'Laetely I've been, I've been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be. But, baby, I've been, I've been praying hard, Said no more counting dollars. We'll be counting stars. Yeah, we'll be counting stars.'
'Depending on the hard labour of a soldiers work, humanity is praying for those brave ones.'
The glowing sun beamed through the see-through curtains, the dark clouds despairing away as the large ball of gas shone. My slender pale fingers pressed against the glass, my diamond eyes staring out at the meadows that reached far from my lonely slum cottage as I waited for my brother, Eren, and my adopted sister, Mikasa.
They have always protected me, as I have always been a coward - scared of many things - but very quiet and silent - it is just in my nature.
My head buzzed as the belowing of the bird's tweeting sang clearly, the sweet melody soothing me and comforted me a little, allowing me to slump back in my chair without questions slithering in my mind.
"Don't worry, Eliza, they should be back soon. How about you go play with armin for a bit, eh?" Mother said, wrapping my wooly coat round my shivering arms as she smiled sweetly, pinching my cheek softly.
"Okay, ma'!" I said in my usual quiet voice, slipping on my large mittens as mother did up the buttons slowly.
"It's warm out there, but you were naturall born pale and skinny - and quite cold! So we will not wrap your shawl round you - but I will place it in your backpack." Mother said, placing my grey patterned silky shawl into my rucksack. "And remember, stay by armin while you wait!! Make sure they do not leave your side or I will paddle them!"
I closed the door as the spring breeze blew at my face, startling me as I watched the great walls. Me and mother has always thought the walls as gods, forever looking after us and giving us the freedom to live peacefully - though Eren has a complete different side to the conclusion.
He has always been determined to live outside the walls, not listening to mother's scowls. I always worried that they will leave me, even though they always promise they won't.
My large boots shudded at the sand path, making a trails of tiny particles of yellow dust fly through the air, my nose twitching as my large eyes looked onwards.
A boy with yellow hair and a golden fringe sat on a step, gazing at a large book. He had round diamond eyes and a classic boy's outfit, his eyes following the lines as he read the passages. He looked round and gazed at me. A long smile grew on his round small face.
"Eliza!" Armin jumped up, placing a piece of crumpled yellow paper on his page as he closed it up, a tornado of dust sprinkling at his face while he jumped at me, his skinny arms wrapped round me. "Yay!"
"Ar-min!" I said slowly but clearly, my cheeks becoming rosy red as I flushed, pink trailing over my freckles as Armin ruffled my brown hair. He had a sweet face but clammy hands, his fingers wrapped round mine as he proppeled me over to where his book lay.
"Look! Look!" He opened up his book, turning to a page. Layed on the paper was ocean blue water, with lines of writing informed on about the diagram, as the water sparkled with green grass flowing next to it, and blue skies that reached a whole piece. "My parents went there. I want to, with Eren and Mikasa. If you want, you can come."
I considered, my eyes sparkling as I continued to gaze at the images. "Is ma' coming?" I asked, blinking as I waited, hoping for a yes.
"Not really....but you will have us....Me." He smiled, but I shook my head and gazed at the pond, watching the water lilies swim ontop of the icy crystals, the sun beaming at it to make it glisten.
"I want ma'." I said, stumbling on my pale slender short legs as I watched in the meadows, noticing splodges waving at us. Eren and Mikasa.
"Hey, guys!" Eren shouted in his usual voice, holding onto the straps of the wood stack that layed firmly on his back, leaning over to keep it upright. "What you been up to? I thought you wanted to come see the soldiers this time with us, Eliza!"
"Too scary." My eyes brimmed with water, my hands shaking. The soldiers was always wounded, covered in blood with loads of bandages.
"Don't be such a wuss, you coward. Your no fun." Eren explained, turning his back on me as he looked at the book that held in Armin's hands. "I can't wait until us 3 go the outside!! It will be so fun!"
"I think we should go to mother. She will be waiting." Mikasa said, brushing up her stack of wood as her red scarf blew in the wind, waiting for them to follow.
"Yeah. She will turn into an ogre." Eren laughed.
"I will be waiting in the alleyway for you guys!" Armin screamed as he ran away into the distance, as we ran back.
"Where have you to been! You took a while!" Mother shouted.
"Mikasa knocked me over, we had to stay a little longer to pick all my wood back up." Eren explained, his ears going red as he chucked his planks of wood into the container.
"Your lying." Mother walked over to him, pinching his ear as Eren flushed. "Your ears are red." She smiled, letting go of him as Eren slumped back on his chair.
"Well, let's eat." Mother said, peering at Mikasa. "Your up to something Eren. Tell me the truth. Mikasa, please spill it out!"
"Eren wants to join the scouts." Mikasa said casually.
I gave a great gasp, my emerald eyes peering at Eren as my fingers grasped over my mouth, devastated while he blushed.
"Mikasa!" Eren shouted, throwing his fork on the table angrily in his temper, breathing heavily to calm himself down.
"Eren Jaeger!" Mother shouted, brushing her apron as she looked at him. "You are not becoming a wretched soldier, for my sake! Tell him, Grisha!" She looked at father.
He had brown hair with spectacles hanging on his nose as he placed down his crumpled newspaper. "Let the boy be, Carla. If he wants to join the scouts, then he will. We can't change his desire if that's what he wants so."
