Rays of light managed to slip through the old, tattered curtains that hung in Jade's room. For once she was able to sleep in, as she had asked her parents now for several weeks. Every morning was an early one for the young girl; being woken up by her mother right before sunrise so she could gather firewood for their bakery's oven.

The rays of light hit Jade directly on the eyes, which caused her to stir a bit until she sneezed and woke up suddenly. Letting out a soft groan, the girl wipe her nose with her sleeve before focusing on opening her eyes. "I need more sleep..." she managed to croak out before yawning. Her body felt sore from the amount of sleep that she had gotten but it didn't bother her one bit. She reveled in the fact that she was finally able to live a kid's life without having to worry about the godforsaken bakery.

"Jade! Your food is going to get cold if you don't come down... it's already mid-day!"

Her mother's voice filled the blissful silence that was making Jade doze off as she sat up on her bed. "Mom's still here? Mid-day? It's already mid-day?!" The fact that she had managed to sleep for so long and get up so late startled Jade and had her sit up properly. Her stomach growled in response to her fully waking up which prompted her to get on with her daily morning ritual: restroom, brush teeth, wash face, put up her half bun, wear her normal attire of a white dress that fell down to just above her knees with a pink cardigan.

"Sorry mom, I didn't think I'd sleep... so... late?" Jade had skipped down but heard silence once again. "Mom?" With a quick peek at all two rooms downstairs Jade remembered that mom usually disappeared at the bakery around mid-day and would always return soon after with a basket of food. 'She must have came for food for dad', she thought as she went over to the table and picked up her rice balls before heading out the door.

It seemed as if she had picked out the perfect day to not work. There were a few birds chirping near by and a light breeze that kept her feeling cool.

Rather than heading down to what she always called the 'market area', Jade quietly went about her way down a familiar path that lead to a patch of grass and some trees. It wasn't far from home which always made her feel secure, but it was far enough that if she was in trouble, she couldn't hear her parents yell at her.

Content with her morning, Jade sat down underneath one of the trees and began munching away at her breakfast, watching the birds fly by and wondering what it would be like to be able to fly around and not have to worry about anything. Including the threats of the monsters that lingered outside of the walls.

Her mind raced back to when she first saw a tiny glimpse outside of the wall. She had been sitting standing nearby with her father, waiting for the Scouts to return from the adventures outside. At least that's what her parents called them so that she would be spared from the gruesome reality. She eyes opened wide with wonder and curiosity as the Scouts rode in on horses. She paid them little attention as she stayed fixated on the green grass on the other side of the gate. The people began to get a bit rowdy as they shouted and yelled out their questions towards those that were coming in, but Jade didn't look away. It was a mere few seconds, but they held her attention due to the fact that out there was unknown to her.

Snapping back to reality, the young girl decided to push her thoughts to the back of her mind once more. She did not want to recall the look of despair and mourning that the Scouts had when she finally looked up at them. She had managed to make eye contact with a fair haired man with piercing dark eyes that would give her nightmares.

Gabriel was harshly brought back to reality as a rigid cane slapped his lower back, causing him to nearly drop the small trinkets in his arms. Mr. Forner hated it when his young employees slacked, especially Gabriel. "You get back to work or I'll beat you senseless, you little trouble-maker. It's already bad enough you and your gangs used to pillage my store. You know how long it takes to recover when you have hoodlums smashing your stock?" Mr. Forner ran an antique shop on a corner in the market place. Although he did make fairly decent business, he wasn't well known for being an entirely honest businessman. Unfortunately, that was the best Gabriel could do, considering his past reputation. Even after being out of the gang for three years, his infamy as a troublemaker stayed with him. "Sorry, sir...I didn't mean to." Setting everything down where they needed to be, he rubbed his back slightly, trying to ease the sharp pain. "If you really were sorry you'd stay after to help me sell this junk....no that it is junk." Gabriel gave his employer a raised brow behind his back. "You did your job for today. Here's your pay. Now scram." Gabriel took the coins before heading out, happy that he was done with his morning job.

The market place wasn't exactly an easy place to get around, but Gabriel eventually made his way to a flower stall. After handing the stall owner a few coins, he took a small batch of beautiful flowers, and headed on his way. He had been saving up to buy something for his mother; his job didn't exactly pay very well, considering all he had to do was check the stock and arrange everything for Mr. Forner. He decided to spend the rest of his day taking the long way to his home, which did involve going through a nice field or two. Of course, there was one issue...the Scouts returned. He hadn't been a part of the crowd ever since his father died in the line of duty. He stopped his trek to watch from a far distance, before turning to see a girl out in the field. He didn't really have any friends and the urge to make some was strong...but he knew how bad the other children's parents spoke of him. He decided then to continue walking, ignoring her. Besides; he needed to give his mother those flowers.

Inside the bookstore, an eerily atmosphere had settled. Normally someone would have already rung the bell downstairs to signify that they would like to purchase a book, yet the entire morning was filled with absolute silence. Occasionally a creak would be heard as a mouse stirred around in the woodwork, but today's business was unusual for the Harwells. Their family depended on their business to thrive, but Tanner couldn't be bothered to help. The boy had a mission to fulfill, and the mess of papers on his desk certainly shown the truth in his resolve.

Many would've called him crazy by now, but Tanner was certain that he would eventually find the person he was looking for. His home was decorated with family pictures like every other home in the Shiganshina district, yet the pictures in Tanner's house were peculiar to the boy. In each of them, there was always another person standing next to Tanner and his parents, a woman in a scout's formal dress. Tanner felt like he knew the mysterious woman, but he just couldn't place it on the tip of his tongue. It didn't help the boy that his parents were secretive about this woman either. Every instance that Tanner asked his parents about her would only be met with blank stares or an attempt to divert the conversation.

Scribbling some notes in a hastily manner, Tanner looked up at the window that was located in his bedroom. The sky was clear, and it was a beautiful day to be outside. Birds were chirping a chorus to the tune of a light breeze that blew into his room, and scattered his papers on the floor. With a sigh, Tanner stretched before climbing out of his chair to pick up the mess before he lost any of his work to the wind on the chance that the breeze might swoop up a paper and carry it away, never to be seen again. Collecting each paper, one by one, Tanner paused when he found one of his earliest notes, a drawing of the mysterious woman he had been searching for.

