IN WHICH WALL MARIA FALLS!
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ARMS TONITE  ∕  CHAPTER ZERO

      ROSES ARE OVERRATED. Araminta did not know a lot of things--she was only ten, why would she need to?--but she did know that roses were overrated. Her father had managed to find some for cheap enough in the town square,  and brought them home as some sort of peace offering for her mother. As she sat at the edge of the table, eating the toast she'd been given for breakfast, her amber eyes glared at the already wilting roses, wondering what the best way to get rid of them were.

      There weren't a whole lot of flowers in Shiganshina, so she couldn't say she had found the best smelling one yet. So far, though, she'd really taken a liking to the scent of lilacs. And bonus!--they were purple, which she had already proclaimed to be her favorite color. Why hadn't her father brought home lilacs? They definitely smelled much better than roses, and weren't quite as ugly when they began to die.

      If only she had laser vision, she could burn the flowers right there in the kitchen. But alas, she hadn't been gifted with that ability. So instead, she would stare at them like she did have laser vision until she came up with a different plan.

      "'Minta, love, you've barely touched your food." Her mother pointed out, gesturing to her plate as she passed by. The small girl huffed, picking it up and ripping a piece of it off aggressively with her teeth. From across the table, Araminta could practically hear her sister roll her eyes.

      "You could at least try to act like you have manners." Marina critiqued.

      Araminta ignored her, returning her gaze to the roses. If her future husband ever brought her home roses, she thought she might make him sleep outside in the rain. They were pretty enough when they were freshly cut, like the afternoon her father returned home with them, but that was two days ago and they'd already begun wilting. Two days. Who knew a flower could be so weak.

      The sound of her mother clearing her throat forced her back to reality, leaving her thoughts in the dust. She turned to look up at her mother, who was gathering her father's dishes next to her. "Marina, I need you and Araminta to go pick up some fruit from the market." Her mother was always soft spoken, her voice reminded Araminta of the warm honey her father would get in the summer. Her delicate fingers reached up to push her long, dark hair out of her eyes as she made her way to the sink to wash the dishes.

      Araminta nodded, taking another quick bite of her breakfast. She loved going to the market, and getting to see the different people bustling around. She loved it a little less when Marina went with her, though. Marina was bossy, she would scold Araminta for absolutely no reason (or at least no reason she could see), and yank her hair if she moved too fast, or swatted at her head if she did something she deemed unladylike. And apparently Araminta did a lot of unladylike things when they visited the market.

      "Does Marina have to come with me?" She pouted, still chewing her food. Marina, as if on cue, reached over and swatted at her head.

      "Don't talk with your mouth full. And you know I have to go with you, I'm the one who handles the money." She scolded, narrowing her eyes.

      Araminta stuck out her tongue.

      "Marina, don't hit your sister." Her father spoke up for the first time since they'd sat down to eat, glancing up from over the newspaper in his hands and shooting his older daughter a glare. She lowered her head in what looked like shame.

      "Yeah, don't hit me!" Araminta hissed, thankful for her father to be on her side. Or at least she thought he was on her side, but she hadn't forgotten the roses. If he was truly on her side, he would have brought home lilacs, wouldn't he? She didn't know who to trust.

      Apparently he wasn't on her side, as he shifted his deadly glare to her. "Stop picking fights, 'Minta. Just listen to your mother and go to the market without making if a big deal." Once again, she huffed, looking down at her now half eaten toast.

      She took another bite, and found her eyes once again drifting to the roses--the peace offering. Suddenly she was recalling the awful sound of her parents fighting in the kitchen a few nights earlier, while she had been reading some book Marina had given her to distract herself. It had been hard to focus on the book though, due to the thinness of the walls and the volume of their shouts. It wasn't their first fight, and at the time, Araminta didn't expect it to be their last.

      Every time they did fight, though, it was the same cycle. They would ignore each other the morning after, not even bothering to make eye contact and bringing a huge blanket of awkwardness into the room that Araminta absolutely hated. And then her father would go to work for the day, and her mother would spend her own day distracting herself by cleaning every inch of the home--even worse, Araminta would have to help her. But, an hour before sunset, her father would return home with some sort of gift for her mother, whether it be honey, or a new dress, or--god forbid--a bundle of roses. Then they would be happy for a few weeks, or in especially lucky cases, a few months before the cycle would repeat itself again.

      They had found themselves in the wonderful honeymoon stage now. And even though Araminta hated the ugly, wilting roses in the middle of the table, she did owe the joyful bliss to them.

