From Marley, with Love.

Chapter 28: The Boy

Chapter 28: The Boy

It had been three days since the experiment with the serum. Rosanna's sleep was still disturbed by the night terrors, the most frequent one was one where she was stuck in a small room, squeezed in with all of the dead people she had helped to kill, all of these cold staring eyes looking at her. The little bit of lightness that was still left in this mess, came from the young warriors, the children had grown much closer to her ever since she was selected as the titan unit doctor. Pieck, the dark-haired girl was extremely dear to Rosanna due to her curiosity, intellect and good, deadpan humor. Porco was problematic, angry and irritable, but very easy to annoy and nag him for fun like a big sister. Bertholdt was sensitive and smart, looking up to Zeke and Rosanna with great respect, he also was ridiculously tall for his age. He and Rosanna shared a similar personality in the aspect of dependability and understanding. Rosanna thought Annie was difficult to connect to, she seemed stand offish but strong, the two sometimes talked over a cup of tea in the mess hall, but Annie was curt in her answers. Marcel was dependable, mature and strong, he pitied Reiner for having fought so hard for just a place in the titan unit. Marcel and Rosanna did not talk much, but they did play games in between training, like kickball. Rosanna was the most concerned about Reiner, he was jittery and nervous most of the time, on guard even when he could relax. And always bickering with Porco about inheriting the armor titan. Many times, she had to break the two boys up out of a fight, although she was but a doctor and her military training had been years ago, the children did not want to mess with the veiled, snarky sidekick of Mr Zeke. Zeke and Rosanna had developed a neutral understanding between the two of them, accepting each other's flaws and qualities and building onto that. Yet, random spats in the hallways or in the office were not uncommon. Rosanna wanted to make the young man clear, that he was on her Shit List.

When Rosanna went home after being cooped up with these children, another child was waiting for her at her house. Little Benjamin, she had smuggled the boy in a box from the red-light district to her house. Hiding him in her room and feeding him. But the time had come to get him out of the city which had done him so dirty. So, on an early morning, Rosanna packed the boy in a large boy, a false bottom covered in women's clothing lay on top of the false bottom and the box seemed like a luggage vessel like many Eldian's used. Lugging the heavy box along, Rosanna went to post coach that would leave to the south every morning at five o'clock. She looked quite the picture, she had made herself up with her hair neatly pleated and put up in a bun on top of her head. With rouge she had reddened her cheeks and lips. The men at the post distribution were delightfully surprised, the Doctor usually dressed down, sticking to neatly pleated hair, hidden under a veil and her uniform. "My cousin is getting married." Rosanna said as a reason to leave the town, she waved her permission slip as she handed to heavy box to one of the postmen. "Your uncle and aunt aren't going?" Rosanna remembered how sick her uncle was, she shook her head, "Mr Bauer is not feeling well." She said, her face saddening. She climbed onto the driver's seat of the coach, and with a rough jerk the coach started moving. "It's sad to hear your uncle is ill, miss. He is very dear to our soldiers." Rosanna nodded in response, "He is like a father to me." Rosanna said softly, she shifted in her seat and looked up as they crossed the gate into the farmland. She could see the men on top of the gate tower on guard, while they drank their morning coffee. "Are you bringing a gift for your cousin?" Rosanna nodded excitedly, "Just some nice clothing and trinkets, stuff they don't have out in the country too often. Jewellery and scent." The driver nodded, a little smile on his face, "Like that Carnelian necklace you see everywhere? Every woman your age wears it." Rosanna nodded, Carnelian was associated with fertility, love and good marriages. "My daughter wears one ever since she got engaged." Rosanna nodded, "It's all the rage." She smiled at the driver. She looked at the box and put her hand on its side, she could still feel shuffling inside. "Does your cousin look like you?" the driver asked, "No, not really, she looks like my aunt's sister." She leaned into her seat, "Although we seem to have quite a similar personality and likes and dislikes." The driver hummed and nodded, Rosanna stretched and looked around, in the east the sun was rising, peeking over the hills and lighting up the wet grass of the valley. "There is a checkpoint a few miles ahead of us, they might do some checks." The driver warned Rosanna, the young woman nodded. "I need to go the other way anyway, can I get a horse here?" she asked. The driver frowned, "You don't need to go south?" he asked, "South east, the village is there." He looked at the box, "Can you fit that on a horse?" he asked. "With saddlebags, yes. I can get a horse here, right?" she asked again. The driver nodded, "They're quite cheap here." "Good."