The first thing I noticed when I came to was the emptiness. My surroundings were nothing but a white, empty space, no matter where I looked. There was no visible source of light either, but I noticed my shadow beneath my feet when I glanced down, as if an incredibly high voltage light was shining down on me. When I looked up however, I was met with even more white space.

"Hello?" I called out. "Is anyone here?"

Silence was my response and I took a few steps forward, my brows furrowed in concentration. My arrival to this strange place seemed so abrupt. The last thing I remember doing was… was…

I groaned, slapping my palm to my forehead. "What the hell was I doing to begin with?" I asked myself. My mind felt dulled and cloudy, making my efforts to recall any memories difficult.

One thing became clear almost immediately and I let out an audible gasp. "Jamie!" I exclaimed, spinning around. "Jamie, where are-?"

I stopped, my voice cutting off as I took in the appearance of a large, gray door. It towered over me, high enough that I had to lean back to view the top, and had a strange tree-like figuration carved into it, with branches forming out that bore strange words and ruins, ones that I couldn't recognize or read. I walked towards it and placed my fingertips on it, taking in the feeling of cold stone yet it felt smooth as metal.

"Wh… what is this…" I quietly muttered in awe.

"My, my, isn't this a surprise."

I whipped my head around at the new voice. A white figure sat several feet away from me, its body outlined by millions of tiny black particles. Its voice held the sound of many people speaking at once, and its entire being sent vibes that sent shivers up my spine.

"…Where did you come from?" I asked, my curiosity besting my nervousness. "Where am I?"

To my slight surprise, the figure let out a cold chuckle. "Foolish human. You dare step into my domain, yet you know nothing of me?" it scoffed. "Such arrogance."

I frowned at the being's attitude. Like you're one to talk, I thought.

The figure placed a hand on its chin, giving me a thoughtful expression… or it would, if it didn't lack much of a face. "I have to give you some credit though," it said. "No one has arrived from your side of the Gate in a long time."

My eyebrows rose at this. "The Gate? What are you talking about? What even are you?" I demanded, my voice quivering.

The being chuckled, seemingly eager to answer my question. "I am what you humans call 'the World,'" it began. "Or 'the Universe.' 'God.' 'Truth.' 'All.' 'One.'"

It paused and I scowled, annoyed at the being's confusing explanations. All I wanted was a clear answer for once. As I opened my mouth to snap, it continued. What it said next made me start.

"And, I'm also, you."

It raised a finger and pointed at me and I felt a jolt through my chest. I cringed, as if it had struck me, and took a step back, my mind wailing alarms. An intense fear and sense of foreboding that I had never felt before came over me and I suddenly wanted to be somewhere, anywhere, away from the figure. My feet had frozen in place however, and refused to listen to my mind. Besides, where could I run to? I was, as it said, in its domain.

"Pl… Please. Just let me go back," I stammered out, clenching my fists to keep them from shaking so hard. "I want to see Jamie again… I want to go home!"

"Home?" the figure repeated. "Is that what you truly long for?"

I winced as it let out a bone-chilling laugh. "How selfish. You've come here seeking the Truth, and now you must pay the Toll."

"The… Toll?" I breathed. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good.

"Of course." The figure's face stretched as it smiled sinisterly. "Why are you so afraid, young alchemist? It's all about equivalent exchange, isn't it?"

I heard the low creek of a door opening and a cold draft blew in from behind. Slowly and hesitantly, I turned around and met with what I could only describe as pure darkness as the large door behind me was pushed open. A large eye, the same that had appeared during the transmutation, opened wide as the all-too familiar black arms slithered out.

My mind raced and my legs and feet regained feeling with a shock of adrenaline. I surged forward, but before I could even take a few steps the black hands clung to me and wrapped themselves around my body. I cried out and thrashed around, attempting to escape their grasps, but my efforts were in vain as the hands dragged me into the darkness. The door began to close and, in one last attempt to free myself, I wrenched my arms loose and grabbed the edge of the door, my fingertips digging into it and I pulled myself forward.

"Let me go!" I shouted, glaring at the figure. "Where's Jamie? What have you done with him?!"

The arms ceased their pulls, but the hands held on and I gripped onto the door, my chest heaving with heavy breaths. The being pushed itself to its feet and I realized it was about as tall as me. It slowly raised its right arm and I watched, in horror, as the whiteness seemed to tear apart, revealing an arm made out of human flesh. My gaze caught on to the light scar across its forearm, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

No… It can't be…

"Your friend has already paid his price," it said, a wide sneer spreading across its face. "I wonder what the Truth will take from you."

