Chapter Text
Mikasa had never been someone who was prone to daydream. Eren, sure he had things he fantasized about, like winning the next all city football tournament, or finally telling their father he had earned a grade above a B in Math. Armin, of course, it was in his nature to spend hours lost in a book, sometimes it took them awhile to realize he hadn’t even been turning the pages, instead relying on the vividness of his own imagination to further the story.
But Mikasa, no. The last time she remembered wishing for a new life, she had been sitting in the latest group home waiting for a new family (maybe a king and queen of a small country) to show up in their limo and spirit her away to her new home (castle). A prayer that had been both answered, then shattered in very short order. Dreams were for suckers and little girls, she had discovered. She preferred to live in the here and now, the real world was interesting and unpredictable enough, thank you very much.
Usually.
Now, as she stared outside the windows, she followed the path of the powerlines racing by and wondered how slow they would need to be going before she could hit the ground without causing herself some serious damage. The temperature outside was a sweltering 99 degrees Fahrenheit, and she idly wondered whether the heat of the pavement would even register before she felt the pain of her injuries. There was little to nothing that would buffer her fall, miles and miles of flat, uniform farmland stretched out as far as the eye could see. In the city there would have been hedges, shrubbery, even small trees lining the roads. But on the open highway there was only the unforgiving road and dusty shoulder.
Torture, the word floated to the front of her mind. This was torture, that she was actually considering jumping from a fast moving bus rather than subject herself to one more minute, one more SECOND on this earth if she had to listen to even another line of this infernal-
“43 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL, 43 BOTTLES OF BEER, TAKE ONE DOWN, PASS IT AROUND, 42 BOTTLES-”
Mikasa pressed her head against the window and willed, for the 7th time that hour, that she could just deliberately trigger a brain aneurysm. A monster headache was already pounding away in her temples, caused no doubt by the previous 47 bottles of beer mentioned in the song, along with the twenty long minute version of Wheels on the Bus that had started the impromptu singalong. 2 more hours, she repeated to herself. Google maps had said that the full trip would take 8 hours, and they were already 6 hours in. (Not counting the hour they had taken at a Mcdonalds for lunch, which was meant to be 30 minutes until Sasha disappeared on a side trip to the neighboring Taco Bell.) Of course, that had been when her phone was still able to access a remote signal, and she hadn’t had reception for hours. She had no idea what route they were on, if they had been delayed, if they were even still on track to the CAMP, for god’s sake. The bus driver could be a murderer, and they were all on their cheerful way to certain death. True, one of the camp staff had come to escort them, and was now sitting in the front row sporting a bored expression and a softball sized set of noise cancelling headphones, but he could have been in on the plan.
The whole trip was incredibly dodgy, Mikasa had decided long ago. Principal Smith had looked alltogether too pleased with himself to be getting rid of them. He had gathered the whole class together 3 weeks before the end of term, a time when they should have all been frantically preparing for exams, to announce this whole trip.
“I’ve chosen next year’s school Captains a bit early this year,” he’d beamed at them, “so that you are all aware of your roles when you embark on this wonderful opportunity I’ve secured for you.”
The 150-odd students assembled clearly did not regard him with the rapt attention he had hoped for, given that most of them were also furiously texting each other under to confirm holiday plans, so he proceeded to the next statement after a clear of his throat. And what came next clearly got him the reaction that he wanted.
“The first two weeks of the school holiday will be spent at a group retreat center in the neighboring province, I have the required information all ready for you to take home to your parents after this assembly.” He announced, then continued on over the groans and outraged shrieks from his audience. The small smirk he allowed himself was the only outward clue that he was indeed paying attention to the noises of dissent coming from the student body, which was growing louder as more of them started to focus on the fact that the man in front of them was effectively killing all their vacation plans.
“The Shadis’ Retreat Center is one of the best in the area, the campground is pristine, and the staff are highly trained in their field. You will all be well taken care of.” Erwin said smoothly, then added the final nail to their collective coffin. “This trip is absolutely mandatory. For all students.”
The room was silent as 150-odd dreams and plans withered and died. The camp would take up a full third of the school break. So many beaches would remain unvisited. So many shows would remain unwatched. It was, they all agreed later, proof that the Headmaster was absolutely evil.
Erwin looked out at every heartbroken face and smiled. “The second piece of good news,” he droned on, “is that decisions have been made regarding your Head of Houses, Athletics Captains, and student council liaisons for the next year’s term. I trust you will be as happy with the choices as I am, and make this next year a smooth transitions for everyone.” Their imposing Headmaster fumbled around in the pocket of his blazer and drew out a lined sheet of paper, then unfolded it and began to read.
“Your Student Representatives are, Marco Bott, from Rose House, and Mina Carolina, from Stohess House. Congratulations Marco and Mina.”
There was a good amount of applause for the two, who awkwardly rose from their seats and nodded at each other, bright circles of red coloring each of their cheeks. Student Rep was unanimously agreed to be a “cush job”, the easiest in the student council. They got to show up to all the meetings and eat the snacks, but their only official role was to present any ideas and requests to their teachers as they came up. Still, Marco and Mina were so well liked and good natured, no one begrudged them their new roles.
“The role of Athletics Captains was a tough decision for us to make, as our school has been blessed with many talented, well rounded individuals. It is my pleasure to announce that Eren Jaeger has been selected to represent our men’s team sports for the next school year.”
