ᵗᵒ ᵗᵃᵐᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵉᵃˢᵗ AOT

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓔𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷

"What is that?!"

Madison pulled out a journal, one that had been a few pages ripped out of it. Upon opening the journal, the first page she opened to a sketch of a young boy in it. Her eyebrows furrowed, knowing the boy looked familiar.

"Who is that?" Eren asked while taking the picture and examining it himself. "I don't know. Wait..hold on, there's something here."

845

I should have known they would come here. Damn it! Those kids aren't ready to handle this! I told them to give me a chance, but they had to send those damn kids here. Why? Reiner..my boy, Reiner. He wasn't meant to be here. Not that I never believed he could do it, but he's such a young boy.

I don't understand the need to send children into a war with these island devils. But, I will do everything to protect those kids.

"What the hell?" Madison mumbled after she finished reading a bit of the entry. She looked to Eren and Levi, a shocked expression on her face and her heart racing at an extremely speedy pace. How did her mother know Reiner? And what did he do?

"How did you get in here?" The three heard, their heads quickly turning behind themselves and seeing Madison's mother standing at the bottom of the steps in the basement. Levi held up his arm slightly, holding both Eren and Madison behind himself. "You're not suppose to be here.."

"Where are they?" Madison growled out, glaring at her mother. "Where are what?"

"The journals! My dad's journals! Where are they?!" Madison exclaimed, lunging forward slightly, but Eren grabbed her by the arm to pull her back. "So, you break into my home just for some trunk? You know that's trespassing, right?"

"It isn't if Greta was the one that let me in. And besides, you said never come back to the home in Trost, not in Stohess." Madison informed, Alice, her mother, death glaring at her. "You're not getting that trunk. Its my property."

"Like hell it is! It was my father's and he left it to me! And you know it!" Madison shouted, pointing her finger at her mother in sheer anger. "We're not leaving until we get that trunk." Levi replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Really? And may I ask what you need this trunk for?" Alice asked. "That's none of your business."

"Then until I know why you need the journals..you're not getting the trunk."

"Yes, they are." The four heard, looking to the stairs and seeing Greta nod towards Madison. "Come with me."

Madison practically ran past her mother and up the stairs where there she spotted Greta dragging the trunk out of the home. Madison followed her, picking the trunk up from the other side and helped her carry it.

"Is this it?" Gunther asked, approaching both of the girls and gesturing for himself to take the trunk. "Yes. My mother can try and hide it all she wants but my siblings look out for me."

"Alright, lets move. Now." Captain Levi said, walking out of the house with Eren, the disgusted look on his face never leaving as he hopped onto his horse. "So, this is how it is, Greta..?"

Greta looked towards her home, seeing Alice standing in the doorway with a disowning look on her face.

"You'd rather lose your family to help her?"

"She IS my family, Mom. And I'm not going to let you stop her from doing her job. You can hate her all you want, but she's still your daughter, and she's still my sister." Greta replied, turning around upon hearing a loud noise and saw that Oruo and Eld had brought a wagon.

"Then I guess you choose to leave as well?"

"She'll need my help and I need answers from my Dad's journals too. So, yes..I am leaving. And I will promise one other thing before I leave.." Greta began, her eyes slowly glowing yellow as she approached her mother one last time. "If anything happens to Azura and Alex, if you HURT them in any way, WE are coming back for you. Madison and I both."

Though Alice was surprised to see her daughter has the same powers as Elijah, she shook it off, glaring at her eldest daughter and crossing her arms.

"We'll see about that."

"You know what? We will. Captain Levi! You have room for one more?" Greta called, looking back at Levi. The man nodded, his glare never leaving Alice as Greta walked over, hopping onto the wagon as she did before. And with that, everyone left, Madison looking back one last time at her mother and seeing this glare that was so dark on her face, she thought it would kill her that instant.

She turned back, her hand gripping tight at her reins to the point her knuckles turned white. Though she didn't like the fact that she was leaving behind her siblings, she couldn't take them with her. Not now, at least.

"They'll be fine, Maddie." Madison heard, looking up and seeing Eren and Petra beside. While she gave them a thankful smile, she knew deep in her heart that something was wrong. Not to mention that entry in that journal made her feel suspicious yet curious about Reiner. She didn't want to assume anything because Reiner was her friend. She didn't want to throw this at him and he didn't know anything.

But there was something off about it. The fact that the words 'island devils' were used and the picture of the boy looked so familiar, like she's seen him before.

As soon as they reached the wall, Madison looked up, the same Garrison soldiers on guard above, but Madison saw someone else.

"Isn't that Asano, Maddie?"

Madison nodded, her guilt returning once again as she remembered what she did back in Trost. Asano had just finished talking with one of his comrades when he looked down and made eye contact with Madison.

While Madison had this shameful look on her face, it quickly washed off when Asano smiled down and waved his hand. Wait..why was he waving? Does he not remember what she did?

This made her furrow her eyebrows. But she looked away, focusing on the dirt road ahead of them as they exited from Stohess. Madison left the city, questions still unanswered and more suspicions arising. Especially about her mother. She was acting off, as was Asano.

What was really going on here?