Tanner was never a great artist, nor did he ever plan to become one, but the similarities between the woman and himself were there. Both of them had the same light blonde hair and hazel eyes that Tanner's parents had. Their complexions were always fair and never dirty. These similarities had always bothered Tanner, and every glance at the many pictures scattered throughout his house left him on a soul-searching adventure. Who was this woman? Where is she? Why would no one answer Tanner's questions? The woman took over Tanner's thoughts, and he wouldn't rest until he found her.

As Tanner had began to neatly organize the papers he collected, the stammering of horse hooves could be heard outside the bookstore. He looked outside and saw a trail of battered scouts from the Survey Corps ride into the city. He knew well why they were in such a sorry state, but the boy was more worried about answers. The woman was always wearing the green cloak of the Survey Corps, and luck would have it that there were scouts right outside his bedroom window. Snatching his brown coat from the chair, Tanner quickly stuffed his notes into his pockets and ran downstairs. He heard his mother call out to him as Tanner leaped from the final steps, but his mind was too focused to understand what she wanted.

Sprinting down the various alleys and streets, Tanner hoped he wasn't late enough to get a glimpse at the entire entourage. He tried memorizing each face, to see if the woman had ever returned, but the boy often had difficulties with men and women disappearing or joining the Survey Corps. Each time they left, the Corps had new members leaving on patrol, but each time they returned, many were gone. No longer with them. Sometimes, Tanner felt that he shouldn't focus on memorizing every face, but he knew that there might be a chance the woman would return and Tanner wouldn't be there to see her. It was something he had to do, and the routine was important to Tanner. Too important to skip out on.

---

"Lauren, can you come help me with the laundry?"

The young teenager snapped her book shut, sitting up at the sound of her father's booming voice. He was a big man so it came as no surprise that his voice filled a space easily but she knew him to be a gentle sole, a medic by trade who had only the intention of healing people and leaving the violence of a military life to his wife. She had been lounging in the low boughs of a tree, a small seat formed by interlocking branches her favourite place to be when there weren't any other kids in the area to run about with.

"Of course, Pa." She climbed nimbly out of the tree, swinging down the few branches between her hideout and the ground with practised ease and then running up their small garden to where her father was setting down a laundry tub by the back of the house. He grinned as he saw her leap up onto a low brick wall, the only place she could reach the washing line well enough to hang anything on it, before handing her some wet clothes.

They didn't speak much as they carried out the task, enjoying each other's company in the warm sunlight without feeling the need to fill silence. He asked about her friends, when she would head out later to meet them, but avoided her questions about his own work; he sometimes took Lauren to help him but that was usually some time after he had begun treatment so that she was spared the worst of the horrors.

When the bells began to toll, announcing the return of the Survey Corps, they both looked up from their work, her father sighing and dropped an armful of wet clothes back into the tub.

"Can you finish this up, Law? I need to fetch my things." She nodded her understanding and he smiled, ruffling her hair affectionately before heading into the house with a serious expression on his face. After finishing her chores, her father long since left, Lauren headed into the nearby fields to get away from the busy streets and enjoy some peace away from the crowds greeting the Survey Corps' return. Finding another, slightly younger, girl there she headed a little further down the hill before lying on the grass and looking up at the clouds drift lazily by.

The boy wandered around the room, staring at all the knick-knacks and decorations dotted on high shelves, novels filling up a bookshelf like a parade-square and bits and bobs that weren't found in the regular market-shop. It was a wonder to figure out what they were here to actually sell, and how they'd gain something that would fit within these one of a kind buildings. Though Grant had taken many guesses, he wasn't to accompany his Uncle on the regular deals. They weren't illegal or shift, that was definitely something he could confirm to both himself and his friend. Mateo would never commit to anything of the sort. He was a good man at heart, and would remain that way for the days he had within him. He wasn't older than him by a large distance, seeing as Mateo was a younger brother of Grant's father. It was the main reason for their bond. They didn't grow up too differently, but with him being 24 it meant that he could serve as a guardian whilst on their trading tour.

Grant looked up to Mateo, clearly. The man had done service, and only recently stepped out of service to assist in family issues. It was true. Grant's small home-town was facing an economic depression, and that didn't help in supplying themselves with food, water and necessities to make a living out of a farmland. No one wanted to sell things to a settlement outside of the walls, but it was still an issue that could be tackled. Mateo was almost like the family saviour, using his experience in and out of the walls to keep the flow of money on-point. What's more, he didn't scorch Grant for riding Rhys like his father did.

Luca prodded Grant on the arm several times, snapping himself out from the trance he was caught within. Luca was always like that. Impatient. Annoying. It's what made him Luca. No one else did anything better than like he did. It was the reason why the two became good friends, because Luca was so humorously annoying.

"Ey...Grant...Eeeeeey. The trading is starting. You might as well take Rhys and get a move on. We'll be stuck here all day by the time something happens..." Yep...Impatient. "Besides, we've got a lot to get through today. You remember our plans? This is our 'Final Stop' after all..."

The two grinned at each other, as if they'd just gained all the money in the world combined. Their grins soon became a catalyst for action, as the two darted outside the door. It was mid-day already, and they were likely only going to spend a few days here until they would depart once more. With that being in the back of his mind, Grant was quick to rush over to Rhys. The horse was oddly sensible and obedient to wait outside until he'd return. Like a dog, only more staggering to look at. Grant placed a calm hand on its snout, as he always did, before tightening the saddle on his back. The last time that he'd taken a ride throughout the streets was in the East, where he mispositioned the saddle and slipped off mid-gallop. Like Luca always said, not only was he swift on a horse, he was also quick and falling off of them.

The two mounted their prize animals and began to gently trot down the street they were already in. The streets seemed oddly bare at first, even in the marketplace, it was difficult to make-sense of why they were like so. It wasn't long before they were able to find out, as the two slowly came to a stop behind a lined-formation of citizens, parted by a wave of uniformed individuals all returning home from outside the gates.

"Hey, Swifty...Look at the symbols on their jackets...Aren't they the group Mateo serves in?"

"Hey, I think you're right...The ones with the wings? That's got to be Mateo's bunch. I've never actually seen anyone else that wasn't him wear that kind of uniform. Why'd you think people are gathering them so much?" He mused about the possible answers, some of which he didn't like to think about. It was a difficult process to go through.

