A New Life

Prologue

"Elisha" is pronounced like Elijah, only an "sh" instead of a "j" ( ee - lie - shuh )

     "My life was normal. Okay, well not normal normal. Then again, what really is normal anyway? Everyone lives their life differently, I just happened to live mine without a house. There isn't anything wrong with that. Okay, yes, four-year olds shouldn't be living on the street, but I survived. I'm still here aren't I? Granted, I wouldn't be here without my brother and his best friend. 

     "My brother's name is Jackson. Sorry, was Jackson. I'm still not used to saying that yet... Anyway, he is two years older than me. His best friend's name is Elisha, and he's only a year older than me.

     "We weren't always on the streets, we were put out on our own when I was four. You see, although I have lived my entire life in Shinganshina, the rest of my family hadn't. My parents were born and raised in the underground. They spent their lives raising the money to leave. When they finally had raised enough money for three people to leave ( my mother, my father, and my brother ), they were stopped at the door. You see, this was when my mother was pregnant with me. The workers insisted my mother was to be counted as two people and said that there wasn't enough. 

     "So my father sent my pregnant mother with my brother up to the surface, promising to come soon. After getting citizenship, we were sent to Shinganshina. A year later my father was killed in a mugging.

     "This sent my mom into a horrible depression, and she took her life three years later. The city took the house from us, and Jackson was left to take care of me. It was really hard for a while. We would have both died had it not been for Elisha.

     "Elisha wasn't like us. Elisha was the opposite of us. You see, Elisha was rich. Like filthy rich. He met Jackson one day and gave him his lunch. Then he just kept on coming back. As it turns out, Elisha wasn't really close with his family. The first time I met him, I found out he hadn't seen his father in several months. That's a long time for a six year old. 

     "Elisha's family didn't really pay him any attention, the only people he spent time with were his instructors for things like arithmetic, violin, classical dance, etc. You know, useless stuff. I guess he liked all the attention Jackson gave him. 

     "We spent a lot of time together, to be honest at the time Elisha and I didn't get along very well, but now he's the person closest to me.... I'm sorry what was the question?" 

     "What you're life was like growing up. You've seemed to have covered it. I just have one last question for you." 

     "Okay." 

     "Why do you want to join the military." 

     "I told you where I was from right?"

     "Yes, Shinganshina. You've seen them, but you still want to join." 

     "Mam, I lost my brother that day. My best friend lost his entire family, minus one of his brothers. Then he lost his brother when they sent out all those people to die."

     "They weren't sent out to die." 

     "They were and you know that. That is beside the point. Seeing as you aren't a member of the Survey Corps, I can only assume you haven't seen them. I have stared one in the eye, helpless. I will not be put in the same position again." 

     "Then why are you going out again, what is going to be different."

     "I won't be helpless this time."