You know, I think I eventually got used to living with Beth in the few days I stayed there. And I never felt uncomfortable there. I mean, she obviously wasn't a rapist or a pedophile. She helped me. She understood me. Honestly, if I had to choose between living with my mother and living with Beth, I'd pick the latter.

You could tell Beth anything, and she wouldn't care. I was tempted to go up to her and say everything I was afraid to tell my mother:

"I cheat, lie and steal everyday."

"I like girls the way I do boys but I can't tell anyone because I'm afraid of hitting social bottom."

"I don't remember my dad at all."

But I didn't. I wasn't ready. I know, I know. It's stupid. But it happens to me so much. I end up getting attached to people I barely know because they don't know me or any of my secrets. I end up wanting to be like the people I hate. Like Darcy, for instance. I hate her, but she's so pretty and popular and has everything under control. I want to be like her. And I'm supposed to love and look up to my mother. But I don't want to be anything like her. Hell, I'm scared of ending up like her, alone and close-minded.

I just want someone to care. And Beth seemed to be the one person who could.

Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to tell her, it was too late.

Tally had been at Beth's house for over three days before it seemed that Beth had forgotten all traces of their previous deal. She never mentioned it or asked Tally about it. In fact, Beth observed the young girl silently. She talked and smiled and laughed with her. But there was something odd about 'Elphaba Smith'. There really was.

The first part was her name.

Elphaba Smith was not a normal name, even in Amestris, where there were quiet a few odd names. Beth had met plenty of weird-named people, including one unfortunate individual dubbed, "Lance Dickshit." Even then, she had to stop herself from laughing. And though Elphaba was not as weird a name as Dickshit, it was still odd. And Beth had one of her feelings, the one that told her that Elphaba was lying. Her feelings were always right.

And that wasn't all. Her accent was slightly different, her t's and k's crisper and more sharp. She was loud, too, and tall for her age of fifteen. Whenever she got upset or angry, she would mutter under her breath, using words in a language that Beth was not aware of.

To be honest, the girl was a bit ... intimidating. She looked people straight in the eye when she talked, and was loud and eccentric. When Beth had suggested she change into something 'nicer', the teenager had whipped her head around and demanded to know what was wrong with her outfit (which was the oddest outfit she had ever seen) when, in reality, Beth just meant 'comfortable' by 'nicer'.

Elphaba was too sensitive for someone who lived in Amestris. With the war, everyone had learned to keep a hard shell and focus on life. A girl like Elphaba, a girl who fretted over clothes and hair and makeup, well, that was like a fish swimming in the desert sand.

But Beth Hamilton was not one to intrude in other peoples' business. She understood that whatever the young girl wanted to hide had a story and a reason behind it. She may choose to share that with her soon, but if she didn't, then Beth didn't want to be the one to force her. Because that accomplished nothing except for tearing their relationship apart, even though they didn't really have a big one in the first place.

But that didn't mean she wasn't curious.

Beth shook her head, smiling slightly. She was getting too interested in this one person. It didn't happen much, her getting intrigued by someone. But Elphaba was an interesting person. A very odd person, a bit creepy, but very interesting, all the same. At this particular moment - 12:53 PM - she was sleeping soundly. Beth sighed. Elphaba was a very cranky person in the mornings, as Beth had realized on her first morning with the girl. She had attempted to wake her up, and her response was to mutter, "BITCH, LEAVE ME ALONE!" and throw a pillow at her. And then she had gotten up, mumbled a sorry, and walked into two walls on her way to the bathroom.

Now, Beth lightly poked her shoulder. No reaction. She nudged her lightly. The girl stirred, muttering something about killer tomatoes.

"Elphaba, it's time to wake up..."

"Dylan, I love you, too..."

Beth raised an eyebrow quizzically at this statement.

"No..." Elphaba's lips pursed slightly in her sleep, and she turned on her side. "Darcy, I'm going to eat you..."

Beth frowned. "Elphaba?" She shook the girl's shoulder. All of a sudden, her eyes shot open. They blinked at her sleepily. "Whatsit...?

"It's time to get up."

"I don't want to..."

Beth smiled softly. "I want to show you my garden."

Elphaba blinked at her curiously. She mounted herself on her elbows. "Garden?"

The blonde nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind one heavily pierced ear. She gestured to the clothing that she had laid on the chair across the room. "Get dressed and come downstairs, alright?"

