Chapter 1

I was bored. Bored out of my mind. This is never a good thing. But how could I not be; We were on a twenty hour road trip from Illinois to Florida. At least I had my books with me. Ah, J.K. Rowling, how you have rescued me from boredom.

I flipped open Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and started to re-read it for what must have been the thirtieth time. However, that didn't hold my interest for long. I'd read it 5 times too many on that road trip alone; all I had left was the FMA manga I'd recently gotten. But I'd read those through 15 times as well.

As you can probably tell by this point, I'm a total bookworm. I have always been, and always will be, a Potterhead. Forever and always. I also can't go without the internet for more than a few hours. Why? Well, Fullmetal Alchemist, of course. More specifically, Edward. Edward Elric… the weirdest and longest lasting fictional crush I have ever had and probably ever will. Giving an arm to save his younger brother even though he'd already lost his leg… it gave a totally new meaning to the term "I'd give an arm and a leg for…" Even though it was totally awful, sometimes I found myself thinking "I'd give an arm and a leg to get into Amestris."

I closed the book with a snap and slumped in my seat, sighing.

"I'm BOOOOORED!" I groaned. My two older brothers snickered at me.

"What's the matter, Fona?" Alex said, teasing me. "Not enough books?"

"Don't call me Fona!" I fired up. "Call me Fiona! Fiwii! Little Sis! Anything but Fona. It's not my name."

"Alright, Fona." Michael said breezily. He dodged the punch I sent at his face.

"Hey, no fighting!" My mom shouted, looking in the rearview mirror.

"Sorry, Mom." I said out loud, in as sincere of a voice as I could. "Not," I muttered under my breath as soon as she looked away. Damn them. When I was little I couldn't pronounce my name right, and instead of 'Fiona', I always said 'Fona'. My older brothers have been ragging on me for that ever since, and it bothers me about as much as it bothers Ed to be called short.

We stopped for a break at a gas station in the middle of a small desert. There was nothing to see. No hotels, no nothing. While Mom filled up the gas tank, my brothers and I scrambled out of the car to get some fresh air. I inhaled as deeply as I could.

"Aaah, fresh air!" I sighed happily. "I thought I would never smell you again!"

As my brothers fought with each other, I wandered off in the direction of a bush. I wanted to see if there were any cool animals around it. However, once I touched the bush, a sinkhole opened up, swallowing the bush whole. It must have been triggered by the pressure I'd put on the bush. That was one sensitive sinkhole, I thought. I stepped back quickly before it got me too. I glanced over my shoulder at my brothers. Neither of them had noticed. I stepped toward the hole again and peered into the depths. It was a lot deeper than I thought it had been.

Getting on my knees at the edge, clutching my book bag to make sure it didn't fall, I peered even farther in. Some sand slipped under my knees, and I scrambled to grab on to something that would keep me from falling, but to no avail. I slid right into the hole, and suddenly I was falling, falling, falling down. I screamed so loudly I thought my lungs would rip out of my throat. I heard faint calls from my brothers, and I closed my eyes, preparing for impact. I am so dead, I thought. SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII….

iiizzz? Huh?

Nothing. No impact, no anything. I could feel that I was lying on… something, whatever it was. I could also feel my heavy book bag beside me. But I hadn't slammed into anything at all.

I opened my eyes experimentally, and then closed them again. It was too bright. Wait, bright? That couldn't be right; I was underground. I shouldn't be able to see anything.

I sat up and opened my eyes again. Everything was white. No other colors, just pure white.

Wait a second… All white…

I turned very slowly, and found myself face-to-face with a massive, stone door.

I turned back around and laid down again, shutting my eyes. Nope, I told myself firmly. Nope, nope, nope. This isn't The Gate. This is Hell… or Heaven… or whatever. But it can't be THE Gate.

"Oh, but it can."

Crap. I know that voice. I sat up again and opened my eyes. Sure enough, there was a humanoid figure standing there, outlined in black. Otherwise, the figure was white. He blended in quite well with the background. Truth.

"I assume you know who I am?" Truth asked.

I stood up and faced him. "What the hell do you want, Truth?" I asked coldly. "I haven't done anything to you."

"That you know of…" He said slyly.

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean? I asked defensively. "I haven't done anything... Well, scratch that, maybe a couple things, but nothing that means I have to end up in judgment!"

He didn't answer my question, he simply pointed at The Gate. "You know what lies beyond this Gate, correct?"

I turned to look at The Gate again. Almost against my will, I whispered, "Amestris… but how… It's real?"

"Enter that Gate, and you will be transported to that world." Truth grinned. That was even scarier than the fall it'd taken to get here.

"REALLY?!" I squealed. I couldn't help it; that would be amazing! This has got to be some sort of wacky road trip dream, I figured. What's the harm? "Alright then!" I said happily, anime sparkles in my eyes. "I'm willing to go through!"

"I'll have to take a toll from you," Truth warned.

Shoot, I'd forgotten about that. But it's just a dream, right? I reassured myself.

"Fine," I smiled. "Just not my Harry Potter books, okay?" Those books are like my lifeline, no matter how much I'd read them. No way was I letting them go.

Truth grinned wickedly. "That's not what I had in mind." His voice sounded cruel, and suddenly I was scared.

I heard a creaking noise and whipped around, looking at the Gate again as it opened. Inside it was black. But unlike everything else, it was not a pure color. Actually, I believe that would be less terrifying then what was actually there. It was filled with blinking eyes, with a giant eye near the top, observing me. Black hands reached out to grab me, and I screamed like a baby for the second time that day.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" I yelled, but to no avail. I was dragged into the Gate, and suddenly I was in darkness, and in excruciating pain. It felt as though my arm and leg were getting torn off. I screamed so much my throat felt as though it had been flayed. Then, just as suddenly as the darkness had come, it was gone. I was lying on grass facing the sky, and for a moment I felt relief, until I noticed that I couldn't feel my left arm or right leg. No, it wasn't just that I couldn't feel them; they were gone.

I tried to scream again, but I was in shock. The pain was overwhelming, and I was lying in a very scary pool of blood. But I couldn't just sit there. I had to get help. Someone. Anyone.

I forced myself to turn over onto my stomach, and, although it caused me more pain, I dragged myself to my right. Why, I wasn't quite sure. But it was better than staying put.

Eventually, I came across a road. By then, what little energy I had left was depleted, and I collapsed next to it.

I should call for help, I thought woozily. But… it's so nice right here.

No. Bad Fiona. You do not get to think that way. I forced myself out of the slump and called out "Hello? Somebody? HELP ME!" My voice was hoarse after all that screaming, and I was surprised I was even able to talk at all.

I heard, vaguely, a gasp and someone running towards me. A male voice rang out, saying "Oh, man, what happened to her? Hey, Mike! Get over here!" More footsteps approached, followed by another gasp.

"We need to get her to the Rockbells," Mike said hurriedly.

What was wrong with everything? It looked shiny. Then black encroached on the edges of my vision, quickly swallowing it up. The last conscious thought I can remember was rather bitter. Whenever I imagined meeting Winry, I was a bit more badass in the scene.

A/N: So, what do you think? This is my first Fanfiction, so I have absolutely no idea what you people hold as a good standard. Lets see if this hold up! Please be nice...