She looked into a wildcat's eyes
And saw the pain behind the lies.
Wrapped tightly in her arms he felt
The hatred lift - wild anger quelled.
What caused this change, no one could tell,
But for a moment all was well.
They'd caught a glimpse beyond his wall
And saw a child there after all.
-----
Chapter Seven: Angry Eyes
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Ed collapsed in the snow next to his brother, his chest heaving but a grin on his face nonetheless. Al laughed. "We should build a snow fort," he said. "But maybe later... I'm soaked."
"Boys!" Glacia called from the front door. Al's heart leapt. Ed's heart sank. But both boys made their way over to her. "I've got some hot chocolate ready. Do you want to come in and drink it?"
"Okay!" said Al cheerfully. Ed followed him inside wordlessly.
"Aren't you guys soaked," she said as they unzipped their coats and pulled off their ski-pants. "You'd better get some dry clothes on, or else you'll get sick. Especially you, Edward," she added.
"I'm fine," he said, allowing her to collect their wet things. The two boys changed quickly and came back downstairs to the kitchen table to drink their hot chocolate. Ed rubbed at his automail arm through his long-sleeved shirt. It was cold again, and irritating his skin a bit. Not much, but enough to be uncomfortable.
"You guys had some fun, huh?" asked Maria with a smile. While Al got into a conversation with the raven-haired woman, Ed's eyes locked on Maes's face. He looked troubled. It made Ed nervous when people looked like that. Did it have something to do with him and Al?
Suddenly Maes looked up, having felt the boys gaze on him. For a moment their eyes met. Ed studied him with a frown before finally looking away. There was too much emotion in Maes' eyes... too much kindness. But kindness laced with concern was not a good thing. It only meant that something bad was going to happen.
The uneasiness stayed with him throughout the day, and Glacia and Maria didn't fail to notice. Maes had to leave for work close to noon, and Ed felt his heart pounding in nervousness as he kissed Glacia goodbye, waved at him and Al - his usual grin back in place - and stepped outside.
He spent the afternoon doing quiet activities with Al. As they sat quietly at the kitchen table coloring in a coloring book, every sound seemed to bother him. Glacia was working in the kitchen, preparing the vegetables for dinner, and she noticed that Ed tensed at every sound - plate's clinking, pots bumping against each other - and when she dropped a knife to the floor with a clatter he jolted and dropped his crayon. Al, of course, could tell that his brother was getting more upset by the minute, and he muttered quietly, trying to distract Ed. It didn't work.
Dishes clanking, water running, a dryer humming from down the hall. And the silence that made all of these sounds seem magnified to Ed's ears. He dropped his crayons and covered his ears, closing his eyes tightly. Anything Al might have said to him was blocked out quickly by the sound of his own screaming mind. 'Shut up!'
"Ed?" someone was calling his name, but he blocked them out too. A man's voice entered the whirling chaos of sound, and then his brothers again.
"Don't touch him!" Al cried out a warning, but it was too late. A heavy hand fell on his shoulder and Ed exploded. The chair fell back as he fell upon Maes with an angry - but blind - attack.
Maes stumbled back in shock as Edward turned on him, but recovered quickly enough to grab the boys wrists before more than a few blows had been landed. He pulled Ed around so that his back was to Maes, and the stronger man pinned Ed's arms around him.
"Take it easy, Ed!" Maes tried to calm the boy, but it was a useless attempt and he knew it. Being restrained only added panic to his anger, and Ed thrashed as best as he could, lashing out with his feet as well.
"What's wrong?" asked Maria as she came to the doorway, having been drawn by the noise.
"I have no idea, but watch out; I'm going to take him upstairs," replied Maes, his voice strained from the effort he was using to keep a good grip on Edward.
Ed struggled violently, but all of his usual techniques of escape were no good. Maes had crossed his arms in front of him, so he couldn't use his elbows, and he had his back to the man so he couldn't really kick at him either.
"Let me go!" Ed finally wailed, as Maes half-carried and half-dragged him up the stairs to his bedroom. Maria and Al both followed right behind them. She closed the door behind them once they entered the room, and Maes carried him over to his bed. There he stood with him, and as Ed continued to struggle, Maria could see the rage glowing in the 12-year-old's eyes.
She felt pity rise in her though - because beyond the wild anger there was fear, and pain, and maybe even a tinge of sorrow. He had the eyes of one who had been betrayed.
Maes, still muttering soft words in an attempt to calm him down, glanced at her pleadingly. 'DO something,' he seemed to be silently begging. She moved toward them and - careful to avoid Ed's feet - she knelt in front of Ed, wrapped one arm behind his head and let him rest his face in her shoulder.
The reaction was almost immediate. His angry shouts ceased, and he stopped thrashing. Maes felt Ed relaxing against him. He maintained his grip for a minute longer before slowly, cautiously, releasing Ed's arms. They fell to his side.
