The Time You Were Gone | Eremin Story

Hello, again

~chapter 19 of part 2~

"Of course, this would never mean we won't help our clients. So, what can I help you with?"

She was smiling, not arrogantly but sincerely. Her bright eyes suddenly drew a hole into Eren's chest, shortening his breath drastically. He stared into them and felt like he was drowning. Something was terribly wrong. But he couldn't understand why.

In fact, he had never been here before. Never before talked to the workers here. But there was something about her, something that was holding him with such force he could swear would leave bruises on his skin, but it was like his brain had tried for the longest time to forget, so hard it couldn't remember anymore.

He blinked fast a few times, like it could somehow clear his mind. Her smile continued to stay on her face, but it had a whole different effect on him. Her eyes still shone in a light blue color, but unlike Armin's eyes these lacked the beauty and innocence he was used to stare at, making him as much as he didn't want to admit a little bit of afraid. Her skin was definitely well maintained, even though she couldn't hide the bags under her eyes that had recently formed. Her blonde hair was already getting a few white hairs too, unlike the first time they met.

The first time they met. Now he was sure something was holding onto his throat, tightening his grip with every next thought that would come to his mind. But there was no way, he was playing tricks on himself. Of course, because there was no way. To make sure, he turned to look at his sister, to prove by her already bored expression that it was all in his head.

But she stared back. Speechless, but her eyes were saying enough. His heart dropped.

What was the possibility of this being just in his head? Zero, apparently, and he knew it because he found himself taking more steps back, incapable of saying a word, even though his head continued to shake, as to try to convince himself and everything around him this wasn't happening.

He had changed his mind. There were many other clinics around and the bird was sure to live through some more time.

Feeling fear suffocating him whole, he managed to turn around and grab his sister by the hand, realizing how cold it was while he considered running through the door. This was more than possible to occur, but the sudden shock he felt was still holding him strongly, especially after the dream he had not long ago.

The glass door was calling him, even yelling at him to go faster and he found himself feeling like a kid lost in the haunted houses in the movies. Because exactly a second before he could leave and never come back, a door opened.

He had no intentions of turning around because at this moment he didn't care at all. Still, his mind being in the way of processing things, it was on auto pilot. Even graver mistake, because now his body was frozen.

He felt like the times he was caught in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, taking the cookies he was forbidden to. That's what he said he was doing, because it would have been even more embarrassing admiting he was waiting to see the man in red. Even if it wasn't something worth a quarrel for, he felt like it was. Just like now, he felt like the biggest criminal to ever exist. Stepping on a property he was forbidden to, less from his father and more from himself.

His mind was blank while he stared at the eyes of his ancestor, the same color but still way different. In these three years he hadn't changed a bit. Same unstyled hair, same round glasses, same senseless of fashion. Same piece of shit.

But he was not less of surprised. Staring at him and then at the stiffed girl next to him, he helplessly opened and closed his mouth, trying to make a noise, anything. And at the same time, Eren tried to find the power to turn the handle and make his legs work again.