𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙴𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢 |𝙰𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌

Chapter 16 - Alteration

Months had passed since the last prank of the infamous Luna-Braun war had graced the compound. Everyone had assumed that the pair and all those involved had blacked down due to the increased pressure they all felt to do well on the coming exams. Most people didn't give it much thought, too consumed by the growing workload. And if their friends knew the real reason they didn't say anything. That time passed like most things do.

The cadets in class 3A had started impromptu revision classes in the library every evening the week before the first exam. Not everyone turned up every evening but each night proved to be productive, especially since you could guarantee on Armin being there.

"Nothing is going in my brain," Sasha groaned, smacking her face with the sheets she'd made to help her revise.

"Well it's not going to get there by osmosis," Jean quipped.

"I don't even get that joke!" she moaned before falling backwards onto the floor.

"You're on my papers," Mara deadpanned.

"That joke didn't even make sense," Marco said.

"What?!" Jean exclaimed, "someone pass me the osmosis sheet because I don't think I understood it."

"Reiner, don't you have it?" Mara asked.

"Uh," he looked at the mess of papers around him, "yeah, here it is."

He pulled out a sheet and handed it to her. He gave it so that his fingers brushed against her palm. Unnecessarily. All the while making eye contact with her. She felt heat rise to her cheeks as she looked away. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, before her hand fell to the charm around her neck.

He had been doing that a lot recently. Coming too close. Looking too long. She didn't not like it. But it was so different to the Reiner she was used to that she didn't know how to behave. It had all started before the last prank.

"Mara!" she heard Bertholdt call to her.

She turned so fast she almost sprained her neck. She'd seen Instructor Cowe so she knew Reiner must be back but she had yet to see him. And she had so much gloating to do. But Reiner wasn't with his tall friend. She tried to hide her disappointment.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Reiner is still helping Instructor Cowe unload the cart."

"I didn't say anything," she said defensively.

"I know," he laughed, "he just asked me to give you this."

Bertholdt held out a small wooden box. She looked at it for a moment before taking it from him. This was obviously a thinly veiled attempt at a comeback, but she'd rather have them fooled into thinking she was fooled.

"Thanks," she smiled up at him, "I'll open it later."

He nodded and turned to walk away. He paused as if fighting with himself, wanting to say more. But he only turned back around and kept walking.

"Poor guy," she thought, "he obviously didn't want to be dragged into Reiner's ploy. I won't get him back too. Just Reiner."

Mara went back to her dorm to find Sasha.

"Hey, I was just- ooh what's that?" her bunkmate rambled.

"Reiner gave it to me."

"Oooh!"

"No not 'ooh', there's obviously like a spider or something in it. He wants to get me back for the prank yesterday."

"A spider?," Sasha scrunched her nose, "that seems kind of tame compared to what we did. Besides, didn't he do that already?"