Rebel - Chapter 3

It was only a few nights later, and Armin and I were conversating over small bowls of chili. Armin had gone to the store, small knife blades in his boots. He had picked out yarn that was on sale, and bought a medium-sized ham. He had come back with a big smiling grin on his face.

On the first night we had ham and potatoes, and it took us over two hours to finish. The small portions of ham we cut for ourselves sat on our tongues. We had to make it last as long as possible.

The next night, Armin put canned red beans, canned corn and the leftover cooked ham in a pot to make us chili. It's what we are eating tonight, and we have just enough for tommorow as well.

Armin's blonde hair is getting too long now, and he borrows rubber bands and other hair ties to pull his hair back into a ponytail, though his bangs and some of his hair is too short to be pulled back. I always cut mine with my dagger, it's uneven, and I'm well known for my dangerously-tussled hair that "can never be styled". It's not like it matters, anyway. I will never be on the screens like the actors and actresses. I'll never be any high rank for the Democracy. The United Forces of Sina.

During this particular night, we listen to the radio. Armin is sitting on the floor of the bedroom, his back leaning against the wall, his pillow going from the back of his head to his shoulder bones as he tried to get comfortable. I hear the quiet clicking of the metal needles. My green eyes follow towards the source, which is just Armin's nimble fingers moving between the crocheting needles. The yarn is a brown that reminds me of my past, of the jacket I used to wear so proudly. However, the yarn changes to a darker brown, like my old hair color and I just smile.

"That will look awesome," I complimented, Armin's startled eyes looking at me.

"Thanks!" He exclaimed in appreciation, and I just beam in response.

He has hardly grown up. His chin is more defined now, and his cheekbones are more visible, but despite that and his hair being longer, there's not much of a difference. He has the same small frame, still shorter than me. His eyes, that have always wanted to see the outside world, are the same. He has the same ambitions, but he adapted to this new society well. Without the titans as a threat, society has crumbled. Poverty, confusion, over-population. Our leader, King Mr. Reiss, carries the leadership "as well as he can".

I focus into the radio, who is speaking on the crackly quality. "I am going to make the passing grade for trials from 800 to 900. Students that finish with middle school are to take the test before high school. This is to promote more successful generations and to protect Sina!" The audience bursts into cheers. A small scowl crosses my face. The audience is probably filled with Elites, who live within the gem sectors. Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Topaz. They can afford their education, they have the better schools. They don't have people on the streets, or foreclosing homes, or people robbing banks and each other just to get a few Notes for food or blankets.

I feel a gaze, and I look up slowly. He's worried, I think. He seems confused, but the way he furrows his eyebrows and wrinkles his nose for just a few seconds lets me see his concern. I've known Armin too long to not realize this.

"It's just a sensitive topic," I murmur, and realization dawns on him as he flushes and nods his head.

"Sorry, I forgot!" He apologized in a rush, but I just shake my head.

"We have hardly talked about it," I said, my right hand moving, palm up in a "it-doesn't-matter-Armin-I'm-certain-about-it-being-okay" action. The blonde just rolls his eyes before continuing. I notice that it's hardly a quarter done, but it has only been a short while. With nothing to do, I lay on the bed and close my eyes.

I don't fall asleep, though. I listen to the radio. I wince as an obnoxious, monotonous beep comes from the radio. "Military Police will be searching through homes in the-." There's a break here, there always is. The next part used to make me laugh, at how choppy the sentences were, but now it makes me worried. I know where this is going.

"-Obsidian," There's a brief pause between the names of the sectors, and I don't have to listen to know. I whisper the words along with the radio broadcast. "Quartz," My somewhat raspy voice overlaps with the radio, as I tried to imitate the static. "Stone, and Talc sectors for plague control. Please remember that if you are in these sectors, that you open your door when the police come, or else they will kick your door down. Thank you for your cooperation and never ending loyalty to the United Forces of Sina." The broadcast is then over, returning to its gentle music.

However, despite how unsurprised I am, Armin is freaking out. "Shit!" He said, rushing the word. I look over at him in interest, and he shakes his head. "This beanie, it will never be done by then."

I chuckle and look over at him as I speak: "That's the worst of your problems? We can just say my employees threw me into a bucket of bleach as punishment for not reaching my quota. That's a temporary fix, right?" I say, closing my right eye and using my left to look over at him.

He lowers his needles and gives me a deadpan look, but eventually sighs. "It's a better plan then trying to get this done." He admits slowly.

"Plus, they have to go through the entire Stone sector. That will take at least an hour. You've got this. Stone is one of the biggest sectors in this area!" I say this almost in a giddy tone, and I'm please by the smile that is now worn on Armin's face.

"Alright!" He said, getting back to work. Often he calls me over, making sure the hat fits, and making adjustments if he had to, which were generally minor. He was good at this by now.