"Who knows? I'd rather not ask them...Plus, they're blocking a perfectly good straight-road to race down; I'm not willing to ask if they are able to clear a path..."

The two took a left, taking up a trotting pace. Their heads were fixed rightwards, staring at the bands of uniformed men and women pass by. It was a strange sight, almost, seeing them make their way through the streets. It was an almost silent event, people holding their breaths as they waited for a particular somebody to return from an expedition. Grant wasn't spared the sugar-coating when told about what these men and women were sacrificing to do. Mateo had been very straight-forward, but not blunt about their actions. It was worrying, finally witnessing what might've been the aftermath of a failed mission. It scared Grant, knowing that sometime after they return home, Mateo would have to return to active service, and possibly never returning.

They continued their trot down to the left, from where the Scouts were travelling from. The sights began to grow more and more depressing as each second passed on. The injured and mentally battered would be seen, staring only towards the ground as if they'd seen the worst. No one could blame them. They probably had. Occasionally, someone from the public would question or quiz a name into the audience, and about a half of them actually managed to get a response. Luca was surprisingly quiet as well, taking in the scenery very seriously. The two knew when it wasn't the time to be jovial or excited. In fact, this very sight could change his experience within the district completely.

Sweat beaded upon her brow as Mora grunted beneath the heavy weight of the wooden pillar. A few feet beside her her father stood, face twisted up in concentration as the two of them hauled the frame off the earth below and laid it flush against its supports. They had been at it all day; with the trio up bright and early to take advantage of the cool mornings but it was mid-day now and sweat rolled down their flesh and darkened the light blue cloth that clung to the youth. Not that Mora minded. The sweat, the grime and even the occasional splinter. All of it was worth it in the end as the skeletal structure started to take the shape of Mr. Oritiza's newest Shoppe.

"Alright, Cain, go ahead and bolt these together." her father instructed to the boy. Mora took notice of the weariness that crept into her father's voice. He was getting old. She had noted this several times over the past few months. The work days got shorter and the jobs took a little longer.

"Stop looking at me like that, girl."

Mora startled, looking away as heat colored her cheeks

"I'm not that old." he chuckled but Mora didn't budge. Looking up she shot him a heavy glare, "But you're not getting younger either. It's time for you to step down. Give the business to Lorren!"

Lorren, the eldest of the Kingsly crew, was often the target of Mora's snide comments. He was strong and healthy yet he has stopped coming to help their father years ago. Her father reminded her time and time again that he was a grown man, with a family of his own to worry about. "I could always give it to you." her father joked as he cast a sideways glance over at the impetuous girl.

"Dad..." her voice trailed off but the guilt was easily read across her face

"Yes. Yes. I already know. My daughter- the cadet." he laughed before moving to help Cain fasten the last of the bolts in place.

"You know that's no place for a girl to be." her brother chimed in. There was always something about Cain that got on Mora's last nerve, though to be fair she could probably say the same for almost all the Kingsley men, but it was his blatant sexism that always got her started.

Mora had already drew in a sharp breath, all prepared to lay into her older brother when her father lifted his hand to silence her. "Hey, why don't you go see what's going on down by the marketplace," he gestured with a free hand to the to the roaming crowds of people drifting down the street, "Cain! Go with her and pick up something to eat from the bakery while you're down there."

The boy groaned at the request but hurried to catch up with his sister who had already taken off without even a goodbye.

"It's got to be the Scouts." she mused to her brother as they fled down the cobblestones. She could feel it in the air, that tension that came right before a storm. "What's with your obsession with the military anyway?" Cain scoffed.

"I've told you countless times. What better way to spend your life than helping humanity. They keep us safe." Mora could practically hear her brother roll his eyes at her. "I swear you're some random child my parents took in." she muttered under her breath at his cowardice. Unfortunately he wasn't the only person who thought like that. The awe and honor that probably once accompanied being a scout had long worn off. People saw their march as a nuisance. Not Mora though. She marveled in their strength and bravery. Plus, they had been beyond the wall. They had gone places she had only dreamed of.

A chorus abuse greeted her ears as she arrived at the gates. The troop, battered and haunted marched solemnly down the street. There was group of people berating a fallen solider while others spat out questions that fell on deaf ears. "Is this what you want? Look at them," Cain hissed in her ear, "I won't have you running off and joining them. I won't see you trudge through those gates looking like that!" For the first time she turned to her brother and really looked at him, maybe he wasn't always belittling her dreams for the sake of spite. No, the look he had in his eyes wasn't disgust with the poor souls before them. It was pity and anger.

Mora squeezed his hand softly before breaking away. She had nothing to offer to the Scouts. No food or water but she wanted to give them hope. To show them that she appreciated their efforts. Winding through the crowd she made her way to the group of hecklers. Mora recognized a few of them. They went to school with Connor. She didn't say a word as she approached them just balled up her fist. Behind her she could hear her brother call for her but he was bulky and a little slow; he'd never catch up in time. She swung with all her strength into the gut of a boy named Frazier. He immediately dropped to the hard stone below them as his friends scrambled to help him back up.

"You show some respect! They are putting their lives on the line while you sit here in safety. Cowards!" She spat her words like venom while her brother snatched her back and pulled her back. "What the hell, Ra. This is not the time or the place."

He dragged his sister away as the group took to insulting her but at least they'd leave the poor solider alone. That was enough for Mora, at least for now.

Emil sat among a group of older boys from the orphanage, their legs dangling over the edge of the canal as they basked in the warm sun of the day. Only recently had they ended up at the canal that cut its way through Shiganshina, earlier they had been chasing one another through the streets, much to the dismay of many of the good folk going about their business. But that had ended, Emil was happy it had, it made too much commotion when they chased one another through the streets. Knocking over small tables of goods and bumping into people, at least the others did, they just didn't seem to comprehend their surroundings as well as Emil did. It was puzzling to him that a group of kids, all of which were older than him and had been the ones to teach him how to climb to the rooftops and move through crowds, had such a terrible sense of the space they occupied and still managed to barrel into people.

'They probably think it's funny...' he thought as he realized for many of the boys, simply lounging around wasn't enjoyable enough of an activity for them, they liked causing trouble. Although he couldn't say that causing trouble wasn't fun for him either, he just enjoyed to keep the trouble quiet and unnoticed.

