The Cadet's Origin

Chapter Twenty Four - Drawings

Kenna twirled her pencil in her fingers. She bit the inside of her lip as she examined her latest drawing.

"What are you drawing this time?" Reiner said as he looked over her shoulder.

"Just an idea of something that might be able to kill Titans," Kenna said as she looked up at him.

"Another one," Armin said as he took a seat across from her. "Can I see?"

"Here," Kenna said as she passed the notebook to Armin.

"Long range weapons?" Armin said as he looked over the drawings. "Are you thinking explosive based like the cannons that the Scouts use?"

"I'm thinking it has to be," Kenna said as she rested her hand on her chin. "Explosives are going to be the only thing strong enough to blow out a Titan's nape without having to get to close."

"Impressive," Armin said as he passed the book back to her. "Do you really think that the Scouts will be able to fund your ideas?"

"Probably not," Kenna said as Reiner took her book from her. "I don't think that the Scouts have ever been properly funded."

"How many of these do you have?" Reiner asked as he flipped through the pages.

"A lot," Kenna said as she snatched her notebook back. "I'm always drawing for a reason."

"By the walls," Reiner said. "There's got to be hundreds of designs in there."

"Close to it," Kenna said as she opened her book and started to sketch again.

"I'm going to head the library," Armin said as he got up from the table. "I need to study a bit for the upcoming exam."

"Have fun," Kenna said as she continued to draw.

"Bertolt and Jean are waiting for me," Reiner said. "We're going to head to the barracks and study some more too. Do you want to join us?"

"I'm good," Kenna said. "It's just a ODM gear test."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Reiner said.

"See you tomorrow," Kenna said with a smile.

The sounds of the other cadets filled the room. Kenna was happy for the chatter. Kenna hummed as she finished up her drawing. She filled the page with her ideas. On the next page, she put the mechanism that would hold the explosive materials. Kenna was grateful that she had brushed up on her chemistry from the library books. The mechanism would house the explosive components in two parts. Half of the materials would be in the front of the long shaft while the other half of the materials would be in the back. They would only be released when a string was pulled. Kenna bit the inside of her cheek. The idea was solid, but Kenna had no idea if the metal would cooperate. By her calculations, the only thing that would explode would be the tip of the shaft. It wouldn't be strong enough to blow out the nape of a Titan's neck.

Kenna pushed back her notebook and crossed her arms. She needed to look at it from a different perspective, but she had no idea what that would be. Kenna tapped her fingers on her arm. She didn't know how make the metal work.

Then, something made the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. Kenna wanted to look back, but she didn't. Kenna also wanted to close her notebook, but she also felt like that would be a bad idea.

"What are you doing, Cadet Dressler?" Shadis's voice came from behind her.

"Coming up with designs to kill Titans, Sir," Kenna said as she kept her eyes trained forward on her notebook.

"And why haven't me these designs yet, Cadet?" Shadis yelled at her. "Are you trying to impede humanity's success?"

"No, Sir," Kenna said as she turned to face Shadis. "These designs are not finished yet, Sir!" Kenna showed her notebook to Shadis. "All my designs can not be utilized in actual military combat."