Pretty Little Liar (Aruani Element Shifter AU) ✔️

Twenty One

(Six months later)

"Congratulations baby! I'm so proud of you!" My mum had me in an enormous hug, tears dripping down her face. My last day of school, and they had come to pick me up. With all my exams finished, and a scholarship to Oxford, I really had everything.

"Let's get a cake from the bakery, shall we?" Mum asked.

We drove to the best bakery in all of London, and sat down with my proud Parents.

My dad was the first to say anything. "We're so proud of you, Armin. Everything you've accomplished. We have a little present for you."

They exchanged looks, then mum bought a small wrapped box.

I opened it slowly. I looked up at them first before opening the box itself.

Inside, was a tiny golden swallow the same size as the lock and key. I took it out, examining it carefully. It was hanging from a metal loop, meant for putting on a necklace.

"Now you can put it on that necklace. A part of us, to take away with you when you go travelling."

"Oh, wow! Thank you!" I grinned, taking off the lock and key necklaces and adding the swallow to the one with the key. The one Annie used to have. Now that my parents were on there as well, they could sit happily with my necklace forever. "It's incredible. I love it so much."

I leaned across the table and hugged them both. "I love you both so much," I said. We stayed like that for a while, until the cakes came.

We ate in a happy silence, until the door opened.

"Armin! There you are! Hey!" Christa came running in, with her parents quickly following.

"Hi Christa!" I grinned. "Sorry, I got a bit caught up. I was gonna call."

"Well, no need! I was gonna come here for a cupcake anyway!"

As always, she needed little persuasion to sit in on table right next to ours. Her parents sat opposite her as she turned around to give me a huge hug.

"Why are you leaving me for so long?" She playfully sulked.

I rolled my eyes. "You're the one going on holiday pretty much all summer. You can't talk! By the time you come back, I would have gone."

"Yeah, true. It's just so weird! Justwait when you come back next summer, I'm going to throw you the biggest party ever!"

I smiled. Maybe by then, Eren and Ymir and everybody else would have finished with me. That would be nice.

"Then uni!" She continued. I grinned.

"Oh yes! Can't wait!"

A waitress came over to take Christa and her parents' orders.

We got our orders, and I ate while Christa continued to talk and watch.

"Come over tomorrow. We'll hang out properly before you leave," she said.

I nodded. "Sounds good."

After about another hour, we finished at the bakery, and walked back up to Christa's house, which was a few yards down from our house.

The parents were chatting all the way back, and allowed us to go out tomorrow.

"When is Ymir supposed to be back?" I asked.

"Sometime soon I hope. She said over skype last week that she'll be coming to visit over the holidays at some point. We'll see," she answered.

Once we parted ways, and we arrived back at the house, mum started cooking dinner, while I went upstairs to change from my uniform.

Once I opened the door, I almost had a heart attack.

Ymir was sitting on the windowsill, playing with a stopwatch that was on the desk.

"Hi Armin," she said casually, as I closed the door. "Nice room"

"How did you get in here?"

"I climbed the vines. Your bathroom window was open."

"Right..."

She pulled a half-smile, then stood up. "You were taking forever."

"I was with Christa," I said bluntly. She shrugged.

"'Course you were. Do me a favour, don't tell her I'm here. I want to surprise her."

"You're earlier than I expected."

"Oh, yeah. You noticed. Well, surprise! I got a job in the council. I'm the official spy for your kind."

"My kind. Yeah, right," I muttered to myself.

She heard, and smirked. "Anyway, I'm here now. I take it you've planned your big year off to save the world and shit?"

"Yes, I have actually."

"Didn't doubt you for a minute. Now, how's life been?"

I raised an eyebrow, then gestured towards my uniform. "Well, I finished high school. Took loads of exams. Did what every eighteen year old does."

"Cool."

"How about you?"

"Well, been with my parents. Caught up on life. Went to the Carribean for a holiday. Yeah, it's been good. But now I'm back to teach you. Have you used your powers since?"

"Only on saturdays with Eren in the mountains. Other than that, no."

"Okay. Well, I'm staying with them now for a bit. I take it you will be too soon enough. It's good that you haven't done too much. More for me to teach."

"Right."

There was a few seconds of silence while she gathered her thoughts.

"Anything happened Shifter wise? Have you heard anything?"

"A few Survey Corps officers were badly injured in what they've called a "conflict with young adults". There was bricks involved apparently."

"Okay. Do you know who the young adult was?"

"No idea. Eren said he didn't know, but that it was definitely an attack from a shifter. He was just showing me the lies that the council say and that came up."

"Oh right," she looked down, then up. "Right, so I'm going to go. I'll see you when I see you."

"Okay..." And before I could say anything else, she flung herself out of the window, grabbing a vine as she fell and landed gracefully on her feet. I watched her jump over the fence into the neighbours garden.

I shook my head and watched her leave, then made sure all the windows in the house were locked, before changing from my uniform and heading downstairs.