Sorry it's been so long. I've been in Australia … haven't been using the computer much- I've also been working on my original work

Check out my prequels while waiting for me to update more on Book eleven. I've got Books one and two started. I'm still working on them.

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Pictures up on deviant art… My pen name is Angel-sunwalker01

Title: Amber and Sindey

Title: Amber and Sindey 2

Hello, it's Free

"Come on, Khale!" Allen yelled as he dangled a bag behind him.

He taunted the eleven year old girl, whose name was actually Amber, while she chased him down the street. Her long, blonde hair trailed behind her friend, Sindey, followed close behind, attempting to keep the peace. Calling Collins by her older brother's name was a dangerous act that even the most twisted and instable criminals wouldn't attempt. It was an instant death penalty to the mouth in which the words past.

"Give it back, Allan. This isn't funny!"

Amber continued to chase her victim; the majority of her hair held back by a dark headband and flowed behind her as a golden river. She kept her sights on him. Her prey would not escape this time.

"Come on, Al! She's been through enough after that stupid dare!" Sindey called after them. She had become the unfortunate soul that had to try keeping her friends from murdering each other. It was no use. Amber was too focused on her pursuit to listen to reason and Allan had found a sick pleasure in tormenting his friend. They may as well have been related.

He stopped and laughed as he held the bag above his head. Amber jumped in a futile attempt to grab it. She was too short. Allan had grown at least a foot over the summer and was now a head taller than each of the girls. That didn't stop Amber from trying as she jumped into the air toward the bag that dangled temptingly just out of her reach.

"Khale? I'm nothing like him," Amber shouted while stomping her foot on the ground and her green eyes bore into his blue.

Sindey moved beside her as Allan began his laughing fit and wheezed while trying to force the air into his lungs.

"You are just like him,"

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

"Name one thing," She snapped while standing there. Her face turned red as her blood began to boil and rush to her head. Allan looked thoughtful as he examined his friend from head to toe. He walked around her in a perfect circle. His hand brushed through her hair and the long strands of gold slid lightly though his fingertips.

"Let's see, you're blonde, you have a short temper, you're parents, oh, and because of that dare, your left arm is completely out of commission." He recited it as if there had been a list.

Amber rubbed the cast that was wrapped around her wrist. It was true that she hadn't been thinking. But she had learned one thing from the experience. Riding a skateboard and trying to grind the school's stair railing was a 'no,' especially if you've never rode one before. But, against her better judgment, she didn't leave when her brother and her friend taunted her, claiming that there was no possible way she could perform the trick. Since she was the youngest in the family, Amber had to prove them wrong and that she wasn't chicken. And, that instance of stupidity landed her three hours in the emergency room waiting for the x-ray while her parents reprimanded her.

She was fortunate that a broken wrist was all she walked away with. Khale, her older brother, had tried the same stunt a few weeks ago and had the exact same battle scar, but he had more experience, and was at least able to make it down the staircase. He just lost his balance when the momentum of his decent carried through and threw him onto the sidewalk. She hadn't even been able to get up onto the railing. The board had slipped out from under her when she jumped which caused Amber to fall on her side and slide down at least five stairs.

"That's enough Allan, quit flirting and leave her alone."

There was Sindey to the rescue. She had made it Allan's turn to be irritated. Amber giggled as he remained in place. He looked repulsed, or at least shocked by the statement. But, the boy quickly recovered and smirked, which baffled the girls. He now viewed both of them as a wolf would its prey.

"So, I'm flirting?" Allen repeated. He tilted Amber's chin up and grinned widely, "Then do I get a kiss?"

Sindey could see the plan as it developed in the other girl's mind. Collin's expression brightened as she shifted the weight onto her toes.

"Sure, why not?"

"Oh, gross, get away from me!" He backed away. Allan fled with bag in hand as she chased him down the road. "Crazy girl!"He screamed as the pursuit continued.

"Come on, Amber. He gets it, leave the idiot alone," Sindey groaned while following her companions. Of course, she knew that neither of the children would actually follow through with the bluff, but, for some reason, they found entertainment in the harassment. "Amber," She called after them.

" Amber," and again,

" Amber-" and again.

"Hey, Amber," Synthia pulled her back to present day.

Collins turned. She hadn't realized she spaced out again. They had been stuck in the same town for almost two weeks now and there was still no sign of the Elric brothers.

"What were you thinking about?" Sindey inquired.

"Oh, nothing."

Sindey snorted. She didn't believe Amber for a second. Synthia leaned closer to her friend. Her earthy green eyes bore into Amber's emerald blue.

"You're lying, come on tell me." Amber's face softened as she turned toward the window. To her, the memories did seem like nothing, but Baker cared too much to allow her to get away with shrugging it off.

"I was thinking about Allan. You know, after I broke my arm, when he stole my backpack."