Elphaba nodded. Beth gave her another warm smile before getting up and leaving the room.

The dress was them most disgusting dress Tally had ever seen. It was beige for one thing, which was anything but her color. And it flattered in all the wrong places: her chest, which was almost flat, thanks to all the swimming she did. Her feet, which were too big, and her hips, which she had always disliked because they were a bit too wide for her liking.

The dress was long sleeved, too. And she had a strict rule against long-sleeved dresses. Especially ones with flat knee-length skirts. She pursed her lips. She had showered earlier, and her hair looked hideous, curling wildly. Note to self: Ask Beth for a straightener.

She huffed, pulling at it in different places, trying to make it look decent. But her efforts were to no avail. It was still ugly. She felt quite un-pretty today. Her hair was curly, she had no makeup, her dress was just awful, she felt sick and tired, not to mention she was in a weird, unfamiliar place.

"Stupid life!" she hissed, tossing Beth's wooden comb across the room. She whipped hair up into a messy bun and stomped outside, muttering in French under her breath. This sucked. This really, really sucked.

Of course, Beth was contently humming and cooking something in the kitchen while Tally's world fell apart. Okay, maybe not fell apart. But it was close. Extremely close, actually.

She plopped into a seat at the table and immediately started her drumming her long fingers on the chestnut-colored wood of the table. She had always been a very fidgety girl.

"Good morning," Beth chirped, not even turning from the pan.

"Hi..." Tally mumbled, putting her chin in her hands and sighing through her nose.

"How are you?"

Shitty. "I'm okay." She yawned. "You?"

"I'm actually quite well this morning, thank you."

Ever so polite, Beth was. Their conversation had been reduced to crispy chatter, inquiries about the weather and comments about the little boring snippets of life no one paid attention to. Least of all Tally Kingston.

Soon, a plate of steaming scrambled eggs lay in front of her. Her mouth began to water, against her will. She tried to push away to urge to indulge in the buttery yellow eggs. She knew that whatever she ate would most likely come right back up. Her stomach felt awfully queasy. Besides, she hadn't had scrambled eggs in forever.

"You look hungry," Beth said, eyeing the teen with amusement, who was gazing at the eggs with a ravenous look in her eyes.

"A bit..." she said. Her stomach growled, begging for a bite.

Beth chuckled, pushing the plate closer to Tally. The girl flinched, eyeing it cautiously.

"Eat it," the blonde urged. "It won't hurt."

After what seemed like forever, when Beth was halfway done with her meal, Tally picked up the fork. She carefully speared a bit of eggs. Lifting the fork, she stared at it for a couple of seconds before carefully putting it into her mouth. She chewed it slowly and then swallowed.

Within seconds, her plate was cleaned, and she gulped, trying to keep it all down.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Beth smiled.

Tally shook her head. It tasted good, yes. In fact, more than good. Amazing, even.

But she hadn't had eggs in so long that she felt weird, eating them. They felt foreign and plain odd. She got up, stumbling a bit. It was sort of freaky, the way a plate of scrambled eggs could effect her so. She shook her head.

"Now, how about some gardening?" Beth asked. She already began to make her way to the back door, not waiting for an answer.

"Oh..." Tally said, trailing after her. "Right..."

Well, it was a delightful opportunity to ruin her ugly dress to the point where no one could call it real clothing anymore.

Tally had never gardened before. Back in Winevra, she never found the time or the interest in watching plants grow. And her mom found it distracting, to plant them and water them and fertilize them and harvest them. They were simply too inconvenient and simple for the Kingston household.

In fact, Tally hardly ever even went outside. She preferred the air conditioned atmosphere of shopping malls, or the secluded privacy of her room, which she called her studio, because all of her origami was done there. And because 'studio' sounded so much cooler than 'room'.

So it was no surprise that, outside, in her ugly dress, with the sun beating down on the back of her neck, she felt completely and utterly out of place. Already, tiny drops of perspiration gathered at her forehead, and she grimaced, wiping it with the back of her hand. As she walked over to where Beth was kneeling, her sandals kicked dirt up. She watched the particles sail up, up, before falling back to the ground. Her mood was even lower than they were.

It was a bit depressing, knowing that dirt was probably happier than her.

"Right here," Beth said, gesturing to the dirt, "is where the tomatoes are supposed to be growing. Unfortunately, they haven't really made any progress yet." She frowned at the soil, as if to ask why the tomatoes wouldn't grow.

