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Assistant: Title: In Another Life
        Author: MarOfDawn MarOfDawn 
        Chapter: 38/50 
        Summary: "Maybe things could have gone differently between us in another life."
You were an Eldian born and raised in Marley to become a warrior. Becoming one of the strongest warriors in the Eldian Warrior Unit, you were given the chance to become a titan inheritor; that was, until one mistake caused you to lose the opportunity and tarnished your family name. In order to redeem yourself and bring honor back to your family name, you were given one very important task...To kill Levi Ackerman.
        Contents: Chapter 38: Proposition
    

    


      
        
          
          (See the end of the chapter for  notes.)
          
      
  

  
  
    
    It all felt like some dreadful hallucination.A woman with dark hair styled in a low bun was chained up high above. Her stare was grim and hollow, her solemn eyes glued to your appearance down below.A needle poked at your skin. You swallowed nervously, anticipating the fate you could no longer escape from. The injection was inserted, then a blast of white invaded your vision. Your blood bubbled and your body expanded.It was all a blur after that.You woke up in a hospital bed hours later. Your leg was healed, your wounds were gone, and the headache you once had fully disappeared.But they still weren't done with you.To ensure the procedure went correctly, you were asked to perform a transformation. They passed you a knife to use, but you shook your head."I have my own," you said.You returned to the same, vast location from before, your pocket knife placed on the inside of your palm. Frantic footsteps padded away from you to evade the explosion being anticipated.
  Slice.
Crimson seeped from your hand, but that was all that happened. Your first attempt had failed; you knew exactly why that was.You needed to want to transform.You shut your eyes and concentrated, repeating the same actions as before, then a massive shock jolted through you. It felt like lightning struck down from the sky and electrocuted your entire body. You groaned and you squirmed. It was painful, like your blood was boiling from being dipped into fire.But then it faded away, replaced by a coolness that soothed your body.When you opened your eyes, your head was almost touching the ceiling. You were tall - abnormally tall. Dipping your head down, you witnessed smiles expressed on the faces down below."It worked!" someone shouted excitedly. Everyone looked like ants from up here. It was hard to make out who was who.Your gaze trailed down to your hands; they were white as snow and hard as a rock. You brought your fingers up to graze over your skin and face. Your body was guarded by what looked and felt like white armor, and your mouth was stuck behind a cage.For some reason, you were inclined to raise your hand and summon a large hammer. You weren't sure where that instinct came from, perhaps from the past inheritors. That seemed like the only reasonable explanation.The hammer formed from thin air, but you could somehow feel its formation within yourself, like it had to take a piece of you in order for it to form. It didn't hurt, though. It made you feel fulfilled.The weapon was not only huge, but spiky as well. Surely, any opponent would have difficulty going up against you with it, and there was so much potential to create so many others. The thought excited you.
  No. No, this shouldn't be exciting to me.
You shook that thought away. Some of the memories of the past holders were flowing through your mind and it was hard to ignore. You hoped it wouldn't continue to influence your thoughts."Detransform!" a person called from below.You pondered it for a moment. This titan was much different from the others; you didn't reside in the nape, you resided in a crystal. Your normal body went nearly unconscious while encased in the cocoon-like ice, and to detransform was something you weren't fully sure how to do yet.Maybe it was all in your head. Maybe all you had to do was envision yourself going back to normal. Maybe if you just pictured your body getting out of the crystal, you could do it.Well, you did it, but it went a lot differently than you had hoped.While gasping for air, the crystal shattered and your body fell to the side. The titan collapsed to the ground, limp like a ragdoll. You coughed up water as you rolled your body over on your stomach, bending your knees in to sit up."Are you okay?" Paulina rushed to your side immediately. You placed a hand on your chest to continue coughing. She pat her hand on your back to help you get the water out of your system. Two intimidating feet stepped up towards you. You angled your head up to meet their eyes."You'll need a bit of practice before you can master its use," W@lly Tybur stated, "but the procedure was successful. The power of the War Hammer Titan is now fully yours."He extended out an arm to help you stand. You reached for it reluctantly, standing up on your two feet again. A smile crept onto his face."Welcome to the Tybur family, Eden Barlowe."The first thing you did after being freed from the Tyburs was search for one person in particular."Where's Zeke?" you asked Reiner, who had been doing sit-ups in one of the fitness rooms. Reiner had told you he was going to the gym later in the day after your ceremony to get his mind off things. Your assumption was that Zeke had to have gone there too."In the weight room. Why?" he replied.You ignored Reiner's question, rudely