Calcifer's New Spark

CHAPTER TWO- THROUGH THE DOOR

"Al!" Ed ran upstairs, threw his coat on and stumbled as he tried to put on his boots in the quickest way possible. "AL! Get up! Noah wants to show us the neighborhood before we start work on the festival! I can't believe you slept in so late!" Ed tapped the leg with his auto mail on the floor to make sure his boot was on tight. No answer came from Al. "Al?" He went over to the bed and pulled back the covers.

Pillows.

Great.

"Al! He ran out of the room, shoved his way past a couple on the stairs and bounded outside where Noah helped the others load up the truck with crates. "Noah! Have you seen Al?"

"No," she replied, surprised. "I thought perhaps he had slept in. He ran around quite a lot yesterday."

"No!" Ed shouted. "He's gone! He didn't even tell me! He didn't even leave a note—"

"Oh, this is for you." Ed yelped in surprise at the voice in his ear. The gypsy who looked like Lust stood there solemnly, holding a small piece of paper between two fingers. "I meant to deliver it earlier but you were so busy drooling on your pillow I thought better of it."

Why couldn't she have stayed nice, like she was before she died? Al thought bitterly and snatched the note away, scowling. He read it aloud.

"Nii-san,

You don't believe me, but I'm going to prove to you that what I saw yesterday was real! Don't worry; I'll come back…maybe.

-Alphonse"

"Why that little--!" Ed crunched up the note. "I'll be back!" he screamed as though he were announcing it for the whole city to hear. Noah and Lust covered their ears. "He's gunna get it, big time!" He marched off towards the vineyards with the note crunched into his fist, and he made a kick for a flock of pigeons as he went.

"Have you seen a boy? He's thirteen, wears a red coat and has blonde hair."

"No, no sorry."

Ed had asked anyone he came across and none of them had seen Al. Either that or no one really knew what he was talking about and told him no to make him go away. The vineyard was full of workers in the afternoon and no one seemed too perturbed that he was there browsing freely. Maybe if he had come earlier in the morning he would have had a better chance. What if Al was caught? That was all he needed. He asked one more person and he was turned away once again. "I'll kill him," Ed said as he walked away and came face to face with a familiar opening where the shed stood, laughing at him. I'm the devil, it seemed to say. I made your brother go away. Ed looked between the grape vines and around the shed. He even looked inside and studied every corner just in case. No brother. "Damn it all." Maybe Al had realized that it was all pointless and went back to the inn? Grumbling, he left the opening and headed back the way he had come.

He was fine until he saw a spot in the distance, a small gray looking spot backed by a tremendous black mob in uniform. The old man from the day before saw him and pointed him out, yelling in Italian, cursing most likely.

Crap, Ed turned on his heel and walked quickly in the opposite direction. He looked over his shoulder. They were gaining on him. Okay Edward, he thought to himself, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! Workers dropped their baskets and fell into the grape vines as he sped past, shouting apologies. He could hear the police yelling at him to stop, but he kept running. One day he catches us by his shed and he's already got security rounded up to arrest us! I bet Al did something to piss him off even more. Unless… Unless that shed had something the old man didn't want them to see. Ed smiled. It was like the old days again.

So to the shed he ran—full speed!

He guessed Al had figured out the mystery. Perhaps there wasn't really a house inside of that dingy old shed, but whatever it was Al really saw was probably why the old man was so quick to come and shoo them away. He supposed the rest of the vineyard was touchable, but then you'd think he would at least do a better job of hiding what he didn't want seen.

Ed rounded the corner and slipped once again, but caught himself just in time. For a moment the sounds of the police had vanished. There was no one else around. He scrambled to his feet and made a mad dash for the shed, but before he could reach it he felt himself sinking into the ground, and soon he was up to his knees in mud and grass. "Must…keep…going…" He gritted his teeth and plowed through. He didn't remember this being here yesterday! The bastard probably put it there last night. He reached up and took hold of the rusty doorknob. It cracked open under protest, but he was able to lift himself up and place his feet firmly on the wooden threshold. He heard the police and spun around to see the old man had found him. The police looked dumbfounded and the ground shuddered beneath them. It became solid, but instead of going back to normal the grass began to roll up like a rug and came toward him.

"What the—!" He felt something grab his coat and pull him through the shed door.