Ok so this is finally the next chapter and as you know I do not own FMA or any characters. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and I look forward to hearing what you have to say about it.

Chapter 3

Marie stood in front of the floor length mirror propped on its gilded wooden stand. She stared at her self and pondered what made her different in some sort of way then the other girls that had lived in the village. Thinking back, she recalled a pang of emotions surrounding the memory of all the girls who had laughed at her at school, in the court yard during town dances, and even when she had been walking around town. Then, as if a great force had struck her mind, she remembered the thing that had made her different. Other than the long bushy braid her mother brushed every day, she had an auto mail leg. She hadn't always had it. If she recalled correctly, it had been fairly new before she had been cursed to this waking dream world.

Slowly she pulled up the hem of her dress and gazed at her metal right leg. That's why she could never play sports, or dance at those wonderful town dances. She remembered the cause of her unhappiness in this town as she had grown up and replayed the events in her head. Time passed slowly as she looked back on the unchangeable past.

She remembered a day when she had been about 9. She had been playing out side behind the house, by the old shed. Her mother had told her not to, but she wanted to explore. Her mother and her had moved in the previous week and the fact still remained, she knew nothing or no one in the town yet. She wondered around the yard seeking to entertain herself and started digging in the dirt. Not paying attention to the growing stain on her dress. She then took the scarf her mom had tied around her head and placed it over her face. "I'm a thief!" She declared and started running around the yard brandishing a stick as her sword. It was great fun. She saw the shed out of the corner of her eye and for the sake of role playing, she would need a hide out.

She wandered into the shed and gazed about her at the array of rusty yard tools and gear that lay scattered about haphazardly. She began to shift things around to make a theirs hideout. She knew she had to be careful; the previous owners had stacked some boards with nails still in them along the leaning wall, but not all had remained standing upright. There was rusty crop tools hanging on the walls and from the roof, which had begun to fall apart from neglect - giving the shed an eerie, haunted atmosphere. There were dirty rags lying on the floor next to a bucket filled with something black and thick looking and the work benches, which were too tall for young Marie to see the top of were covered in dust and potting soil. The previous owners must have been farmers she concluded. There was one window to the right of the door and a ladder opposite that which led to a dark loft. The perfect place to hide out!

She started climbing the ladder on the far side of the room to get up into the loft above the dirty shed. As she placed a shaky foot on the highest rung a loud crack came from beneath her and the ladder swayed on the spot. She hung on tightly and her face contorted with the jolt that was sent through her body from the swaying ladder. The ladder swayed dangerously and then with the slightest breath Marie and the ladder fell to the floor with a loud crash and a terrifying scream.

In the kitchen of the new manner, Maries' mother heard an ear splitting scream from behind the house and ran to the window. A thought crossed her mind. Where's Marie. She ran out of the house and around to the back. She ran into the shed and gasped, hands moving to her mouth, her legs shaking. "Marie!" Her voice rose historically, "Marie! Are you ok?" When no answer ensured from her daughter she frantically called out. "No no no! I told you not to come back here!" Hot tears fell from her cheeks. She ran to Marie and pulled off the ladder which lay on top of her. Then, to her horror, she saw a pool of blood soaking into the right side of her dress.

Marie had fallen on top of one of the boards which had lain face up with the rusty nails still in them. Marie was sobbing softly as her mother removed the board from her leg, lifted her from the ground and brought her into the house quickly. She called to her mother, needing to be comforted as she drifted away and slowly that memory faded into the mist. She was not feeling well; the rust from the nail darkened her present thoughts.

Marie did recall the days following the accident. After her mother had bathed her wound and bound it, she noticed her daughter falling ill with fever and the inability to sit up in bed. Her mother grew more and more fearful for her daughters' life and began hurriedly looking for a doctor to help her daughter.

One stormy night, later than any traveler should be out, there was a knock at their door. She got up form her daughters bed side and walked to the door. Slowly she pulled it open. "Yes, how can I help you?" Her voice barely permitted the sound of the storm outside and her eyes had dark circles beneath them. A man stood in the door way, tall and dressed in a long, wet, black traveler's cloak. His boots were terribly muddy and upon realizing that the man was out in the rain she let him in hurriedly.

"Oh you must be so cold, let me run a cup of hot tea for you, and I'll get some of my husbands clothes for you. I'll have to dry those, come in come in, sit down, make yourself at home." She said rather quickly, more so out of kind habit. She ran into the kitchen and put on the kettle, and then ran up stairs to fetch some dry cloths for the wet man.

He walked in and muttered a happy thanks and took off his cloak and sat down. She came rushing down the stairs with a bundle of cloths in her arms when she realized he was sitting down on the couch. "I'm so sorry for the wait. Here are the dry clothes. If you want to put them on you can go in to the wash room to the left of the main hall." She told the stranger.

