You'd think this would be one of those heart-warming family moments when someone sees their family for the first time in a long time, right?
Dead wrong.
After getting over the shock that I'm actually here, my uncle nods to me, then turns and walks away.
This is one of those moments where everyone falls over anime style, but instead, I just feel hurt. I finally meet him, after all this time, and that's how he reacts? I bite my lip to keep myself from crying as I watch my uncle walk away.
Isn't this the second time he left responsibility for me behind? I want to just run away to somewhere, but I wouldn't know where to go. I don't want to be lost in a large city like this.
"Don't mind him; he has a lot on his mind." The girl says, breaking the silence. "Come on, let's find you a room." At first, I don't know if I can handle my uncle like this.
"Jade?" I turn to face Ed and he looks at me with concern. I taste something salty and I realize I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood. I want to break down crying, but I know that won't help me learn alchemy.
I decide then and there that this is what I want to do.
I'm going to learn alchemy, and prove to my uncle that I'm not worthless.
Ed's P.O.V.
"Jade?" I ask her. She turns to me, but she looks like she's having some conflicts within herself. She's bitten her lip so hard that it's bleeding now.
I wait for a moment, so she can gather her thoughts. What the hell is wrong with Mustang?! You'd think he'd be happy to see his niece after all this time!
Major Armstrong looks at us for a moment before excusing himself, saying he'll talk to us later. Jade looks like she's made up her mind, so I offer my hand to her, asking the unspoken: Do you still want to do this? She takes my hand and smiles. "I'm ready."
Lieutenant Hawkeye shows us to an empty room and says that Jade can stay here. She unpacks her suitcase of only a few changes of clothes then turns to us. "So, what next?"
I can't help but smile as I take her to the library. "Here, you can study many things on alchemy." I inform her. The way she looks at the shelves of books, like she respects each and every one, makes me smile.
She checks out a few basic books on alchemy and goes back to her room to study. "We'll be back later; I have to file a report of the mission." I tell her.
"You have fun with that." She jokes, and I smile.
After I file the report, Al and I are walking back to Jade's room when Lieutenant Hawkeye pulls us aside for a word. "Listen boys, there's something you need to know about Jade's past, and I can explain why the Colonel didn't raise her himself." Hawkeye says in a quiet tone.
We go to a more secluded place. "Well?" I ask, ready to hear it.
"Jade's mother died giving birth to her, and records say that her father died three months later of cancer. When Jade was brought to Colonel Mustang, he hadn't yet heard of the death of her parents. He was distraught to lose his sister and brother-in-law, and now he was landed with their baby. Part of the reason he sent her away was because he didn't want her to become involved with the state, but the big reason was simple. Jade looked so much like her mother. Roy didn't know if he-"
I cut her off, angry. "So he didn't want to see the face of his dead sister?! That's why he sent her away to some remote village?!"
"Brother…" Al says quietly, but we both know that won't calm me down.
"Yes, Ed, that's why he sent her away. Now that she's older, imagine how much more Jade must look like her mother. Imagine how much that hurts Roy, and the guilt he must be feeling. He doesn't even know what happened to her there." Lieutenant Hawkeye sighs.
"What I'm trying to say guys is to be patient with him. He'll come around sooner or later, and then everything will be fine between the two of them."
I don't know if I believe that, but only time will be able to tell. We go back into the main hallway and, speak of the devil, Mustang comes right to us.
"I have another mission for you Fullmetal."
"What is it now?" I ask somewhat impatiently.
"I need you to go to the western area. They have a horror carnival there, and since the carnival has been in town, there has been an increase in the death rate there. You're to go check it out." Mustang states.
"Whatever. Come on Al." I turn and start to walk away.
"Brother, aren't we going to bring Jade?" Al calls after me.
I sigh and turn around. "Okay, but she better be careful. She doesn't know as much alchemy as we do."
"She knows alchemy?" Lieutenant Hawkeye asks in surprise.
"Yeah, she's pretty good too." I say, glancing at Mustang. I see worry flash once in his eyes, but it's gone as quickly as it came. "Alright, we're going now. Later." Al and I walk away from Hawkeye and Mustang to Jade's room.
My P.O.V.
I turn another crisp page in the alchemy book. It's so fascinating; all the things alchemy can do for people. It's inspiring to see some of the things people can do with alchemy. I'm looking at a list of all the different titles people have earned. As I move my finger down the list, I see some interesting ones.
Alex Louis Armstrong – The Strong Arm Alchemist; Roy Mustang – The Flame Alchemist; Edward Elric – The Fullmetal Alchemist. So, my uncle is like the lord of fire?
I shrug and turn back to the book on transmutation circles. The fact that there are just so many forms of alchemy is amazing. I want to learn as many as possible, the maybe my uncle will respect me. I will prove that I'm not useless.
Only a few minutes after looking at the transmutation book, I hear a knock on my door. As I stand up from off the bed, one of the many open books falls to the floor.
"Just a moment!" I call to whoever is at the door as I clean up the books. When I finally have them all in stacks on the dresser, I open the door. "Ed, Al." I say, kind of shocked to see them so soon. I thought that they had gone out.
"We're going on another mission; you want to come?" Ed asks somewhat impatiently.
"Yeah, I'll meet you downstairs. I just have to change real quickly." I smile, and the two brothers walk away.
I change into long black pants and a black tank-top. I pull my dark blue hoodie over the tank-top and slip on my black boots. Since my hair is long, I pull it back into a ponytail and braid it loosely, leaving only my bangs that are too short to make it back hanging by my eyes. I slip some chalk into my pants pocket; you never know when you'll need alchemy.
Now that I'm done, I run down the stairs. I don't want to keep them waiting. I see the reflection of myself in a window. It's only now that I realize how formfitting my clothes are. I look pretty good.
I open the main doors of the building and walk down onto the steps. I shut the door behind me as my vision is blurred with the sunlight. As my eyes get used to the light, I see Ed and Al waiting for me. I squint and wave.
Ed's P.O.V.
We're waiting for Jade to finish upstairs, so I look at all the different people passing by. It makes me realize how many people are in this world, and how different they are.
"Look Brother, there's Jade!" Al says excitedly. I turn around to see her walk out of the building. The wind blows slightly, whipping her bangs around her face. The sunlight shines down on her, making her look like and angel. No, stop. You can't be thinking this way. She's your student now. Stop looking at her like that.
Jade smiles one she sees us and waves. But what is it he makes me feel? Why don't I understand?! She runs over to us.
"Hey Ed, Al! Sorry I took so long." She grins again and I feel my face get hot. Wait, what?! Why am I...blushing?!
"It's not a problem." Al smiles through his voice, and Jade grins again.
"Alright, so we're going by train?" I nod in response.
"Yeah, and it's going to leave soon, so let's go." She and Al follow me to the train station. When we board the train, Al takes up one seat, so I sit by Jade opposite him.
"How long is the train ride going to be?" Jade asks.
"A few hours." I reply, stretching up and leaning back against the seat. She nods and pulls out an alchemy book and starts reading. I smile softly to myself.