Okay. So here's the third chapter. I'm not sure how regular updates will be, but I'll try and write the next chapter as soon as I can. As always I would LOVE some positive reviews! They make me write faster! The reason this chapter is up so quick even though I put it on hiatus was because I felt guilty and really amused when I read a few of the reviews…EvnyLover's post really made me sit down and write this out. So please review and let me know what you think. And please let me know if you have any certain ideas for what you want to happen. I will definitely take them into consideration!
Chapter 3
"Well obviously, the guy with the mustache that looked like some dead rodent is lying about not knowing the victim." I said confidently. Mustang, my father, and some other military officer looked at me. My father looked bewildered, and then his expression changed to that of anger. "I told you to stay put in the car while I reported to the crime scene." He looked like he was about ready to burst he was so angry. "I was thinking the same thing, but tell me. Why do you think that?" The young, handsome man next to my father spoke. I looked up at the man named Mustang. I recognized him from some pictures and stuff that dad had in his office. I occasionally snuck in there when he was out. I am going to be the world's greatest military detective after all!
I liked this Mustang. He wore an amused look, and wasn't trying to shoo me away. I smiled. "Well his expression was one of shock, but his eyes didn't have any emotion. They were cold. Also, his movements seemed forced like he had to put up an act. And he just gave me the willies." I stated seriously. "The willies?" Mustang raised a single dark eyebrow. Maybe he didn't understand the expression…"Yes. The willies." I nodded once as I said this. "She's got some good instincts and observational skills, Randy." Mustang looked at my dad, who took a break from glaring at me to respond. "Yes she does. But she lacks some others qualities," he turned to me again. "Like a sense of self-preservation, good decision-making, and a filter on what she says." Yes…this was true. "There's more to it than just figuring out who did it." Dad grumbled angrily. He is obviously mad because I noticed something he didn't. "She's pretty sharp though," Mustang stated. I smiled at him, then gave my dad a smug smirk. "But this really isn't the place for little girls." Mustang finished. I whipped my head toward Mustang, a frown in place of my smile. "I'm not a little girl. I'm-" I thought better of saying my age because that is always what little kids say. "I may be young but I'm much more mature than my age." I looked intensely at Mustang. I wanted to be on the case. I was aware I was far beyond the other kids my age, and my sister would probably be sharp like me too. Mustang was my only hope to get involved. I wanted to show my dad and everyone that I could be a great detective! "I'll tell you what. Go home tonight, and I promise your dad will bring you all the information on the case. If you can impress me with your analysis I'll let you in on a few more cases." Roy had bent down, so he said this to me at eye-level. My eyes widened. His offer was a good one. I extended my small pudgy hand and grasped his large, calloused one. "Deal Horse Boy."
My eyes flew open, and drew in a sharp gasp. I looked around my room, as the images from my dream faded away and were replaced by the familiar, dark hotel room. I forced myself to breath. I could feel the sweat all over my body and the blonde hair plastered on my face. It was only in my dreams. I tugged the sheet off my hyperventilating body, then combed back some of the hair stuck to my face with my hands. Slowly my breathing went back to normal. "Dammit!" I punched the mattress. Mustang was fucking everywhere! He was with Sheska earlier, and now he was appearing in my dreams..well memories to be exact…damn Horse Bastard!
I looked over at the clock. 3:45 am. Which meant Sheska was far from Central at the moment. I heaved a sigh of relief and shakily pushed myself to the edge of the bed, where I stood up. "Tomorrow I'll move into Sheska's place…" I talked absentmindedly to myself. I made my way to the window and leaned on the sill. I wanted to solve this. I had to protect Sheska, and that Maria I had met yesterday. There is no way she is the one who killed Hughes. She just didn't strike me as the person, and my gut had never been wrong. I needed to solve this case. I was involved now, and though I had long ago given up on my childhood dream of being a detective, I felt the thrill of it all going through me now. Crime, mysteries, and murders plus me was similar to a lightbulb and moth. I couldn't just run away now. Homunculi, murders, cover-ups, alchemy, and opposing the government. I smirked humorlessly. It was like someone was practically baiting me into snooping.
