Afterlife

Chapter 1

Eren

I couldn't understand what I did to deserve what I've gotten. Was it all really worth it, all the pain and suffering, I mean. How was I even supposed to move on like this? Knowing that no one gets a break. Everyone always has that shroud of darkness above their head.

Even before the accident, my eyes were like ones I had never seen before. They could be an ashy green, and bright emerald that almost glowed. Or a dark, murky green. Either way, they were always some form of green. They never stuck to one color.

My mother always told me to embrace my eyes. That'd I'd gotten them from her side of the family and I should be eternally grateful for her genetics. She would sing to me beautiful harmonies to help me sleep at night, considering even now the act of sleep for me is and always has been a great difficulty. Too much happens when I sleep, which is even more exhausting than living off of it limited. I've grown accustomed to the lifestyle. My mother would always chastise me for eluding the sandman night after night until the bags under my eyes were prominent and my complexion grew gastly.

In the hospital was the worst. The nurse would be on my case nonstop when she noticed I didn't sleep. Sometimes they would even drug me when I started to scare the shit out of the poor girl. She would come in and I would refuse anything she asked of me. I became rowdy. I threw my IV pole through the window, for God's sake. Not too long after that happened, these big men held me down as they put me to sleep for a while. That one earned me no points with anyone, but they decided not to sue my father for damages. My pale green eyes rolled open to stare at the ceiling over my head. I was sitting in the back of my fathers brand new, 2014 Mercedes Benz, slumped against the window. I was tired, but I knew I would be awake for a while.

My head lolled against the tinted window. The atmosphere was drippingly silent. I inhaled the feeling, relishing in it. I liked things to be quiet. I noticed in my peripherals my father's eyes flick to the rear view mirror to look at me as though I was a ticking bomb. I tried to ignore it, focusing on the moving world outside.

The weight of his eyes sunk into my mind, burning my dry skin. I swallowed and licked my pale lips.

"Can...Can you please stop staring at me?" I muttered to him as the silence was broken by my pleade. His eyes snapped back to the road ahead as we wound through the trees. Central AC brushed my skin. The cool air kept me calm in the thickness of the air.

We continued on for another few minutes, The girl with short, ebony hair sat in the front seat. No one told me who she was. She hasn't said a word to me. She looked at me when they picked me up from the airport like she was going to cry. The mysterious girl itched to hold me, yet I didn't even recall her face. She sulked in the passenger seat, not wanting to make me uncomfortable.

Another twenty minutes went by, although they felt like an eternity. Suddenly, the space I was confined in was beginning to smother me. Once we reached the literal end of the side road we took, the car pulled into a long and winding driveway. The sun disappeared behind a building as my father parked his extremely expensive automobile inside a garage. I sat up and opened the car door. I crawled out and planted my feet onto the ground, slamming the door shut. My eyes scanned the room, noting the multitudes of bikes attached to a ceiling rack.

"You can ride one, right?" A quiet voice asked me from behind. I looked at my father over my shoulder as he asked stood, following my a gaze. I didn't answer, as I looked ahead and followed the silent girl inside. As we stepped inside my new home, I noticed how old the house was. There was a big open living room, with countless windows on the ceiling. The light was somewhat uplifting, almost. There was a piano with a vase of flowers on top tucked away in the corner. The walls were white with framed paintings lining them. So far, it seemed like the nicest house I'd ever been in. The girl took her coat off and set it on a rack, so I did the same. All of our shoes were also taken off by the door.

Off the other side of the entrance was a staircase that lead up to a balcony stretching across the living room. It was impressive, to say the least. The black haired girl turned to me and opened her mouth to speak.

