This is my first story, so if it stinks, please don't hurt me!

Standing by myself, a girl of thirteen watched the crowded streets. My brown eyes wide with curiosity, I continued to stare. No one noticed, no one cared.

My brown hair was a little longer than shoulder-length, and I wore a gray coat. I didn't wear any gloves, so I had my hands in my pockets. The boots that I wore were black, and I wore glasses. Next to me stood my faithful black puppy.

The pup whined. He looked at me.

"I know," I said. I continued to stare into the crowd as if I were waiting for someone, but I wasn't.

Two figures caught my eye. One was a boy, the other a metal suit of armor.

The boy's blonde hair was braided, a few bangs hanging in the front. His eyes, I could see, were a great gold. On his hands were white gloves, and he wore a red designer cloak, a pair of black boots, and a pair of black pants.

The metal suit was taller than the boy, but, besides that, there wasn't much to it. In its hands was a kitten.

My pup barked at the cat.

"Hush, Shadow!" I said, kneeling down to my pup.

The pup's cat-like ears were flat against his head. He started to whine when I bent down to calm him.

I stood up and began to run toward the boy and the suit, Shadow following me.

About halfway to them, I stopped. "Shadow," I whispered, "you stay here."

The pup whined, but sat on the ground.

I finished my run, arriving at their post.

"Is this yours?" the boy asked, grabbing the kitten off of his companion and almost waving the poor thing in my face. It had been on the helmet of the suit, afraid of Shadow.

"No—" I grabbed the kitten—"but I'll take her."

Whoever was in the suit made it look down in sorrow.

I quickly thought of an excuse and contributed it. "I don't think that Shadow would get along with her, though." I handed the kitten back to the suit.

"We don't need it!" the boy said. "Just take it and leave!"

"Why can't you have her?" I asked. He had given me the cat, but I gave it back to the guy in the suit.

"She could get harmed," the suit said, sounding as if he was realizing he was wrong. When a kid's voice came out, though, I was pretty stunned.

He continued. "Brother, you were right." The kid gave me the cat.

"How could she get harmed?" I asked. Curious, that I was.

The boy grinned. "You see," he said, pulling out a pocket watch, "I'm a State Alchemist." His grin was smug.

"Alchemist?" I was puzzled. "What's an alchemist?"

"You don't know what an alchemist is?" The boy gawked. "What kind of town is this?" He turned to his companion. "Let's show her how it's done, Al."

"Okay," said the kid in the suit.

"We should get out of the streets, first," the boy said. "Come one." He grabbed my arm and started to pull me out of the street, the boy in the suit following him.

Shadow, who had laid down, stood and began barking.

"Shadow!" I called. There was no hint of fear in my voice; it was quite gleeful.

The pup ran to my side, finished, again, with his barking spell.

Later, about five minutes, the boy, the kid in the suit, Shadow, and I were on the dirt road leading to the next town. The kitten had run away earlier.

Suddenly, the boy stopped, holding out his arms to stop the rest of us. He turned around, grabbed a stick, and kneeled down. He drew a circle, two triangles, and another circle.

"What the heck is that?" I asked, an eyebrow of mine raised.

"It's a transmutation circle." The boy dropped the stick on the transmutation circle and trusted his hands on the shapes. There was a bright flash of yellow light. I closed my eyes and held my arm in front of my face.

When the light faded away, I opened my eyes and put my arm down. The boy was standing in front of me, holding a rose. He held it out to me.

I gasped and took the rose. "Thank you," I said, placing it in my hair. "Do you mind if I ask of your name?"

"Ed Elric." The boy smiled. "I guess if you don't know what an alchemist is, you wouldn't know who the Fullmetal Alchemist is, then, huh?"

I nodded.

The kid in the metal suit came from behind me and stood next to Ed. "I'm Al Elric."

"So, you guys are brothers?" I asked. "Is Al older? Because you're much shorter than—"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN ULTRA HYPER MIDGET?" Ed yelled. "I'M NOT SHORT!" His voice had totally changed.

I put my arm in front of my face and backed away from him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I shouted.

Al laughed a little. "Brother doesn't like to be teased about his height."

Shadow barked at Ed. It wasn't a defensive bark, but a playful one.

"You've got something to say about my height, too?" Ed bent down and Shadow cam running to him. He scratched the dog under the chin. "What kind of dog is he?"

"A Kai dog," I answered.

"Hey, you know our names; what's yours?" Ed asked, still petting Shadow.

"Jessi Tripe." I blushed, not believing my stupidness for not introducing myself.

"I like your name," said Al.

