Friend or Foe... (AoT Reader Insert)

Chapter 4: A Place to Remember

Year 847

The day Mina and I left for the training camp was a day filled with tears.

Though Mr. Carolina didn't fully agree with our choice, he still sent us off with a smile. While I'd like to think that I would've been fine, I was sure that Mina would've been devastated had he not been there.

Mrs. Carolina had shed some tears as she pulled me in for a hug. I relished in the feeling of her arms around me.

"Don't worry, Mom," I smiled, "we have each other, so we'll be fine!"

The older woman wiped a tear from her eye, "I know, I know. It just won't be the same around here without the two of you."

Mina went in for a hug with Mrs. Carolina.

In the awkward silence, I looked over to Mr. Carolina. No words had to be exchanged to understand what was going through his brain. Although it seemed like the two of us were constantly fighting, we could understand one another.

I guess it was an unspoken bond between two people who cared.

"I'll miss you guys." Mina sighed, finally pulling away from the embrace with the older woman.

I put a hand on Mina's shoulder, "come on. We're supposed to arrive before noon."

The ravenette gave a short nod before following after me. I could tell by the way she took deep breaths that she was trying not to cry.

"Be careful out there you two!" Mrs. Carolina called.

"Don't worry!" I hollered in response, "we will!"

We were only a few paces away when Mina had to stifle a sniffle.

"Are you okay?"

Mina nodded.

"It's because this is your first time away from home without Mom or Dad, isn't it?" I sighed when Mina looked away, "you don't have to come with me if you don't want to."

"You already know I'd never leave you alone."

I smiled, "and I'd never leave you alone either."

---

The first thing we were made to do upon arriving at the training camp was to change from our regular clothes into the training corps uniforms.

We were only given one demonstration on how to properly equip the entire uniform and the several pairs of straps were not an exception. They said that it was our 'first task as a trainee,' and that 'we would need to learn how to equip said gear as quickly as possible for when we joined an actual regiment.'

To say that the straps looked daunting would be an understatement.

We had half an hour to make it out onto the field or else we would be sent home. 'Not cadet material' is how they described it.

I was one of the first to finish gearing up. Mina was having a little bit of trouble but assured me that she would be out shortly after me. I guess that's why I now found myself heading into the large open field that was the training grounds, all alone.

"Name?" A person with a clipboard asked as I exited the cabin.

"(Y/n) (L/n)," I responded, though it was less of a response and more like instinct. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about the person who had asked my name. At least, they weren't someone who looked to be important.

"Row 4, Cadet (L/n)."

I nodded and began moving almost immediately.

There weren't really a lot of people that I recognized, much less that I actually knew. If I had to guess, there were probably only a handful of people who looked friendly enough for me to want to approach.