I let out a shrill scream as the arms flung me back into the darkness and the Gate slammed shut, all light disappearing and everything going black. I could feel the hands claw over my skin and I struggled against them, searching for a way out. Then, out of nowhere, a light illuminated from far away, as if from the end of a tunnel. The hands and arms suddenly faded away and I sprinted free, reaching out for the light. The growing light felt warm on my skin, like the sun's rays, burning me with hopes of escape and freedom.

As I reached the light, the scenery around me warped and twisted. Instead of falling inside the Gate, I was running through a tunnel with numerous pipes surrounding me. Dim lights flickered as I ran past, making the tunnel feel cold and clammy, as if I were in a sewer. My footsteps echoed and bounced off the slick walls along with my heavy panting, but I didn't dare stop running. Something was after me.

Suddenly a wall came into view and I skidded to a halt, slamming myself into the stones. My heartbeat quickened as I looked the wall over.

No! A dead end!

The sound of heels clicking on the tiles echoed around and I stiffened, feeling my blood freezing in my veins. Breath quickening, I turned around and saw Lust stride out of the shadows, her hips swaying as she slowed her pace. Her dark eyes glittered with malice and a small smirk played at her lips as she gazed at me, her face twisted in sick, satisfactory triumph.

"No… no please…" I whimpered, pressing my back to the wall as hard as I could. I felt cold sweat slide down my forehead and I tried my best to fight off tears of panic. "J-Just stay away…"

Lust let out a cold chuckle then whipped her arm up, her fingers lengthening into long claws before she slashed them down. In the brief moment before she attacked, I clapped my hands together and threw my arms up, shielding my face.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

My arm lashed out and I tensed, preparing to fight with tooth and nail, but a startled cry made me stop. That voice… it never seemed that Lust would be the kind of woman to scream so easily, especially if I was trying to defend myself. As my panic was replaced by confusion, I started to become very clear of my surroundings.

I found myself propped up in a simple bed with a sheet over me, facing a very blank wall with both of my arms outstretched. Apparently, my nightmare had been so violent that even my body reacted while I was asleep. In my line of vision, I spotted a young girl sitting at my bedside, whom I hadn't noticed before.

The girl appeared to be around my age with long, light blonde hair, her bangs cut and side-swept just above her striking blue eyes, which were widened slightly as she stared at me. Her body was tense and she was leaning back, as if expecting me to burst out in another war cry. I blinked at the girl then inwardly cringed, feeling guilty. My sudden outburst probably surprised her enough to let out a scream. Maybe she even thought I was trying to attack her.

I slowly lowered my arms and looked down, avoiding eye contact with the girl. "I'm sorry," I mumbled, trying to think up an explanation for my behavior. "I…I thought…"

I trailed off as I tried to sneak a glance at the girl and noticed, to my surprise, that she had relaxed and was giving me a reassuring smile.

"It's fine. I'm alright," she said, her voice kind. "How are you feeling?"

For a moment, I sat there looking at the girl, too stunned to speak. A feeling of déjà vu settled over me as I remembered waking up in a similar bed with Sergeant Carter walking in and asking the same exact question. They both even had such friendly looks across their expressions, making me feel relaxed and as if I could trust them easily.

But I learned my own lesson the hard way. Wherever I was, I couldn't trust anyone.

A stab of pain shot through my torso and I doubled over, wrapping my arms around myself and cursing under my breath. I barely even noticed that the girl had quickly gotten up and was standing over me until she gripped my shoulders and gently pushed me back up to a sitting position.

"Don't push yourself!" she lightly scolded. "You have a few wounds that need some serious medical attention."

I looked up at the girl and reached out a hand to try and push her away when I noticed that a cloth was wrapped around my left hand. I pulled back and looked it over, noticing a large red dot on my palm that had soaked through the cloth. I inwardly gulped, briefly recalling my fight with Lust, and attempted to flex my fingers. Despite the numerous jolts of pain that went through my hand and down my arm, I found that I hadn't lost any nerves or feeling in my fingers or hand itself, which sent a small amount of relief washing over me.

More pain shuddered through my body and my attention turned to my chest and stomach, where my original scars were. I lifted up a sheet and found that I was still wearing the now tattered and shredded shirt and bandages. However, a towel was placed over the wound and I almost groaned in annoyance as I noticed that the blood had soaked through that as well.