      "Sorry, papa." She mumbled, biting into her toast. His hand found itself on top of her head, giving her dark hair a soft ruffle that made her giggle. Aw. So maybe he was on her side after all.

      As toast crumbs escaped onto the table, she heard Marina grumble across from her, trying her hardest not to say anything. Then, her mother left her spot by the sink, taking a new position behind the eldest daughter. A soft chuckle made its way through her lips as she placed a comforting hand on Marina's shoulder. It was pleasant, it was blissful, it was perfect. The perfect moment before everything would go to absolute shit.

      "ARAMINTA! SLOW DOWN!" The all too familiar feeling of Marina's hand tugging Araminta's hair immediately brought the younger girl to a halt. The market had been quite busy compared to usual, packed full of other residents of Shiganshina who had decided to do their shopping that morning. Araminta found comfort in the crowd, weaving in and out of the groups of people while Marina desperately tried to keep up with her.

      She hissed in response to her hair being pulled, whipping around to face her older sister. Marina was pretty, much, much prettier than Araminta. Though the two of them shared most of their features, like their dark hair and perky noses, but Marina had emerald green eyes that would stand out anywhere. She was only three years older than Araminta, but she already looked much more mature than her sister. There were times where she would be jealous of her, but then she would remember that jealousy was stupid and also how mean her sister would be--why would she want to be jealous of someone so mean?

      "Have you ever thought maybe you should just speed up?" The smaller girl retorted, though she did slow to a walk at her sister's side. It was sunny, that was something she very distinctly remembered about that day. It was nearing noon, so the sun had now risen high enough it could be seen over the wall. There were hardly any clouds in sight--you wouldn't expect something bad to happen when the sun was out and shining.

      Marina blew out a small breath between her lips, her hands making their way into the pockets of her dress. "No, I'd rather conserve my energy for something important. You should try it sometime, Minnie." She bumped her hip against Araminta, who in turn stuck out her tongue. She swore she saw Marina smile for a brief second.  "Come on, Mr. Barton's stall isn't too much farther."

      Araminta stuck out her bottom lip as she followed her sister, kicking some of the small pebbles that were scattered across the cobblestone. A plethora of shouts and gasps around her dragged her gaze upwards, only to see the green cloaks of the Scout Regiment. From what her short memory could conjure up, her father had mentioned them going on a mission beyond the walls.

      The two girls came to a stop, eyes wide in awe as they watched the soldiers rode by valiantly--or maybe not so valiantly. Most of the soldiers heads hung low, a sadness in their eyes that she hadn't seen before. Araminta didn't get scared easily, she wasn't scared of bugs, or rats, or even her sister when she got angry, but this--the ghost of the horror the soldiers witnessed plastered across their faces--this scared her. She'd never seen someone look so.... So defeated. Just what horrors had the Titans unleashed on them? A part of her hoped she'd never find out.

      "Do you think I'd make it as a Scout, Minnie?" Her sisters voice came barely above a whisper, her emerald eyes trained in the soldiers ahead of them. Araminta looked at her in surprise, her eyebrows raised before looking back to the Scouts as well.

      Once before Marina had mentioned joining the military, and fighting for humanity. Honestly, Araminta thought that she had been joking. But as she stood beside her, a look of determination resting on her face that she'd never seen before, she knew it wasn't a joke. Marina was young, and she was fit, and she might just have the guts to do it. Though the thought of her being one of those soldiers passing by solemnly, with the memories of the horrors she witnessed beyond the walls painted on her once soft and childlike features was not a sight Araminta wanted to see. She also didn't want to see her mother breaking down in the street when greeted by the news of her daughter's death the same way a woman was doing now while speaking with the commander.

      Her throat grew dry. "I don't know, is joining the Scouts very ladylike?" She responded in a teasing tone, though she could barely muster up a smile as she spoke. They stood together in silence for a minute, lost in their own thoughts. A sturdy shoulder passing by pushed against Araminta's arm roughly, bringing her attention back to the current task at hand.

      She cleared her throat, amber eyes shifting once again to see Marina. "We should keep going. The good apples are gonna be all sold if we don't hurry." In a swift movement, she wrapped her small fingers around Marina's wrist and gave her a harsh tug, signaling it was time to go.

      "But I'm serious, Araminta. I think I'm gonna talk to mom and dad about joining the cadet corps." Marina continued the conversation, dropping the nickname she'd been using previously. Araminta pursed her lips together. In her ten year old brain, she thought it'd be pretty cool to go stab Titans and shit, but in a much more serious sense she worried for her sister's sake. If Marina decided that's what she wanted to do, though, Araminta knew there was no stopping her.

