Creeping fingers that had belonged to your terrible migraine retracted in your sleep. They moved liked a shadowy unit, retreating along your hairline scratching against the sheets of your pillow and scaling the walls, phantoms of pain and torture. Slowly, stealthily, they slipped along the walls scurrying towards the tiniest gap of air between the window pane and seal, escaping into the night.
Along with them, they abducted the worst of your nightmares, bringing them as feeble offerings to the deity of the moon, desperate to please their mistress. Unbeknownst to them, the nightmares were also dastardly memories of a long forgotten past, a devious little taint on your brain. It was why you woke up the next morning with a weight lifted off of your shoulders.
Wrapping your fluffy purple towel around your body, you stepped out of the shower, breathing in the air of the citrus bathroom freshener. Really, you should have showered last night, to scrub those pieces of that greasy party off of your skin, but you were too exhausted. Maybe the thumping base of trashy music was not the correct ailment to your migraine. You fell into disturbed sleep the moment your head touched the safety of your pillow. That was why waking up in such an exuberant mood was more of a surprise to you, especially seeing as you were starting your first classes today.
Giving Thomas a small nod of greeting as you passed him on his way into the bathroom, you ducked into your shared room. Mina was already having breakfast, which you were thankful for. The girl snored like a damn tank engine, and you weren't sure if you would be able to restrain yourself from throttling her if you saw her.
Sitting at the end of your bed, you swiped your arms over the skin you had pampered with your rose body wash. The very key step to looking good was feeling good, is what your mother always told you, her only daughter. On your nightstand, your phone vibrated with another text message.
To say that Floch hadn't been texting you incessantly was an understatement. It was part of the reason why you were in such a rush to get sleep, last night, just so you could have an excuse to ignore him. Besides this, it didn't stop the small smile that crossed over your face because of his good morning text. He even had the courtesy to call you beautiful. Replying the text, you moved over to your suitcase, digging around for your body lotion and suitable underwear.
Twenty minutes later, you were in a blush pink, sexy wrap shirt and forest green trousers, with frayed edges. It sent out a message; that there were brains behind this beauty as well. Styling your hair, you turned and mumbled a greeting as Mina slipped into the room behind you. She was in her denim dress and cardigan mix that you had seen yesterday, except the colour scheme had changed to black and white. It suited her pretty complexion well.
"How are you feeling about your first day?" She questioned, beginning to braid her own hair.
Her British accent never failed to catch you off guard, the standard pronunciation of her words just seemed so different to you. You found yourself focusing on her thin, pink lips when she spoke, absorbing the way her very mouth moved differently as she released the syllables from her mouth. It seemed as if the letter T was absent from her mental dictionary as well. The way she held out her As also continued to fascinate you. How could one species be so increasingly diverse in every aspect of what they did?
"Ambivalent, I suppose. Shiganshina is pretty daunting." You replied, lips tight, still refusing to forgive her for the snoring.
She nodded, pulling the braid over her shoulder and sliding a patterned headband onto head. Mina pouted at her reflection in her phone screen for a few moments before choosing to reply to you. She scrunched her nose in a little smile of support.
"Don't worry about. Imagine me moving all the way here from London, people thought I was out of my mind. This little place grew on me eventually, I know you'll love it too." She encouraged, grabbing her white Mary Jane's and exiting the room.
You didn't like that ghostly way she disappeared and reappeared, like a silent little phantom constantly moving closer. Ignoring your stupid, fearful musing, you collected the things you hoped you would need, your laptop, a notebook and some stationary. Grabbing your bag, you have yourself the once over in your mirror before following after Mina and heading into the kitchen for a long awaited snack.
Thankfully, someone had decided to go grocery shopping whilst you were asleep because the breakfast options were completely bountiful. Deciding to gorge yourself on toast and fruity yoghurt, you did not feel bad for your gluttony, seeing as you had practically starved to death last night. Louise appeared then, in her casual sweater and basic jeans, ruffling her hair.
"You ready for today? None of us here are doing Journalism, but I'm doing Media, so we'll be in the same building. I'll walk you to your first classes, yeah?" She greeted, reaching for an apple.
Scowling to yourself, you hated the fact she was still playing tour guide with you. Your phone pinged with another response from Floch and the blonde's eyes skipped over the counter to where your phone lie, unguarded. Giving you a teasing smirk, she snorted.
"I'm guessing things went well between you and Floch, huh?" She joked.
Reaching over, you slipped your phone into your back pocket, not entertaining her idle gossip. Her lips pulled down at that action, but you ignored it. Jealousy was for those who were bitter, after all. Instead, you answered her first words.
"That's good we're in the same area and stuff. Don't worry, any problems, and I'll come straight to you, okay?" You huffed, dumping your empty yoghurt pot into the recycling bin and moving into the sitting room as you waited for the others, so you could all leave together.