brushing past his shoulder to make your way to Zeke's current location. Your fingers curled into tight fists on both sides of you, your jaw clenched in anger.Right after you burst in unexpectedly, you saw Zeke wearing a grey tank top and beige shorts while lifting some dumbbells in the weight room. He whipped his head around at the sound of the creaking door."Eden? What are you-"Your fist made impact with the side of his face, sending him falling to the ground. The weights dropped from his hands and onto the mat, just barely missing his toes. He lightly grazed his fingers on his cheek before looking up at you."What the f@ck is wrong with-"You swung your leg to kick him ruthlessly in the gut. He clutched his stomach in pain, a groan slipping past his lips while he shuffled away from you."This was all your fault, wasn't it?" you asked. He adjusted his body to sit up against the wall, one hand still covering his stomach from your assault."No. No, it wasn't-""Stop f@ck@ng lying," you cut him off. You clicked open your pocket knife that was tucked into your back pocket, then kneeled down in front of him to tip his chin up with the sharp end. "You just love making my life a living hell, don't you? You thrive off of my suffering.""Eden, listen to me. I'm telling the truth.""B@llsh@t." You pushed the knife into his skin a bit more. "Who else could it have been but you to suggest I inherit the War Hammer?""It wasn't me!" he repeated in frustration. "How could I have known you were related to the Tyburs?""How else would they find out?""Ask your sister!"That caught your attention. You lowered your knife."What are you talking about?""The reason everyone suspected you were related to the Tyburs was because of her.""You're lying.""Think about it." He straightened his back. "You've always said she was glued to her books, right? She's a reader - an investigator. I'm not sure how the whole thing came about, but I do remember her being involved in Larry's investigation."You knitted your eyebrows in confusion, standing up from the ground. With one hand still clutched against his stomach, he used the other to push himself up to stand."The only reason I was told about it was so I could make sure that you made it back here in one piece. I don't know how they figured it out, but I was just following orders.""That's why you made me lie about killing Levi," you stated, voice low to make sure others wouldn't eavesdrop. "You wanted to make sure I was alive to inherit it."He swallowed, nodding nervously."But why?" you asked. "If you knew my views had changed, why did you keep me alive? I could become a serious threat to Marley with the power I hold now.""You wouldn't, because doing anything careless would put your sister in danger."You shot him an annoyed glare, chewing the inside of your cheek. The grasp on the hilt of your knife tightened, and the corner of his lip curled upwards in amusement at your reaction. Indignation took over your body as you approached him again to aim the knife at his stomach; however, he was quick with his defense, grabbing your wrist firmly just inches away from impaling through his skin."There's more to this," you retorted, desperately trying to break out of his grasp to hurt him. "You're not telling me something.""You're not gonna get any answers from hurting people, Eden." His face bore a harrowing smile, continuing to escalate the frustration coursing through your blood. With a grunt, you swung your arm upwards and sliced his shoulder, breaking out of his grasp. A moan escaped his mouth as he stumbled backwards, extending one arm out to block you from going after him again. Swiftly, you swiped your foot under his leg to cause him to fall on his back. His head hit the mat hard, and you stepped over his body to straddle him, pinning him down while putting pressure against his now wounded shoulder."Back when you captured Levi, you were trying to give me a proposition in exchange for his life." You placed your knife on his throat while he struggled under your grip. "What was it?""It's not important now.""I don't f@ck@ng trust you," you replied. "Tell me.""It doesn't matter anymore-""Tell me, Zeke.""It- it was just wishful thinking.""F@ck@ng tell me!""I wanted you to marry me!"You froze, lips parted. Your grip on him loosened as you slowly stood up from his waist and took a few steps backwards. His chest was heaving heavily while his grim eyes stared in your direction."I- I wanted you to marry me," he repeated, his voice rendering a somber tone that you never thought you'd hear from him."The f@ck are you talking about?" you questioned."Do you even realize how much power we could hold together, Eden?" He rose from the floor, his legs reaching you in small strides as you continued backing away from him in shock. "Think about it - a Tybur, and someone with royal blood. Just imagine what we could do... all the things we could change."You shook your head. "Stop this."He surged forward and grabbed both of your hands gently, holding them up near his chest. His touch was a lot more tender than you expected, and something shifted in his eyes; his gaze softened. There wasn't malice behind his eyes this time - it was yearning."We could finally put an end to this, Eden. We could put an end to this suffering," he whispered. He was far too close to your face to your liking. "With your strength and my blood, we can finally get rid of all Eldians and free everyone from the titans."You were too shocked to even come up with a response, just choosing to stare at him while blinking stupidly.
