Framed By Silence || AOT

VI

This specific memory played on my mind on loop. I was able to recounter the events so perfectly, every detail as clear as if it happened just yesterday. 

The recollection of occurrences in that marketplace seemed absurd, yet so, so real.

I was seated in the Mess Hall at this point, Marco had collected me around twenty minutes after he had spoken to me before. I'd been paying so much attention to my remembrances that the transition between me being in that room, to me now in a hall full of people felt like it never happened.

I sat on a bench next to a girl I hadn't met before. She had thick, black hair that was tied low on both sides of her hair and in front of her shoulders. And opposite us, sat Marco and another boy I hadn't yet encountered. He had blonde hair that stuck up at the top, and his sideburns were large.

I was unsure for how long I had been seated there, but the others had been conversing naturally with each other for some time now. The bandage that clung to my forehead had stayed in place, and so had the pain that remained, over time I had learnt to ignore it, and its not so much a problem anymore.

I took a few moments to gaze around the hall, everyone looked either one of two things. Terrified, or content. It made me think which one I appeared as. 

After a few more moments, a commotion occurred in the Mess Hall. Mostly everyone in the area lowered their voices as two conspicuous boys raised theirs, they had stood up and were arguing about something.

One of the boys looked familiar at least, and after a split second of thinking, I remember he was the boy who stood in the doorframe for a short period of time. Jean, I think his name was. The other boy he was arguing with had short brown hair, that was unkept but suited him. His eyes were the most indistinguishable feature about him, his pupils were large and featured an emerald green colour about them. 

"Whose that?" I asked quietly, signalling towards the boy who was against Jean. The three gazed at me in surprise temporarily before the girl next to me spoke up.

"That's Eren." She smiled at me, warmly. "He's got this, insane, hatred for the titans. It's probably because his mum was eaten by one." The frail girl sighed. "Him and Jean clash a lot."

"Some say it's because they're so alike." Piped up the blonde one.

Titans...?

I took another look around the hall, this time my eyes lay upon each and every individual hoping I'd recognise at least one of them. Each time, my stare would return to the two boys arguing, and then behind them. There, sat one girl with short, black hair and a small scar below her eye. Next to her was a boy, who looked completely out of place where he sat. He had blonde, long hair that gave him an innocent look and bright blue eyes full of hope.

Marco had noticed me looking over, and filled me in for details. "Armin and Mikasa."

I looked down at him, and was interested to hear their story.

"Eren and them grew up together. Armin's super smart, but everyone knows he only joined this regiment to be with them. And Mikasa, is superbly over-protective of Eren."

I listened carefully, my eyes averting his gaze and bouncing between people in the room. 

Marco followed my eyes, until they landed on a pair of individuals.

"Connie and Sasha, they've been insep-"

"Whose that?" I cut him off, my attention fully compressed onto one person who peaked my curiosity. The girl I had laid eyes on was small, but she had an immoral aura that explained why she sat alone. She had a hooked nose, and blonde hair tied in a bun.