Chapter 12: Worse Than the SAT!
Melanie walked up to Alice, carrying a small package. She smiled.
"My mom wants me to tell you that she's very grateful for what you and your brother did today. You guys just about saved our lives."
Alice refused the proffered package.
"Thanks, but I can't accept this."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know who you are."
Nearby, Edan rolled his eyes. He knew all those blows to the head would take their toll on Alice.
Central City: a sprawling (unoriginally named, before the creation of West and East City) metropolis, home to hundreds of thousands of people. The city was one of those most affected by Amestris's move from an agricultural to an industrial economy. Skyscrapers, office buildings and shopping malls were joined by so many factories, it was a wonder that smog didn't black out the sky.
Edan, having lived in the country for most of his life, was concerned more with sight seeing than finding the headquarters of the military. He was taking pictures to send home, when he remembered that his house had burnt down. His sister, on the other hand, was busy telling a pigeon about the "nice man" who said that he was her older brother.
However, Edan's relatively good mood would not last.
The aforementioned author slammed a fist on Leroy Mustang's desk, nearly cracking it.
"What do mean, another month until the exam?"
"What part of that phrase don't you understand?" Mustang casually repaired his desk with a passage. "The State Author exam doesn't begin until April."
"Then why did you tell us to come so early?"
"First of all, I thought you would appreciate the time to practice. Secondly, I don't particularly like you that much."
Alice tugged on her brother's sleeve.
"Not now," he responded. "Where do we stay until then? We can't afford to stay at a hotel for a month!"
"Relax. I've made some housing arrangements for you two. And by the way, listen to what your sister has to say."
Edan knelt to meet Alice's eye. "Yeah?"
She pointed to his hand. To the author's horror, he found it impaled on a spindle, from when he had slammed his hand on the desk. It wasn't that it hurt (he can't feel pain anymore, remember?), it's just that nobody likes the sight of a piece of metal skewering their hand. His screams echoed throughout the city.
The Lt. Colonel had referred the authors to a man named Shou Tucker, also known as the Sewing Character Author. Something occurred to Edan during the walk to Tucker's house. Amnesia had most likely taken away his sister's memories of their hometown, their mother, and a host of other traumatic experiences. He took a breath to calm himself. Alright, things were not as bad as they looked. As long as he could avoid any references to their hometown or their past until Alice got her memory back…
"Ed, why do I have a metal arm?"
Edan flung his head skyward. "What did I do to deserve this? Besides committing blasphemy in the form of Author Power usage. And killing a few bandits on that train. And creating an affront to nature in the form of a Mary-Sue."
A booming voice echoed from the heavens. "Well, you did slash the tires on your 7th grade teacher's car…"
The next chapter will be longer. I promise. As if I am setting the bar too high…