Chapter Two: In the Lap of the Envious
I'm flitting in and out of the world then back out again, the necklace still within my hand. After what feels like an eternity disguised as merely a few minutes, I'm pulled into subconsciousness until I land on something solid and hear a loud grunt of surprise.
"What the hell?! Get off me!" A raspy voice speaks out above me and I'm shoved roughly, hitting the concrete with a loud thud.
"Ow..." I slowly get up, my body sore and obviously bruised, and come face-to-face with a thin androgynous person. I feel my mouth open and close repeatedly, making myself look like a fish out of water as I stare at the purple eyes and wispy hair. They wore black, the two piece sticking to their skin and showing off well defined muscles. It would be a lie to say I didn't find them attractive.
"Hey!" They snap, pulling me out of my thoughts and making me jump. "Who are you? When did Father make another homonculus?" They stalk closer to me, looking me over and stroking their chin. "Maybe another Gluttony?" Mumbling to themselves, they poke my stomach and grin when I smack their hand away.
"Don't touch me!" I hiss at them, getting angrier at the smirk on their face. "I'm not a homonculus, whatever that is! You asshole!"
Holding up their hands, their smirk grows as they chuckle. "Hey, now! You're a feisty one!" They eye me like a piece of meat, humming. "Well, you gotta be somethin' there, girly. I mean, you did land on me without so much as a scratch." They move towards me and I quickly scramble back, yelping as they grab me easily. I flail and scratch at their hand, wincing from the excruciatingly tight grip. "Quit fightin', girly! We're gonna go see Father so just follow along like a good girl!"
My heart drops into my stomach and dread fills my body at the mention of seeing this 'Father', yet I'm unsure why. I can't place the fear and why it seems to grow the more I think about him. Panicking, I smash my forehead into the person's face during my struggling. They grunt and release me, holding my face as they groan. The second they let go, I book it down the street as fast as I can and ignore the yelling behind me.
"Get back here, dammit!"
Fear pushes me to run faster and I pant as I delve deeper into the unfamiliar city, my lungs burning from exertion and lack of use. Weaving through the crowd, tears blur my vision and I let out a choked sob. Where am I?! I sob out harder, not paying attention to my surroundings, and I once again run into something solid. It connects with my chest, knocking the wind out of me and making me stumble back.
"Hey, watch where you're going, dumbass!"
I glance down as I rub my chest, my eyes landing on gorgeous golden hair. It frames a pale, young face, the eyes matching the hair in color and a surge of familiarity charges through me. The teenager glares at me as he huffs out, crossing his arms. Where have I seen those eyes before?
"Hey, are you deaf or something?! Answer me, dammit!" He yells again and I flinch at his tone, biting my lip hard.
"Brother, you're scaring her! It was obviously an accident!" A large suit of armor places his hand on his brother's shoulder, glancing at me. "Don't be so mean, brother." He chastises the smaller teen, completely turning to me and bowing. "I'm really sorry about him. I'm Alphonse Elric and this is my older brother, Edward." Alphonse waits expectantly for me to reply and I realize: I don't remember my name. I begin to breathe hard, alerting Alphonse and making him panic. "You...You don't have to tell us if you don't want to! Please don't worry!"
"I...I can't remember." I whisper, tears stinging my eyes and rolling down my cheeks. "I can't remember anything..." My chest feels heavy and I feel myself begin to break down as Edward yells at me, his tone accusing. It wasn't entirely a lie. I truly couldn't remember what name Armando called me nor of anything else besides me disappearing. My eyes widen and I hurriedly put the necklace back on, stroking the gem.
"Ed! Stop!" Alphonse snaps at his brother before placing his hands on my shaking shoulders, his voice becoming soothing and soft. "Why don't you come with us? It's not safe to be wandering around without your memories." Ignoring Ed's protests, he leads me away with a hand on my back. I glance over my shoulder, feeling eyes on me but seeing no-one that stood out within the crowd. The feeling remains and I hurry after the two boys, clinging to Alphonse's arm as we walk back to the hotel.
Al reassures me with a gentle voice, ignoring Ed's complaining as he places a large hand in between my shoulder blades. We walk into the hotel lobby and I glance around, the bright lights hurting my eyes a bit. "This way." Al leads me towards the stairs and I bite my lip, tugging at a strand of hair as we walk up them. My left leg gives out and I shriek, Ed grabbing me before I can hit the wooden step.
"Watch it." He mumbles before letting me go and continuing to make his way upstairs.
"S...Sorry." I whisper, hugging Al's arm to keep from falling again. Ed grunts in response and stops at the top of the stairs to wait for us. Once we reach him, he whirls around and stomps to the room. I stare at his back as he unlocks the door, noticing how sadly his shoulders slump. I'm ushered into the room, stiffening as the door closes and latches behind me. Why did he seem so familiar and why did I feel such at ease around the both of them?