Dammit Lust, stop reopening the scars you gave me!

During my inspection, I felt the girl's eyes burning onto my head. Looking back up at her, I noticed she was staring at me with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion in her blue eyes. We stared at each other for a few moments as I desperately tried to think of something to say, but she opened her mouth to speak first.

"What happened to you anyway?"

I hesitated and looked away, letting her question sink in. What happened to me? Well, a lot really. Being forcefully taken to an unfamiliar place, getting separated from my best friend, held prisoner and practically tortured, having inhuman beings after me… It was all too much for a normal person to handle in a lifetime. I myself was surprised as to how I was coping with the past events. At least I hadn't gone crazy yet. If I hadn't already.

Looking back up, I noticed the girl giving me an expectant look, waiting for an answer. I realized I was taking a long time to reply and I quickly tried to think of something to say. I could've tried to pull the "amnesia" trick like I did with Harry, but then again I had been so hopped up with pain killers, I couldn't remember anything when he interrogated me. Besides, despite how nice she looked, I had a feeling that the girl wasn't as naïve as the sergeant was. Finally, I came up with the simplest answer I could think of.

"I was attacked."

The girl gave me a, "No-duh-I-think-I-noticed" look before moving on. "By what?"

I closed my mouth and avoided her gaze, once again. There was no way I was going to tell her about Lust and Gluttony. They weren't her concerns and I didn't want anyone to get involved with my personal vendettas. And what if she was conspiring with them? I didn't know a single thing about her after all.

Then again, if she was working with those… creatures, wouldn't she have killed me already? Or let them take me back to confinement? Speaking of, where had Lust and Gluttony gone after I passed out? And weren't there others with the girl when I stumbled through a window before I went unconscious? Or was that just my panicked and delirious mind imagining things?

I grimaced. All this suspicion and paranoia was making my brain hurt.

I heard a door creak open, interrupting my train of thought, and the sound of a young and soft voice spoke up, "Winry, we're back."

The girl, Winry apparently, and I turned our heads at the newcomer and I couldn't help but gape and lean back in surprise. To start with, two figures walked in and they were some of the strangest looking people I had ever seen. The first and more noticeable one was a hulking gray suit of armor wearing a blue loincloth and had a long tail of slivery hair sticking out of his helmet, with two glowing orbs shining through his eyeholes. The second looked like a young boy that was about half the height of the suit of armor. He had golden bangs that fell over matching stern eyes, with one strand of hair sticking up in the air and the rest tied back in a short, tight braid. He wore a white, buttoned up shirt with matching sweats and slippers, along with bandages tied around his head and left wrist and a Band-Aid on his cheek.

What caught my eye however was the boy's right arm. It was completely made out of metal, from his shoulder to his fingertips. It was a strange prosthetic that I had never seen before. Instead of seeming stiff or robotic, it moved as fluidly as if it were made of flesh and blood. It was impressive, to say the least, and I couldn't help but stare in awe at the fine craftsmanship. The boy noticed though and he pulled his metal arm behind him and shot me a warning glare. I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment and I looked away for the umpteenth time.

The one in the armor perked up as he looked over at me. "Oh! You're awake!" he exclaimed.

I glanced up at him, completely caught off guard. The last thing I had expected was a child's voice coming out of a seven foot tall suit of armor. He even sounded like he was in his mid-teens, for Pete's sake! I didn't even know someone his age could be that tall. Realizing I had been staring at the boy for so long, I quickly caught myself and gave him a brief nod.

"You guys took your time," Winry said, placing her hands on her hips. "Did you find any doctors or nurses?"

I immediately froze, Winry's words beginning to send me into an inner panic. Doctors? Nurses? I realized why the scene seemed so familiar; I was back in another hospital. Was it Central Hospital again? No, it couldn't be. The place didn't seem as large or orderly as Central's. Still, I wasn't sure what the hell that damn building layout was supposed to be like. What if these three really were working with Lust and Gluttony? Was Harry here too?

"What the hell is going on?!"

The blonde boy, who had apparently started to talk, stopped short and the three turned to look at me. I hadn't even realized I unleashed an outburst until the words fully left my lips and hung in the air. By the looks Winry and the boy were giving me, I had sounded more panicked and hysteric than intended and I cleared my throat, choosing to give the blonde boy a hard stare while gripping the sheets to keep my hands from shaking.

