My eyes flew open to find a ceiling and the room spun around me.
I thought I had lost my sanity and my hearing began to hallucinate, or maybe it was all just a mere dream. With my hand, I pinch my side discreetly just to make sure I was dead or alive. It turns out to be a reality. Looking down, I was wearing an oversized shirt, wondering who it belonged to.
"She's awake!"
A feminine voice squeals on my right side and it turns out to be the girl from earlier. "Those perverts must've punched you really hard, huh?"
I was met with grins: one from her and the silver-blonde man who was sitting on a sofa beside the couch I was resting in.
"I don't know..." That was the only sentence I could utter in this daze. My hair probably looks like a rat's nest right now.
"You're still in pain." he reads my face before leaving his seat. "I'll go fetch you some water."
Watching him leave the sofa, the girl puts a wet towel over the bruise on my cheek to ease the pain and I take it into my hand. "Thank you..."
She pities me. "You poor thing. Are you injured anywhere else?"
I shake my head in response, then she abruptly smiles, giving off bright energy to kill the bitter atmosphere. "By the way, I'm Isabel! Nice to meetcha!" Isabel stretches a hand out in front of me, but I almost forgot how to greet back. Slowly, we shake hands and by the time we let go, the blondie returns to hand me a cup of clean water and cracks a smile to appear more friendly.
"I'm Farlan," he tells me in a welcoming manner. "And you?"
To my surprise, they simply told me their names to a complete stranger like me. I guess it is safe to say these people do not seem harmful, so I shyly introduce myself.
"Sina." I softly spoke. "Sina Vogel."
"Sina? Like Wall Sina?" Isabel questioned since my name somehow piqued her curiosity and I gave her a slight nod.
"Feel free to stay as long as you want. If you need anything, don't be shy to ask." Farlan smiles once more to relieve my stress a bit.
"Yeah! We don't bite!" Isabel takes my hand between her palms. "As long as we have aniki around, you'll be safe with us!"
"I am against it."
The dark voice came from the doorway and it appeared to be the black-haired freak who saved me in the dark alley. He was leaning against the front door with his arms crossed and his cold stare made me feel inadequate. "I've spent so much time cleaning this house and now she's getting the couch dirty."
"Levi!" Farlan suddenly raised his voice at him, trying to defend me but he didn't have to do that. "I understand how much you care about keeping the house clean, but don't treat her like filth!"
"We don't just leave her alone in the alley! She needs us!" Isabel convinced him, and I remained silent.
So his name is Levi.
"Look at her hands. They're covered in blood."
I bit my lip, furrowing my brows together ever so slightly, as my dark orbs wandered about the corners of the room. I tried not to stare down at my hands, and at the same time, I wanted to fade away. The seed of guilt growing inside me is unbearable at this point and I am no longer the same person as before.
"So what happened to you?" Farlan asked, but I pursed my lips together. Bringing up the past makes me want to vomit, but I conceal my feelings for now.
If I tell them the truth, will they get rid of me?
I finish my glass of water and set the empty glass on the table with a disturbed look on my face. I have blood on my hands now. I can't go back to who I was, because it was a cruel reminder that I am just a dirty murderer.
"You don't seem very comfortable... it's okay if you don't want to share." Farlan understood that I have a cruel past just by reading my face.
"I killed a man."
I answered boldly, and their faces were completely pale while Levi raised his brows at me in surprise.
"So you've finally decided to speak up..." Levi is eagerly craving more answers from me and turns his head to stare at all the blood painted on my skin. "What made you brutally kill him?"
"He..." I cracked, attempting to hold back my tears. "He did unspeakable things to me..."
I suppressed the large lump that crawled up my throat, threatening to break loose the tears that welled up in the corner of my eyes. Before I could decipher the situation properly, beads of water had fallen from my eyes until my cheeks became wet.
I hate bringing up the dark past.
The sight of my crying appalled them and Levi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"Why the hell are you crying?" Levi stared blankly after my slim figure, blinking his glossy steel-gray eyes, which were completely blunt.
"She's gone through so much, Levi. Can't you tell?" Farlan pats my head as Isabel hugs my shoulders for warmth. I feel so disgusted with myself since I was covered in dried blood.
Maybe now is the right time to explain myself.
"So that's how you ended up in the Underground District?" Isabel asked and at that moment, they weren't afraid of me but shocked. I then finish up the story about my crime and how I am currently running away from exile. They all stared at me with concerned looks.
Levi paused for a moment to observe me and asked them, "Should we trust her?"
"Why shouldn't we!? She didn't have a choice! And she's not lying either, right?" Isabel tried to squeeze an answer from me and I agreed with her. It was all unintentional and I wish to put an end to this suffering.
"You were raised as a titan's child, brainwashed into eating human flesh by your adoptive father, killed him, got sexually assaulted earlier, and now you are running away from the Military Police and possibly the entire royal government. You don't deserve all of this..." Farlan tried to understand me and I appreciated his concern.
"But you're not a titan are you?" Isabel questioned me and I simply answered no.