One of the boys stood to point at something, opening his mouth about to speak before he was ruthlessly pushed into the open space of the canal in front of him. The group of boys erupted into laughter as the boy hit the water with a loud thud, spraying Emil and the other closest boys with water. Emil rolled his eyes, being sure that no one saw the gesture as he stood to go help the boy who was now swimming up to the stairs on Emil's left that led out of the canal.

There was a quick movement to his left as the same boy now moved in on Emil to make him his next victim. As Emil walked the boy leapt forward, outstretching his arms to push Emil, at the same moment Emil grabbed the boys arms and simply leaned backwards into the canal taking the culprit with him to a watery fate.

The canals water was cool, a welcome relief after running through the streets and Emil let himself sink slowly to the bottom as he watched the light refract off the surface of the water in brilliant rays that reached to the bottom. He watched for a few moments before he finally settled on the bottom. His air running out he pushed off the bed of the canal and made for the surface. Breaching the surface of the water, Emil was met with a thunderous applause from the group of boys and laughter all around, he smiled as the culprit came up from underwater giving Emil a push as he did so, "Idiot." he said, obviously not happy that the tables had turned on him so quickly.

"Maybe if you hadn't been so obvious it would have only been me in the water." Emil replied matter-of-factly with a grin stretching from ear to ear.

As they both made their way to the stairs a boy in the back of the group yelled loud enough for all to hear, "The Scouts are back! Everyone's going to be lining the streets!".

It was all that needed to be said for the group to to leave their comfortable place at the canals edge, all of them starting to run toward the main road leading into Shiganshina from the wall with a series of hoots and shouts. Emil and the boy quickly made their way up the stairs, and chased after the rest of the group, sopping wet and leaving small puddles with every step.

---

The group of boys was spread out now, none of them close enough to tell that they were together. They had made it to the crowd that was watching the Scouts return in good time, not too early to be noticed by stragglers and not too late that people leaving would recognize what was happening. They were right on time. The Scouts were passing just ahead of Emil drawing the attention of the people, bloodied and battered, looking utterly defeated, although Emil tried to ignore that part. As he made his way through the crowd of disgruntled people he took purses from bags and what change he could from pockets that weren't filled with a hand.

There was a shout as someone noticed that one of the boys off to Emil's right was pick-pocketing people, with the shout Emil noticed other boys darting out of the crowd making their way out of the group closest to the new commotion. Emil snatched a few coins from a pocket before quietly making his way out of the crowd and stopping behind them. He couldn't see the Scouts anymore, but it was obvious they were still there by the clacking of the horses hooves and the sound of carts passing.

Curious as to take a look at the Scouts he made his way up a cart on the edge of the road and climbed his way onto the roof of a building. From his new perch he watched the men and women of the Scouting Legion ride by, the shouts and calls of the crowd doing nothing to help their already dejected appearances. A cart rolled past with injured scouts in the back, bandaged and bloody, Emil averted his eyes as the cart that followed was obviously carrying deceased members.

With the final unwanted sight, Emil stood on the roof and began making his way across it heading back towards the orphanage. The thought of just how crazy the scouts were to go outside the walls and face off against the Titans itching at the back of his mind as he walked.

"You shouldn't of interfered!" Mora wrenched her arm out of her brothers grasp, "I easily had those punks!"

Cain sighed heavily before moving to grasp his little sisters arm once more, "No, you didn't. You can't just go and punch every person you disagree with!"

"Like hell I can't! And don't touch me!" she pulled away once more, storming away from the crowds. "You saw them, Cain. You can't stand there and tell me that they should be allowed to carry on like that!"

"You're right. They're jerks."

These weren't the words the young girl expected to hear. Surprised she turned around to face her brother, arms crossed tightly across her chest as Mora stared him down, "But?"

"But that doesn't mean you get to take that into your own hands."

Mora groaned loudly and resumed her march, each step digging into the ground with her seething anger. "If you can't stand up to common bullies, then what good are you?" It was harsh and Mora felt her anger slip away to guilt the moment it left her lips. Cain was just trying to protect her. Like any of her brothers would. He just didn't see things the way she did. He wanted to hide her away and have her stay home; safe but Mora didn't want to waste her life waiting for someone to change things.

"Lets go get some bread and pastries from the bakery-like dad said. Punching him worked up an appetite "

Cain didn't respond, instead he silently trudged behind his little sister as they made their way back up the road. The Stone bakery had some of the towns best fresh buttered hot rolls. Just the thought of them set Mora's stomach growling. Cain on the other hand was a connoisseur of sweet treats. Mora always pointed out that his love of sugar was why he could never budge that pudge that layered across his middle.

"She's making blueberry pie." Cain broke the silence as he noted the swelling aroma in the air as they neared the bakery.

"Race ya. Winner gets the others slice of pie!" She shot off, leaving her brother behind to scurry after her.

The pair shot into the bakery, a mess of laughter and sweat as earlier tensions had melted.

"Oh, hello!" beamed a cheery woman from behind the counter.

"Hello, Mrs. Stone." Cain greeted back. The woman had already started preparing the two a basket, "Let me guess. Four hot rolls and a slice of pie," she smiled at them, "Maybe an extra slice, just in case." She winked at Cain who looked at the ground with embarrassment.

"Hey, is Jade sick or something?"

"No, she has the day off. Figured she deserved a day off on such a beautiful day. Hey," she slammed her palms down on the counter, "Jade should be out on the hill, would you mind taking her a basket for her to eat?"

"Well, we should-"

"Sure!" Mora shouted over her brother.

"Wonderful! Thank you so much. Here, take a few extra rolls for your trouble."

Mora did a little excited dance as Mrs. Stone filled their basket once more before preparing a smaller one for her daughter. She knew her daughter from the bakery but not much else- age seemed to always be at work with her mom which Mora understood. She'd chat with her whenever they stopped by after a long day building.

"Hey, isn't that Lauren?" Mora pointed out. The dark haired girl was around Mora's age. Her father had saved their fathers life when a beam slipped and landed on his chest; crushing a few ribs.

"Is it? Oh. Yeah." Cain dismissed quickly but when Mora turned to look over at her brother she could see her brother had turned a deep red. A coy smile pulled as her lips as she turned towards him, "We should incite her to come eat with us."

"No!" Cain shouted before looking around nervously.