"Well, Eren. If you want, I can show you to your room to help you get settled in. After that, I'll show you around the house. Is that alright?" She said, playing with the tips of a more than overused, red scarf. My eyes dropped to the floor, nodding. "Um, okay." She said awkwardly, motioning me to follow her. She took me upstairs and lead me down the balcony to the bedroom section of the house. She went down a hallway, passing windows that shed some light on our path and the occasional painting. Suddenly, she stopped outside a white, wooden door with a golden knob. She turned it open to reveal a bedroom bigger than anywhere I've ever lived. There was a king sized bed dead center of the room with big, white and fluffy pillows. The pillows were lace and actually seemed undeniably comfortable. The blanket was the same. A large window with white curtains, casting a bright feel. There was also a bathroom off to the side. A desk with a television sat across from the bed on the opposite wall. The walls were grey and the floor was also white.

In all honesty, I didn't care what my bedroom looked like.

As long as I had one.

"This is it. Sorry if it's too much white. You can change your room however you'd like once things settle down. Would you want to do that?" The black haired girl said. My shoulders shrugged, not really motivated to make a real response. "Okay, we can if you want. Um, one of the workers will bring your suitcase up in a few minutes. There's a full bathroom in there if you want to shower or something." I nodded. She turned around to leave when I thought to say something.

"Wait." I said, spinning around. She stood in the doorway with a wide and open face. "What's your name?" I asked, seeing as how I didn't know it.

She opened her mouth slowly, almost as though she didn't expect the question.

"Mikasa." She said and quietly shut the door. The closing of the door echoed in my subconscious, swallowing the stomach acid burning my throat. Silently, I moved towards the bed and layed down, my eyes fixating on the ceiling.

Could I have a fresh start here?

There was a knock on my door as I finished rubbing a towel through my oak brown hair. I chose a pair of jeans and a beige, long sleeve shirt. As I traveled to the door, I threw my towel onto my bed. I opened the door to the girl, Mikasa. She looked at me and nodded.

"Would you like a tour now?" She asked, her arms twisting behind her back.

"Yeah, sure." I closed the door behind me before Mikasa took me down the stairs. Along the way, she explained that her bedroom was a door a little more ways down the hallway, on the opposite side. The other doors I see are either spare bedrooms, or where the three maids and a butler stay. Being told that I would be waited on by other people made me cringe internally, so I decided I wouldn't use them.

She brought me into a room with glass doors that was on the landing. It was my father's office where he worked. He was a very well payed stay-at-home therapist, which was hard to do nowadays. Mikasa told me to never ever go in there if the door was closed, meaning my father was working and should not be bothered. I tucked that piece of information in the back of my mind.

She walked through the living room into the kitchen which also had a room connected to it that was a dining room which could host large parties. Other than that, there was a backyard that went on for acres.

It would take some getting used to, but this was apparently my new home.

"Mikasa!" I heard someone, my father, call out as she explained what he did for a living. We wound through out the house to his office. The door was open, as you could see my father sitting comfortably behind a desk. We walked in, wanting to see what he wanted. "Eren, did Mikasa show you around?"

"Yes, your home is lovely." I told him, wanting to start off on a good note. He smiled warmly, the ends of his eyes crinkling.

"It's you're home now too, you know." My eyes automatically lowered at the comment. "Mikasa, please leave us." Mikasa left, shutting the door. He gestured for me to sit down in a velvety chair in front of his desk. I did, sinking into the amazing feel of the seat. "I know things have been...difficult for you. Your mother was an extraordinary woman. I missed her a lot over the years. I missed you a lot too." My hands twisted nervously in my lap. The sincerity in his voice had my stomach spinning. "If you ever need to talk about anything at all, let me know. I am a busy man but I'll never be too busy for you." My eyes stung with emotion at his words. As much as I wanted to believe that, I just couldn't bring myself to trust him yet. It's the first time I've seen him in ten years. I hardly remember him. Mom would never speak of him or told me why she left him and took me with her, but I could tell it was serious. "Now, I know this is a lot to get into today, so we can talk more later. Are you hungry? I'm sure if you ask Christa or Sasha, they could make you something. Dinner is served every afternoon at five pm. Breakfast is served at ten can have lunch at any time between breakfast or dinner, and maybe some snacks in between. It'll be about three months until we decide what to do about school for you." Assuming Christa and Sasha were the maids, I got up and turned to leave. "Oh, and Eren." The feeling of the room changed completely, now feeling stuffy and dangerous even. "There's a door under the stairwell. Don't go in it. It will be locked at all times, so as not to tempt you. If sometime in the future you somehow unlock or find it unlocked, just know that if you go down there, the consequence will not be a small one." I gulped, looking back at him. His face was grave, but twisted into a smile. "Okay, you can go now." He said, as though he didn't practically just threaten me.