"Where am I and who are you?" I demanded, keeping my voice as low and monotone as possible. "I'll ask again… What's going on?"

The boy blinked and exchanged a look with his armored companion before gazing back at me. "Look lady, we're not going to hurt you or give you any trouble," he explained. "For starters, you're in a small clinic run by a friend of a friend of ours, half a city away from Central Headquarters. Second, it's not like we brought you here of our choice. You came in through that window practically half dead."

The boy pointed to a wide window on the other side of the room. While it looked normal enough from a glance, when I looked closer I could see faint traces and specs of dried blood. Probably mine. At least it looked like they cleaned the blood up, as I could barely recall forming a puddle of red when I stumbled in.

"As for who we are," the boy continued, "My name's Edward Elric." He indicated the boy in the armor and Winry. "This is my younger brother Alphonse and our friend, Winry Rockbell."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the armored boy added.

I stared at him, frowning slightly. Alphonse seemed uncomfortable under my gaze, for he softly asked, "Um… Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" I blinked, realizing my possible rudeness, then shook my head. "No, I'm sorry, it's just…" I drifted off, glancing the two boys over. "…It's hard to believe that you're the younger one, Alphonse."

A vein in Edward's forehead suddenly popped out and he gave me an annoyed glare. "What's that supposed to mean?" he growled.

I met Edward's gaze for a few moments before looking away. Apparently I hit a nerve in assuming that he was the younger one. And why shouldn't I? Edward seemed like a twelve year old compared to Alphonse, especially when they were standing side by side.

"Nah, it's nothing," I said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just thought you looked a little small for your-"

Before I could even finish, Edward exploded. Figuratively, of course, but he became absolutely livid. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD FIT INSIDE OF AN ATOM?!" he roared, lunging at me. I gritted my teeth and went to clap my hands together, bracing myself for the blonde boy's attack. Before we could begin to battle though, Alphonse grabbed him around the waist and held him back.

"Brother please, she's hurt!" Alphonse hissed, worry and exasperation showing in his tone.

His pleas fell onto deaf ears however, as Edward only flailed against his brother's grip and yelled out random curses. The situation had suddenly switched from deadly to comical, and I noticed Winry smile a bit as she began scolding Edward on his immature behavior. Despite myself, I lowered my arms and cracked a small smile, my mind feeling at ease and my inner shields faltering.

That is, until the pain returned.

I gritted my teeth and doubled over, letting out an unintentional gasp of pain that was enough to make the trio's heads turn. I felt Winry set her hands on my shoulders as she gently pushed me back on the bed and pulled back the sheet, taking a look at my torso. The scars had reopened again, for the once large stain on the towel was slowly spreading out.

"Ed! Al!" Winry exclaimed, turning to the two boys. "Go get someone to-!"

"No!" I bolted upright before Winry could finish and practically dove onto her, gripping tightly onto her jacket. She let out a surprised gasp and whipped towards me, her expression alert and confused. Edward and Alphonse took several steps forward, ready to get involved, but Winry held up a hand and turned her attention onto me.

"Don't… Don't get anyone else," I begged, looking up at Winry with pleading eyes. "Please… I don't want them to… find me again…"

It was already bad enough that three people knew about my existence. If more people discovered my whereabouts, then those creatures could catch onto my location and, in my weakened state, that would be a horrible experience for me. I didn't want to involve any more innocent lives in my affairs than necessary as well, and the trio was already in deep enough.

I watched as Winry's gaze softened and for a moment my hopes lifted, which was abruptly interrupted as a jolt of pain went through me and I leaned over, hugging myself and hissing through gritted teeth. I must've looked more helpless than I thought, for a few seconds later I heard Winry order, "Scratch that! Get me a clean towel, a tub of warm water, and a roll of bandages! Hurry!"

I heard Edward and Alphonse give their replies as their footsteps left the room and the door slammed shut. Winry laid me back on the bed and gripped my right hand, muttering words like, "You're going to be okay," and "Just take deep breaths." I tried to follow her advice, but the pain continued to escalate, and all I could do to keep myself from crying out was to squeeze Winry's hand and bite my lip, doing my best to fight back tears. If I wasn't in such a sorry state, I would've noticed that she seemed to have experience with these types of situations.