It was about one and a half hours later- which I had counted in my head to keep me awake- when I heard the distant marching. I hear loud metallic clicking over it, and I'm disappointed to see Armin rushing.

"Take your time," I warn, and he slows down. He's nervous, and his hands are shaking slightly. I move over to him, hugging and leaning my chin on his right shoulder, watching his small movements to make the hat.

After a few more minutes, he finishes it, reaching over to scissors and cutting off the hat from the yarn. Armin places it on my head, making sure it fit, he leaned over towards the bed, pushing me off and nearly making himself fall onto his side as he reached for a hair tie. He pulls all my hair back, and I grumble. The ponytail is not long at all, but it keeps some hair out of my face. He then puts the small knitted hat on my head, and I grin at.

"Beanie~" I cooed to my hat happily, chuckling at the odd look I received from my friend.

But every ghost of a smile is gone as we hear the door knock. The hat has enough holes to see through to my blonde hair, but it just seems like my hair is supplied with lots of colors. I praise Armin for picking yarn with two different colors. I snap out of it as I hear Armin unlocking the door, and quickly following after him. The soldiers burst in, two with guns and the others investigating. They have gloves on, but I just let out a low chuckle.  They don't even need them. These stupid Gem sector police get yearly vaccinations.

But I feel, rather than hear what happens next. I heard a crack, and then a boom. I look around, but Armin's still there. I walk over to him, who is by the window, letting the police look through our food and other things. They take a few cups of chili, but looking over, we still probably have enough for a small meal for tommorow.

That's the least of my thoughts, looking at the dead bodies outside. Some of them are still twitching, and I feel my gaze drifting up the street as I see a limping person. Distantly, I can hear that it's a young boy, maybe even my age. "Oh my God." I whisper, looking at the boy coming closer.

Armin slowly reaches for my hand, and I look over to see him shaking. "It's Connie," he says quietly, but I already knew. How he did was a mystery to me, with his nearsightedness.

I'm about to go outside and help Connie, but the officials are barricading my house. One with a gun goes outside, and holds it up, aiming at my comrade.

I hear the soldier yell, "Do you have the plague?"

The small reply as the man walks closer, "....vaccine, ...please... money."

I'm trying to decipher it, as I didn't catch all of it. I expect the soldier to lower his gun. He didn't have the plague. He was just asking for a vaccine so he didn't get it. I look over at Armin, but he is tense. Maybe I was wrong. The soldier looks through the gun.

Another crack, and a body moves to the ground. I feel a jolt next to me. I watch Connie fall, his mouth moving.

I hardly realize that I'm crying, until I become aware of the liquid that dripped to my hands. My eyes are burning, the memory forever etched in my brain. Armin is trying not to cry. He's trying to be strong for me. Through my shaking breaths I hear him murmur.

"He's with Sasha now," he says weakly. "Eating everything they want to. Slacking off like they did in training."

I smile weakly, wiping away the few tears running down my cheeks. They're in a better place. And they're together. I nod, showing Armin that I understand.

The Military Police take a quick saliva sample, sticking it in a test tube. They swish the liquid, which slowly turns a shade of emerald green. I watch to make sure Armin has a green result as well. He does, to my relief. We both offer a small, weak smile to each other. We are okay. We are safe.

But looking outside, at all the things happening. They step over and on the dead, not even noticing; or if they did, not caring. The bodies of plague victims are being thrown onto a truck by people in protective suits and gloves. The bodies of those who tried to escape, or for people like Connie, ones who died begging for mercy. I'm happy that he's now with Sasha, as the two got closer after we gained back our land. As the need for expeditions outside of our development decreased, many people started trying to get on with life, get over the scars of the past.

People like Levi, Erwin and Hanji were able to do that, I guess. I will never forget the people who died. I refused to let them die and be forgotten. I was told that we carried their cause, but humanity wasn't victorious. We just took back what was ours. We won back our land, but the titans are still ruling the rest of the world. They are the true victors.

They told me that I would have gone into the Platinum sector, even with my bad test results. All I had to do was pledge my allegiance. But I couldn't do it. And when I came back with not even a 700 on my trial test, I knew I would be forced into the slums. But, nothing really happens as it's supposed to. It doesn't matter, though. I'm here now, and I have my best friend.

I look over at him, and his hand curls gently over mine, his fingers slowly moving to fit in the cracks of my hand. I squeeze his hand as we look outside the window, watching the soldiers. They mark the doors of people who have the plague with a red x, two diagonal lines intersecting each other. People are locked in there and the soldiers continue on, a covered disinfectant truck coming by and busting down the door and taking everyone. They usually have a few of the Garrison, to do some of the heavy work, like shooting the plague victims in the head. Armin buries his head into my left shoulder, and I gently rest the side of my head against him.