For some reason, I had a bad feeling about my new life.

That night, I didn't sleep. I just laid in the darkness of my new room, comfort of my new bed and stared at the ceiling. I wondered what my mother was doing. Was she watching me in the next life? Was there a next life? I believed in one, considering the accident a few months ago. Constantly, I would think about how I was so close to death he was standing near me, waiting for me to give up. I didn't, obviously.

I got up and put on clean clothes at nine-thirty and went downstairs to eat breakfast with my father and Mikasa. Father sat at the end of the table with Mikasa on one side so I sat across from her. They were both waiting for the food to be served as I took a seat. My father took a long sip of black coffee before opening his mouth to talk to me.

"How did you sleep last night, Eren?" He asked, expecting a normal answer. I forced a small smile.

"Fine. The bed is pretty comfortable." He nodded and placed his coffee down.

"Ah, good." Father agreed. Soon enough, the food came out. On a plate was a heaping of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. It smelled wonderful. We began eating in silence. Every now and again, I would notice Mikasa staring at me. I'd look up and her eyes would instantly move to her plate.

"Um…" Mikasa began. "Do you remember living here before?" She asked, looking up with some kind of hope on her features.

"I don't remember anything before five years old." I said, picking at my eggs. Suddenly, there was a loud clank of silverware meeting a plate. With wide eyes, I glanced up to Mikasa covering her face with her hands. She had dropped her silverware. My father put a hand on her shoulder. "A-Are you okay?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"So, you don't remember me at all then?" She asked in a neutral voice. I ran my fingers through my hair, contemplating in what way this was affecting her.

"No, I guess not." I replied. Mikasa pushed her chair back and fled the room. I watched her go with concerned eyes. I hurt her.

"Eren." My eyes slid to look at my father. "Mikasa is your sister."

My head spun. I had a sister?

"Well, she's your adopted sister. You aren't related by blood, but we adopted her when you were very young, so you grew up with her. She's only a year old than you." That meant she was seventeen. Now I understood why she acted towards me as she does. "At one point, you two were very close. She is also very protective of you."

I sighed and looked back at the food that looked about as good to me as battery acid would. I pushed my plate away while asking to be excused. With an exasperated look, my father complied.

"Oh, and Eren!" My father called back. "Just so you know, I have a client at ten thirty. I'm sure Mikasa has explained that I am a home therapist and that when my doors are closed, I am working and I cannot be bothered. If you need something, you must see it can wait until those doors open, understand?" He said sweetly.

"Yes." I replied, meaning I heard him. What was I supposed to do around here? I could go up to my room and rot my brains with television. I didn't exactly know what I was aloud to do around here and what I wasn't. Obviously I wasn't going to swing around on the chandelier like a maniac. Maybe I could find Mikasa and ask. I didn't exactly know where she would be, but my gut told me her bedroom.

I traveled upstairs as I recalled where she told me her door was located. I passed my door, went around a bend and saw a bedroom door that had a golden "M" hanging. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on her door. Would I be bothering her? Is she angry at me for not remembering my own sister? Soon enough, the door opened slowly, revealing Mikasa. Her eyes were red and swollen like she'd been crying.

I did this to her.

"Hey." I said softly.

"Hi." She muttered, opening her door more to let me inside. Her walls were light purple. the floor was black and her bed was as large as mine with a black bed-set over it. There were posters of her favorite bands, some I'd heard of. Some not. The door closed behind me. Mikasa sat on the edge of her bed.

"I'm sorry." I said to my sister.

Her head snapped my way. "For what?"