  Am I hallucinating? Is hallucination a symptom of being a titan inheritor?
"We can still do this, Eden." Your back hit the wall as his face inched closer. "There's still time for you to change your mind.""No," you finally said, shoving him off. He looked utterly defeated by your rejection. "No, you're insane.""Eden-""Do you really think I'd ever agree to commit such an atrocity?""It's for the sake of humanity."You scoffed. "For f@ck's sake, you're asking me to commit genocide."He shook his head. "You don't get it. I'm not just doing it for the rest of the world, I'm doing it for us, too - for all Eldians. By getting rid of our kind, the world can then rest peacefully, including us. There would no longer be titans. As long as we continue to exist, there is no end to this.""We weren't asked to be born this way. We don't deserve to be punished for what we had no control over.""We would be putting our kind out of their misery."His comment jolted you. Your eyes widened and your mind rummaged through a plethora of different memories from months prior.You had a conversation with Levi about titans once. It was the night you had that awful dream about Marcel. You went into the kitchen to drink water, and somehow, titans became the topic of discussion. He asked what you thought about the theory of titans being humans and if you felt conflicted about killing them after hearing that. You had said, "If the theory is true, then yes, I do feel conflicted; however, I try to look at it as putting them out of their misery rather than murdering an actual human."Good god. A part of you couldn't even believe you used to feel that way. Although you weren't exactly talking about the same thing as you were with Zeke, your response sounded exactly like something Zeke would say. Levi's response made so much sense now.
  "Still, if they were once human, it doesn't really make me feel ecstatic knowing I've been running around killing people this whole time. How and why they became a titan, I don't know, but it feels sinister and unnecessary. Even if we are putting them out of their misery it doesn't make me feel any better knowing they had no choice but to accept that fate."
"To think that we have no choice but to accept death as our fate doesn't sit right with me," you responded. "And it makes me sick that you think killing all of us is the solution.""The short captain has really tampered with your mind, hasn't he?""This isn't about him.""But it's the truth, isn't it? All this change for a man you only knew for what, a few months? It amazes me just how fast he succeeded in brainwashing you.""That man has done more for humanity than you ever will," you said in irritation. "You can express your frustration all you want, but my mind is made up. It was never just about him - it was about every single person back in Paradis. My sympathy for them is something you will never understand because you weren't there to see it yourself.""You're wrong. I take pity on them because they are unaware of our history, and I'd be doing them a favor of just-""Enough with your genocidal b@llsh@t," you interrupted. "I will never agree with you on this, Zeke. Ever.""Fine, then." He clenched his jaw in aggravation, choosing to walk past you to head towards the door. Just before wrenching the door open, he paused to say one last thing."But you would have done it though. You would have married me if it meant saving his life." He looked past his shoulder to catch a glimpse of you. You avoided his gaze while biting down on your lip nervously, knowing full well that the answer to that was, 'Yes.' Your heart raced at the mere thought of being forced into a position to marry Zeke. Thank goodness the others came when they did, or else Zeke would have likely been trying to continuously shove these horrendous ideals down your throat while planning a whole matrimony.Or worse. He'd do that while also trying to impregnate you. You shivered at the thought.