They move house to house, and soon they will be at my family's. I see more soldiers marking x's, the red paint like the blood of the victims that will soon be spilled. I hold my breath as I see them knock, my mother going out to greet them. Five minutes pass slowly, but soon it's ten. Then fifteen. Thirty. I look over at Armin with wide eyes, but he shakes his head.

"It's okay." He said, his voice strong but his blue gaze doubting.

"No, it can't be. It's taking too long. Something is wrong." My cautious voice says, green eyes never leaving the house of my family.

An hour is soon to passed, and we haven't moved. The soldiers finally move out of the house, and I'm relieved to see them walking out without marking the door. But as if they forgot something, they turn around. A new order? I wonder if they had a new command. They return to my family's door, pulling out the red spray paint and shaking the bottle. One line, diagonal. Left to right. Another, intersecting the other with practiced precision. Right to left. My hands drop from Armin's back to my side.

The soldier pauses, looking over to the larger group. He receives a nod.

A third line, horizontal, crossing in the intersection.

What does it mean, I've never seen a marking like that. I look at my friend, but he's just as confused as I am. Armin, who knows everything. Everything about the streets, the government. Everything.

We dwell in silence as the soldiers back in their trucks and move on, the containment truck following a few yards after.

I don't sleep well that night, and neither does Armin. I wake him up with my tossing and turning, and he tries to make me relax.

It's difficult, though. How can I possibly relax when my brothers and mom are at risk.

I think sometime in the night, I fall asleep. I think that maybe Armin put some sleeping medicine in my food, as it seems that on every 'plague search' I sleep just a little better than normal.

But I'm grateful. I'm lucky to have Armin by my side, I'm lucky that he cares for me. I'm lucky I'm not walking alone in the streets.

Armin is the true reason behind my success.

Rebel - Chapter Two

It's not hard for me. Nothing is, I think, as I walk down the halls of my college. My dress shoes click quietly against the tile floor. The schools sure are more clean, I think appreciatively. However, I'm somewhat glad to be graduating. For my age, I should be a first-year. But I'm graduating this year. And I can be off on the front lines, fighting. I miss it.

Perhaps I should explain myself. I'm Levi, Sina's only prodigy. I'm the one who scored a perfect 1500 on my trial. The trial is a test you have to take after middle school to determine which high school and college you are going to, but also to decide if you will live in the gem sector or the "slum sector" as it's beginning to be called.

However, I, of course, live in the gem sector. With no questions wrong, no problems in my athletic ability, and my sibling as a soldier, I was made for greatness. I am going to be in the hierarchy of Sina forever. My older sibling, Hanji, has graduated already and is a Captain in the military. Though it was a difficult switch from scouting legion back to school, I'm glad to be getting out very soon.

I remind myself of this as I walk outside of my school. It's my lunch break, but I don't plan to be back.

The worlds most-known criminal is a former scouting legion member. He's identifiable by the 3DMG on his waist, which most soldiers ditched after we found a way to fight back with cannons. He also wears the jacket on every crime he has done. I wrinkle my nose, chuckling. Which of my old comrades would rebel? Could it be Historia, against her father?

Though Historia should be next in like for the throne, it's actually Petra. The Elites decided that we needed someone with military experiences, but was also considerate enough to the civilians. And in order for Mr. Reiss to accept the offer of having a former military soldier, it would have to be one of his choosing. And he had chosen Petra. Though it was a surprise to most civilians that he didn't pick his daughter, it was no surprise to me.

So, with former scouting legion in the next-in-line, why fight. Perhaps Ymir, who was always backing up Historia. However, Ymir is rumored to be out of the walls for a few years now. The criminal's real name is unknown at this point, but most people have started calling him, "Trost." This is for the rather silly reason which is: "Trost was the first battle humanity won."

Nonetheless, the name stuck. I suppose that it is better than "Criminal 001." We hardly know anything about the criminal. His fingerprints are always either impartial or non-existent. We have never gotten a blood sample. His endurance, strength and improvising is out of this world. He climbed the skyscraper in his sector in only six minutes and forty seconds.

I'm standing in front of the skyscraper of my sector; Ruby. All of them are the same height, used to shown important announcements from Sina. I stare up at it, eyeing the small hand and footholds. I pull out my stopwatch using my left hand, my dominant right hand gripped in the first hand hold. I can see places that I should use to hold my weight, and I let out a short breath.

"Ready," I murmur slowly. "Set." I continue,  resting my stopwatch rope around my neck, the small device still in my left hand. "Go!" I exclaim, slamming my thumb into the button as the plastic device slammed into my chest. Instantly I'm scaling up the wall, my boots giving me a boost as I get a grip and then force myself higher. I can hear the stopwatch beep, meaning that it's been six minutes and forty seconds. I let out a frustrated grunt, but I keep going. I look up, and I'm close. I think I might be around the midway point. I let out a soft chuckle as I climb.

