I came up with this idea randomly. I have high hopes for it, and I think it's pretty good so far. Feel free to let me know if you disagree. =]

"But Ed, I know so little about alchemy, what help could I possibly be?!" I insisted as he pulled me along a dirty road in Resenbool. Ed's face was grim and bereaved. "A little is all you need if this turns out... badly."

That worried me. "What is exactly is this thing that could turn out badly? How bad is badly, anyways?! Ed?" He was no longer answering. I struggled against his grip, but he remained firm.

"Brother, stop it. Stop!" Alphonse had been walking a little behind us, and now he had caught up and grabbed Ed's arm.

"Can't you see she doesn't want to?!" Al pried Ed's fingers apart and my hand was free. I clutched it to my chest, and glanced between the two boys anxiously.

Alphonse was the younger of the Elric brothers, but he was less rash and far more responsible. I blinked in surprise when Al's hand lifted and slapped Ed across the face.

Ed stared dumbly, unanswering. I felt my lip start to quiver with fear. I hated to see these boys like this- they were my best friends, and yet I stood idly watching them fight.

I had expected Ed to punch Al back, but he turned away guiltily.

"You should go home, Adel. Aunt Pinako will be worried...." Ed's voice was muffled, and I caught a glimpse of a glittering tear falling to the ground. I couldn't help it- I started to cry too.

"E-Ed? I- I-" I clutched to his back tightly, my eyes squeezed shut. "It's o-ok, I'll c-c-come. Just don't hu-hurt each other..." I wiped my eyes on the sleeve of my sweater and stepped back. Al was gazing at me with a sweet expression, and Ed turned to look at me like I was insane.

"It's dangerous, and you'll get in trouble, Adel! Go home to your bed where it's safe, I-"

"And what about you guys? Do you think I don't care if you two die?!" I didn't wait for an answer, and I grabbed their hands with a stubborn expression and began to walk. "Lets go!"

Neither Ed not Al said anything, but they went without complaint. It was all too soon before we stood in front of their empty house. Ed let go of my hand and led the way in, but I was still wary to stay close to Al.

We went into their basement to their father's abandoned study. All of the furniture was pushed messily up against the dusty walls, and in the center of the room was an elaborate circle drawn with chalk. At the very center of the circle was a pile of things I couldn't recognize- it looked like dirt.

"What is this?" I asked Al. He looked down sadly, and somehow guiltily.

"We're bringing Mom back," he mumbled.

I gasped. "But that's.... that is...." What were these boys thinking?!

"We know what we're getting ourselves into," Ed said. "But we're not going to live without her."

I nodded and swallowed the tears threatening to come. I stood there in horror as Ed and Al knelt beside the circle.

"You'll know if we need your help," Ed told me over his shoulder, and before I could disagree he had forgotten me.

"Ready.... go!" he yelled, and the boys clapped their hands in unison and slammed their palms to the floor. I reached out my hand feebly to stop them. They shouldn't be doing this, it could only lead to horrible prospects. Why else was human transmutation against the laws of alchemy?

It was too late. I didn't understand what was happening around me. The world swirled and wavered in my vision, and I felt as if I just walked through the doors into a nightmare. There was a disarray of bright colors and loud noises, but then a scream broke through to my mind and I instantly jumped forward.

In the center of the room there was now a purple void. Beside me was Al, doing all he could. Ed... he was trying to hold on, but the void was pulling him in. At first I could hardly see, but suddenly the scene around me was crystal clear in my mind. He was slipping away.

"EDWARD!" I shrieked, and clambered after him. His eyes met mine before he vanished from my sight. Tears blurred my vision, and Al grabbed my leg to keep me from going farther. He was bleeding horribly, and something was wrong..... he was missing a leg... I screamed in fear, my face spattered in blood.

Then, the void was gone. I was dark, and quiet. I turned slightly, only to look away immediately. Where the void had been was now a soulless, ugly, pulsating, disfigured creature staring at us.

Only then I remembered that Al was in pain. His leg, gone...... I tried to wipe his face with my sleeve, and he pushed me away.

"Brother..... we have to help him.... Adel..."

"Is he dead?" I cried out, and my voice cracked with hysteria.

