Sitting on the steps on the porch, I tie up my hiking boots. It was early in the morning and the sun wasn't even up over the mountains, dusting the land in a faint glow. Birds were chirping and flying around as if sounding a morning call to get up. I stand up after making sure my shoes were on good and tight and look back at the house. Ed wasn't even up yet and I was sure that tomorrow was the day we were going to leave. I had to visit Edward and Alphones's mom, Trisha. I had no idea why I wanted to see her. Just a feeling that I should at least she her once while I'm here. So I told Alphonse that I was going for an early morning run. I do need the exercise and I like running when no one was around. I plug my earbuds into my iPod and was about to start on my way.
"Bree!" I look back towards the house to see Pinako in the doorway.
"Oh, Granny! I was just, uh…" I stumble as if I was caught in the middle of a crime.
"If you're not back in a few hours I'll send somebody to get you. Ed will probably have his automail on by then." She smiles at me and I smile back, giving her a wave as I start on my way. I put my music on shuffle as I run and puffs of breath blow in my face as I run. The air was brittle from last night and everything seems to be sprinkled with dew. And life was starting to arise with the new day.
In the pastures, sheep and other farm animals were starting to stir. Sheep's bleating starts to fill the air, as well as some horses and cows. But no people out yet to do their chores. I was pleased that I might make it to the cemetery before anyone was really up and going. After twenty minutes or so of running, I slow down to a walking pace and put my hands behind my head.
The crisp air fills my lungs with ice fire, making it somewhat easier to take quick breaths. But I wish I could've worn something warmer. All I had on were athletic shorts and a tank top. The wind's cutting through it like there was nothing there! But it felt sort of reassuring in a sense.
I've been doing sports for as long as I could remember, soccer being the top on my list. On every Saturday evening, my dad and I would always go the park and run at least a lap. And during practice we would run around the park as well. That was almost every day except for Sunday and Wednesday that I was running. I can't really think of a time that I'm not running around in circles. Running helps me clear my head and think. About anything really. Idea's for a school report to descriptive scenes in my stories that I keep changing. It's one piece of home that I could take anywhere with me.
Ahead, I could see the cemetery coming into view. The sun was about a quarter a way into the sky, so I figure I have a lot of time to kill. I saw something else that seems intriguing to my eyes. A few hills away stands the bones of the house where the Elrics once resided. I could barely make out a few timbers that where still standing and the big tree. Maybe I should go there and on the way back visit Trisha? If Ed or whoever comes looking for me, I rather be in the cemetery then at their house. They'll smell a rat!
I run past the graveyard, glancing at it as I blur past, then keep my gaze on the house as if it was going somewhere if I didn't look at it.
(Ed)
I wake up to the sound of Winry and her gadgets working on my automail. She was still at it? How long is it going to take her!? I stumble my way down the hallway and peek into the room. More gadgets and tools lay about in an unorganized manner. And she was still sitting at her desk where I left her last night. I slowly walk over to her and look over her shoulders, moving continuously to get a better view of it. She threw me out though…
"She said it'll take her three days, so give her three days!" Al exclaims beside me on the front lawn. After walking around the house, I finally decided to join Al with nothing better to do.
"I know, but thinking about possible clues to the stone gets me so impatient!" I whine and squirm in my laying position. I look up at the sky in defeat and scowl at it like it was at fault with everything wrong with my life. "Wait, where's Bree?" I recall not seeing her at all today.
"She went on a run a few hours ago. I'm surprised that she isn't back yet." Al says beside me. She went on a run? That's weird. But you could get lost here fairly easily. It was a huge area and almost everywhere you look looks the same. Recalling the many times Al and I got lost when we were kids, I sigh while scowling at Al.
"Why did you let her do that? You know how easy it is to get lost out here." Anyway, we're supposed to watch her so she's not a threat to the country. We can't just let her go off whenever she wants to!
"She just looked like she wanted to be alone with some time to think." I grunt in disapproval.
"I'll go look for her…" I grumble as I sit up. A squeals l reaches my ears as I turn to the front door. Winry, holding my arm, looks at me in triumph.
"Here you go! It's all done!" She beams in victory.
"Ok, after this I'll go get her…" I mumble, knowing what's coming.
(Bree)
The grass was mostly half dead and the remaining wood didn't help. There was an outer ring of a wooden structure before there were other items in the center. And in the center there was broken glass, bricks, wood, and ash that seem to take a liking to the area. The big tree off to the left was black with branches that seemed to have broken off a while ago. I stand in front of all this, letting my mind wander to the second episode 'The First Day'.
They seemed so happy when it first started, with their mom scolding them for scribbling on the floor only to find it was alchemy. I wish they had more scenes with Trisha in it. I wanted to know her more like I do with every other main character. She seemed so important in Ed and Al's life, like the force that holds them together. No, she doesn't seem like an important character; she is an important character. She made Ed and Al's life full of existence with them trying to impress her with their skills and pushing themselves to do better. She was their reason for living.