The average person in the gem sector would say this is impossible. That climbing the tower could only be done in 15 minutes, even by a soldier. But Trost is a legendary criminal, and I'm Sina's prodigy. I hum to myself, and I'm only a few minutes away to the top of the grey metal building, with windows of strong, bullet proof glass. I'm climbing up the side, and soon I reach the screen. My hand reaches for the top corner, pulling myself up. I finally reach the top of the screen, the top of my toes resting on the surface as I look up and continue climbing. It is then that I hear loud noises. My peripheral vision shows me that these noises are actually helicopters, and I frown.

"Levi, we want you to get down immediately." A speaker voice said, and I let  go of the building with one hand to turn off my stopwatch. Eight minutes, six seconds. I probably would've reached the top by ten, or at least twelve minutes.

The person speaking must've realized his mistake, as he corrects himself quickly. "We want you to grab the ladder from the helicopter." I sigh and nod, my narrowed eyes looking over as they drop the ladder and move closer. I reach out with my right hand and barely grab one of the rungs, using my grip on the building with my feet to help boost me up. My left hand grabs the rung above my right, and then it's just climbing from there. My arm muscles strain without the foot support I used to have, but I remember pull-ups, and this helps me figure out what I have to do.

Eventually, I'm in the helicopter, meeting the angry face of Hanji. She throws me a set of the radio communications headset, and I put it on, readying myself for a lecture.

"Again." Was all my sibling said, her red hair moving in the wind from outside. I shut the door. "Again, you disobey not only the school, but my rules as well."

I don't look at Hanji, my eyes downcast. I recall a time where we fought side by side for humanity. But now, she's my adopted sister. She treats me like a little brother.

"You could always take me with you on your missions," I say hopefully. I miss being out.

"No." Was my one worded reply, and I roll my eyes. Since when did our roles and conversations switch sides.

"How will we catch Trost if we can't even beat him in strength and stamina." I say, narrowing my eyes.

"Intelligence and luck." Hanji says, looking over at me. "One of which you have."

I meet Hanji's eyes expectantly, wondering what my sibling meant.

"You are extremely intelligent, you have been ever since grade school. However, your luck is... hardly even noticeable. Perhaps if you had more luck, we wouldn't have to have these meetings after all your stunts." Hanji grins, and I shake my head.

This is Hanji, for you. Though she most likely was angry at first, she seems to agree that my "stunts" are important in my growing.

"I got you out of school, for the day. You can go home and spend time with your cat."

I roll my eyes at the mentioning of the cat, who I named Wings. I named it with a few of my old friends in the scouting legion. Petra is one of them. Along with Auruo.

I force the thought away, as it's not necessary. I can feel myself walking through the library that's known as my brain, and I, the librarian, carrying this book about those friends, and locking it far away into the cells of darkness.

"Thanks," I say to Hanji, who is still looking at me expectantly.

Hanji rolls her eyes. "Seriously though, Levi. Stop with the stunts. Study for now, and when you graduate you can do them."

The helicopter touches the ground, finally, and I take off the headset that we were talking through.

I hop off the helicopter first, throwing open the door and jumping, my knees absorbing the entire shock. I slowly fall into a sitting position, and the whirring of the helicopter slowly comes to a stop as the pilot stopped, and I feel Hanji pulling me by my collar to get to my feet.

She's yelling at me for something or other, but she silences when Erwin approaches. Everyone does a salute; Hanji and I to Erwin, and Erwin to us. Hanji and Erwin are of the same rank. Their leader is a mystery, they just refer to him as "the boss".

"Boss told me to come here to help you, if there was any trouble, Captain Hanji." Erwin says, and I look between the two.

"Actually, could you please take my little brother to our apartment." Hanji says, and I scowl slightly at the "little brother". I can't tell if she means the small age difference, or height. But with the cheeky way she always looked when she started to first say it, I'll have to guess that it's both.

Erwin clasps his hands on my shoulders and forces me to walk towards the car, and I sigh as I do so. "So, Erwin. How was your day." I stated, though I should've used a questioning tone.

Erwin just shakes his head. "It was fine, Levi. Another daredevil act from you? Nearly worried Hanji shitless. In the middle of a lead on a criminal when suddenly," he pauses and changes his tone to sound like the school principal. "Uh, yeah.. Captain Hanji, Levi is no longer in the school." He shakes his head. "You'll be the end of her."

I shrug, though I do feel a little bad. "If Hanji took me on her missions with her, I wouldn't have to find things to do when I'm bored." I remark.

"Hanji is trying to keep you safe. After you went to the last mission and got stabbed in the arm she decided that it was too dangerous for you, and I think she's right. More importantly, you should respect your sibling's and friend's opinion, and live with it. You're supposed to graduate this year anyway. You'll probably be placed in the Platinum Sector."