Al's breath was heavy. "His body is gone, but he is not dead.... I can bring his soul back from the Gate, and attach it to something else..." He opened his eyes and looked at me sorrowfully. "Adel, forgive me..."

Slowly, he withdrew a piece of chalk from his pocket and drew a transmutation circle. Tiredly, and wincing in pain, he clapped and pressed his hands to the floor. He glowed a bright blue.

He sat for a couple minutes, and I thought he must be dead too. But then, the life returned to his eyes and in a swift movement he pinned me to the floor.

I didn't realize what he was doing until after the deed was done. He took out his pocket knife and carved something into the back of my neck. It didn't hurt that much- the pain I had seen that night overpowered it- but I felt the warm blood trickle down my cheek.

I shut my eyes, waiting, and breathing heavily. I jerked when something did happen. It felt as if something was entering my body, something unnatural. I screamed with the benign sensation of someone trespassing. Something was inside my body. I twitched, writhing on the floor for what seemed like hours. Silence. Somehow I had been able to notice that Al lay unconscious beside me, and that helped me regain my equilibrium. I gritted my teeth, and, with a sudden newborn willpower, stood up. I felt extremely full, like every space in my body was taken up. In a matter of seconds though, the sensation began to fade, until it was nothing more than an itch in the back of my mind.

Adel, take Al to Aunt Pinako.

Ed's voice was strangely calm as it resonated through my head. I wondered if it was a dream, or a hallucination, but I shook it away. Whether or not Ed's voice was real, it didn't matter. Granny was the only one who could help Al now.

I dragged Al up the stairs and into the yard hastily. I could feel my tears of shock and fear threatening to break through my composure, and I had to act fast before I lost all sanity. There was an old wooden wagon, and I pulled him onto it. I was not strong enough to carry him.

From there I ran. I ran harder than I ever had in my life, the wagon bumping and banging behind me as it bounced over ruts and pebbles. Sometime up the road though, I saw a silhouette of a man. I planned to run past him – what time had I to spare? But he grabbed my shoulder and I was forced to a halt.

I fought against the man's grip, but he was strong. "Let – me – go!" I yelled at him.

He didn't, but instead turned on the flashlight he was holding in one hand and shone it in his face. I instantly recognized him as Colonel Roy Mustang. He had become a close family friend after the death of my parents in Ishbal, and a regular visitor in my home.

"What happened?" Roy insisted, glancing at Al's mutilated body. "Where's Edward?"

He stroked my cheek, expression softening as he saw the pain in my eyes. "You're covered in blood. Are you hurt?"

I glanced away, feeling the tears start. "They were... trying to bring their mother back. Ed is... gone, and Al..."

He didn't question further, and I knew he understood. "You're taking him to Pinako? I'll accompany you." Hastily, he grabbed my hand and the handle of the wagon, and we were running again. Again, faster than I thought possible, but I felt stronger with Roy at my side.

Den was barking when we arrived, and Granny stood alert on the porch, smoking her pipe. One look at the wagon behind me and my blood splattered face, and she had dashed inside, no doubt to prepare for what was to come.

Clumsily, I carried Al into the house with the help of Roy and dumped him on the couch, which Granny had laden with towels. Mustang stayed beside me, as if he was scared I would lose my wits if he left. Al was still breathing, a miracle from god, but it was harsh and ragged. I wondered if he would live, and it seemed as though something flinched in the back of my mind.

I dashed to get a bucket full of warm water and a cloth. Granny was calmly but efficiently searching the house for bandaging and madran to dull the pain.

Quickly, I wiped at Al's wounds. They were bad. Somehow, in my reverie, Al had lost his remaining leg as well, and the flow of blood was relentless. Knowing I couldn't do much, I pulled his shirt off and attempted to clean the remaining blood splatters off of him.

Granny was now beside me, a thick roll of gauze in her hands. Quickly, with trained expertise, she closed his wounds tightly. I finished wiping him down for the most part, and Roy laid a patchwork quilt over his defenseless body. I sat beside Al, holding his hand in mine as Granny cleaned up the mess. His face was ashen, and set in a painful, hard grimace- it was such an expression that no child of ten should wear.