Eren didn’t jump out of his chair so much as fling himself out, with a wordless roar of victory on his lips. He kept up his war cry for a few seconds too long before he noticed Principal Smith staring at him and shaking his head ever so slightly. Suddenly embarrassed at his enthusiasm, Eren wilted back into his seat as Erwin continued.
“Mr. Jaeger has been a valuable member on our football, baseball, and rugby teams. He has demonstrated his aptitude for leadership both on and off the field. I’m sure he will be an admirable representative of our school at future events.” Erwin leveled a stare at Eren that caused him to sink even lower into his chair.
Erwin’s eyes flicked down once more to his paper, then he composed his face back into it’s professional smile. “For girls team sports, I am happy to announce that we will be represented by Annie Leonhart. Miss Leonhart has the ambition and drive to compete in not 3, but 4 team sports. She is a talented member of our women’s golf, netball, and volleyball team, and this year competed with our gymnastics program at regionals, earning a bronze medal. Congratulations Miss Leonhart and Mr. Jaeger.”
Eren rose to his feet in a more dignified manner, gracing them all with a blinding grin. It was hard to realize when Annie made the transition to standing, as she was barely taller than all the seated students even when upright. Her small size was one of the reasons she was so adept at gymnastics, her forte being the rings. Even on the volleyball court she held her own against girls almost a full head taller, being able to jump impressively (and almost frighteningly, to tell the truth) high. Mikasa remembers she had wondered how one person had time for all the extracurriculars, before realizing that she had never seen Annie involved in anything that wasn’t sports related.
The rest of the student body seemed to balance one or two athletics with another social club. Mikasa herself was on the volleyball and football teams, but also attended school newspaper meetings every Wednesday with her camera to take new photographs. Even Eren, who did three sports, showed up to Anime Club faithfully on Tuesdays. (Mikasa had gone once. Only once.) With Annie, it seemed if there wasn’t a potential for broken limbs, then it wasn’t worth the effort. And broken limbs was definitely a possibility when Annie was involved.
Eren’s arm has certainly broken easily enough.
That had been years ago, when Judo was still taught. (Eren’s arm, what Erwin referred to as “the incident” had been the final straw to getting the program defunded.) Mikasa still remembered like it was yesterday, every horrifying moment. Boys and girls were usually not allowed to spar, but Eren and Annie, the top students in each gender category, insisted. Since it was an after school session, not an official match, Erwin reluctantly accepted. Eren had been thrilled, Annie less so, but she still entered the ring civilly enough. It wasn’t until Eren landed the first hit that her attitude shifted. Suddenly Eren wasn’t a fellow student, darting around like an annoying fly. Eren was a...target. He didn’t notice, but Mikasa did, even from where she was sitting in the stands. The flat look that came over her eyes, the subtle shift to the way she circled him in fluid motions. Mikasa used to watch any and every big cat documentary that came on the Discovery channel, and right now, Annie looked like that.
Eren didn’t even realize she meant business until he was already halfway over her shoulder, flying through the air. If he had seen it coming, he could have braced himself, could have tucked his arms close and braced for impact. But Eren was surprised, and he was surprised all the way until he hit the ground, his arm folding under him with a sickening crack that Mikasa heard from a good fifty feet away. Her screams and Eren’s intermingled as she vaulted over the lower bleachers and raced to his side, almost shoving a catatonic Annie out of the way. The students around them were running around, shouting about calling 911, but Annie just stood there, arms wrapped around her sides. “I’m sorry..” she whispered, her voice barely audible, and when Mikasa looked up a second later she was gone, her back disappearing through the gymnasium door.
Annie was protected by the waiver they had signed at the beginning of the year, absolving the school and other students from any legal trouble. Erwin declared it an accident, albeit a preventable one, and the Judo program was dead in the water. Almost as important, Annie was protected by Eren’s forgiveness. Eren, who didn’t have a mean bone in his body, harbored absolutely no ill will. He laughed it off and forced Annie to be the first one to sign his “bitchin awesome cast”, joking about how he fell head over heels for her that year. The rest of the school gradually forgot, and Annie slowly lost the resigned hunch to her shoulders whenever anyone stared at her too long.
But Mikasa remembered. Annie Leonhart was too intense, too rash. Her single minded goal of winning had hurt someone she cared about, she didn’t care it if was an accident. Annie, as if she could read Mikasa’s thoughts, glanced in her direction and then quickly looked away. Good, Mikasa thought as she and Eren sat back down. It’s better if we give each other as much space as possible.
“Your Head of Houses for next year, Connie Springer and Sasha Braus, Stohess House. Ymir Johnson and Bertolt Hoover, Rose House. Jean Kirstein and Hitch Dreyfuss, Trost House. And finally, Historia Reiss and Reiner Braun, Sina House. Congratulations to you all, you have all shown an exemplary amount of maturity and leadership during your time at this school, I expect great things from you in the coming year.” Erwin motioned for all the named students to stand, then folded his list under his arm to join in the polite applause.
