Chapter 2: Voices
"Bye, mom!" The two waved their hands toward the blue Honda van as the car drove off. Attending a high school called San Jose High, the two girls were walking in their uniform. The eighteen year old Winry and almost fifteen year old Zen were walking down to the entrance of their high school. They were wearing a black with white stripes from top to bottom and across much to Zen's distaste in skirts. They were wearing a white buttoned blouse that had a red shield with an English "S" emblem on the pocket on their left chest.
Winry Curtman had her middle blond hair clipped up behind her head, and Zen had her long hair braided in the middle of her back. They were both known to be the sisters of Riza Curtman who attended the high school with straight A's. This day was close to the end of the high school year and Winry's graduation. Zen was the shortest girl and half animefreak, half artist geek in high school, but it didn't bother her... unless you called her "Mousey" or insulted her artwork, then it would be a problem. Winry was known as a mechanic freak due to fixing automobiles or any machine broken without any charge, but if you don't take care of her work, she will throw her wrench or any other tool in her pockets.
"Only fourteen days and sixteen hours before June 7th!" Zen sang happily as the sisters passed the gates and straight to the entrance. Winry smiled and patted her sister's head, showing the affection to the small kid who is around 5' 4".
"Slow down, Zenny. You still have a long ways to go before you party for my graduation and your celebration." Zenny pouted, using her trademark word in a whiney voice.
"Nyu..." Winry laughed. For an almost-fifteen-year old teenage girl, her face still looked like little girl.
"Zen!" The black haired girl turned around to see her childhood friend waving at her. Her childhood friend was a male who had his black bangs lengthen down to his chin, so he had to split in the middle. His brown eyes were dark, and his face lost some of the baby fat. He was lean, meaning that he was athletic in either basketball or baseball. His was taller, around 5' 11", than Zen, but Zen was the one who actually kicks his ass.
"Hey, Gil! Be right there!" Zen waved back and turned back to Winry.
"Well... see you!" Winry giggled and pushed her sister forward.
"Yeah, yeah. You better not cause trouble, and you better study for your World History test about World War II in 1939." Zen "NYU!"ed real loud and ran towards at Gil, cursing slightly about hating that subject. Winry giggled to see her little sister and her childhood friend talking. She also saw Gilbert Atsuma Truce glancing at Zen who was clueless many times and thought that those two are cute together, even though they insulted and chased each other around the campus.
"Winry!" The blond haired girl turned around to see her three best friends.
"Pam! Nikky! Ren! Hey!"
Standing under the Sakura tree, two dark skinned girls, one had dreadlocks that reached down to her neck and one who highlighted her bangs pink, and a light skinned girl with brown straight hair waved at their coming best friend. Winry ran toward them, smiling with happiness. Even though they were going away to college, they were still going to enjoy their last days in high school.
"Pamela, are you feeling well?" Winry asked with concern. Last few days ago, her friend caught the cold from the rain and didn't appear in school for the next days. Ren called her and used the "Grapevine" technique to communicate with the other friends about Pam's condition. The friends understood and wished her to get well soon, but Winry, Nikky, and Ren planned to visit her immediately. The dark skinned girl smiled and gave her a thumps up.
"I feel better. Greg's soup was disgusting, but it did help me feel better." Winry sighed in relief and smiled. Greg was the adoptive father who took Pamela under his care from an orphanage center. She was known as a survivor after the car accident when she was a baby. After adopting Pamela, Greg took really good care of her all the way, and Greg still supported Pamela.
"That's good. How are you, John, and the baby, Ren?" Winry asked her friend with pink highlighted bangs.
Around their junior year, Ren was attacked by a mob of drunken men at night. Recognizing her voice from a few blocks away, Winry, Pamela, and Ren's boyfriend, John Harris who had brownish hair on the back of his head and blond on the top of his hair, ran toward the mob and actually fought off the men while Nikky took her coat and wrapped around the crying girl. With Winry's wrench and Pamela and Havoc's fists, they were able to knock out the whole mob and tie them up while Nikky called the police. The police arrested the group, and the ambulance with the four brought Ren to the hospital immediately. The four waited outside to find out the results of their friend's condition. When a doctor came out of the examination room, they found out that they saved Ren's life without any diseases. However, this didn't stop the results of being pregnant, but John was always beside Ren and took care of her. He was still Ren's boyfriend and took care of the baby and her after the day ended.
Ren smiled and nodded.
"I'm fine, Winry. The baby and John are well. How is your family?" Winry sighed, shaking her head side to side.
"Dad's still sick. I have to get back home right after school. Zen is in detention, and I have to watch over her from destroying property." Her friends laughed, and the four girls entered their high school.
'Winry!'
The blond hair girl stopped and turned around to find anyone calling out her name. She swore she heard someone calling out her name out loud. That male voice was... familiar.
"Hey! Winry! Hurry up! Sara's waiting for us!" Nikky's voice called out for Winry's attention. Sara was one of their friends who studies and reads books in the library. She also amazed her friends on memorizing precisely on every word in the book, even in dictionaries. Winry snapped back to reality and ran toward her friends, apologizing for stalling.
"What's up? Why'd you stop?" Nikky asked. Winry combed her front hair through her fingers explaining.
"I'm not sure. I thought I heard a guy calling out my name." The three looked at each other and back to their friend with concern.
"We didn't hear anyone calling. Maybe, it's just your imagination." Pamela stated. Winry nodded, confirming that her words are true.
"Or... maybe... it's someone from your childhood past?" Winry snapped her attention to Ren who had a mischievous smile. Winry stuttered, denying that there was no boys in her past that had been friends with her. The girls laughed, running to the stair with Winry tailing behind them.
"When did you guys be so mean! Hey! Wait up!"
0000
In the Police Station, a woman, at the age of 24, picked up a file of a criminal who was arrested for Manslaughter. She observed the issues of the driver, knowing that "Manslaughter" equals to drunk driving. She felt sorry for the parents and the family, and it's unfortunate that that innocent was the victim of this mess.
"Hey, Riza." The woman sighed and removed her glasses from her eyes. Her job was a full time file keeper and part time highway patrol. She was a good sniper and shooter and followed orders without resistance. Her brown eyes gave her an annoying glare to her friend, Miria Ress, thinking that it's Riza's turn to do highway patrol for her friend.
"What now?"
"Hey. Chill for the moment. Chief said that your shift is done, and you can go home early." Miria said defensively. Riza rose an eyebrow and asked.
"I could go home? I thought I have four more hours to finish." Miria shrugged.
"I don't know, but you need a break once in a while. You haven't gone out to see your family for weeks." Riza stared at her friend for a little while and sighed. It was true. Her family needed money to support the kids while her first younger sister was going to be in college, her second younger sister was still in high school, and her youngest brother was in middle school. Riza managed to earn enough amount of money to live by herself, but she rather support her family and stay in her house than to live off somewhere else.
"You're right. Thanks, Miria. Tell the other guys that I said bye." Riza put on her uniform jacket and walked out of her office. After taking the paycheck off of her letterbox and saying her farewells to her accomplices in the front desk, she closed the door from the station and took her first step on the pavement.
'Hawkeye!'
Riza stopped and listened to find the source of the voice. She knew no one was outside, but she heard that name quite familiar.
That's strange. I swore that name and voice were familiar somewhere. Damn, Miria is right. I need to have a break.
Riza shrugged off her hallucination and continued to walk toward her blue Honda car.
If you are thinking who are Winry's and Riza's friends are, check FMA profiles to get the connection.