"But why..." I then uttered. "What drove me to kill him...?"
"I'll tell you why you stabbed that bastard." Levi interrupted me."Because you were about to die."
We all stare in his direction when he pushes himself away from the door to approach the couch, crossing his arms at me.
"If your hands were still clean, you wouldn't be alive right now." he bluntly tells me. "Just embrace what you are now."
He's probably right. If I didn't kill him in the first place, my life would've been in his hands instead.
"So keep surviving, whether it costs someone's life or not." His words echo inside my head and my guilt begins to shrink little by little, but it still stings. I was tormented, ripped away from my innocence, and forced to live a cursed life.
I don't want to live like this...
"Since she committed a crime, our only option is to keep her in this hideout for now," Farlan explains to us. "It's possible that those perverts reported us to the Military Police."
"Great. Now we got ourselves into even more trouble." Levi is annoyed at this point and it's all because of me.
"Sina, don't think you're a burden. We'll be glad to help you." Farlan smiles at me once again. Both Farlan and Isabel were the first people to see me as human, not a threat to humanity.
"Farlan's right! She's just like us... trying to survive!" Isabel decides to butt in with Farlan and on the couch, I remain silent since I didn't want this underground rat named Levi to think that I'm on their side or even their friend. I honestly didn't know how to feel at this point. I didn't want to see them as bad people, so I appreciated their help. Also, I do not know what they do exactly, but after seeing how they fought, I am confident that they will protect me and each other.
Levi lets out a sigh of betrayal with a hint of defeat. "And you two treat this girl like she's a stray cat."
"Her name is Sina! And we're not so stop calling her that!" Isabel embraced me before sticking her tongue out at him, but he was not fazed by her silly expression.
The red hues that my body produces whenever I feel shy or embarrassed are probably showing right now and my hands are shaking at the sight of Levi. That shady look on his face was very intimidating and I honestly want to flee from this situation mainly because of him.
"Isabel, do you mind preparing the bathtub for Sina?" Farlan asks in a more relaxing tone and Isabel jumps on her feet in excitement to playfully salute to him. "Yes, sir!"
I let out a gasp when Isabel dragged me away from the couch. "Let's take a bath together, sis!"
"S-Sis?" I stammered at the sudden nickname she gave me just now and she shoved me into the bathroom. "Now, let's take this shirt off! It belongs to Farlan, so I'll give you some new clothes!"
"W-Wait!" My face glows bright red when Isabel tries to undress me and the last thing I see is Levi shaking his head in annoyance before the door closes behind us.
Isabel and I ended up taking a bath together, but it wasn't as awkward as I thought. We learned more about each other as she scrubs my back and in my head, her life is more interesting than I thought. At first glance, Isabel is energetic and is hardly afraid to speak her mind.
"You're quite thin..." Isabel was concerned about my thin, pale body. "I'll ask Farlan to cook you a big meal!"
I feel embarrassed, but I know she wasn't intentionally body-shaming me and I let out a weak smile. I personally don't eat much, but I do appreciate her generosity.
"You seem younger than me, Isabel." I randomly assume just to change the subject. "How old are you?"
Isabel slowly stops scrubbing my back to think for a moment. Then, she starts counting with her fingers and stops.
"I... don't really know. Age doesn't matter to me anyway!" she lowers her head, pouting her lower lip out. "I barely even know how to count, and Levi calls me an idiot for not knowing how to do math..."
My eyes widen at the name which sends a shiver down my spine. "That man Levi... does he always act that harsh?"
Isabel unexpectedly shakes her head. "He is actually a cool guy!" she tells me, but I am still in doubt. "Listen... his eyes may be cold, but his heart is warm once you get to know him better. He's just naturally like that."
"So, are you and Levi..." I held out the sentence until she acted flustered and waved in front of my face to cut me off.
"EW NO! I DON'T DATE OLD MEN!" she suddenly hollered and now I am seriously concerned whether or not Levi had heard her. Maybe he did, but now I'm curious about Levi's age.
"I-I just value him as a brotherly figure that's all!" she tries to clear up the misunderstanding and I slowly nod my head in embarrassment.
I have never felt this good in ages. Thanks to Isabel, my body is fully refreshed and relaxed after taking a nice, steamy bath.
I step out of the bathroom in Isabel's clothes and we both stroll into the living room to find Levi and Farlan turning their heads toward us. Isabel and I were puzzled when Farlan started giggling in the corner upon our entrance.
"Who were you calling old?" Levi glared at Isabel and her mind started racing.
"O-Oh! Hahaha! I mean..." she trails off and now she shoves me forward just so I can shield her from Levi, but he does not move. My narrowed dark orbs wandered around, filled with loneliness, only to widen a little as my gaze clashed with the stormy gray eyes of the man who saved my life.
"I see you two are getting along pretty well." Farlan smiles at the two of us and Isabel nods in agreement. "Yep! And Sina can stay with us, right?" Isabel directly asks Levi when she takes my wrist and I break eye contact with him. I then thought it was time for me to speak for myself.