The eight new house leaders had mixed responses to the news. Jean and Hitch shot to their feet, clearly they had been on the edge of their seats expecting their names to be called. Jean crossed his arms and tried to adopt was he hoped was a confident smile, while Hitch tossed her hair over her shoulder and preened. Connie and Sasha had already been seated next to each other, and whooped loudly at their shared victory, jumping up to complete a chest bump that knocked Connie over into Marco’s lap. Bertolt half rose, unwilling to stand up and tower over the rest of the seated students, and was staring very intently at his shoes while beads of sweat gathered at his brow. Ymir had remained in her chair, and lazily flung one arm up to swing back and forth, announcing her presence.
Only the last 2, Historia and Reiner, reacted with the dignity expected of them. Those two were the rare combination of well liked AND well respected, and allowed themselves only a small nod and wave in each other’s direction before turning their attention to the rest of the student body, gracing them all with wide smiles. Honestly, most of the class had assumed the two of them were shoe-ins for Head Boy and Girl. Which didn’t leave many choices, except…
“And now,” Erwin gestured for the House Heads to retake their seats and swept his eyes across the room. “It is my sincere pleasure to announce your two new school leaders, who will guide you through your last years in the halls of St. Maria Academy. These two are active in the school culture, knowledgeable of its rules, and uphold the standards we expect of you here as young adults. Would Mikasa Jaeger, and Armin Arlert, please come join me on the stage?”
The room was silent as the grave. There were no more soft whispers, no sounds of keys being furtively tapped on hidden cell phones. All eyes rested on Mikasa and Armin as they slowly stood and fumbled their way to the stage. Armin did his best to look dignified, though color rose high on his cheeks as he kept his eyes locked forward. They reached the stairs with Armin slightly ahead of Mikasa, and she reached one hand out to lightly wrap around his as he shakily took the first step. The light squeeze he gave was barely perceptible, but it was there, before he quickly released her and they climbed up the stairs to line up next to Erwin. He beamed at both of them before gesturing towards them with a wide sweep of one hand, once again addressing the audience.
“These two,” he declared, “are the well rounded individuals we hope to create here at St. Maria. Mikasa Jaeger frequently mentors younger students on the volleyball court and the football field, while also contributing her considerable talents as a photographer to our schools newspaper.”
Talented was quite a stretch. Erwin must be feeling overly sentimental today, Mikasa figured. Truthfully, she had no idea what she was doing up on this stage. Especially next to Armin of all people, who she loved dearly and knew loved her in return. But next to Armin, she couldn’t help but feel like she came up...lacking.
She could have waxed poetically on the reasons why, but Erwin must have had personally insight into her internal monologue because he did it for her. Out loud.
“Armin Arlert. This young man has always been nothing but a credit to our school.” Erwin glanced at him with a look that could only be referred to as fatherly. “I don’t think we have a single club in this school that Armin hasn’t had a hand in at some point. Robotics, chess, Latin, and editor-in-chief of the school paper. He also joined our golf team at Nationals this year.”
The golf team was at Nationals because Eren brought them there, but still. Technically Armin was there too.
“I have no doubts that these two will lead your class into a wonderful, last year of your education with us. And that they will do everything in their power to make this school camp a memorable one. You are all dismissed, and thank you for your time.”
The auditorium came alive with the sounds of chatter, and Erwin swiftly switched off the mike on the podium and turned to Mikasa in one fluid motion.
“Miss Jaeger, can you see me in my office please.”
Erwin’s office was pristine, everything organized so perfectly you would almost never know that daily he organized the lives of 500 students. He eased himself into a massive leather chair on his side of the desk, and then pointedly tilted his head in the direction of the chair to Mikasa’s right. With a slight huff, she sank down and cross her arms, preparing for the lecture she was sure was coming.
“Miss Jaeger,” he began, templing his fingers in front of him as he did so, “I wanted to let you know that your appointment of Head Girl is a….conditional, one.”
Mikasa cocked one eyebrow and waited. She knew well enough that her input was not needed at this point in the conversation, it was better to just let Erwin get along with whatever he wanted to say.
“Your grades cannot be argued with, and your skill on the playing field has been well recognized, both by myself and a few of the scouts from the universities that I see lurking about on game days.”
She just nodded. It was no secret that she was already being courted by several big name colleges to come play for their athletic program when her time at St. Maria was done.
“You are full of potential, Miss Jaeger. And that is the problem. The word potential contains an implication that you are being un-utilized...that you are holding back from your true skills and talents. You ace every test, but never offer to tutor. You teach your younger teammates, but only to the extent that they can assist you on the field. You are a loner, unwilling to help or be helped in return.”
Erwin leaned forward, a gleam in his eye. “And I think you can do more. So much more. You have so much you can give to your fellow students. Let them get to know you. You do want to lead them, don’t you?”
Erwin sat back, ever so slightly nodding at her. This was now the part of the conversation where she could speak.
She opened her mouth, ready for something pithy and noncommittal, but was surprised instead. “I do.” she answered truthfully, and she felt the real weight of those words. She hadn’t really entertained the idea of being Head Girl before, but now that it was so, tantalizingly close, she craved it. Being able to drop her status as Head Girl into future conversations, writing it down on her university applications. Hell, having the authority to keep EREN in line? It was all she had ever dream of it. And now it was in reach and she wanted it. Bad.
But as with everything involving Erwin, there were strings involved. “What do I need to do to prove it?” She asked, and he quickly snapped his fingers and pointed at her.
“To the point, that’s what I like about you, Miss Jaeger.”
