𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢 |𝙰𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟻: 𝙵𝚒𝚡𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

The next few days were dedicated to perfecting their skills on the ODM rigs. Those who had managed to get it right on the first day were instructed through different manoeuvres that increased in difficulty; those who hadn't were given more chances to get to grips with the basics. Over the week, they stuck with the pairs they had been assigned on the first day so the instructor could give better more accurate feedback. Mara had been determined to master each manoeuvre with ease, she didn't have Jean's goal of being top of the class, but she did at least want to be better than one person.

Mara didn't understand him. When the blonde boy had first approached, she recognised him from after the fall of Wall Maria. Floods of refugees had fled to her town in the days that followed, but she distinctly remembered him, huddled with two of his friends in the middle of the building. He looked older now, but she'd never forgotten those eyes when she had approached them offering help. There she was shocked to see such determination mixed in amongst the fear.

She saw those eyes again as she had strapped him to the rig for the first time. She felt the words of comfort leave her mouth before she could register what she was saying and was pleased to see her words had helped alleviate the tension he held in his body. Mara knew he didn't recognise her, but she didn't blame him; how could she? Even though every face she saw over those few days were ingrained into her brain, he had just lost everything. She was probably no more than a blur in his memory.

Mara thought him to be the quiet, reclusive type as he hadn't spoken much, in the last few minutes or the day before. So, she was surprised to see him handle the ODM with such ease and was a little bitter at how it took him no time at all to right himself once he started moving. She was even more surprised to hear the fire in his reply when she asked how he'd accomplished it. Though she had meant the words kindly she couldn't stop the hint of jealousy creep in with the question, so his equally biting reply wasn't uncalled for.

I guess I'm just better than you.

She tutted at the sound of his voice in her head. How could he think he was better than her? I'll show him, she thought. Though, if she admitted it, she was struggling to. Reiner had outperformed her every day, making her mood fouler and fouler until Thursday evening when Jean couldn't ignore it anymore.

"What's gotten into you?" he had asked while they ate their evening meal.

"Just these stupid ODMs," she replied bitterly.

"You seem to be doing fine to me," Connie said, his mouth full of bread and soup.

"Yeah, Mara, don't worry about it, Shadies would've made it clear if you weren't performing well," Marco added, smiling reassuringly at her.

"Yeah, I could see you. You're good," Jean said.

"Not good enough though," she muttered.

Jean shook his head at her attitude.

"Don't tell me you're trying to get into the top ten. Leave that to those of us that actually want to join the MPs would you."

"Like I would dream of taking that spot from you, Kirstein," she bit back sarcastically, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder.

"I was doing good on the ODM wasn't I?" Sasha interrupted, "I wonder if Shadies would give me back my meal privileges now."

"I think we're feeding you enough Sasha. If anything, you getting meals back would be better for us than you," Connie laughed.

The conversation moved away from Mara and she continued eating in relief. How could she explain to them that she was trying so hard on the ODM rigs out of pure spite? That Reiner had really struck a nerve with her and she was confused why it bothered her so much. Was it his sarcastic words of encouragement as she failed yet again? Or was it his smirk every time she unhooked him from the rig after he had succeeded in beating her? The thing that confused her the most was that after all the teasing and taunting he threw at her, once they left the rigs Reiner barely spared her a second look; it was as if she only existed to him in that small time they trained together.