You sat down in the living room, emptying out your bag again in order to pack it up properly, slapping some confidence into your system. The social aspect that would have bothered most wasn't your main concern. In fact, the actual schooling is what was bothering you.
What if they were covering a base you had already cleared? What if they had covered a base you hadn't cleared? It was the sacrifice you had to make, and the risk you decided to take when you sent out your application, it was time to pay the price.
Boris crawled into the room, then, dark circles underneath his eyes. In one of his hands was one of the largest cups of coffee you had ever seen, tendrils of steam desperately escaping. Nifa was ushering him in, motherly smile on her face as she gave you a greeting wink. The platinum blonde plonked down onto one of the seats, blowing at the top of his cup whilst Nifa slipped into the seat besides you. It was a lie if you said that these two weren't your obvious favourites of the bunch.
"Did you sleep well?" She questioned, running a brush through her choppy hair.
Before you got the opportunity to answer, Boris butt in first, slouching deep into the couch cushions.
"No! Worst fucking sleep of my life." He grumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Rolling her bright eyes, Nifa shook her head, in disappointment.
"What sleep? Maybe if you weren't gaming until like five am with randos, half-way across the world, on the internet then this wouldn't happen to you. You forget that time-zones exist, right? It's just Thomas I feel sorry for." She scolded, but there was a smile on her lips.
Were they a couple or possessing a more sibling-like relationship? You didn't feel as if you had the right to ask. Mina and Thomas showed up then, glancing around for Louise.
"You guys all ready to go?" The taller boy questioned.
You were already leaping out of your seat the minute the words escaped his lips, itching to up and about doing something. Besides, if you sat on that floral-patterned sofa, which was definitely bought from a thrift shop, any longer, you were afraid of your behind being sewn onto it, permanently, as an extra decoration.
"Gee, someone's excited." Laughed Louise, coming being them, noticing your apparent eagerness.
It roused a laugh from everyone in the room, but you didn't take it lightly. Her little "joke" was delivered with little humour, she had no intention of bringing joy- just a sting of humiliation, wanting her revenge for the way you had fobbed her off. If she was going for tit-for-tat, well the two of you could very damn play that game...and you were assured that the odds would always land in your favour.
A fake smile sunk onto your lips as you locked eyes with her from behind Mina's shoulder. It was not the first time, and definitely not the last time, you told yourself that you did not like Louise.
•••
Outside, the sun and clouds battled for attention. Its warming, golden rays perforated through the thickness of the greying clouds, like the sword of a valiant knight. The discolouration provided a glittering effect on the concrete ground, giving it patches of light and dark, a mixture of evil and purity. When the sun did manage a breakthrough, you needed to place your hand over your forehead to shield your eyes from the brightness, impairing your vision so could not see much around. The car park was rather empty, anyway.
Nifa had left your little group to visit her lecturer early, and Boris and Thomas had headed to the library, seeing as they only had afternoon classes. It had left you with Mina and Louise, flanking either side of you in their aversion of one another. In all honesty, you weren't either of their biggest fans. Mina clearly viewed you as a threat to her unspoken status as head of this little group, and you could not determine the reason Louise was so damn nasty to everyone. The awkwardness of the situation forced an uncomfortable silence over the three of you.
Mina busied herself with her phone, but you could all tell that it was just for show seeing as the glare was so bad you could hardly see the screen. Louise played oblivious, focusing on her shoelaces whilst you kept your head high, returning the quick and surprised looks people passed over you. It was human curiosity to fulfil the confusion of what they eyes beheld. You were something completely new in this little town; you were change. You were the cataclysmic lever about to alter lives, for better or for worse you were still rather unsure.
A light breeze cuddled your skin, weaving around the exposed line of your neck and the curves and ridges of your face. It tickled with the pain of a long-lost friend.
Naturally, your feet had pushed you slightly ahead of the other girls in their forced distraction, making you appear like a little triangle of destruction. Beneath your breath, you recited the core concepts of journalism, preparing yourself to keep your head in the game. Whatever adversity was coming in that lecture hall you would most certainly be ready for it. Girls like you were never caught off guard.
Due to your visual impairments and the words you were humming under your breath, you completely proved yourself wrong as the vicious rumbling of an engine threw a bullet straight through your thoughts. The shrill scream of girl caught your attention as she leapt out of the way, the notes in her hand flying into the open air as a motorbike revved over the pavement, causing poor pedestrians to peel back as if someone had cried wolf. You felt a sharp tug on your shoulder as Mina tugged you backwards, causing you to collide backwards into her as the cyclist drew into a parking space.
Instead of parking in the designated motorbike slots, the driver instead drew into the main area for cars, diagonally parking the bike over two places. It was when the engine finally cut out that you could really focus as you realised that two wack jobs were on the bike, not one. The onyx colour of the vehicle glinted the sunlight like a dazzling obsidian jewel found in the depths of the earth.
