(Chapter by Mia-Zoe, collage by IlluminatiSistersXOX)

DEVON

I felt nervous, but my team had the upper hand because we played it before. Tiffany explained the rules and said that if you catch a ball, a member of your team that's out will come back in and the person who threw the ball is out.

We started and I threw a ball at Lucius, but he stepped aside. Mia was like a machine gun, throwing balls at all of the people on the other team. Michaela was able to dodge the ball Gina threw at her, so she grabbed another ball near her and hit me with it.

"NOOO!!" I whined, acting like it was the end of the world.

Tiffany giggled and shrugged as if it was no big deal. And it really wasn't, but I sure acted like it was.

Phoebe had exceptional aim, and Mia, who had caught a ball, was super excited about it and acted like it was the best thing that ever happened.

I got back in happily and saw that everyone on the other side was out, except for Henri and Phoebe. Mia was super excited, and Meghan chucked a ball at Henri's face.

It hit Henri hard and Phoebe was the only one standing on the other team. I lightly tossed a ball and hit her. Nathan frowned while Michaela sighed and said, "Really, Devon?"

"Let's mix it up more," Henri suggested, so Mia and Tristan switched teams.

Meghan and Gina told us to go for Mia, so we did, despite the fact that she was moving around like crazy. I sighed and hit Lucius instead.

Michaela got Stephanie out, and Mia chucked balls at Gina until she got out. I got Tiffany out after a bunch of tries, and Meghan caught Henri's ball, allowing Stephanie to come back in while Henri got out.

Mia caught the ball Meghan threw at her, and Tiffany came back in with a smirk on her face. She was clearly ready to hit me hard.

Tiffany had just chucked a ball at me when somebody stepped into the training area and asked, "What do you brats think you're doing? We've got training to do!" It was Wisteria, and she seemed livid.

"We're...um...practicing our aim by chucking and dodging these balls!" Mia stammered.

"Yeah, it really helps them out when it comes to working on having quick reflexes," Gina added.

"Okay, continue," Wisteria muttered, going back inside.

"THAT was a close one," I thought.

"Okay, we're resuming the game in five...four...three...two...one!" Mia announced, and as soon as she finished counting, Tiffany hit me so hard that I started screaming like a six-year-old before I went, despite the fact that I was almost nineteen.

We kept playing until someone I recognized as Eren Jaëger came in and called out, "Mia? Meghan? Erwin needs you two for something."

Meghan immediately followed Eren inside. Mia replied, "Hey Eren! I'll be there in a minute! Lucas, do you mind taking my place while Jared takes Meghan's place?"

Jared smiled brightly and said, "Sure!"

Lucas looked at Mia, then at Michaela, then back at Mia before replying, "I guess so."

"Thanks, guys!" Mia hollered before running off to join Eren and Meghan.

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Moments later, Mia and Meghan came out of Erwin's office acting very giddy, so I asked them, "What's so exciting?"

"Meghan and I are taking four other cadets with us to see the king for a special mission!" Mia squealed.

"And since we each get to choose...I think I'm going to take Tiffany and Gina with me," Meghan said.

"Hmm...I'm going to take Lucius and Michaela. If it's okay with Stella, that is," Mia said.

Stella thought about it and turned to Lucas before asking him, "Are you okay with that?"

Lucas glanced at Michaela before saying, "Yeah. Sure. But if she dies, you're going with her."

Mia nodded, but I could tell that she was petrified on the inside. I knew that Lucas had been acting way more overprotective towards Michaela since we traveled back in time. And it was probably because there were titans to watch out for now. But something was telling me that there was a bigger reason why Lucas was behaving so...well, strange.

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Apparently, the king and the scouts had to discuss what the plans were for the next expedition, which would be taking place in a few days. I found this out from Michaela, who told a few other cadets about her discussion with the king as well.

The next morning, when I went to the cafeteria for breakfast, I noticed Mia cooking eggs with leaves in them. "Hey, Mia?" I asked while cringing a bit. "Why are you putting leaves in the eggs?"

Mia laughed and said, "It's basil, dill, and cheese, Devon. You have that in the twenty-first century, right?"

"Yes, as if Devon would know," Tiffany giggled.

Henri came into the cafeteria moments later, holding a cantaloupe and standing next to a girl who was carrying a pig that had clearly just been hunted. I easily recognized this girl as Sasha Braus, otherwise known as Potato Girl.

Mia turned to her and asked, "Oh, Sasha, will you start preparing that?"

Sasha nodded and started skinning the pig before cooking it into bacon. Alexandrea came rushing into the cafeteria, smiling as she smelled her breakfast being prepared. Stella, Jared, Lucas, Michaela, and the other cadets and scouts followed behind her.

There were a lot of people who were about my age at breakfast, but I didn't know them very well. Once we had devoured all of our food, Mia, Alexandrea, and Stephanie disappeared upstairs.

Once they came back down, Alexandrea had a bohemian braid in her hair, and she was dressed in a buttoned mint green dress with tiny kelly green flowers printed on it. The dress touched her knees, and along with the dress, she wore a white, long-sleeved cardigan that was left unbuttoned. She looked extremely pretty.

Mia had also gotten what the boys from the Society and I call "Stephanized". Her light brown, hip-length hair was curled and left down, and she was wearing a bit of makeup that Stephanie somehow took with her to this time period.

Later on, we had to keep practicing our sword-fighting skills, and sadly, I got partnered up with Meghan again. Lucas was with Henri, and Stella was with Mia. They all did really well, so I got distracted and let Meghan hit me with the flat part of her blade.

I started getting better when Mia came over and helped me out with my sword-fighting skills. After she gave me her advice, I started improving, and hey- I even felt like a ninja.

I was even starting to beat Meghan, even though she won the fight in the end. Later, I was partnered up with Tristan, and when I used the techniques that Mia taught me, Tristan could barely block my attacks.

"Am I going to hard on you, man?" I smirked as I returned to a fighting stance.

"I'm just surprised that you could do that," Tristan panted. "After all, you weren't doing that well with Meghan earlier."

"Gee, how kind of you, Tristan," I growled.

Tristan chuckled and kept blocking my attacks. He was rarely ever able to attack me, and when Wisteria saw this as she was passing by the cadets, I could've sworn I saw her smiling.

"Not bad, Cadet Brody," Wisteria murmured. "Cadet Wells, I'd start fighting back if I were you. You wouldn't want the titans to think of you as a delicacy that came to them for free."

Thinking about the titans made me want to gag. I couldn't imagine what I would do if Tristan or anyone else from the Society got eaten. And I wasn't about to let that happen, either.