They were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door, then Erwin’s secretary stuck her head inside. “Sir, the other student you wanted to speak to is here”
“Splendid!” He boomed. “Send her in now.”
Mikasa stiffened as Annie Leonhart slunk inside, hands shoved into the front pocket of the hoodie she was wearing, (against dress code, Mikasa thought dryly.) Annie edged into the seat next to Mikasa’s, but leaned as far away as she physically could while still technically sitting.
“Miss Leonhart, Miss Jaeger and I were having a conversation that I thought should include you too.” Erwin stated, meeting Annie’s cold gaze.
“Whatever you say, Sir.” She replied flatly, which Erwin accepted and moved on.
“Truthfully, ladies, I have my...concerns about the future of this school’s leadership.”
He leaned back and raked a hand through his hair. It remained as carefully coiffed as always, but he had touched it so roughly that Mikasa would be able to finally set the rumors at rest that it was a wig. (She would have to make sure to tell Sasha right away.)
“Individually you are all wonderful people, you all have your strengths and your weaknesses. You could perfectly balance each other out, if you all worked together. But everyone seems to be so focused on their own wants and goals, that I fear you’ll never reach a common vision.”
Mikasa shifted in her seat. “Can you just lay it out for us, sir?” She asked bluntly. If she wasn’t around to supervise, Eren would never get any studying done. Armin was too much of a softy to be the disciplinarian, prone to go along with any half cocked idea in Eren’s head.
“ Get along .” Erwin stated. “You two especially. I’m well aware of this ‘bad blood’ between you. While you haven’t done anything outwardly antagonistic to each other, it is very obvious that the two of you would rather be anywhere but in the same room. Your volleyball coach, Miss Ral, says scrimmages are impossible. If you’re on different teams, you turn it into some kind of grudge match. If she puts you on the same team, you ignore each other to the detriment of your team. This school camp is your chance - all of your chance - to prove that you all can work as a unit. You need to attend, and you need to participate, if you wish to keep your status as Head Girl, and yours as Sports Captain. And I WILL be informed if either of you attempt to phone this in.”
Silence. Mikasa glanced at Annie, feeling uneasy and reluctant and suspicious of her all at once. But Annie’s eye twitched once, and betrayed nothing else. For some reason, her ability to pretend she didn’t care infuriated Mikasa just that little bit more - if only because Mikasa was slightly less good at it.
“And this camp, Sir…” she added at last. “What will we be doing there?”
And Erwin had told them, in an almost gleeful way. They would be staying in the middle of nowhere, for two weeks. The place was run by an old military man, and had almost no amenities. They would spend their days on hikes, doing ropes courses, and general team building “ra-ra-ra” bullshit. It sounded god awful, even then.
That was before Mikasa had been stuck on a bus for six hours and 63 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, and she would give anything to go back and punch her past self in the face. Head Girl wouldn’t be worth this. NOTHING could be worth this. She couldn’t even hear herself think in here, and she dug her nails into the seat during the brief pause before the next verse, hoping in vain that she would be struck deaf by some previously unknown genetic illness, when suddenly..
“Would you all. Shut. The. Hell. UPPPPPPP.”
Rang out from the back of the bus. They very back. The strong, clear voice was unrecognizable to all of them, because they had never before heard it used with such volume or forcefulness. 74 heads (The other 75 were in the second bus) craned around in tandem to see…
Annie Leonhart. Already back to her book, as if she’d never stopped reading it. She was either oblivious to all the stares, or very good at pretending to be. Mina, who was sitting next to Mikasa turned back around with a whispered “Sorry.”, and all the rest followed suit. Eren and Armin, in the seat across the aisle, were crestfallen. They had spearheaded the 99 Bottles of Beer, and had hoped to see the song all the way through.
The bus lurched along a few more miles in silence. Finally, unable to bear the quiet anymore, Marco timidly raised his voice and asked “Does anyone else know any more songs we could sing? Maybe something not so...repetitive?” A few people cast fearful glances in Annie’s direction, but her attention remained in her book.
Instead, the reply came from their camp chaperone at the front of the bus, who had not said a single word the whole trip thus far. Noise drew all their attention forward, and they realized the surly looking man was...humming. He was watching the scenery fly by, humming a strange, unfamiliar melody. Connie furrowed his brow and squinted his eyes.
“Is that...is that Waltzing Matilda ?”
He searched the crowd, but received no answer. So he stretched forward from his seat, dangling across the aisle to tap the man on the shoulder. “Hey.” He called, then tapped harder. “HEY.”
The man abruptly turned around, standing up to look down at Connie. He shrugged the headphones off his head and shook out his glossy black hair. For the first time, they all noticed that the headphone weren’t attached to anything. He hadn’t been listening to music after all, they were just there to muffle the sound of their inane chatter. They also all noticed how short he was. He had already been sitting when they arrived on the bus, and the khaki green polo with the embroidered patch announcing the name of the camp was the only way to know he was an employee. He had not bothered to introduce himself.
The man flicked his eyes down to meet Connie’s and raised one eyebrow in a disinterested scowl. “What?” He asked flatly.
Connie cleared his throat, suddenly very bashful. “Why...why are you humming Waltzing Matilda? It’s just...that’s such an old song… it’s not even from this country… and you’re not even listening to anything…” Connie trailed off, and the man laughed.
