Me: Hiya, I know you must have many questions, but in time they'll be answered.

Cleo: Yep! It better be soon though! :(

Me: Hey, don't get angry with me, I only write the stuff.

Cleo: Uh-huh, right.

Me: Cleo, have the honors.

Cleo: Why do I have to do it...Fine. Disclaimer: Clair doesn't own Earth. *Shivers* Nor Amestris, Crete, Darchma, Xing, Aerugo, Xerxes, Ed, Al, Mustang, Kain, Hawkeye, Armstrong, Breda, Falman, Havoc, Oliver, Envy, Gluttony, Pride, Lust, Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Ling, Mei, Lan, Scar, Teacher, Marcoh-

Me: I think we get it.

Cleo: I wasn't done yet. Awe well.

Chapter 2: Whispers in the Woods

Ed's POV

The moonlight cast a bright rein on the path we traveled on. "Brother, I'm tired and hungry. I don't think this is leading anywhere," his voice hinted a sadden expression among my brother's face. His short, dirty blond hair ruffled in the windy air.

"Me either," I looked back at Al who had a shimmer of hope in his eyes, but the rest shaded in a grey. I turned back in the distance to spot something, a two-story log cabin house with beautiful purple and blue flowers surrounding the back and side yards. I could smell the hint of lavender and mint from the back flower beds that were in a ring of bricks and rectangular shaped rock layers. "I spy something brown!"

"Uh, the leaves, trees, that deer hiding in the shadows, or maybe that owl in the treetops," Al fumbled as I pointed to the cabin. The lights inside filtered in darkness for they were turned off from what I could glimpse of them.

"I think we found our food supplies," I whispered in the musky atmosphere and through the shuffling leaves underneath my feet to get closer. My instincts, or hunger, told me to rob the house of its food and shackle back to the woods like nothing happened.

"We can't steal their food, brother," Al urged for me to stop thinking unwisely.

"Hm," I groaned as my stomach growled louder than before. "Why not? We can steal only some to where they won't notice when they wake up in the morning. You are hungry, aren't you?" I questioned my brother, we had no choice in the matter. I know stealing was a dangerously wrong burden on our shoulders, but my stomach felt like it was going to cave into my chest killing every piece of my insides slowly as I waited in agony to die; I wasn't going to let that happen.

Al sighed heavily, "Fine, whatever you want to do brother." I saw a frown coming from his dreary face, but I wanted to eat something. And my hunger overpowered my actions to think straight.

"Okay, here's the plan. We walk through the side door over there," I pointed to the left side of the building, "then tiptoe very carefully through the house. Lastly we find the kitchen and make our escape without waking anyone up. You got all that, Al?" He nodded with determination as an answer.

With baby steps, I walked to the door and tried unlatching it. "Dammit, it's locked," I murmured, taking my wallet out of my pocket and grabbing a card. I jiggled the lock while Al stared at it, waiting for the sound to click into his ears. I wasn't a master lock picker, but this door wasn't exactly locked sturdily either. The click sounded in my ear and we were in. "Got it." I smiled to Al and opened the door.

Inside the first room was the kitchen, "I guess that's easy enough." I slid the card back into my pocket as I stepped cautiously to the fridge. Al checked the cabinets for anything.

Inside the fridge, I spotted many foods I've never seen before, and the depicted milk; I glared at. Suddenly I heard a crash of a bag from where Al stood. "Sorry brother, it slipped."

That's when all hell broke loose, I heard a squealing bark irritate my hearing. A small mutt with brown fur shuddered out of nowhere. "Since when does a house in the middle of nowhere have dogs!" I ranted. "No, please stop barking, for me!" I begged.

"Since when do people eat marshmallows in their cereal?" Al wondered out-loud.

"I don't know, but help me with this dog!" I grabbed the dog's muzzle, it snapped at me a few times, but I made sure it didn't bite me. Al grabbed the body of the animal so it wouldn't squirm. I used the brown hair tie grasping my braid on the dog's muzzle to get it to shut up. My braid fell down, but it was better than being caught. When I let it go, it started growling viciously.

"Cleo, I thought you were supposed to take care of the dog for now on," I heard a yawn and footsteps coming from upstairs on the second floor. "But while you're getting the dog some food and water will you get me an apple, please. Thank you!" The footsteps started to come closer from the distance.