The Platinum Sector is the highest sector. It's within the walls of the original Sina, and is very loosely populated. It's for the best of the best citizens, the military police and of course, the ruling King, Mr. Reiss.

I reply with a quick and indifferent, "Maybe." The conversation ending as we reached my apartment that I shared with Hanji. Don't get me wrong. It's huge. It's just part of a complex. I nod slightly to Erwin, who is now driving away.

I enter my house, calling for Wings. The cat peeks it's head from the upstairs, and I look up at her. "Come on, Wings! It's just me!" The cat slowly trots down the steps and walks to me. For some reason, my cat often hangs around me or comes when I call, but it's nice to see an animal so nice to me.

When she gets close enough, I scratch the top of her head and listen to her purr. After a minute or two I walk away, moving towards the kitchen to make me something to eat.

Though it's only been a couple of years since we have gained back all of the land lost, a lot of technology has come out. Some materials we find from small expeditions outside of the wall. By we, I mean the small about of scouting legion left, for most of them decided to become workers, as we don't go outside the walls offer anymore. The garrison is a weak army force from the slum and/or Gem sector; for those who score around 800 to 1200. Anyone from either sector who gets above 1200 is automatically bumped into Sina, and put in the military police. Everyone has the option to either be in their military section or they can choose to be a worker; except those in Sina. As long as you passed, you were put into the military police. Funny how things changed.

Not only our society, but a lot of daily things have changed. Even to the simplest new discoveries like stronger and more accurate cannons. All of our houses are no longer simple with just stone or wood, and in fact, most cities are this boring shade of grey, white and black. The street lamps are a fluorescent shade of blue, which come from special kinds of... Algae? I don't recall exactly. They are apparently fluorescent at night. Hanji was rather excited about this when they first came it about it.

Hanji is nearly four years older than me at age 23. I'm only 19. Or rather, that's what the doctors said. They wanted to keep the commanders of the survey legion young until the titans were, for sure, weaker than humanity. So they came up with some kind of drug. Hanji wanted me to take it. I probably wouldn't have if she didn't convince me.

Sure enough, eventually, I started looking younger. My face got more round, my eyes larger and the bags under them diminishing. I didn't get shorter. Hanji looks the same. Erwin... Looks hardly different. Just a rounder face.

I think about all the advancements we have made as I cook myself dinner, and hearing me open the refridgerator, I hear a loud pounding down the stairs. A small hiss from my cat, Wings, confirms my assumptions; it's Sawney- the dog that Hanji named after her miraculous titan. The large dog comes bounding towards me, jumping and pressing its front legs against my upper leg. I grumble at him, shaking my leg to get him away.

I decide to just make a microwave meal because I'm feeling particularly lazy and I would rather hit the gym than stay here and cook. I open the box and throw the plastic tray in the microwave, setting the times. I throw a small biscuit at Sawney, watching him leap into the air to catch it. Sawney is something like a collie, though instead of black spots he has brown.

A beep catches both the attention of me and Sawney, and I quickly move to the microwave. My meal is cooked, as perfect as it could be, and I sit down at the table and start to eat. It has some chicken parts, and as I get more full, I throw some at Sawney, setting one or two aside for Wings.

I put my trash and silverware away, locating Wings and picking her up. I carried her to where I put the spare chicken, offering them to her with my free hand (as I has my right hand wrapped behind her front legs). She licks the first gingerly before snapping her small jaw around them, chewing thoroughly. I set her down, but she doesn't leave, and I take the second and kneel, giving it to her. She meows after she's finished, and I pet the top of her head.

As I'm washing my hands, I look out the kitchen window to see young children playing frisbee outside. How nice it is to see people just a few years younger than "me", (who, after the medication, is now "19") not learning how to fight for their lives.

I make sure to leave some more cat food, waiting for her to finish. I have to keep Sawney away, as he has a tendency to try and steal Wings' food. Once she is done, then I poor some dog food for Sawney. Leaving water in two bowls for them, I change into gym clothes and sneakers before walking out of the house.

I lock the door behind me, putting the key back into my pocket. Around me, I see soldiers patrolling, and I notice the roses on their jackets. Garrison. I study their guns. A newer model, it's one of the ones that have a silencer, I think.

We exchange nods, and I keep walking towards the gym. I flash the door my ID card, and the door opens. I'm on the treadmills in an instant, but not soon after I'm working on punching bags and then bench pressing.

I keep working until I'm tired, then I walk home, take a luxurious bath, change into my silk pajamas and head up my elegant spiral staircase to my room. I fall asleep quickly, comfortable under my sheets. I don't hear Hanji come back, as I was too absorbed in my sleep.

Wings had curled against my leg as I slept, her nimble tabby-grey body causing my eyes to open slightly. "Wings," I mutter, her green eyes closing. I let out a sigh as I rest against my white pillow. The blankets are crisp and everything smells clean.

