-I do not own the fma/fmab characters nor the story.-

Chapter 1- The Beginning of Generation Two

My older brother can't use alchemy, but I can. Dad figures it's something genetic but even he can't explain why I can use my alchemy without any transmutation circles. I've never tried to do human transmutation, so that explanation wasn't even considered. My cousin, Marcel, can do the same as me but his younger brother can only do regular alchemy. Our fathers have summed it up as something genetic but it's still something no one's ever seen before.

While I received the alchemy genes, my brother got the genes that cause growth. At twelve, he is already five foot six while I'm still a measly four foot three at ten. Dad jokes about equivalent exchange, but Mom tells he was short as a kid, too. That causes one of their famous arguments which means it's time for me to escape before wrenches begin to fly around.

Our house is close to the river but Mom doesn't let me go near it by myself, even though I can swim. So when I spot my older brother, Charlie, on the bank, I immediately skip his way. Nearing him, I notice what he's drawing something with a long branch.

"What're you doin'?" I ask as I peak.

He jumps and swipes the sand with the stick, destroying what he had been making. Just before he had though, I saw it.

"Was that a transmutation circle?" I ask even though I know it was.

"No!" He denies, narrowing his eyes as he throws the branch away like a javelin.

"Yeah it was!" I insist. "I saw it! But you can't do alchemy... Oh, I know! Maybe I could teach you!"

I can't believe I never thought of it before. Well, it wasn't as if Charlie ever seemed especially interested in alchemy. He mostly liked the mechanics of automail, like Mom.

I didn't expect my brother to turn on me, his gold eyes angry. Getting in my face, his voice is mean when he yells at me, "No, you can't! And whoever said I even wanted to learn stupid alchemy!"

"It's not stupid!" I yell back, defensive.

"Yeah it is!" he says as he forcibly pushes me down away from him. "You just think Dad loves you more because you have 'special' alchemy! Well, it just means you're a FREAK!"

To my dismay, I feel my lower lip begin to tremble as my eyes tear up. Angry at my brother and at the tears, I manage to yell back, "Well at least I'm not a humongous JERK!" before I transmute a wall of earth between us. I don't look back as I run off, hoping he won't even think about coming after me.

-Please review and comment but this is my first fic so please be nice. I've got a couple chapters to post but I want to keep them short.

Thanks a bunch.-

-Natwing642-