Meeting the Higher-ups

Chalter 26 ~ No...

I stood there motionless, staring straight at the TV.

My parents... They're gone...

"No..." I voiced out loud.

Everybody's heads whipped around to look at me. Their facial expressions were ones mixed with both shock and pity.

"Emma..." Jake said and started to slowly walk towards me.

"No..." I said again and started to stumble on my feet, consistent tears falling from my eyes.

"Emma, are you okay?" Levi asked sympathetically, even though he knew I wasn't okay.

I slowly dropped to my knees, my tears splattering onto the floor beneath me. No... This can't be happening...

Those words repeated in my head and Levi's concerned call of my name was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

Time skip

I slowly woke up, feeling tired and groggy. I slowly opened my eyes, the light slightly blinding them.

"Emma?" I heard a soft voice ask, close by.

"She's awake?" Another asked, a bit farther away from the first one.

"Yeah."

I tried to sit up but was pushed back down.

"Hey, take it easy." Somebody said and I looked up to see Levi.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You passed out." He answered. I stared at him for a few seconds before I remembered what had happened.

My parents... They're... gone...

I put my head in my hands. "No..." I softly said and began to cry all over again.

"Hey, it's okay... Shh..." Levi said and hugged me, rubbing my back.

"Emma, we're so sorry..." Hanji said sympathetically, coming to sit down beside me. I just don't understand. Why me...? Why THEM?!

I cried hard for a few minutes before I voiced my thoughts to everybody.

"Why? Why did this have to happen?" I managed to get out.

"Emma, listen, everything's going to be okay." Jake softly said, rubbing my arm.

"No it's not! Why did this happen?! Why did it have to happen to them?" I started crying hard again.

"Emma, people come and go, but that only means that we have to keep going, taking their memory with us." Erwin said and came to kneel in front of me.

"That's right. No matter what happens, you have to keep going. For their sake and for your own." Mike came over.

"But I don't want to. I miss them so much, all I wanted was to see them again." I choked out.

"Hey, it's okay..." Levi gently grabbed my hand and rubbed circles on the top.

"Emma, I'm sure you can come live with me and my family. They love you, it'll be great." Jake said with a smile on his face.

That's true. I thought. I could go live with them. All my other family members are kind of old and all, so it'd be kind of hard for them to take care of me. The last thing I want to do is be a trouble. Yeah... Jake's house sounds pretty nice...

"I have a better idea." Levi said, snapping me out of my thoughts. He took both of my hands in his and looked me straight in the eyes. I saw a sincere look in the gray-blue eyes of his. "Emma, come with us."