The Cadet's Origin

Chapter Twelve - The First Week

Kenna didn't know how long she had been running for today. There was her run this morning before the sun was even up. Now, she was running with the rest of the cadets. They had packs on their backs and were running through the woods near the training area. She ran between Mikasa and Sasha. She steadied her breathing and ignored the burning in her legs and stitch in her side. Kenna didn't say anything even though others were throwing some jokes. All she did was focus on finishing the run. There would be plenty of time to joke when she wasn't focusing on the run. They continued to run until the sun was high in the sky. They all ran back into the main training area.

"Hit the showers, Cadets!" Shadis yelled at them. "I expect all of you to be in your classes in a hour!"

Kenna ran off to the showers with the rest of the Cadets. She rolled her neck to try and get the knots out of it. She hadn't been getting a lot of sleep since she got here. Kenna was pretty sure that it was a combination of the stiff beds and her nightmares.

"Well Shadis is certainly making us earn our rations," Sasha said as they walked. "Hopefully there will be more at dinner tonight."

"I wouldn't count on it," Mikasa said.

"Yeah," Kenna said as she wiped the sweat off of her brow. "We're the low men on the totem pole. I doubt they'll be rushing to give us the extra food."

"Darn it," Sasha growled.

"Don't worry too much about it, Sasha," Kenna said as they walked into the shower cabin. "We'll be having extra rations when we make our way through the ranks."

"I'm holding you to that," Sasha said as they headed into the showers.

After showers, it was time to head to class. Kenna took a seat next Armin as the others filed in.

"First day of classes," Kenna said as she looked at the blond. "What do you think we'll be going over?"

"My guess would be the branches of the military," Armin said as he looked at her. "That's the basis of everything. What good is it to have soldiers who don't understand their own branches."

"Good point," Kenna said as she took out a pencil.

"How many people do you think are going to be aiming for top ten after this?" Kenna asked.

"Anyone who isn't will be after this," Armin said. "Eren and Mikasa are probably going to be the only ones in the top ten who don't join the Military Police."

"Don't think I can make the cut?" Kenna teased.

Armin turned bright red, "I wasn't meaning to imply..."

"It's okay, Armin," Kenna said. "I was just messing with you."

"What are you two talking about?" Eren asked as him and Mikasa sat down.

"Nothing important," Kenna said.

"Settle, settle," a middle aged gentleman walked into the building. He set his supplies on the desk. "I am Instructor Simmons. I am one of five instructors you will have during your time in the Cadet Corps. I am here to teach you everything you need to know about the branches of our fine military. Those of you who decide to remain all three years will have to choose one of these branches as your profession. Once you choose, you can not change your mind. The only thing that will get you out of your chosen military branch is reassignment from Primer Zachary himself." Instructor Simmons looked over the top of his glasses at them. "And let it be known, Primer Zachary has never granted that privilege to anyone." Simmons grabbed some chalk and began to write on the board. "Currently, there are 250 people currently enlisted in the Cadet Corps. Of that number, around fifty drop out over the course of three years, ten go back home due to necessity, and five will die. Of those who remain, only ten of you will have the option of going into the military police. 95% of who remains decides to go into the Garrison Regiment while 5% decide to go to the Survey Corps." Instructor Simmons looked back at them. "Now, of the branches, the Military Police see the least action and are usually kept within the boundaries of Wall Sina. As a result, they do have the lowest casualty rate. The Garrison Regiment usually has very low casualty rates as well, but with the looming threat of the Colossal and Armored Titans, I make no guarantees." Simmons paused and pursed his lips. "I don't think I need to tell any of you what happens when people decide to venture outside the wall. We will spend the next few months taking an in depth look at all these military branches. We will look at basic responsibilities and expectations as well as looking at the life of a soldier in the branches. After we cover the basics, we will start learning about the basic military strategies that each of the branches uses, though that is more reserved for the Survey Corps. Does anyone have any questions before we begin?" He waited for a moment. "Yes, you in the back."