Stepping out of the bathroom, with a towel around me, I practically ran to my suitcase. I quickly threw on the white bra I wore yesterday, a new pair of black underwear (matching undergarments is overrated, but I won't deny I feel really hot when they match, for some strange reason), red corduroy pants, and white t-shirt. Unfortunately these were my last clean clothes…so I would be re-wearing some stuff. Washing them in the sink would be too much work. I threw my long blonde hair in a messy bun, not really wanting to deal with a brush. All morning I had been running through possible scenarios for today and how I would react and use anything I could to my advantage. More than anything though, I worried about Sheska. She was smarter than anyone I knew when it came to academics and analyzing, but in street-smarts, even with my rash decision making and thoughtless actions, I was still smarter than her. This concerned me greatly. I had sent Sheska with a letter for Zhu. It asked for a reply telling me Sheska got there safely. The reason I wanted Zhu to send it to me was because he would put it in code, like he does everything. And I really had no idea if the government was checking on people's mail. In fact, I had spent all morning since I had woken up trying to connect some of the dotes in this case. I trusted Sheska that a homunculus had killed Hughes. She was not rash like me so she must have done a lot of work to reach that conclusion and have confidence in it. And it was obvious the government covered it up. So…were they simply covering things up so as not to start a panic or were the homunculi somehow working with the government? But if they were trying not to start a panic then why bring publicity to the case again by falsely accusing Maria? Was there one homunculus or more? And were they just normal people that couldn't die and were created with alchemy? "Ugh!" I ran hand through my and grunted in annoyance. All I knew for sure after pondering this all night was that: the government was collaborating with homunculi for some reason I had to find out, Maria was being framed for a homunculus's crime, and Mustang and co. were most likely looking into this along with the Elrics. I was still trying to wrap my head around the seeing double of someone yesterday, and what that meant in the case. I wasn't an alchemist, but I was pretty sure that was NOT alchemy.
As I ran through the lobby, I got a few strange looks so I stopped in front of a particularly reflective window. Grimacing, I dropped my suitcase. I knew I looked far from splendid, but I needed to fix my appearance a bit. The bun looked like some animal's nest, dark circles were present under my eyes, and Sheska's boots were untied on my feet. Once I fixed my appearance, I grabbed my suitcase and got a cab to Sheska's. Being semi-presentable was necessary. I wasn't sure if going incognito was the best option for gaining info, but until a situation arose where needed to call attention to myself (or I lost my temper) then I needed to look normal. Sadly nothing could be done about the bags under my eyes. When the cab driver gave me a weird look, I growled and that effectively made the ride awkwardly silent. The driver did not look happy when I told him I would need a ride to military headquarters after I dropped my stuff at Sheska's, but in the end his greed outweighed his dislike for me.
When I got out of the cab at Central's headquarters, I thought suddenly hit me. I have absolutely no clue how to get around this place. I had pretty much followed Sheska around like a puppy, only paying attention to people's faces. Usually I judged people on how they dressed and their faces, but seeing as everyone here dressed the same, I was forced to watch faces. I was trying to not think about the weird guy and his carbon-copy at the moment since it was pretty much a dead end until I found more clues pertaining to that. I knew no one's name except for the guy who had two of him…I would like to see him again, but I didn't know how to explain Sheska's absence. I still needed to think of an alibi; something better than she is sick. That was a beyond pathetic excuse. I knew the Furher's name, but he gives me the willies and I don't think he's aware that I exist. I would rather stab my eye than go to Riza Hawkeye. And even worse than her is that Horse Bastard! I would rather rot in the fiery pits of hell than go to that man for directions! I glared at the pavement in front of me. Even the mention of him pissed me off profusely.
So I decided to walk in and go with the flow. I
An hour later I found myself into the Library. I stared hard at the carpet trying to think of where I was. I couldn't even remember how I got here. Ugh! I am directionally challenged beyond belief! I had just kept going down hallway after hallway until I reached the big oak doors that led in here. And of course seeing such a grande entrance, I knew I should venture inside. I was beyond bored. All the people I had talked to had not progressed my investigation in the slightest. Well I guess I knew that none of the lower officers (the majority), were involved with the homunculi since none had shown any suspicious reactions to my subtle hints about homunculi and cover-ups.
"Umm excuse me miss. Are you ok?" a child's voice asked.
"Huh?" I realized I was glaring at the floor and my hands were clenched so hard my knuckles were white.