She gave Tally a quick little tour of the vegetables. The brunette nearly fell asleep. Why did she need to know all this...? And why was Beth so excited over some stupid vegetables that hadn't even grown yet? She simply nodded, stiffling a yawn.

"And this is my flower garden."

Tally looked down. Her eyes immediately widened. Staring back at her were rows upon rows of roses, sunflowers, honeysuckle, and lavender, along with a bunch of flowers that she couldn't recognize. She swallowed. Even she had to admit, they were quite pretty.

"W-Wow..." she said. "It's ... They're really nice."

Beth's face lit up. "I'm glad you like them. They're my pride and joy." She bend down, a shovel in one hand, a watering can in the other. There were tiny packs of seeds lying against her cottage wall, and she handed one to Tally. The teenager studied the label; it read, 'Daisies'.

"I'll teach you how to plant them." Beth grabbed her own seeds.

The next half hour or so was surprising fun. Tally would never have imagined gardening with this stranger. She also didn't imagine ever kneeling in dirt, shoveling some aside, dropping seeds in, and using her bare hands to then cover them up safely, a blanket of soil tucking them into their nourishing bed. She smiling as she watered her seeds, obviously choosing to ignore her ruined manicure.

"You're doing very well," Beth said warmly, and Tally beamed at her.

The two gardened on their own for a bit, working quietly. A curl slipped out of Tally's bun, and she shoved it behind her ear. I need a haircut,she thought. My hair is getting ridiculously long.

She felt at peace, there. With each seed she planted, each drop of water that soaked the dirt, each compliment from Beth, she felt energized. She completely forgot that she was with a stranger, in an unfamiliar place. She didn't recall that her friends and family were probably dying with worry, posting up pictures and contacting police stations. Perhaps she would make the newspaper? Car Accident Leaves 'Dead' Girl's Body Missing. Girl Kidnapped By Blonde Hippie With Flair For Gardening.

She just focused on the flowers.

But then Beth had to go along and say it: "Your name's not Elphaba, is it?"

Her words stung Tally back into reality. She dropped the watering can. Some of its contents spilled onto her dress, but she didn't notice. Instead, she gaped at Beth. The blonde looked like she was unaware of Tally's shock, the way her scheme seemed to fall apart. She kept gardening, a small smile playing on her lips. Tally clenched her teeth, sending mental hate waves in her direction.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," she snapped. Not a bit of guilt hit her for swearing at Bambi. Maybe she deserved to be shot, just enough to sting.

But if Beth was hurt, she didn't show it. She looked up from her flowers and gave the brunette an incredulous look. "Then why so defensive...?"

Tally froze.

Oops.

"W-Well, I'm just a bit offended."

"Why?"

"Because ... Because you consider me a liar." She crossed her arms, smirking. Ha!

"I don't consi

der you a liar. There are many reasons you wouldn't want to share your real name with me."

God. It was hard to be her usual, bitchy self with understanding people around. And Beth knew this. Still, Tally was not one to give up. Beth would not win her over with silly tactics, such as kindness and being overly sweet. Not that those tactics were working. Not at all.

They just made her feel a bit guilty. Just a little bit.

She pursed her lips stubbornly, setting her shovel down and picking up the watering can. Beth stared at her for a second or two, generally observing, before she began speaking once again.

"You know, I once met someone like you."

Really? Tally thought. How many other curly-haired fashion freaks are there? She didn't say anything, but she hesitated, and Beth knew that she was listening.

"He actually ended up here randomly, just like you."

"Did he?" Tally gaped at the blonde. Now that was unexpected. Perhaps there were more false-amnesiacs here!

Beth nodded. "He and his brother got lost looking for a train station in the next town over. They ended up here, and I let them stay for a night. But it took a lot of convincing. He was stubborn. Very stubborn." She smiled wistfully at the memory, chuckling.

Tally shrugged. "Well, I'm not a guy."

Beth resisted the urge to facepalm. "That's not the point, sweetie. The thing is that I know, from that previous experience, that forcing you tell me your story will do nothing to help our bare minimum of a relationship. Then again, neither will the trip to the doctor's tomorrow." She eyed Tally carefully.

The brunette paled. "Wh-What?"

"Three days have gone. And I doubt your memory is back."

Tally gulped. "Um..."

"What scares you so much about the doctor, anyway?"

