Chapter 7:
Emily sat at the train station with a small silver bag clasped in her hands. Her uncle had a love for watches so as a welcome home gift she had purchased him one with his initials engraved on the back. It had been a long time since she had seen one of her family members, and although she still missed her parents dearly she thought it was nice to see her dear uncle again. Her fingers twisted around the string on the bag as the time slowly ticked by. She looked up at her two companions, Edward stood stoic with his automail arm in a sling and his good leg in a cast. White bandages covered his skin in odd patches and the bottom half of his stomach was wrapped tightly like a mummy. Alphonse was as blank as ever, being covered by his large suit of armor. She wondered when he ever took it off and just how tall he was to move so freely in the armor.
"So your uncle is a soldier?" Edward asked as he leaned against the bench where she sat. He did not look at her as he spoke. He hadn't really looked at her since she asked him to be her teacher. She looked down in embarrassment as she thought of her poor attempt at alchemy she had done after asking him, he would have his hands full if he ever started teaching her the science of alchemy.
"Yeah, he has been away fighting the rebels in the eastern desert." She said softly as she watched yet another train arrive. Her uncles train was delayed, a billboard in the office of the train station stated that it was due to rail malfunctions, so her wait had been extended from about ten minutes to well over two hours. The two brothers had stayed with her through this even though Winry, the over exuberant mechanic, wasn't scheduled to show up until later in the day.
She looked up as a train pulled in nearby, a hiss of steam blowed in her face as the engine died down. She watched with mild interest as the passengers unloaded, many bustling around each other just to get to where they were going, until she saw a tall man in a military uniform with spiky blackish brown hair and bright green eyes that where hidden behind a pair of wire rimmed glasses. He towered over many of the other passengers and easily made room for himself with his broad shoulders. She remembered riding on those shoulders as a little girl. And she also remembered the smile that now took over the man's face.
"Uncle Albert!" She exclaimed as she leapt from her seat to run into the man's waiting arms. He wrapped them around her with a hearty laugh and picked her up, easily twisting them both around in a circle right in the middle of the loading area.
"Hey squirt! miss me?" She chuckled at her old nickname and squeezed him tighter. His stubble along his chin scraped her shoulder, tickling her skin like it always use to.
"Of course i did who wouldn't miss the puppy of the family." She giggled and rubbed his head like he was an actual puppy. She forgot about her companions during her short family reunion. She jumped from his arms and held up the silver bag up to him with a broad smile," I got you something uncle Al." She stated happily as he reached for it. He opened the bag and pulled out the white paper that she had used to hide the gift inside and his face lit up like a light had suddenly shined down just on him.
"You remembered." He said as he pulled the watch from the bag and turned it over in his hands. She smiled as he read the engraved initials and slipped the watch onto his wrist. He stuck the bag into his pocket folded in half and rubbed her head playfully," Missed you squirt." He stated as he moved to grab his suitcase. She stood waiting on his return, and did not notice Edward behind her until he spoke.
"So that's your uncle huh?" She jumped and turned to the blonde Alchemist.
"Yeah, that's my dad's younger brother." She said with a shrug. Edward nodded standing stiffly beside her. She wondered why he was acting so strange, his normally joking personality had become hard and formal.
"You look a lot like him." She smiled up at Alphonse who had seemed to sense her unease o and came to her aid.
"Yeah I took after my dad a lot and they look alike." She chuckled uneasily and smiled as her uncle reappeared. The awkward air the Ed had caused all ceased when her uncles playful air mingled with their own. She introduced the boys to him and he joked with Alphonse about being the "new star" around. He offered to take the boys with them to lunch, which Edward respectfully denied. She soon found herself watching as the brothers walked away, leaving them standing in the middle of the train station. Albert took her by the shoulder and led her out and towards a line of yellow taxis waiting to pick up fares.
"Nice boys." He stated as they settled into the backseat of the cab. She shrugged, not really sure how she should respond, she didn't want her dear uncle to think that something was going on that wasn't.
"They are good friends of mine I met when I moved here." She said as she turned to look out of the window. The cab had pulled away from the curb and they were now passing by buildings a bit too quickly to look closely at any certain one," Edward is hopefully going to teach me alchemy since dad isn't.." She broke off without finishing her sentence, her throat was suddenly tight and she had to blink away tears, which surprised her, her sadness hadn't been this aggressive in weeks, perhaps it was due to the fact that her uncle was now sitting beside her, a living reminder of her father in almost every way.
