❝In this cruel world, only the strong survive. Experience's taught me to leave my emotions and petty, righteous thoughts aside if I want to stay alive; trust is what gets people killed. In the end, human instinct prevails over everything else, and you won't find a single person in this shithole who'd risk their life to save yours - thinking otherwise makes you a fool. When it comes to the push, we're all capable to do unspeakable things in order to keep breathing - we keep fighting. That's the reason I'm alive today.❞ ㅡ Galene Magnolia

CHAPTER ONE:

UNDERGROUND

The underground was a completely different world; there were no birds, the wind didn't blow, and the smell of junk and garbage prevailed in the dirty streets. But, most importantly, sunlight never seeped through; its rays remained blocked by the rocky ceiling above the poor people who had been forced to live inside that hole in the ground due to lack of space or prisons in the cities outside. Criminals of all kind dwelled within; violence, murder and depravation took place in every nook without compunction. Law never stopped by to keep them away; if anything, those with powerencouraged thugs to fight and found joy in the sight of blood and pain. And if that wasn't enough to pose a threat, famine and diseases from lack of sunlight or sanitation did.

Way too many roamed the streets without shelter, yet the only sound that could be heard inside that cave came from the men that wouldn't stop ordering the less fortunate around, as though they were the kings of the city.

Well, if they had such privilege, they definitely wouldn't be wasting their pathetic lives down here - surrounded by trash.

Galene Magnolia clicked her tongue in aversion as another pair of men walked past the building on whose balcony she was resting, yelling at each other about - what undoubtedly were - pointless things. Her feet dangled over them as she distractedly swayed her legs and leaned her back against the window behind. The glass was so cold that the thin blouse she wore to cover her torso was useless against it, and Galene would occasionally shiver because of it. Sighing, she ran a hand through her long, red-velvet hair as an attempt to comb it and mentally cursed when her fingers got tangled with the locks.

She mumbled some more curses under her breath before pulling out a cigarette, only to soon realize she didn't have anything to light it. She groaned, "You've got to be kidding me."

Then, her brown gaze fell upon the two men who were still arguing at her feet, and an idea came to her mind. Swiftly jumping off the balcony, Galene approached them with determined steps.

"Got a lighter?" she asked in a flat voice while staring at them with a blank look.

They stopped arguing to look at her.

"Uh?! Look at that, Marco; this scum thinks she can talk to us," one of them snarled.

Her eye twitched in annoyance when his eyes wandered over her body, his expression turning into one of mild-interest as he did. A disgusted grin spread across Marco's face as he approached her.

"She ain't looking that bad, this one. Already got the body of a woman," he mocked.

"That's because I'm a woman, bastard," defended Galene, her lips curled into a sneer as repugnance contorted her pale features.

"And she's a feisty one, as well!" He threw an arm over her shoulders, clueless about the waves of irritation radiating from her. "How about we keep her? Think I'll have some fun wit-"

The words died in his throat as her elbow connected with his stomach, causing him to gasp for breath and bend down. As his body slouched, Galene hit him on the back of his neck with the side of her hand. With wide eyes, the man dropped on the ground; his face slammed against the dirty surface with a thud. Quickly stomping on his head, which elicited a pained grunt from her victim, she drifted her gaze towards the other man. He stood, mouth agape, staring at her with shocked yet fearful eyes.

"I don't like repeating myself, but I'm feeling generous today and am going to give you another chance. Do you have a damn lighter?" she spoke as if she were talking to a child, yet there was a hint of annoyance in her low voice. Her serious face gave away the impression she was running out of patience - something she had never really had.

Not daring to open his mouth, the man tossed the small item at her.

"Now, was it that hard?" Marco moaned in pain, which only earned him another kick that finally managed to knock him out. "Shut your mouth," she demanded as she lit her cigarette. "I'm going to keep this. You don't mind, do you?" Hearing the unspoken threat behind her calm words, he could only shake his head and watch as Galene turned on her heels and walked off.

Humming out of habit, Galene shoved the lighter inside the pocket of her trousers and held the cigarette between her slender fingers as she took a long drag. While wandering down the streets, her mind replayed the situation happening some minutes back. But she felt nothing; no guilt, no satisfaction - nothing. Truth be told, she had stopped feeling anything other than passivity years ago. Maybe that was the reason why she had started to work as a criminal and made a living out of it: the need to find something that could attempt to fulfil her dull life.

