Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fullmetal Alchemist or Bloodlines
After that point, my days were much brighter at Amberwood. I smiled and enjoyed my time with my friends, and I grew used to the routine of living here. Jill was around to help remind me of my duties to the vampires, and once again Eddie was in charge of driving. They seemed worried of me forgetting how to drive myself, which I wasn't going to object to. I might still understand the concepts, but I had no recollection of actually performing the task and I did not want to be responsible for crashing us.
I was growing a bit worried lately, wondering how to contact the Alchemists. I knew that I had to have some kind of superior to report to, which was common in most jobs. Nothing in my room gave me any information on who it was, or how to contact them. Without that, I was stuck waiting for them to call me, and that meant no one knew about the issue with my memory in the organization.
Adrian greeted us as we arrived at Clarence's, a grin on his face. "Welcome back, Sage. Nice uniform, by the way." he commented, making me roll my eyes. I wasn't in Amberwood's uniform, but my wardrobe seemed to consist of little outside of neutral colors and khakis. I must have lived a rather boring life, with nothing but professional clothing designed to help me look boring to the world around me.
"Adrian, stop messing with her." Eddie criticized. I wondered why he was upset, considering Adrian's comment hadn't really bothered me all that much.
"Come on, Castille, it's not too often that you get to pull off the same joke twice and have it be just as hilarious." he countered, making me realize the problem. He must have made a similar comment before, when I had my memories. Eddie didn't seem to realize that though, based on the frown on his face at Adrian's reply. Perhaps he had just been looking out for me, but it really wasn't an issue.
"Well, be glad you can at least do that, because I didn't stop for food this time." Eddie replied, making Adrian frown.
"Come on, you're torturing me, you guys! That's the only thing I have to look forward to all week." Adrian complained, while Jill smiled, shaking her head at him.
"It isn't going to kill you to go without pizza for one week. Anyway, Sydney still isn't herself yet, so we're stuck with Eddie's decisions as our chauffeur." Jill told him, trying to comfort him slightly. Those two seemed like close friends, with the way she stood close to him and seemed to sympathize with his childish complaints. As amusing as it was, I knew that I wouldn't cave into something as childish as that.
I sat down in the living room, while the others joined me shortly. "I could tell that from minute one, Jailbait. Her aura is still off. It's even darker than yours, now that I can see them side by side." Adrian told her, his gaze flickering between me and Jill.
"How does that work? Do you know what it means?" I asked, watching Adrian shrug, looking a bit unconcerned with the fact. It mattered to me, since it dealt with my own state of mind. That darkness, somehow I felt like I knew it was connected to what I had seen.
"Auras are a bit hard to explain, Sage. Everyone's is unique, and the colors all mean something different. Yours is yellow, of course, but it typically only has splashes of purple in it to make you interesting." he commented, making me frown. How was it so obvious what color my aura was supposed to be?
"What do those mean?" I asked, watching him glance over at me.
"Yellow is for analytical types, most Alchemists have yellow auras to some extent. Purple, well, I'm just going to skip over that one. After all, wouldn't want to ruin the mystery for you, Sage." he commented with a grin, making me a bit irritated. I wanted to know what it meant, yet he seemed insistent on hiding it from me. "As for the darkness I'm talking about…it is typical for shadow-kissed people. It is a side-effect of having died and come back, and it grows stronger as they take the instability out of the spirit user their bound to." he explained, still frowning as he studied me.
"Wait, didn't you say it was in Sydney's aura? Does that mean she's shadow-kissed too?" Jill asked, looking over at me with worry in her eyes. I knew for a fact that it was not true, I had no bond to anyone. It was something that would be obvious, even to someone without memories. The better answer related to the gate, or at least I thought it did. That being there called himself God, so perhaps the darkness was a sign of having come into contact with that place. Did dead souls end up at the Gate of Truth? I really didn't know, but it was the only theory I could come up with at the moment.
I shook my head at her, glancing off towards the door of the house away from the others. "No, it isn't that." I told her, still not willing to say much more.
"Sage is right, it isn't quite the same as someone whose shadow-kissed, but it has a similar feel. Maybe it's because she's human, but I'm willing to bet there's something else going on." Adrian stated, picking up one of the glasses on the table and taking a drink. Glancing back over, I noticed it was alcohol of some kind, not surprising considering his personality.
Eddie had caught on to something though, looking over at me seriously. "Sydney, do you know what is causing it?" he asked, while I shrugged, not wanting to get into this. Only Adrian and Lee knew about my alchemy, and that was how I wanted it to stay.
"You do have an idea, don't you Sage? I can see your mind working, and I know that whatever you've come up with, it's going to be a thousand times more likely than our theories." Adrian commented, making me wonder just what he meant by that comment. Did he think I knew myself that well at this point, or was it a compliment on my intelligence? Either way, I was uncertain if I should take it as a compliment or just his normal personality.
Jill and Eddie seemed interested as well, staring at me and expecting a response. "It has to do with—" I began, cut off by the sound of my phone ringing. Luckily, it saved me from answering. I got up, answering my phone and walking away from the others. Perhaps this was the call I had been waiting for all this time, the call from the Alchemists.
