Promise Me | Book Three

Chapter Twelve

Mikasa's POV

"Liesel, would you like me to show you around?" She turns to me, and gets up from her position. "Sure."
Once she is closer to me, I turn back around and start walking, I only have a bit to show her.
"I'll just start dinner then," says Eren, who I assume walks off to the kitchen behind us.
I start with the library, as that's the closest thing to us. I push one door open and step inside; I re-find the book that I left on the floor.
"Eren built this for us. I still can't believe it," I say. 
"The library?" She asks, I say, "no, well yes. He built the whole cabin." I see Liesel's eyes widen from the corner of my eye.
She peers around for a while until I say, "would you like me to show you the next rooms?"
We walk out of the library and Liesel sees the other sitting area so I needn't say anything. As there is silence, all I hear is Eren preparing behind us: the sound of a knife clattering on the marble counter and other things that I can't make out.
"I've got only one more thing to show you," I say, realising how boring this tour is for her. We walk up the spiralled stairs and to mine and Eren's bedroom, past that and up to the balcony; one of my favourite places. I open the big window and step onto to the balcony, it's about to rain; it was sunny a while ago.
I step up onto the wood and embrace the wind once again.
"It's about to rain, so I'm going to bring the blankets down, you can stay here', I tell Liesel, as I scoop up the blankets, wrap two pillows in them and carefully make my way down to the interior.
I walk down the stairs and push the door open, then putting the blankets and pillows in the corner of the room.

I make my way down the spirals, slowly and steadily. "Eren," I say, pacing over to him. He's chopping clean chicken pieces, which I am surprised to see. "Where did you get those?" I ask, quite shocked. "Oh, Liesel killed a chicken on the way here. Thankfully, she plucked it herself." I sigh, and lean on the counter. "We haven't had good meat in a long time, so I thought it would be nice for us to have, you know?" He says. I nod slowly, and watch as he cuts the chicken so cleanly, he must've been practicing.
There's a moment of silence, "What do you think of Liesel?" I ask. Eren puts the knife down and rinses his hands. "I just can't get over it. I really can't." He turns to me this time; talks to me directly. "Imagine, a sister that you never even heard of shows up and tells you everything that happened and you're just supposed to sit there and accept that." He says, his voice gradually rising in volume. "Plus, she's my twin."
So, that's why they look so alike?
"Eren, I'm sorry," I say and he looks confusedly at me. "What for?"
"For being so arrogant. I didn't like the fact that you have a sister for a reason I still don't know. This should be a good thing, you have more family now. This should be good. But, for some reason, I can't think that way. You don't have to forgive me for these thoughts that I shouldn't think of." I say, and I gradually lowered my head as I spoke to him.
"Maybe it's because she just popped up out of no where and wasn't here to protect you for all these years when you've needed it. I'm sorry, I didn't mean 'protected', just- she wasn't here to support you or anything. But I hate that I think this because she couldn't do anything about that."
I end up tightening my grip on the counter behind me, that fortunately arches round to where I am instead of it being just a straight line.

I need to look at him. I hate how I am with these things. I tilt my head to look up to him and say the rest, "I'll try and get to know her so these thoughts will be replaced with positive ones. Just ignore me right now," my voice beginning to wobble more and so I take a few steps to my right to leave.
Eren quickly grabs my wrist, and I stand there, unknowing to what I should do.
He begins to slowly pull me back to him, and he then turns me around to face himself. I don't look at him again, I look over his shoulder out of cowardice.
It feels like we stay this way for a long time: the both of us peering over each other's shoulders, his hand still wrapped around my wrist. I hope he doesn't feel me shaking. I want to cry, and even the thought of crying gets me annoyed. Why am I crying so much? I didn't used to, or did I? It's getting ridiculous, I shouldn't cry.
Holding these tears back is making my throat painfully ache and my eyes just as bad. Please, Eren, say something.
I give up, and let the tears flow. Eren shouldn't see like this, right?
Selfishly, I cry more, making my body bop uncontrollably and I try ever so hard not to sob at all. I bite my lower lip, and try to stop.
Then, Eren presses his chest to mine and places one hand on my back. I try even harder now, to reduce my movement, so Eren won't know. I won't to hold him, but I just need time to explode, but I won't do it with Eren here, he wouldn't like that, and I don't want to worry him.
"I'll check on Liesel, now," I manage to say quite clearly, and I quickly evade him and run to our bedroom.

