Snake Eyes.
"Do you think she knows, brother?"
The two sat side by side in the front lawn, staring into nothingness as they comforted each other with their presence. Ed closed his eyes, dropped on his back with his arms folded behind his head. "I'm not sure," he responded. "But she's bound to find out if we take her along with us." Al looked toward his lap. Then he turned to Ed, whom, through his closed eyes, had a look of severe perplexity upon his lightly tanned face. "Ugh!" he shrieked, clenching his teeth. "I don't want Teresa to get hurt--" He felt a hand on his shoulder. Teresa was smiling down at him, though her eyes seemed upset. "I won't," was her simple response to attempt to calm Ed down. She gently squeezed his shoulder, then crossed her arms. "I'm not a baby, Ed." She lowered herself down next to him; she had changed her attire and smelled of sweet soap. Ed shrugged. "I know, but Terrie, you've always been like a little sister to me..." Ed glanced at her through the corner of his eyes. "I don't want to risk losing you, too." Teresa rolled her eyes. "Is that why you smashed my pet caterpillar?" she barked. Ed looked surprised. "I thought it was a snake!" Teresa watched him maliciously. "Are you planning on putting a bullet in Xiaosuke because he looks like a panther?" Ed lifted his hands, shaking his head.
Teresa sighed, then stood and retreated into the house. "We should leave soon, brother," Al said casually. "If you don't want to waste anymore time." Ed nodded, thinking hard. Miniature beads of transparent perspiration snaked down his forehead. "Go get Terrie." he demanded. "Don't tell Winry." Al, hesitant, nodded, then entered the house quietly. Ed remained outside, his eyes closed with his mouth pursed into a frown.
Teresa sat on the couch, her elbow on her knee and her chin cradled in her palm. Her gray eyes stared out into nothing. "Terrie?" Al said, watching nervously as she tilted her head. She still stared into nothing. "It's time to leave. We're heading to Central, and our train leaves in an hour." She nodded, then stood and went started upstairs. "And, Terrie--" Al called, holding out his hand. "Don't tell Winry." Again, she nodded, then continued. Her soft footsteps echoed quietly as she came back down, a maroon-colored bag slung around her shoulder. Teresa followed Al outside, where she saw Ed standing. He was looking into the sky. His fists were tightly clenched. He turned to them. "You ready?"
"You've been quiet," Ed stated, turning toward Teresa. Her eyelids were halfway over her eyes, and she looked relaxed more so than bored. "What's wrong?" She turned to Ed, cocked her head, then shrugged. "Just thinking," she responded casually. "About when we were kids." Her blonde locks wavered like a banner behind her. She pulled her bandana tighter around her crown. Ed forced a smile. The sun beat down on them like a heavy downpour, drenching them in its warm sunlight. A gentle breeze kissed them. The sound of tires squealing filled the air. Teresa stopped, turned to the opposite direction, and saw a pickup truck moving slowly toward them. "Hey!" she cried out, waving her hand. "I'm gonna hitch us a ride to the train station, guys!" And sure enough, the pickup stopped directly in front of them. Teresa leaned in and said in a merry voice, "Can you take us to the train station?" When the driver nodded, she went around to the opposite end and climbed in. When Ed and Al tried to clamber into the truck's bed, the driver stomped on the gas pedal and sped away. Both Ed and Al stayed shocked for a minute. "TERESA!" Ed screamed, his voice echoing through the hills like thunder. He sped toward them. "No! Teresa! Oh God, please no! TERESA!" The truck sped over the hill, to where Ed couldn't see him. When Ed and Al reached the hill, they saw a purple glow flash before their eyes, coming from inside the truck; it was too fast, though--they thought they were hallucinating.
The driver leaned in on Teresa, laughing in a perverse way. Teresa moved backward, looking slightly irritated and overly disgusted. Then she looked into her hands. "Stop the car." Teresa demanded, holding a gun at the driver's messy head. The man, whom was the driver, looked ragged and dirty. His skin was a dark caramel color and his hair was sloppy and black. He turned sideways momentarily to look cockily at Teresa. "On whose terms? You're gonna hurt me with that little pistol of yours?" Teresa smirked. "You think I won't?" she barked, cocking it. She pressed lightly on the trigger and stopped. "Maybe you didn't hear me correctly," she hissed, putting another gun to his head.
Ed was surprised as he saw the truck stop, the door fly open and the man scurry out into the brush. "AND DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT TRYING TO PULL THIS TRICK ON OTHER PEOPLE!" she screamed. "GET OUTTA HERE!" She shot at him; not attempting to hit him, but to scare him away. When her bullets ran out, she threw the gun at his head, which it hit directly in the eye. The door closed, and the tires squealed violently. Then the truck pivoted, and sped toward Ed and Al, whom scuffled to the side of the road. She stopped in front of them, and winked. "You guys lookin' for a ride?" she asked. Ed climbed into the passenger's seat while Al plopped into the truckbed. She turned the car in the opposite direction and sunk her foot forcefully into the gas pedal; they sped away. "Do you have a license?" Ed asked, his eyebrow quirked. Teresa grinned and told him, "Don't even know how to drive!" And after that, it seemed as though all hell broke loose.