“Oh,” he chuckled, “You’ll find out soon enough.” Then just as abruptly, he turned back around and jammed the headphones over his ears, angling his body way towards the window. This conversation was clearly over.
Connie looked back over his shoulder and shrugged at all of them, he was as lost as they were.
Quiet talking filled up the bus, and Mikasa rested her head against the cool glass on the window. She checked the time on Mina’s wristwatch and closed her eyes, repeating her mantra. 1 hour and 45 minutes, she chanted internally. 1 hour and 45 minutes…
They must have been making better time than Mikasa thought, because 1 hour and 23 minutes later, the bus doors opened and spat them out in front of an admittedly beautiful patch of forest. Backed up against rolling hills of some kind of cultivated crop (Beans? Mikasa would have to ask Armin later. That was exactly the kind of crap he would know.), untouched trees and ferns sprang up, casting a dark shadow over the narrow, dirt road that stretched before them and disappeared into the shade.
“Where is the camp?” Eren mumbled, reaching his hand up to protect his eyes from the rays of the late afternoon sun. Mikasa wondered that too, the farmhouse visible to their left looked too small to be able to hold all of them. And she couldn’t see a break in the trees as much as she squinted into the opening made by the road ahead. Which meant…
“A couple kilometers down that way. An easy walk.” Their bus chaperone had been the last one to deboard, and he was dangling one foot off the last step now, headphones draped around his neck. “Everyone’s got their bags, yes? Right then.”
He gave a sharp knocked on the side of the bus and jumped down, the doors instantly closing behind him as the vehicle rumbled to life and lurched away. The second bus did the same, it’s own surly looking attendant waving away the children staring dumbstruck as it left them behind. The other chaperone, a youngish looking woman with a shock of white blonde hair and glasses, gave a roll of her eyes to the man behind them.
“Looks like Rico had as much fun as I did.” He mumbled, then turned back to face them. “Alright you lot, now that you’re on my turf I guess it’s worth getting to know you. My name is Levi. I’m letting you know that as a courtesy, I strongly suggest you call me Mr. Ackermann for the rest of your time here.”
“Sir...Mr. Ackermann, did you just say we were walking there?” That was Historia, who right now was staring at the small mountain of luggage she had brought with her. Erwin had told them all to limit themselves to a duffel and a backpack, but Historia wasn’t used to traveling light.
“Correct. And we’d better get moving, you’ll only get more tired the longer you sit around whining about it.”
A collective clamor rose up from the student body. A few of them threw themselves down into the dusty road, arms and legs akimbo. “I’m hot.” “I’m too tired.” “My legs are asleep from the ride.” All floated to the front of the crowd, punctuated by angry groans. Levi looked at the disheveled teenagers with disgust.
“Who are your Head Boy and Girl?” He demanded. “Were they on this bus? Control your classmates before I just leave you here for the bears.”
Armin stepped forward, and paled under the combined weight of more than a hundred tired glares. “Um..Mr. Ackermann..wouldn’t it be possible for the buses to come back? Everyone has had a very long day..”.
“No.” Levi said bluntly. “We rent space for the buses from a nearby farm. They would never make it up this road, not in one piece anyway. No one here is going to drop dead from a little walking, so get everyone on their feet.”
He stared expectantly at Armin, who glanced back and forth between Levi and the student body, as if weighing whose anger would be worse. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally shot Mikasa a desperate, fearful glance. “Mika..?”
Mikasa stepped up to the plate. “OY!” She bellowed. “We can rest when we get there, right now we’ve got to get moving. I’m tired too, but there is nothing to do but deal with it , got it? Now everybody grab your shit, and let’s go.”
She grabbed her own bags, slung them over her shoulder and strode forward. She didn’t look back, but a few seconds later she heard the straining sound of tired bodies standing up and shuffling forward. They complained, and they whined, but they were coming. Mikasa walked further into the dim forest, and a few seconds later heard two pairs of footsteps coming up behind her. From the slight wheezing over her left shoulder, one of them was Armin, so she slowed slightly to allow him to catch up. The voice over her right caught her by surprise.
“One of Shadis’ rules is no cursing,” Levi said, the slightest hint of mirth in his tone, “but I’ll let that one slide because the emphasis was needed.”
Mikasa slowed even further until the three of them were all in step, and Levi started addressing the both of them. “So, you must be Mikasa Jaeger and Armin Arlert. Erwin sent over a list of student council members, and said you two would be in charge. At least one of you is, anyway.”
Armin looked away rather than meet Levi’s sidelong gaze, and Mikasa bristled. “It’s the first day, Mr. Ackermann. Our school year hasn’t even started.” She said through gritted teeth. Erwin would expect her to be respectful to everyone in this camp, even this annoying little man who was already pushing her buttons.
Levi hummed in response. “Indeed. It is just the first day. Well, maybe I’ll expect more from you by the end.” At that he fell back, bringing his pace to a crawl in order to fall in line with the next two students trailing behind them. Which happened to be Eren and Annie, who seemed to be existing in companionable silence. Probably because it made it better to eavesdrop, since Eren met backwards gaze with a talky hand motion, then playfully bumped Annie’s shoulder. He looked for a response, but Annie merely shrugged him off, her attention on Levi who matched pace with her and began his line of interrogation on who they were.