I turned to see a cute boy looking up at me with a concerned expression. "Oh, um, yeah. I was just…thinking." The boy just nodded his head and stared and me with big purple eyes. He was really adorable. "I'm Faye Black. What's your name?" My voice went into that high pitch that only comes out when I talk to animals or cute children. "I'm Selim." He said. When he grasped my extended hand, I pulled my hand back to body and cradled it like I had been burned. I don't know why I did this, but when he touched me I just felt unbelievably vulnerable. His eyes narrowed and looked almost evil, but when I blinked he was merely looking at my curiously with an angelic face. Shit. Maybe my lack of sleep was getting to me. I had been so worked up after that dream and then I couldn't sleep with so many thoughts racing through my head. I need to be investigating, not introducing myself to little kids. I dropped my hands to my side and bent down in front of Selim.
"Do you know where Maria Ross's office is?" I asked the Selim. "I'm sorry I don't know who that is." Oh. Of course not. He's a little boy. "It's ok. I have to go. It was nice to meet you Selim. You are very cute." I called back to him as I ran blindly out of the library.
"Wha-What do you mean she's dead?" I choked out. My throat felt dry and I couldn't even swallow. "She was arrested last night, and then tried escaping. Luckily she was caught. Though, she was killed when she resisted arrest." A man in military clothes said. What? No! I was going to tell her I knew she was innocent, that I would help her. She couldn't be dead. An image of her friendly face popped into my head. "No. Dammit!" My voice cracked. My fist connected with the wall next to me. What the hell did the government do? They killed another innocent person? Why were they doing this? "She was innocent!" I screamed at the man who now looked really scared. I leaned my back against the wall and slid down it until was sitting. I rested my forehead against my knees and wrapped my arms around my head, blocking out my surroundings. I needed to get a hold of myself. I can't just lose my temper. Maybe she was still alive, but injured somewhere. Yes, there was still hope. I could find the person who shot her and see if there is any hope. Then I will continue investigating. I know about Hughes's death, but I can still find out more about Homunculi. I'm getting out of this place though. I'll investigate on my own. I never want to come back to this godforsaken pla- "Excuse me." I looked up to see the scared man from before was back and he was with another guy I had never seen before. I rose to my feet and leaned against the wall, crossing my arms in front of my chest. I stared at the new man. I was officially done with all the military bullshit. "Who are you? You obviously aren't military personnel." He spoke slowly. What the fuck? "I have a visitor's card." I answered coldly though I didn't make any move to get it from my pocket. "Okay then. Well how about you let me see it. Then we can get you a cup of coffee and talk about this." He said gently. Talk about what? His tone is really pissing me off. "Stop talking to me like I'm a fucking toddler. And I hate coffee. It stains your teeth, and tastes like shit." I said apathetically. The man who was scared blanched. The other guy looked slightly pissed. "And I don't want to talk about "this". I want to know who killed Maria. Because she sure as hell didn't murder Hughes!" "I'm not telling you, a civilian, about military business." The pissed off guy snapped. "Fine Gramps!" I snapped back. I turned and started stomping down the hallway in an opposite direction. I started sprinting toward where I thought there may be an exit. "I'll figure it out on my own. Whole fucking government is corrupt…homunculi probably running the place….damn fuhrer…stupid…find out truth…myself..oof!" I looked up and gasped. "You!" I pointed a finger at the man's face. "Do I know you?" he asked clearly confused. I quickly put the pieces together. "Ohh of course not…" This has to be the non-doppelganger. He's not giving me the creepy vibes like yesterday. "Sooo…why do you have a twin walking around? Are you a twin?" I knew the answer because his twin had magically turned into a different person but still confirmation was always good. "Umm I can't say I do. I am an only child." He looked utterly confused now. I said a quick thanks and bolted to the door that said exit.
