𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎,
𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂

❛ tear her heart to                           shreds
  rip her                   veins from her body
  leave the scene behind a              mess
     but never forget her plan for revenge ❜

                         𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐀, 𝕶elaya ran; she pushed with everything she had while doing her utmost best to keep a tight grip on her nieces, both who were crying in fear. The thunderous footsteps behind her were enough to send trembles of fear through her body.

The menacing, thump, thump, thump. Echoed in her ears, causing her to tighten her hold on her nieces some more and sprint with everything she had because god forbid anything happened to the last family she had left.

She turned the corner, her body was growing exhausted. Luckily, the titan with a painted grin on its face was long gone, it had gotten distracted by a man running behind Kelaya. The poor man was limping when the large hand reached down and took hold of him.

Kelaya knew she wasn't going to be able to save him. Her priority was getting both Isla and Kai to safety, and as much as it traumatized her to hear the loud crunch, after Andro himself tugged on the man's sleeve to try and get him to safety . . . she let him go.

Just like she was forced to let her family go.

She leaned against the brick wall, in order to catch her breath. She was panting and sweat beaded down her forehead signifying how tired she was becoming. Andro nudged her leg in a hurry, not wanting his owner to stop and risk getting injured.

"Aunt La-Laya," Kai whimpered. "Are we going to die?"

Kelaya shook her head. There was no chance in hell that she was dying, "No! Neither you nor your sister is going to die! You hear me?"

Kai weakly nodded and tightened her grip on her Aunt. With every thump she heard, she cowered into her Aunt's neck. Terrified of the menacing creatures, she had seen. Kelaya knew Kai was going to be tortured with the memories of the fallen she had seen be devoured.

A wail from Isla made Kai jump a bit, so much so that the poor girl almost let go of her Aunt's neck.

Kai sighed, "I-I think she's scared, Aunt Laya."

Kelaya looked down at the baby in her arms and frowned. She too, wished to cry her eyes out, but now wasn't the time.

Kelaya soothingly patted Isla's back trying to calm the trembling baby, "Shhh, Isla. It's okay."

As Kelaya soothed her niece, Kai suddenly perked up as did Andro. Both looked up in front of Kelaya with tilted heads, both curious at the faint yelling they had just heard. Kelaya was far too engrossed in trying to soothe Isla's sobbing to even hear.

A nudge brought her to an abrupt stop. A tiny finger came into view pointing at something in front of them, "Look, Aunt Laya! It's—"

Kelaya squinted her eyes, the familiar light brown colored high waist jacket with two blood red roses adorned on the back stood further in front of her. It was a miracle that Kelaya hadn't noticed them the moment she rounded the corner. The familiar clean-shaven blonde hair was enough to speak for itself—

"Hannes!" Kelaya gasped out astounded to see the man before her after seeing so many innocent people die. Isla's cries had died down, so Kelaya tightened her hold and rushed towards the man.

                         As she got closer, she noticed the two smaller bodies with him. Both were visibly upset, one with tears streaming down his face.

                         "Eren?!" Kelaya's eyes widen, and they then landed on the body next to him. "Mikasa?!"

                         Kelaya knew the two little ones, how could she not? The Visha family and the Yeager family lived only one house down from one another constantly visiting the other in any given situation. Kelaya's sister, Lilura, worked in the same tavern as Eren's mother, Carla, becoming close friends both on and off work, so close to the fact that Lilura was Carla's maid of honor in her friend's marriage to the beloved Grisha Yeager.

                         Kelaya was ten when she was first introduced to baby Eren. The chubby baby had the habit of grabbing a fistful of her hair and trying to stuff it in his mouth, and no matter how many times she scolded him, his teal-colored eyes seem to always get him out of it.

The older she grew, the more she'd babysit the younger when both of his parents were working. Kelaya loved Eren like he was her nephew, especially with how close Eren was to Aiden. Both boys were joined by the hip —Armin included— and when Mikasa joined the Yeager family, she was immediately included in their little circle.

Kelaya looked at the three with a frown on her face, "Where's Carla?"

Eren turned rigid, his entire body tensed up at the sound of his mother's name. The tears leaking from his eyes were now waterfalls, coating the soil beneath him. His face was heartbroken, and Kelaya knew that face all too well. It was the face plastered on her when she caught a glimpse of herself on a glass window running away from her deceased family.

Mikasa glanced at her best friend, her frown still present on her face, "C-Carla didn't make it," her teary eyes then landed on the girls in Kelaya's arms. "Laya, Where's Aiden?"

Kelaya's body tensed, much like Eren's before. The sickening sight of an unrecognizable body flashed in her mind. Why did the world make the good people suffer? The purest of hearts are always tormented by the most devastating tragedies.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that they were born in a world seconds away from falling. It wasn't fair that they all had to witness a loved one brutally murdered before their eyes. It wasn't fair that the world never took into account all the good people it had produced only to ruin them in any way, shape, or form.