"Oh come on. We have extra rolls and its the perfect time for you to tell her that you love her."

Cain choked in the air he was inhaling as Mora already skipped off towards the girl.

"Oh, Lauren!" she called across the hill, trying to catch the girl's attention! "Lauren! Come join us!" she waved her arms in the air before pointing to her basket.

"I'm going to murder you." Cain whispered, his face even darker now.

"You'll thank me at your wedding but hey, fine. Here." she paused scanning the hill before spotting another figure in the distance.

"Hey, who is that?" she pointed the boy out to her brother.

"Uh, that's Gabriel Moreau. Let's not bother-"

"GAY-BREE-ELLLLL!" Mora screamed at the top of her lungs at the boy, "We're having a picnic with Jade and Lauren, come join us!" she pointed at her basket once more as she felt her brother die a little inwardly. Flashing her brother her best winning smile she skipped back away towards where Jade lay, who no doubt by this point was a little concerned seeing that her name was just yelled out across the hillside.

Mora dropped down to the ground beside the girl, sighing loudly, "Your mom wanted us to bring you something to eat. Hope you don't mind if we join you. It's a beautiful day,don't you think?" she started unpacking her basket as she waited for the rest of them to show up. "Well come on, guys! Its getting cold!"

---

Gabriel continued walking along the path back to his house as the crowds spoke to the Scouts. In a way, Gabriel was afraid to look a them, but never truly admitted it. Some people mistook his avoidance for cruelty, as if he didn't care about the men and women who sacrificed themselves for greater good. It couldn't have been any farther from the truth. His hands gripped the flowers with intensity as he continued listening, until the crowd finally simmered down into silence, watching the battered soldiers drag themselves in like walking corpses. His attention didn't turn back until he heard his name being called.

He turned back around and noticed a girl screaming out his name; Mora Kingsly. He knew about her and even spoke to her, but it was extremely short. All he could remember was that she was one of the few kids who could just barely kick his ass. In fact, he never even asked her name. He overheard it when Cain spoke about her...although he and Cain weren't on very good terms. In Gabriel's eyes, Cain was almost like a mother's boy, since he had a distrust of him. Of course, it never did bother him too much - not many of the other kids liked him due to the rumors. The only real 'friends' he had, if they still cared for him ever since he left their lifestyle, were the trouble-makers. In fact, there was one pick-pocket that he had gotten to know for a very short time, but he couldn't remember his name since they hadn't seen each other in a while.

At the invitation to a picnic, Gabriel seemed to look a little flushed. He never went to a picnic before...at least not with children his age. The only picnics he remembered was ones with his younger siblings and his mother, whom he adored. He thought of the countless times he wheeled her out into the fields and enjoyed themselves, a bright smile on his face. It was one of the few times he ever really did show a large amount of emotion. Maybe the same would happen if he hung out with them? He took a deep breath and made his decision.

Gabriel looked a little nervous approaching the other kids at the tree. He only really knew Mora, even if all he knew was her name, but he didn't know the other two girls. He walked up slowly and had a feint smile on his face, waving awkwardly. "Hey...thanks for letting me join you guys." He placed the small bundle of flowers down beside him as he took a seat, his gaze shifting between the others. "So uhm...yeah. Gabriel." He stuck his hand out to shake any of the others, hoping they might not be too wary of his presence.

It hadn't been long after Jade had finished her food that she found herself dozing off to the sound of the wind. She could hear the people's voices carry over from the gathering in the main street. She didn't care much for all of the noise, seeing as how that would just take away from her day off.

Above the noise of the crowds, however, there were voices that sounded much closer.. "What?" From afar she saw a fiery headed girl coming over with her well known brother. She hadn't taken noticed until Mora, the girl with the fiery hair, shouted out for another young girl to come over a join them. Then soon, another person to join. "A picnic? What? Why?" She watched the other kids gather over with her with wide eyes, sitting up quickly as they spoke. "Oh, my mom? How nice of her! She left me some food before I left and now I get more!" Jade smiled as she accepted the basket that they brought and sat it down in between them.

'Gabriel?'

Jade looked over at the boy who Mora shouted to join them and studied him. Having worked most of the time with her parents, she had never really made many friends. An acquaintance here and there such as Mora and her brothers but not really anyone that she would spend her time with. A bit hesitantly, Jade reached out to shake Gabriel's hand. She gave him a warm smile and offered him some of the bread in the basket. "Hello, my name is Jade. I work with my parents at the bakery."

After introducing herself, she leaned over to look around the kids sitting, trying to see if the other girl would end up joining them. "Mora... who is that? Oh, and hello Cain! Did you get your favorite pie today?" Jade turned back and focused her bright green eyes on the two in front of her. "Mom made them fresh today!"

The two continued on their trip further down the line of citizens words clashing with the wounded. Every second he began to grow more and more sick of what was said, but it didn't mean he could do anything about it. Mateo would speak of the times he had to return to such abuse, but he seemed to not pay attention to it. Sometimes, during their trip around the walls, he used to speak of how he sometimes found it humorous, something fun to poke at. He recited the words in his mind. Some people seem to get more and more abusive as the days go by. But that's fine; I just remind myself I'm not the one with a career in cleaning sewers. Sure, it contradicted the idea of fighting for humanity if he showed little respect to them, but all the tales he told of those he fought alongside ensured that Mateo was in fact fighting for the people who suffered the most out of it.

Well, that was when he was in service at the time. Since this trip, Mateo had been a good uncle to Grant. The two shared a lot of banter with one another, even with Grant still being a child. Even since Luca had come into the picture and become the third-wheel of the family connection, they were still close. As for Luca, Grant and him had a sort of 'Love-hate' relationship. Sure, Luca and him were great friends, but he was one annoying kid.

Suddenly, as if he were hit by a cannonball, his body and insides seemed to jolt around and thump loudly. It snapped him out of his trance, a small ache suddenly hitting his arm and back. What was this pain? Why had it happened so quickly? But before an endless wave of thoughts and questions over-flowed him once more, he hardly had to scrutinize the surroundings to see what was going on. The world seemed to be vertical...Well, at least from his perspective. It could only mean one thing. He was lying on the ground.