Edward took deep, unsteady breaths, still trembling from his recent outburst, but he slowly leaned into her and allowed Maria to hold him. Maes stepped away, closer to where Al stood frozen. The younger of the two boys was watching the scene unfold through unreadable eyes. He looked relieved though. That was good, because Maes felt relieved. It was times like these, he supposed, when the situation was better left for a woman to deal with. He glanced back once more, sighed, and headed quietly to the door. He was only half-surprised to find Al at his side. It seemed that even Al agreed with his theory.
-----
Maria waited with Ed, letting him lean into her without quite returning the hug. His legs started to buckle after a moment, and she lifted him up carefully and sat down with him on his bed. He sat next to her, letting her keep her arms wrapped around him, and leaned his head against her, relaxed. She remained silent, rocking slightly, until he finally stopped shaking and his breathing steadied. Ed had his eyes closed, breathing in her scent. As long as he couldn't see her and couldn't hear her, he could pretend - for a little while - that he was in his mothers arms and not here at all. Safe with mom... far away from this place. He felt his mind numbing - succumbing to a warm and empty darkness. A darkness where he was quite certain his mother would be waiting for him.
Eventually, after nearly 20 minutes, he had drifted off to sleep. Slowly, gently, Maria laid him down against the pillows, and rubbed his back for a few minutes until she was certain he was sleeping. Then she quietly stood and walked to the door. She glanced back at him once. His face was so peaceful when he was asleep. As long as his burning eyes were hidden away, he could almost pass for a calm and gentle boy. She closed the door behind herself with a sigh.
-----
When Al and Maes had returned to the kitchen, it was to a very anxious-looking Glacia. "Well," said Maes, giving her a small smile. "That was interesting."
"Is he alright?" she asked in concern.
"Yeah... Maria's with him now," he replied.
"I'm sorry," said Al softly. "It's my fault I didn't warn you fast enough." He had a guilty expression on his face, and Glacia immediately dropped to her knees to give him a hug.
"Don't worry," she said with a reassuring smile. "It's not your fault." Maes stepped over to put a comforting hand on Al's head.
"I'm guessing that when he's upset, touching him is not a good idea, huh?" Al nodded slightly. Maes smirked. "I'll remember that for next time." He turned to Glacia. "So what did upset him?" he asked, helping Al back into his chair.
"I'm not sure," she sighed. "I think he's was being bothered by all the noise. Maybe he's just having a really sensitive day." There was a thoughtful silence, and Maes and Glacia both sat down.
"He's been upset since we came inside this morning," said Al finally. Both adults looked at him. "When he's nervous, he gets angry sometimes."
"Ed's pretty sensitive, huh?" said Glacia.
"Yeah, and he notices everything, too," said Al. "It's hard to keep secrets from him." The younger boy grinned. "He always sees right through me."
"Hm..." Maes looked at Ed's half-colored page absently. "I wonder why Maria..." he mused out loud. "Why does he seem to relax for her and no one else?"
"It's because she reminds him of mom," Al replied, and suddenly he looked very guilty. An expression crossed his eyes of both fear and regret at having spoken those words - as if he had just told a big secret or something. Both adults were staring at him, and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He looked down to his lap and wrung his hands together. "I... I don't remember her very well," he said quietly. "I forget things easily. But my brother remembers her. He remembers everything."
"I see," said Maes softly. "It's no wonder he's so angry all the time. He doesn't forget, which means he probably doesn't forgive too easily, either." Maes was very tempted to ask more, but he couldn't bring himself to at the moment. There were dozens of questions he wanted answered. Where was their mother? Why were taken from her? Why did they run away in the first place? But now was not a good time to pry. He'd have to ask Al on a day when things were more relaxed, and hopefully when it was just the two of them. For now he could wait..
-----
When Maria came the stairs she looked tired, but happy. "He'll be alright," she said reassuringly. "Let's just let him sleep for a while." She sat down at the table and put her chin in her hands with a sigh. She had a small smile on her face.
"What is it?" asked Glacia curiously.
"Hm?" Maria was startled from her thoughts. "Oh... nothing, really. I just realized something, that's all."
"And that would be...?" Maes prompted.
"Well, I've been thinking how Ed seems so much older than he is. But I was wrong. He's still just a child, after all."
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END
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Author's Note: I'm sorry it took so long - really I am! The shortest chapter, and it took me the longest time to post... I meant to upload this chapter, like, days ago but I've just been so busy with this and that, so I kind of didn't get around to it over the weekend. Sorry guys, but after this chapter you might have to wait a little longer as well - I'm going back to Canada in less than a week, so I've been shopping and packing and shopping, and doing a bit more packing... yeah, not fun. But it's kept me busy, hence the late update. I promise I'll get the last few chapters up ASAP! Hopefully this chapter wasn't too bad... please review and let me know. Thanks for reading! (Both the story and my incredibly off-topic author's note ).
Mistress of Darkness