Winry was sitting out in the corridor waiting for Ed and Al.
I sat next to her rubbing my sore but not bleeding nose.
"so I did some inspection in the mirror and its safe to say my nose isn't broke"
She jumped at the sound my voice. She pointing to my chin.
"You missed a spot" he murmured.
I frowned trying to look at my chin.
She wiped her finger across it.
"and now you've got a clean face"
I smiled at her.
"Thanks sweet cheeks" I said with a grin.
"Big brother?" I heard Al from down stairs, "what did teacher say?" he asked.
"I don't know why, but she said thanks" Ed said in confusion.
"Oh okay" there was uneasy pause from Al, "ever since that day when things went wrong, I blamed myself but I was afraid to say anything" Al's voice was trembling. "I thought mum was turned into that thing because of me, if I hadn't done something wrong then mum would be alive and we'd still be normal, thats what I thought."
Winry intwined her fingers with mine.
I squeezed her hand.
"I blamed myself too" Ed said softly.
"Thank you big brother, I wasn't the one who killed mum after all" Al whimpered.
"I might not be the one who killed mum either but I'm still the one who put you in that body, I can't be forgiven if I give up now" Ed stated, "I don't care what you say Al, I won't stop until I find a way to get your body back!"
"What you did was wrong, but I'm just as guilty" Al said firmly, "you don't have to shoulder this burden alone, you always try to take all the blame yourself, its painful to watch. Seeing you suffer like that after Mr Hughes died, I told myself that if getting my body back meant someone else might get hurt, I didn't want to purse that, but after seeing how all these people want to help us" he paused.
There was silence for a few moments.
"I don't want to let them down and make them think I'm ungrateful, I met some people who weren't really human either" Al continued, "and yet they still found meaning in their existence, they made me realise that I can still live a full life and the people I care about treat me no differently than if I was still human" Al said sternly. "But I've had enough, I don't want to spend another long night wake in this body again, thats the only reason I want to return to normal!"
"Al, I just want to see you smile again" Ed added softly.
"Big brother I want to be strong enough to protect the people around me, I'm going to get my body back and I'm not going to lose anyone in the process!"
Ed laughed.
"I was thinking the exact same thing, there is no more time to sit around and mope, lets go" I could hear them walking up the stairs, "we're going to track down that bastard truth and pull your body back from that place!" they turned the opposite direction from me and Winry towards our room, they didn't even see us.
"Is it just me or is Ed getting bigger?" Winry asked.
I looked at Ed.
She was right.
"Don't say that sweet cheeks" I mumbled.
"Why?" she asked then smiled, "you don't want to be the smallest, do you?"
My face dropped.
"if he grows taller than you, you will be the smallest as well as the oldest"
The corner of my mouth twitched.
"Shut up Winry, I'm proud of being small"
She laughed at me.
"Wow, thats got to suck"
I glared at her and she smiled.
"Hey short stack!" I shouted.
Ed stopped and turned around.
I walked up to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulders digging my knuckles into his head.
"You're as short as ever!" I exclaimed.
"Shut up Lexie!" Ed snapped at me and hitting my hand away from his head.
"You're such a weirdo" he muttered under his breath rubbing his head.
"So umm did dad drop by?" Al asked.
"Yep and he's a total jerk" Ed stated crossing his arms.
"You didn't hurt him right?" Al asked.
"Nope but Lexie did"
I glared at Ed as Al looked at me and crossed his arms.
My face dropped.
"I have a good reason" I said quickly.
"Oh yeah, guess what Al, he's Lexie's alchemy teacher" Ed added.
"Really?" Al asked In astonishment.
"Yeah and she used call him Mr handsome"
"I will knock you out short stack if you don't shut that idiotic mouth of yours" I snapped.
He gritted his teeth at me.
"Then stop calling me that!" He screeched finally losing it at me.
"What if my bodies rotten?" Al said out of nowhere.
We all looked at him shocked.
"Even if I do get my body back, what if it's starting to rot and fall apart like Barry's?"
Our faces dropped in disgust and I opened my mouth.
"Don't you dare add anything to that Alexis, because I am frankly scared at what you would come up with" Winry said pointing at me.
I shut my mouth and stayed quiet.
"Wherever my body is, it's not getting nutrients is it? And it's not getting any sleep either right?" Al asked starting to worry.
Winry started to freak out.
"What are we going to do?" she asked.
"Thats impossible though" I spoke up stopping Al and Winry from losing their shit.
"For the amount of years you've been in that body" I said at pointing at Al's armour, "your original body would have already died from not getting any nutrients which would have taken your soul with it, so there is obviously something keeping your body alive" I said thinking about it.
I leaned up against the side of the lounge and looked at Ed.
He nodded.
"She's not wrong" Ed said.
I smiled.
