Rags and Riches ~ Levi x OC

3. Cadet Corps

The cart tossed and turned about. They had passed through Wall Sheena recently and since then, Enyo wanted to puke when the cart rolled along dirt roads and sharply turned. She couldn't believe that roads could be holey dirt instead of smooth gravel and the two guys next to her, who were also from the Royal Capital, weren't faring much better. Enyo gripped the bottom of the bench when she landed hard on her bottom once more, and hissed out a quiet, "ow."

    The two others in the cart from the Royal Capital were very similar to her, she found out. They were rich and wanted to run away from their fate. Every bounce made Enyo's golden braid unravel more and more and she wanted to stop the cart and walk the rest of the way. The two guys agreed with her. If they ever managed to make it to the Cadet base, her insides would be so mangled that she'd never be able to walk ever again.

    Of course, that was an exaggeration. When they finally arrived, dozens of cadets ran past their cart with wide and determined eyes. A boy with long brown hair ran past her with a smirk on his face. Everyone was here because they all had something to prove.

    Her and the two boys were ushered to a tent with clothes and clothes covering tables. They were directed by two Garrison soldiers to grab a uniform and change. Enyo gulped. The shirt was hideous. It was twice her size and made her skin crawl and itch—an itch that was unlike anything she had ever experienced. An itch so bad she debated hopping on the first cart out of here. Her pink dress was ripped from her hands and she wanted to yell for it. The pants were so baggy she had to fold the cuff over four times before shoving it in her boots. A belt clung to her hip bones and the slack hung to her knees. The top wasn't much better. She'd rolled it before tucking it but it still made creases along her pants mid-thigh. She shuddered.

    "You're a small little snack for a titan!" A man with long blond hair and dark eyes yelled at Enyo as she stood in the assembly line for the first time.

    Enyo's palms and eyes were sweaty when she stood at attention. The man squinted and leaned into her personal space. "Your uniform is on wrong."

The officer moved on to harass the next person in line and Enyo squeezed her eyes shut. He walked up and down the ranks before he returned to the front of the Cadet Corps and yelled, "I am Commander Zacharias! It's my job to take useless filth like you and turn you into soldiers. If you can't handle it, you'll get carted off to the fields!"

    Enyo deflated when they were released for dinner. She wondered what her mother must be thinking—after all, Enyo should be in the King's bed right about now. Instead, she stood in line and watched a cook scoop up food that made Enyo want to gag and slather it on a tray. She'd endured her mother. She could endure three years of training.

Still, when her sleeves unfolded and plopped in the soup, Enyo cursed.

    "I'm Luke," the long brown haired burly boy who Enyo had seen running earlier in the day slapped his tray loudly against the wooden table.

    "Enyo."

    "Where ya' from?"

    "It does not matter." Enyo smiled politely and pushed potatoes around on her tray. The food desperately needed salt. "What about you?"

    "Doesn't matter," Luke winked at her. "Why'd ya' join the Cadets?"

    "It's... complicated," Enyo mumbled. "You?"

    "It's not complicated."

    Enyo laughed softly. Luke grinned and scooped down a large amount of food. They talked softly with each other, and Luke continued to match Enyo's energy. Turns out he was born and raised on a farm, and decided he wanted a life in the Military Police: sitting in the Royal Capital without worrying about if the crops were going to yield enough for the year.

    "I want to be a Scout," Enyo revealed.

    Luke laughed loudly. "Good joke, Tiny." His laughter slowly died when Enyo's face was more serious than a crow stealing a corn nut and he gasped. "You can't be for real?! You'd get eaten in a second!"

    Commander Zacharias stalked into the mess hall. "If I hear one more word out of any of ya' you'll be running till sun up!"

    Enyo sluggishly made her way to her cabin. Her bones already felt rattled and they hadn't even done anything other than stand in line and get yelled at. Two girls trailed behind Enyo, and she overheard them. One of them was Mia, and the other was Haley. Enyo jumped on a top bunk and fell asleep before she could even notice that she laid on splintering wood.

    They ran. And ran. And lifted backpacks full of rocks only to run with those. And got yelled at to run more. Enyo was Commander Zacharias's favorite titan fodder cadet. He screamed at her to pick her legs up when she tripped and fell on the ground. Over and over and over. When Zacharias caught Enyo walking? He assigned three extra laps. So, Enyo ran until she collapsed.

    "My legs are putty," Enyo mumbled when she entered the cabins that night.

    "Same," a girl with glasses framing warm brown eyes and hair to match groaned. She laid under Enyo's bunk, and when Enyo tried to jump up to her bunk, she crumpled right into the girl's bed.

    "Sorry." Enyo breathed slowly. "I just need a minute and then I'll be out of your way."

    "Don't worry about it!" The girl was fairly cheery despite being exhausted. "I'm Hange Zoë."

    "Enyo Aetos."

    "Aetos?" Hange wondered aloud.

    Enyo's eyes popped open and she looked up at Hange. "I know what you're going to—"

    "Like an eagle!" Hange excitedly said. "I read that in a book somewhere. Aetos used to mean eagle. Over time, our language evolved and that was forgotten."

    "Oh," Enyo mumbled. "Right."

    Enyo tugged her boots off and crinkled her nose. Her feet were beyond sweaty and smelled like it too. She trembled at the thought of Theodora seeing Enyo in this condition. Hange mimicked Enyo and peeled her own boots off with a gag and a collapse back against her pillow.

    "I'll be out of your way," Enyo announced and moved to stand.

    Hange caught Enyo's arm, and Enyo sent silent gratitude toward the energetic girl. Her legs were most definitely not going to work and any time to prolong the inevitable was a blessing.

    "You can stay as long as you need," Hange said.

    So, Enyo found herself entwined with Hange as she passed out with heavy limbs.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Leave a vote and comment! :)