Friend or Foe... (AoT Reader Insert)

Chapter 47: "I love you."

It's dark.

I can't feel anything; not even the beat of my own heart. Sometimes I wonder if I'm dead, but the voices and sounds around me keep me from reaching that edge.

Once in a while I'll hear footsteps pass by. Rarely will voices echo in the darkness. Rarer still will someone actually talk to me. Oftentimes they're threats, but once in a while it'll be the voice of someone I know.

They talk to me; telling me about their day and what goes on in the world. I cling to their words the same way I cling to distant memories. It's the only way I know I'm still alive.

Footsteps approach. I'd hold my breath if I was still breathing.

"Annie," they mutter, "what the hell have you gotten yourself into?"

I listen closely to the footsteps which pace around impatiently.

"I mean... you were a Titan? All this time? That's crazy. You're crazy! I... this world is crazy." They laughed for a moment, the sound of their footsteps finally ceasing. "Can you hear me, Annie? Inside of that solid piece of crystal, can you hear me?"

'I can hear you.' I call out, but I doubt my voice can be heard outside my own mind.

"I guess you were never very talkative in the first place. This is probably the most you've ever listened to me talk; assuming you can actually hear me."

After a long period of silence, footsteps begin echoing through the room once more.

"I have to go now," the person sighs, the creaking of a door just barely audible over their voice, "ever since the scouts overthrew the former king, us folk in the military have been doing twice as much as we usually do. As much as I'd love to tell them off, their precious egos wouldn't be able to handle it."

The door closes and footsteps retreat from where I'm held. I listen to them eagerly until I can listen to them no more.

Silence impatiently overtakes my senses.

It's dark.

I'm alone.

Time passes slowly. The only thing which keeps me company are the thoughts in my head and the memories of the past.

"Annie! I knew I'd find you here."

I shrugged my shoulders as a pair of footsteps approached. The figure took a seat beside me. I could tell she was looking at me, but didn't look up from the ground. I simply continued digging my heel into the dirt.

"I was looking for you," piped the girl.

"Why?" I murmured, still assaulting the ground with my heel.

"Is it so weird for me to want to hang out with you, Annie?"

"I'm not lonely. I don't need your company."

"Who ever said I thought you were lonely?" the girl giggled, "I'm here because I want to be."

I stopped digging for a moment. Who would ever want to hang out with me?

I don't like to compare myself with other children, but I couldn't quite fathom that the idea that someone might want to spend time in my company. I kept my distance from others. I didn't talk very often. I'd never even learned the games the other children seemed to enjoy so much.

I glanced over at the girl beside me. Her eyes were staring out into the sky. I wonder what she was looking at? Or perhaps, what she was looking for.