Before you begin reading this story, I just want to thank you for taking the time and choosing my story out of the countless others out there. It means a lot, and I hope you enjoy.
This story is about a young girl who is snatched from her home in an alchemic experiment a man was using to try and gain his status as a State Alchemist. She must navigate this new world, new culture, new country (along with new laws). No spoilers from me, though! Keep reading to find out what happens. I am rating this fiction as T, but I might change that at some point in the future.
I do not claim ownership to any canon, but I showcase my original characters in this fanfiction (Addison Sariah Healy, her family, and some extras.)
Because I value your time and my work, I will place all author's notes, Q&As, and gratuities at the bottom of each chapter from here on out to minimize distractions from the tale.
Happy Reading!
-Adrianna
Sprouting New Life
Chapter 1
My head is pounding. It is blindingly bright here— brighter than the stage lights but also cold. There is no warmth here. There is a silhouette of a man standing next to this ancient door. It is carved with words from different, ancient languages. I recognize the words 'archangel' and 'cherub'; it sends chills down my spine. The figure standing next to this gate has no features and no identifying marks. It has no eyes, only a mouth that it uses to show its toothy grin. What sort of a dream is this? "You will wonder what you did to deserve this, seeing as though you haven't committed the ultimate sin," it says, effectively pulling me from my observations. Its voice is a collaboration of many voices – male, female, adult, and child. It is eerie and gives me chills. "I will not tell you, for your price has already been paid." The door creaks as it opens slowly. Thousands of ghostly hands grab me forcefully, yanking me into the darkness behind the cold stone. "Remember," the voice reminds, "Your price has been paid."
The door shuts itself, the gentle click of the latch echoing through the pit of darkness. A reel of my life passes by me. Images of my mother, father, and siblings flash by me at an amazing speed. I see my childhood home, my school, my life is literally flashing before my eyes. Memories from the good times and the bad come flooding back to me. Am I dying? Is this hell?
The world quickly becomes bright, and I notice strange, electric sparks flashing around me. I look around to see many men in blue military uniforms, and a large green banner hanging on the wall to my right. There are no stars or stripes, but in the center of the banner rests a dragon with a single horn and a ribbon tail looping behind it. Looking down, I notice a large, almost perfect circle with elaborate cursive and printed handwriting. What is this? A satanic ritual? My vision becomes blurry; my breathing, labored. My world is spinning despite feeling the ground beneath me. "W-What's going on here?" I stammer, "W-where am I?"
I quickly notice the man standing above me. He is the only one here who isn't wearing the blue uniform, not including myself, of course. He has a stubble and dark bags underneath his eyes. He tucks his chalk into his shirt pocket. He did this? The men in blue coats place the man in handcuffs, and the man begs them to let him go. He expresses his concern for his research. I don't really know what research he is talking about. The soldiers march him out the door, leaving me on the ground with no clue as to where I am.
"Miss," an unknown voice calls out. Another man in blue comes forward. According to the stars on his uniform, I assume he is one of the more powerful members of the military. "Miss, what is your name?" The man is wearing an eye patch and has a well-kept mustache. However, something feels off about him. My stomach churns, and I feel lightheaded. "Your full name and age," he orders.
"Addison Sariah Healy. 15 years old, sir," I answer, my trembling voice cracking under the pressure. A red curl falls out of my bun, and I go to brush it behind my ear. Before my hand could reach my red lock, men surround me with their weapons drawn in my direction.
"At ease gentlemen," the man in front of me states. "Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. Colonel Roy Mustang," the official demands. Two men, both with black hair and one with glasses, stands at attention waiting for their tasks. "Escort Healy to my office. I have several questions." One of the men grabbed my wrists, locking me into cold, metal handcuffs. A blonde woman, who followed the two officers down, searches me for any weapons. Her eyes were calculating, yet they were also sorrowful. The only thing she finds is my wallet. She hands it over to the top dog before saluting and standing at attention by the wall. He holds up my Totoro wallet charm. Salty tears fall down my cheeks, and my nose begins to run. I dare not move. I feel my body trembling, and my bottom lip quivers as I try to bite back my wailing. I want my family. I want to go home!
The man with glasses grabs my arm gently, but firm. He leads me to an interrogation room. The other man and woman who followed stood guard at the door. The man with glasses sits across the table from me. "I just want to go home," I sob. My composure is shattered like a plate that has fallen out of the cabinet and onto a hardwood floor. "My mom must be worried sick, and dad probably doesn't even know yet," I cry. "What did I do to be put in an interrogation room in handcuffs? I've never broken the law."
The door opens revealing the higher up that sent me here earlier. All the officers in the room come to attention before the pirate man waves them off. "Relax, Healy. You are in no trouble." He sits down at the table directly across from me. "For the sake of my country, I need to know I can trust you," he stated plainly. "Remind me. What is your name and age?"
"Addison Sariah Healy, aged 15, sir," I say. "Might I also ask a question?" With a curt nod of approval, I ask, "Would you mind introducing me to the people interrogating me? I didn't catch anyone's names." His belly shakes as he roars with laughter.
"I am Fuhrer King Bradley," he introduces himself. Fuhrer? Why does that word sound familiar? "The man with the glasses is Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes of the Intelligence Department. The man behind you is Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, and the woman is Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye under Colonel Mustang's order." I nod hello to each of the people in the room. My stomach drops and my mouth gapes open. Fuhrer. Like Hitler. I feel sick. So, pirate-boy is the top dog. Yikes. "You are in Central Command, in the country Amestris. Where are you from?"