  Gross.
"Well, thankfully I didn't have to," you said. "I probably would have taken my life within the first week of marriage."He frowned at your comment. "Believe it or not, I wouldn't be a malicious kind of lover."You knitted your eyebrows at him. "Are you forgetting that you drugged me and tied me up to a chair?""I did it to help you. It was for the sake of this mission. If you would only just open your mind a bit more, you'd understand why it was necessary."You huffed. "I don't think I'll ever understand how your brain works, nor am I interested in even finding out. I think I'd be terrified and revolted."Zeke never learned what it meant to be loved correctly, and that was your assumption as to why he turned out the way he did. His parents used him as a weapon, and the only other person who ever showed genuine concern for him was the previous Beast Titan inheritor, Tom Ksaver. After Zeke inherited the Beast Titan, Zeke no longer had that mentor to look up to. He remained living with his grandparents, but Ksaver's beliefs were fully instilled in Zeke's mind. All he learned was wanting his kind to be dead. That was all he was obsessed with.It was why you were thankful that even despite the toxic relationship of your parents, your mother's love for you always continued to flourish. You didn't always appreciate it as an immature teen, but as an adult, you saw the sacrifices she had made for both you and your sister. She made sure you understood what love was like from a mother in the best way she knew how.And then you met Levi, and that was when you learned that romantic love wasn't always going to appear the way your parents' relationship was. It made you lose that doubt that falling in love was a foolish thing. Even despite the obstacles you faced and the resentment you initially felt after your feelings for Levi came to surface, you didn't regret falling for him. You knew you would always love him. Nobody else could ever replace him, let alone someone like Zeke.Zeke would never understand what true love was supposed to be like, whether it be familial, platonic, or romantic. For that reason, you weren't surprised he carried such problematic beliefs."I really pity you, Zeke," you said quietly. "I don't think you'll ever understand what it means to be genuinely cared about, and that's the reason why you'll never come to see my perspective."He huffed at your response. "You really do amuse me, you know that? If anyone is pitiful, it's you - all these ridiculous statements you're making because of a man that you'll forget about in a few months' time.""I won't forget him.""I would have made you forget him," he said sternly with a tight-lipped expression.You scoffed. "You don't even love me, Zeke. Your attraction to me is solely based on what I have to offer with my strength and power.""That's not-" He cut himself off to turn his gaze away, red coloring his face. "This isn't easy for me.""Alright, well, then let me make it easy for you, then." You took a step towards him. "You will never be him, Zeke. It doesn't matter whether I married you or not; my love will always remain with him, and that is something you need to accept. That is something you will never be able to take from me until the day I die."He scowled, a hint of hurt shown in his expression. For a moment, you actually felt a little bad for your bluntness with him, but then you remembered he had done far worse."For your sake, I hope you never do see him again, or else, the Marleyans would certainly do something about his sudden appearance," he said. He twisted open the door knob to open it. "By the way, you'll probably start to have dreams about your past inheritors soon. It happened to all of us when we first inherited our titans, so good luck. I truly hope it can shift your mindset.""F@ck off."He said nothing after that, only pulling the door open to disappear into the hall. You sighed to yourself after he stepped out, smacking your forehead with your palm.
  What the actual f@ck was that?
Did Zeke just confess his feelings for you? Was that what that was? Was it love he felt towards you or just the thirst for power?Whatever. You just hoped you never had to have this conversation with him again.You dragged your legs out of the weight room to head back outside. Just as you were about to head out the door of the weight room, your chest bumped into a person in front of you. Your heart started beating rapidly as your eyes traveled up - it was your father."Something wrong?" you asked him, unable to ignore the way he was looking at you skeptically.He paused for a moment, then shook his head. "No.""Good," you replied, walking past him towards the exit.
  Did he hear any of that conversation?
You bit your lip and clenched your fists tightly, silently praying that it was only your anxiety making you worried that he may have heard something.
  I'm sure he didn't hear anything. Everything will be fine.