What did they do when she was ripped out of their lives? Of course they mourned, but what else is there? They had to deal with it in their own way; and yet they dealed with it together. I've never had anyone important to me die, so I can't relate. But I wish I could. I've read all of these fanfictions where the OC's have their own sad backgrounds and can try to understand what the Elrics are going through. But I have nothing. I've had a normal childhood with a mom, dad and brother. I've had nothing tragic happen to me, nothing noteworthy. I was a mature person and well mannered, having good grades in school and not being a nuisance to others.
Suddenly remembering something from a later episode, I walk over to the tree and looking around on the ground. This is where the body is buried. Where Pinako hid it from the world. This is where it all began for them. This place is where this whole journey started. Now it feels like sacred ground or something. Something precious and special to a fans point of view, but what about Ed and Al's?
They see this place and all of the pain come flooding back. The precious memories shattered over a disease they couldn't control. The place where it runs red with their own blood, sweat, and tears. This is the place that will always be a scar in this beautiful county side.
Suddenly, tears start to form in my eyes and I'm forced to look away. All of this is real. The pain and angst they felt are real. And the memories are real. The hurt they felt when they lost their mom and a reason for living. And everything that's going to come to pass is going to be real. Overwhelmed by this realization, I run towards the graveyard like a child running away from imaginary monsters in their closet.
I skid to a stop before entering; feeling like it would be rude if I just ran in here. I look over the gravestones, looking for Trisha's. She wasn't hard to find, since it was at the near front. In a sort of daze, I stand in front of her. Then I fall to my knees, hot tears starting to form in my eyes. The realization seems too much to handle, and everything just seems to pour out.
"Hi Trisha," I sniff trying to get my composure, "I'm Bree and I know you don't know me. But, I do know you're boys." Everything that I've been dying to say just seems to slide off of my tongue.
"I'm not really from you're world, but I know what's going to happen in your boy's future. And I want to help as much as I can but," I sniff as my tears became fat, "I don't know if I can!" I sit there sobbing for a few moments, letting my emotions pour out of me. Everything bottled up inside of me just seemed to explode. The terror of comprehending that I've actually killed people, the relief I felt when I found Ed and Al, Nina, and a child's fear of the dreams I keep having.
And the apprehension that's been building up inside of me since day one.
I told Trisha all about it. Every small detail, everything I could remember about what happened in that moment was voiced. It was weird, talking to an inanimate object about everything felt strange; and yet if was comforting. Like she was actually sitting in front of me, listening to me silently and smiling in a mother's way of calming her children. A comforting feeling over came me and my tears stopped flowing, getting a grip on myself. I didn't even notice the sun starting to dip in the horizon.
When I finally came to my senses to the time, I look to the orange sky dully. I sigh deeply.
"I have to go, but thank you for listening to me. And I promise; that I will do everything in my power to help your boys complete their journey." I whisper, planning on getting up. But I was rooted to the spot. Why can't I move? All I wanted to do was sit and muse over everything. And I didn't have the strength or will to get up. So I just sit there with my knees tucked up to my chest, looking at the grave stone with my eyes furrowed in thought.
I inspect every bump, crack, and indent of the grave stone. She was only about thirty years old, young in my mind to die. But there was nothing else on it. Just her name, date of birth and date of death. Shouldn't there be something else? I've never personally been to a cemetery, but in movies it always seems to have something along the lines of 'a beloved mother and wife.' So they don't do that here? Or is it really rare in my world to have that?
"Hey." I jolt at the sudden vocals as I look up to see Ed, tilting his head as if he was getting a better view of my face. I put my arms behind me for support as I lean back.
"Oh Ed! I was just…um…" I stumble, trying to find a suitable excuse for my current location but found none. "Sorry." I mumble with my eyes down cast. Surprisingly, he plops down next to me. I look over to him, trying to figure him out.
"It's fine." He says as he stares at the gravestone with a blank expression. I furrow my brows curiously while resuming my position from earlier. We didn't say anything, just sat there looking at the slab of rock before us. I fidget inside, hating silence when there's a person next to you and you feel obligated to talk to them. Thinking about the train ride over here, I say the most stupid thing I could right now.
"You still haven't answered my question." It just came out and I didn't have any control over my mouth for a second. I wanted to slap myself or something. But to my surprise again, he blushes and looks to the opposite direction while stuttering incoherent things under his breath.
"Ed?" I ask curiously, leaning forward to get a better view of his face.
"Well…I, um…Al told me to..." he mumbles as I face palm. Of course Al told him. He's not socially smart enough to come to any conclusions that results to this.
