The Cadet's Origin

Chapter Twenty Three - Amends

Kenna walked into the school cabin with Reiner and Bertolt. Kenna felt exhausted. She didn't know why, but today's physical training just hit her harder than she would have thought. Kenna, Reiner, and Bertolt sat next to Marco and in front of Jean, Sasha, and Connie. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin walked in just a few moments after them and sat in front of them. Their teacher was nowhere to be found. Kenna opened her sketchbook and took a few spare moments to sketch. The door closed and Kenna heard some gasps. Kenna looked up from her sketchbook. Her eyes widened and she felt like she wanted to melt into her seat.

"Are you going to be okay?" Reiner whispered into her ear.

Kenna didn't have a chance to respond before their teacher started to speak, "Now that you have all shown that you are here to stay, Commandant Shadis and I thought that it was time that you heard from people who have chosen their branches and have risen through the ranks. From the Military Police, we have Commander Nile Dawk, stationed in the Stohess District. From the Survey Corps, we have Section Commander Miche Zacharius. From the Garrison Regiment, we have Lieutenant Karl Dressler." Kenna felt everyone's turn and look between her and her uncle. There were murmurs among the crowd. Their teacher quickly got the crowd under control. "Silence! These individuals have come to impart their first-hand knowledge of their branch." The murmuring stopped. "Now, pay attention as Commander Nile Dawk explains what it is like in the Military Police."

Kenna managed to feign interest in Commander Dawk's and her uncle's speeches. She only pretended to be interested so that she wouldn't hear any lecture from her uncle when he managed to find her after this talk. Kenna bit the inside of her lip as she worried about what her uncle would say to her after this presentation.

Kenna felt a squeeze on her right hand. Kenna looked to Reiner. She managed to offer him a strained smile. He squeezed her hand once more to try and comfort her.

"Now, for our final speaker for the day," their teacher said. "Section Commander Zacharius, what do you have for our Cadets today?"

"The Scout Regiment is one that requires those with the brightest minds and bravest souls," Section Commander Zacharius said as he looked at them. "I will not lie to you, life in the Scout Regiment is not the easiest. However, if you join the Scout Regiment, you have the chance to be one of the strongest fighters that humanity has to offer. Notable fighters among our ranks include Captain Levi and myself. Currently, we follow the leadership of Commander Erwin Smith. He is a bold man who is working to push us to reclaim the land lost to Titan advance. The number of Cadets who join our ranks are small, but that offers a lot of chances for directly working with some of the best the Survey Corps has to offer." He looked over the faces of the cadets. "Is there any among you who are thinking about the Survey Corps."

Kenna raised her hand. In front of her, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin all raised their hands. Section Commander Zacharius looked at them. He made a small sound, and the four cadets lowered their hands.

After that, Section Commander Zacharius proceeded to talk about the state and duties of the Scouts. Kenna hung onto every word that he said. Everything he said made Kenna more and more sure that the Scouts was the place for her. She particular perked up when he mentioned that Hange Zoe was their leading scientists. Flashes of the kind Scout flashed through Kenna's mind. She hoped that she would see Hange again when she eventually joined the Scouts.

After his hour was up, their teacher dismissed the cadets. All of the cadets started to file out. Kenna stayed in her seat though. She could feel her uncle's eyes on her. The message was clear. She was meant to stay and hear whatever he had to say.

"Kenna," Reiner shook her shoulder.

"Hhmm," Kenna said as she looked at him. She saw that all of her friends were still sitting in their seats.