"Come on, Al, we have to go!" I shoved him nicely out the door, and I followed him back into the woods behind the house. The grass crept beneath my feet as they soon turned into leaves as we traveled farther away from the house. "Well, that was a disappointment, and I'm still hungry!" I croaked as I slumped on the ground and fell asleep in the damp leaves.

Cleo's POV

Beep! Beep! Beep!

My alarm beside my head buzzed annoyingly again; I hit it with a harsh bang. Mr. Weenie perked his ears and moved his brown body from underneath the green covers with a band around his muzzle. I grabbed it off him because of the yelping and whining he gave to me. "What's this doing on you?" I asked at the bewildered dog that ran quickly out the door. "Dumb dog." I placed it on my nightstand.

I ruffled the blanket off me and took a long stretch to a stand. I waved my hand through my brunette bangs that cut off above my eyes. I usually parted them to the side, but when I woke up they were there again. Stupid bangs, I always hated them, but my mom had to get them cut that way. I picked up the brush by my twin size bed and headed down the hall. I suspected something was wrong, because mom didn't call me to get up yet nor did I smell the sweet smell of food being made.

"Mom! Mia!" I called when I heard footsteps from down the hall. I turned to my left into the kitchen to see mom in the kitchen with Mia.

"Oh, in here honey!" She turned around from placing some things away in their rightful shelves. Lucky Charms scattered the floor with most of the marshmallows stepped on or in the cracks of the oak panels. "There you are! Will you help clean up this mess. Some animal must've got in or something."

Raccoon, I'm guessing. I helped by sweeping the cereal of the floor. "It wasn't an animal mom, I swore I heard voices!" Mia complained as she cleaned the counter tops off, which mom assigned us to do a few days ago.

"If they were robbers, why didn't they steal my wedding ring? It sat on the counter, remember." She pointed to the golden ring on her finger.

Mia shook her head, "I don't know." Well, this was strange, animals never hacked into our house or robbers. Besides who would rob a house in the middle of nowhere and not take anything. Then I heard a blue Ford truck pull into the driveway. "Gotta go, Bobby's waiting for me!" Mia waved as she grabbed her stuff out the large wooden doors.

"Have a good day at school!" Mom cheered, but then turned into a frown when she went back to what she was doing. Without saying another goodbye, or wave for that matter, Mia headed out with her so-called "boyfriend". I wonder how long this one will last.

"I'm going to get ready for school, is that Okay?" I asked obediently.

"Sure sweetie, don't worry I'll get this." She smiled without looking up at me with her soulless eyes of dreadfulness. I think she's missing her knight and shining armor.

Dad's at work for another week until he's here for a day. Then he drives back to the industry again to work on more construction. I'm not quite sure what he constructs honestly, I think it's somewhere between cars or houses, maybe both. He doesn't talk about work while he's home.

I walked back to my room and grabbed a blue shirt with jeans out of my closet. I stared at the brown band again, I recognized it from somewhere, but after a while I just couldn't think of it. I placed it make on the stand and shoved my books into my hands. "Bye mom! Bus is here!" I raced out in the cold to the yellow designed bus, Chelsie gave me a pleased smile when I sat next to her.

I sighed as I removed from my seat next to Chelsie. Boring school, boring life, boring everything. Chelsie has her boyfriend, and if that ever went away she'd still have her animals, and Spencer is getting married. I never high school would suck, when I was little I always dreamed of high school. But it's not all they say it is. Only thing I'm good at is the smarts. I can answer any math, science, or english question. Not very much with social studies because I'm bad with names.

But what's the point in being intelligent if you're not appreciated by it. The preps are smart, but they're also in sports. I suck at sports, I must say I'm a weakling. It's hard to tell myself that, but it's true.

I stepped off the bus to see Bobby and Mia in the driveway kissing. "PDA, sis!" I yelled.

"We're in the middle of nowhere for god's sake!" Mia bickered. I headed inside without another word. I didn't want to get a headache today.

"Have a good day at school, Cleo?" Mom asked sitting in the living room watching TV. What a wonderful understatement that was. I think Vampire Dairies was on from the two boy vampires with fangs and a girl in the middle of them.

