Chapter One:

In which Ed and Al travel to Liore and confront the false priest, and Hawkeye acquires a dog.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

I heard the rain before I felt it, each drop like needles on my still numb skin. The ground below me was hard, the stone pavers leaving imprints on my side. Townhouses lined either side of the street, towering and claustrophobic. The street itself, however, was empty.

I felt slow and sluggish as I rose to my feet, each movement a battle as my muscles fought against a fluid that felt closer to water than air.

A sense of dull panic washed over me as I realised, I didn't recognise my surroundings in the slightest.

'This has to be a dream.' I reasoned with myself, not sure if I was saying any of this out loud or in my head. 'That's why everything feels so strange right now.' I was generally pretty aware when I was dreaming, able to recognise the feeling almost instantly. But something about this one felt different, and my gut was screaming at me to get out, to wake up.

I ignored the feeling, deciding the explore this strange environment. My dreams were usually more abstract than this, physical sensations all but non-existent. I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Maybe I'd finally succeeded in having a lucid dream?

The street lights were on, despite the light grey sky indicating that it clearly wasn't night. It must have been early morning or late evening, although judging by the emptiness of the streets I was leaning towards morning. Not that dreams had to follow any kind of logic.

My hair was plastered to my neck and face by this point, uncomfortable and limiting. I tried to focus on stopping the rain and drying myself off-if I was lucid dreaming there should be nothing stopping me. The rain continued to fall.

"Looks like it's just a regular old dream after all." My tongue felt heavy in mouth, as I fought to stitch the syllables together. At least this air was still thick enough that I could probably fly-or more accurately swim through the air-something I found would always give me pleasure in dreams, especially when walking was as difficult as it felt right now.

I jumped up, fighting my straining muscles to do so as I reached my arms into the air in a bastardised breaststroke. I hit the ground, hard, my legs failing to catch me.

"Hey! Are you alright, girl?" A croaking voice called out, the sound too loud, too clear.

I pushed off the ground, slowly becoming aware of just how uncomfortable I was in these wet clothes. And how cold I was.

An elderly woman stood in the doorway of one of the townhouses, concern further wrinkling her already aged face.

"I'm fine." I murmured, as I continued to walk on, willing myself to wake up. Something was clearly wrong here, the grazes on my palms hurting in a way that I knew wasn't possible for a dream. People were beginning to file onto the streets now, my hunch about it being morning proving correct.

As I walked through more unfamiliar streets I knew I had to work out where I was. Dream or not I couldn't keep wondering around here lost.

I pulled my hair back with the scrunchie I always kept around my wrist, attempting to make myself look more presentable as I stopped a blue uniformed man, something about the uniform looking so familiar.

"Excuse me." I stopped him. "I think I may have gotten on the wrong bus, could you please tell me where I am?" Praying to God I didn't sound too looney I gave him my best, completely sane smile.

"Bus?" The man questioned, hand reaching towards his side where I could just make out what appeared to be a gun poking out through his jacket.

"Uh I mean train?" I said, cursing myself. Who would believe a wrong bus at this time of day? No, a train was far more believable.

"You're in East City." The man said, dark eyes still narrowed as he looked down at me through his glasses.

"Ah damn, I did too." I shook my head ruefully, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. While name sounded vaguely familiar, I couldn't think of a single East City I knew of near me, or anywhere for that matter. "Thanks for the help, sir"

I skedaddled out of there as quickly as possible, nightmare or not.

I noticed a sign up in one of the windows of the buildings.

"East City Convenience". I murmured. It seemed as good a place as any to get out of the rain, and maybe track down a map while I was at it.

I pulled open the door, relieved that they were open. As I walked into the cramped store, I became acutely aware of the bag hanging down at my side. I held it tightly to my side, not wanting to risk breaking anything.

I approached what I assumed to be the counter, the clerk smiling down at me.

"Do you by any chance have a map I could look at" I gave him my best charming smile. I may look like a drowned rat right now, but I'd be damned if I couldn't use my feminine charm to get me at least some favours. Either that or the fact that I looked perpetually 12, and who could deny a child?

