Shorter Than Me

14 Ecyn

Lerra told me I couldn't train today. She said it was too early on to find out if I was up to it. I had to fake sleep for thirty minutes just to get her to slip away while I escaped out the back door.

I don't know exactly why I'm doing this. Captain Levi ordered me to come if I felt like it, but that's not the whole reason. Maybe it's because he actually came to me personally to tell me.

For one reason or another, I'm standing with the rest of my squad, my arms in their salute. Maneuver gear hangs off my legs and I stare straight ahead, ignoring the concerned looks Armin is shooting me. We finally move into the forest, but I don't feel hungry so I skip breakfast.

"Are you alright?" Armin asks.

"Yes, I am. A little tired and I have a little fever, but the captain told me to come if I felt like I could."

"Why didn't you lie and just pretend you couldn't? No one would blame you," Jean asks.

"Because I like being honest. And I want to train."

"She's right. The more you train, the more titans you can kill," Eren adds.

"If you collapse, don't expect any of us to catch you." Mikasa stares ahead, concentrating on maneuvering, though she doesn't have to. It's like a sixth sense with her. Her and the captain.

We find our place in the formation and make our own formation, a box around Eren. Mikasa is at his front left, Jean is at his back left, I'm at his front right, and Armin is at his back right. It's smart because the speed and skill is in the front and left while we have our brain in the back right.

Captain Levi's place is wherever he wants. He can switch locations faster than the eye can see so he's pretty much everywhere.

Some wooden titans have been set up, but we kill them quickly. They're almost nothing compared to the real thing. They're also a lot less scary.

And they don't kill people.

Maybe halfway to lunch, I ask to switch places with Jean. Though I can train, I'm not in perfect health and I have to rest. The two sets of long sleeves makes me really hot. So do the pants, and the straps feel constricting somewhat. Captain Levi comes to make sure we're doing what we're supposed to do.

In that instant, I close my eyes for a second to rest them.