"Then why are you blushing?" I smirk at him as his ears start to turn red. He doesn't answer until a few moments later.
"Because it's embarrassing to say to people that your younger brother tells you to do stuff." He grumbles, still not turning his head to look at me.
"I wouldn't know how that feels." He turns to me suddenly, his eyes full of curiosity.
"I thought you said that you had a brother?" His eyebrow scrunch up, probably recalling the first train ride we had together.
"Yeah, but he's like, twelve years older than me." I shrug away the topic and look down to his glistening automail. "Does it hurt?" I ask, pointing to his arm. You never know, maybe both the Original and Brotherhood are intertwined. It could be a blinding pain like in the original, or it could be like a pinch or something in the Brotherhood. And I was curious about it. What did it feel like? Is the self maintenance hard to do? Does it get caught in anything like when you brush your hair?
"It did, but not anymore," I raise my eyebrow in questioning for further clarification. He sighs and starts explaining.
"With automail, you have to connect the nerves to the machine. And that's when it's painful. But after a few minutes, the nerves recognize the connection and they adjust quickly."
"So, it's like when your eyes adjust to a sudden brightness quickly?" I say, trying to make a connection to get a better understanding.
"Yeah," he smirks and nods his head. "Maybe you should be the one explaining things." I laugh a little at this.
"That's not what Kate would say," I chuckle. He gives me a questioning look. "You know that box thing I was talking into when I started traveling with you guys?" He shakes his head saying yes, "Well that's who I was talking to."
"The chick who was yelling at you?" I laugh while nodding my head. We sit in silence for a few moments longer, the sky turning from a yellowish hue to a darker orange.
"Do you miss home?" He asks quietly. Sighing, I slump my shoulders forward.
"Of course I do. Who wouldn't?" I reply, hugging my knee's to my chest. "And what about you? Where's your house?" Of course I knew the answer, but it seems appropriates to ask. He points towards the old ruins on top of the distant hill. My heart suddenly feels heavy as his eyes sadden at the memories. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-" He shakes his head, not looking at me but still cutting me off. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.
"Don't worry about. It's not your burden to bear." He mumbles. I grimace at his tone of voice. Is there any way to soothe his pain? Or is getting his mind off of it a better way to go about this?
"So, um…what's your favorite color?" I stumble. Then smack my head as I fall on my back to the ground. That was freaking stupid! Oh my god! "I'm such a loser…" I groan as I rest the crook of my arm over my eyes. Hearing Ed chuckle, I peek out from my arm to see him trying to hold in his laughter. I suddenly start laughing with him as he falls back onto the ground beside me.
"You're as bad as Al, you know that?" He snickers, looking up at the sky.
"Yeah, I'm socially awkward…" I sigh while smiling, looking up at the warm colors the sun gives off as it sets. Closing my eyes, I lay in the ease of the countryside. We lay there for a couple of minutes, lost in our own thoughts.
"We should get back." He says abruptly, sitting up. I groan in response, not moving from my current position but look up at him through my arm.
"Why…" I whine, "It feels great out here!"
"We gotta get up early for our train." He says while standing up.
"What is with you people and getting up early in the morning! It's not natural…" I grumble, pulling myself in a sitting position. He laughs as he holds out his hand to pull me up. This time, I don't hesitate. We start walking back in silence, side by side. Although, I stop at the entrance to take one last look at Trisha's grave. I didn't want to leave, it's so calm here. I smile and look back at Ed who stopped by my side with me, also looking at her grave.
"Hey," I give him a playful nudge, "Race you back!" I exclaim as I bolt down the road.
"What! Wait, wait up!" He yells as I slow down my pace for him to catch up. This wasn't like a competition from before. But more like two kids running around playing.
And once we arrive at the Rockbells, everybody seemed to be waiting on the deck for us as they smiled and waved. Beckoning us home and into the family.
This is where their journeys going to end.
A/N: Yeah i finally updated on a Friday! And it's finally summer! So i can finally write everyday! HALLELUJAH! :D
So this is by far my most favorite chapter out of all the chapters i've written so far! I love resembool couse there's so much emotinal aspects to it. Good and bad. And i love the scene with Trisha. I really do wish they had more scenes with her because she IS an important character! So please review how i did on the whole mood at Trisha's grave, Edward P.O.V, and everything else ;)
So the poll ended this week! And the winner is...drum roll please...THIS ONE! At least 4 people vote for this one and only one voted for 'Fading into Truth'. Sorry one person, but you'll have to wait. Thank you to all the people that voted and i hope that you'll like this story!
So i guess that's all. Thank you everyone for reading my story! i have over 2,800 people veiw it! I'm so happy! Thanks to eveyone that reviewed, liked and favorited on this too! It means a lot you guys. Have a amazing week everybody and enjoy summer! XD
Thank you awesome people!