Child of the Wings

We receive a grim reminder

*Elisa's POV*
*Year 845, age ten*

It's been five years since the death of my father, three since I finally understood what had happened. Mother is no longer sad all the time, since she's started to talk with our neighbour. I've never been able to make friends, and I gave up trying last year, I now have a scar where those boys hit me on my left cheek.

"I'm going to get some firewood," I told my mother, walking out the door with the wooden thing on my back, which I used to carry the wood.

"Okay, be safe, and I have a surprise for when you get back" She told me as I left, closing the door behind me.

I sometimes get the feeling that my father is still alive, only thought to be dead because he went missing, but I could never tell mother that, it would hurt her too much, so I keep it inside, where it's safe. I walked through the gate and into the inner wall, walking away from my home inside Shiganshina district, towards the place where I always go for firewood, which is a little gathering of trees in the middle of a field, it was difficult doing this sometimes because normally my father came with me, whenever he was home.

"I wish that you didn't have to go," I whispered to the sky, picking up the sticks on the ground, realising that I might have to buy more from one of the merchants.

"What would you like," The vendor said, staring at me with disgust in his eyes.

"Firewood," I told him, showing him the money, letting him take it, then taking the wood into my arms.

I turned away without thanking the man, eager to get home, because mother told me there was a surprise for me.

"Hello, dear," She greeted me as I walked through the door.

"Hey, mom!" I said excitedly.

"Come here, I want to give you this," Mother handed me a little box, but I didn't open it yet. "It was your fathers, he was supposed to give to you on your sixth birthday, but he never told me about it, I only just found it this morning. Open it," I did as she said, and opened the box, revealing a lacklustre silver chain, with the wings of freedom on a pendant hanging on to one of the links.

"It's beautiful," I said, putting it on, which made me tear up.

"It's the only thing left of him, other than his cloak. Be careful with it," She told me, and I could see the tears in her eyes as well.

"Oh! I just remembered that I was supposed to get some bread!" I said running out of the house, money in my dirty brown pants pocket.

"Be home soon!" Mother shouted after me.

"Isn't that the devil girl?"

"Don't get too close to her, she might posses you"

I heard the many voices from the people in the marketplace, I was no longer bothered by it, I just got annoyed they tried talking directly to me, which I avoided, the only exception was when the merchants were talking to me.

"Two loafs of bread plea-" I was cut off by a large explosion.

'Wait, explosion!?' I turned around to see a giant skinless hand holding onto the top of the wall, then up came the head, and giant, skinless head.

"How is that possible?! That wall is 50 metres high!" One if the people shouted, right before the titan kicked the wall, sending debris flying from where it kicked the wall.

'My house is that way!' I thought to myself, running as fast as my legs would carry me, towards where my house was. 'It's gonna be there, in one piece, and mother is gonna be at the table waiting for me like normal,' I kept repeating that until I rounded the corner, finding my house in a pile of rubble and debris.

"Mom!" I shouted, hoping to find her safely under something.

"I'm right here honey," She called out quietly, making me run over to her.

"Thank god you're okay!" I shouted, hope in my voice, before realising that my mother had been crushed by the rubble from the waist down.

"Run," She told me, but I stayed.

"No, you're the only one I have left," I told her, tears running down my face, while moving the broken wood out of the way.

"You won't be able to carry me, and besides, I might not even make it to safety anyways," She told me, before noticing a soldier running by. "Hey! Over here!" She shouted.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, as the soldier ran up.

"Yes?" The man asked, looking at my mother.

"Take my daughter to safety, please," She demanded, just as I noticed a titan nearing us.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" My red eyes grew in terror, seeing the titan getting very close to us.

"Take her!" Mother shouted at the young soldier, making him lift me up by the waist, and throw me over his shoulder.

"No! Mom!" I shouted, hitting the mans back, but he wasn't putting me down.

"Stay alive! I love you!" She shouted, and I saw the titan pick her up.

"NO!" I screamed, seeing my mother but between the titans teeth.

"I LOVE YO-!" That was the last thing I heard my mother say to me, before she was bitten in half by the monster.

"No," I whispered, tears flowing down my cheeks like a stream.

'She was all I had left, and now she's gone. Just like that,' I gave up pounding on the mans back, as he ran through the city, avoiding the titans.

"Take her!" I heard him yell to someone else, who proceeded to place me on a boat.

I sat there, total disbelief and terror in my mind, and hanging in the air, I don't know what happened next, because someone 'accidentally' hit me in the head, causing me to black out.