      "If you want. As long as you bring home any flowers you find along the way." She shrugged, which seemed to amuse Marina since she giggled loudly. In similar fashion to her father, she reached over and ruffled her little sister's hair, who normally would have smacked her hand away simply smiled.

      "I'll bring you home all the flowers in the world, Min. But no roses, right?"

      "No roses."

      After about ten more minutes of trudging through the crowds of people, the two of them finally made it to the edge of the market where Mr. Barton's fruit stall. Since as long as Araminta could remember they'd been shopping at his little shop for their fruits. Once he noticed the two of them, his face lit up, a wide smile spreading from ear to ear.

      "Ahh, Marina and 'Minta! How are my favorite little ladies?" He greeted them, leaning forward on his elbows. The two of them returned the smile.

      "Hello, Mr. Barton. We're great, how about you--"

      "We're doin' just dandy, Mr. Barton. Do you still have the good apples?" Araminta looked at the old man happily, reaching out to tap her fingers on the edge of his stall. Marina kicked her ankle. Right. Manners.

      He hummed in thought. "I had a feeling you girls would be coming today, so I set out a few just for you." He pulled out a small sack and held it out for the two of them. In one quick movement, Araminta snatched the bag before Marina could get it and peered inside to see he had indeed gotten them the good apples. She grinned.

      "Anything else you need?" He asked in a kind voice, meanwhile Araminta had already dipped into the bag to take a bite of one of the apples.

      Marina rolled her eyes. "We just need a few peaches and pears, that's it." She spoke in response to his question, giving him a smile that said sorry for my sister, she's dumb. He nodded, beginning to gather the fruits she listed.

      As Araminta chewed her apple as loudly as possible, she noticed three figures run past out of the corner of her eyes. She narrowed her eyes once she realized it was the same three kids she'd seen running around Shiganshina often enough, and though she knew they were around her age, and she'd liked to have some friends besides her sister, her father told her to keep her distance since apparently one of the boys was crazier than her--which was saying something. She watched as they ran off towards the river bank, swallowing hard.

      "Hello? Earth to Araminta?" Marina was waving her hand in her face, which she quickly swatted away. "We got the stuff, let's go." She took the bag of apples away before she could eat anymore, then turned to the stall owner. "Thank you again, Mr. Barton! See you later." She waved, then grabbed Araminta's hand to drag her away.

      "Goodbye, Mr. Barton!" She waved as she trailed behind Marina, to which he laughed and returned the gesture.

      THE TWO OF THEM WERE ALMOST HOME. They had been so close to making it home when disaster quite literally struck. Araminta had almost finished eating her apple when there was a flash of light behind them, causing both of them to whip around to see the source of the light.

      It was sunny. Bad things aren't supposed to happen when it's sunny.

      Her apple fell to the ground. A hand rested atop the wall--a huge, muscle clad, ugly hand. Was it what she thought it was? Was she finally witnessing what a real Titan looked like? No, they weren't supposed to be that tall, wasn't that the point of the wall? Her heart sank deep into her stomach as she stared at it in both wonder and horror.

      "Minnie...?" Marina whispered, taking her sister's hand and squeezing it with all her might. Araminta was paralyzed with fear as she watched a face slowly rise up, steam pouring out from between its teeth. She'd never seen anything like it, not even in the pictures she'd seen in school. This was something different.

      Everyone around them stood still, eyes trained on the head staring down at them all menacingly. This was it. This was the end of humanity. Well, at least Araminta lived a nice ten years, she would end up having to settle for lilacs as the best smelling flower. She'd only wished she'd been able to say goodbye to her parents.

       BOOM.

      She hadn't been close enough to see what had happened, but she had been able to hear it. A deafening crash, and a mess of screams coming from the edge of the wall. It became very clear what happened though when house sized boulders began flying overhead, crushing people and houses that fell in their path. And there was one hurdling straight towards her and Marina.

      "Marina, look out!" She grabbed her arm and ran as fast as she could, her older sister barely able to keep up. With all her strength, she thrusted her sister forward before diving to the ground to get out of the way. The stone shook beneath her as the boulder made contact with it, sending a few smaller rocks their way. One of said rocks found itself landing on Marina, causing her to cry out in pain.

      "Shit!" She sat up to look at her shin, which was already painted with different shades of blue and purple. Not good. Not good at all.