But nothing was fine, actually. Nothing.For f@cks sake, you were a titan now. A f@ck@ng titan. The thought hadn't fully processed until now because the first thing you thought about after having healed legs was to go after Zeke and interrogate him.Well, at least your injuries were healed now. There was a little light in everything, right?"Hey, Eden!" a man from the street called. "Come over here!"
  Huh?
You turned your neck at the voice after exiting the gym, narrowing your eyes at some tall guy with blonde hair beckoning at you."Who are you?" you asked bluntly. He heaved out a laugh."Come on. You don't remember me?" He approached you from afar; he was beginning to look slightly familiar. "We used to get drunk together all the time."Oh. Well, now you knew why you couldn't completely recognize him."Gary?""Ah, so you do remember." His mouth curled up into a smirk. "Word on the street is that you got your honorary status back. Congrats. Why don't you come have a drink to celebrate?"You should say no. Those days where you'd come back home absolutely blasted to cope with the distress you felt in your mind were over. You weren't some young teen anymore - you were an adult who needed to make better decisions.But ever since you returned to Marley, it had just been setback after setback. You were forced to become a titan, found out that one of the men you'd despised your whole life probably had feelings for you, and your father may have heard the entire conversation with Zeke in the weight room just now, which meant that you and your sister's life could be in danger if he decided to open his mouth. Not one thing had been on your side since arriving.Just one drink couldn't hurt, right?"Just one drink," you replied. Gary smiled as he tossed an arm over your shoulder to guide you into the bar. You shoved his arm away. "I didn't say you could touch me.""Still as fierce as ever, I see." The smirk on his face was starting to make you rethink this decision, but seeing the rows of alcohol lined up in the bar just a few feet away from you was enticing you."One drink," you said firmly. "And don't touch me like that again.""Yes, ma'am." His cocky grin never dissipated even after entering the bar.It was 2 am when you arrived back home- or was it 3? Sh@t, you weren't sure. What was supposed to be one drink turned into who the hell knew how many more. You stopped yourself at one drink at the bar, so at least you had enough discipline to do that, right? Well, in truth, Gary was getting a little too touchy for your liking, so after he paid for your first drink, you made a swift exit and found alcohol elsewhere. Like the repulsive mess you were, you bought a small whiskey bottle and hid yourself in the corner of an alley to drink it by yourself the rest of the night.Then you cried. And you cried a lot.You cried about Levi. You cried about Paradis. You cried about your sister. You cried about your parents. You cried about being a titan. Every single emotion you had held in ever since coming back to Marley finally escaped from their cages and flooded out through your tears. You hugged your knees into your chest while you sobbed, staying in this position for hours until you finally gained the strength to lift yourself from the solid ground to walk home.What a f@ck@ng life the world had given you. How f@ck@ng pathetic.As you reached the steps of Karina's home, your fingers fumbled with your keys, failing miserably at inserting the right one in the keyhole. The drunkenness mostly wore off, but you were still acting extremely sluggish. You sighed in exasperation at your third attempt of trying to enter, listening to the thud of your keys on the steps. The door pulled open right after you bent down to grab them; Paulina was at the door wearing her pajamas staring down at you in anger."Where have you been?"You shrugged, pushing open the door to walk past her. "Out.""Are you drunk again?"Hearing the word 'again' caused an ache in your heart. Sometimes you didn't realize how often she had to view you like this a few years ago, and here she was, watching you do it all over again."So what?" you grumbled stubbornly, stumbling towards your room. Your feet tripped on a protruded wooden plank on the floor, causing you to fall against the wall. Paulina rushed to your side to straighten you up immediately. She pushed open the door to your room to bring you to your bed. You dropped onto your bed with a groan and rolled onto your back, one leg draped off the side of the bed. She slowly shut the door and locked it."Just because your body has now fully healed doesn't mean you get to go and sabotage it again." She crossed her arms over her chest sternly."Sounds like something Mom would say."She walked up to you and lightly kicked at your hanging leg. "Sit up."You groaned in response, turning on your side to face away from her. She placed both of her hands firmly on your arm and shook you."Sit up, Eden," she ordered firmly."When did you get all bossy?""I'm being serious. This isn't funny." Her forehead was creased in anger. "I thought you let go of this habit."An exhale slipped past your lips, but you still obliged. You averted your gaze as you sat up, staring at the wall. A heavy silence welcomed itself in the room, then you felt some