Hope of Morning (Jean Kirstein x OC)

Chapter 1

It's been two years since that day. Since since our city had been taken over by those monsters and destroyed. And now I stand here in this line next to others around my age in wait. Today is our first day as cadets in the training program to become soldiers, the next generation to be protectors of humanity. 

As much as my curiosity is piqued, I refrain from looking around at my peers. Catching the attention of our instructor seems to be something that should be avoided for the moment. Any single hint of weakness or lost focus would catch his eye almost immediately. While his back is turned though I do keep a slight watch, however. Gazing over some of our comrades, it's easy to see what some of their drives are for being here without them having said anything yet. Some, genuinely wish to fight and protect humanity. Others... an attempt at saving their pitiful lives for a nice life within the most inner walls.

Disgraceful.

"And just what is your name?!"

Crap.

"My name.. It's Vivica Gaetes, sir!"

My eyes move to the side briefly. She's trembling, terrified. But she tightens her stance and slams her fist against her chest to regain her strength and composure. 

'Atta girl.. just keep that up a little longer...

"Gaetes, huh? And what the hell is a prissy little girl like you here for? To be titan fodder for the ones actually capable of fighting them off? Are you even capable of throwing a decent punch with those paltry things you call arms?!" 

Stunned, she chokes up a little. Our eyes lock briefly before they dart back to our instructor. "I'm here because I want to make a difference, sir! I want to ensure the safety of the human race and fight for a better future! I'm here to keep bringing honor to our family's name sir!" 

It's too late. He watched her every movement, especially her facial expression. 

"Oh, is that so..? And just how well will you be able to fight when you can't even keep your eyes on what's directly in front of you? It would probably have been more honorable for you to have stayed home and not even bother with your dismal attempt at not killing yourself for nothing!" 

Vivica was thrown off for a brief moment, but nonetheless gave her defense without missing a beat. "Not very well, sir! But with the proper training I know I can handle my own! That's why I'm here, sir!" 

It seems like eternity, but Shadis finally walks down the line right past me after his interrogation. Vivica stands there anxiously, but my cousin is a strong person. Relieved, she relaxes and glances at me. Her eyes soften again and she continues to look straight ahead. 

"You good?" I whisper to her. As tough of a person she may be, I still worry. It's hard not to, growing up the way we did. I can't help but keep an eye on her the rest of the time, only paying attention to her and nothing else. 

And before we know it, the interrogations are finished. Some people dropped out immediately. Others broke down but kept their spirits up and held their head up high. And few were left unfazed, looking straight ahead eyes cold and sharp. They were the ones who were left unbothered by Shadis, who walked idly by them. They must know what it's like then, huh? They were there when it happened too. We were dismissed and led around to familiarize ourselves with the grounds. As expected, there wasn't a whole lot to see. Your standard training grounds: sparring area, cafeteria, barracks for the boys and the girls, set ups for the maneuvering gear. Nothing too exciting, nothing special about it.

As time passes on, we eventually retire to the barracks where our belongings are already there waiting for us. Day one has just finished, and already a carriage load of people dropping out have begun to ship off. Vivica and I stand outside on the barracks porch and watch as they depart. 

I can't believe people are already dropping out of this and the sun hasn't even set fully yet. They would really rather do farm work than this? 

"So... have you seen who's here yet? I'm surprised you didnt react at all when Shadis absolutely grilled him! Were you that much in your head envisioning your own future?" My thought were abruptly interrupted. "I could tell cuz you had that gleam in your eye and you said absolutely nothing about him. So obviously you were completely spacing out." Vivica nudges my elbow and laughs to herself.

Puzzled, I begin to ask "Him? Who in the world are you talking abou--" and I'm again interrupted by her. Instead of words however, she grabs onto my face and turns my head to the side over towards the rest of the barracks. It's only then when I realize who it is. "Armin... He's really here?! And is that... Jaeger next to him?!" For the first time in years I feel choked up enough to almost cry. Finally, I can beat someone up and they won't cry about it, I laugh to myself.

Of course I don't really mean it... Kind of. Sparring with Eren was always pretty enjoyable, for many reasons.  Winning all of the time was the main reason, but it was always so exhilarating going up against someone who was so eager and would do anything it took to win. 

And then there's Armin, whom you met Eren through. He was your best friend growing up. He was always so sweet, and had such an inquisitive mind. Always to curious and eager and drawn to things that were so taboo to our world. His wonder and excitement was refreshing, compared to the constant religious rhetoric elders would chant down the streets. Armin's insight and desire to know more about what surrounded us was always so intriguing to me. I remember the nights I would sneak him into my room, and he would show me the textbooks his grandfather had of outside the walls. The way his face lit up and his eyes beamed while reading the scriptures almost had me believing there was so much more than what we knew inside. It made me almost want to reach beyond and break away... but...

"Let's go get dinner, Phi-Phi. We should go and say hi to them. It's been so long since we've seen them. I didn't even know if they were even still alive." Vivica says tearing up. We were all so close with each other and suddenly everything was flipped upside down.

I smile softly to myself remember the days of the past. "Yeah, we should, shouldn't we?" I reply. I put my hands in my pockets and step to the side turning towards Viv. "We sure do have a lot of catching up to do."