Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or any of it's characters. Only Minna, Megan and Alice
Notices: "Dialogue in quotes" and thoughts in Italics
Chapter one: Saturday, March 5th, 1911, Part one
A young lady stood in the doorframe of a dark room. Though she was only 20 a saddened look was already engraved in her look, no matter her expression she always looked sad and it had been that way ever since her parents died eight years ago. She had dark brown hair that went down her back in two short braids but for once, her emerald eyes flickered with worry. In the dark room that loomed before her were her two younger sisters; Alice, age 12 and Megan age 9. Her usually kind voice turned bitter, "Fired?" She hissed. "You were fired? How the hell did you pull that off, Alice?"
The middle sister was leaning over the bed wiping the sweat off of Megan's fevered forehead. She sighed and turned to her older sister. "I was late too many times," she whispered as she played with a strand of blonde hair.
"Liar!"
"Minna it's true!"
"Don't give me that bull. You play with your hair like that when you're lying-"
"Keep your voice down sis, we don't need Megan picking up a mouth like yours!"
"Why you little…" Minna took three quick steps towards Alice and slapped the girl clear across the face, leaving her with a red mark to rub as she fell on the youngest sister's bed. Alice's light blue eyes widened in shock and fear-Minna had never laid a hand on either of her two sisters, so why change now? Alice glared at her sister as she turned around and left the room.
"I HATE YOU MINNA!" Alice screamed as she chased after Minna through the apartment towards the door. "I've always hated you! Why don't you go do me and Megan a favor and go kill yourslef!" This comment caught Minna's attention and when she turned around she had tears in her eyes. Her fists were clenched and she was obviously trying not to beat the living daylights out of Alice, putting her in her place… something a fine, young lady such as herself shouldn't even know how to do, let alone, go threw with. Maybe if she had this whole ordeal never would have happened.
"You know what, Alice?" She began with a trembling voice, "M-m-aybe I will do that. I'll go jump out some window today. How does that sound, huh? Maybe I'll invite Emma and Jackie… we'll all jump out the window together… holding hands… it will be a great suicide palooza. Everyone will point and tell us not jump. But you know what, it's just too damn fun not to jump! Why should we wait here and Earth only to burn in hell because we can't make a living? Lets just end it all right now!" She cupped her hands around her mouth and opened the door, "HEY EVERYONE!" She shouted into the dawn lit morning, "It's time for us to die!" She turned back to Alice with tears spilling down her cheeks. "That right Ally, time for me to die and visit Ma and Pa. Why don't you come too? Oh, that's right… you're too busy being damned to hell on Earth to out and jump off the window ledge with us all! So you'll just have to stand there and watch as we all have the time of our lives, one jumping out right after the other and you can't do a damn thing about it."
…
For the rest of the day, Alice stayed in Megan's room, taking care of her. And she'd do the same until she had gotten better. Besides, it was useless to look for a job that she would just get fired from because she was taking care of her sister was pointless. The fever gave in at about noon and Megan awoke a few hours later. "Morning Alice," she greeted sleepily. As pushed back her auburn hair strands out of her teal eyes. Her bangs covered eyes once more and she fumbled with her hair, complaining about her bangs being longer than the rest of her hair and stupid working regulations. Finally she just holds her hair in place and looks her older sister in the eye. "Why'd you stay home for work?"
"I got fired…Minna got mad at me." Alice looked down at the floor. "Then I told her… to go kill herself…" She stopped to sniffle.
"You shouldn't have said that sis." Something about Megan's voice was oddly cryptic just like Minna's message and it was starting to get on Alice's nerves, like a nightmare you wake up from and can't remember.
"Come on Meg, lets go wait for Minna to get out of work… I want to apologize."
Megan nodded, "But can we stop at Mr. Coulter's Library first? He said his son would teach me how to read because you and Minna are too busy to teach me.