"I..." My voice was still weak. "I appreciate your kindness, truly... but I am not planning to stay here."
Isabel and Farlan seem more shocked than surprised at my words, but on the other hand, Levi does not seem to care one bit. It's not like he ever cared about me in the first place.
"I don't deserve to live in a place like this." I belittle myself in front of them. "I didn't get the chance to say this earlier, but thank you for saving me." I then bow my head. "I'm sorry for all the trouble. I'll take my leave now."
"But, Sina!" Isabel tries reaching out to me and turns to Farlan just so he can convince me to stay. "Farlan, say something!"
On the couch, Levi holds up a teacup in an abnormal way and raises it to his lips, "Fine, go ahead and rot out there. I'm not stopping you." he then takes a long sip.
"Levi," Farlan begs him again, "Can't you already tell by now? Sina doesn't have a place to stay. Show some heart would you?"
"I promise I can take care of myself." I interrupted because I refused to let them think that I was weak. Farlan isn't wrong though. I have nowhere else to stay, but I should leave since I will be a heavy burden to them. Not only that, the Military Police is searching for me. As I make my way to the front door, I zoom past the couch until a hand suddenly wraps around my wrist. I gaze down to find Levi's hand and he looks over his shoulder from the couch, squeezing my wrist tightly so I won't flee.
"Do you know how to clean?"
I blink at him twice, thinking my ears were deceiving me just now and he heaves a sigh before repeating himself. "Well?"
It took me a few seconds to absorb everything he had just said and for some reason, I felt a shiver running down my spine and eased my wrist away from his hand as if his touch burnt my skin.
"Sina is not a child, Levi. Of course, she can clean, and not only that; she can take care of herself." Again, Farlan speaks up for me but he didn't have to be so considerate of me.
"You don't think I know that by now?" Levi annoyingly groans at him. "That is why I won't give her too many directions."
Isabel runs up to sling an arm over my shoulders in excitement. "Does that mean she can stay here with us!?" her smile became brighter than before and before Levi could even reply, she hugged me in excitement like I was her new puppy. "Having to clean is a pain in the ass, but it's worth staying here with us! I promise you won't regret it!"
I don't know what overcame me, but I found myself smiling back at her, then Farlan. He seems pretty relieved as well. It turns out that Levi does have a soft side, but he is strong enough to control his emotions. I guess I was wrong about him, but I'm not letting my guard down so easily.
My attention shifts over to the dining table where their 3D maunder gears are sitting.
"Are you three perhaps from the military?" I asked since they were very skilled as far as I know.
"We stole them," Farlan answered and acted like it wasn't a big deal.
I was quite dumbfounded by his response. "Isn't this illegal?"
"Yes, but no when you're careful." Farlan laughs it off. "This is why the Military Police is after us as well."
"Then... how did you manage to steal them? How did you guys even learn to use these?"
"We taught ourselves!" Isabel was even more excited when I asked. The 3D maneuver gear... I read a book about it when I was younger. "It looks... complicated to use."
"Do you actually want to learn?" Farlan asks me since he senses my curiosity and I am hesitant to answer until Levi cuts us off with a tongue click.
"Tch. That means we'll have to go steal another gear from the military. That would be a bother." he groans. "I don't want to get into trouble because of a girl who wants to learn the 3D maneuver gear, so I suggest you go steal one yourself."
"I didn't say I want to learn, but..."
"But what? Don't tell me you're scared." Levi raises his teacup. "But here's my question for you... do you know how to fight?"
"I... don't like fighting." I simply answer with integrity and he nearly spat his tea.
"You're saying you never learned how to fight?" Farlan sounds surprised. "How do you even survive the underground?"
"Just my luck I guess..."
Levi tries to gently set his teacup down. "Tch. How pathetic."
Levi then puts his hands on both knees before standing from the couch. "So what's the point of surviving the underground without knowing how to defend yourself? All you're doing is wasting time and putting your own life at risk."
"Aniki! Stop being so harsh on her!" Isabel steps up for me once again as Farlan did earlier. "You know she's trying to survive, so just let her breathe for once!"
"I'm with Isabel on this one." Farlan joins in. "It's not her fault that she ended up living here in the underground, but she is doing her best to see another day."
Farlan then turns to me. "Other than that, I am truly amazed by how you survived this long in a dump like this. You're strong for sure."
"She must be suicidal," Levi argues back. "Violence is the best weapon."
Yet again, Levi spoke his mind out loud and I didn't want to add to his bullshitery.
"I feel like now is the time to teach Sina how to properly survive the underground." Isabel agrees with Levi on this since my life is already at risk. "Aniki, would you like to help her with us?"
Levi decides not to step in because it's a waste of his time and energy. Aside from that, I am not ready to use the 3D maneuver gear without knowing how to properly wield a knife.
"Before learning how to wield a knife, learn how to clean." Levi then leaves the house to take a breather outside of the house and Isabel hugs me once again. I can tell they are looking forward to training me and I somehow feel grateful yet sour on the inside.
His toxicity is going to be the death of me.