I walked casually once outside. The last thing I needed as more attention. "Faye Black..?" I'm sure my eyes were bugging out of my head at the moment. Blonde hair, serious brown eyes, and a military uniform. Just great. "Riza! What are you doing here?" I shouted. She looked really taken aback. I guess shouting was unnecessary. A blush crept onto my checks. I had definitely not meant to yell. "I'm getting something for the Colonel. And you?" She said politely, but her eyes roamed over me trying to judge what I was going to do. I looked at the chubby ginger next to her, and eyed him up and down. Yeah, if I made a break for it I could outrun him, but Hawkeye was another story. "I'm trying to crush the government, assassinate the fuhrer, and on a large scale bring Amestris to ruins." I said nonchalantly while keeping a close eye on her to gauge her reaction. As suspected she looked completely shocked and the guy next to choked on whatever was in his mouth. "Y-you shouldn't say such things… Really." Her voice was serious and she caste an almost imperceptible glance around us, looking for witnesses. A light bulb went off in my head. Of course! Horse Boy and his lackeys had been looking into this ordeal. But how deep in were they? Did they know more than me? I eyed Riza and the fellow next to her suspiciously. "No, I was kidding." They both visibly relaxed. Riza eyed me curiously. I could see the gears working in her head and trying to fit together what was going on. I really needed to leave in case that old guy I had called Gramps came looking, but I wanted to get a bit more information. It apparently was my lucky day because a group of officers, who seemed pretty high up, if I knew anything about military uniforms and badges, were somewhat close. I smirked and looked at Riza. And then in a loud voice I said, "Yes, I was just kidding. I wasn't really thinking about doing anything about this corrupted government. The place has gone to the homunculi anyway!" I ended up practically yelling the last bit. The other group whipped their head around to stare at me, some wore expressions other than confusion which I found very interesting. How many people were involved in this? "My God Black!" Riza hissed, looking panicked. The guy next to her looked seriously freaked out. Yup. They knew a lot. Probably more than me. No way was Horse Bastard going to be on top for long. I turned and walked away, waiting until I was out of sight before I let out the breathe I had been holding.
I really should have expected this. Honestly, I don't know why I was surprised. Sheska had barely picked up any of the books in her house. The only room that she had actually cleared of books was the bedroom and adjoining bathroom. I quickly closed the bedroom door, effectively blocking the towers of books from my sight. I hadn't really looked at Sheska's room before. The walls were cream and were void of any posters or pictures. The bed frame was wood and lilac sheets dressed it. The only other furniture in the room was a dresser and an over-stuffed striped chair. Simple and not cluttered in the least. That was a relief. I quickly changed into flannel shorts and put my long blonde hair in a braid (if I woke up with another nightmare tonight at least my hair wouldn't be plastered all over my face like last night).
A content purr slipped out as I slid under the covers and relaxed into Sheska's bed. This was way better than that lumpy mattress back at the hotel. I stretched under the covers. "Ow!" My toe hit something heavy and hard at the bottom of the bed, under the covers. Ripping the sheets off I found the rock-hard object my poor big toe had hit. I glared darkly at a heavy, leather-bound book that was inconveniently lying at the end of the bed. The book was so heavy I had to use both hands to lift it off the bed. I was about to fling it across the room when a creak sounded from the stairs. I hugged the book to my chest and froze. Everything seemed to stall as I listened closely for another sound. A part of me felt like scolding myself for reacting this way to a silly creak, but another part of me felt like something was really not right. When another peculiar sound reached my ears I acted without thinking. I grabbed the fluffy comforter at the end of the bed and pulled it up to my neck and laid my head back on the pillow, feigning sleep. When the bedroom door opened my heart stopped beating, and it took every ounce of my willpower to keep from getting up and trying to run away.
"Ugh. I can't believe I had to waste my time to come deal with trash like you, you filthy human." An annoyed voice, laced with disgust spoke in the dark room. The pounding of my heart flooded my head and echoed in my ears. Human? What? Wasn't this person also a human? Crap! My disoriented mind was working a mile a minute, but getting absolutely nowhere. A familiar sense of vulnerability and fear crept over me as I heard the person move closer to me. My heart was in over drive and the urge to flee or at least twitch was overwhelming. "Cya human." The voice said again from almost right above me. My eyes popped open on their own accord in time to see malicious purple eyes shining and a psychotic smile, but then a movement too quick for my eyes to follow happened and a tearing noise sounded in the silent bedroom; a hard pressure on my chest made me look downward. A large spike was coming from the person's bicep. I followed the strange arm-weapon toward the pressure on my chest. I couldn't see the rest of the spike though because it went through the cover and straight-I strangled choke came from me. The spike went through the covers, straight to my heart.
Wow that actually took a really long time to write. I hope you all liked it!
Please review! Reviews make me happy and happy writers write quicker!