Kelaya's body began to tremble. Mikasa and Aiden's friendship was pure. The way she always managed to catch her nephew picking flowers that he claimed reminded him of Mikasa's eyes. The way when they were stuck in a crowd and Mikasa's eyes seemed to always look for him, and vice versa. Now, she had to tell the young girl the boy who protected her and gave her happiness more than most, was no longer alive.

Kelaya's lip quivered. The feelings of before weighed down on her chest almost making it hard to breathe. She didn't miss the way Eren perked up at the mention of his best friend. So, with her hands still around Isla she knelt down in front of them, a sad smile on her face. Their big eyes watching her in fear, "A-Aiden's gone."

Mikasa and Eren both gasped, tears already storming into their eyes, "N-No! That can't be true!" Eren wailed.

Hannes placed a hand on Eren's shoulder, in order to console him, only for the younger to brush him off.

Kelaya looked at the two kids with her own blue eyes filled with trepidation, "Aiden's gone, and there's nothing we can do about it," Mikasa was stunned. Her body was frozen, and tears leaked from her eyes. "But that doesn't mean he would want us to give up. His memory is alive, with us . . . and the only way to keep his memory strong is to survive, not for him, but for everyone," Kelaya gently ran her knuckle to wipe a tear from Eren's face. "Including your mom."

Kelaya stood and held out her free hand to Eren, who immediately took hold of it. Relishing in the motherly comfort Kelaya always seemed to provide. Out of instinct, Mikasa grabbed a fistful of Kelaya's shirt . . . . terrified of losing her too.

Mikasa suddenly looked up at Kelaya, her large gray eyes still full of unshed tears, "Do you promise to survive, Laya?" she buried her head in her stomach. "Because I don't want to lose you too."

Kelaya began walking a sad smile on her face, "Only if you all promise to survive too."

Kelaya knew the horrors they both witnessed was something they'd never be able to unsee, despite wanting so much to cleanse them from them. To shelter them from any and every storm.

Her cracked wings wanted to desperately wrap around them, no matter if it caused them the utmost agony . . . . because the pain she felt was something she would never wish on another especially the four sweet kids around her.

Hannes suddenly appeared next to Kelaya, "Let me take her," he jutted his thumb to Kai, who had somehow fallen asleep on her Aunt's back. Her head lolled from side to side with every step she took. She looked unnaturally exhausted, like the weight of the world was crushing her shoulders. A look a child should never have, "Kid's probably tired from the hell she just witnessed. She's a tough one."

Kelaya agreed. Once Kai was off her back, the pain on her back was relieved, "She's tough," Kelaya nodded, looking at the sleeping face of Kai, dried blood coating her unblemished face. "Like her dad."

The sudden remembrance of her brother formed a lump in her throat. The oldest of four whom always looked out for her. Despite their age gap, they were always close. Thick as thieves.

Caspen was the first to find Kelaya's many blueprints crinkled under her bed full of weapons, mechanisms, and machines she had created for mere amusement. Each as complex as the next. With these weapons on their side, surely, they'd make a dent against the titans, he would argue.

                         Kelaya never understood her brother's fascination with the nightmare outside of the walls. His interest was concerning to her to the point where she'd believe it'd get him killed and the moment he graduated and joined the Scout Regiment, her concerned worsened. Especially when he was promoted to squad leader.

                         Her plan was to burn the pieces of parchment and bury the ashes, I mean, the world didn't need them. Everyone was fine as long as they stayed inside the walls, Why would they want anything more?

                         Yet, despite their opposition, he didn't deserve the way he died. None of her family did, it was cruel and they were good people. It was unacceptable, but she knew who was to blame.

It was the fucking Titans, and oh was she angry.

"I'm sorry."

Hannes' voice snapped her from her thoughts. They were closing in on the gate connecting Shiganshina District to Wall Maria, the titans had made progress but they were still a bit far from them.

"Your old folks were good people. Always looking to help whoever they could. They sure as hell blessed humanity by making you four," Kelaya's face darkened with grief. "Your brother, Caspen, saved my ass more than I can count. They didn't deserve what they got."

                         She desperately tried to stop her chin from quivering, "Doesn't matter," she replied curtly.

                         Hannes' bloodshot eyes lit up in surprise, "Huh?"

                         "They're gone," Kelaya said not even sparing him a glance as they rushed through the gate, closing in on the line for the next ferry. "They're all gone, and it's those sick bastards' fault," her face morphed into anger. "They took my family away. They took Kai and Isla's father. They took Eren's mom. They took so much, I—"

                         "Kid—"

                         "Next Ferry will be leaving shortly! No personal belongings! We need to make as much room as possible!" A nearby soldier yelled.

                         Kelaya turned to Haness, a wild look in her eyes something that was never there before. It was a large contrast to her usual sky-like eyes that held no malice in them whatsoever, "Cas was right. Shit, that smartass was right all along. Why didn't I believe him? Why—"

                         Hannes' sighed seeing the girl in front of her processing the loss of her family. Her emotions whirling as her mind ventured to a land tainted with blood. "Come on, kid," he lightly pushed her towards the ferry.