Well, that's not accurate, she thought while narrowing her eyes, knowing her life choices had never been hers to make; they had been forced on her a long time ago. Her present was a mirror of her past, her future yet another layer of thin glass which reflected a life full of torment and secrets.

As she walked by yet another sleeping woman, a shadow crossed her sight and put a stop to her train of thought. It flew over her like a bird, free and fast, catching her interest and attention. Of course, Galene knew who it was - who it worked for, at least. The man cut through the air, firing the grapple hooks and reeling himself forward. Something akin to admiration - more like envy - shone in her bored eyes as she watched him move swiftly above the ground. He suddenly manoeuvred, swirling in the air gracefully, before disappearing around a corner, leaving a trail of gas in his wake.

Not mulling things over for a second, Galene threw the cigarette to the ground and sprung after him. She had to get her hands on one of those gears; it would make her life easier in many ways.

The harder she ran, chasing after the man, the faster her mind formulated a plan to get the equipment without getting caught. The task was difficult beyond question, as it implied robbing from one of the best gangs of thugs living underground. Yet, she wasn't going to let that fact bother her; she liked to believe she was an impressive criminal herself.

Eventually, the man descended into a row of buildings off to her left. Hiding in a nearby alley that ran catty-corner to his landing point, she leaned her back against the wall behind her, obscuring herself in its shade as she assessed the situation. Galene waited there for what seemed to be hours, yet her gaze remained focused on the only window the house seemed to own, until the light inside faded into darkness.

In the Underground City, there was no way to tell the time; with only one big hole above to prevent death by asphyxiation, the only light they managed to see came from thousands of tiny lamps placed on both roofs and walls.

Figuring they would have decided to call it a day, she stood up. After sparing a glance to her surroundings to make sure no one was there, she tiptoed towards the back door. Jumping up the stairs that led to it without making a single noise, she stopped before it and quickly pulled out a pair of pins. Biting her lip out of habit, she focused on unlocking the door.

Soon enough, the satisfying click reached her ears, and Galene cracked the door open. Her heart skipped a beat for the second time that night when a complaining noise emerged from the rusty hinges, immediately driving her to stop dead in her tracks. Her breath hitched, and she waited for a fleeting moment until she was certain no one was in the room, before she stepped in. Her hand clutched the lighter she had been given some hours before, so her feet crossed the dark place without stepping on anything that could be lying around. From time to time, she'd point the wavering flame to the floor to see the way she needed to follow in order to get those-

The lighter fell to the ground the moment someone slammed her against a wall. Her back collided with it painfully, and she gritted her teeth. A groan escaped her lips, before she eventually came back to her senses and became aware of the situation she was suddenly in. The lights were on, and a man just an inch taller than her had trapped her between his body and the wall behind. Ignoring the arm that was preventing the air from filling her lungs, Galene looked up to meet a pair of cold, grey eyes.

"What do you think you're doing, brat?" His voice was smooth, and annoyance was dripping from it. "Do you have a death wish?"

The man was caught off guard when Galene attempted to knee him in his groin, causing him to step sideways to dodge her hit. Taking advantage of his shock, she was quick to free herself from his hold. A scowl crept up to his face, before his hand reached back for a knife, and he quickly pointed it towards her.

"You-"

"Gal?"

For an instant, her attention was diverted by someone she didn't expect to see in that surprisingly-clean place. Her eyes widened ever so slightly when they fell upon the shorter figure of her sister, who stood by the door with a confused yet excited expression spread on her features.

"Isabel, what the hell are you doing here?" Galene demanded to know, her hands placed on her hips as she completely ignored the presence of the annoyed man.

Isabel smiled widely and trotted over, only to pull her older sister into a crushing hug as soon as she was within reach. A hug that wasn't returned, as expected.

"I should ask you the same!" she exclaimed, suddenly eyeing the woman in suspicion. "Who's behind this?"

Galene merely shrugged. "No one; I came here on my own accord."

"How do you know each other? You'd better give me a good reason, or else she won't live beyond tomorrow," the grumpy man threatened, but his eye twitched as he heard the sarcastic scoff coming from the unknown woman.