"He only did that because you were pouting in the class and feeling sorry for yourself." The two girls giggled. It brought tears to their eyes, "And then, the next week, you were still sulking because you couldn't go on our class trip to the water park. You made him feel so bad."

"And then, he wanted to make it up to me."

Sindey choked on her breakfast as she stuffed the spoon into her mouth.

"So you made him climb that huge pine tree, and that branch broke. I swear, when he fell he cried more than you." The older leaned back in her chair and reminisced about the experience that was so vivid in her mind.

"We never let him live it down," Sindey shook her head and sighed.

"Especially since he had broken his leg," Amber added. She rested her head in her hand. "You sat out with us."

"Well, yeah, the trip wouldn't have been very fun without my two best friends." The older smiled softly, watching the sun rise. They sat there, watching the sky change from red to blue. She grabbed her bag, motioning for the other to follow, "Come on, we should go." Sindey stared at her friend's clothes as they walked out of the temple. The white, spaghettis strapped tank top and the skimpy jean shorts.

"Aren't you going to put on some clothes?" Amber shook her head as she pulled her blonde hair into a bun with her barrette.

"I don't do heat," She looked at the pale sundress Sindey was wearing. The material was made for the dessert's warmth, but she couldn't even handle it touching her skin. But, the clothes would be much to cold in any other town, which meant that as soon as they were out of Liore, the girls would have to change their attire once again.

The fountain came into view. The girls looked around the corner of a building. Sindey spoke first, "Okay, coast is clear." Amber nodded, retrieving a bottle from her back pack, then, checking to be sure that no one was looking, ran up to the basin, and began to fill the container with red liquid.

"Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water! Water!" The voice carried through the distance. The girl jumped to the side to prevent being trampled. She stared, her green eyes examining him as he nearly plunged into the fountain.

"Hey dude, you okay?" Amber asked as his expression changed to disappointment.

"You look pretty bummed," Sindey said, looking over the older girl's shoulder.

"Yeah," Edward sighed, taking a cup and filling it with the alcohol, "but I guess this explains the nasty stench in the air." A suit of armor came up behind him, peering into the glass. Amber shrugged, returning to her original job.

"Is it blood?"

"No, more like blood red wine," He turned, noticing the girl, "What are you doing?"

"Are you kidding? This stuff makes a killing! As soon as I'm out of here it's going on the market!" Her sister turned, shaking her head.

"She's delusional, I think she's been out in the sun too long."

"Hey! Get out of there! You know that's off limits to kids!" The husky voice of the bartender (who Amber insisted on calling Bert since his name was never revealed in the series) called out to them. He grabbed Ed by the back of his coat.

"Then what's she doing?" Edward turned his head questionably. The bartender followed his gaze, glaring at Amber suspiciously.

"Hrmmm." He grumbled as she looked at him innocently with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Just what do you think you're up to?" Amber was aghast. Her mouth dropped as if in offense.

"Why is it that everyone just assumes I'm up to something?"

"Only a fool would be stupid enough not to think you're up to something." He put his hands on his waist to demonstrate authority.

"I only got caught once," Collins whined as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, Monday, twice on Wednesday, a couple more times on Thursday, and three or four times both Sundays, when are you gonna give up?" She scowled, her eyes bearing down into his. The girl had been caught on multiple occasions and continued to come back capture after capture. Amber thought carefully about his question and came to one resolution.

"The moment this isn't marketable anymore will be the day I quit." She announced and he frowned in contempt.

"And the sneaking around the church?"

"I don't know, but there's something fishy going on up there, and I'm not talking about Cornello's lunch."

He grabbed her shoulder as he led the group back to his shop. Amber and Sindey listened as Edward and Alphonse Elric explained their situation. They revealed that they were travelling and looking for something, but were vague on the details.

"Oh you're out of towners. That explains it; you'll have to forgive me." He laughed heartily as he set a glass of juice down in front of Edward. "I thought you were trying to sneak a little dip." The man said as he cast a suspicious glare at Amber. She sighed as she slouched and allowed her chest to hang over the counter.

"I told you. I don't drink it. I'm gonna sell it."

"Sell it where? You're certainly not going to make any money off it here." Edward stated. Amber looked at him. She could see the flecks of gold in his eyes that gave it the color of golden honey. His were hazel, like hers and Sindey's, but brown instead of green.

"We're passing through, so until we leave I'm collecting it." She explained as the bartender reached over to take her backpack. "Hey!"

"You know better."

"Well apparently I don't. And you only caught me today 'cause he was there!" Amber looked at Edward and her gaze turned to ice. "You. This is all YOUR fault!"

As she continued her rant Bert dumped the contents of her bag out onto the counter. She had collected seven bottles, completely filled with the red liquid. It was rather impressive compared to her usual one or two. "Well I'll have to commend you for this one today."

"Or, you could them back and pretend you never saw. You wouldn't have if he didn't come"

"Or, you could just give up." He said while returning her backpack.

"Why would I do that?"