Armin and Mikasa turned back around and quickened their step. Armin hunched his shoulders over as he walked, a pained expression on his face. Mikasa tugged on the strap of his backpack, concerned.
“Do you want me to take that? I can probably carry both.” She fretted, already lifting the bag halfway off his frame before he snatched it back.
“No!” He shot back. “It’s not heavy...I mean, it is, but I can manage it.”
“Then what is it, Armin? You look so miserable already.” Mikasa worried, taking her hand off his shoulder.
“It’s just…” He sighed. “Mikasa, do you think I can do this?”
“Make it to the camp? I hope so. It’s pretty hard to get lost on a one way road.”
“You know what I mean.” He snapped, then took a deep breath and gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry. That’s just…”
“I knew what you meant.” Mikasa said softly. They walked along in silence for a few minutes before she began again. “Of course you can, Armin. No one would be better at this than you.”
“You are.” He said, then gave her a meaningful look. “You’re already so much better at this. Everyone listens to you.”
“That’s because I’m a minority.” She said sagely. “They’re afraid if they don’t listen to me I’ll call them racist. And white people hate being called racist more than they hate being racist.”
Armin burst out laughing, and all of a sudden looked 15 pounds lighter. “People wouldn’t be as scared of you if they knew how funny you were, you know. Maybe I’ll spill the beans, tell everyone your secret.”
“Maybe that’s why this works, because they’re scared of me. You can be the good cop to my bad cop. Anyway, who is scared of me?”
“Oh, lots of people.” Armin said, then started counting off his fingers. “Historia, Jean, Mina..”
“Mina is my friend!”
“Does she know that? Maybe she thinks this is some kind of long term hostage situation. Also Bert.”
Mikasa shook her head. “Doesn’t count. Bert’s scared of everyone.”
“That is true. I’ll strike his name and replace him with Annie, then.” Armin said, folding one finger back in and then instantly straightening it back. “And those are just our friends, Mikasa. I can only imagine what nameless student #7 in chemistry class thinks of you.”
“Annie is not one of our friends.” She said curtly, eyes focused on the light appearing further down the road. The campsite must be getting closer.
“Uh, Mikasa, Annie might not be one of your friends, but she she’s definitely one of mine. And Eren’s. And really anyone that isn’t you.” Armin spoke with the exasperated tone of someone who has had the same conversation rehashed fifty times. Which he had. But Mikasa was always game for another.
“Oh no. Annie is not, and never will be, one of our friends, not after what she did to Eren.” Mikasa huffed a little, now she was speed walking while Armin tried to keep up with her.
“That was two years ago, Mika. You’re still mad about that? Eren’s not even still mad, and he’s the one who got hurt.”
“She broke his arm, Armin.” She hissed, then glanced backward. Eren and Annie were still a safe distance behind them, it looked like Eren was chattering away while Annie added the occasional nod to the conversation. Mikasa turned back. “She broke his arm, and then she didn’t even stick around to see if he was okay. She didn’t come to the hospital, she didn’t come to our house. Her Dad called to see if he owed us any money, but that was it. Total radio silence until Eren came back to school.”
“She was scared, Mikasa. And she felt bad, her dad told your dad so. He told Grisha that Annie had been crying herself to sleep.”
Mikasa hadn’t known that part of the story. “Eren didn’t tell me that..” She said slowly, and Armin rolled his eyes.
“Would you have believed it? Or would you think it was something she told her dad to say as some kind of GRAND CONSPIRACY to turn Eren against you?” Armin sighed and adjusted the pack over his shoulders. “I just wish...you guys could get along. I like Annie, and I think you’d like her too, if you’d get to know her.”
Mikasa broke through the treeline, stepping into a large clearing dotted with rustic cabins and sheds. “I already know her, Armin.” She said shortly. “I can’t change that I don’t like what I know.”
The rest of the students gradually filtered in behind them, and they all mingled around in the sudden brightness for a few seconds. There was a distinct smell of smoke in the air, and the smell of something cooking. The cooking aroma came from a direction where a figure was enthusiastically waving, trying to get their attention.
“Ahoy!!” They called. “Yoohooo!! Dinner’s over here, guys!”
Mikasa went from thinking she didn’t have any more strength to go even one more step, to suddenly finding a hidden well inside of her. Reserve strength. Just enough to make it to that table piled high with hot dogs. And watermelon. And corn on the cob. She practically flew over, feeling almost weightless despite the heavy bags strapped to her back and carried under one arm.
The figure standing at the food table was a tall young woman with unruly brown hair, hastily scraped back into a ponytail. A wide grin almost split her face in two. She bounced on the balls of her feet, practically radiating excitement.
“Welcome welcome welcome!” She crowed. “I’m Hange, nice to meet you! Take as much food as you want, you must be hungry. Mike can always cook up some more.”
She gestured at a lanky, blond man who was overseeing a group of grills. He lazily waved a spatula at them in response.
Mikasa snatched a plate and started piling it high. Sasha was next to her, doing the same, and Mikasa had to slap her hand away when she started taking an ear of corn off her own plate.
“But you picked the best piece..” Sasha whined, then moved to a more forgiving part of the line. Jean took her place and stared at Hange.
“Um.” He said cautiously. “Are you the Camp Director?”