I decided that I, also needed to wash up, and I was glad to find that Granny had already run me a bath. In my absence, I was glad to see that Den went and sat beside Mustang and Al's sleeping figure. It was reassuring to know that he was being protected.

Before stepping into the scalding hot water, I managed to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked completely different- dirty with blood and sweat, knotted, greasy hair, puffy red eyes. I looked away quickly, feeling extremely perverted for some reason. I wondered why I would feel that way, after looking at my own body. It was unnerving.

The water became dirty very fast, and it didn't take long for me to get out. However, when washing the soap out of my hair, I flinched- the wound on my neck was stinging. I stepped out hastily, wrapping myself in a fuzzy towel. I looked properly at myself in the mirror now, and I was glad to see that I looked normal again. My hair had returned to it's normal shade of copper-brown, unmatted, and my rosy cheeks glowed like normal. My eyes had calmed and I looked into them steadily. The normal green. I was relieved to see I was mostly okay - physically, if not emotionally.

But I was not smiling. Why couldn't I smile? It was because my heart was caught in the devil's vice, and every minute that passed it grew tighter. Tonight had changed everything.

* * *

I dressed in my warmest, most favorite pajamas and pleated my hair in a short braid before going back into the living room. It looked completely different- all the mess had been cleaned up, and Al was cleaner too- Granny had painstakingly washed his hair to the best of her ability and wrapped him tightly in blankets. She and Mustang now sat at the table drinking coffee, and talking quietly. I joined them after pouring myself a cup of juice.

"Ah, you look better," Roy said. I nodded. His expression softened. "Are you sure you're unharmed?"

"Yes, I-" I was going to deny an injury, but then I remembered. "Ah, my neck...." Just to check, I felt with my hand, and when I withdrew it, it was covered in fresh blood. I stared at it dumbly, but both Roy and Granny gasped in horror mingled with disgust. Roy immediately jumped up and wet down an old rag. I held out my hand to take it from him, but he insisted that he hold it to my neck himself.

"What happened?" Roy whispered shakily. It startled me, the uneasiness in his voice. He didn't seem the type to be repulsed by blood.

"I'm still a little fuzzy on the details," I admitted. I folded and unfolded my hands in my lap. "But.... Alphonse carved something on my neck with his pocket knife. A circular design. Of course, I couldn't see it." I heard Roy's breath hitch again, and the cloth drop to the floor.

"This... this is... this is a sigil!"

"And what does it mean?" I asked, and I was unable to hide the fear in my voice.

"I don't know," he muttered, and pressed the cloth to my neck again. I wasn't completely satisfied with that answer, mainly because it was blatantly obvious he knew more. I saw Granny give him a meaningful look, and I knew she was curious, too.

I supposed that I would have to wait until Al came to. There appeared to be much more to this story that no one was telling me. But I would find out.

"Okay," Roy stated. "Your wound has stopped bleeding for the most part. You'll just have to wait for it to scab over, I'm afraid." I nodded serenely, and he swiftly bandaged it up with gauze and medical tape.

"You must be tired, Adel," Granny said after Roy had resumed his seat. He looked as if he was going to object, but she continued. "You've had a tough night. You ought to go to bed. Most eleven year old girls go to sleep earlier than this, and that is on normal circumstances."

I really wasn't tired in the least. But I could tell Granny needed to discuss something important with Roy, so I didn't object. Silently, I headed to my bedroom and locked the door. Then, I got into my freshly made bed, which smelled of peppernuts and mint.

I sighed. There was something relaxing about sleeping with newly washed hair. As I closed my eyes, I realized that I actually was tired- I didn't want to be able to think anymore. My imagination was far too active.

I felt myself drifting away, and just before I lost consciousness, I swore I could have heard Ed's charming, distinctive voice tell me something.

Goodnight, Adel.

I dreamed strange things that night. The average person would blame them on my overactive mind, but I knew better. They were significantly linked to the previous events. There was no doubt about it.

The first thing I dreamed was from a long time ago. I watched as a two-year-old Edward ran down a dirt road to his house, and to Trisha and Hohenheim. He ran into his mother's arms, and his father ruffled Ed's hair playfully. This was the strangest part- I had never actually met Hohenheim, Ed and Al's father; I hadn't even known his name hitherto the dream. It's not like it was ever mentioned who he was. I just knew. I also remember carrying a strong sense of Deja vu, like it was real, or had happened before. But how could I dream a real memory that actually happened, when I wasn't present?