      "Come on, we need to go find mom and dad," Araminta breathed heavily, forcing herself to stand up and brush the dust off of her long skirt. With a huff, she held out her hand to Marina, helping her to her feet, though she struggled to stand from the pain spreading through her shin and into her ankle.

      They moved as quick as they could, though Marina was forced to limp and be helped by Araminta, who had somehow overcame her previous panic. Their house wasn't too far ahead, they didn't need to go too far. Marina would be able to make it. She was going to make it.

      "The wall was breached! The wall was breached!" A woman's voice yelled out. Araminta looked over her shoulder to see three adults running towards them. They would have trampled them without a second thought had she not hurriedly gotten out of their way. The wall had been breached. Which meant tons of Titans from the outside world would be flooding inside at any minute.

      With a shaky breath, she continued down their course. She couldn't bring herself to check behind the two of them, knowing there wouldn't be anything she could do if she spotted a Titan. Instead, she'd rather press on with the bliss of ignorance to keep them company. She slowed to a stop, however, when she felt Marina's hand desperately tapping her shoulder.

      "What, what's wrong?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows together and she scanned her sister.

      "I'm just--just slowing, you down..." Her breaths were labored, her chest heaving with each word. Araminta already knew where this was heading, and began shaking her head.

      "No. You're fine, it's just a little bit further." She snapped, and began to try and continue walking but Marina wouldn't budge. "Come on, we need to go!" Her voice cracked as the realization of their current situation hit her. The wall was breached. Titans were flooding the city. There was a new titan like nothing she'd ever seen or heard about, and Marina was injured. The corners of her eyes began to sting.

      No. Do not cry. Not now.

      Marina coughed, raising her hand in an attempt to cover it. "You--, you can escape. Please, just go without me, Minnie. Go find mom and dad--"

      "No! I'm not leaving you, okay? It's not that much further." Marina's eyes had grown glossy, a tear sliding down her dusty cheek.

      "Minnie, listen to me--" A harsh thud on the ground cut her off. Oh god. Oh god. She didn't want to look. She didn't want to see what she already knew was there. But she had to. Slowly, she and Marina turned their heads in sync to see exactly what she expected to see. A Titan--a big one, ten meters at least--stumbling towards them.

      The panic returned, settling in Araminta's chest. "Okay, it's okay, he seems slow, so we can move faster then him. I-I'll carry you." She spoke quickly, turning her back to face Marina. "Come on, we-we can piggyback--"

      "--Araminta, no--"

      "--Just do it! Stop trying to be some selfless hero and let me help you!" She was basically screaming at this point, to which Marina flinched. It seemed the yelling finally got through to her, as she took a step forward and jumped onto Araminta's back. The small girl was not necessarily strong, but the adrenaline coursing through her blood gave her enough strength to carry Marina.

      She began to run, strands of her dark hair falling in her eyes. Unable to use her hands to brush them away, she attempted to blow them out of her face but was unsuccessful. Stupid, she was being followed by a Titan with her injured sister hanging onto her back and she was concerned about the hair in her eyes. Stupid.

      Her pace was beginning to slow as she began to run low on energy, and the Titan was starting to get closer. Before she knew it, her foot got caught on a piece of debris laying on the pathway, causing her to face plant onto the cobblestone. Marina rolled off her back, a small groan escaping from her lips. Araminta propped herself up on her elbows, taking a moment to catch her breath.

      "Minnie, please... Please tell, mom and dad, that I--"

      "No. Stop it. Tell them yourself." She insisted, but it didn't look like she'd be able to change Marina's mind this time around.

      "Tell them I love them. And... I love you, Minnie. I hope you find that flower you're looking for." She smiled, reaching out to give Araminta's hand one last squeeze. Her eyes widened as she watched her sister push herself to her feet, and move towards the Titan before them.

       "No... No, no, no! Marina, please!" The sob she'd been holding back finally erupted in her throat. By the time she'd finally leapt up to her feet in an attempt to stop her, she was already being lifted into the air by the Titan. "NO! MARINA!" She felt helpless as she watched, tears staining her cheeks and dripping down onto her fingers.

      "Go! Run!" Marina shouted, before the Titan shoved her into his mouth.

      The sound of her fragile bones being crunched between his teeth echoed throughout the small alleyway. Araminta couldn't move, she couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. Her sister was dead. She died. She had been devoured right in front of her eyes, and she had done nothing to stop it from happening. And now her blood was quite literally on her hands, having splashed all over the Titan and street like a freshly popped berry.

