The Wings of Freedom (ERERI)

Chapter 2

"Eren we are seriously going to be late get up!"

My eyes shoot open and I'm on my feet. Shit, 7:52 am, classes for Armin start in 8 minutes. I grab my bag and keys, then we are out the door and on our way to Maria University. We survive the normally 10 minute ride with barely a minute for Armin to get to class. He waves at me as he sprints across the parking lot and into the building. I shut off my truck and grab my backpack.

I gently run my hand over my truck as I walk away, "See you after class Annie."

With a sigh I walk into the campus library, "Morning Petra..."

She smiles and tucks some orange hair behind her ear, "Good morning Eren the back room is empty if you want to use it."

I smile a little at hervand nod, walking into the room she points to. I close the door behind me and sit in the leather rolling chair. Getting out my notebook, I finish up the other half of my page for chapter 1. I take out my phone and groan. It's not even 8:30 yet. English doesn't start for 6 and a half hours. I could always go home but... I pick up "The Wings of Freedom," open to chapter 2 and start reading.

At 9, Levi comes home from school to find his mother dead on the couch of an overdose. When his father comes home all hell breaks loose. The obviously drunk man takes off his belt and proceeds to beat his son with it. Levi describes it with excruciating detail,

     He stumbled in the front door and saw me crying, then he saw mom. A clear picture of rage was painted on his face as he swayed over to me.

"You ungrateful Bastard you killed her didn't you."

I shook my head hard as he started to remove his belt. My father pushed me over to a coffee table covered in beer cans and pizza boxes. On instinct I wrapped my hands around the leg he had put me in front of.

"I'm gonna give you another counting lesson today you worthless son of a bitch. How far did you get last time?"

"1-17. Sir." I swallow thickly praying he doesn't know I'm lying.

I can hear the belt snapping against his palm, "17 huh? Because you know it's funny I could have swore it was 23."

My blood chilled in my veins.

"You were trying to trick me boy and that will cost you."

Tears pricked my eyes and I shut them tightly as the first lash landed right on my spine between my shoulder blades.

If I screamed he'd add more.

If I forgot to count or didn't answer he'd add more.

I endured every lash just like every other time. Sometimes he would use his buckle. It would leave the imprint of a horsehead facing the....left wherever it landed.

I put my hand over my mouth. He says he counted 36 lashes before his father started vomiting and fell unconscious. Levi then took a shower and put on a nicer shirt before dialing 911. I can't imagine how he stayed so calm. He found his mother dead and his father beat him for it. Why wasn't his father arrested?

After placing the call, Levi had packed his few belongings and left. All the 9-year-old had were the clothes on his back, a small bag, some money ($50.34 to be exact) a notebook and a deck of cards. As his money disappeared he became a better card player. He excelled in games like Rummy, Poker, Black Jack and Texas Hold 'em. In the book he admitted he didn't always win fairly. He quickly perfected the art of cheating to make more money. The rest of the chapter just talked about how he gambled his childhood away until turning 13.