"Uh sure, why not" His salt and pepper moustache brushed his upper lip as he spoke. I hated it. "I do have to ask though, why do you want to see it."

"Um" I scrambled to think of a good lie. "I accidentally got on the wrong train. You see my mum bought me this train ticket to visit my grandmother since she isn't very well but I got confused cause it was my first time catching a train alone and now I need to figure how far away I actually am from it." Oh god I was rambling. Please someone stop me.

"I see." He pulled out the map. "Well this is East city, so whereabouts were you supposed to be going?"

"South City?" I cringed at the lie, knowing I was about to get caught.

To my surprise the man laughed, spreading out the map and pointing to a place on it, South City.

I tuned the man out as he explained how far South City was from here and how I would have to get there, too busy focusing on the name at the top of the map. Amestris. I knew that name well.

Two years ago, when I was 15, my older brother and sister had made me watch this show they loved, 'Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'. I'd been reluctant to watch it at first, my pride in being the cool sibling nearly stopping me all together. But I had to admit I had enjoyed it, loving trying to predict the different plot twists and turns, even though I'd been terrible at it.

My head was spinning, as I rushed out of the shop, ignoring the shop keeper's angry cries. I needed air. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I knew I wasn't in a dream. Everything was too vivid, the sensations too strong. But this couldn't be real. It just couldn't.

'I need a money.' I took deep breaths, trying to focus on what was concrete, what was real. I knew from looking at that map that I wasn't getting home anytime soon. There certainly wasn't an Amestris where I was from. As such I would need to find a way to survive here.

I spotted a small café with a help wanted sign out the front, smiling. A job, I could do that. I'd worked in a café back at home as well, it would be nothing new.

I walked up to the counter, smoothing out my sopping t-shirt as I tried my best to look presentable.

"What do you want." The woman behind the coffee maker snapped, looking me up and down. Her dark hair was pulled up into a tight bun, not a hair out of place. "I don't allow any riff raff in here, and you look like a mess."

I bit back the retort on my lips. She had a point after all, while I hadn't seen myself yet, I knew I looked like a mess.

"I'm here for a job." I gave out another winning smile and forced myself to stand out straight. "I've got plenty of experience, I've been a waitress since I was 14 and I've even done some barista and kitchen work."

I fought to keep my smile while the woman laughed. Eventually she stopped, her grey eyes narrowing as she realised, I was serious.

"Please, I'm desperate." I cursed myself for saying more but I couldn't help it. "I've got nowhere else to go."

"What's your name?" She asked me, abruptly.

"Annaliese Smith." I answered quickly, trying my best to seem professional.

"How old are you?"

"17"

"So you've got three years of experience?"

"Yes ma'am"

"And you say you can make coffee"

"Yes ma'am".

She looked down her nose at me, eyes searching my face, for what I wasn't sure. Suddenly she turned on her heel, heading through a door and out of sight.

I felt my mouth drop open in shock. The old hag didn't even have the decency to tell me I wasn't hired.

"Look you don't have to hire me but the least you could do is-" I was cut off by a back apron thrown at my face, quickly followed by a new set of clothes.

"You start in one hour." She told me, leaving no room for argument. Not that it stopped me.

"And my pay?" I asked. I'd worked in hospitality long enough to know I was going to be taken advantage of if I wasn't careful.

"100 cens an hour" She told me, eyes challenging me in a way that sent alarm bells off in my head.

"You wouldn't be underpaying me, would you?" I asked, raising and eyebrow, doing my best to act like I had any idea what 100 cens was.

"You're not from around here, are you?" I didn't like her looking down at me the way she was. Or more specifically I didn't like looking up at her. It made my neck hurt.

I thought about lying, I really did. But I was in over my head and if I didn't get caught out for it now, I would be soon.

"No." I admitted, hoping she didn't ask anymore questions. That was a conversation that was sure to send me straight to the looney bin.

To my relief she didn't ask anything else. "I'll pay you 75 cens an hour and give you board. How about that?"

Now I definitely knew I was being ripped off, but the offer of a place to stay was too good to pass up.