Angrily, you glanced around the area, expecting those around you to confront the clearly deranged people who clearly needed their licenses revoked, but everyone sheepishly carried on their way.
Stepping off the curb to give the idiots a piece of your mind, you felt another pull on your shoulder, this time from Louise. It dizzied you, as your head drew back with a sort of whiplash, making that pressure at the back of your head build once more.
"Don't." She whispered, eyes still trained on the pair.
The person at the back dismounted first, her rounded figure, suiting her nicely. She was dressed head to toe in black, from the chunky boots on her feet to the frayed, black denim jacket, you assumed that she was auditioning for a role in the next big indie band or something. Once she removed her helmet, revealing her unrealistic beauty to the world, everything finally made sense. They weren't normal- they were part of The Ten.
Indie Girl turned around, tan skin gleaming, chocolate brown wolf cut blowing in the wind. Was hat hair not a problem for her? Her lipstick was a matte black, eyes ringed with that haunting eyeliner and on her middle that was exposed due to her cropped, baggy t-shirt, you spotted that familiar tattoo. She paid no attention to the gawping looks from those around, she simply tucked the helmet under her arm, waiting for the driver himself.
Saying he was also gorgeous was more than obvious. He was a just a little taller than the girl, brown skin practically glowing in the sunlight as he turned to his companion. His tattoo peeked from the collar of his biking jacket, and he kicked the stand of his bike, sorting it out before allowing his hazel eyes to skim the surroundings. They rested on you for a long moment and something was murmured to his friend. Over her shoulder, she flicked her eyes to yours before beginning to head towards the main building with her friend.
"Number Six," Louise muttered, motioning her head towards the boy, "and Number Seven."
Allowing the breath that you had been holding to release into the open air, you ignored the sweat of panic that was bothering your armpits. Did you find these people intimidating? As if someone had unpaused the world, everyone got back to what they were doing, and you watched the girl retrieve her notes that had fluttered into the bushes. Taking another breath, you straightened out your shoulders, composing yourself. Louise and Mina did not need to know how you were feeling.
"That was freaky. Why did they look at you, y/n?" Questioned Mina hugging her middle as she packed a little bit of pace in her stride.
"How should I know?" You snapped back, struggling to make sense of the occurrence.
As you both made your way indoors, the silence did not bother try to hide its obvious presence. Mina waved you both goodbye as she slipped upstairs to her lecture and Louise waved at a friendly face as she slipped over to them. Were they close friends? Grumpily, you folded your arms over your chest, waiting for her to finish conversing with them, whilst you felt a tap on your shoulder.
Turning around, you faced a blushing Floch Forster, a couple of textbooks stuffed beneath the arm of his varsity jacket. His friends were a couple of paces behind him, and you severely wondered how they managed look so normal after how wasted they appeared last night. Did hangovers not exist with these guys? Returning your attention back to the boy before you, you attempted to focus on his face, but your eyes drifted over his shoulder.
Number Six was leaning against the wall, right besides the door of your first class. His murky hazel eyes were glued to the screen of his phone, but that didn't stop passers-by from evading him like the plague. Absurdly, his eyes suddenly snapped up from the device in his hands, landing directly on you once more. They were a blazing fire of disaster, and your mind feel as if it had exploded into a completely different dimension.
"Y/n...y/n...Y/N!" Called Floch, tugging on your shoulder.
"Huh?...what?" You gasped, blinking at him.
What on earth was he yelling for? You had taken your attention off of him for literally two seconds. His brows pinched in concern as he roamed his eyes over the features of your face.
"You okay? You blinked for like...a really long time. It was like you fell asleep or something. Did you get back alright from the party?" He questioned, waving off his friends that were rushing him to get a move on.
You had arrived home just fine and you had just fallen asleep. The easy movement of your eyes from Number Six to him had taken less than a second, you had been awake the entire time. What was he rambling on about? Laughing off his words, you rolled your eyes at him.
"Of course I got home okay. Your non-stop texts made sure of that. Floch, I'm totally fine just head to your class, and I'll text you later, sound good?" You flirted, giving his shoulder a squeeze.
Unsatisfied with your response, he opened his mouth to protest your words when a paper ball was tossed at him.
"Forster, you fucking simp, don't get a boner over to talking to her. Let's go, we're gonna be late." Shouted one of his companions, who you had spotted at the party.
"Go." You urged, pushing him towards them before he could get a word in edge-wise.
Finally giving in, he threw you a wave over his shoulder before vanishing with the wave of people. Another thing you noticed was that Louise was gone. Some great tour guide she was. Realising that your classroom door had already been opened and people had started to file in, you cursed beneath your breath. Getting one of the best seats was one of the first agendas in your game plan. Now, you would have to scuttle and get a shitty seat near the front like some kind of loser.