The same kinds of dreams recurred over and over again all through the night, like broken records. They all felt like memories, but I'd never been present at a single one.

That was the first sign that something was really, really wrong.

I dressed myself quietly and headed into the kitchen even quieter. It was early, and Roy had stayed overnight I was sure. He liked to sleep in, and I didn't want to wake him up accidentally; he could be a real scrooge in the morning.

I cheerfully cracked an egg into a frying pan and started my toast. I only then remembered the previous night's events, and my mood was instantly melancholy. Carefully, I tiptoed over to the couch.

Al looked peaceful in sleep. His mouth was wide open, and a small amount of drool was trailing at the side. I smiled to see he looked half content, and I was extremely relieved to see Al's chest rising and falling at a normal rate. I left, not wanting to disturb him, and my breakfast was ready.

I poured myself a glass of milk, but eyed it suspiciously when I sat at the table, the rest of my breakfast laid out in front of me. Somehow, it seemed particularly unappetizing. I shrugged it off- once I started eating, I was sure that feeling would go away. Besides; I had finished off my morning meal with a glass of milk every single day of my life, and that wasn't about to change now.

I seemed that I had woken Granny, and she wobbled into the kitchen, followed by the Colonel. His eyelids drooped, and he dragged his feet as he walked. Apparently he had been pulled out of bed against his will.

I felt strangely hungry, even after I finished eating my normal portions. What was more, I still couldn't bring myself to drink my milk. Instead, I poured myself a large bowl of cereal, and mixed some plain yogurt into it. That too, was also gone in a matter of minutes.

Roy eyed me apprehensively, as he had already regained his composure. "Do you usually eat this much, Adel?"

I searched through the cupboards for something else to eat, though I was still chewing a granola bar. "I'm hungry, though!"

It was only after I had consumed my normal breakfast, with the addition of cereal, two apples, a granola bar, three cold sausages, and a bagel with cheese. Both Granny and Roy were continually glancing furtively at me like I was insane.

I finally sat down at the table again. I had still not drunken my milk. Cautiously, I reached for it and pulled it closer, under my nose. I sniffed it. It smelled fine. I was being ridiculous.

Closing my eyes and pretending it was water, I sipped it.

My reaction was instantaneous. I jumped up, covering my mouth with both of my hands – the glass fell to the floor and shattered – and ran outside. I tried to be discrete as I was violently sick behind a bush, throwing up everything I had eaten that morning. Slowly and guiltily, I walked back inside the house.

Roy's expression was of amusement. "Perhaps you shouldn't have eaten so much."

I scowled at him, and avoided looking Granny in the eye. She knew I usually didn't eat much in the morning, and she knew that I drank milk everyday. Moreover, she knew something was wrong.

And something was wrong. I just didn't know what.

I climbed out of my window to go for a walk. It was the only way to pass the time until Al woke up.

I tried not to think as best as I could. It could only make things worse, that much was for certain. Instead, I tried to put all of my attention to the grazing sheep. I really loved sheep, and it was spring so there were many newborn lambs. They were adorable, running around, chasing each other and making cute little noises- it was enough to entertain me for the meanwhile. They portrayed such a happy, simple lifestyle.

I hoped desperately that Al would awaken today. I couldn't go another day without answers, and I was beginning to feel strangely uneasy within myself, a sensation foreign to me. What was more, it felt like I was never alone. Even when I was bathing, I had somehow felt that someone was watching me.

I gasped when I blushed as I thought of my nude body. There was something seriously wrong with my brain.

Okay, so if you didn't get it from the summary or the first chapter, let me make it more simple. Adel exists instead of Winry - she carries the same relationship with Ed and Al as Winry does. So she goes with them when they are going to resurrect Trisha, and alternatively, Ed's body is lost whilst Al loses both of his legs. As for Adel... I can't say quite yet, although it is kind of blatant.

Also, The death of Adel's parents in Ishbal is sort of a mutual understanding. No one holds a grudge against Roy for it.

I hope everyone understands, and if you don't I emplore you to let me know.