Memories ~ Attack on Titan

Chapter one

"I remember it so clearly.
Their voices, their smells, the way her hands felt when they held mine.
How could things be so different now?
Farlan, Isabel. I'm sorry, I never said,  good luck."

I was sitting at the table with her Father, Levi,  one night. Levi didn't like me being out when company was here but I was 8 years old now so he didn't do much to stop me anymore, as long as I didn't ask questions. Farlan was talking to some people on the couch, he was giving them money for whatever reason, Levi never really explained to me their work and even if he did I was still young and probably wouldn't understand much. Levi was cleaning his knife and and I had my face pressed up against the table, ne pale cheek pressed against the cold, dark wood and me straight black hair falling in messy locks around my face and down my back, I silently watched my father work. When the men who were talking to Farlan left, Farlan turned to Levi and the two started to have a Conversation. I didn't pay much attention to the conversation. I never understood half of what they were talking about. Besides, every chance I could I was always fantasizing about the upstairs. How I hated being in the underground, I hate is a strong word, it was more of a love-hate relationship. I loved what I was used to, the underground as what I was used to. any going upstairs is impossible, but what's to stop me from dreaming? However my midnight daydreams were cut short when I overheard part of their conversation and my tension was drawn, I heard Farlan mentioned the stairwell and the sun light And all my attention was taken. I had always wanted to see the sun light, I wanted to feel it on my skin, I wanna to know what it looked like, would it taste like, everything about it. The way I had heard it described sounds like the most unreal thing in the world. how does one even describe the sunlight? I suppose that's why it sounded so unreal to me. My father always told me that my dreams about the stairwell in the sun and the grass were unrealistic and i should focus on what's here in front of me, but I couldn't help it, living such a boring life it was easy to dream. As i was fantasizing i heard Farlan say, "so how much more until were able to live up there." Levi didn't answer but I, with my head still on the table looked up at my father. He felt my gaze and looked down at me, he knew what was going on inside my head and he placed a hand on my head. This made me smile, it was one of the only amounts of affection my father ever showed to me. It's not that he was mean, oh cruel or didn't like me, he just wasn't the affectionate type, which I understood, I suppose I wasn't much of the affectionate type either. But he quickly removed his hand when a strange sound was heard, something outside the door. Levi motioned for me to get under the table and i obeyed him. I always obeyed everything my father wish for me to do, I looked up to him in that way. He got up from the table and made eye contact with Farlan. Levi stood in the middle of the room with his knife ready as Farlan quietly grasped the door handle. I laid on my stomach under the table but I couldn't see what was happening due to the furniture in the way. Levi nodded his head and Farlan yanked the door open and a girl came tumbling onto the ground in front of the two boys. She hit the floor with a thud and a small Yelp.
Farlan approached her, "what? It's just a kid?"
The girl got defensive at his comment and yelled at him, "I'm- im not a kid!"
Levi looked down at the girl, "is that so? Then I won't feel any guilt for kicking you out."
There was back and forth between the three for a moment, I just laid under the table listening quietly, Listening to the exchange. I over heard that the girl was being chased by someone, I wasn't sure who tho. I heard my father step outside, which made me nervous. They were talking to some men who were trying to take the girl. They had a lot of back and forth before one of the men tried to enter the house. He put a hand on Levi's shoulder but Levi was quick to cut his hand. I cowered under the table at the sound of my father beating the man. I don't like to think of my father as a violent type, but I think in reality he was the violent type. of course he was never violent towards me, but I've never seen him have a nice interaction with a stranger, or really anyone for that matter. Everything seemed to calm down and i decided to take a peek and see what was happening. I crawled out from under the table to see my father, Farlan and the girl. The girl was holding something, a bird. I had never seen one before so I wasn't sure what it was. I saw no more strangers, besides the girl. And my father wasn't yelling, which I took as a good sign and a sign of safety. I really wanted to see what that fluffy creature and that girl's hand was, so I took a deep breath and decided to take my chances with coming out from underneath the table. I got to my feet slowly, still trying to be quiet and walked over to the three. I didn't dare sit next to them, so I sat on the floor in front of my father facing the three. The girl looked at Me with wide eyes, almost like she had never seen a child before. Levi looked at me, seemingly angry that i had left my hiding spot, this made my tummy turn a little bit. "Rin, did I tell you to come out?" I looked at my father and shook my head slowly. He didn't seem too angry at this point, just annoyed with me. I looked at the small creature sitting in the girls hand," father, what is that?" Levi sighed, " that's a bird Rin."