"Aw, really?" I grinned. No one had ever said that to me before.

He nodded. "Yep."

Ed groaned. "Cut the crap, Al, and let's leave."

"What?" I asked. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah," he said, putting his arms behind his head. He started walking down the road to the next town.

Al looked at me. "'Bye, Jessi." He trotted after his brother.

I didn't say anything; I only stared after them, wanting to cry.

Shadow whined. He looked up at me.

"You know what, Shadow? You're right!" I grinned. Who said I couldn't come?

Ed and Al were still in view. I began running after them, Shadow on my heels.

"Ed! Al!" I shouted. "I'm coming with you!"

"What?" Ed yelled back. "You can't come!"

I reached them, panting. The boys had turned around to face me. "You never…said…that before."

"Well, I'm saying it now." Ed crossed his arms.

"We'll let you come, Jessi," Al said.

Ed gawked at him. "She can't come, Al, and you know it!"

"But wouldn't it be nice to have a companion, Brother?" Al asked. I wondered if Al had any "little brother charm" over Ed.

"I don't know, Al…" Ed looked at me with a soft look on his face. On mine was the saddest puppy-dog pout I could conjure.

Shadow started whimpering, and that was what made Ed snap.

"All right! She can come!" he said, throwing his arms in the air and continuing to the town.

Al and I cheered while Shadow jumped as high as my waist.

"Thank you, Al!" I said, giving him a hug.

"Oh, well…" There was embarrassment in his voice.

We started walking after Ed. I ran to catch up with him.

"Why didn't you want me to come?" I asked. "The same reason as the cat?"

"Yeah." Ed's voice was calm and almost quiet.

"I promise not to get in your way," I said, "and I'll make sure Shadow isn't in your way either."

He nodded. "Is there a train station in the next town?"

"I think so," I said. "Yeah, there is."

I heard someone giggling behind us. I turned around and saw Al and Shadow running in circles, but in the direction of the town, too.

I grinned. "Ed, look at your brother."

His head turned to look upon the two. Shadow had started to bark playfully, Al still chasing him.

"That's always like Al," Ed said, smiling. "Kind and thoughtful about humans and animals alike."

"He looks kinda scary in that armor, though," I said. "Does he ever take it off?"

"Uhhh…" The look on Ed's face told me that I had asked a question that would not get an answer.

"Brother!" Al called. He came clanking up from behind us. "Jessi's dog is very sweet."

Shadow, in Al's arms, was panting with a dog-smile on his muzzle.

"His name is Shadow," I said. "I got him as two years ago as a Christmas present from my parents."

"Speaking of that, Ed said thoughtfully, "where are your parents?"

My heart caught in my throat. "They're…they're dead," I said.

"Oh, really?" Ed asked, almost grinning. "How'd they die?"

I glared at him. "Unless your parents have died, then you shouldn't be asking."

"Actually, Jessi," said Al, "our mom is dead."

"Whoops." I blushed again. "My mom and dad died in the fire that burned down my house. Thankfully, me and Shadow were at my friend Allison's house." I shivered, then glanced at Shadow, who whined softly.

"I had three little sisters and an older brother," I continued. "My sisters died in the fire. My brother…" I stopped. "I don't know where my brother was. Will and his dog Sugar were out somewhere, I guess."

"So, everyone except you and your brother went with the fire?" Ed asked.

"That's what I just said, isn't it?" We had been stopped, so I kept walking.

Al said something to Ed, then ran to catch me.

"Jessi, I—"

"It's not your fault, Al." I sighed. "It's your brother's." I leaned on him a bit and looked up at his helmet. "Do you ever take your helmet off?"

"Uhhh…" Al sounded as if he had been found out, like Ed had before. "No…"

"Could you take it off for me?" I asked sweetly. Shadow, still in Al's arms, wagged his tail.

Ed must have heard our conversation, because he ran up to catch us.

"Just because you're traveling with us doesn't mean that you have to know everything about us!" he yelled.

"You know a lot about us!" I shot back at him. "I don't know anything about your past, or why Al wears that stupid suit!" I glared at Ed again. "You know where my parents are, why I'm traveling, how long I've had Shadow, and how many siblings I had."

"Brother, Jessi, please stop fighting!" Al pleaded. Shadow whined at us.

Ed and I stared coldly at each other.

"Fine," I said, backing away from him and putting my arm as far as it could go around Al. "But I'm only doing it for you, Al."

Ed started walking again. I could tell how mad he was by his steps.

I took my arm away from Al, but leaned on him a bit. We started walking after Ed.

