The Second Shelf
By: M14Mouse
Summary: She stared at the second shelf. Sometimes, in those moments…she wished that she was tall again.
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
Aisha stared at the second shelf and sighed.
One thing that she missed about being tall was she didn't need a chair to reach the second shelf…or even a shelf.
She didn't understand Granny need for the shelves to be so high.
She giggled softly. Sometimes, she and big brother thought Granny was ninja. It was the way that she would balance on the tip top of that chair to get the second shelf.
She looked around and found a chair by the kitchen table. She walked over and grabbed a chair. She dragged it to the last set of cabinets and stepped on it. She reached on top of the cabinet and patted her hand around to see if she could feel the box. She felt something hard under her finger tips. She made a grab for it and pulled it down. She blew the dust off of the lid then slowly opened it.
It was a necklace that Winry made for her out of her old armor. She really didn't wear jewelry but she couldn't throw it away. It was a part of her. So, she put it into a box and put it away.
Time to time, she would take it out. It was like taking out a memory book and flipping through the pages. She would remember the good, the bad, and the everyday.
Like it took a while for her to be "Alphonse", it took her awhile to be Aisha again.
She had to cut her hair when she returned. It was too brittle and would break off when she brushed it.
Her big brother held her as she cried when they cut off.
It was silly to cry over some piece of hair but brushing her hair gave her a sense of comfort. Mother would hum to her as she brushed and braided it. While she was weak, she would lie in a bed for hours on end and watching the world passed her by. That everyday action brought her a little sense of comfort..
She needed little comforts because it wasn't easy to stand and walk again. It was painful and just plain hard. Every step was like moving ton of bricks. Her muscles ached…her joint screamed at her like she was murdering them. It took time to gathered strength from her former self.
She wasn't weak but there was a strength being a suit of armor that could burst through doors and walls.
She needed it to move and not break. She wouldn't. She refused to do so.
She needed that same strength especially with the questions. The endless amount of questions was never-ending. Half of the time, they just reworded it and expected a different answer. And the questions about her big brother…..Grrr….
Mother always said that it was easier to attract flies with honey instead of vinegar. So, she smiled and answer each question the same…every time…all of the time.
When they got pushy, she made a point of stating that her big brother may have lost his powers but she hasn't.
They tend to leave after that. There was one time that they didn't…well…Mr. Armstrong handled that.
Along with the endless questions…came the endless stares…it made her feel uncomfortable. A part of her wanted to hide but a stronger part of her knew better. She wasn't going to hide. She kept her eyes forward and she didn't look.
She refused to look back.
Now, she and big brother started talking about traveling again, she thought of the necklace.
She thought of Alphonse.
She thought of herself. A long time ago, she thought that she would lose herself in that suit of armor.
It was the little things. It was losing mother and father's disappearance. She felt her life was out of control. Becoming Alphonse…would just be one more step in that direction.
But she was wrong.
She found something important and valuable.
She found her strength.
"Allie! Are you coming?!" Big brother shouted.
"Coming!" She shouted back.
She slipped the necklace around her neck. This was a start of a new journey. It would be fitting that he would come along for another.
End