This was a very good question. Like some questions, this one had an answer.

When Tally was ten years old, her teacher had asked her why she wasn't making a Father's Day card. She had huffed and crossed her arms, then spat, "My dad is a bad dad. He never comes to see me." The teacher had frowned and left her alone after that. But watching the other kids cutting their cards and writing messages, their hands covered in glitter and glue, sparked a curiosity in Tally.

When she had gone home that day, she had marched up to her mom and demanded to know her dad was. Miranda Kingston had stiffened and was hesitant, but she then sat Tally down and explained the situation to her.

"Your father had a very dangerous disease, Tally. And I took him to the hospital. The doctors couldn't save him. He's dead, sweetheart. I'm sorry." She wiped a few tears from her eyes.

"Why didn't I see him?" Tally asked, surprised that he was not a 'bad daddy', like she had assumed he was all these years. "I wanted to! Did you hide him from me? Was he a secret daddy or something?"

Miranda sighed. "Tally, he died before you were born. But ..." she put her hand on Tally's. "God is keeping him safe. He is happy with God. And he looks down at smiles at you every day from the heavens."

"How do you know? Maybe he's not happy with God!"

"Tally!" Miranda gasped, eyes narrowing. "How on Earth could you say something like that? Your dad didn't believe in God. But God does love him! He will forgive him for his sins!"

"You're stupid," Tally hissed. "Daddy doesn't like God. He loves me. God is just some stupid invisible man."

Miranda would have probably slapped her daughter if the young girl hadn't burst into tears and ran up to her room the second their conversation was over.

That was the thing; every time she visited a hospital, she would get a chill down her spine as she walked past each room, knowing that a patient was in there, in pain or dying, like her father had been. Sometimes, she would catch a patient with the same illness he had had (cancer) and she would stop breathing. And then she would have to run somewhere secluded, and breathe in and out, in and out. Because Tally Kingston didn't hyperventilate in public.

She hated hospitals.

For now, she just rolled her eyes, stabbing the dirt with her shovel. "I thought you were't going to make me tell you anything."

Beth blinked. "It was just a question, Elphie..."

"Yeah, well, I don't feel like answering."

They ended the evening in silence.

The worst part about this world was the nightmares.

It wasn't until the second day did they start. But when they did, they hit her hard. The second she had closed her eyes in that unfamiliar bed, they had attacked her, sweeping their dark tentacles around her mind and whispering words that made her cringe.

It was one of those repetitive dreams, the kind that appeared every night. At first, she had tried switching up her nightly routine a bit, adding in things that she heard would improve sleep habits. She took baths every night, drank a glass of warm milk, stretched. She even tried meditating once! But her inability to sit still for more than ten seconds proved that to be a false choice; she gave up after a minute of twitching, shaking, and fidgeting.

Yet, they still appeared.

The dream was relatively simple, but the message behind it was quite complex. It started out with a huge gate. It was tall, and a sort of coal-black color, and it was covered with a different design each time she 'visited' it. She only remembered one of the designs: it was a large tree with different clumps of leaves that held words in a language she did not recognize.

She would stare at the gate for a few seconds, feeling completely numb. Blank. The first time the dream occurred, she had internally panicked and attempted to force herself to feeling something. Anything. She always felt some sort of emotion. Being blank made her feel like a white canvas, a blank sheet of paper, lifeless eyes.

She would then shake her head, look around for a bit, and bite her lip. A few times, she would call out simple words like, "Hello?" or "Anyone there?" because she was freaking out and she was useless when she panicked.

When she would receive no answer, she would just shrug and turn, ready to try and find a way out. And then - every fucking time she turned around - she would hear it.

She wasn't sure what 'it' was, but she knew it wasn't a boy or a girl. She would whip around at it's strange way of saying "Hello" and stare at it. She wasn't sure how to describe it. It was small, definitely, and generally shaped like a human. And when it opened its mouth to speak, its even, straight teeth were the same white as its skin.

"Wh-Who are you?" she would stammer, taking a step back.

A malicious grin was sent to her. It send chills down her spine.

"Who am I? I'm surprised you don't know, Tally Kingston."

She paled. "H-How do you know my name?" Her fists clenched tightly when all it did was grin at her. "Give me a fucking answer!"

It frowned. "Well, you're obviously rude, aren't you?"

Tally took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Who ... Who are you?"

It looked thoughtful for a second. "Hmmm ... Well, that all depends on the beholder."