I quickly fall back asleep, dreaming. I dream about being at someone's funeral. Everyone has blacked out faces, and I cannot tell who is who. I shake hands with the black blobs, and from their misty grip I assume that whoever died was important. The Elector? Is this even a real dream?

I look around in my dream. The casket is closed and the sky is cloudy. What gloomy weather for a gloomier day. My tongue snakes across my bottom lip, and I turn to feel a gaze. There's two black figures further spaced from the rest. I can hear whispering, but it's nothing distinguishable. Just like wind. Their words swivel around me, and I close my eyes to hopefully distinguish the words. Hearing silence, I open my eyes. Raindrops hit my cheeks, and I look up. More water runs down my form as I realize everyone has disappeared. I move towards the casket, the casket was in soft grey marble, with rubies and diamonds encrusted on the casket sides. A shaking hand moves to run through my black hair, which is sticking closely to my head due to the rain.

The waterdrops run down the sides of the casket, and my right hand rests against the surface. I open my mouth to speak, but it's silent. As if the words have been stolen from my own throat. I take a deep inhale of the cold air, calming my senses down. I want to talk, give my grievances, but I don't even know who it is; even if I could speak, I would still be at a loss.

I start to shove the cover off, my muscles still a strain against the heavy weight of the lid. It won't budge, and slowly the imagine darkens. I lose hold of the dream, and dissolve into a dreamless sleep. I am aware that I'm sleeping, but my dreams won't come back to me.

By the time I wake up, it's time to go to school. I hear Hanji cooking, and I slowly budge into my uniform, wrinkling my nose as I slide down the bannister of the stairs. My sibling excitedly wraps their arms around me, resting her chin on the top of my head.

"Morning," I say, my voice somewhat rumbling in my throat as I spoke.

"Morning!" Was Hanji's all too excited reply, and I shake my head, moving over to the counter island to receive my plate of breakfast. Omelette, I thought with a slight smile, sitting in my chair and leaning back. We ate in peaceful conversation in our home, with it's glittering lights and shining floors.

I'm glad I live in the Gem Sectors.

title switch?

changing it from

What's A Mob To A King --> Rebel

Rebel --> Criminal --> Leader

i will make a smart quote ok

What Is A Mob To A King - CHAPTER ONE PART TWO

We had finished our potatos after a while, savoring them over small talk. For a while, I kind of forgot what it was like to be the most wanted criminal of the democracy. Armin is counting up our savings as I clean up the scraps. I can hear the soft, rushed whispering as he counts them by hundreds. We are saving up for vaccinations, or any emergencies. We could run, or buy new identities. I run my hand through my abnormal beach blonde hair. Usually, only leaders can have such hair colors, which is yet another reason why I make it dirty. People here work all day. Digging through trash to find food, working in factories. Building houses, but not for them. For the the rich people who are sent to keep an she on us. For the soldiers.

A long, monotonous beep is heard from outside, and Armin and I hardly exchange a look as we exit our house. There are people standing on the side of the road, looking up. The screen on the skyscraper for my sector shines bright as it clicks to life.

"Please stand for the pledge of allegiance." The monotonous computer-like voice begins.

My neighbors had placed their right fist over their heart, thumb outwards and their left arm behind their back. This was our salute for a while, and I remember "offering my heart" to a completely different cause just a few years ago. However, it was during these thoughts that I realized I was in public with my blonde hair. I sent Armin an odd look, and his eyes widened with terror. But he quickly shook his head, mouthing the words to the pledge. I followed.

The wait seemed tremendous, but no one complained. There were soldiers everywhere, with their guns up. The words show up on the screen, and the repeating of the memorized words was all I heard from my neighbors. Even Armin whispered the words.

"I pledge of allegiance, to the land, of the United Forces of Sina. And to this democracy, in which we stand, one world, one nation, under strength and power to all."

I mouth the words, my green eyes focused on the screen. I know the things that could happen. I can hear the gun shots, the screaming and the collapsing of bodies. But nothing happens to me. I must've been convincing enough. I can't pledge to this. The life we are living now. We love out of fear, not from the titans, but from ourselves. Our own corrupt society. I gave my heart up for the strength of humanity. And this isn't our strength.

I remember that my father used to say there was a world outside from here called America, which is where the Democracy Of Sina based their pledge off of. This was one of the very small amounts of things he said.

My father is dead now, however. He got caught trying to sneak me and a few of my closest friends, along with my mother,  into the neighboring lands. We had reclaimed the land from the titans, and he says that there is another settlement over there. However, the Democracy Of Sina has told us nothing about this. Everyone was sure that if another place was open to settlers, we would be told. After all, that would solve our overpopulation problem.

