Chapter 2:
The Hughes family home was quaint and very warm feeling. Emily had entered not knowing what to expect and had been rewarded with a living room that looked much like one her own dear mother would have picked for their home. Two small couches faced each other with a small coffee table between them while two lounge chairs sat at opposite ends of said table. Jean Havoc sat in one of the chairs while she sat atone end of a light green colored couch. two steaming cups of tea sat on the table before them, Emily's tea was already half gone due to her drinking it quickly to calm her nerves when Mrs. Hughes had set it before her.
Mrs. Hughes was currently in the small kitchen pulling out a mouth watering fresh apple pie from her oven. A small girl who appeared to be around the age of two with adorable pigtails and big bright green eyes sat at the kitchen table that she could see through the opened door, the young girl was giggling and happily holding her arms out to her mother without a care in the world. Her eyes stung with new tears as she thought of her own mother; lying dead either still slumped over her father, or on an operating table where they would cut her open to find out what she already knew.
"Here." she looked up to see a white napkin as a warm tear slid down her cheek. She accepted Havoc's small gift and wiped her eyes until they where dry, and just in time. Mrs. Hughes and her daughter walked into the room just as she slid the napkin into her pocket.
"I hope you two are hungry." The nice woman sat the pie and four plates down one the coffee table and gave Emily a gentle smile.
"I'm starving, your food always taste so good, I couldn't turn down a single bite." Havoc
stated as he wiped drool from his chin.
"how about you dear?" Mrs. Hughes smiled down at her with a plate already ladden with a large slice of pie ready and waiting.
"Thank you." she stated quietly as she accepted the offered plate.
"Gracia, how is your husband, haven't heard from him in a while." Havoc asked through a mouthful of pie. Emily opted to place her pie on the table and simply sip from her slowly cooling tea. The two adults shared a murmured conversation in which she caught the words "uncle" and "far away". Her uncle Albert immediately came to mind. He was a cheerful black haired man with bright brown eyes that always hid behind a pair of half moon specticals. She remembered fondly the times she would spend at his house with his pet greyhound Henry. he was a military official like Mr. Havoc, and was usually away from home, either fighting a gang of rogues or witnessing the signing of important papers.
"Are you gonna stay with us forever?" she looked down to see the young pig tailed girl staring up at her with bright green eyes.
"I don't know." She said slowly as she turned to the adults who where now looking at her. Gracia smiled and looked down as Havoc scratched his head.
"Well," He began," We are hoping to get in touch with your uncle, but you are about to be seventeen and that's a legal adult." she nodded solemnly as his words sunk in.
"So as soon as I am seventeen then I will be on my own." She stated as she dropped her head, "I guess that makes sense but, what about my belongings? I left everything back, back there." She did not want to say back at home, It was too painful to think of, all she could see when the word came to mind was a bloodstained world.
"The whole house has to be documented for evidence, it may take a while, I hope you understand." Havoc seemed to slowly sink into a depression as he spoke the words.
"In other words, I can't even have a change of clothes." She almost growled, sudden anger made her vision go red and her fists to clench," Some help you all are! You expect me to just go on without anything! Haven't I lost enough today!" She stood and ran from the apartment. Hot tears cut down her cheeks as she ran down each flight of stairs and out of the building. Her heart was pounding as she turned down a random street and began running once more.
"To hell with them!" she cried as she ran," To hell with all of those heartless bastards!" she didn't know where she was going, all she knew was she had to get away, From Gracia's sad eyes and Havoc's awkward glances. They felt pity for her but they where wrong. She was the daughter of Sarah and Louis Hagraven, two of the greatest alchemists she had ever known, she did not need their pity. She turned down an alleyway blindly and tripped on a loose brick, one of many that lined the sidewalks. She fell hard, skinning her hands and knees as she landed on the rough uneven ground. Her hands swelled and dripped with oozing red blood as she watched them. Her left palm was penetrated by a shiny rock that was turning a bright shade of crimson with her fresh blood. She squeezed her hands into fists, pushing the rock deeper into her flesh and ignoring the sharp pain it gave her.