The momentum the truck gained while going downhill created a heavy friction between the road and the tires; one of the tires exploded, and both Ed and Al began to shriek as the truck weaved from side to side uncontrollably. "Oh, no you don't!" Teresa hissed, stomping on the gas pedal even more. She turned the steering wheel ferociously left and right, attempting to make it last until they got to the station. Unfortunately, another tire blew and they steered off the road without any control. The truck rolled, then stood upright, and stopped. Teresa, Al and Ed clambered out of the car. "You stupid vehicle!" Teresa hissed, kicking the side of the truck. She slammed the door, and it broke off with the force. Ed pointed to the station. "At least we covered most of the road," he suggested happily. "We've only got a few minutes to go before we get there."
Teresa watched as the station slowly faded away, as the train pulled away from it. It gained speed, then gradually became faster. She exhaled through her lips. "It's a long way to Central, guys," she said, then turned to them. Ed and Al sat in a seat opposite from hers. "Rest up." The suit of armor held out his hand. "Teresa?" he asked, watching her as she squinted. "Yes, Al?" Al was hesitant in asking. He took a moment's breath before he did. "You know we're looking for the--" Teresa held up a hand. "Philosopher's Stone." she finished, a severe tone crossing her face. It reminded Al of Mustang when he wasn't being an obnoxious pervert. Al straightened up excitedly. "So you know about it? And what it is?" Teresa shrugged. "I know you're supposed to sacrifice something of an equal value...I think it's called Equivalent Exchange?" Al gasped. "Y-You know about that?" Teresa looked wryly to the window. "So that's why you wanna come...you want to restore your family back to life, and you know human transmutation is impossible, so you're seeking to do it with the stone." Teresa stood up, tears at her temples. Her fists were clenched. "Don't you dare try to predict my reasons!" With a grunt, she slapped him, only creating a metal clang and causing his head to turn. She ran toward the back. "Wait, Teresa!" His hand lowered. "Terrie..."
Ed appeared in front of him, glowering down at him with his golden eyes. "What did you do to her?" he demanded. "Why was she crying?" Al didn't answer. He too, turned to stare out the window as Teresa had. Ed sat in front of him, digging his face into his hand. He rubbed the sides of his head and let out a sigh. "We've got a long trip ahead of us," he muttered, his teeth clenched. "So far it's been horrid. And we're not even half way to Central." Al then turned to Ed. "She knows, brother," he said gravely. "About the stone. And she wants it, too." Ed didn't look up, but he folded his arms in his lap. "What are you saying, Al?" he asked. Al shrugged. "Forget it."
"Please don't talk about me," Teresa whispered, clutching the neck of her plaid blouse. Her voice was cracking. She sat down next to Al. "I'm really sorry, Al. Please forgive me." Teresa held out her hand; it was closed. When she opened it, a white butterfly spread its snow-colored wings and flitted. It soared out an open window. "That wasn't alchemy, Ed," Teresa told him, noting his surprised tone. "I found it in the back."
The car of the train shook tremendously. The people inside cried out, staring in bewilderment as the lights flickered and died. The morning light was enough to drench them in a secure feeling, yet offered no protection whatsoever. Then a woman shrieked; she was across from Ed, Al and Teresa. She was standing, one hand plastered on her cheek and the other pointing shakily at the entrance of the car. "H-Homunculi!" Ed and Al gave a cry. Ed's blood ran cold, and everything seemed to harden around him. "Terrie!" He grabbed her hand and yanked her forward; he pushed her back and sat her behind Al, whose armored body shielded her from sight. A low, feminine voice rang through the air. It was barely audible, and instantly, Ed knew who it was. Lust.
"Let's play a game, shall we?" she purred, stepping forward slowly. "I'll pick one of you imbecilic dogs and you tell me where the Fullmetal boy is." Her dark eyes scanned the room momentarily. She stopped at the woman who had pointed to her. "You," she said, simply. "Tell me." The woman gave another cry. Lust winced at the sound. Something shot through the air like an arrow; it pierced through the woman, sending crimson liquid everywhere. "What a pity," Lust cooed, retracting her chissel-like nails from the limp body of the woman. She watched in delight as the new corpse sank to the floor. "I didn't expect any bloodshed today." Ed gritted his teeth. He started to breathe hard. "NO!" he screamed, standing and pointing at Lust. "You brainless, bloodthirsty monster!" Ed lowered his arm and tightened his fists. Teresa watched him carefully; her eyes then travelled to Lust, whom she observed over her shoulder. "Brother!" Lust licked her stained fingers. A smirk spread across her face. "You don't usually travel alone," Ed barked, trembling from his fury. "Where's the rest of your pack?" Lust kept her smirk; it lengthened into a cocky grin.
"I want to introduce you to someone," she crooned. "Meet my new little friend. Snake. I dare say Envy's quite accustomed to her...I warn you though, he gets jealous." A violet colored light began to glow behind Lust. People gasped and cried as the glow got brighter and came closer to Ed. Through a thick whirlwind of smoke, which seemed to be encased by the violet light, two red objects glistened. The smoke slowly evaporated, then the glow dimmed. Teresa's eyes got larger and she was about to scream; but instead, her eyes rolled up to her head and she collasped onto Al. The figure from the light was slowly revealed; the lanky, yet equisitely shapely figurine, clothed in a simple dress of the darkest black. It seemed meek, thin and very frail and old. Her eyes were no longer red, but an enticing shade of an unnatural magenta. Around a skinny neck of hers was a thin, golden chain, that seemed almost made of thread. On the end dangled a star.
Her villainous smirk revealed animalistic chissels. She turned, so that her back was facing Ed. She lifted her pitch-colored locks. It exposed a dark tattoo of Oruboros on the back of her neck.