"The what?"

"Some call me God. Some call me Deity. All-Mighty. All-Powerful. I have many names. Although, I usually go by Truth."

"You're ... You're God...?" Tally was shaking by now. No, no, no. This is not happening. You don't exist. You're a fairy tale. A myth.

"I am all. I am one. I am me. I am you." This time, its grin was malicious. As if it was enjoying her pain. Enjoying watching her stand there and shake, dignity gone, scared out of her mind.

Tally closed her eyes, still taking her deep breaths. "Okay ... Okay ... Can you please send me to the exit?"

It let out a laugh, short and shrill. "Exit? There is only one way in here, and that's through the gate."

"Gate?" she turned to the gate, confusedly.

It was beginning to open, creaking as it slowly gave way to ... nothing. Inside the gate was black, just black. She opened her mouth, about to ask where it lead to, when the strangest thing happened. In the darkness, little eyes opened up, thousands of them, different colors. Orbs in green, blue, brown, red, violet, even pink, were blinking at her. In the middle was one a big eye, a purple one. She had her hands over her mouth now, stomach jumping, backing up slowly.

The figure grinned at her from behind. "Time to pay your toll, Tally Kingston."

And then little black arms snaked out from the gate, latching onto her own arms and legs, her torso and even her head. She struggled, flailing, doing all she could to free herself from their grasp.

But as it pulled her into it's depths, all she could do was scream.

Tally shot up in bed, her eyes as wide as quarters. Her skin had gone from it's normal olive tone to a ghostly pallid color. Her forehead was slick with perspiration, the tight grip on her blankets slipping from her sweaty palms. She gave a shaky sigh before hugging her knees to her chest and putting her head on her knees, her curls falling in a curtain around her face. A few frustration tears slipped out of her eyes, but she blinked them away quickly.

That dream. That same fucking dream that haunted her every night. Oh, how she wished she could just shut it out. Cast it away somewhere where no one could ever find it, where it had no hope of ever coming back and attacking her with its constant terror.

Of course, there was no hope of this happening anytime soon. There was also no hope of her falling asleep again. Whenever she got The Dream, she would lie in bed for the rest of the night, only falling asleep a few hours before the sun rose and Beth started pestering her to get out of bed.

It was raining outside, the entire town of Kriasing soaked in a downpour that was obviously not planning on showing any mercy. Little raindrops hammered on her window, as if begging to be let in. There was not a creature in sight, as she noticed, looking outside. Once in a while, a little clap of thunder would sound, and she would flinch and whimper. She had always been scared of lightning.

Right now, she let out a short yawn before climbing out of bed. She took a few seconds to steady herself, blinking hard. Then, she glanced at the grandfather clock, hanging on the wall. It's constant ticking did nothing to soothe her when she noticed the time: 3:53 AM.

Tally tiptoed out of bed and out the door, closing it gently behind her. She then sighed, brushing her hair away from her forehead before making her way down the stairs, careful to be quiet. She felt quite ninja-like, sneaking around the house in the dark.

Ah! There it was, in clear sight. Her destination: the kitchen. Her master plan was to sneak a glass of warm milk up the stairs, where she would down it. There was no use staying up late, listening to nothing but her grumbling stomach. She smirked at her genius, walking towards the kitchen with light, airy steps.

Her plan would have gone perfectly smoothly...

If she had not run into Beth along the way.

The blonde was in the living room, calmly setting an intricately decorated mat on the floor. She looked up when she noticed Tally, and the young girl gave a little squeak of surprise. Beth, however, smiled. "Oh. Hello, Elphie. How are you?"

"How are you?" Like she had been walking down the stairs at a reasonable time, instead of four in the morning. Tally mentally rolled her eyes, knowing it was just typical Beth.

"I was just ... looking for milk."

"Milk?"

"I can't sleep. I thought milk may help. But, erm, what are you doing...?"

Beth smiled. "I always meditate before dawn. It's when the veil between the human world and the spiritual world is the thinnest."

Tally nodded. She opened her mouth to reply, when a rapt knocking cut her off. The two froze, listening for a few seconds. And there it was again, someone pounding on the front door. Tally's heart sank into her stomach. Who the hell comes around at four in the morning?

Beth was as calm as ever. "Now who could that be...?" she mused. "You don't mind checking the door, do you?"

Tally gulped. "Uh, um..."