"Thank you. Your kindness is much appreciated. May I ask what your name is?" He had an astoundingly warm voice which soothed her weariness ever so slightly. "Why yes, my name is Mrs. Laura , and yours?" She asked politely. "Oh, how rude of me, my name is -"A clap of thunder rose through he sky outside and overpowered the voices talking. The name was unheard, but Laura didn't seem to worry about missing it.

He got up and took the clothes from her arms and walked off towards the washroom and called out another thanks. Minutes later, Laura was seated on the couch with 2 cups of tea, waiting patiently for the stranger to return to the living room. When he came, he saw her gazing into the fire with a long sullen face. His long blond and hair and beard wet from the storm outside was drying in the warm of the living room air.

He came into the room and sat next to her. "You look worried, what is the matter?" He asked curiously. "Oh, well I don't suppose you could help me. My daughter is ill and she needs a doctor. I have not yet found one with the skills to heal her." She said shakily. "Well, I'm a doctor, maybe I could help." The man said with interest "Where is your daughter? Can I see her?" Laura nodded and said "I can take you to her."

He then proceeded to ask what the problem was with her daughter, and discovered that by cutting herself with a nail, Marie had been poisoned by the rust. The doctor told Laura there was only one procedure that could cure her daughter due to the lateness of the help received. "Automail limbs." He said slowly. "They substitute the real limb but are fully functional as a real limb. I could do this procedure if you allow me. It will take a couple of days, and its a few years of recovery from the surgery, but I can help." He said reassuringly.

"I'd do anything to help her now, she's a sweet girl, I don't know what I'd do with out her. Please help my daughter." Laura said. "I will, I'll start in the morning."

So then the doctor, for a few months remained at the manner, and fitted young Marie with an auto mail leg. He was surprised how fast she recovered. She could walk within a 3 months easily, and in 8 months, could run and play normal games just as the kids did in the court yard in town. Then the day arrived when the stranger had to go.

Marie and Laura stood outside their door and thanked the Stranger for helping them, and said that if he ever needed any help in the future, to just come by and ask, they'd do what they could to help. Marie waved happily to the traveler, "Good by Mister Doctor, Thank you sooooo much." She called as he waved goodbye and turned.

"It was my pleasure, you take care now." And the blonde haired stranger left, his pony tail blowing in the wind.

Marie gazed into the mirror as her image now came back into focus. That was a very kind thing the man had done for her mother and her. And now she was wasting away in a world where nothing bad or good could happen, except for the howling outside her door every evening and the cold that seeped into her heart whenever she longed to be out of this place. A single tear rolled down her face and she crumpled to the floor in a heap of sobs.

Was she ever to be among the living again? Was there anything she could do? And then that image came into her mind again. The image of the boy; short, with long blonde hair. She always ended up in his dreams, which seemed always connected to hers. Why were they so? Could he help her? Edward. That was his name, maybe he was on his way. And then, she cried again, the grey rain falling outside on the roof reflecting her sobs in the unloving world outside her ever dark window.

Edward sat on the window seat, the hot air rushing by his face, blowing his bangs about and making his nose feel itchy. He started blankly out at the vast dessert. The last station was coming up. He had no real desire to travel with the Major but seeing as how prudent Roy had been on obviously setting them up, Edward had not had the chance to complain… much. Roy had it in for him, that's the conclusion Edward came to many nights ago.

The train started to slow and looking out the window Edward saw a change in the surrounding dirt. There were houses standing around the station and what looked to be like a market a ways off in the distance. As the train finally came to a halt, the Major stood up and looked out the window. "Ah it looks like we're here. I'll grab your things and meet you boys outside." Said the Major. Alphonse looked up at him, nodded his head in thanks and then turned to Edward, who hadn't turned from the window yet. Alphonse looked at what he thought was a sleeping Edward and cautiously stretched his hand out to him. Al it was about to tap Edwards' shoulder to wake him when Edward turned his head slowly toward Al. Ed's unexpected movement caused Al to jump back so fast that he nearly tumbled out of the seat. "Brother what did you scar me like that for?" Al asked shakily.

