Annella stood at attention, back straight and head held high as she tried to peer over the taller cadets in front of her to look at the Chief-Instructor. At first, his speech demotivated her, filling her with panic as her mind raced, [i]was I one of them? Did I already disappoint the Chief?![/i] But as he continued, the panic slowly dulled away, filling her with curiosity. She wondered who impressed the Chief, whether she was one of them – though she knew it wasn’t likely. 

Annella knew that she would have to prove her worthiness to her Chief, she didn’t look big like Nara, nor did she look cold like the girl beside her. She simply looked like a mouse in a room full of cats. Annella [i]had [/i] to prove herself, there was no way she was going to back out of the military. She couldn’t. It was up to her to protect her grandparents; it was up to her to avenge her parents. It was all up to her.

As the Chief’s speech drew to a close, Annella prepared to salute again, her right fist curling and thumping her chest as she called out as loudly as possible, [color=bc8dbf]“AYE SIR!”[/color] There was no time to be embarrassed, she had to show that she was dedicated, that she had passion, that she was a [i]soldier.[/i]

With all the cadets soon scattering to find their friends or someone familiar to talk to, Annella found herself standing alone. It was a painful reminder that she had no one to talk to. She had come in alone and would most likely leave for the Survey Corps alone, especially seeing as she didn’t have enough confidence to walk up to someone and begin introducing herself.

It seemed like the choice was taken away from her as two people stood in front of her. Blinking, she looked at them with startled confusion, only to realise it was Nara and the pigtail-girl. Nara was smiling brightly, his green eyes shining with friendliness as he extended his hand out.

[color=a0410d]“Nara,”[/color] he started, his voice smooth. His large smile grew impossibly wider as Annella reached out to take his hand, shaking it hesitantly. [color=a0410d]“This dolt beside me is Natalia.”[/color] Annella looked at said girl, who gave her a sheepish grin and a nod. 

When she realised they were waiting on her to introduce herself, she cleared her throat, taking her hand back and rubbing her elbow. [color=bc8dbf]“I'm Annella.” [/color]

Maybe socialising wasn't as hard as she initially thought.