Beginning Middle School
"ROY! Get your ass out of bed! Auntie Christmas told me not to let you sleep your life away!" A voice called up ro Roy's bedroom, Roy on the other hand, groaning loudly from his bedroom, obviously trying to ignore the voice. Zolf had grown up quite a lot and had finally developed his alchemic skills. Explosions mostly, but when he really had to, other alchemy. He had meticulously tattooed the arrays into his palms a couple of years ago and now he was learning all he could so he'd be ready when the time came for him to become a state alchemist. Roy had grown too, but he was twelve when Zolf was fourteen and the fact Zolf was slightly taller also made Roy mad.
"Roy! Do NOT make me come up there like the last few times! I will bring ice water with me this time!" Zolf threatened from downstairs, already reading several different books on alchemy. Still no resopnse from who was, in Zolf's opinion, the laziest boy on earth. They were going to start middle school soon and Roy was hopeless when it came to scheduals. Zolf groaned inwardly and got the pitcher of ice water, walking up the stairs quickly. Roy heard this and scrambled out of bed, landing on the ground with a thud. Zolf laughed from outside Roy's room, smiling slightly. This place had become his home ever since he had turned 4 and well, he didn't want any of it to change. Okay, maybe Roy getting out of bed sooner would be nice, but other than that, he didn't want anything to change.
"Gah! I'm up alright...? Geez, Zolf... you're worse than Auntie Christmas when she wakes me up... but you're better in the fact you haven't dumped water on my head..." Roy grumbled as he walked out. Zolf laughed and threw his arm around Roy's shoulders, setting the water down before ruffling the younger boy's hair. "Haha, yeah, yeah Roy-boyo~ Sure I am... anyways, I need to get you in the habbit of waking up early. We start school tomorrow..." Kimblee said, smiling at Roy's gaping mouth. "Oh don't worry okay? I'll make sure we're both there on time. But listen Roy, you'll be a grade lower than me... Think you'll be okay in sixth grade without me, rather than seventh with me?" Kimblee asked, Roy just nodding and smiling slightly. "I'll be fine, Zolfy! Don't worry about it okay? I'm fine!" Roy said confidently to the older boy beside him.
"Roy! Come on!" Zolf yelled as he ran out the door and to school, satchel over his shoulder as he ran, Roy following close behind. Both boys made it to school before the bell rang, Zolf running to his science class and Roy running to his literature class. Kimblee sat down, in class and sighed, looking around the class. The teacher called each student up to tell who their parents were, what they wanted to be when they grew up and how old they were. Zolf blinked when he saw several kids his own age stand up and say they wanted to become state alchemists when they grew up. "Zolf J. Kimblee? Come up and share with us, please." the teacher asked like Zolf was only an infant. Zolf rolled his eyes and stood at the front of the class, loose black t-shirt hanging loosely and his jeans came slightly under his tennis shoes. His hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and some of it fell in front of his face, wrists wrapped in black bandages. "Ah... My name is Zolf J. Kimblee. My mother was Karen and my... father... was James Kimblee. I will grow up to be a state alchemist and I'm fourteen years old." Zolf said, spitting out the word "father" and his father's name. Everyone in the class shuddered slightly before one girl raised her hand. Zolf blinked and pointed to her, surprised he was the first person to be asked a question. "Well whaddya mean "was my mother" or "was my father"? Do you not like them or something? They must care about you!" she said. Zolf flinched slightly before sighing softly. "My mother loved me very much... but she left my dad when I was only three. My father hated me, always beat me for even exploring the thoughts of alchemy. It's why I wasn't allowed to go to school... Dad wouldn't let me and he hated me reading. He broke my arm once, and then beat me until I was crying and bloody. Any other questions?" He said, golden eyes shaking slightly. A boy raised his hand, Zolf yet again pointing to the kid, blinking at the question that was asked. "But... didn't your dad love you any? Or did you hate him and he hated you? Thought you were a mistake of life...?" the boy asked. Zolf blinked, speechless for awhile before finally speaking. "No. He hated me. And I equally hated him. He probably did think I was a mistake. 'S why I killed him... he made mom run away because he beat her roughly too and then he beat me. He was a drunk too. Is that all the questions?" he said, hands clenched into fists.
"I... have a question about who you're living with now..." a young looking boy asked. It wasn't the question that intrigued Zolf about the boy, but his appearance. Brown skin, shortish white hair and red eyes. "Ah... well I'm living with Roy Mustang... he's a grade younger than me and we live with his Auntie Christmas.." He said slowly, sighing heavily. The boy seemed satisfied and smiled at Zolf. Kimblee smiled back before walking back to his desk, sitting down and taking notes for the rest of class, mostly coloring in his spiral. He got up and walked quickly to his next class, passing everyone in the hallway before his arm was caught. He turned around quickly and grabbed whosever hand it was, blinking when he saw it was the young Ishvalan boy in his previous class. "Uh... yes? Look, I really need to get to my next class and all, uh... what was your name again?" Zolf asked, continuing to walk, the young boy following. "Miles... that's my name, Kimblee..." the young boy said quietly. Kimblee blinked before smiling slightly, extending his hand. "Great to meetchya then, Miles~! But look, I'm looking for the Algebra class." Zolf said, pushing past several people, growling softly. He blinked when Miles took his hand and dragged him through the crowds to the math class. "Here it is... I'd better get going to my other class..." Miles said, running off and dissappearing into the crowd. Kimblee smiled and walked into the classroom, sitting down. He took out his notebook and completed everything pretty easily, turning his finished work to his teacher. The bell rang yet again and everyone ran out of the classroom to lunch.
"Oi! Freak! C'mere for a second." someone called from behind Zolf. He turned around to see three rather large boys walking towards him, looking much too old to be in his grade. Probably older than me, I suppose... am I a freak...? Really? Is that what people think of me...? Kimblee thought as the boys walked towards him. "Oi! Freak! Ya gotta talk back to those who speak to you! Didn't your MOTHER teach you that? Oh wait, that's right! She left you, and you know why that is? Because of you and what a freak you were. Not because of your father. Because she was ashamed of having a kid like you!" one of the boys taunted, Zolf's face like stone, but every single word imprinting itself on his mind. Zolf could handle boys taunting him about his appearance, but his family was something different. He didn't show any emotion except for in his eyes, which was currently a mixture of pain and fear that the boys were right. He didn't even notice the ring of students that had gathered around them. "Oi, freak! Ya wanna tell these lovely people what you really are? A freak of nature. C'mon, face it~! Your mother probably hated you, and we all know your father didn't love you. Who's to say that your new "family" likes to even have a burden like you around?" another boy taunted. Zolf blinked and shuddered, looking down. "I... I... but I... l-look, what the hell do you want you bastards...?" Zolf asked, eyes trembling slightly as he looked at the boys. "Bastards? You called us bastards? What strong talk from a pathetic weakling who doesn't even deserve a family, much less a chance to be here." the leader of the boys said, grinning down at Zolf, knowing he and his gang had broken down the younger boy. Zolf growled before shaking his head, running off quickly so no one had to see him cry. He ran out to the parking lot before collapsing against the side of the building, leaning on it for support. His legs were trembling and he tripped, falling onto his knees. He didn't get up or move, feeling too sick to even listen to his surroundings. He wanted those boys to die, just like his father. He needed to watch their blood splatter all over all the walls of the school. No... wait... mama wouldn't want that if she was still here... but what if I'm the reason mama left...? Mom... I'm sorry... I... I am a freak... freak... freak... mistake... unwanted... abandoned... Kimblee thought, eyes slowly closing, body falling the rest of the way as he passed out.