Pretty Little Liar (Aruani Element Shifter AU) ✔️

Nineteen

"Armin!" Christa yelled down the path, running towards me, with Ymir walking slowly behind her. Christa threw herself into my arms, and I returned the hug gratefully.

I looked up behind me at Ymir, who raised and eyebrow. I just stared at her then turned away.

Once Christa let go of me, I asked;

"How was your grandmother?"

"Ah, great! She made cookies for you!"

"Oh my gosh! Tell her thank you!"

We continued to chat and catch up, with Ymir slowly walking behind us. Every time Christa leaves for the weekends, it always feels like the longest drag. Like a holiday that just couldn't go any slower.

We stopped outside the school. Here, every Monday morning we would split up to two different classes.

I had a different idea.

Christa waved, then happily skipped off to her art class. Ymir took one look at me, staring at her in the empty yard, then started walking away.

The wind I created flew around her face, messing up her ponytail. She stopped, and chuckled.

"Isn't it a bit dangerous to be doing that in the middle of the school yard?"

My eyes quickly turned back to their normal colour.

Ymir turned around with a smirk on her face. She shook her head at the sight of me using both of my hands to create small, pathetic wind currents. "So. I take it you want to talk to me?" She raised an eyebrow at my angry smirk. "Or does goody-two-shoes Armin need to get to class?"

I just watched with flared nostrils. But, seeing as I wasn't going to get any answers from her right now,  I closed my eyes and sighed. "Can I speak to you afterwards? After school? Please?"

She smirked, but nodded. "Eren said you would want to."

"Wait, you know Eren?"

She frowned. "There's a lot about Eren you don't know. Alright. I'll be outside your house at four."

"Okay," I answered. She nodded, then turned and walked into the building. I followed a few minutes later, then rushed to my French lesson.

The day went by slowly, all the dreary lessons endless as I waited for the important answers to my important questions. At lunch, Christa questioned my quietness, only to naturally assume it was my cold still acting up. With Ymir sitting in front of us, with dreamy, lying eyes watching her, she tends to get very distracted.

I watched the clock, on the edge of my seat. I had written down any possible notes that could have been taken in the English class, as well as finished the two tasks the teacher had us do, all in a bad attempt at trying to make the lesson go by quicker. After twenty minutes of nail biting, and table tapping, the bell sounded, and I packed up my bag and rushed out of the lesson.

By the time I arrived home, and said goodbye to Christa, it was about quarter to four. I replayed Ymir's words in my head. There's a lot to Eren you don't know.

That would definitely be on my list for things to ask her.

Right on time, she was waiting on a bench across the road from my house. I pulled my scarf tighter around me, then opened the door and walked over to her.

I was about to ask something important when she stopped me.

"Before you ask me anything, if we're going to get along, you're going to have to listen to me, believe me, and co-operate. In return, I will help train you. You're my new prodigy, if you will."

"Right... Umm... Coffee?"

She raised an eyebrow, then nodded simply. "Yeah, why not."

Ten minutes later, I was sitting at the back of the coffee shop with yet another Element Shifter. It was quite quiet there, and nobody was close enough to hear us.

Ymir sipped her black coffee, then snapped off a bit of her biscuit. Waving the piece around, she looked me in the eye and asked:

"So, what is it you want to know?"

I sighed, thinking carefully about my first question.

"Where did you come from before here?"

She smirked, chewing deliberately slowly to think about her answer.

"Right, you know what? I'm just going to give it to you straight. You might think that Mike and Eren are the best people ever, gonna help you and shit like that, well, you need to know something. They're hiding a huge part of this whole thing from you."

I nodded, unsurely. "Right...?"

"They've told you that there's nothing you can do to change things. The council are still afraid of us and the scientists want our blood to do experiments on and stuff like that. Well, while you're all hiding in the dark, there's a group of Shifters that disagree. The four top shifters, if you will. They are the descendants of the first ever Element Shifters. There's only four... well, three, now, but they're very strong. They've risen from the ashes, ready to take back the empire of their ancestors..."

"Wait, so, you were one of them?"

"Well, yes and no."

"Hold on! There's a fire shifter?"

"Yeah. I've only ever met him once, and that time he was wearing a cloak and didnt speak. Least I thought it was a he..."

"Where is he now?"

"No one knows."

"How do you summon him? Surely you would know."

"Nope, sorry. No idea. I never really had any idea to be honest. Thats why they always sent me to the town to spy. See, my aunt was the one with the genetic power inside of her. She was powerful, had so much potential to be a strong, capable Shifter and ruler. She was always the true successor. God, if I had a cousin, they would have been up for the job. But anyway, my aunt died, and on her death bed she performed the Shifting spell that would give my mother her powers. Mum did what she could to try and continue in her sisters path, but with killings and floggings happening everyday, she was forced to live in hiding. She met my father and had me. Then, obviously, I was born with the powers. Technically, as it stays in the family, it is in my blood to be the successor that would take back our rights, but something just felt wrong. Like I didnt really  belong to be among the real ancestors. They were all boys, and I was a girl, with the weakest power of them all. I worked so hard, I was powerful, but I didn't want to live this life anymore. When I met you and Christa, well, I had a whole plan in my head, and I did it. Now, I can go back to my parents, and I can be happy again."

She stared dreamily at her mug. My nostrils flared again at her.

"What about me?" I muttered. "I'm not even related to you, in any way. Why the hell would I be better as an Element Shifter than you?"

Ymir looked surprised, as if I should know the answer.

"I chose you for a reason. I dont know why Mike or Eren havent told you."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

She looked into my eyes.

"You're related to the fire shifter."