The Month Of May

Chapter 10

THE OMNI-DIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT GEAR WAS NOT ANYWHERE NEAR AS DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER AS I PREDICTED.

I had picked up on it rather quickly, much to my surprise. Armin looked surprised and slightly suspicious as he struggled with his own gear.

"Have you always known how to do this?" He questioned, raising a brow as he stared at me with those crystal eyes. I cursed inside my head; how had I not noticed his blue eyes? It was what everyone had always been on the lookout for...and I hadn't even noticed. I was surprised that Erwin hadn't captured Armin yet.

"No," I responded shortly, balancing myself perfectly. Armin was upright, but using his arms to balance himself better. I don't know why, but I expected him to be better at this sort of stuff. The drill instructor, Keith Shadis, made his way over. Every time an authority figure came over I held my breath, and this time was no different. He looked me up and down scrutinizingly.

"...You're a new addition, aren't you?" Shadis asked, crossing his arms in blunt indignation. "...Last name?"

"Leonhardt," I replied to the bald instructor. He looked exhausted and worn out. I would be too, if I had to teach kids constantly.

"Well, Leonhardt," Shadis narrowed his dark brown eyes at me, and I suppressed the urge to snark back towards him. "You're a natural. Why did you want to join the military again?"

To be a mole, of course.

"School was boring," I said simply, the lie slipping off of my tongue easily. "My family recently headed in a downwards spiral. I could not stand to be by them anymore."

"...You know, I've never heard of the surname Leonhardt before..."

"I'm an only child, and my parents don't get out much."

"Hm," Shadis looked as if he wanted to ask more questions, but he merely crinkled the corners of his eyes and turned away. I let out a subconscious breath of relief as he walked away.

"He seemed weirdly interested in you," Armin said incredulously. I shrugged, making sure his words didn't distract me from balancing.

"I mean, I'm a new recruit who doesn't have much information about myself," I responded dryly. As soon as it came out, I regretted saying it. There was no point in being rude to Armin, he had been a key to my goals. Plus, it was ruining his impression of me. "Sorry. I'm just kind of tense because of all this.."

"It's okay," He shrugged nonchalantly. I had a feeling he wanted to say something else, but he was holding off. I wanted to ask him about it, but I didn't want to pry.

The training session continued on interminably, but I found myself learning and paying extreme amounts of attention. After all, I really needed to use this correctly if I was to pull off my mission.

"Oh, come on Annie!" Armin exclaimed after we had both unstrapped ourselves from the training equipment. He held out his hand for me to take it instinctively. I just looked at him with a cold and uncertain look in my eyes. As he began to lower his hand, an apology forming on his lips, I quickly reached out and took his hand.

Why did I do that?

I don't know. But for some reason, the warmth of his hands against my own frigid ones fill me with some sort of emotion. He looks at me with those crystalline eyes, and for the first time ever, I can feel my cheeks heat up.

...What the hell is this boy doing to me?

And why did...why did I let him?

It's just part of your act, Annie! My subconscious hissed at me, and I found myself agreeing even though I knew I was never any good at acting. Bertolt had once given me some flowers, and I couldn't even pretend to blush. But now...? Damn, what is wrong with me? I barely know this guy!

Oh. Duh.

I was a fool. As Armin pulled me along, I realized it wasn't my feelings. It was his eyes; he didn't know it, but he was attracting me because of the power we possessed. Damn.

Still, the moment had felt nice.

"Annie, here!" Armin announced, and I snapped out of my thoughts to scan my surroundings. We were still in the training grounds, but it was lunchtime. The cabin we were sitting in was brown and musty, but the lively spirits of everyone talking seemed to brighten it up a bit. "These are my best friends, Mikasa and Eren. Guys, this is Annie."

"Hello," Eren waved politely, though his eyes were still cautious. Armin must have told them about me previously. Mikasa on the other hand, glared at
me with her cold gray eyes. I stared her back down, unintimidated.

"...I'll be watching out for you, Annie," Mikasa threatened coolly, and Eren placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down. "I don't trust you."

"Good to know," I responded, my tone just as even as hers. She thought she could try to take me down? I'd like to see her try.

"Please, just help her settle in," Armin pleaded. After a long moment of silence, Mikasa finally sighed.

"Fine. But don't expect me to trust you."

Great. Someone who was keeping even closer tabs on me. Still, I nodded.

"Don't worry. I'll fulfill everyone's expectations."

Especially yours, Mikasa. You're not wrong in your intuition, and you're lucky I didn't try and persuade you otherwise. As long as she stayed out of my way, no one needed to get hurt.

After all, I will accomplish my mission.

No matter what.