Chapter Text
Gabi Braun was missing.
The summer had been just like any other until that. In May, the schools had discharged their pupils, giving them allowance to be carefree and have fun while the adults in town, likewise, took the opportunity to relax a little. Paradise was a small enough town that the attitude of one segment of its population could spread to the others. So when the kids were enjoying their chance for levity, adults did the same. It was a nice time for everyone. The sun beat down hot, and shone down on a town at rest.
Armin Arlert had busied himself in his favorite books- ones he had already read two or three or more times but always longed to revisit. Other than that, his friends kept him busy. Eren and Mikasa. The three had become close in childhood and that bond never weakened. Eren always had some idea planned for them. Never anything extravagant, but with the energy he had, it always felt like an adventure. Trips to the lake were one of Armin’s favorites. So were days by the pool in Eren’s backyard. Armin liked the water, what could he say?
It was at one of the pool days that they found out about Gabi.
Armin was in the amoeba-shaped pool, resting his arms on the concrete deck and resting his head on his arms. The lower half of his body floated weightlessly in the cool water, while up top he was grounded and comfortable as his cheek pressed against his sun-warmed skin. His eyes were closed and he was allowing himself to just be in a moment with his friends. That was a goal of his. He wanted to be aware of the good things in his life more often, to recognize pleasant moments, look around, and think ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.’
And this was certainly a nice time. Mikasa sat in a chair that was far enough back that the roof protected her from the sun. Eren was lazily paddling around the pool, his simple motions making a satisfying, almost hypnotic, pattern of sound as his arms pulsed through the water with a small splash. Armin let himself follow the sounds. It was soothing. A gentle reminder that his friends were with him- in this specific situation and in all things. Maybe he was allowing himself to get too poetic, but who cared? It was summer. They were soon entering their senior year. It was the season to be sentimental.
Eren eventually got out of the pool, pushing himself up and out and then shaking his hair like a dog (Armin’s eyes were still closed, but he heard the sound of water hitting the deck and the water splattering everywhere from his hair). His wet footfalls clapped as he walked over to where Mikasa sat.
A minute or so later.
“Holy shit,” Eren muttered under his breath, faint but loud enough to be heard. Armin opened his eyes and saw his friend, still dripping, but with a towel around his waist. He was staring at his phone. “Have you guys seen what Reiner posted?”
Mikasa took her sunglasses off and stood up, standing next to Eren and peering at the same screen as him. She put a hand over her mouth.
Armin got worried. He clambered out of the pool and half-ran half-walked to his friends. Eren tilted the screen towards him.
It was a photo, posted on Reiner’s social media, of a young girl in a white dress and tan jacket. Her brown hair was a little messy and framed the girl’s round face. A pair of big, brown eyes were the dominant feature on her face.
Above the girl was text:
My cousin Gabi didn’t come home yesterday. It’s been almost a day since we’ve seen her. If anyone has information, please tell a member of the family. We’re worried.
The simple bluntness of those statements hit Armin hard.
Below that, running parallel to Gabi, was physical information.
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Age: 12
Height: about 4 and a half feet
Weight: about 65 pounds
When she left the house, she was wearing blue jeans and a green t-shirt. May have a gray backpack.
“Oh my God,” was all Armin could say.
“He just posted this. I’m gonna reach out, see if I can help.”
“Eren.” Mikasa put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure the families and the police are doing everything they can, and Reiner’s probably overwhelmed as-is. Maybe hold off for a second.”
He turned to her, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. “We have to do something to help, I mean, she’s missing, and Reiner’s our friend-”
“You don’t need to be the hero here. I’m sure she just got lost somewhere or tried to run away. Kids do stupid things sometimes. You should know better than anyone.” She gave him a gentle smile and squeezed his shoulder.
Armin just stood there, still dripping. He’d met Gabi a few times. Mrs. Braun threw lots of neighborhood functions or had large gatherings in the yard, and Gabi would always be there- she lived with her aunt and Reiner. Armin liked her. She was head-strong enough to remind him of a certain friend of his. She was loud, like a lot of kids, but never obnoxious or mean or anything distasteful. He didn’t want to think the worst, but it’s what his mind went to first.
Crime wasn’t big in Paradise- the biggest thing in recent memory had been some guy who broke into Eren’s dad’s medical practice to try and steal some drugs- but still, Armin’s imagination conjured up all kinds of horrors. Murderers, kidnappers, human traffickers, and a half dozen other things. But none of it was worth thinking about. He tried to drive it from his mind.
The rest of the afternoon had a different feel from its relaxing beginning. Armin found himself to be tense and anxious. He periodically checked his phone; all he saw there were people sharing and reposting Reiner’s message, sometimes adding their own words of hope or support.
She would turn up eventually, Armin assured himself.
But she didn’t. Days went by with no sign of the girl. Search parties found nothing. It was all anyone would talk about.
The story of the events leading up to her disappearance, a narrative that soon spread all around town, went something like this:
On July 22, Gabi was spending the day with her friend Falco Grice. They were best friends and hung out all the time, so there was nothing unusual there. They were at his house. Gabi left home on her bike after lunch to go to Falco’s, and Gabi’s mom expected her back that night. The kids played inside for a while, Falco’s mom said, but eventually went outside with their bikes. They took an old backpack with them to carry some dart guns- they were going to go shoot each other in the woods nearby. They’d done this before; sometimes they had other friends with them, sometimes just the two of them. The kids knew what they were doing and when to be back by.
A couple hours later, when the sun was going down and it was getting dark, Falco came home. He told his mom that Gabi had gone home too, leaving directly from the woods. When Gabi didn’t come home, her mom figured that she spent the night with the Grices. She’d done it often, and sometimes the sleepovers were spontaneous events, so Mrs. Braun was not especially concerned. The next day, she drove up to the Grice residence to pick up her daughter, and the initial confusion of both mothers quickly turned to panic.
Mr. Grice went with Mrs. Braun to look around the area the kids had been playing in the woods. On the ride there, Mrs. Braun called her son and the police, in that order. The Brauns and Mr. Grice met up with the police on the edge of the woods while Mrs. Grice talked with Falco and a police officer so he could get all the information about the previous day. Apparently, Falco had told a bit of a lie when he said Gabi went home.
He explained, while crying, that the two of them had gotten into an argument over something stupid and Gabi stormed off. Falco tried to follow her, but she was faster and he lost track of her. It was getting dark and the boy figured she would make her way back on her own, so he turned around and went home. She had run off with the backpack anyway, so he didn't have anything he could amuse himself with on his own. He said that he recalled seeing her bike where she had left it as they pulled in, and he thought that was strange- why would she choose to walk back and leave her bike here?- but wasn’t worried about it. But the next morning, when his mom told him that Gabi hadn’t made it home, he came forward with the truth.
People privately speculated that she might be dead. Other people gave up on thinking about Gabi Braun at all.
But no one forgot the girl who went missing.
That was how summer break had ended.