"Ah? She's my older sister, big bro," Isabel revealed to the short man, effectively shutting him up as he tried to relate both females. Sure enough, the only thing that the two didn't share was the colour of their eyes; while Isabel's were green as emeralds, the woman's were a dark shade of brown.

"That doesn't explain why she broke in."

As Isabel hummed in agreement, Galene frowned.

"Big bro? I don't recall having another sibling, Isabel," she argued, trying to elude the question thrown at her as she grew curious about the association between her little sister and the grumpy man.

"Oh, he's obviously not our brother," Isabel laughed, amused by the mere idea. "He just happened to save my life when some men tried to beat me to a pulp."

At that, Galene felt something she hadn't felt in longer than she remembered: pure rage. Her lips curved into an infuriated scowl, and her eyes narrowed into slits; something Isabel noticed, for she quickly waved her hands in front of her.

"He took them out before they could get a hold of me, Gal!" she explained, as an attempt to calm her down.

"That's right; she's in good hands," another man interjected as he stepped in, walking through the open door with an easy smile plastered on his face. When he was close enough, he stuck a hand towards her. "Name's Farlan, and the grumpy one's Levi. As you've probably noticed, he can be a bit difficult to deal with, but he's a decent guy."

Galene doubted decent was a word that should be used to describe a thug, but she bit back her sarcastic remark. For the first time since Levi had seen her, the corner of her mouth turned upwards to form a slight smirk. She, however, ignored his hand and pursed her lips in thought.

"Galene," she introduced herself before glancing over to Levi, who had moved to his usual spot at the table. "I guess I should thank you."

Levi simply sat back, doing nothing to acquaintance her words, while Farlan gave a shrug.

"It wasn't a problem, really." He smiled. "She's ended up being a great asset to our gang."

"Yeah, it surely seems to be that way," agreed the woman, sending a small nod to her grinning sister before commenting, "No need to break anyone's ribs, then?"

Isabel looked downright terrified; she knew what her sister was capable of. "Of course not!"

"Shame," Galene hummed, before casually turning and rushing out without saying another word.

Aware of the looks she was getting from both men, Isabel turned to them and smiled nervously. "Don't worry. She poses no threat to you."

"As if," Levi retorted with a scoff. "Her bark seems to be louder than her bite."

Letting out a chuckle, Farlan placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. "Let's just get along. She's Isabel's sister, right?"

Isabel nodded fervently before their attentions was diverted by the creaking of hinges, and they soon found their eyes following the swaying movements of the back door. Realization crashed upon them like a jar of gelid water, and Levi grumbled under his breath as he noticed the absence of the gear he had been cleaning moments before the woman sneaked inside.

"She… took your equipment," Farlan mused slowly, as if he was trying to comprehend what had happened.

Isabel, on the other hand, let out a short laugh. "That's Gal for you."

While the two got absorbed into an argument about Galene's trick, Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance and walked over to the open door. Scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes, he came to the conclusion it would be pointless to run after her, for she was nowhere to be seen. Probably, she was hiding somewhere she knew they wouldn't find her. As the thought crossed his mind, Levi felt something that almost caused him to smile in anticipation; yet, his lips curved upwards ever so slightly into a smirk instead. His eyes closed as he folded his arms over his toned chest.

Putting the knife away, he turned and gave Isabel an affectionate pat and asked, "Any place in mind where she could have run off to?"

But the girl pursed her lips and let out a soft sigh. "Well, we don't really have a close relationship. She disappeared when we were very young, and even when I found her again after so many years..."

"What?" Levi pressed when she fell silent.

Isabel shook her head. "Why do you think I'm here, with you? I've never had a place to go, and when I ran into her... Gal just stood there, said she was glad I was fine and left."

Clicking his tongue, the short man ran a hand through his jet-black hair and pondered about their options. In the end, he contented himself with muttering, "Brat."

I'll find you.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material used in the making of the anime/manga, Attack on Titan. All rights are reserved to Hajime Isayama. I do, however, have rights to Galene Magnolia, Jack, Johan, Everhart (characters) and any plot not directly following the anime/manga. This book will have its own "original" plot, but certain scenes might be pulled from the anime/manga to help the story along. It is an open fanfiction for that very same reason.

I am not a native English speaker, so I do realize that there will be some grammar errors that I won't be able to find on my own as I edit the chapters. I ask from you to simply understand that fact, and should you want to point them out for me, I will be more than happy to fix them.

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