"This is my opinion, but both of you had to give a few drops of blood for the transmutation, which would have been mixed together, right?" I asked.
Both boys nodded.
"I think your spirits crossed in the process" I stated.
"What are you getting at Lexie?" Al asked.
"She's saying" Ed spoked up, "I'm still here and you're somewhere else yet we're still connected somehow" Ed explained.
I nodded.
"I mean for my age I'm pretty sh-sh-short" Ed stammered.
The rest of us just stared at him for actually admitting it.
"But-"
"Don't" Ed warned me, "I'm not saying it again."
I shut up.
"But your pretty small for your age as well Lexie" Al added.
I held my hand up.
"Mine is genetic characteristic" I explained, "both Danny and Roy aren't the tallest people but Hohenheim is pretty tall."
I pointed at Ed.
"And he is quite short-"
Ed shoved his fist into my ribs interrupting me.
I gasped.
"Oh come on" I gasped again, "I was explaining myself not actually making fun-" I stopped myself before I said anything his height.
Ed already had his fist curled ready to hit me again.
I pointed at him.
"Im not everyones punching bag today" I growled at him, "so hit me again and I will break your pretty face" I threatened.
We sat there staring at each other.
"So are your both saying that Ed's body is providing nutrients for Al's body as well thats why he's so small?" Winry asked.
I nodded.
"Well, look at him" I said gesturing to Ed, "he eats heaps and look at the size of him."
Ed threw his fist at me but I caught it.
"Im actually going to kill you!" I snapped wrestling Ed.
"Can we got off the subject of my height!" He snapped back.
"Edward would you let her finish!" Winry shouted making him stop.
I shoved him away when he decided to listen to her.
"As I was saying" I spat in Ed's direction.
He made a face at me.
"He is pretty slim for the amount of food he shoves in his mouth" I sated, "and sleeps more than any average person."
"Thats true" Al mumbled.
"That sounds totally insane!" Winry exclaimed making all of us jump.
"It's not insane, it makes perfect sense" Ed snapped.
"No, you're right it does sound insane" I added.
Everyone stared at me.
"Who's side are you one Lexie?!" Ed snapped at me, "You're the one who came up with it."
I put my feet up on the coffee table in front of me.
"Yeah but I still agree with Winry, it is totally insane but everything you two have been through sounds insane" I said, "I can name a list, like for example truth, who the hell is this truth, the homunculi like hello they're supposed to be a myth, then theres that thing we dug up. if you go telling people everything I just mentioned you'd get booted into the loony bin, but I know for a fact half of this stuff is true because I have witnessed some of it and to be honest, if any of us weren't insane then this goal you guys are trying to reach would be impossible."
Ed smiled at me.
"Then it's a good thing you guys are insane" Winry muttered.
"It does make some sort of sense" Al chimed, "after all, we are brothers we share the same blood."
"Thats right! The two of us together makes one person!" Ed said punching Al's fist, "so when Al is returned to normal ill grow taller too and Lexie can't call me short stack no more."
I laughed.
"Oh I don't care if you get taller, you're always going to be short stack no matter what Short stack"
Ed scowled at me getting ready to punch me.
"Since you're looking after both of us big brother" Al said getting Ed's attention, "make sure you eat right and get enough sleep and you have to drink milk!"
Ed glared at Al.
"Why did ya have to bring milk into this?" Ed snapped.
"And that temper of yours could be a sign of calcium deficiency" Al added.
"Oh snap" I laughed.
"Shut up Lexie and I am growing even if it doesn't seem it Al!" Ed exclaimed, "I'm not a kid anymore so quit nagging!"
"I guess this means I can go back to Rush Vally tomorrow" Winry said standing up, "I gotta go back to my room and pack, I'll talk to you guys later" she left the room obviously having enough of all the shouting.
"Okay so our problem now is how to open the portal?" Al said speaking up.
Al looked to me.
"You seem to be on a roll tonight Lexie, have any ideas?" he asked.
"Nope, feeling pretty empty headed at this point" I said.
They sighed.
"We could pay another toll" Al suggested.
"But what could we sacrifice this time?" Ed asked, "well I guess we could always give Lexie away."
I frowned.
"Oh your just so funny Edward" I mumbled.
He smiled.
"Theres always the stone" Al suggested.
Ed shook his head.
"But thats made out of human lives" Ed added.
"Yeah thats true" everything went quiet.
I put my head over the side of the lounge and groaned loudly.
Maybe we will come up with something, hopefully soon but then again we may never come up with anything.
"That reminds me" Ed said, "they called us precious human sacrifices, thats why they didn't want us to die."
"Yeah thats true, Lust said that only those with power to open the portal are chosen sacrifices" Al added.
"I shouldn't have turned down Greeds deal!" Ed snapped at himself.
"Told you idiot" I mumbled.
"You're not helping" he said glaring at me.