"Sydney, I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am in you." a male voice stated on the other side, not even bothering to greet me. I waited in silence, wanting more to go on before I just started talking about my problems right now. "You are supposed to be reporting in daily on the status of that moroi girl! How can you fail in such a simple task? They haven't heard from you in almost a week. If it wasn't for the miracle you pulled off with Keith, they would have recalled you by now and sent someone else in your place." he continued, making me realize that this was an Alchemist on the line.
"I'm sorry, sir." I began, hoping that politeness could offset the mistakes I had made. I honestly had no idea they were so strict, that I had to report back that often. "Something happened in the area…I'm not entirely sure how, but I have lost all memories of myself. The moroi have been explaining my job to me, but beyond that, I have no way of discovering what it is I used to do." I told him, waiting for a reply.
"More excuses? Honestly, I cannot believe you'd make up such a ridiculous story. It is a shame Keith had to fall prey to the darkness, he would be able to help guide you through this and make you see the error of your ways." the man continued, making me irritated. How could one man be so infuriating? I didn't care who it was, I wasn't about to be pushed around by someone who insisted I was lying about everything.
"Don't you dare try and make light of my experiences. You have no idea what I've been through, the things I've seen. I may not remember my life, but that does not mean I am an idiot with no knowledge on how the world works. If you don't wish to help me, then fine, but I am not going to listen to your list of issues with my actions." I told him, prepared to hang up on him when he replied, sounding a bit surprised.
"Sydney? Are…it can't be true. This isn't like you at all…" he stated, sounding like he had no idea how to react.
"Exactly, because I don't remember who I used to be. Don't expect me to be the same, and don't treat me like a child." I told him, not caring about who I was angering right now. My own anger was my focus right now, and I wasn't going to back down.
His reply took a few more moments, probably from him composing himself. "Ah, well that complicates matters a bit. You were invited to go to Virginia to deal with another matter with the Alchemists….but in light of this news it may be best for you to stay put. I shall contact the others and get back to you, Sydney." he replied, but I had one more question for this man on the other end of the line.
"Hold on, just who are you anyway?" I demanded, waiting for a reply.
"I am your father, and I expect you to treat me with respect in the future." he replied, leaving me even more upset with him than before. How could a father treat their own child like this? It was wrong and unnatural, at least it seemed that way to me.
"Yeah right. If the Alchemists want me going on some trip, make the arrangements. I'm perfectly capable of relearning this job, I don't need you babying me." I told him, waiting for a reply.
He really didn't seem to know how to react to my attitude. Maybe I was normally a bit more meek and timid around him, it would explain his stunned silence. "Of course. Your plane leaves tomorrow at six in the morning, from Los Angeles. Don't be late, and do not disappoint me again, Sydney." he argued, hanging up with that as a goodbye.
I stared down at the phone, feeling my anger starting to fade. I wondered if this was what all Alchemists were like, if they all tried so hard to be perfect for each other. Everyone made mistakes, and I was no exception. Walking back into the room with the others, I no longer felt like dealing with any of this.
"Sage, are you okay?" Adrian asked, his eyes focused on me. I shrugged, not bothering to reply. Jill was out of the room, probably for her feeding, so it was just our small group in here. Even Eddie was gone, probably going to look after the moroi he was tasked with guarding.
"I'm fine, that was my father apparently. I'll be going on a trip starting tomorrow, I really don't know when I'll get back." I told him.
"Sage…be careful. There are some things that I'm sure the Alchemists wouldn't like discovering about you." he told me, making the others stare at him in confusion. They didn't know about what I could do, and I wasn't going to give them that information quite yet. I nodded at Adrian, understanding his warning quite well. Based on his previous comment, Alchemists didn't like anything that seemed even remotely similar to magic.
"Yes, well, they can't see auras, so they won't have any reason to be suspicious." I replied, giving him at least this one hint. His eyes widened slightly, but beyond that he didn't react. He took another drink, looking thoughtful for a moment as he nodded.
"So, it has to do with that, you think?" he asked, still not willing to do much more than hint at my secret with others in the house.
I nodded, my hand touching the cross at my neck gently. I didn't know if I had been religious before, but meeting the Truth had been enough to shake any foundations I had for belief in much of anything. "I…it took me somewhere strange, when I made that thing." I stated, not sure of how to explain. He nodded, looking interested but not wanting to push for too many answers.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Sage. I get keeping secrets, you Alchemists are all about doing that. Just remember that you have friends nearby that are here to help." he told me, his last statement before the others came and joined us. Even as conversations resumed like normal around me, I kept glancing over at Adrian, remembering his words. He was here to help. No matter how care-free and lazy he seemed, I had seen the truth. Adrian would do anything for his friends, and I was lucky to consider myself one of them.
So, I have to ask at this point, is anyone really reading this story? I know I have the one favorite (Thank you Imagelight!), but views are still incredibly low and I haven't gotten much feedback. If no one is reading, I might put this story on a temporary hiatus while I focus on school. I have exams coming up soon, and with all of the stories I'm working on, it is getting hard to write and study for them. That doesn't mean I won't finish this story, I do actually have it planned out to the end, but it might be a bit before I can keep working.
Review if there are people out there reading this, it really helps me stay motivated to write!