Chapter One: Ghost
SUMMER 1899
Young Roy Mustang was grateful to be off of that godforsaken train and finally in the town where his new alchemy teacher resided. His jelly legs carried him down the cobbled streets of East New Optain, a small town with only a few dozen buildings in all. Eventually, the directions of a few shopkeepers sent him toward perhaps one of the largest houses in town, isolated by a spacious lot of overgrown grass.
As Roy made his way up the path to the mansion, he noticed how unkempt the property was. Elegant Roman columns stood crumbling, and unmanicured shrubs crept their way past the vast windows lining the dusty exterior of the house. A dead potted plant greeted him at the set of double doors.
Is this even the right place? Roy wondered, checking the brass number plate beside the door, which read 611. It doesn't look like anyone lives here.
The hollow thudding of his fist on the door reverberated through the concrete space around him as he waited nervously for an answer. Finally, the mahogany door dragged open, revealing a tall, sunken-faced man boring down at him with sharp, focused eyes. Roy gulped, intimidated, barely noticing the the shy girl peeking around the doorframe.
"You must be Roy," said the man.
You must be Master Hawkeye, Roy thought he said, gaping at the blond-haired man.
"Shut your mouth and close the door," said Hawkeye, proceeding into the foyer as Roy snapped his jaw shut.
The girl from a moment ago stood a small distance away, clutching the banister of the staircase that Master Hawkeye was leading him toward. Roy caught her guarded brown eyes, stepped eagerly ahead, and held his hand out as an introduction. But before he could even utter his name, his teacher had glided obliviously between the two, making his ascent up the stairs.
"You'll be spending the majority of your summer upstairs, so we'll start here," said Hawkeye, but Roy was barely listening as he glanced back down at the banister to give an apologetic shrug to the girl, only to discover that she had already gone.
"Your quarters will be down the hall on your left," Hawkeye gestured, standing at the top of the stairs. He continued walking without waiting for Roy to catch up, explaining each of the various doors, not looking anywhere but straight ahead.
Roy paused as they passed a room with the door ajar, noticing that Master Hawkeye offered no descriptor for it. Peering in, he could see a canopy bed outfitted with pink sheets and a desk stacked with books.
"And this room?" asked Roy, but Hawkeye ignored him, already several steps ahead.
Roy followed at a bit of a jog to catch up as they reached the end of the hall, which had two doors on either side of them.
"This is the library," said Hawkeye, indicating the one to the right. "You can study here. All of my books are available for you to read. And this is my study." He gripped the knob, prepared to enter the room. "If you need me, you may knock."
Just before his teacher disappeared inside, Roy spoke up, confused, "But… what am I-"
"I expect a ten page paper by the end of the week explaining in detail the workings and application of Paracelsus's Tria Prima theory. If you can't do that, then you might as well go back home." And the door clicked shut.
Roy stood, baffled.
Unable to do anything else, he gathered his suitcase and began the trek back to his room. Ten pages, he thought. He doesn't kid around. He reached the door nearest the staircase when he heard the creaking of a rusty hinges from the way he came. He looked up, startled, but retreated into his bedroom when it became clear that no one was there. I'd better unpack.
A few metres down the hall, the shy blonde girl sank against the door that was previously open for all to see, unnoticed.
A/N: I know it's short and not a lot is happening yet, but I think small bursts are going to be the best way to keep me motivated to write. Comments are greatly appreciated!