Edward just gave him the same unchanging blank stare - of boredom. "I hate the dessert." He grumbled. Al looked back at him. "Oh right, I forgot about that." He said. Edwards' blank stare turned into a piercing glare and Al backed up off the seat and fell to the floor with a clang. Edward blasted out of his stiff state and stood up laughing. "Al, what did you go and do that for, you know I wouldn't scare you purposely!" He said with a booming voice. "Sure you wouldn't brother." Al said unconvinced, "that's what you said the last time, in a similar manner too." He was a bit shaken by his brothers' swift recovery and stood up to leave the train when Edward became serious once more. "I don't know how much Mustang knows, but he didn't just wing our coach to be the Major, he's up to something Al. So be careful how much you talk around him ok? I don't want to reveal anything till I know for certain, ok?" Edward was looking down at the floor as a scolded child would have done, but then looked up with a cheerful grin and stepped forward, "shall we leave?" And he walked out the door.

Out side in the hot dessert sun, Edward hunched his shoulders and walked up to the wagon that the Major was standing near. The sand was blowing about from the dessert around them, but the buildings kept out the wind a bit. The major was now wearing a long black over coat and a wide brim hat. He looked ready to charge a full herd of cattle on his own, he probably could too, Edward had no doubt in his heart. Al was in the back of the cart in what looked like a bunch of rice bags, wait a sec, those are rice bags! Edward laughed inside, and looked back at the Major. "Edward, put this on." He said and handed him a long brown coat similar to his. Edward stared at it. "Do you want me boil away?" He said sourly. "I meant no harm FullMetal but you can always take off your jacket if you don't want the layers." Edward passed on the disguise and sat in the back protesting, "it won't matter anyway because no one sensible lives in the dessert to witness such lame disguises. Besides, if he put on this lambs wool, thick coat it still won't matter if i'm naked beneath that coat in the dessert, I'll still boil away."

After this trade of words, the Major gave a small chuckle and sat up front. The horses started to move forward and the hot air once again set in front of Edwards' eyes like a hazy sunset. The unchanging landscape danced in front of his half closed eyes and vague images started to appear in front of his line of view; dancing figures that intertwined in a twirling dance of joy, heat and glee. The figures merged and separated and jumped and then fell still only to jump up again and dance. Slowly the heat over came Edward and he fell over, his arms draped over the side of the cart lazily.

Hours later, though it seemed more like endless days, Edward waked to the same rolling landscape and a boiling arm and leg. He nearly yelped as the heat soaked into his flesh. Al stirred at his discomfort. "Brother, are you ok?" Edward lay on the cart floor rolling in his cloak. "No, No, does it look like I'm ok?" He said roughly. "Well, that depends…" "Al!" Edward tore off his cloak and tried to unclip his metal limbs, but then halted in this process and froze in thought. "It will hurt to get back in, is it worth the pain or is this heat unbearable?" He thought for a few more seconds and then decided he could handle the heat, he was a man, any man can handle the heat… any man… in this sweltering, deathly, over exhausting heat. Heat's nothing, nothing compared to cold. "Al I could fry a turkey dinner on this automail. Why doesn't Winry make it heat repellent?" "I don't think such a thing exists brother, and while you're at it you should take orders from the Major, maybe he's hungry." Edward glared daggers at Al, then just gave up. Any sort of action in this dessert other then glaring seemed to take so much energy.

He turned and stared up at the endless blue sky. Clouds rolled into view. such a boring landscape might kill someone, but luckily for Edward, he had a plan. He smirked and sat up. He cast a glance at the Major who was obviously too inclined to watch the horses pull them forward, then clapped his hands. A flash of blue light shone as he touched the floor of the cart and he made a small deck of cards. "Here Al, I have a way to pass the time. Do you wanna play a hand?" He asked with a smile that brimmed from ear to ear. Alphonse looked at his crazy brother and sighed. "I suppose." So they passed the next 3 long hot days playing various games such as crazy eights, go fish, rummy, solitaire and many more.

Finally on the last day through the dessert, they came out on the other side and appeared in a small town that was bustling with activity. There was not much development here, though that was to be expected as the Major stated they don't like the military much. As Armstrong pulled the cart to a stop at the post he turned around and smiled at the boys. "So we survived the dessert, didn't we?" Edward had no words for him. He could swear that he had sunburn on his shoulder and knee in places he had not exposed to the sun. "Look Major, we appreciate your help and all but now we need to be on our way, is that ok?" Edward said as politely as he could manage due to the circumstances. The Major looked at Edward, "No, not yet Edward Elric. I want you to know that this isn't the easiest place to get around in." Edward didn't know what the Major was saying but took his word for it and just followed along for what was going to be a long day.

As they got off the cart and pulled themselves onto the street, they began to look for a cart driver that would take them around town. Foreign carts weren't permitted Armstrong said, "these people kept their own rules and strangers obey". Edward offered to get a cart drivers attention so he stood in front and put his hand out to signal the approaching driver. He stood there patiently not causing anyone distress. The cart rolled up and kept on going at top speed. There was rain earlier that day in town so as the cart speed by it splashed Edward with dirty rain water, putting him into a nastier mood. This time he put his thumb out in a bored manner and resulting in a similar event from a second driver who passed. When he came to the conclusion to give up, the third driver slowed to a stop in front of him and smiled. "How can I help you gentle men?" Edward just glared at him, relived that he hadn't gotten splashed a third time.