…
"Ohh lookie hewre sister!" Megan tugged at her older sister's sleeves, dragging her over to a section of the Library, pointing like mad. "Ms. Applegates published more of Minna's favorite series. You should get it for her as an apology gift! That why, whenever you get mad at each other… she can read the story you bought her and remember how much you love each other!" Alice sighed. She hated to be the one to remind Megan that they didn't have enough extra money for useless things such as books or toys when that money was needed for things like food and for bills.
"Err… you know we can't do that sweetie."
Megan cocked her head to the side, bobbing her hair that was now in pigtails slightly, "Why not Ally?" she asks sweetly.
"Meg, you know why. I've only told you countless times by now, we can't afford to." She watched as her younger sister's head fell. She sighed again. If their parents were alive they might have been able to spoil themselves but…
"Ah girls, there you are." They both looked up to see an elderly man with white hair smiling down at them with glasses. "Megan, if you grab a book we can begin our lesson whenever you're ready."
Her face beamed. "Yes sir Mr. Coulter!" She snapped into attention then quickly ran off to the children's section. As she skipped off the elder turned to the remaining blonde and cleared his voice.
"Minna stopped by here this morning," he started. "I hope you know there was no need for such cruel words to be exchanged between you two, even if you were in a fight."
"I know…"
"I suggest you go confess as soon possible, you know the lord shall forgive even this horrible act…"
Alice's right land instinctually reached for the cross around her neck. It was a gold choker that had been her mother's and it was the only thing from her parents she had left- everything else was sold for food money. She knew it was selfish to have kept it all these years without practicing the Christian faith as well as not selling it for money when it was needed. She might not necessarily believe or not believe in god, but when things went things went bad… it's always good to have someone else to blame for it. By thinking that someone else was controlling their lives, it made easier for Alice and Minna to work in the sweatshops they were locked in for hours every day just to make below minimum wage each. But she'd leave her beliefs aside until she had some proof.
"Understand, Alice?"
"Uh-err… yes Mr. Coulter," she replied hastily after realizing she had tuned him out. "Um… do you have any job related books?" She asked desperate to change the subject.
"Of course! You know Minna also mentioned you were fired… uhh, upstairs, last section on your left."
"Thanks Mr. Coulter!" She called behind her. Who knew, maybe she might find something interesting.
…
"Let's see…" Alice ran her finger across the tops of books as she skimmed the titles. There were a few "how-to" books for numerous medical positions- something that was unheard of any woman doing and something you'd never find young Alice doing either. You see, she hated blood and was very squeamish when it came to blood. This was all due to the car accident that took her parent's life right before her very eyes. A simple drive ended with a train running into them when the car got stuck on the tracks. Her father was already out of the car but his foot got stuck in the tracks when he came to safe his wife who's seatbelt was stuck just as Alice's was…When the train hit there was a mesh of metal and blood everywhere. Her father was killed on impact but her mother was crushed in between different parts of the car leaving her contorted figure to die in front of her baby. (Alice if you were wondering had numerous broken bones and was in the hospital for a long time. The bill had run up from her treatments so much that it threw the remaining sister's into poverty.)
She sighed as she pushed the unwanted memories aside and focused on the book titles rather than her past screams intertwining with her mother's. She came across a group of books that brought a faint smile to her face. It was the so you want to be a… series. She rolled her eyes. These books were always bogus and yet… she couldn't help but look at the titles. So You Want To Be A Nurse, Teacher, Firefighter, Lawyer, Policeman, Author, Producer. She sighed. None of these interested her.
"Well, one book left."
It was an old styled book, possibly with leather bindings and was so dusty she couldn't make out the title. So, she picked it up surprised at how heavy it was and tried with no prevail to blow the dust off. Grumbling and fuming she pulled her hanckercheif out of the pocket of her knee-high, homemade, blue skirt and began to scrub the cover page. As the dust cleared she could finally read the title… So, You Want To Be An Alchemist?
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Please and thank you,
Halo