"Sounds great." I stuck out my hand to her, ready to confirm the deal.

"You still start in an hour. Showers upstairs." She turned away from me, leaving my hand hanging.

"I'll just go fuck myself then." I pulled my hand back, muttering to myself the whole way up the stairs.

Turns out this café was quite the hot spot around here, with me spending the entire day rushing out coffees and meals, practically running with armloads of dishes at points. It reminded me a lot of when I first started at my old job, a nervous little 14-year-old who could barely carry one drink without spilling it, let alone a tray full. I remembered feeling so overwhelmed and exhausted, like it just didn't end.

Of course, this time I wasn't a nervous little girl getting her first job, and instead of spilling every drink I touched I was absolutely killing it. I could see it was really grating on the old woman-Joan her name was-too. I feel her eyes following me around the room, just waiting for me to make a mistake so she could jump on it. Of course, her husband in the kitchen absolutely adored me, which I was sure just grated on her further.

"If you guys need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask me." I smiled at the two men in front of me, both wearing the same blue uniform-I now recognised as military-as the man this morning.

"That's some interesting hair you got there." One of them said to me, a broad man with light brown hair. It was shaved at the sides and back, emphasising that stereotypical dumb jock face he had. "Is it natural? I've never seen a dye like that."

"While I wish I could say it was natural, my hairdresser is just a genius." I admitted, not sure how to explain foils to someone from 1914. I was a natural brunette, but lately had been taking to dying my hair a fun mix of blonde and rose gold. I was living to regret that now though, the regrowth was going to be killer.

"I'd say she's a little bit more than just a genius." His blonde friend jumped in, lighting a cigarette. "I didn't even know that colour existed in dyes."

I frowned at the smoke, pulling on my short braid self-consciously. I'd already heard enough about how ridiculous my hair looked from Joan when I'd come down the stairs with it in two braids this morning. Unfortunately for me, however, with no bobby pins and my hair at this length braids were the only thing I could rely on to not fall out and get into the food.

I barked out a nervous laugh, unsure how to respond. The café was starting to quiet down now, only a handful of other customers scattered around the place, so I didn't really have a good reason to rush off.

"Heymans! Stop distracting my waitress!" I never thought I would be relieved to have Joan yelling behind me but here we are. "She still has work to do!"

"Sorry, mother!" Dopey jock looking guy called back grinning. "She's just not something you see every day. Where'd you find her?"

"That's none of your business!" I could see the grin just beginning to form at the corner of lips. "Where I find my circus freaks is my business and my business alone"

I frowned putting my head down as I marched back to the counter.

"This hair was all the rage back at home." My comment was drowned out by the laughter filling the room.

I sat on the floor of the small room I'd been given, bag on my lap.

"Time to see what's in this thing." I'd been too busy to really think about it today, but now that I had some time to think about it the gravity of this situation was really starting to hit me. I was trapped here, in this strange world, with no idea how to get home.

I couldn't remember where I'd been going before all this happened, or what I'd even been doing that day. It was like the whole 24 hours had been blocked out in my mind. But wherever I was going it'd included bringing my iPod, a book (Howl's Moving Castle, to my pleasant surprise), lipstick, my wallet and a water bottle. And my phone of course. The only thing these told me is that I expected to do some waiting around.

I quickly switched off the electronics, wanting to conserve the battery in case a situation arose where I would need them. It wasn't like they were going to be much use to me now anyway. I couldn't exactly google maps the way from East City to Coolangatta.

I felt the crushing weight of my predicament pushing against my chest, fighting just to breathe. My eyes stinging as my cheeks dampened.

Soon I could feel myself shaking as I failed to contain a sob.

"I just want to go home." It was pathetic, I was pathetic. But I couldn't help it.

I just wanted to go home.

A/n:

I admit I have never been the biggest fan of stories like this, with the whole person from one world "falls" into another. But lately I've read some interesting takes and they've inspired me to do my own kind of experimental piece. I'll admit I may have jumped the gun with publishing this one but hopefully it generates some interest. As always, constructive criticism is much appreciated!