      Marina was the better daughter. She was the one that was supposed to make the family proud, and enroll in the cadet corps and be a soldier. She was supposed to fall in love and get married, and live a long happy life with her spouse. She was supposed to be her big sister, her role model. Who was going to scold her for being unladylike? And pull her hair when she moved too fast?

      The feeling of it should have been me would forever haunt Araminta. But it hadn't been her. And right now, she was seconds away from the same fate that had befallen her sister. Apart of her thought of staying still, and letting herself be crushed the same way Marina had. The thought of living in a world without her sister terrified her, and honestly she did not want to live in that world.

      But then she remembered Marina's last words. Go! Run! Like it or not, Marina wanted her to live. So she needed to do just that. Scrambling to her feet, she shot the very ugly Titan one last glare before turning and running again. Without Marina on her back, she managed to run much quicker than before. Her house was only a few blocks down, she was so close. Marina was so close.

      That was the moment when Araminta decided on her second question. What the fuck are Titans? Humanity knew barely anything about them, besides the fact their neck was their weak spot, and they liked to eat humans. Maybe if they knew more, they would be able to combat against them better, and maybe they would have been able to prevent this. For Marina's sake, she wanted to get to the bottom of the secret of the Titans, and be able to stop something like this from happening ever again.

      As she rounded a corner, she absolutely did not expect to see her parents rushing towards her. They must have left the safety of their house to go searching for her and Marina. She couldn't imagine their disappointment when they saw that it was just her. After losing her sister right in front of her eyes, and being unable to do anything about it, she wanted nothing more than the comforting feeling of her parents arms around her. Without thinking, she launched herself towards them, pulling them in for a hug.

      By the way her parents hesitated to hug her back, she knew they'd figured out what happened. It didn't take an idiot to be able to tell what exactly went down when your child returned without their sibling and immediately went in for a hug. The subtle blood stains on her skirt made it obvious as well. That didn't stop them from asking, though, as they slowly returned the hug. "Where's Marina?" The small girl swallowed hard.

      "She... A rock hit her shin, and she... The Titan..." Araminta was unable to bring herself to finish, and instead broke into a fit of sobs. She buried her face in her father's shirt, unable to control the tears that began to flood her eyes. Her vision became blurry, as she didn't bother blinking them away.

      How was she supposed to tell them? How was she supposed to tell them her sister was eaten and she'd been completely helpless? She was already feeling horrible, and she wasn't looking to pile on more guilt--she was just looking to get the hell out of there. But first she needed to breathe in the comfort of being with her parents after everything that happened, just for a minute.

      "Shh, it's not your fault, baby..." Her mother cooed, petting her messy hair. It is my fault. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from saying what she was thinking. There was no point in blaming herself, was there? Maybe not, but she did it anyway. No matter what her mother or father said, it wouldn't change how she felt.

      "We need to get out of here, okay?" Her father knelt down so he was eye level with her, breaking the embrace. She nodded, reaching up to wipe away her tears. This was it, she was really going to leave Shiganshina for good. In the blink of an eye, her hometown had been ripped out of her grasp and she has been forced out. There wasn't even time for her to stop and get her stuffed rabbit. Farewell, Alvin the Rabbit.

      They began running again, both of them holding one of her hands. So badly she wished that Marina was with them, and that she could hold her hand, too. The Titan that had killed her sister couldn't be too far behind, so they needed to move fast. Luckily they were already pretty far from the wall and closer to Wall Maria, so refuge was within reach. What seemed like hundreds of people passed them by, heading in the same direction. Araminta prayed to God (if there was one--which really it felt like there wasn't one right then) that there would be room on the boat for them.

      There was a scream. Two screams. Lots of screams. It was probably stupid of Araminta to slow down and check out her surroundings, since the screams signaled that a Titan was probably close, but curiosity killed the cat. There was, indeed, a Titan, looming over the families running towards the entrance into Wall Maria. It was somehow even bigger than the one who ate Marina, looking to be around fifteen meters tall--though to the short Araminta, it looked like it was closer to a hundred meters tall. Either way, it was huge. And Araminta was terrified.

      "Just keep going." Her father huffed, trying to mask the terrified expression on his face, but he wasn't doing a very good job at it. The small girl tightened her hand around his own, hoping it would in some way reassure him. Her mother seemed a bit dazed at the sight of the Titan as she trailed behind them.

      They weren't fast enough.

      They could all see what was coming. The Titan took a step towards them, and they could see it would crush them under its feet if they didn't move. They tried to pick up the pace, but they still wouldn't be fast enough.