"Don't worry. I'll be right here. If there's anything dangerous, just call."

She hesitated only a second before nodding, dazedly. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves and turned around, beginning to make her way to the door. A couple steps away from the door, she cursed her decision. It could be some murderer or serial killer or rapist or pedophile or Barney the Dinosaur! Who knew? And, yet, she had agreed to throw herself in the path of this potentially dangerous creature. She took another breath, telling herself to suck it up, before running her fingers through her hair and throwing the door open...

...and coming face to face with two of the strangest creatures she had ever seen.

She caught sight of the shorter one, first. This one was small, at about five feet tall. She didn't notice much about the person, but she didcatch a coat, red, like blood. And the creature was shaking, as well. No wonder, being out in the rain like this.

The other one was much taller, at least seven feet tall. It was adorned in metal, obviously being some sort of robot or machine. It loomed down at her silently and she briefly noticed that it was wearing a loincloth, like Tarzan.

And then, despite having no mouth, the armor started producing noises. And not just noises, but words! It was speaking in English, like a human, only with a voice of a ten year old, despite its size.

Tally simply gaped at it, eyes wide, shaking uncontrollably. This evil robot is here to kill me! she thought, panicking. It was still speaking, and the short one had joined in, now, muttering. She couldn't register any of their words, however. All she heard was the buzzing in her ears. She turned to the robot. Then the blonde. Then the robot. Then the blonde. Robot. Blonde. Robot. Blonde.

Then, her panic caught up with her body and she began to move, letting out a high pitched scream that startled the two into silence. Then, she slammed the door and bolted it shut, racing back to the living room, where Beth was eyeing her cautiously.

"Beth! Beth, oh my God, there are these weird boys at the door!"

The blonde's eyes widened, and she muttered, "Shit."

Tally was too shocked that Beth - Beth! - had sworn to do anything more than gaze at her weirdly before she was bombarded with questions.

"Did they try anything with you? Touch you? Were they attempting to force you into something?"

Tally blinked. "Um ... No."

Beth suddenly made the transition from frantic to calm. "Oh. Well, what did they look like? Were they big?"

"One was," Tally said. "The other was short and wearing some sort of long coat. The big one was a robot or machine or something! It was completely metal!"

As Tally launched into a description of the duo, Beth's eyes began to relax into a familiarity. Her shoulder slipped from their tense position into a much more natural-looking one, and a bemused smile played at her lips, much to Tally's confusion. And then, just as she was about to get to the scariest part (the armor talking with no mouth!), Beth did the weirdest thing one could have done in that situation.

She laughed.

And not just laughed. She didn't giggle prettily, or snort, or chuckle, using her hand to block the noise from escaping her mouth. No, Beth full out laughed. She burst into hysterics, clutching her sides, falling over onto the floor and just proceeded to confuse Tally. The teen simply glared at her, wondering how anyone could find this situation funny. Maybe Beth was one of those people who went into hysterics when they. Nonetheless, she crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently, as she waited for this odd scene to finally succumb to an end.

Soon, Beth's hysterics calmed to laughter. Then, the laughter calmed to giggles. The giggles turned into chuckles. The chuckles slipped into nothingness. And she stood up, dusting herself off, a few stray peels of laughter escaping her lips.

"What's so funny?" Tally demanded, stomping her foot indignantly. Though she was sure she didn't look too scary, in her nightgown and messy ponytail.

Beth just shook her head, smiling wistfully. She flew past Tally, making her way to the door. The teenager was immediately on her tails, shooting questions and protests. The blonde walked up to the door and unlocked it, opening it slowly. She peeked outside and was not surprised to see the shorter one crossing his arms and scowling.

"Hey! Let us in!" he demanded, hopping from one foot to another, making it look like he was expecting a particularly uncomfortable shit.

Tally shook her head. "Um, I don't think so! You could be some sort of pedophile!"

"A pedophile?" he hissed, giving her a look that clearly said, Bitch, you cannot be serious.

Tally growled back, "Damn right, a pedophile! We don't know you! Go home!"

The armor piped in, with that same odd voice. "Erm, actually, we sort of do know you."

"Beth! They're stalker pedos!"

The blonde shook her head, flapping a hand up in the air to halt the pointless banter. The short one and Tally quickly shut up, staring at her. The armor shifted nervously.