"Well, we need to get to a place called Dream Meadows; do you know where that is?" Alphonse asked for his brother, who looked like he had no intent on talking at the moment to anyone let alone in a nice manner. "Well I wouldn't do that for all the money in the world boy, but anywhere in town I sure can." Edward slumped but made a mental note of the fact that this driver wouldn't take him out of town for money. "How about a map store, can you take us there?" Edward asked the Driver. "Sure can. Hop in. I have to make one stop before I take you there first, but I'll be quick."

Edward and Alphonse climbed into the cart, and turned to allow Armstrong in when they realized that we was waving goodbye to them. "I have some errands to run Boys, so I'll see you when we have to return home ok. Good luck trying to find that place of yours." And He turned in the other direction that the cart was going and walked out of sight. Edward heaved a sigh of relief that the major wasn't coming with them. He was a great guy, no doubt, but he got on Edwards nerves when he got to protective about him and his brother.

The Driver started the horse moving and the cart lurched forward almost knocking Edward out of his seat before Alphonse quickly grabbed him around the middle and pushed him back into his seat. "Thanks" Edward muttered. The driver then turned to them and asked the question Edward feared he would ask. "So why do you boys want to go up there to the Meadows?" Edward winced but quickly came up with a tale that would satisfy this driver's curiosity. "Well we're looking for someone that we know and last we heard, that's where they moved to." Edward told the driver. "Oh, well you're out of luck then." The driver said back through the metal grate between the driver's seat and the passenger cart. "That place has been abandoned for years they say. Every ones too frightened to go up that way." The cart made a sharp turn right, once again almost knocking Edward out the window. "Why's that?" Edward asked as he regained his seat in the cart. "Well, they say it's haunted but I don't know. I'd say a plague wiped that village out 4 hundred years ago. That would make more sense."

Edward turned to Al, then nodded. Alphonse then started to talk to the driver. "Well then, maybe the person lives in this town, we could have gotten the address wrong. Her name is Marie," Al gave Edward another uncertain glance and continued, "Marie Thranklien." Al finished. The driver then went all quiet. No one spoke for a lone while. Then the silence was broken and Edward and Al got an answer. "That girl you're looking for is long dead. Died 400 hundred years ago when everyone flied the village you're looking for. They say that she's the one that haunts that place." The driver stopped the cart in front of a low building and climbed down. "Just a minute," he called, and shuffled into the building. A few minutes later he came out with 2 things. A book that was used to tally how many hours you carted people per day and what looked like a bit of a news paper clipping from an age ago. He climbed back onto the cart and handed Edward the clipping through the grate. "This is what you want." He said in a sinister voice. "It's from the paper that I was given from my grandpa, when he lived here a hundred years ago. It tells about what happened, or what they thought happened." The cart lurched again, but this time Edward managed to hang onto his seat and started reading the small crumbling article.

The driver continued what he was saying. "That stories a legal around these parts. Not many like to talk about it. I've heard that the villagers left because their crops failed. But the story goes much deeper. My great grandpa told me about the story of the Thranklien's, He said that Mrs. Thranklien was in town one day like she did every week looking at the book shop window. His great grandpa used to run the fruit shop across the way and so he saw her every week. Anyway, he said that one day that she came out with an odd looking old man, laughing and smiling they were, and they went home together. Now Mrs. Thranklien had a daughter that was 12 at the time, and as the years past, my grandpa stopped seeing the Mrs. And as he heard it from a maid that lived in her house hold, years later, she had murdered herself and dear Marie was never seen again. No one from the village saw her that day and many claimed she went missing after her moms suicide." The story ended and Edward shuddered at the spooky story that would have been so scary in front of a camp fire on the night of a full moon.

The cart now stopped in front of the Map store and the driver let them out. "If you go up that way you'll see nothing but weeds and ghosts, so if I were you I'd not waste my time chasing the dead." He said kindly. He accepted their little money and rolled away in the bustle of the towns' main street. Edward and Alphonse looked at each other gravely and turned to walk into the Map store. The bell chimed as they walked in. They were one huge step closer to finding out who this Marie Thranklien was, and how she came to need their help.

Thank you so much for reading this chapter. I'm soo sorry for taking so long to get it up. I've been very busy and I wanted to make it really long. Thank you again and I'll try really hard to get the next chapter up soon. I look forward to listening to your reviews

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Edited and updated!