred years and now… one of them has fallen.

I jumped as a sudden crash sounded. My eyes widened 9seeing a Titan covered in armor had run through the gate that connected the Shiganshina District to the rest of Wall Maria. I could feel my body start to tremble and shake. Fear grabbed hold of me as I stared at the Armored Titan. It was just standing there, still in position when it busted through the gate. It was only a matter of time now when Titans would flood in. Even if the horse carried both of us, would we survive? Would a Titan catch us? Is this the end?

"Vivien!" I was shaken out of my thoughts from mom yelling my name. I turned to look at her with a blank look on my face. Her eyes held fear and her face was frantic.

"No matter what happens, you need to survive! You hear me? Survive!" I simply nodded my head. I felt myself get picked up. Just as mom placed me atop of the horse's saddle. A distant voice was heard.

"Hey!" My mom stopped and turned to see the man who lived in the house across from us running to us.

"Mr. Becter, what ar-?" Mom cut off her sentence and widened seeing Mr. Becter has a crazed look in his eyes. His body was shaking and he held a large nine inch hunting knife in his hand.

"I'm the one that gave you that horse to begin with. I need to get out of here before those monsters show up!" Mr. Becter yelled. I dropped down from the saddle. Mom held her hand to stop me from advancing.

"Please. Mr. Becter, I need to get Vivien to safety. I need to save my daughter." Mom begged.

"Shut up, you whore!" He pointed the hunting knife in my direction, "No one will think twice if two outcasts disappear! I need to get out of here! I'll kill you and your brat and get out of here!" Mr. Becter came charging at us with the knife. The horse began to freak out from all of the noise. Mom's cries and pleads for Mr. Becter to stop.

"Survive" Mom's words from earlier snapped in my head. Suddenly, everything felt…different. My shaking stopped, my fear was gone and an eerie calmness set in. I felt an instinct kick in and a surge of power run through my body. Something telling me to fight.

Without a second thought, I grabbed the pitchfork that rested against the stall's wall. I turned around and thrusted the pitchfork forward. I felt the pitchfork hit its target. I raised my head to show the emotionless steele gray eyes staring at the brown frantic eyes of Mr. Becter. He looked down to see the pitchfork embedded through his chest. Blood seeped through the wounds. He coughed and blood trickled down his mouth.

"Mon-" He didn't finish his word as he fell over. Dead. I looked over my shoulder to see mom holding her hands against her mouth in shock and horror. I calmly looked back to the walls. The Armored Titan was gone and I could see Titans and mass crowds of people filtering through the hole.

"We need to go." I stated calmly and turned to grab the horse.

"Vivien…what did you do?" Mom asked just above a whisper.

I stopped and thought, "I…don't know. Something just clicked. I can't explain it. All I know is that we needed to survive." I said and turned to look back at mom.

This seemed to snap mom out of her daze. She walked over and grabbed the reins of the horse. She helped me up the horse first before getting onto the saddle herself. She kicked the horse's side and the horse immediately took off. I wrapped my arms around mom's waist and looked over my shoulder. The view of the District and the village getting smaller and smaller.

2 Years Later…

"Vivien, are you sure this is what you want to do?" My steele gray eyes pierced through mom's dull gray ones.

"I've already made up my mind. I'm leaving tomorrow to join the military. I've already enlisted to become part of the 104th Cadet Corps. I'm going to help the cause anyway I can." I said with determination.

Mom sighed and stood up from her spot at the table. My eyes watched her as she disappeared into the small bedroom that we shared. My brows furrowed in confusion as she came back out. She had a piece of folded paper clutched in her hands.

"I guess since you're in such a rush to grow up. Even though I don't agree with you joining. I can tell by that look in your eyes that nothing I say will deter you." She handed me the folded paper.

"What's this?" I asked and took the paper.

"It's a drawing that your father and I had done shortly after you were born. It's the only thing I have to remind me of him." I unfolded the paper. I stared at the face of my father and could see part of myself staring at me.

"You look like him. You have his blonde hair but not his golden eyes. You took after me with your eyes. He said you were a perfect mix of both of us. Your father and I were never married when we had you. We were young and dumb then. We were persecuted for it. Your father had it worse. We received threats daily and eventually we decided it was best to separate. We moved away and lived separately. He might have started a new family or maybe not. I'm not sure for certain. You deserve to know about your heritage, Vivien." My eyes glanced back up to her.

"Grimason, is my family name. It's what I gave you while we hid in the outskirts near the Shiganshina District. Your father's name is Kaiden Ackerman. The name you were given at birth is Vivien Ackerman."

I stood in line with the other cadets with my arms folded behind my back in attention. A fiery and serious face etched on. This is where the story of Vivien Ackerman begins and Vivien Grimason ends. I still don't know why this name comes with persecution, but that doesn't matter right now. If this name comes with persecution, that name must have come from something that people use to fear. Fear is a weapon that I can use. Use to fight for humanities freedom from the Titans once and for all.

Apologies for the short chapter. This was mainly to introduce the character of Vivien. Thank you for reading! For reference, the name Kaiden is pronounced as kye-den.