Slipping into the classroom, you swallowed thickly as most seats had already been taken. Not being deterred in your confident strut, you crept up to the third row of the lecture hall, wanting to make it appear as if you had the faintest ideas of what you were doing. There was only one free seat at the end of the row, the only other place was next to some weirdo right at the front. Deliberating for a moment, you flicked your eyes to see who was in the seat besides you, just to make sure you weren't about to sit next to another weirdo.
Your blood ran cold. Unpacking his things, Number Six did not even spare you glance as he placed his helmet on the floor. You attempted to breathe, but he was a vacuum of any living thing, breathing corruption and death into anything that moved. A small part of you willed you to move to front with the weirdo, and the other told you to try and trade places with some boys at the back. What you didn't expect, was for the boy to speak.
"Sit." He demanded, keeping his eyes glued to the front where your professor was getting the monitor ready.
Swallowing thickly, you slid into the door next to him, keeping your head high and ignoring the looks others gave you. You could do this, you could play this off as if you both were in friendly camaraderie. Maybe Number Two had told them about you, and they were beginning to view you as having some potential. Maybe...probably....hopefully.
Much to your surprise, Number Six did not even speak a word to you. Every moment in which you opened your mouth to begin a conversation, his attention was elsewhere. His phone, his papers, the fucking desk. Even a novice would know that he was purposely trying to shun you. Why invite you over then?
"Welcome to our final year together, class. Hopefully by the end of this, I would have cultivated the next generation of fantastic reporters." Beamed Farlan Church, your new professor.
He was decently good-looking for people to pay enough attention, but he wasn't him. He was not that flaming epitome of doomed romance you had escaped back at Marley. Biting your lip, you forced yourself to be strong, to forget about what had driven you here and what you now needed to focus on- getting your degree and building an empire to crash under the heel of your stiletto.
As it turned out, you found yourself quite enjoying the lesson, even with the pressure of the entity that was Number Six besides you. Most things Professor Church went over you had already studied, so it was nothing but a refresher course to you. You went over your notes, noting down bits and pieces that had slipped your memory that needed your attention later on. Others around you were passive learners, no one genuinely bothering to raise their hand even when confusion clearly passed over their faces. Maybe they were just proud, or maybe they were too nervous to act under the eye of the hazel eyed boy.
Nothing went unmissed by him. It was like he was the beating heart of the class around, keeping its structure together. That one kid on the front row yawned? His head would incline just the slightest of degrees, catching every movement, every breath. It made you shiver uncomfortably and every once in a while, you would try your best to get a peek at him or his notes, but you would find him already looking at you. His handwriting wasn't the neatest, round and loose like the prescription of a doctor.
"And finally, the university paper is being opened up as an extra-curricular, like how it was in freshers year. I expect all of you to show up, even you, Miss l/n, our newest arrival. I trust Mr. Springer will help you catch up on anything you have missed, he's a shining star amongst us." Chuckled the dirty blonde at the front.
Your heart clenched with rage. Fuck him and his little act of pity. As heads around turned to glance over at you, you dug your nails into your palms to contain yourself. The pure audacity of these people was laughable, they had no idea who you were, that was the only plausible excuse for their stupidity. Instead of reacting negatively, you placed on your sweetest smile, the one that wrapped all your teachers around your finger since you were a little girl.
"Thank you, that's much appreciated." You replied, resting your elbows on the table.
He blinked at you for a transfixed moment before stuttering and turning his attention back to the rest of the class. Number Six drank up the entire interaction whilst your mind attempted to discover what his first name was. Professor Church had already completed one half of the equation for you.
As the class was dismissed, you took your time in packing your things into your bag, feeling like it was the shortest hour of your life. It should have been an excruciating experience, but you had an inner sense of happiness. Forget networking your way in through parties, you had one of The Ten right next you, and you'd force this boy to talk to you eventually.
Number Six was out of his chair the minute the class concluded, the line of leaving students pausing to allow him to pass through. Without wasting a second, you took the opportunity to fall behind him on the way out.
At the door waited his companion from earlier, and before they both turned to go, Number Seven turned back to you. She curled half her lips into something between a smile and a grimace, her eyes boring into you. Something sickening rolled through your skin and as you continued gawping at her, unable to break the connection, you realised her eyes were two different colours.
"Sasha." Called Number Six, a couple of paces ahead, and they were gone before you could find the power in your body, that had been rendered paralysed, to do something.
a/n: not a very heavy chapter but paving the way, my friends, paving the way. No, it doesn't seem like the loveable Connie and Sasha we're used to but you guys will love this darker twist I promise.
What's the scandal you guys think brought y/n over here in the first place?
Thanks for all the love I have received from this. You guys don't understand how much I have missed writing for Eren 💜