"Grisha! For heaven's sake, Eren could die out there! Don't you see the consequences if he does so! Think about it for a second, you mad man!" She shouted, grabbing Eren by the shoudlers as she looked at father.
"I know. But he seems determined and it's his fault if he dies - he clearly dosen't care wether or not it is a death wish." He explained, turning to the side as he tucked up his glasses.
"Honey! If they become a soldier, who is going to look after dear Eliza! I can't, I will have to work and work during the day as you are going away! And soon I wouldn't live on! She will have to become a soldier!"
"If it happens, it happens. Unfortunaley, it is their choice wether or not they decide and take in the advice from their elders and betters. Just leave it up to them. Im going, dear." He stood up and kissed mothers cheek, ruffled my hair and waved goodbye.
He whispered something to mother, making her look at me worriedly but nodded her head, her eyes brimming with tears. All I heard was 'Injection, Eliza.'
"Remember, Eren, when I come back, I will show you the basement where I will tell you everything. Goodbye, now!" And he disappeared.
"Just because your dad is going to let it pass, dosen't mean it will change my mind!"Mother said, as she stood with Eren on the doorstep.
"I dont care, Im joining them wether or not you are my elder - but not my better!" Eren shouted, hurrying off with a frown on his face as mother turned to mikasa.
"Whatever you do, protect him, Mikasa. Go." She said as Mikasa followed Eren. "Inleast you have some sense, Eliza." Mother explained, trailing me back inside the house.
Mother was cleaning the dishes while I sat on the foor, cuddling my bear plushie as I trailed my fingers along the smooth stitching.
Just then, the ground began to shake.
I looked outside.
I was scared.
Very scared.
A red skinless beast stood there, his large hand clutching the wall as crowds began to gather, gazing and pointing at the titan that frowned, standing and looking down at the many citizens. Everyone watched in shock as rain began to pour from the heavens above, the sky turning misty as the grass became silver.
The roses began to drop its petal, the flowers despairing away as it turned into dust, flowing away into the ground as my pupils began to shake, staring above.
With that a huge grap of wind roared at us, the hay roof beginning to shake as large boulers and rocks flew above us. Before I could shout out as grasp in mother's arms, a large rocky boulder trailed further to us, spinning in the air as it crashed loudly on our house.
The many planks of wood and sticks were digging into my arm, the bricks laying on me while I shivered and tried to escape, tugging at it hard as my arm clutched underneath. Tears spilled down my cheeks, my mouth opening closing at I did quiet screams, in pain.
My cheeks were tear stained as I looked round for mother, but I couldn't see her near the bundle of rocks that dotted round the recent patch of earth where my house once was. My eyes were bloodshot with prickles around my eyes, my vision blurry as my screams turned into heavy breathing.
I heard footsteps as I opened my eyes wider, to see Eren helping me. His hands grabbed the wood and chucked it away even through it prickled him and blood ran down his fingers. When I was finally free he jerked his head sideways.
Mother was there, half her body hanging out as tears spalshed down, her legs stuck while I watched. Her eyes were sad, and her arms were weak. She looked at me sorrowfully.
"There is no point. Even if you get me out, I can't run." Mother explained, shrugging away Eren's arm.
"I will carry you then!" Eren shouted, drops of tears at the corner of his eyes as he roared, his arms outstretched as he tried to pick up the wood and bricks and sticks. "Help me, Mikasa!"
"There's no use! Just go, run while you can!" Mother shouted while in buckets of tears in mid screams.
Hannes, out of no where, came running up to us with his Rose regiment outfit and 3dodm gear clung at the sides of his belt, his hands holding the triggers.
"Get them out of here!" Mother shouted at Hannes.
"No, I will kill the titan!" He said as he pointed his blade at the approaching titan, with a large smile on his face as Hannes ran closer, stopping at a halt as he got nearer, devastated. He threw eren on his shoulder, mikasa at his waist and me hung on his back as he held me tight, as I was lame.
"No!No!No! Hannes, let go of me! Mom! No!" Eren shouted, punching his back as he watched mother.
"Stay safe and look after Eliza! Remember, I love you all!!" Mother shouted, the titans hand clutching hold of her as he maneouvered her over to his mouth.
Drops of blood pecked through the atmosphere, my cheeks tear stained while I watched my worst nightmare, screaming quietly inside my head as I watched mother get devoured.
My hands clenched into a fist, staring backwards at the titan as it took the last gulp, still smiling cheerily. My tears flew from my cheeks, everything in slow motion while I thought it through.
Mother can't be dead....no it must be a nightmare...
And from that very day, the nightmare to the apocalypse began - starting with my worst fear. Death.
People say I will get used to it - but doubts swirl in my mind as I shook my head, not wanting to. But I have no choice in this world - I have to live through this even if it kills me.
'No matter what world we live in, memories still restore in our minds, our actions derived from past experience of guilt and we have to fight to gain the freedom of killing that negative side. Even if it's painful'
~Eliza Jaeger.
"Counting Stars - An AoT/SnK Fanfic. Wrote by: IIPoundII (A.ka. Meh) Originated from: Hijayama Isayama. Many thinks to Hijayama for creating such a marvellous anime.!"