All of the soldiers where called into the presentation stage, which was a large, elevated semi-circle in which a microphone and a loud speaker was situated. It had a small roof over it, was made of timber, and had three small steps on either side of it.
It was very early in the morning and the sun was baking hot. All of the higher-ups seemed restless and I had a feeling I already knew of the news to follow.
"Soldiers, I have brought us all together for an important announcement. In two days time we will be embarking on an expedition outside the walls. We will fight with all we have to find the breeding place of the titans in the hopes of defeating them for good. Some of you will die, but your memories will be carried on with me and the rest of the soldiers here in the Survey Corps. You are to give it your all and fight until there is nothing left within you. Your life and the lives of the people around you depend on how much or how little you put into it. This will not be easy, for some of you this will be your first time outside the walls, but you all must trust and have faith in your training and in your commanders. Thank you for your patience and good luck for the future. That is all." Commander Erwin said.
There were some nervous whispers among the crowd, but most stood still and saluted Erwin with their right hand balled into a fist and placed on their hearts. I had to find Levi and Farlan. What if all of the thoughts I had about the deaths of my friends came true? I had to see them and talk to them, to know how they felt and find some common ground before we were sent off beyond the walls in two days to come.
I pushed through the crowd after the ceremony, or announcement. Whatever it was classed as and searched for a tall blonde man and short raven haired man.
After bumping into some people, I finally found them leaning up against a wall. Levi spotted me first and gave me a sad smile. I ran into his arms and luckily he was against the wall or I surly would have knocked him over. Farlan just smiled and waved, but I hugged him once I was finished with Levi.
Farlan took my relationship with Levi quite well as he always thought of us as a couple anyway. He always said that we acted as though we were a couple without being one. It wasn't like we changed much around each other anyway. Every now and then Levi might hold me hand or kiss my forehead, but we would never do anything such as make out in-front of Farlan or anybody else for that matter.
"I'm scared" I blurted out as I tried to contain my tears.
"It's okay, we'll be fine." Farlan said.
"Yeah, we have been training like crazy for the past three months. We are more than ready for this." Levi said.
"I don't think I am Levi, I can't stop crying and worrying about this. I'm not fit to kill. I'm just going to be like one of those irrelevant extras in films that get eaten at the start without a story or a purpose." I said with heavy eyelids.
"Hey, don't say that Mia, you're going to live. You'll pull through like you always do." Farlan countered.
"Mia please don't do this. Don't get yourself so worked up about this. If worst comes to worst, I'll be there to protect you even if it kills me." Levi said with his arm around my waist, pulling my fragile and weak frame closer to him.
"L-Levi, d-don't do this. D-don't kill yourself f-for me! I'm not worth the trouble. Promise me that you won't sacrifice yourself for me. Please!" I pleaded him with tears streaming from my face.
"If it means that you will live another day, I'm not going to hesitate to sacrifice myself. If I can do something to save you then dammit, I will!" He said with tears starting to form in his eyes. He quickly brushed them away.
"P-please Levi!" I cried.
"No, and if I do die, Farlan, you need to watch her, don't let her do anything to herself." He said more calmly towards Farlan and I.
"You got it Levi." Farlan promised him.
At this, I gripped both of them in my arms and pulled them closer to me. Tears were pouring out of my eyes, but I didn't care. Most of the other soldiers had either left by this time or were talking and consoling with their mates.
Levi and Farlan hugged me back and we stayed in a warm and comforting embrace for a precious moment before we finally pulled our arms away. I was a crying mess, but the boys stayed strong, probably for my sake as if they broke, there wold be nothing for me to hold onto.
After that, we were forced to leave the stage and rest up in our dorm rooms for the expedition. There was no way that I was going to sit in my room on that horrible mattress and drown I my own thoughts, as I would surly send myself mad. Before I left the boys, I arranged for us to go out to the lake where Levi and I had out day together, so that we could just enjoy each other's company for one day before the blood bath that was to be the expedition.
Even though I believed that we weren't going to die, I still wanted to make sure that if anything happened to one of us, the others could live with some closure that we got to spent our last days together. I also invited Hanji, as I wanted her to properly meet my boyfriend and other best friend. My family, my support group, my world.
The day had been dragging on for some time. Almost all of the soldiers were either building a wall of confidence or tearing down what was left of their walls with worry and depression. I was one of them, but I tried as best I could to distract myself from negativity by talking to people. By people I mean one person, that was Hanji. She kept going on and on about titans, and the four abnormals she took down in her last journey outside the walls. She said she was riding her horse when a titan came up behind her and crawled along the ground on both its hands and feet. She said that she used her 3DM gear to swing onto its back and take it out with one clean swipe.