      "I love you." Araminta and her mother were pushed away, and thrown onto the ground where they were nearly trampled by other humans running by. They didn't have any time to react. Her father sacrificed himself, the same way Marina had sacrificed herself. Why? And then she watched as the Titan's big, ugly foot came down atop her father, squishing him to a pulp. Why?

      There was blood everywhere. Araminta could feel it in her hair, and sticking to her face. Her father had been crushed like a grape, his blood and innards spilled across the cobblestone. She was beyond horrified. Marina's death was awful, hearing her body literally crunch but this... Seeing his guts sprawled out as the Titan lifted its foot, and seeing what were once clothes drenched in dark red syrup. What the fuck? Her eyes were frenzied, staring at what was once her father in terror. She felt sick to her stomach, she was sure she was going to vomit if they didn't move soon.

      Why? What had she done to stupid god to make him so angry and put her through this? That morning she had been worried about roses, what the hell had happened? She was ten, ten years old. And in just under an hour, she'd witnessed enough death and destruction for a single lifetime. Her sister, her beautiful sister Marina... And her father, who loved her so dearly. Both gone in the matter of ten minutes.

      She hadn't told him that Marina loved him.

      Humans were selfish. Well, most humans. As Araminta sat and stared at the corpse that belonged to her father, and began to hyperventilate, not one of the tons of people that ran past them could be bothered to stop and offer them help. Her father had just sacrificed himself for them, but it must have been too much to ask for help for the small girl drenched in the blood that belonged to her father.

      "Ti-Tiberius?" She heard her mother whisper, and immediately her heart sank. No, her mother was not in love with her father, that she knew for sure. But that didn't mean she didn't love him, though Araminta really didn't know what love was. The father of her children--or, now child (that hurt to think about)--dead in seemingly an instant. Araminta couldn't imagine her mother's pain, if it was any worse than her own then she truly pitied her.

      The Titan, luckily enough, seemed fixated on something else, leaving the two of them alone. Ohh, she'd learnt about this in school, what was it called, an abominable? No, that's the snowman... Abnormal, yes that was the word for it. When the Titan wouldn't bother with individuals and instead focus on large groups. It was an Abnormal Titan, ignoring them and headed for something else. That was the first time Araminta had to step up and take care of her mother, and absolutely would not be the last.

      She stood up, pulling her mother up with her. "It's an Abnormal, Mama, we need to hurry." And then the two of them ran. They weren't going to let anything stop them this time, too many lives had just been lost in the matter of ten minutes. For their sake, they had to survive. They had to make their deaths worth something. Her mother seemed to regain some clarity, taking the lead and practically dragging Araminta behind her. The gate was in sight--they were going to make it.

      For the last stretch, her mother scooped her up, holding her in her arms so her head bounced on her shoulder. With her gaze facing behind them, she could spot tens of Titans that stood tall over the buildings, taking the district as their own. She looked forward to the day where they would hopefully be able to reclaim their city from these horrible monsters. Relief washed over her as they passed through the gates, relishing in the feeling of safety.

      As a woman and a child, they were both given priority onto the boats. They had just barely arrived on time to be helped onto the second boat, taking their spot on the side and watching as they slowly began to move away from the city. Araminta stared blankly at the wall, and the smoke that arose from inside. Her home was gone. Her sister was gone. Her father was gone. Everything was gone. Never in her life had she wanted to cry so bad, to fall to the ground and let the sobs rip through her, and to scream in anguish for all that she had lost. But all she could feel was numbness.

       "Marina... Wanted me to tell you she loved you." Her voice was hoarse, her vocal cords hurt from all the screaming she had done already in the city. Her gaze strayed from the gate, and back up to her mother, who was already looking empty inside. There were streaks that broke through the redness that was stained on her face where tears had trailed down, and Araminta could still spot the salty liquid pooling her eyelids.

      With her eyes still trained on the city, she let out a shaky breath. "It's all gonna be okay, 'Minta, okay? You and I..." She paused, as though the words were choking her. "...You and I, we will be okay, alright?" She pulled her close, petting her hair the same way she always did. Araminta nodded against her shirt, balling a piece of the fabric into her fist to keep her mother close to her.

       Everything was going to be okay. And Araminta... She would get to the bottom of the secrets of the titans, and avenge her father and sister. One day, she would return, and reclaim Shiganshina. She would make them proud.

rip alvin the rabbit you will always be famous... oh, and also marina and tiberius holm i guess 😕