Grant shot his head up quickly, a small pain still stuck in his right arm. To his left, Rhys clopped over to him and exhaled onto his face. To his front, Luca remained on his stallion, laughing his head clean off like some lunatic going on a killing spree. And to his right, stood a few people staring at him. It was certainly an embarrassing moment. Grant was praised for having a natural talent of riding horses and keeping a great posture on them. But during his trance, he must've slipped off without realising it. He had to think quickly, in order to maintain his dignity, which at this point had mostly shattered into small fragments that were impossible to pick up.

"Uhh...I...uhm..." He trailed off. For once, he could not deliver a joke. Whether he was focusing too much on his arm hurting or he was far too embarrassed, no words came out of his mouth. He slowly got to his feet, and began to saddle back up. He quietly, with Luca still cackling behind him, continued to ride onwards.

The two kept moving onwards, until they reached a small opening. It wasn't much, there were a couple of children a few metres or so away that were snacking away on food of some sorts, but Grant wasn't hungry enough to approach them. They were to be in this district for a little while longer, before they'd have to head outside the walls and stick to its circumference once more, making their way back to Grant's home town, providing the family hadn't starved yet. Come to think of it, Grant hadn't heard about any of his family in the duration of his departure. It worried him slightly, but then again, how easy is it to deliver letters to someone who keeps moving?

Grant had seen quite a bit outside of the walls. Apparently Mateo was a good enough carer to accompany him outside of what he presumed was the safety of his town. In fact, during their entire tour, he hadn't seen nor heard of any near Titan sightings. It used to keep him up at night, but it was coming to the point where even Luca himself doubted their existence. He was a conspiracy-maker at heart, always finding a way to question anyone who had any authority over him. He even had a theory that Mateo was a murderer. Didn't take long for the Uncle to find out and shove him off of his horse.

The two remained sat on their horses, Luca still trying to recover from his laughing fit. It was still embarrassing for Grant, but now that they were away from the crowds and only around a few people their age that hadn't seen it allowed for him to take a breather.

"Mateo must have called you stupid at some point in your life? Especially if he'd have seen that, I know he would." Luca continued to guffaw at his friendly insults.

"If I was you, he'd call me that. But because I'm not you, I think he'd be a lot more caring about it than you are...Anyway...We'll just hang around here for about ten or twenty minutes...Give Rhys a chance to rest or something before we race off down the street again..."

"Oh, Lauren!" She had been calmly observing the untold mysteries of cloud movement until the familiar voice broke her calm reverie, making her shoot up into a sitting position and glance all around. Her eyes fell on a girl her age, with a slightly older boy standing beside her, waving and calling her name again. "Lauren! Come join us!"

Lauren grinned and stood up, brushing her trousers free of the loose grass that clung to them, before hurrying up the slight incline to join the two siblings. Another, younger, girl was there and Mora seemed to know her, at least by name. When Jade mentioned about the bakery Lauren was able to place the vaguely familiar face; she bore considerably resemblance to the the bakers her mother often took her to visit after returning from occasional tours of the outer walls.

"Hi, I'm Lauren." She greeted Jade and took a seat as the basket was laid down. Mora was calling other people she knew over, a boy Lauren didn't know, who proferred hand as way of a greeting and introduced himself as Gabriel. Lauren, after Jade, shook it and introduce herself as well. They sat eating as Reese, a boy she remembered as not being native to Shiganshina, joined them and took a seat. As they sat, talking, eating and laughing, she noticed the Cain was a little quiet and looked quite red in the face.

"Are you feeling okay, Cain?" She asked, leaning forward to catch his gaze. He looked uncomfortable and jittery to her, like he was coming down with a cold or the flu. "You look like you've got a temperature!" Pushing her hair back she leaned over, without letting him respond, and pressed her forehead against us, his skin much warmer than her own. "You're probably working too hard in this heat, Pa tells me it's important to drink water especially if you're working. You should take better care of yourself or you'll come down with something."

She sat back down, munching on a bread roll, as the ground shook beneath them and a flash of light, momentarily brighter than the rays of the sun, cast long shadows from the walls. An eerie silence settled on the group; on all of Shinganshina, as all eyes turned to the gate. Dust or smoke rose above the gates, obscuring the Sun, and then a giant hand apparently made up only of muscle and bone, rose over the wall and gripped it, cracks visible even from their picnic.

Then the head, with eyes casting their implacable gaze across the town, reared above the wall. They sat frozen, out of shock or fear it did not matter, for the Titans were coming. The gate exploded under an impact unseen to them, a wave of dust and shattered mortar consuming the neighbourhoods around the gate and huge boulders crushing houses and people with impunity.

Lauren broke free of her reverie, launching to her feet, her thoughts zeroing in on her mother who was somewhere up on those walls, or by the gatehouse itself. She began to run down the field, towards the gate, seeing the Titans emerge out of the whole but desperate to find her mother. Words rang in her head, the strong and commanding voice of a soldier. The voice of the person she ran to help.

"If you ever see Titans, you run. Do you hear me, Law?"

"But you'll be fighting, won't you?"

"Yes, so that you can run. So you run, my little girl, you take your friends or your father and you run. You go to the gate or you go to the river and get on a boat. Don't turn back, don't come for me. Don't go home. Just run. Do you understand me, Law? I need to know, so Ma can fight without worrying for you.

She stopped dead still, her muscles tense, every part of her screaming that she should find her Ma or her Pa, find someone. Someone who could fix this all, make it all just a bad dream and let her return to the spontaneous picnic surrounded by friendly faces in a lush field with a brilliant Sun shining from above. But this was real. Ma was fighting out there so that she could run. She couldn't make her worry, or Ma couldn't fight.

With every ounce of willpower she had, Lauren turned and trod up the field to the others. She wasn't a leader, she couldn't get them to follow her, it wasn't in her nature. But she had to do something. She knew Mora, she was her friend, and that meant she had to help her. They had to escape. She caught her by the hand, forcing the other girl to focus on her.

"Mora, we need to go. Now. We need to go now! Ma said so, to the gate or a boat, so she could fight. Please, help me get the others!"

---

Gabriel felt his heart flutter at the acceptance these few kids showed him. Even if it wasn't much, he felt comfortable near them almost immediately. He smiled slightly at Jade and nodded his head. "I work at the antique stall on the corner in the marketplace. It's not a very good job...but it pays well enough. I can get a lot of steel coins in just a few hours.". He reached towards the basket and took a few bites before he noticed a stranger approach them. Perhaps the others had known Reese, but not Gabriel. He watched the boy curiously come up to them joyfully.

