"Ed, I told you outside that my mother died in childbirth. That's not all of the story. She died saving me when I was born," began Angel. She tensed up, swallowing hard. "Something was wrong at first. Like I wasn't breathing or something. She did the first thing that came to mind, using her own energy to keep me anchored in this world. She drew this in blood, and something in the reaction made it permanent. Maybe she just couldn't control the flow of energy. In the end, she couldn't support both of us."
"So she brought you back from the Gate?" pressed Edward.
"I don't know. They never determined if I was already dead or not."
"What about all these other people, then?" Alphonse asked weakly. "If you aren't bringing souls back, what are you doing?"
Edward's gaze turned cold for a moment. "Like I said before, we don't tolerate people who abuse their power."
"And I told you it's not the same," Angel shot back. She struggled to tamp down the anger that flared up. Only after a few deep breaths did she feel she could continue. "I explain to every person that comes through here that it's not true human transmutation. I sort of just…act as a temporary bridge.
"I exhibited this talent form a young age, which didn't help my dad cope with losing Mom. No one knew what to make of it, and it's why I got the nickname Spirit Child first. If I touch someone with my bare skin, I can sense those close to them who have died. Most people decided it had to do with my own 'death.'" She made little quotations in the air. "I still incredibly missed the mother I never knew, since I could feel this wisp of her from the other side. One day, I scraped up my hands while playing. I cried, because I had no mother to comfort me like the other kids did. Somehow I got blood directly on my circle…and it…happened. I discovered alchemy and the extent of my connection with the dead.
"By thinking of her at that moment, I bent the light around me into a temporary likeness of her. She could speak, too, as long as I held the connection. From there it didn't take long to connect this skill with what I could already do with others."
Edward's mouth was hanging open, his reaction a mixture of surprise and slight horror. While it was admirable that she wanted to help ease others' pain, the fact was that she cut into her own skin daily to do it.
"That's why you were so worn out when we showed up," said Alphonse. "You keep this up all day for people. That could be dangerous!"
Angel hung her head. "I know. I try to make the most use of small amounts as I can."
"You don't…use blood for all your alchemy, do you?"
"Oh, no, definitely not! I researched the symbols, and found out that the link between the two skills is this smudged one, here. It can read 'life' or 'light.' Without blood, I can still do anything I want with light except create it by simply touching my wrist. For anything else, I have to draw a circle out just like you."
"Well, kind of…" Edward mumbled out of the corner of his mouth without meaning to. Angel glanced at him curiously.
"It is kind of like what you do, though, Brother," Alphonse pointed out.
"Maybe, maybe not. I'm more interested in the light bit. It never crossed my mind before that one could control elements in the air like that. Between that and simple physics, you could do so much with that talent. I bet we could really use your help when—"
"Okay, enough about me," declared Angel. "Let's here it from you now, starting with what the heck you're talking about. Everything ends up relating to alchemy, but it doesn't seem to be connected to the military, not really. Armor boy, for instance—his voice echoes far too much to be a person walking around in that shell. And you, Ed, you're younger than anyone I've ever heard of in the State Alchemist program."
"It's only fair, but I warn you, it's not pretty," Edward told her, irritated that her attitude had returned. She only gave him a hard look that said, and my life was? He took a deep breath.
It was more difficult than he thought, explaining how their own mother died, and they tried to bring her back with alchemy. Explaining how the Gate and Truth worked, and what they had to give up for their transgression. The depression, the offer he was made to join the military, the pain and long rehabilitation for automail limbs that allowed him to get around. This time, it was Angel's turn to stare open-mouthed.
"And you're still researching it, after all that?"
"Not quite, just looking for a way to get our bodies back," Edward finished darkly. "We have to fix the mistake we made.
"I suppose my story does pale in comparison."
"Don't sell yourself short. Just because we've had…difficult times doesn't mean nobody else does," Alphonse tried to assure her.
"Still, that's quite a rollercoaster ride for being fourteen and fifteen. So what about that brings you out here chasing rumors?"
"The lab, if it's out here—and we're pretty sure now that it is—its purpose is to create the Philosopher's Stone," said Edward. Angel's eyes got wide, but she didn't interrupt him. "At first we sought the Stone as the way to get our bodies back. Then we found out the key ingredient…" He wasn't sure he could tell her, considering her father, as much as she resented him (which he understood perfectly), was likely a prisoner of those psychos.
Angel swallowed hard. "What's the key ingredient, Ed?"
The brothers looked at each other. "It's humans, Angel," Alphonse answered heavily.
"That's why I've found so many of the missing in the spirit world, eventually. Their relatives seek me out specifically, often more than once, if I don't sense their loved ones the first time," muttered Angel. "Please tell me you don't still support this evil project."
"Not once we learned that secret. No wish is worth that price; we'll achieve our own goal some other way. And in the meantime, we'll stop the maniacs who do want the Stone," Edward declared.
"How?"
"We pay them a little visit. Where do most of the disappearances seem to occur?"
Far from her intense self, Angel seemed almost to shrink away. "In and around Terekor. At least the random ones are. I wonder if they came out here for Resvol because they thought he knew something about his neighbors' disappearances…" She thumbed her circle nervously. "I swore I'd never go back…"
"You don't have to, I suppose, but we could really use your help. I think conjuring images is just the beginning of what you can do. Please?" coaxed Edward.
"Just, the beginning? How? Like you said, it's really nothing more than a magic show I do here."
"Yeah, a magic show that runs on alchemy! And remember, this is something that needs doing for the sake of the community—all those torn families that come to you trying to find their missing loved ones."
"Wow, I guess you have a gentle spot somewhere in there after all." A small smile overcame Angel's gloom about her hometown. "For them, then."
"Um, don't we have to find the lab first?" Alphonse reminded them both.
"All maps and layouts for the area are public access, since so much of the business is accommodating traveling acts. We can look through them at the city hall, say it's for a history project or something."
"Sounds like a place to start; but before that, bed. Tomorrow's going to be a long day, I can tell," Edward groaned as he stretched.