                         The sight of her deceased family members flashed through her mind, one by one. Like a cycle, like a loop.

                         "I'm . . . I'm going to end them."

                         It felt like the right thing to do. The guilt ripping her heart to shreds the more her mind processed her tragic loss—the tragedy. If she had just listened to her brother, and joined his side against the war with those sick bastards . . . This couldn't have happened . . . Right? 

                         Surely, her mind wouldn't be on the verge of collapse and her body moments away from following. Surely her heart wouldn't feel as though a titan itself tore through her chest, leaving a bloody mess behind, in search of her heart and shoved it in its mouth in contempt. Not once batting its eye at her screams or sobs.

                         Fuck, if only she had listened.

Hannes was left stunned. He watched as Kelaya and the kids mounted the ferry with Andro wagging his tail behind them, occasionally nudging his nose against Mikasa or Eren, trying to cheer them up.

                         "I'm sorry, ma'am," A man suddenly stood in front of her, preventing her from seating the kids. She still had Isla in her arms, and Kai was currently holding Eren's hand walking alongside him. When the man stood in the frame, she cowered into him. "We won't allow a mutt on the ferry when plenty of people still need to get on."

                         He was a middle-aged man, maybe late thirties. His brown hair was disheveled, probably due to the frantic nature of their situation. His large brown eyes were wide with fear, but as he looked at Andro, a look of disgust washed over them.

Kelaya furrowed her eyebrows. A crowd was beginning to form around her, causing her to automatically pull the children closer to her, in fear of losing them, "Excuse me?"

The man scowled, "You heard me. You either throw the damn mutt out . . . or I will."

Kelaya scoffed and handed a sleeping Isla to Mikasa. Mikasa frowned but cradled Isla in her arms, as Kelaya did earlier.

Kelaya turned around once again and raised her eyebrows, "This mutt was trained specifically for the military. He's saved more lives than you can count," Kelaya took a step forward and jabbed a finger into his chest. "While you were cutting in line pushing women, men, and children. He was saving lives," Kelaya looked at the crowd around her, the screams from over the wall were echoing in her ears. "No one touches the dog and the kids. If you do . . . You answer to me."

No one said anything. They continued not to say anything when Kelaya sat the children down. Only whispers of terror were heard, faint pleas to their higher power to wake up from the nightmare. A nightmare that destroyed their minds.

                          They all looked miserable, and Kelaya couldn't help but feel like it. The kids around her were tormented by what they had just witnessed, something kids should never witness. It was horrifying.

                          Andro was in Kelaya's lap, seated comfortably while his owner soothed Isla back to slee—

                          "Hey! No! What do you think you're doing?!"

                         A sudden commotion sounded throughout the ferry. People were clearly in distress yelling and pleading, scared out of their minds as if they weren't before. Kelaya stood, wanting to see what was going on . . . and then she realized.

                         The ferry was at full capacity, yet so many people were left waiting in line. To make matters worse, this was the last ferry. The very last ferry as the others already took off.

                          People began to push desperate to seek refuge on the ferry, their only means to escape.

                          "What are the rest of us supposed to do?"

                          "I'm sorry! It's at full capacity!"

                          "You can't do this, please! At least let our children on board!"

                           "Look, there's nothing we can do! Push off, now!"

                           That's when hell broke loose. As the ferry began to move people grew restless. Multiple bodies jumped over the river trying to latch onto the ferry. Some were able to grab the rail, others weren't lucky and were sent plunging down towards the water.

                          BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Abrupt noises drew everyone's attention, worsening the fear they already held inside of each of their trembling bodies. It was coming from inside Shiganshina. Every boom made the earth shake, similar to the Colossus titan.

Before Kelaya and everyone else knew it, a hole was blasted once again in wall Maria. A titan, maybe fifteen meters high, sent debris everywhere. And all the people on the ferry could do was watch, and pray they would be able to escape.

                        Kelaya exhaled a shaky breath, all she could do was relish in the fact that not her entire family was gone —instead half was in her arms and the other half had her head on her aunt's shoulder seeking comfort in the older.

                         Before she knew it, Eren had stood up from beside her, tears dripping down his face. His palms remained scarred, and Kelaya had a guess as to why.

                         Armin confusedly watched his best friend and went to place a hand on his shoulder, "Eren? What's Wrong? Do you see something?"

                         Eren aggressively pushed his arm away and slammed his own bloodied hands on the ferry's railing. The tears didn't stop and Kelaya didn't expect them to, he had been through too much.

                         "I'm going to put a stop to this!" He snarled. "I'll kill them all! Every last one!"

                          That's when Kelaya knew, that her nieces weren't going to be the only children she'd have to protect.

                           .  .  . 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒔𝒉𝒆'𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉

✦          AUTHORS NOTE — . . . Kelaya is a single mom who is STRUGGLING fr. also, her guilt is going to be a major part of this book.