Beth turned to the shorty with a warm smile. "Edward. What a wonderful surprise." The words sounded genuine in her mouth, instead of sarcastic, the way Tally expected them to.

The short boy - Edward - smiled a bit. "Yeah. Like old times."

Beth then turned to the armor. "And Alphonse. You still seem as lovely as ever." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the armor. Tally shivered, wondering how cold she must be.

But even worse was her confusion.

"Wait, wait, wait!" she said, looking around at the three. "You guys ... You guys know each other? Is this some sort of joke?"

Beth turned to Tally. "Do you remember in the garden? I told you that I had met a boy like you once?"

Tally nodded slowly. "Yes ... But ..." Then, her jaw dropped. "Wait ... This is the guy?" she turned to Beth, an eyebrow raised. "You said he had a brother!"

Alphonse stepped forward. "I'm his little brother," he confessed.

Tally looked from Alphonse to Edward, who was giving her a smug look. "B-But ... Little brother? He's, like, a midget and you're a gia-"

"Who're you calling so small you need a microscope to see him?" Ed ranted, making Tally squeak and back up.

"Quit yelling, idiot!" she said.

"Well, why don't you quit insulting people you don't even-"

"QUIET!"

The duo quit fighting long enough to stare at Beth, from which the uncharacteristic outburst had risen from. This night seemed to be full of surprises...

Beth turned to Alphonse. "Al, why are you two here?"

Al scratched the back of his metal head uncertainly. "Um, well, our train broke down. We were told to get off here. And it's raining and we have no place to stay, so..."

Beth smiled, stepping aside. "Come on in." Just like that. They were just invited in.

As the brothers rushed inside, Tally tried to register what had just happened. Beth had invited these two weirdos into the house. She had to spend a night with them. One of the brothers shared the name of a character from her least favorite book. And that same brother was a douche/dick/any-other-insult-she-could-think-of. Even now, he was currently busy sticking his tongue out at her. She stuck her tongue out right back, along with her middle finger.

This was going to be a long night.

I know, I know. I'm the world's worst updater. But I've just been super busy these days. Inspiration struck me and I've been focusing on my photography for a long time now, so I had to squeeze in my writing (fanfiction, short stories, poems, lots of original works) between school, trying to find a job, and homework. Not to mention, I've gotten into Skins recently, and I'm officially obsessed. (Chris Miles... 3) But I recently turned thirteen, and on my birthday, I requested my family fuck off and leave me with my stories. Hehehe. So I got a lot done then.

But I'm still alive! And the fourth chapter is here! *cue the trumpets* I know I was super late and I'm really sorry.

I suppose I should now explain any confusing points in this chapter. To clear things up, no, Tally is not a lesbian. She's more sexually confused. Bisexual, perhaps? Which is odd, considering that I'm not planning on pairing her up with any girls for this story (Winry/Tally, anyone?) but I thought it may add some uniqueness to my story, seeing as I've never seen a bisexual female OC in this fandom before. Hehe.

Also, I honestly hate myself for all the dialogue in this. I think it could have gone a bit slower, developed a bit more, etc. But meh. I can't change it, because I'm in school, and my teacher will give me weird looks and swoop in, going, "Lia, how is your project going?" And then I open up my shit project and smile and go, "GREAT!" and she leaves me the fuck alone. ^_^ So redoing it would take quite long.

I was originally planning on having her meet the Elrics in the next chapter over, but I had one of my writer-all-nighters and wrote a lot of short stories. This came out of it, somehow.

Yeah, my creative process is confusing.

Oh. My. Gods. Twenty-six reviews? I swear, I love you guys! You're smothering me, really. *bashful blush and wave* You lovelies, you!

But seriously. Unless you're a fellow writer, you have no idea what this means to me! :) I'm really glad people are reading and liking my work. I haven't even gotten a flame yet! And that's, like, a new record for me! Yay! And not to mention all of my hits and story alerts and favorites! If I had all the Nutella in the world, I still couldn't explain how happy I am! ^_^ Thank you all!

