A Chance at Freedom [An Attack on Titan Reader Insert]

Chapter 7

I can't believe you didn't graduate in the top ten, Y/N," Connie leaned over the table. He was invading her space and she didn't exactly like it. She was a bit shocked as well when she heard the results of the graduation, but then again, she was less than average in the classroom.

"Yeah, Y/N," Sasha joined in. They came in a pair, Y/N seemed to notice. You can't have one without the other. "Was it academically? Surely you couldn't have done worse than Connie." She pointed to her counterpart with a small smile.

"Hey!" Connie frowned. His eyebrows furrowed downwards. "I'll let you know, I am a genius!" He fumed, his fists were tight at his sides as he stared at Sasha.

"I don't know how you got a higher score than us," she let out a soft sigh as she slunk down in her seat. Connie's expression changed and he let out the largest grin he could muster.

"It's because I am the best, most smartest soldier here, right Y/N?" They both turned their heads to the girl in question, who was simply smiling at their exchange. The friendliness the two shared, who extended it to her, was refreshing.

"Grammatically? Not even close." She couldn't help the small bit of laughter that escaped through her lips. She watched as Connie frowned and Sasha stifled a laugh.

In such a dimly lit mess hall, they certainly lit up the space. The 104th cadet corps was now in Trost and the mess hall was only lit up by dim candles. There wasn't much light, but it was enough to see the faces of her peers. The cadet graduation had just ended with the top ten students being announced and praised.

Mikasa Ackerman.

Reiner Braun.

Bertholt Hoover.

Annie Leonheart.

Eren Yeager.

Jean Kirstein.

Marco Bodt.

Connie Springer.

Sasha Braus.

Krista Lenz.

Looking at the list of the best, Y/N noted that they were the ones who applied themselves the most out of everyone in the corps. It didn't matter whether or not she made the top ten herself, it wouldn't affect her decision to join the Survey Corps.

"Alright! MP, here I come!" Connie's loud voice pulled Y/N out of her thoughts as he and Sasha slammed their cups together in a toast.

"Three square meals a day for life!" She cheered.

Wow, they sure know how to make someone feel like shit. As friendly as they were, they both were pretty dense.

She surveyed the room, droning out the nonsense the two spewed again. Jean sat on his own, brooding at his own table. If she were to go talk to him, he would probably snap at her about how he somehow scored lower than Eren. Eren, Armin and Mikasa all stood by the wall with a large crowd around them.

"Are you insane?" A voice broke through the sea of chatter in one swoop. Everyone stopped and their eyes were now glued onto the group. Thomas Wagner glanced around before speaking up again. "How many people have died?" His voice came out softer and was shakier than before. "We're talkin' a fifth of the population! If that doesn't paint a picture for you, I don't know what will." He took a shaky breath, one that showed all the fear he had of titans. "This is our life now. We can't beat them." His voice was grim as he finished. He had accepted that humanity was on the verge of death as a whole and that the titans would win.

The entire room remained silent as they continued to stare at the group.

"Yeah, so what?" Eren's voice seemed to have piqued the cadets' interests. "We buckle? Take it all lying down?" His green eyes were fierce as he stared down Thomas and his friend. "Things have changed. Maybe not a hell of a lot, but enough. They aren't the mystery they were five years ago. There's still a long way to go, but we've made progress. Every battle we lost taught us a lesson, gave us the tiniest inroad toward something like hope." With each word, Eren's voice grew louder, more passionate. He wasn't just talking to Thomas, he was talking to the whole of the 104th cadet corps. "You tellin' me it's better to cut our losses? Let all the death and destruction be meaningless? Just to ball up and accept it? Not on your life!" He balled up his fist tightly and raised it up, almost as a threat to the foes that lay in waiting outside the walls. "Humanity's future lies outside the walls, and I'm gonna clear the way! I'm gonna take back what was ours! I'll drive them out. And as long as at least one of us can say that, we're not done."