I nodded as my answer. "How can you watch this, it's too dramatic?"

"Well, isn't the cartoons you watch dramatic too?" Mom tilted her head, she didn't know anything.

"They're not cartoons, mom. It's called anime, and for your information they aren't very dramatic. Actually some of them don't have a plot line," I explained to her.

"Then why do you watch them?" she questioned, pulling her hair back.

"Because they're funny and make you forget about reality. This doesn't," I pointed to the screen, "this just makes your heart race. You want to be the characters in this show, but you know you can't. But with anime you don't feel that way. Well yes, I do want to perform alchemy or have wings, mythical powers, or a partner that can transform into a weapon, but no in real life that's...not possible." I hesitated on the last part because I never tested an alchemy circle, but I didn't really want to either. If someone else wanted to, they can be my guest.

"Fine honey, but I like this. I'm not saying you have to," she spoke kindly. After a minute, I headed down to my room without saying anything. "Wait, you didn't tell me how your day-"

She cut out after she realized I wasn't going to answer that question. I whipped out my trusty sketch pad, I wasn't a very good drawer, but I love escaping reality into my anime drawings. Everyone in my art class were the greatest drawers, there's no way I could top them. But Ed I could manage beating him by a landslide, that dude can't draw, though he's alchemy circles are great, but his drawings suck.

After only ten seconds I realized what I really wanted to do. I wanted to go into the woods to think about everything. Maybe suppress my emotion for another week until I have to go up there again. In the woods, my imagine could soar to higher heights. I tugged on a white, fluffy coat and grabbed the hair band, placing it on my arm. I headed down the hall, mom was still watched her show, "I'm going outside."

"Don't you think it's a bit bitter outside for you?" Mom glared at me with concern.

"I'll be Okay. I won't be out very long, don't worry," I flipped my hair out of my face and the some still in my cotton coat.

Mom went back to her show while I opened the door. A swift cold breeze traveled into the house as I closed it shut. Mia had her arms all over Bobby now, yeah I wish I didn't see that. I blocked my sight of the two, and turned to the back yard.

The woods looked barren in a wasteland of leave-less trees and brown dead ones surrounding each step I made. Suddenly in the distance I spotted a flame from a bright fire. Should I walk to it? Should I walk away from it? But maybe they're the ones that broke into our house last night. What should I do?

I heard the sound of voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I made a decision to step a little closer for me to hear, but not enough for them to see me. But that meant I couldn't see them either. "Now what are we supposed to do, brother? We made fire!" I heard a little kid's voice, but one I recognized. From school? Cousin? Long lost sibling?

"Yeah, now we need some food. Rabbit sound good?" I heard another voice, I'm guessing his brother. It had a familiarity to it as well.

"Yeah, sure. I don't care!" The little one cheered. "I still can't over the fact you're hair's down."

"Well, get over it. I can't pull it up until I get another hair tie. It's quite aggravating actually."

I heard a laugh come from the younger one. They seemed nice, but how could I be for sure they wouldn't hurt me? I know those voices, so doesn't that make them safe. Do they know me, maybe? "Hey, come on! I must look ridiculous."

I glanced at the hair band on my arm, "Well, the least I can do is return him this."

I slowly maneuvered myself to the top of the small hill of leaves, crouching through the tangled dead vines and branches. "Hey Al, you hear something?"

Then like a speeding bullet hitting me, I knew who they were. I felt so stupid. But, what? Why are they here? My heart thundered into my chest every gentle slopping step that I came closer to them. Through the fire I spied two figures, Edward and Alphonse Elric.

No, I can't see them. Not like this, not now. I'm too ecstatic to even speak my mind to ask the simplest of questions. I opened my sketch book, slowly tearing out a sheet, so the echo wouldn't travel through the air. I tethered my pencil from the binding spirals.

Dear Ed and Al,

Please come in the side door at midnight when everyone else is asleep. I'll give you food and you can stay in my room if you wish, just make sure nobody finds out about you. If you'd like to know more, come see me.

PS. Here's your hair band, Ed. You don't look right without it.

I placed the hair tie and the note a few steps away from the fire, and quickly scampered away with my sketch book and pencil in hand. I hoped they'd see the message, I'd be waiting.