Speaking of reviews, it's time for ... *drumroll* ... REVIEW REPLIES! *cheering*

Let's get started:

Kiki on The Momo Tree: Aha! Yay! :) And Edo-Kun is here, so feel free to squeel/cheer/faint/clap/glomp/kidnap/any-other-activities-of-a-fangirlish-nature. Do tell your sister that I agree with her. I've only ever seen one guy on Earth that can pull of long hair and look damn fine, but the others look tacky. Unless they're in anime. Then they look, well, sort of hot. Some of them anyway. Even now, some long-haired anime guys freak me out. o.o Tally is relatable? Hurray! I was aiming for that, so it's awesome to know that I've reached my goal. :)

AnimeVamp1997: Hehe! Indeed, the best way to gain some lovely ol' fluff is to review! Which is what you did, so we are quite close to our goal of one hundred reviews, one hundred saved baby penguins, and one hundred Klisses. ^_^ And I completely agree with you with the If-I-Fell-Into-Amestris thing. I'd probably cry and then stop crying and go see if I can possibly have a life in this world. :) BTW, your rock isn't that big, if you haven't seen Wicked, because I only know two people out of, like, five hundred, in my school that have even heard of it. And one who's seen it in Gershwin Theatre! *dreamy look*

Hmmm ... Oh my Gods, she does, doesn't she? That's odd. I never really related the two, but it makes sense! Coolio! And I've updated now, so I do hope you're happy. Hehe. ^_^

Storygirl11: Aha. Yup. She picked, like, the rarest name on the planet, not to mention the oddest. I doubt anyone will ever take her seriously with this name. As for whether she'll keep it or not ... you'll see... *evil maniac look*

Too lazy to log in: Woah! More Luna-lovers! Hell yeah! Elphaba is pretty funny. ^_^

Oh, Tally definitely has her talents outside of the beauty department. They shall be revealed soon. And by soon, I don't mean in, like, chapter fifty. xD I mean damn soon. Though maybe not the fifth chapter. Perhaps the sixth ... or seventh ... *goes into planning mode*

Eclipsewings:: Aha. I was about to have her meet Winry first, but I changed my mind. I don't know why. o.O Oh, the mind of an authoress...

Yeah, Tally isn't the smartest, really. A bit slow. But she has fabulous taste in names! Hehe. And perhaps she finds Gossip Girl a good enough excuse to forget death and possible doom. :P Twenty minutes, eh? I give you credit. I would last one second before having a panic attack.

ChibitaliaIzzy: Woot! Another Maddi-hater! Darcy is a bitch, but she isn't that annoying. Just mean. Justin is quite fucking fantastic, if I do say so myself. He's my favorite male OC so far, out of all the ones I've created.

I do sympathize with her mother. The house must be awfully quiet without young Tally Kingston to spice it up/fight every day. Thank you so much for the compliments! ^_^

TheWaffleAlchemist: Well, you have to admit, your username is legendary! Imagine if you enrolled in the military as an alchemist. "Beware the wrath of ... THE WAFFLE ALCHEMIST!" Gods, those villains would be Doomed with a capital 'D'.

Yay! Beth/Luna union!

Well, here you have it! More of Tally's story. :3 Quite interesting, eh? Hehehe. And I'm glad you find her as an Anti-Sue. I have Mary-Sue Paranoia, along with Summary Paranoia and Story Speed Paranoia.

Rokuchuchu: Dude. What is it with my reviewers and their amazing usernames? xD And yay! We do have the same death theory! That's awesome! Though my theory has a lot of different layers and crazy shit like that. Aha.

LeFay Strent: Oh! It's you! *bows down* Hehe, just joking. But, really, I'm glad my comment made you happy, because your reviews made me happy. Hehe. Equivalent exchange! And high five for families thinking we're insane! My family already knows me as "that crazy chick", as expected. :P

Oh, thank you so much for your kind words. :) I always tend to worry about my stories, so reassurances ensure that I can breathe okay. ^_^

Hon, most of the most amazing stories I've read have the OCs meeting the characters soon. Besides, I like it. I love the characters, so seeing how the OC interacts gives us an earlier opinion of what we think of this communication exchange.

Ooh! I love your username, too! It reminds me of Morgan LeFay. Hehe. :P

And those are the lovelies that reviewed! Thank you so much for all the people that read, reviewed, favorited, or alerted! You guys keep me happy! :D

Do you know that this means? It means that we have saved twenty-six penguins, that Kurt and Blaine have kissed twenty-six times, and that we are seventy four reviews away from the first big fluff scene! Isn't that awesome? :) And it's all thanks to you guys!

So keep reviewing! xD And, BTW, I adore constructive criticism, so if you have any suggestions or requests, don't be shy! ^_^

This is Lia, signing out!

Well, not literally, but...

You get my drift.