“Oh no.” Hange shook her head wildly. “I’m just the nurse. Well, nurse, slash lifeguard, slash assistant chef. Commander Shadis will meet you all tomorrow morning, we’ll just let you get settled in tonight.”
“Commander..?” Jean looked questioningly as Mikasa, who just shrugged in response.
“You have all the information I do, Jean. I’m sure we’ll hear about it tomorrow.” She told him before wandering off with her plate of food. It was easy to tell the staff apart from the students, with their green uniform shirts, and she noticed one of them carrying a clipboard and muttering to herself.
It was the other bus monitor, Levi had said her name was Rico. Mikasa made her way over, swallowing her last bite of hot dog as she did so.
“Hi.” Rico looked over, irritated at the interruption, but Mikasa soldiered on. “Are you in charge of cabin assignments?”
Rico eyed her suspiciously. “Yes. But you can’t go inside until you’re done eating. No food in the cabins.”
Mikasa tossed her empty plate into the closest garbage can without looking. Many afternoons playing frisbee were finally coming in handy. “Done!” She announced. “Now can I go inside?”
Rico sighed, staring at her over the rims of her glasses. “Don’t you want to stay out here for a while, spend time with your friends?”
“Nope.” Mikasa answered, then stood there waiting. Rico finally brought her clipboard back up with one more sullen look, flipping through the pages. “Fine. Name?”
“Mikasa Jaeger.”
“Jaeger..you’re in the leadership cabin, with your fellow student council members. It’s smaller than the others, but not any nicer. We don’t really do special treatment here. That’s also MY cabin, so please be kind and bother me as little as possible.” Rico threw a thumb over her shoulder and cocked it. “Cabin two. Behind me, to my right. Bunks are already labeled.”
“Thank you.” Mikasa called, already moving. Her body hurt from sitting in a cramped bus seat, and the light exercise on the walk here had done little to stretch her muscles. She just wanted a little privacy for some lunges, maybe a couple sunrise salutations. (She’d never tell Historia that the yoga class she’d brought Mikasa to had actually taught her some useful stuff.)
With a light touch, the screen door creaked open. God forbid there were actually any bears out here, the cabins were so easy to open they might as well be presents. Mikasa stepped inside and breathed deep. There were so many windows, the air felt exactly the same as it did outside. Clean and crisp, the temperature finally going down now that the sun was setting. She didn’t bother turning the switch that would illuminate the single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, she could see perfectly well in the dim light. Three sets of bunk beds were scattered around the room, with three massive wooden dressers wedged between them. There was a door off to the side, and when Mikasa nudged it open it revealed a closet sized room with a single bed, and someone else’s personal effects scattered around. Rico’s room, probably.
Mikasa wandered back out to the main room, scanning each bunk as she did so. Hitch, Historia. Ymir, Sasha. That left the bunk closest to the door and one more set of names. Which meant..
She sped over to the last bunk bed and tore the name card off the pillow on the bottom bunk, letting out a string of expletives. It wasn’t bad enough that she was sharing a bunk with Annie, she was sharing a bunk while Annie got the upper bed .
“Won’t do.” Mikasa muttered. “That won’t do at all.” Dropping her bags to the floor, she shimmied up the ladder, name card clutched in her fist. “Sorry Annie.” She said, plucking the neatly written card that had Annie penciled in sweeping script.
“Sorry for what?”
Mikasa’s foot slipped off the step where it had been hovering, and she fell to the floor with an undignified shriek. Her bags broke most of her fall, and Mikasa hoped the cracking sound she heard was her tailbone, rather than the bottle of shampoo that was most definitely going to ruin everything she owned.
“Nononono.” She whispered, zipping open the top of her duffel and frantically pawing through its contents. Annie, standing over her, was unsympathetic to her plight.
“ Mikasa. Sorry for WHAT?” She repeated, sounding impossibly bored even as her eyes bored into Mikasa like lasers.
“Oh.” Mikasa looked down at her hand, holding two crumbled pieces of stationary. “..Sorry that I got the top bunk and you didn’t.”
Annie snorted. “Like shit you did. You were up there messing around with something. You took my spot, didn’t you?”
Mikasa ignored her, having finally located the offending shampoo bottle. “Thank god.” She sighed, looking at the thin crack that was barely starting to bubble over. Nothing inside was harmed, it looked like. God knows if they even had laundry facilities in this place. Her nicest sports bra was in there, was she just supposed to swish it around in the lake, like an animal?
A foot suddenly made contact with her bag, sending it spinning under the nearest bed. “Will you stop fucking around with your stuff? I know I got the top bunk.”
“Prove it.” Mikasa answered, looking up to glare into Annie’s eyes. “I got here first, and I’m the one who saw the name cards. You’re bottom bunk, get over it.”
“Bullshit!” Annie seethed, and stomped outside, throwing her bags on the floor with emphasis as she did so. When she returned, she was dragging a very pissed off looking Rico with her, along with their four other cabin mates trailing along to watch the show.
Annie pointed an indignant finger at Mikasa and addressed Rico. “Did I, or did I not, have the top bunk when you assigned this cabin?”
“I cannot believe you guys are seventeen.” Rico muttered, then pinched the bridge of her nose. “Ladies, I don’t know whose bunk was whose, I put those out this morning. And does it really matter?”
“YES.” Annie and Mikasa said in unison, causing the rest of the girls to jump from where they had been quietly putting their things away. Rico threw her hands in the air.