movement near the end of your mattress. Turning your head forward again, you saw that Paulina planted herself in the corner of your bed, eyes intent on you. Instead of fury, her face expressed concern."Were you crying?"You chose not to respond to that, still avoiding her gaze."Something happened in Paradis," she said. "Let's talk about it."With a sigh, you kicked your shoes off and criss-crossed your legs on the bed. "Now isn't the time. Let's just go to bed.""I'm worried that if we put it off for any longer, I'll find you doing much worse to yourself tomorrow."You paused, furrowing your eyebrows. Did she think you would kill yourself?"I'm not- I wouldn't do whatever you're insinuating, Paulina," you countered immediately."You've been acting so strange ever since the conference, and now you've come home disgustingly drunk like you used to. You always used to go out drinking whenever you were distressed about something. That was all you did after Mom died, and again after what you did to Dad. I don't want to find you dead one day because of alcohol poisoning. If you keep internalizing your emotions, it'll kill you one day. I can't stand to see you like this."Hearing Paulina's response made you realize just how much she had to mature since you were gone. She was only fifteen, yet she was calling you out like a mother would. You were supposed to be her protector - someone she could look up to, and yet, you were just giving her more of a reason to resent you just like you how you felt about your father.You didn't want to replicate the relationship you had with your father with her. You didn't want her to feel disappointed in how you'd turned out. The way you'd been handling yourself was not commendable at all."I'm so sorry," you apologized. "I didn't want you to have to see me this way.""Then tell me what's going on and let me help you." She shuffled her body a little closer. "I know you, Eden. I know you probably don't think so, but I've always been an observant child, and I've seen the way you've dealt with certain things. I wasn't old enough then, and I know you probably think I'm not old enough now, but I really want to understand what's going on.""I..." you trailed off, your words being consumed by hesitation. "I don't know, Paulina. This is just... this isn't easy to talk about.""Remember what Mom told you." She grabbed your hand reassuringly. "If you bottle up all your emotions, you'll explode."You nodded, reflecting back on that memory. She was right; you couldn't hold in your feelings about this for any longer, or else you could end up even worse than you were now. But then again, could you trust your sister with your true feelings? How would you know if she'd understand your stance if she helped with the Larry Tybur investigation?"Can I ask you something?" you asked. She nodded in response. "Is it true that you helped with the Larry Tybur investigation?"She pulled her hand away from yours, then turned her gaze to the floor. "Yes, but I- I didn't know we were related to him. I had been taking books from the library without permission, then one day, the commander found one of them when it fell out of my bag during warrior training. I thought I was done for, but instead, he just asked me to recount what I knew and used it to his advantage. It was only then that I aided them with the investigation, and that was when he offered me medical school as an alternative to warrior training. Before that, he hardly bat an eye at me. He treated me just like the other warriors in training, if not, even worse because I didn't possess the strength you did. In a way, being involved with this investigation was what saved me. It allowed me to be seen in a better light." She shifted her gaze to look up at you. "But I had no idea they would find out we were related to them. They asked me for a blood sample and I couldn't just say no. I wasn't sure what they were going to use it for until the meeting yesterday. It's my fault that you had to be forced into this position. I'm sorry. If I hadn't been careless about-"You placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her rambling. "I'm not mad at you, Paulina."She stared back at you skeptically. "But you were furious after hearing the news yesterday. It was clear you didn't want this.""What you did wasn't intentional, and like you said, being involved this way was what ended up saving you. You found a way to use your strengths to your advantage, and I could never be upset at you for that. If anything, I'm proud that you were able to do it on your own without my help."She grabbed your hand from her shoulder and lowered it. "You have only thirteen years left to live and it's all because I accidentally dropped a book in front of the commander. You should be furious.""Trust me, Paulina, it could be much worse for me right now."The thought of marrying Zeke popped up into your head again. You fought back a gag at the thought. Inheriting a titan you didn't want was one thing, but doing that while also getting married to a man you despised? That would have been your final straw."Okay," she responded dejectedly. "But I'd still like to talk about this more with you. I meant what I said before. I want to help you. You don't have to bear your burdens alone."