"I don't think we've met before?". He looked up and down at the boy, trying to size him up and wondering how he might act. In a way, Gabriel seemed constantly paranoid with new people, always watching them silently. In the end however, he decided to shrug it off, going back to eat. After a few bites, he sat in silence as he listened to the others speak. It was already clear that Gabriel wasn't one to talk too much, but there was somethijg comforting about his presence, as if he was watching over them like a silent guardian.

Of course, that feeling changed immediately after the Titan appeared. Gabriel launched up onto his feet. His mind began to twist into confusion and panic. He had believed everything was fine the minute he began to calm down and enjoy himself - that was his mistake, he believed. There wasn't any time to rest. As he noticed the others starting to react, he spoke up as confidently as he could. Gabriel was almost an expert at hiding his true emotions. His voice rang to the other kids near him as he shouted out what seemed to be a miserable excuse of a command, like a child playing soldier. "Group up back at the boats! We can board them quickly if we try not to waste any time getting there! Don't try to grab anything you need unless it's vital! Go!"

As soon as he had finished speaking, Gabriel was off towards the canal. He swerved through the streets, avoiding large groups of fleeing civilians so he wouldn't get crushed or worse...attract a Titan. His heart began to beat rapidly as he tried keeping his cool; his mind raced as he thought of his mother and younger brothers. Had they begun leaving the house? Can mother get away fast enough in her wheelchair? Were they stuck? Have they already been- no. He refused to believe or even think of that possibility. His pace began to accelerate as he raced towards his home.

When he arrived, he was relieved to see the house wasn't destroyed. Even better was that there were no signs of his family inside. They had gotten away...but he knew it wasn't over yet. He ran to the front door of his house...until a large foot blocked his path outisde the door. He stood silently, not daring to move a muscle. The titan continued on it's path with a heavy, yet somehow silent stride. Perhaps it was fear that allowed it to so easily sneak up on him - after all, he felt that the tiniest drop of sweat might reveal his location. With newfound courage, Gabriel sprinted outside once more, making his way towards the canal, avoiding the Titans like a plague through the use of alleys and secret paths that he had memorized from his time in his gang.

'Wow. My first day off in a long time and I actually get to make friends!' The sheer joy was quite visible to see on Jade's face as the others introduced themselves and began chatting happily.

"Hey, guys. I'm back!"

Jade quickly turned to see Reese. He was a regular face at the bakery, albeit not a frequent one. Jade grinned as she watched Reese walk up to the group and waved happily. "Hi Reese! Took ya long enough to come back. We've missed you!" She noticed the box which Reese toted along with him, which prompted Jade to open her mouth so she could ask what he had inside of it. No words managed to come out though, as a large flash of light suddenly left her speechless. Her back had been towards the side of the wall in which the sudden light and noise had erupted from. With chills down her spine and goosebumps on her skin, Jade turned ever so slowly towards that direction. It felt as if there was a scream just dying to escape yet she found herself mute for the brief moment that followed suit.

It wasn't until someone from afar shouted to run and Lauren, the girl that had just introduced herself, yelled at Mora to run, that Jade truly managed to let out a short yet high pitched scream. "My mom!" was all she managed to shout before struggling to get up due to her dress, and turn towards the others. "I'll see you all at the boats.... my.. m.." her throat once again withheld the rest of her words as her eyes began to tear up. To say that she was scared to death was an understatement. Being eleven years old and not even five feet tall have her little to no chance of surviving, and she knew that as well. Still, she had to go find her parents which were at the bakery.

"Bye. Stay safe," was all that she was able to mutter before looking at Reese with a slight frown and running off in the direction of the bakery.

'Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay.'

Beads of sweat rolled down Jade's forehead as she ran through the streets and alleyways. The footsteps of the murderous titans neared her as she ran towards her parents but it didn't stop her. At least not until she was several yards away. Jade had slid to a stop as she watched with utter horror as a Titan well over ten meters tall come near the bakery. Through the window the young girl could see her parents, whom had made eye contact with her and mirrored the same amount of fear that she felt. They were with others. Mora's parents and some of her brothers. They all tried to scramble to hide within the store but it was all in vain as the Titan lifted its foot, and began walking towards Jade. The foot came crashing down into the bakery which took the breath out of her very lungs. Finally she had found her voice, as a scream erupted from her tiny body. "Mom! Dad!"

Frozen in fear, Jade wept silently as the Titan made its way towards her slowly, one step at a time.

Once again, Grant found himself falling off of his horse when a flash of light and a booming noise startled Rhys. Grant fell backwards, landing once again on his arm. This time, he wasn't so concerned about what his arm felt like, it all seemed a bit to out-of-the-ordinary. If anything, he hadn't seen any warnings about military training drills. Was this something that usually happened in Shiganshina? Something felt off, massively off, but being an outsider there was no telling what kind of mess he was about to get into. Many answers buzzed in his mind, but none of them seemed to be correct. Everything seemed silent at the time, before another loud crash emerged, along with the sound of wind.

"H-Hey! Luca, did the Stationary Guard say anything about a Cannon dr-" Grant found his voice begin to slowly creep away from existence, as a chilling sound began to ring in his eardrums. It wasn't the sound of the beast itself that caught his attention, but something much...much more frightening. Within the safety of these ginormous walls, he'd feel a lot safer than he was in his town outside of them. Being brought up to know that these areas were some of the most secure locations on the entire planet made him feel safe for once in his life, until that very noise echoed between the buildings. It was the sound of people panicking...The sound of screams beginning to pick up all over the district.

Grant leapt back onto his feet, drastically fiddling with the saddle on Rhys, whilst Luca struggled to maintain control of his own horse. The sky began to almost dim with debris and rock acting as splinters in the sky. Before any of them could move, only 7 metres away from where they were standing, a duo of businessmen, accompanied each by two of their own offspring, fell prey to the destruction these caused. A chunk of rock slammed into the picturesque scenery above of rooftops above, raining a hellfire of brick and foundation down onto the group. This switched Grant into gear, as he stared almost clueless at what he'd witnessed. There was no blood, but that was only because of the mass of man-made structure that had collapsed onto it. There was no time to check, because Luca was already about to leave.