"But it all worked out for us in the end and if we did make the deal, Bradley would have done away with us anyway and what good would the truth be to us if where dead?"
I sat up suddenly.
"Hmm, what if Bradley is a homunculus?" I asked.
They both laughed.
"Yeah right" Al laughed.
"Thats a laugh!" Ed added.
"I wasn't joking" I mumbled but they ignored me, it was just a suggestion.
"Anyway we need to talk to a homunculi, but how will we do that?" Ed asked himself.
The door swung open and Brosh entered the room leaning on his knees like he was about to pass out.
We all jumped in shock, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
"I'm sorry to barge in like this but I've been instructed to tell you guys to stay in your rooms" he said panting like a dog.
"Why?" I asked raising my eyebrows, this was awfully forceful.
"Because Scar is still alive" he stated.
"What?!" Ed shouted.
"Is that man still actually trying?" I asked shaking my head. You would have thought he would have given up by now.
"I'm in the process of alerting all state alchemists within the city, this is the most recent information" Brosh explained, "he has an x-shaped scar across his face, he's an Ishbalan and has a tattoo that covers his entire right arm"
I looked at Ed.
His face dropped.
"Okay thank you" Al said and Brosh left.
"It was him" I said.
Ed nodded.
"Scar killed Winry's parents" Ed growled, "I don't know for sure but it seems very likely" he added quickly.
"We can't tell Winry about this" Al said.
"I know, I don't want to see her cry anymore" Ed said softly.
"But remember if she finds out from someone else or at a bad time then figures out you two already knew-"
"She'd kill us" Ed said finishing my sentence, "I know but in any case we'll have to confront Scar once again."
"Are you going to ask him about Winry's parents?" Al asked Ed.
He nodded.
"Yes but theres one other thing, I'm going to lure out the homunculi, they need us alive so if Scar tries to kill me they will appear because they can't afford to let me die"
I smiled.
"Ohh this sounds interesting" I said rubbing my hands together.
"It seems like a long shot" Al added.
"Its better than doing nothing" Ed snapped.
"One problem to this juicy plan" I said, "if the homunculi show themselves, how do we plan to catch them?" I asked.
"Don't worry, I over heard everything" someone said climbing through the window.
All three of as stared at Ling in shock.
We really shouldn't have left that window open, we were letting all sorts of things in.
"I shall help you with your plan" Ling exclaimed.
We frowned at him.
He was being awfully helpful.
"What are you scheming?" Ed asked spuriously crossing his arms.
"All right, ill cut the crap" Ling said, his face turned serious. "I want to know the secret of the homunculi too, if we're close enough we can detect its presence" Ling said gesturing to himself and Lan-Fan. "You guys lure them out, we'll detect their presence, set up an ambush and grab one."
I glanced at Ed and Al.
They nodded at each other.
"All right deal but do any funny business and ill let her loose on you Xing boy" Ed threatened gesturing to me.
I punched him in the chest.
"Hey!" he protested at me rubbing his chest.
"Im not one of your dogs that you can let off a leash and command me to attack who ever you want!" I snapped at him.
"I don't see why not!" He snapped back, "you've gotta be useful somehow."
I scowled at Ed.
"Brother" Al sighed.
The door slammed opened making all of us jump.
"Keep it down!" Winry shouted, "what are you guys a bunch of kids or something?!"
I went to open my mouth.
"Say something Lexie and you will be hurting tomorrow" she snapped.
I shut my mouth.
"Oh yeah you're leaving tomorrow" Ed muttered, "umm how about you stay a few more days?" he asked.
Winry looked at him oddly.
"Its just umm, you know, my arm might get broken" he paused and shrugged, "yeah, all right?"
Winry was fuming.
"Duck for cover" I shouted hitting the floor.
She threw something at Ed.
Everyone dropped to the floor except for Ed who was nearly passed out on the floor from Winry.
"Fine, ill stay a few more days" she said storming out of the room.
"Okay, now we just need to get Scars attention" Al said from behind the couch.
We all stood up and composed ourselves like we hadn't just been attacked by a mechanic.
"How about you start fixing stuff for people using alchemy?" Ling suggested to Ed.
"But what if theres nothing to fix" Ed said rubbing his head.
I threw my hands in the air.
"Ohh ohh ohh"
Everyone looked at me.
"I think I can fix that problem"
I had a plan.
Ed smirked at me.
"Got yourself a deal" Ed said smirking.
I grinned and rubbed my hands together.
"I have a bad feeling about this" Al confessed.
I stood up.
"Meet me on the main street at nine sharp" I said walking to the door.
"And where are you going?" Ed asked.
I smiled over my shoulder.
"Going to get this plan rolling, ill meet you guys tomorrow" I knew just the people who could cause some damage and not get caught, kids will do anything these days for a bit of cash or information.