In the back of my mind, I almost wanted to laugh. A few minutes ago, I was so suspicious of these strangers. Now, I was practically at their mercy, but instead of turning their backs on me or simply killing me off like I had suspected, they chose to help me and comfort me, despite barely knowing my identity.

Guess there are some people I could trust in this city after all.

It seemed like forever, but finally the boys returned with the supplies. While Ed handed a clean towel and a roll of bandages to Winry, Al placed a tub of steaming water at the foot of the bed, and they both stepped back, watching as Winry began to prepare herself. As she did, the pain intensified again and I squeezed my eyes shut, holding back a scream of pain. I barely heard Winry call out to me, her voice beginning to sound muted, and I managed to squint my eyes open, black dots dancing in my vision.

"Don't pass out on me," she said, her face blurred as she gave me a hard and determined stare. "I need you to stay awake."

I hesitated before briefly nodding, closing my eyes again and focusing on controlling my breathing. As I felt my breath slow, the pain in my torso began to subside, but part of it lingered, as if it refused to release its control on me.

"Is there anything we can do?" I heard Al ask. I forced my eyes open again and saw Edward and Alphonse looking at Winry expectantly. She was leaning over and dipping the fresh towel into the tub of water, wringing out the excess. She didn't appear to have heard Alphonse's question, but as Edward opened his mouth to ask for his brother, she finally said, "Leave the room."

"Huh?" Edward blinked, his mouth gaping open until he snapped it shut, gazing sternly at Winry. "Hang on a sec-"

Winry suddenly snapped her head up and glared at Ed, all trace of kindness gone and instead being replaced by something that only a creature from Hell could express. Both brothers cried out and trembled under her intense stare, while I myself shivered lightly. I'd hate to be caught on Winry's bad side, I realized.

Winry whipped her arm up and pointed towards the door, making the brothers jump several feet back in fear, as if she was brandishing a heavy artillery weapon. "Get out of here! NOW!" she ordered, flames practically radiating off of her in impatience.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Without another word, Edward and Alphonse spun around and sprinted out the door. Despite the situation, I couldn't help but smirk weakly. For a large suit of armor and a shorty, they could run pretty damn fast.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Winry turned back towards me and I winced, expecting her terrifying gaze to fall on me. When our eyes met however, her expression changed to one of comforting assurance and she leaned over me, gripping onto the towel and barely lifting it up.

"I'm gonna take this off now, alright?" Winry said, giving me a calming smile. "You don't have to look if blood makes you queezy."

I shivered but shook my head. I felt as if this would be the only chance I could view them in a great while. "No I… I want to see the scars," I replied.

"Alright." Winry heisitated before looking down at the towel, pulling it off and folding back my torn shirt and bandages, which had been slashed right down the middle. As the articles opened up like a curtain, I felt my entire body tense up and I immediately put a hand to my mouth.

"Oh god…" I moaned, feeling my eyes widen and my stomach churn.

Three long and thick diagonal cuts stretched from the left side of my chest down to the right side of my stomach, with a thinner one crossing over them in a straight, vertical line. Fresh blood seeped through the openings while dry specks and splatters of crimson were caked onto the sides and edges of each scar, the skin around each red and swollen. The whole thing was sickening to look at, and I felt my body trembling as I fought back retches and bile rose in my throat.

Winry quickly placed the clean and damp towel over my wound, trying to cover and cleanse it up, but I already saw enough. Feeling lightheaded, the world around me spun and began to fade as I felt my body go completely limp. I layed my head back as I felt my eyelids close by themselves, hearing Winry call out my name, her voice sounding far away. I barely felt something shake my body before I lost all feeling and consciousness, giving in to the dizzying darkness.

AN: Holy crap guys! After almost 3 months of inactivity, The Lost Ones returns with a brand new chapter! WEWT WEWT!

For starters, I'm so sorry for the super late chapter. There was so much stuff going on in these last couple of months and it was hard to get motivation to work on this. But now that school's off and the drama has died down, fingers crossed that I'll be able to work on TLO and update more frequently!

As for this chapter... Sad to say this, but I'm not as satisfied with this chapter as I had hoped. I did edit some minor parts and a few errors, but even so, I feel like I could've added more. In fact, this chapter was originally going to be MUCH longer, but I realized I was reaching almost 11 pages and I had to cut it in half. Hopefully, after all the introductions and suspicions have been cleared up, we can finally get the plot going too.

Until next time, sharia013 signing off. Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it, and reviews are greatly appreciated!