"How many times have you been caught?" Al asked. Amber looked at her hand in order to count on her fingers. Her face flushed.

"Umm, I have enough fingers."

"You really shouldn't do that."

"What? Are you my mother?"Amber snapped while placing her hands on her hips. Al's cheeks paled, or they would have if he had a human body.

"Well, no."

"Then go back to mothering your little brother. I've got my own." She pointed toward Sindey and smiled.

"I'm the older brother." Edward growled.

"Really? Me too, high five." Amber said as she extended her hand into the air. Ed glared unenthusiastically.

"How old are you?" He asked. The color in her face drained and her body appeared to shrink away as she searched for a way to avoid the question.

"Umm, I plead the fifth."

"What the hell kind of crap is that? What are you afraid of? I plead the fifth? What are you like, four?"

"Yeah, ah no, Come on. I look at least eight an' a half!" She could hear Sindey mutter something under her breath. It sounded like an "Oh, please." But, Amber didn't care.

"Aren't you a little chesty for eight?" Ed commented rather smugly. She had a strong urge to wipe it off his face with her foot.

"Well if I'm supposedly only eight why are you even lookin at them anyway? huh?" She snapped before the sentence registered in her mind. Satisfaction filled her as Edward turned slightly pink.

"What?" He shouted as Amber pointed her finger as his face, a little dramatically. It would have looked ridiculous if they had been in their home world, but here, emphasized gestures were as common as the sun rising over the horizon.

"PERVERT!"

"Amber, quit harassing the roadies." Sindey reprimanded while forcing her to put her arm down. Edward grumbled under his breath while Alphonse repeated the last word of Synthia's sentence in a painful whine. She turned to the Elric Brothers trying to look sympathetic as she apologized. "I'm terribly sorry for her behavior. In all honesty, I think four may have been a compliment."

"Yeah, that sounds like Ed, too." Alphonse grinned.

"But you love me anyway." Collins said to her friend as her face brightened with humor.

"Can't live with you."

"Can't live without you!" She hesitated on the last word. "Wait a minute."

"Ah, proves me right every time."

"So where are you from?" Al interjected.

"The North," Amber stated as she stretched back in her chair. Bert had set a glass of ice water down in front of her. She was more interested in the ice that the cool drink as she pressed the cup to her forehead.

"What are you doing in the desert?" Ed asked while take a sip of his juice.

"We were on our way visiting relatives. Our car broke down; they're probably long gone now anyways." Sindey said sleepily. Amber wondered if the heat was finally getting to her. A small cat brushed against her leg. She picked it up and stroked its brown fur before handing it to its owner, Synthia, who continued to pet it as it lay in her lap.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Al questioned as Sindey shrugged her shoulders.

"Dunno, just hitchhike home I guess."

"We didn't catch your names. What were they?" Amber asked as she looked over her shoulder.

"We're the Elric Brothers. Not to brag or anything, but we're pretty well known." Edward announced proudly.

"No way! You're the Elric Brothers? As in the Fullmetal Alchemist? As in hero of the people? As in-"

"Yep, that's me," Edward bragged while cutting off Amber's sentence. She became silent as she stared at him. Her eyes moved up and down as she examined him head to toe.

"What?"

"I pictured you taller."

"Hey! What the hell's that supposed to mean?" She ignored his rant as she continued to snicker, muffling the sound with the back of her hand. "What are you laughing at?" He was getting irritated.

"Amber, stop flirting." Sindey said. Amber immediately looked away to hide her blush. Edward was too annoyed to notice, but she could hear Alphonse chuckling in the background. Sindey grabbed her arm as she began to pull her out of the seat. "Come on, Amber. We're gonna be late."

"Kay," Collins said as she turned to Edward, "So, we'll see you around then?"

"I dunno. Probably not. We're gonna skip town as soon as we're done here."

"Done with what?"

"Amber, let's go." Sindey beckoned Amber to cooperate as she dragged her away.

"Well, later." Amber called as she waved to the boys and followed Sindey's request. They walked on knowing that their journey was far from over. But, they would have to push through. At least seeing the Ed and Al raised their spirits.

After that, the girls left the Brothers alone to their work and finished working up the money they needed to push forward. Amber left the town with wine in hand (somehow she had managed to create a reserve that Bert never located). Though, in spite of Sindey's repeated attempts to console her, Amber was never truly content with leaving things as they were. She knew that Ed would pull through, but the thought of leaving Rose to face her fate made her sick to her stomach.

Regardless, it was time to go with so little time to waste on travel and other nonsense. They needed to prepare for the trials that awaited them on the long, hard road ahead. There was little that could be done as far as transportation, but a cab was managed for them as a way out of the desert. Though once they were clear of the sand, they could no longer afford the service and began the long walk toward the next town where they would be boarding the train.

They never looked back. Like the Elric Brothers, they had to accept the past and keep pushing forward. Otherwise, they would never get home and things would remain as they were.