The ride to Brios diner was a long quiet one. The tension in the car had started when she mentioned her father and had grown thick enough to cut with a knife. She should have known to stay away from the topic because he shared her pain. He had lost a brother and a sister in law. She was almost overly relieved to see the diners sign. The cab pulled to a stop and she couldn't get out quickly enough. Her uncle stayed inside for a moment, paying the driver no doubt.
"Ahh, i remember this place from when i was a kid." He stated as he stepped up beside her to gaze at the diner. She was taken aback by this, she had all but forgotten that her father was born and raised in central, in fact the house her uncle now owned was where they grew up. She looked up at him expecting to see a smile for the old memories but his face was blank and emotionless," Shall we eat?" He asked when he noticed her looking at him.
"Yeah." she said and followed him into the busy place. They had to wait for a seat but he assured her it was worth it. After about a half hour of waiting they were led to a table towards the back of the diner. He ordered a coffee and a toasted egg sandwich with cheese and ham. She ordered a cup of tea and a bowl of the sup of the day with a grilled cheese sandwich. As they waited for their orders an awkward silence fell between them. He pulled off his glasses and cleaned them slowly. She watched the others around the Diner as she played with a napkin. The dull murmur of the conversations around her filled her ears as she folded the napkin into a swan and then a butterfly. The woman server who brought their drinks commented on her creativity to which she just politely smiled. Her tea was steaming in the cup which she held in her hands tightly to warm them. Her uncle just downed his coffee and looked over at her as if he expected her to do the same with her own drink. She took a careful sip of the hot liquid and scalded her tongue right away.
"owch." she said under her breath as she sucked in air and let it out slowly. He raised an eyebrow and adjusted his glasses carefully. She scrunched her nose slightly and took a second sip from the cup. This sip tasted a bit funny and it caused her lips to feel odd. She pulled them in, tightening her mouth and then let them out again. After a third sip her whole mouth felt fuzzy and there was an odd taste in the back of her throat. She looked at her uncle who seemed fuzzy to her, in fact everything seemed to be getting fuzzy around her. Her eyelids became heavy and her head swam. Soon she couldn't hold her eyes open. Her head rested on the table as her world slowly went dark.
Ed looked out of the window of Roy's office as Hawkeye went over the list of casualties again. The boring job of filing the papers Roy had actually gotten around to filling out was driving him crazy. Alphonse did not seem to mind but he did have two working arms and no skin to get paper cuts. Hawkeyes droning on made him even more bored, his brain felt like it was melting.
"I'm so bored." he groaned as he laid his head on the table. Alphonse patted his back gently and nodded his head.
"Boys please be quiet, you are the ones who earned this reprimand by running off to the west without telling anyone or filling out a leave form." Hawkeye snapped quickly. She coughed to clear her throat and to the disappointment of an equally bored Roy Mustang, continued with her list," Hackles Tomnas, Hagraven Albert, Hall Wilson.."
"Wait, did you say Hagraven?" Edward shot up into a straighter sitting position with his eyes locked on the female officer. She looked back over her papers and nodded.
"Yes, Albert Hagraven death on the battlefield." she stated as she looked up," oh that must have been Emily's uncle, poor dear." She said after a moment of thought.
"That's impossible." He stated flatly.
"Are you saying our intelligence office is wrong Edward?" She asked in what could only be described as 'the mom voice'.
"He couldn't have died on the battlefield, we just saw him an hour ago, Emily met him at the train station." Alphonse said meekly as he held up his hands. Edward thought back to what had bothered him so much at the train station. Albert's eyes seemed too black and when the light hit them they looked like they were a dark purple color, plus the fact that he had worn one glove that did not quite cover a tattoo on his right hand and had left his left hand bare.
Edward shot up like a rocket and bounded out of the room. Leaving Hawkeye and Roy stunned and not slowing down for Alphonse who had followed behind the blonde torpedo. He had to get to Emily before it was too late, they had come for her once and now they had come for her again. Did they intend to use her as a sacrifice and try again?
(END OF CHAPTER 7)