"Grant, c'mon! Whatever that sound is, we have to find a way to some evacuation or something...Uhh...Shiganshina has the boat system, like every other district, correct?" Luca, unsurprisingly, sounded as terrified as Grant felt. He didn't know how to react, and was almost as hysterical as his horse had been once it began.

"I...I...Yes. Yes it does! We...We should head there. At least we have our mounts..." Grant clambered onto the back of Rhys for a third time that day, this time with the intention of staying on it. "We should move...Move quickly...But...But what about-"

"Mateo is going to be fine...He's a Survey Corps member, and is directly close towards the boats. Even if he is off duty, he'll be fine...We just need to focus on getting 'Ourselves' over there...R-right?" The two boys exchanged looks between one another, before they began to hear a thumping sound. As if instinct played its part, the two instantly steered their stallions into the direction they intended to go. As soon as they took off, both horses were there to carry them onwards. They were thrusted into a mighty burst of speed, managing to be quick enough to avoid being caught up in large groups of citizens also fleeing from what they feared might be true.

As soon as Grant managed to make way of the clearing they were in, he turned around, to see the gaping hole dug in the front-gate. There was an unholy amount of smoke scattering the skies, and the tops of unbelievably high figures managed to scale some of the buildings in the very distance. If not for their horses, Grant and Luca would never had a chance of covering the distance they needed to. They weren't far from the gate when it happened, but with enough speed they were beginning to make some difference in distance. Suddenly, as if an elaborate ambush had been set, smaller than the distant ones, but larger than any normal human, figures began to emerge from street junctions and snatched up individuals within groups of others. It seemed like a slaughter, and by anyone's mind it was one. They were fish in a barrel, humans in a isolated district.

Luca and Grant both quickly passed something that caught his eye, especially after the good few minutes they spent galloping away. They were close to the boats, but something was definitely identifiable amongst some of the emptier streets closer to the river. Within running distance from it, but cornered off, two girls were almost dragging one another through slowly, in what seemed to be the wrong direction. Grant and Luca quickly passed it, before he forced himself to halt the horse. Luca spotted the action, quickly turning around to return to Grant.

"Swifty, why a-are you waiting? We have to keep going!" He could almost sense the direction in which Grant was facing, seeing it as he passed. Luca began to shake his head. "Oh...Oh no...No no...I'm not losing yo-"

"Luca...Shut up...Just...Just keep moving...I'll take a little longer...I guarantee it. J-Just...Just make sure you get to the boat." Grant could hear himself pounding within his mind, screaming for him to take things in another direction. It seemed stupid. It seemed disastrous. But one thing that both Mateo and his father had taught him was that the value of the greater-good surpassed the value of an individual. "S-Stop waiting here! I'll m-meet you there!"

He could see Luca's hesitation, but the sight of the Titans in every street was enough to make him eventually move. Not another word was beckoned from his lips until he disappeared. Grant also hesitated. He had no clue what he was doing, or what he was getting himself into, but he knew that it wasn't going to end well for him. With the boat in running distance, there was a slim chance he'd make it. He kicked Rhys in the side, and began to jolt forward towards the growing dots that were the girls.

Grant instantly halted in front of them, before staggering off of the saddle. It nearly looked like a fall, due to the speed and panic in which he did so, but it was enough. He stared at the two, heavily wheezing at the adrenaline that was kicking in. It was breathtakingly terrifying to be in such a situation, especially the act he was committing at that moment in time. At first, without a word, he grabbed the leading girl's arm, pulling her towards the horse.

"Y-You're going the wrong way...You won't make it...G-Get on..You both will fit..." With all of his strength, he began to pressure them onto the back of Rhys. Speaking as he did so, he began to almost persuade them onto the large saddle. Grant also began to blabber, quickly. His voice was almost trembling at the act he was committing towards, and scared in its own tone. "G-Get to the boat...Rhys will...He'll look after you. Just get to the boat. P-Please...T-Tell my Uncle I-I'm sorry...Just in c-case I don't turn up. His name is Mateo...N-Now Go!" Before anyone could act against him, he slapped Rhys on the left-flank to send him off. Even the horse seemed hesitant to run, but eventually it set off. A sinking feeling almost instantly wiped Grant's expression.

He felt regret, fear and sorrow for what he had done. They were already halfway down the entire street before Grant's feet actually started to move. There was a sound behind him. The slow rhythm of war drums pounding on the stone pavements. Each beat was played by a colossal foot, slamming down and gaining ground. Grant knew fear was carrying him mostly, because the sound seemed to get closer. There was no one else that could draw its attention, and he'd given away what could've been his escape route. Nonetheless, if he kept running, he would make it.

A tilt of the head kept his eyes to the left, and behind him, where he caught a glimpse of the large behemoth that was slowly on his trail. It's hair seemed to be disfigured in length, longer on one side than the other. A glare of dumbfoundness laid wastefully on its expression as it kept moving behind him. It was like a small child attracted to its favourite toy, and Grant was clearly this beast's current target. He kept running, the pitter-patter of his shoes against the paving being drowned out by the noise behind him. Grant's voice began to almost whimper, fear taking almost complete control of him as he kept moving. His breath panted wildly on endless loops as he tried to push himself to move faster. He nearly cried, his eyes flickering a speckle of teardrop before something seemed to make him stop...

The sound of thumping seemed to halt, and a whisp of air caught Grant off by guard. He swivelled himself on his heels, staring at what was a stumbling Titan. It fell, like a drunken husband wasting his wages on alcohol just receiving the last call, sideways into the buildings, slumping over almost as quickly as it approached Grant in the first place. A trio of individuals suddenly joined the fallen beast on the rooftops, sighting Grant below. One of them pointed, a rose on his chest, and began to shout down to him.

"Boy! Keep moving down this Street. It's the safest path to the boat! You'll get there if you run, and you'll make it!" Grant hadn't the time to question the soldiers. They had just performed a miracle in Grant's eyes. He almost teared up once more, before removing the hesitation and charging off down the street. He was heading straight for the boat. Perhaps the gods above were shedding some light in the chaos that was Shiganshina. Having not even seen what caused the issue, all that laid in his mind as he approached the boat was confusion, a lust for answers that needed to be fulfilled. Grant had a need to know everything that was going on...He needed to know.