"I'm sorry, Al," I whispered.

"It's okay, Jessi."

Shadow licked my fingers and gave me a dog-smile.

"Do you think I should apologize to him?" I asked.

"It would be nice, and Brother wouldn't be as hard on you," Al said, stopping to put Shadow on the ground, "but you don't have to."

I, in my whole life, had always apologized when my parents had told me to, and I usually meant it. But here, Al wasn't telling me to apologize; he was suggesting I should.

"Be right back, Al." I started running to catch Ed.

I was directly behind him when I decided to speak up.

"Ed?"

He turned his head and stopped, making me stop. "What?"

"I…I'm sorry," I said, staring at the ground, my hands behind my back.

I looked up a bit. Ed had an almost sympathetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, too."

Since he was a boy, I thought he would accept my apology and not apologize to me. But I was surprised.

Al ran over to us. "Did you guys make up?"

"Yeah." Ed put his arm behind his head, humiliated.

Shadow leapt after Al and barked. I picked him up and, and we were on our way.

Evidently, the boys weren't noticing the sky, or they would have said something. To our right was the sun, fading away into brilliant colors. Our left was covered with a purple darkness. It was getting late.

"Uh, guys? You should look at the sky."

Ed and Al looked up and gasped.

"It's getting late!" Ed remarked.

"We better hurry!" And with that statement from Al, we all started sprinting. The boys left me in the dust.

"Hey!" I shouted.

They stopped and let me catch up.

"Al…" I said, breathing heavily and bending over a bit "…are you strong…enough to carry…me…and Shadow?"

"Of course." He scooped me off of the ground and started running again, Ed on his tail.

We got to the town at about ten o'clock.

Al put me down and we all looked around for sign directing us to the train station. I found ran in the direction. "This way!"

Ed and Al followed.

When we got to the station, Ed gave a loud groan. It was closed for the day.

"'Open at eight AM'," Al read off of a sign on a wall.

Shadow started to whine.

"What's the matter?" Ed asked him, kneeling down to pet him.

I recognized that whine. It was Shadow's "I remember him/her/it" noise. The only way that could be possible was if I had come here before, because Shadow had never run away.

I took a closer look and realized that…

"This is Allison's cousin's house!"

The boys, who had been debating whether to sleep on a bench nearby or sleep at someone's house, looked up at me. "What?" they both asked.

"I've been here before! Allison's family let me visit her cousin with them once!" I jumped around, happy not to be sleeping on a bench for the night. "We can go there and spend the night!"

"What if she doesn't recognize you?" Al asked.

"It wasn't that long ago; only a year." I stopped dancing. "I doubt she won't remember me."

I grabbed Ed's hand and pulled him in the direction of Sally, Allison's cousin's, house, causing Shadow to leap into Al's arms, and Al to follow after us.

Realizing what I was doing, I let go of Ed's hand and blushed, though it was too dark to see. "It's this way."

Sally's house was a big, black, two-story brick house building. We walked up the steps to the door, also black, and I rang the doorbell.

When she came to the door…

"Jessica! How are you?" She hugged me and lifted me off the ground.

"Fine, Sal…Fine." Sally put me down. I caught my breath. "It's 'Jessi' now."

"How are your parents?" she asked.

"Uh, they died six months ago." I looked to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Jessi. What about Anna, Emma, and Dani?"

"Died with my parents."

"Will and Sugar?"

"Don't know about them."

I looked up at her to see that she was eyeing the boys. I jumped in quickly.

"This is Al and Ed Elric, the Elric Brothers." I then told her about my joining Ed and Al, and about our condition.

"Of course you can stay, as long as you want!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. I grabbed Ed's hand, blushing again, and Al walked in after Ed.

Later, upstairs, Sally had put three beds into one room. Shadow and I were in the bed by the only window; Ed was in the bed in between mine and his brother's. Al's was against the wall.

Sally opened the door. "Is everything all right in here?"

"Yeah," I said, sitting up. The boys sat up, too.

"Okay, then." She closed the door and left.

Al layed back down. Shadow jumped off my bed and ran onto Al's.

I didn't know if Sally realized this or not, but Al was still in his suit.

He soon fell asleep. I could tell because the room filled with Al's light snoring.

Ed layed down soon after that, but I still sat up.

I glanced at him. He still had all of his clothes on, and his arms were behind his head, resting on the pillow. His eyes were closed.

"Ed?" I asked. "Are you still awake?"

His right eye opened and looked at me. "Yeah. Why?"

"Nothing."

Well, there's the first chapter. I hope it wasn't too bad! Please review!