↳ Mara's parents were born in Marley, but Mara was born within the walls. She knew a lot of things about the world beyond the walls, one of them being that Titan Shifters were at fault for the fall of Wall Maria. The cause of so many deaths, includi...
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Chapter twenty four: Drown or swim?
Mara's pov:
"Well, I think that, in a different circumstance, you and Annie would still be together. Because, if you actually stopped to sort out whatever you were arguing about, I'm sure that you would have both agreed on an alternative answer other than just ignoring each other and pretending like the tension between you doesn't bother you." The blonde boy stated in a matter-of-fact tone. His eyes were closed and one had on his hip, while the other was raised, his finger held up as he walked.
I opened my mouth to explain to my best friend how it wasn't that simple. But, I failed to find the right words, and within a second my mouth was closed once more, a defeated expression adorning my features.
The dirt track we strolled down was uneven and thin, thanks to the large ferns of vibrant greens and blues hanging into the pathway lazily, and the shrubbery edging onto the dirt in hesitant waves.
The sound of birdsong, shrill and fresh, surrounded us from all directions, a babbling brook could be heard not too far away.
The early morning air had a calm yet tired feeling to it, as though the world wasn't quite awake yet.
Dawn strolls through the forest next to the Scout Regiment Headquarters were my favourite. The atmosphere was always muggy and quiet.
Within the safety of the trees, I felt like nothing in the world mattered other than me and the nature that surrounded. It was a selfish feeling, I knew, but I couldn't help falling victim to the addiction of these dawn walks.
Even if these peaceful mornings only lasted for a half hour, or if something happened to mean I wouldn't be able to do them anymore, I promised myself that I would treasure every moment while I still could.
"I mean, how can you pretend that the distance between you and Annie isn't affecting you? Just yesterday Eren, of all people, managed to beat you in training." Armin paused for emphasis, shooting me a pointed look. I sighed and looked away shamefully, "not once in our three years of training to become a soldier has Eren ever been able to best you in hand-to-hand combat. What the – and I rarely swear, so you know I'm very serious about this – fuck is so distracting about you and Annie having an argument that you can't even beat Eren in hand-to-hand combat anymore?"
So much for this morning's peaceful dawn walk...
I tried to defend myself against Armin's relentless interrogation, but failed miserably thanks to the fact that I couldn't even form a grammatically correct sentence. I wondered why that was, after all, I had been awake for a while now.
"Do you know what infuriates me the most? I'm going to tell you anyway. It's the fact that you are so deep into your pit of denial that you can't even recognise that you're not able to function properly without Annie." Armin announced his final statement with dramatic hand gestures and one last final pointed look.