"I hate them all!" she cried up at the clear sky between the buildings. Her tears where coming faster now. Falling in heavy drops from her chin to her chest, but she didn't care. She was bloody and filthy, and most of all she was completely alone in the world. Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again as she thought this.
"Well well well, I thought I heard someones pitiful cries." She looked up to see a dark haired woman wearing a skin tight dress that clung to her every curve and made her breasts very noticeable, almost as much as the tattoo that rested between them. The woman had sensual full lips and bright purple eyes that where half lidded as if she was bored of looking down at Emily. Her long slender arms where crossed just under her breasts and her legs where slightly apart, her left hip cocked out to the side as she stood there.
"Can I eat the girl?" A short, fat, bald man with a large nose and an even larger mouth appeared beside the strange woman. His huge arms dragged beside him and Emily watched in shock as he lifted one massive paw of a hand to his lips to press his index finger, which was roughly the size of her wrists, into them. A single thick line of drool seeped from his lips onto his finger as his purple eyes stared at her. He was in black, his tight tank top and pants where a deep ink black while his scuffed boots where a slightly lighter shade.
"Now now Gluttony my dear, look at her, You'll get a tummy ache if you eat her, she is much too bony." The woman's voice was like velvet laced with poison. It sounded so smooth and sweet but with a bitter edge that made Emily cringe away.
"Who, who are you? What do you want? I Don't have anything worth stealing." She stuttered as she used her sore hands to back away from the strange couple. Their purple eyes where mysterious and chilled her to the core.
"Who we are doesn't matter you little worm." the woman's voice cut through her as she slowly began to walk toward Emily, "Don't worry we aren't here to steal anything from you, we just need a victim, an example if you will." She reached out as if to touch Emily, who had a sudden burst of adrenaline which allowed her to jump up and turn away from the two. Then she took off faster than she had ever ran before.
Her feet pounded down on the pavement over and over as she ran down the street, past families and people who stopped to stare at her as if her actions where the strangest thing they have ever seen. She did not look back to see if the two where following her, to do that she would have to slow down and that did not feel like an option. She closed her eyes against the strange stares and pushed herself to run faster. A stitch bloomed painfully in her side but she did not slow down. Her heart was beating faster and faster in her ears, it was loud. So loud that she didn't hear who was yelling at her until she ran into a hard half metal half flesh chest. The impact sent her back onto her buttocks hard enough to knock the wind out of her lungs. She coughed and looked up through the blinding sunlight to see two gold orbs of eyes staring down at her. Blonde hair stood up in an antenna like way right above the eyes and right below them a mouth hung open in a look of shock and awe.
"Miss Hagraven?" She turned to see the shiny metal body that could only belong to Alphonse, just as the child-like voice could only be his as well. He held a large hand out which she accepted, allowing the large man to pull her to her feet," What are you doing here?" He asked as she futilely dusted off her clothes.
"These two strange people where chasing me. I think they where trying to kill me." She stated as she finally turned to look behind her only to see an almost empty street and no pursuers," I don't know where they went."
"Why where you on your own?" She turned to see Edwards angry gold eyes flash. It was odd to her, they where so full of worry a second before.
"I just had to have a moment alone." she was calming down now. Finally feeling safe enough to relax her legs and arms," Havoc, and Mrs. Hughes, they where just looking a me like I was some pitiful little girl. I lost my parents today, i don't need to loose my dignity as well." She fought back the tears that threatened the corners of her eyes, crying now would just make her seem like what she didn't want, a pitiful lost little girl.
"You look like you could use a warm shower, and maybe some food." Edward stated with a sigh," You might as well come with us, we kind of get what you're going through." He turned and waved his right hand in the air in a follow me motion. She turned to Alphonse who simply nodded and followed in line behind Edward. She rubbed her neck and winced at the pain it brought her still sore palm, and followed behind the two as they made their way down the street.
(I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Emily Hagraven's story, please feel free to post a review with suggestions or comments on the story so far. The next chapter will be posted within the next twenty four hours)