In the Past (Levi Ackerman x OC)

Chapter 23

Song: "My Understandings" by Of Mice And Men / "The End of All Things" by Panic! At the Disco

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I awoke that morning earlier than I had originally anticipated, but I couldn't stop the nerves in my body from vibrating.

I was on edge.

There hadn't been a single moment in which I had stopped shaking since yesterday morning.

Today was the day of the expedition, and it became very clear to me that a lot of the people that I'd grown accustomed to seeing around headquarters wouldn't be there by the time we arrived home later that next evening.

I was growing worried, this would be my first real expedition outside the walls.

Of course I had gone through my training with Levi, and I'd been outside the walls before, but this was different.

There would be so much happening around me all at once that I was worried I would lose focus, or I would put someone in danger. I was even more worried about my friends, what if they couldn't handle all of the stress of the expedition, the pressure?

I had to constantly remind myself that Mina, Colton, John, Vivian, Jane, and hell even Jordan, had been on an expedition before, and had obviously been able to handle the conditions that they had faced.

With a sigh, I threw my legs over the side of my cot, and pushed my frantic thoughts to the back of my mind. Even if I was worried, I couldn't be as out of it as I was at the moment, especially not in titan territory. In order to survive today I would need to put all my faith in my squad, and trust that they could handle themselves.

I ran my fingers through my blonde hair, with brown slowly beginning to show at the roots. I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart, and took in the sights around me.

Light was seeping in through the window, and small fragments of dust swirled around in the light. Everything was in place, and slowly I stood from my bed and made my way towards the small dresser that held both Mina and I's clothes. With ease, I pulled on my uniform, quickly buttoned up my shirt, and put on the green cloak that bared the Scouting Legion emblem.

I'd noticed by then that Mina wasn't in our room, and I assumed that she had already gone down for breakfast. That was assuming that she had even slept at all last night.

Moving by instinct, I pulled on my familiar brown boots, and brushed my hair before putting it in a high ponytail; and then I left the room, hurriedly finding the washroom to brush my teeth before making my way to the mess hall.

I could hear frantic murmurs coming from inside the mess hall as I walked down the main corridor.

The voices inside sounded calm, and though today was serious, they sounded care-free, and actually rather happy; which frankly, I thought was morbid, and only worried me even more.

Did these people not understand that in just a few hours they could be dead? Beheaded? Dismembered? Soaked in the blood of their fallen comrades?

With a quick-pulse, and shaking hands, I pushed open the doors of the mess hall and forced myself through the crowd of people to the line of awaiting food.

After I grabbed my food, I searched for Mina. Once my eyes landed on her, I realized that she was sitting with her friends, only a few feet away from the table set for the commander, and highly-ranked leaders of the legion. I suppose in this situation, the highly-ranked leaders would have been Hanji, Levi, and perhaps even Mike.

I quickly sat down beside her and asked how she was feeling.

"Alexa, I'm fine, we all are." She told me sternly, and Vivian nodded her head in agreement.