I scratched the back of my head, nerves frayed. "For not remembering my own sister." She nodded and looked at the floor.

"That's not your fault though. It was because Mom took you away… I don't know why. Father never talks about her." I crossed my arms, nodding along.

"She never talked about him either." Mikasa looked up at my words.

"What was she like? Mom, I mean." She mumbled the question. I closed my eyes as I delved into the memories I shared with my mom.

I slid the curtain shut as I climbed into the safety of the motel bathtub. Being only eight years old, I didn't understand what Mommy did. I didn't understand why she made me stay in a bathroom. I didn't understand why sometimes men would come and stay the night with Mommy while I curled up on a bed made of blankets in the bathtub. I also didn't know why Mommy forced me to be quiet and to stay in the bathroom with the door locked when a yellow car would pull up.

I threw the blanket over my shaking form, cutting the bathroom from my view. My hands cupped over my ears, trying to cut out the sound of the screaming in the next room.

An hour later, there was a soft knock on the door.

"Eren, honey. It's Mommy. Open the door." My mother spoke through the door. Pushing the blanket off of myself, I ran and unlocked it. Mommy came in, shutting the door behind her. She bent down onto the floor and hugged me for a very long time. She started crying while I played with her dark brown locks.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" I asked, tears burning my eyes at seeing my mother so broken. Her big, emerald eyes look at mine. There was blood on her lip and there was marks beginning to color on her wrists and cheekbone. "Don't cry. Everything is going to be okay."

I opened my eyes to Mikasa staring at me, concerned.

"She was great. She always tried her best to make sure I had something to eat, even when she didn't. Whenever she wasn't working, she'd teach me things like numbers and letters. It was the only schooling I had." I shrugged. "I miss her…" My eyes slid to the floor, burning with emotion.

"They never told me how they found you. Just that Mom was dead and you were found." Mikasa muttered, again playing with a scarf around her neck. I stayed silent for a while, wondering if I should tell her.

"Yeah…" I replied, not wanting to get into it.

"Is there anything you want to know?" Mikasa asked, standing up and looking like she was ready to get herself together. I shrugged, not really thinking of anything at the moment. Mikasa told me that there was a trail in the woods back behind the house and that we could go walk down it. I told her yes, because what else was there to do? Mikasa said she was going to take a shower before we went. Leaving her room, I roamed down the hallway, past my room.

Reaching the balcony across from the front door, I noticed the sounds of people talking. Hiding halfway behind the wall, I looked down on the landing. My father stood with a boy. A boy who looked maybe just a bit older than me. He had a bored expression on his pale face as he stood, listening to my father. He was a good looking person, I'd admit. His hair was shaved into an undercut and was ebony black. It split in the middle, straight as can be. He wore a white button up with black dress-pants. He also looked pretty short as well, although that hardly matters. Just as my father went into his office, the stranger lifted his head up, pale blue eyes searching. Finally, they landed on me. As our eyes met, a gasp passed through my lips as my eyes grew larger. I instantly hid from view by leaning back into the hallway. My hand slammed against my mouth to keep my uneven breathing silent.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment. How weird is it to find a person you've never seen before just admiring you from afar? My guess was it was beyond frightening, for me and the stranger.

Under my breath, I muttered hopeful words that he had gone into my father's office with him. Slowly, I showed my head to look down at where the boy had stood. He was no longer there.

Levi

My eyes narrowed at the almost silent gasp that came from the person seemingly watching me. The half of the boys face disappeared around a corner. Who was that? Did Dr. Jaeger have a guest? The most I knew about the household is that there's the Doctor's daughter, Mikasa, two maids, a butler, and the Doctor himself. The boy looked to be somewhat young, but it was hard to tell when I had only gotten a glance of him before he vanished. I sighed and tried to forget about the person when I went into Dr. Jaegers office.

Closing the door behind me, I then lowered into a chair across from his desk.

"So, Levi. How's your day going?" He asked as he opened his notebook. I stayed silent for a moment.