I throw myself on the bed and cry into it. This isn't like me...
To be one of those girls who are so emotional and complicated. I wasn't like this, so why now?
It's like Eren has become my weakness.
If this is all right, or not-so-good I don't know, but I need to stop crying all the damn time.

* * * *

I climb up to the roof again and see Liesel sitting there, gazing at the mountains above the trees. I sit beside her and stare with her. The sun is peaking through, and Liesel doesn't even look damp. It didn't rain after all.

I have nothing to say, so I wait for her to speak instead.
"Mikasa, you're a good person," she says. I furrow my eyebrows, as I didn't expect her to say anything like that to me.
"You probably don't see it in yourself, but you are. I barely know you still, but I can tell. You're very caring of Eren."
I cross my arms, and her words make me feel worse as I had just been saying how I didn't like her.
"I'm not. I have too many flaws," I say.
"But, we all do," she says, and with a brief silence she continues. "I'll tell you a bit about myself and then you can tell me about you. You're going to be my sister-in-law in a few months, we should at least be close enough to be called friends."
She's right, and I nod in agreement and wait for her backstory.
"When Eren and I were born, I was chosen to be raised underground, because there was the plague at that time and you could only have one child by law."

She explains everything to me. All the details, with no masking or blurring, or hiding, just raw stories.
She's completely honest with every word.
"I found Eren whilst he was on the way to Wall Maria. At first, I didn't know it was him, but when I got up close to him I asked him his name. I was so happy to find my brother at last. How I wish I was raised up here with him. I didn't even know I had him until last year or so. Now, I'll be able to live close with him as the Titans are finally gone."
I turn to her and smile. "I can only imagine what you've been through."
"Now it's your turn to tell me your story."
I sigh and say, "Okay. Well, I lived with my parents in the woods, not too far from the town of Wall Maria. Three men came to our house and slaughtered both of my parents before I could even realise what was happening. They were about to take me with them to sell me, but Eren came and killed the two of them, but was attacked by the third. With a lot of hesitation, I stabbed the other in the back and managed to help Eren. We were only nine."
I sigh as I remember everything happen as if it was only yesterday.
"They took me into their home until the Titans breached, and they... A Titan ate your mother." I mumble the last few words.
"Eren told me. I just wish that I'd met them, just once."
"Don't get your hopes up, but there's a chance that your father could be alive." I say quietly.
She turns to me quickly, her brown hair flying behind her back.
"We don't know where he is, though. But, he may be alive. There's no guarantee."
She glares at me a while more and then turns back to the scenic world. "I hope so," she says.

I stare at the trees swaying, back and forth like a dance routine. I'll always be relaxed by trees and their seamless dances.
"Liesel," I say, and she turns her head to face me. "I didn't think well of you first came. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have."
Liesel shakes her head, "don't be. I don't expect you to just accept me because I'm Eren's sister. If I were you, I'd probably react the same way. And, I eavesdropped on yours and Eren's conversation, I heard most. Let's just be honest with each other from now on." Liesel says truthfully, and I nod in return.
"I wish that you and Eren had better. You didn't deserve all that you got," I say to her.
"Don't pity us. Worry about yourself, both your parents were murdered in front of you for God's sake, Mikasa." Liesel exclaims.
I tuck my chin into my knees, and pull my scarf up; it's getting breezy.
"I've not seen that scarf off of you since I've been here," she says.
I look down to my scarf and brush my fingers along the fine fibres. "Eren gave it to me. I wore it even when I fought Titans, and only didn't when I was asleep or it was a beaming hot summer."
I see Liesel smile from the corner of my eye.

"So, have we passed the friendship test?" I ask Liesel.
"You bet, Mikasa."