But we got caught. My father was always in trouble with the government. He was too concerned about the outdoor world. The President and the few other Elites said that he would "bring danger to the land within the walls". Where we used to have three walls, Maria, Rose and Sina, we live in one big one. Sina. Or so they say. We built more and more walls, and even though we are seperated, we don't call them 'districts' we call them 'sectors'. I live in the Quartz sector, one of the poorest. Most of the sectors are named after types of rocks or gems. The sectors inside of the old Sina are generally the well-liked gem sectors, while everywhere else are rock sectors, or nonprecious gems, like, as I said before, quartz.

But throughout the pledge, this is all I can think about. It's not until Armin pinches my arm that I look down at him, and he sends a dangerous look to my hair, I quickly nod and I'm walking back to the house. Slow, to not look suspicious, but fast enough to be quick. Sometimes Armin gets in trouble for his hair color, but people realize that he's born with it. Most of the patrols are nice to him. He did well on his trials, but his family all passed on and he had no money. He would've been a great military general.

We slowly enter the house and click the door shut, and we release the breath we were holding. "I need to get my beanie back," I mumble, my left hand running through my hair.

Armin looks up, frowning. "I can't believe you lost it... But I can make you a new one. Brown. Maybe green. Hazel. Whatever is on sale."

I feel awful about losing the beanie. Armin makes them for me sometimes, when we have a lot of spare money. I lost the last one on a previous run, where I had jumped out of a three story building, use a sheet behind me as a parachute. The wind must have knocked it off or something. I'm not worried. All they can find out is that the DNA belongs to some dead person, and finding a possession of a dead person from the lesser valued sectors is not a big surprise.

"I'm sorry," I say, looking down. My green eyes are downcast, but Armin just shakes his head.

"Whatever," he says with a sigh. "Like I said, when we have more money I can go out and find some string for sale.

I nod, moving towards the bedroom. It's just a simple mattress on the floor, with a few tattered blankets that we either found, stole, or bought. It keeps us warm enough. My bare feet are cold against the wood, and I slowly pull the blankets onto the bed. Though I didn't really enjoy doing chores, Armin and I liked things a specific way. Even in runs, I liked to stick to a plan. Yes, I can run off track and I can improvise, but I would prefer not to.

I pad over towards the solitary window in the room and pull up the blinds so I can see out. There is the house with my mom. My brothers. I smile as I think about them, but I feel myself getting envious and upset when I see my mom hugging them. That could've been me, if none of this happened. I hear shuffling behind me and I turn, relieved to see it was only Armin. I grin at him and flop onto the mattress. "I made it," I say, lifting up the pile of blankets and slithering under.

Armin smiled and pat the blankets gently before laying on top of them. "Well done!" He said nearly sarcastically. Silence filled the room, but it was comfortable, our shoulders touching gently.

"Be more careful about your hair," was all he said, and looking over at him, I realize that he is still worried about that. He shouldn't be worried for me, but I'm glad he cares.

"I'll try," I say, grimacing. "I just heard the noise and figured that I had to go immediately. Next time I'll grab a hat or something. Promise." I smile at him, my head turning slightly to look at him, and he does the same.

Our smiles mirror each other before he looks back up at the ceiling. "Good night, Eren."

I close my eyes, a distant smile on my tired lips. "Good night, Armin."

haha ok

so basically i'll be uploading the first chapter here in parts until i can get my ao3,
which is where i will upload chapters (finished and full)
idk i'm a reaaaaaaaaaaaaally slow writer so maybe it will come out
every other............. friday????????????????????????
you know i'll work things out haahaha c;;
anyway i owe one of my friends some fanart for her fic so uh
maybe my ao3 chapter will be up liiiiiiiike

friday after my birthday
ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

What Is A Mob To A King - Chapter One - Part One

I'm looking around. Searching, always searching. My brother, older and younger. Mom. Do they even know I'm alive? I forgot that they don't. That I live so close to them, that I can see what they are having for dinner. But they don't know it's me. I'm dead. I was killed. No... I'm alive. I don't think I've been more so.

I laugh as I hear the guns behind me, smashing into the houses as I turned and ran through an alley. I am just getting back from a small quest. Stealing some possessions from Sina, I'm sure the rich won't even notice. I lose my thoughts as I hear the police chasing after me. I skid into more alleys, making my path as complicated as I could. Finally, I pulled up a storm drain and dropped through, closing it behind me. I keep running. The water is disgusting, and the smell is putrid. But I have to keep running. The familiar pain in my knee is back, and it's excruciating. I don't know how long I've been running before I see a ladder leading up, and I climb it, spending quite a few minutes trying to open it.

"Hah," I mutter in a please voice to myself. "Guess those police can't handle getting dirty." I couldn't help but chuckle and shake my dark brown hair out of my eyes. I finally manage to push the cover up, and I don't bother to replace it. I'm too busy scaling a building. My foot presses on the bricks. Here in the poor sector, all the houses are falling apart. I curse as a brick falls and I lose the grip for my left foot. I look down and I find a new place. I keep going. My strong fingertips dig into the small crevices until I'm ok the roof.