"Well, I woke up. Got in the shower. Stayed in the shower for an hour. I went to the kitchen to make breakfast, but when I got there everything just looked so… unorganized. Filthy. I couldn't eat in those conditions. I cleaned every inch of my kitchen." I told him, honestly. He rubbed his chin between his fingers and wrote down what I said in the notebook.

"Did you eat after that?"

I hesitated.

"No… I completely forgot." He nodded as I hung my head in my hands. It's a miracle if I ever get around to eating. There are just such more important things that I could be doing with my time, so many things I could clean.

"Levi, would you like something to eat?" Dr. Jaeger asked sincerely. I blinked and focused on how my stomach reacted to the thought of food. I shook my head, not feeling hungry. There was a silent pause. "Have you used bleach on your skin at all?"

He knew me too well.

"I just… I felt so dirty. I took a nap yesterday and I had another damn nightmare. I woke up and I just knew a shower wasn't going to be enough." I admitted sullenly.

"How bad is the burn?" He asked, referring to the chemical burn from the bleach. I didn't want to make it seem too bad, but it spanned all the way across my shoulders.

"I don't know. It's fine, I guess." I grumbled and ran my fingers through my hair. He continued to ask me about things for the next hour. It was pretty much the end of my session when my curiosity got the best of me.

"Dr. Jaeger?" I asked to get his attention suddenly. His eyes looked at me.

"Hm?"

"When I got here, I saw someone I don't normally see here. Do you have a guest?" I asked, trying to shed some light on this mystery person.

"Oh! Right, of course. I completely forgot. He's a new addition to the household. His name is Eren and he's sixteen. He's actually my son."

My face morphed into confusion. I didn't think he had a son.

"His mother ran away with him when he was five. But, as of now, his mother has recently passed and he had no one to live with. He lives here now." He smiled, proud of having his son back.

"Interesting…" I mumbled. Eren, huh? Eren Jaeger. It sounded like a decent name.

"Would you like to meet him?" He said suddenly. I was about to assure him there was no need, but he was already standing up. With a sigh, I stood from the chair and followed Dr. Jaeger onto the landing.

"Eren!" He yelled upstairs. A few seconds later, there was a boy poking his head out. Yes, I thought I saw a mop of brown hair before, but now I was sure. His father chuckled. "Don't be shy, now. I would like you to meet one of my long-term clients." Slowly but surely, the boy began walking downstairs. Now that I could see him properly, I noted how he was a handsome boy.

His hair looked almost untamable and dark, but soft. His eyes were a bright emerald green that caught my breath. Something about them made me feel odd. He was tall with broad, muscular upper body. Eren's skin was a toned olive color that complimented his prominent jaw line. His mouth was set in a straight line, not moving to smile or frown. Something was off about him, I'd say that, but not enough to make me want to stay away from him.

Something I wish I didn't notice was how pale his cheeks looked and the bags forming under his eyes. Why did he look so strung out with life?

"His name is Levi. Levi, this is Eren." Doctor Jaeger motioned to the boy nervously shifting feet and playing with the ends of his sleeves.

"Hello." Eren said, his voice not too deep, but not unrealistically high. His eyes moved up to meet mine and damn, I almost staggered. Why did eye contact with him feel so heavy?

"Hi, Eren." I held my hand out, wondering if a handshake was a good way to go. When his hand gripped mine and shook it up and down, my chest tightened. Eren's presence alone just makes me feel like I shouldn't even be aloud to look at him. His mannerisms don't scream "I'm so important", but his still had that kind of feel. Does he know that he makes people feel this way? Is it only me who feels it?

My eyes didn't break contact with his and as soon as my skin touched his, the color of his irises actually changed. I saw them, physically, change color. They grew a lot lighter and now were almost white except for a tint of green. My mouth opened into a small "o" in wonder. His hand instantly was pulled away from mine while he worked on diverting his eyes.

Eren was a special person. I could already tell.

And he knew that too. He knew something wasn't quite right with him.

Another thing I knew was that this wasn't the last time I would ever talk to him.