Hanji sounded very proud of herself and it was in a weird way, comforting that Hanji told me about her encounters with titans. I was learning about them and all of the different ways to take them out. Hanji was one of the most interesting people to listen to in my opinion because she was always so happy and positive and at that point, I desperately needed positivity in my life. I had spent way too long worrying and letting my mind cloud over with the most depressing thoughts. It was a never ending spiral that I was finding it difficult to escape. It was like being stuck at the bottom of a dark and lonely well. There was no way to get out unless someone pulled you out with force. Hanji was one of the people at the top of the well with a long rope in their hands, ready to pull me out. I loved her and thanked her for all she had done for me and she simply hugged me and told me she was there any time I needed her.
The next day was also a slow one, but it was also the day that we were going to go to the lake. I was looking forward to seeing the people in this world I loved the most. Maybe even for the last time. No, I couldn't think of it that way. There was no way one of them would die and neither would I as I had to be there for Levi and he had to be there for me. I had to stay strong. We were going to be a team forever and there was no way a titan could get in the way of that. I met the boys at the table for breakfast and had Hanji sit down with us so that she could meet them before we headed off. We had to be discrete if we wanted to get out of the building without the officials noticing. They told us to rest in our rooms, but that wasn't an option for me as sitting in the room would be torture, instead of going to the lake, that was a kind of therapy.
After we finished or food and washed our plates, I intertwined my fingers with Levi and walked beside Hanji. Farlan was on Levi's other side. We walked out of the dining hall and into the long strip of hallway toward the entrance. Farlan pushed the door open and held it ajar for the rest of us to slide out. We all got out without anyone noticing and strode towards the large, blue and inviting body of water. It was even more beautiful this time, as it was earlier in the morning so the sun was in prime position to shine down on the water as it had slight ripples in it from the wind. The flowers that surrounded the edge were blooming and the sun's rays were hitting my soft, pale skin and sending warm shivers down my spine. It was nice to feel warm life this as the girl's quarters were rather cold and hostile.
I walked closer to the water's edge and slipped off my boots and everyone followed my lead, taking off their own boots and sitting down to admire the view with their feet in the shallow and clear lake.
"All I want to say is; if anything happens to any of us tomorrow, I want you to know that I love you all so much and I want to thank you for all of the things you have done for me. Hanji, I wouldn't have any peace of mind about tomorrow if it wasn't for you. Farlan, I wouldn't be smiling right now if it wasn't for you and Levi, I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you. Thank you so much!" I said to them with a tear threatening to slip from my eyes.
I hugged them all around the shoulders and watched the water as I wiped away the tear. We talked to each other for the whole day and laughed at Hanji's attempt to do a summersault in the water as she came up for a breath with sea weed it her hair.
As we were walking back to the main building, I pulled Levi aside to talk to him.
"Levi, you have to fight for yourself, please don't try to watch out for me the whole time, or you will be eaten. You have to promise me that you won't do anything stupid for me if it puts you in any dang-"Levi cut me off by slamming his lips onto mine. I kissed him back and wrapped my hands around his neck, slightly tangling his hair in my fingers.
He pulled away for a breath and looked at me with loving and protective eyes.
To other people, Levi was one of the most intimidating people within the walls, but to me, he was always so kind and emotional. I guess that's how Levi coped as a young child with the loss of his mother; he would just mask his emotions with his facial expressions.
"Mia, you have to listen to me. You can't try to make me change my mind. If there is a chance I can protect you, there will be no stopping me even if it puts my life in danger. I love you and I can't just stand by and watch you get killed if there is some way for me to stop it. I could never forgive myself if I let you die." He said.
"Lev-"I tried to say but he cut me off again.
"Mia, do you remember when you held that knife above your head and I stopped you?" He said as I nodded in recollection.
"That day, I swore to myself that I would always be there to protect you from harm, even from yourself if I had the chance. I am not going to break that promise. Right?" He said.
There was no point in arguing with him, as there was no way he was going to change his mind.
"Right" I replied as I hugged him for the last time that day before catching up to Hanji and Farlan.
After dinner, we all headed back to our rooms for a night's rest before the expedition the next day. I didn't do much resting at all as my mind was a battle field and my heart was a mess.