I'm Eren Jaeger, well-known criminal to this land. The Democracy. I'm not sure why it's called that. My father told me that democracy was when the people ruled. We don't have that. The rest of our land is taken by titans, but, that is no longer our problem.

Our problem is now within the people. Within our new walls. The ones that I, personally helped rebuild. It never had to be this way, but it did. The person that died, that should be dead. Maybe that was the real Eren Jaeger. My street name is Trost. The first battle that humanity won.

I pass the wanted signs asking for Trost. I grin again as I run along the roof tops, sliding down the shingles before launching into the air, my 3D Maneuver Gear helping me cover ground. The wanted signs are all different. They all have inaccurate and different photos of me. I dye my hair often, and even cover my skin with mud and pig blood.

I'm not sure why I'm thinking so much on this mission, but I forget about everything when I see the shape of another person on the ground. I grin as I use my gear to soften my landing, swinging over to the person and landing on balance, right leg first.

The person is no other than my best friend. He's my tactical strategist, and he helps me with everything. He knows the schedules of the soldiers, the underground transports. He also handles ever thing financially. This is my buddy Armin.

"Armin," I start, somewhat breathless from my journey. "I'm glad you are alright. Look, I have 2,000 Notes." I pulled out the wad of green paper, handing it to the blonde.

Armin grinned at me, but that look of happiness was gone quickly. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "This is great and all, Eren, but... You should hit the showers." He said, giving me a sheepish smile.

"What do you mean, Armin. All I did was run through the sewers, like you told me." I said defensively, my tone almost teasing in a way, crossing my arms.

"I don't care what I told you! You stink like hell!" He laughed and squirmed away as I tried to hug him. "Go shower!" He said, pushing me away.

"Fine," I mumble as I enter the house that we were standing in front of. It's small. It's only one bath and one bed, but it's nice. We are lucky to afford it. I move to the bathroom, starting the water as I look at my reflection. My skin and hair is greasy with the blood, mud and fat I rubbed into it. My hair is nearly pitch black, and I touch it to recieve a nice, completely covered hand. I'm used to it though, and just rinse it away with the water. I strip down and step inside the warm water, reaching for the soap and running it along the drying substance on my body and in my hair. My hair is bleached white underneath everything. I think it has to do with something that happened along time ago.

I sigh at the memory. About why I should be dead. But I drop it. It brings too much pain to think about the bad days. I'm not interested in thinking about that anymore. Happy thoughts. I smile as the hot water beats on my back, the water dropping in murky brown into the drain.

"Two thousand notes," I said happily. "Armin and I could purchase an entire ham." I nearly drool at the thought of the food. "Poor kid probably hasn't had ham in a while.." I frown at the thought, and wish that Armin could've been given a better life. My green eyes are hidden by my eyelids as I ponder. My hands are still scrubbing in my hair, patches of mud coming off and revealing my hair.

It used to be brown. Nearly black. I look weird with such blond hair, and I like it more when it's black. Armin and I usually buy wash-away dye in case I need to change looks. I tend to use black in public. Color contacts are too expensive, so I can never get those. My eyes finally open as I turn off the water, grabbing my towel and drying my hair and body. Some parts of mud come off with the towl and the harsh scrubbing, and I shake the towl inside the shower to make less of a mess. I rinse them all down the drain, watching the clumps of dried substance leaving dark streaks on the floor. I change into my casual clothes; a green shirt and pants. I brush my hair, pulling my fingers through it sloppily. Our brush was stolen long ago, but it's not like appearance matters anymore. I quickly move to Armin, throwing my dirty clothes into a hamper on the way.

"Hey, kiddo," I mumble happily as I see him cooking something. Even though we are the same age, he always seems younger. His face is round, but his appearance is no match for his heart and brain. His strategies and courage are what keeps me going. I look over his shoulder to see him putting potatos over a fire. This is how we bake them, now. We can't afford an oven, so we just have a burner. It works well enough. "I love potatoes." I say with a grin. It truly wasn't a lie. I couldn't afford- literally-  to not like any types of food.

"Eren, we have potatoes everyday. And you say that everyday. I am glad that you like them, but.. seriously, before I start calling you potato boy." Armin stares at me as he speaks, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"I can't help it! But potato boy...really?" I shake my head slightly. "Remember Sasha?"

A sad, longing look appeared on Armin's face, and I'm almost upset for bringing it up. "Yeah," was his soft reply. "She would totally kick your ass for some of these." Armin said with a grin, and I return it.

"She sure would." Was all I said, and Armin and I just sat, watching the potatoes in the oven. When we took them out, for some reason, the potatoes weren't as tasty.

We ate them anyway.