  "You don't have to bear your burdens alone."
Levi's voice invaded your mind again.
  "It's okay to have help. You don't have to do it alone."
"Okay," you finally responded. "Tomorrow we can talk. I promise."A shy smile morphed on her face. "Promise?"You returned the expression. "Promise."She nodded in contentment, rising from the bed. "I'm gonna go grab you some water, then you better be going to bed.""Yes, Mom," you quipped. She rolled her eyes as she headed towards the door. You laughed to yourself as you extended your legs out on the bed, but then knitted your eyebrows when another realization came about."Hey, Paulina?""Hm?" She paused her movements and whipped her head around, one hand on the doorknob."How did you know Mom said that to me? About not bottling up my emotions? I never said any of that to you."Well, you hadn't said any of that to anyone, actually. How the hell did she know about it?She snapped her head back around in embarrassment. "Uh... I mean... I've overhead Mom talking to you sometimes. I know I was really young, but I still remember a few things."Her response was far too suspicious. "I don't even think you were born when she said that to me."She remained silent, her grip on the doorknob tightening.Your eyes widened when you finally registered how she must have found out."You read my journals, didn't you?""No," she answered immediately. You stood up from the bed, crossing your arms over your chest."Look at me, Paulina."Very slowly, she turned around to face you, embarrassment written all over her face. "Okay, I might have," she finally replied."You little sh@t-""I was just curious, okay!" Heat rose on her face. "I know I shouldn't have, but there was so much more I wanted to know about you and I just really looked up to you and I wanted to know more about Mom and Dad too because I don't really remember them and-""Paulina-""You always kept stuff to yourself and I know I was probably too young to understand some things, but I feel like I didn't really know you and the only way to learn about you was to pry into your journals-""Paulina-""But I only read through them once, and once only, I swear! I just missed you a lot and this was the only way I could connect with you so I-""Paulina!" you snapped, placing both of your hands on her shoulders to shake her. "My goodness, please take a breath. You've been rambling for so long."She let in a deep inhale after her long defense, stabilizing her breathing."I'm sorry," she apologized. "I read them right after you left, and I know I shouldn't have invaded your privacy like that, but a part of me was worried that I'd never see you again."You sighed, staring back at her with sympathy while lowering your arms. Although you were a bit annoyed that she decided to pry into your personal life like that, you had to remember she was - and still was - just a kid. Kids were always going to make stupid decisions like these.That still didn't mean you weren't upset about it, though."It's fine. I forgive you, but now that I'm here, please just ask me instead of poking around at my stuff." You poked at her chest playfully. "I swear I'll answer.""So you'll keep your promise then?" she inquired. "You'll tell me everything tomorrow?"You grinned at her. "I promise.""Okay." Twisting open the door knob, she pulled open the door. She extended one foot out the door, then paused, glancing at you from over her shoulder. "And for the record, everything you said in your journals, including what you said to the commander... I agree.""We'll talk more tomorrow," you whispered, making sure you wouldn't wake up Reiner or Karina. She nodded and shut the door, making her way to the kitchen to grab you a glass of water. You leaned your back against the door, tipping your head back and sighing in relief.A sense of ease washed over you knowing that you now had your sister to confide in. You didn't need to harbor these intense emotions anymore; you could freely express them with someone who was willing to listen.You silently thanked your mother for granting you not only a mother's love, but a sister's love, too.
  
  

    
      
        
        
          Hey folks! I've got some good news and bad news...Good news - I'm gonna update earlier this week. I should have it up by Friday the 28th :).Bad news - Next update after that will be July 14th... (or 15th because I do tend to miss my Sunday deadlines sometimes V_V).I'm going on a trip, and I leave this weekend. I know July 14th is a bit far, but I won't have much writing time and I wanna make sure I have enough leeway to write again when I return.As always, thank you all so much for the support <3. It means more than I can ever say. I love you all MUAH xoxo.See you Friday!- Mar'
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