“Someone just pick one! I don’t have time to mediate bullshit concerns. You two are practically adults. Act like it! Come up with a solution without fighting, or I’ll make both of you sleep on the porch.” Rico disappeared into her side room, slamming the door at she did so. They could hear her through the wall, talking to herself about things like “art degree” and “waste of time” and “at least Costco pays above minimum wage”.
Annie and Mikasa didn’t look at each other, while the rest of the girls pretended not to look at them. Finally Mikasa broke the silence, determined to take the high road. If only because she knew Erwin would hear about it if she didn’t.
“We could switch.” She said quietly, and while Annie didn’t say anything, Mikasa saw her turn towards her out of the corner of her eye. “You know, one of us takes the top bunk tonight, one of us tomorrow, and so on. Until camp is over.”
Annie stayed silent for a few minutes, considering. “Fine.” She said abruptly, then kicked her bags under the bed on her way to the ladder in one fluid motion. “I’ll take the first night.” She said, hoisting herself up the rungs. “Because you’re a fucking liar.”
“Language.” Rico called through the wall, and Annie heaved herself onto the mattress and started adjusting the blankets. The other girls stopped their packing to stare.
“Annie.” Ymir said, “Don’t you want to, you know, change into your sleep clothes?” Annie’s eyes glared back at her over the top of the sheet she was cocooning herself into. She was still wearing the sweatpants and volleyball t-shirt she’d worn on the bus. Ymir nodded and went back to her own bag.
“Oh. Right. Those are your sleep clothes. Because that’s all you ever wear. My mistake. But hey, nothing wrong with dressing like you could be ready for a nap in five seconds flat. Or a hot dog eating contest. You know, you do you.”
Mikasa finished slamming her things into her dresser and threw herself into the bottom bunk, staring resentfully at the mattress above her. She kicked the wooden post by her left foot, then kicked it again when she heard Annie stir.
“Knock it off, Mikasa.” Came the muffled response above her, so she kicked again with more force the third time. An arm swung into her field of vision and flailed close to her head. “Stop kicking the fucking bed!!”
Rico ripped her door open, stomping over to the light switch. “What did I say about language! You’ve earned a lights out, everybody go to sleep. The girls bathroom is a few buildings down, there’s a sign. But this light stays off, I don’t need you staying up and causing trouble. The alarm will go off at 6 am sharp, breakfast at 6:30.”
Rico made her way back to her room, leaving them all to adjust to the darkness. “But it’s only 8:30…” came Historia’s weak reply. Hitch huffed and climbed her own ladder. It shouldn’t be possible, but Mikasa heard her hair flip, just now.
“Blame Mikasa and Annie. Some leaders they are. In trouble our first night.” Hitch said, her nasal voice even more grating than usual.
“Lay off.” Sasha whispered, crawling into her own bed. “They’re probably just hungry, I know I get crabby when I’m hungry. I could use a snack myself.”
“We literally just ate like, 20 minutes ago. You ate 7 hotdogs.” Ymir’s voice came from across the room.
“I know.” Sasha groaned. “I wasn’t sure there would be enough for everyone, I really held back.”
“You all are ridiculous.” Hitch declared. “Isn’t that right, Historia?”
A small snore came from the direction of Historia’s bed. “Oh come on.” Hitch exclaimed. “There’s no way she’s asleep already.”
“She has a gift.” Mikasa said. “She was always the first one to fall asleep at slumber parties, growing up. She earned a lot of frozen bras that way.”
“She stayed up til 9:30 at my birthday party. I think that was the new record.” This voice came from above her, and Mikasa frowned into the darkness. Historia went to Annie’s birthday party? Annie even had a birthday party in the first place? It sounded like she was the only one out of the loop, since Sasha and Ymir were chiming in confirmation of Historia’s behavior. Mikasa rolled over to face the wall, turning this new information over in her mind.
“What do they see?” Were her last thoughts before she succumbed to sleep. “What do they know about her that I don’t?”
“ONCE A JOLLY SWAGMAN CAMPED BY A BILLABONG
UNDER THE SHADE OF A COOLIBAH TREE”
At 6 am sharp, 150 tired, partially dressed teenagers stumbled out of their cabins, hands over their ears. Mikasa fell to her knees in the grass, making eye contact with Eren as he lurched out of the boys leadership cabin next door.
“What!!” She screamed over the sound. “What. On Earth. Is. THAT.”
Eren shook his head, whether because he didn’t know the answer, or didn’t hear the question. Reiner finally stretched a pointed finger to something above their heads.
“THAT.” He called. “It’s coming from there!”
They all craned their necks, looking in the same direction towards an ancient, rickety loudspeaker. That was currently blaring...something...at top volume.
“Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, You’ll come a’waltzing Matilda, with me.”
“Oh my god!” Connie screamed, then hurried back inside the boy’s cabin. He came running back out almost as quickly. “That bastard is just in there laughing! He fucking KNEW.”
“When does it stop??” Annie yelled, hoodie pulled up over her ears and cinched tight so only a small circle of her face was visible.
“At 6:30!” Connie called back, looking half crazed already. “It stops when it’s time to go to breakfast. And it plays EVERY DAY.”
Mikasa wished, not for the last time, that she had just gone deaf on the bus after all.