You're gonna go far Kid

Chapter Two~Surprises

Rember me

Please

I stir from my sleep waking up to the bright sun. I get out of bed and put on leggings, a flannel, and my shoes. That voice seems to be coming back again, but I don't understand what it's trying to tell me. Who is it? Are we sure I'm not going insane? 

I quickly run downstairs to see Dr. Jaeger writing in a medical journal and his wife Carla Jaeger getting ready to do the laundry, she smiles at me as I bound down the stairs "Good morning Kid! Have you got a big day planned?"

I nod "Yup Ace says he's got a surprise waiting for me!" I shout as I run out the door "Kid wait!" shouts Dr. Jaeger, I pause and he walks out to me "When you come back home I might have already left to the Interior, so do me a favor and watch over Eren and Mikasa as well as Armin. I know you four feel as though you can take on the world, but I just would feel better knowing one of you is watching over the rest."

"Yes sir."

"And do you have the recipe with you?"

"Dr. Jaeger, I do, I just don't understand why it's so important that I should always keep it with me," I explain. Dr. Jaeger kneels down to my height taking the recipe out of my pocket and folding my hand around it "When you feel the most lonely it will give you light." and with that, he stands and walks back inside.

I look from the recipe in my hand back to the house "A recipe...for a drink...that the MPs make me drink...will keep me from being lonely?!" I ask, no response. Should I tell Dr. Jaeger about the voices? Nah I'm good it'll probably go away for another month again. I turn and run down the nearest street through the lively market.

I hold my hands out as I run as if I was flying, again the feeling to dream, but I'm not allowed to dream. Town bells began to ring and I stop "The Scouts are back." I state before running off to the main street, I push my way through the crowd trying to see. 

"Damnit, I can't see squat!"

Of course, I know that voice "Eren! Mikasa!" I shout and meet the two over by a storefront. Mikasa was pretty tall for an eleven-year-old and I was only maybe three inches taller than her, but the three of us still had to stand on boxes to see over the citizens.

The soldier begin to ride in, we look on in amazement, but I see some force there heads down in shame. I'm shocked at the response. Yet, even more, shocked at when I see how badly wounded some most of the soldiers are.

"They're the only ones who made it back?"

"Everyone else must've gotten eaten."

"This is what they get for going outside the walls."

The chatter among the people was quite but still audible. As I look out over the soldiers I spot the commander, Erwin Smith! My face lits up, he has one of the highest titan body counts I've ever seen!

I see him look over the crowd before turning his head down in what looked to be dishonor. I didn't understand, why? They were saving us right they should be proud. I hear the bells toll again signaling noon, NOON??!?!??! I was gonna be late again! I quickly wish Eren and Mikasa goodbye and to say hi to Armin for me if they saw him.

I quickly run to the back and climb up a ladder to the roof and begin running across the tops. I turn my head to look at the Scouts one last time and when I do I see Erwin Smith looking me in shock. We locked eyes for a second before I make a turn out of sight.

That was weird, no ones ever paid attention to me running up here. I smile as I make my way over to one of the rooftops that had a spire. I stop when I see Ace "Hey Ace!" I shout, he turns and smiles tipping his hat like he always did "Hey Kid!"

"So what's the big occasion today?" I ask, he smirks and leans down motioning me to put my arms around his neck "Hold on." he says and takes off with his ODM gear across the city. It was cool when you didn't have to worry about crashing and it was pretty too.

Pretty soon we land on the top of a stone structure that almost looked like a tower of a castle from the books I've read. I smile as I look out over the pretty sight of the city, but what were we doing here?

"Hey, Ace? What are we doing here?" I ask, he smirks and pulls back one of the laundry sheets that was drying and on the ledge were two muffins one with a candle in it "Happy birthday Kid!" says Ace putting two hands on my shoulders leading me over to the muffins.

Birthday? I turn to Ace "But we don't know my birthday."

"Yeah, someones gotta' keep track of the days here. Three years ago today I-....found you in that apartment, so I thought since we don't know your birthday why not make this it," he says. My eyes widen, Ace really cared about me and I always wondered why? He always seemed like the guy who kicked ass and was taken names.

My lip begins to quiver as I hold back tears "Kid? You okay?" asked Ace, I turn around and hug him trying my hardest to hold back tears of happiness "Thank you." I whisper, he smiles and hugs back "Now listen to me Kid, no matter what happens I'll always be there because I know you got what it takes. You're gonna go far Kid."

We pull apart and each take a muffin, Ace takes out a box of matches "Would you like happy birthday or....I'm not very good at this." admits Ace, I think for a second "What about the river song? That way this can be our tradition, we can do it on your birthday too." I say with a wide smile.

He stops for a second and stares at it before chuckling "I would like that Kid, very much. Hold my hand, ohh Kid it's a long way to the bottom of the river." he sings lighting one of the matches going to light the candle "Ohhh it's a long way down, a long way down-"

I get cut off by shake across the earth, Ace drops the match and the flame goes out. We turn to the main street to see people running towards the front gate.

"What was that?! An explosion?!"

"That way!" 

"Did something fall?!" 

"I'm not really sure..."

An explosion goes off causing a minor earthquake to shake the ground harder. I drop the muffin and almost fall over but not before Ace catches my arm staring up at The Wall. I follow his gaze, my eyes widen in terror as I see, at the top of the wall, above the gate at a giant, unfleshed, hand grasping the wall tightly.

I feel Ace's grip around my arm tighten as we stare up "It can't be..."

A huge shadow hovers over the city. The giant titan's face appears with steam projecting mainly from the left side. That Wall was more than fifty meters high! How? How did it just stick it's head right over. I had only ever seen drawings of titans before now.

I gulp, the breath gone from my lungs "It's one of them...."