"I'm from a small town in Tennessee, which is a state in the country the United States of America," I respond. He pulls out my wallet, and he asks me questions about the objects it contains. "That charm is resembling a character in a popular story. His name is Totoro, he is a forest spirit." He pulls out my learners. "Oh! That is my state issued ID which doubles as a Learner's Permit. I was learning how to drive a car. It has my address, signature, height, weight, date of birth, and all of that stuff on there if you need that information at all." I rub my wrists. The cold metal is rubbing them raw, and it is uncomfortable. He pulls out my cash. "That's our currency. I only have about thirty dollars and some change. My mom gave it to me before I left for school. I was supposed to go on a field trip for my performing arts classes. It is supposed to pay for my food and a couple of souvenirs. Those people on the dollar bills are our presidents and important politicians in history. Those cards over there, yeah those, are gift cards that I received from friends and family at Christmas time. I just haven't used them yet. Those papers are receipts and proof of purchases so they can't claim you stole something. That long one is where I picked up my brother's medication from CVS. They are well-known for their unnecessarily long receipts."
The Fuhrer chuckles. "Very detailed indeed." He pushes the objects to the side. "Tell me about yourself Healy. What was your family like? What'd you spend your time doing?"
"My family is wonderful. We were the outdoorsy people. When my brother gets well again, we are going to attempt hiking the Appalachian Mountains. It's a mountain range about 2,000 miles and we want to do it all on foot. He's sick, though. I'm trying to keep my head up, but I haven't seen any improvement the past several months…" I trail off, sticking my tongue to the roof of my mouth as I look upward toward the ceiling. Anything to keep from crying. "I am still in school. I take part in the performing arts. I love choir and I love working backstage in the theatre. I don't like auditioning for parts, though. I would rather work on the set, sounds, and lights. I was a part of FFA, Future Farmers of America, for a couple of years, but due to some circumstances at home, I had to quit."
This piqued Lieutenant Colonel Hughes' interest. "What circumstances caused you to leave a farming group?"
I looked down in my lap. "This isn't the first time my brother has fallen ill. The last time he went into remission, but not before my parents lost the house due to medical bills. Chemo and stuff are crazy expensive. I couldn't compete in competitions and I couldn't take part in any activities or trips. If it hadn't had been already paid for, I would have had to leave Drama Club and Choir, too. Although, it was a good distraction for when things got bad." I could tell the Fuhrer was ever so slightly irritated, or perhaps he just intimidates me. Hughes is visibly sympathetic. "That was two and a half years ago, though. My parents quickly found another home, and all has been well until my brother got sick again. We just found out a month and a half ago. I don't remember him being this sick last time. I'm just praying all is well."
I pause. There is no way my family knows where I am. "By any chance, that man y'all took away earlier? Was he the one who brought me here?"
The Fuhrer sits back in his chair, adjusting his posture. "Yes. He is responsible. He is being charged for kidnapping and improper use of alchemy."
"I don't really know what Alchemy is. We don't have that in my world. I just wondered- if he managed to bring me here, can he send me home, too?"
Hughes stiffens and the tension in the room elevated. Bradley, unphased by my question, responds: "No. There is no known way to return you to your homeland. However, I am not through with my interrogation. I want you to recount your experience. What you were doing, how you felt when you were brought here. Did you see anything out of the ordinary?"
I gulp, nodding in agreement. "I was about to wait for the school bus, and when I reached down to grab my bag and textbooks out of the corner, I blacked out. Only I didn't Black out. It was more like I whited out. Everything was just so blindingly bright. There was this strange creature. His voice sounded like several people saying the same thing at the same time. He told me my 'price has been paid', and these big stone doors opened with creepy, noodle like arms and hands reach out and grabbed me. It pulled me into the darkness where I saw my life literally flash before my eyes. My head hurt so badly, I wanted to vomit. Then, when I open my eyes again after clenching them closed, I saw electric sparks around me and everyone staring at me like I am some wild animal. That's when you handcuffed me and brought me here." I remain open and one hundred percent truthful. I just hope if I give them the information they want, they won't imprison me for being an illegal immigrant or whatever. Or, come to think of it. They could use me as a test subject like aliens would. I don't want to be poked and probed!
"Yes, about the handcuffs," Bradley states. Here we go… I'm going to be locked away in their version of Area 51! "Mustang. Take those off her. She seems to be very honest. I believe we can trust her." I hear the Colonel's footsteps behind me. I don't look, but I am thrilled when the weight of the metal is lifted. "As for you, young lady. I am going to grant you citizenship, because you were forced here against your will. I just needed to know who I could trust. A kid from another world could be equivalent to a shadow monster in a nightmare. When it comes to the safety of the country, you can never be too safe. You understand this, correct?"
"Entirely!" Riza brings a stack of paperwork to the Fuhrer who flips through.
"Thank you, Lieutenant. Now, let's get this paperwork sorted out. Oh, Mustang."
"Yes, sir."
"She is under your supervision. She must be protected at all costs, but I do think she would do some good traveling with the Elric brother's for a while. It would be good for her to travel and learn the culture of our country. Don't worry, child. The Elric brothers are fine boys. I don't believe they would do anything too forward." Hughes laughs ecstatically. This is the most jovial I have seen him since I've arrived. I am not quite sure how I should take his laughter. He hands me the stack of paperwork, having me fill it out as the three men in the room chat about my future in Amestris. As I finish each page, the Fuhrer signs the paperwork approving everything. It takes about an hour to finish. I shake hands with the Fuhrer, and he wishes me luck on my new journey.